After Raising the Double Blacks

[A short, sweet story about raising a child]

[I'll come back once I finish the story next door!!]

Hi, everyone. My name is Gongye Shengliang, and I'm a delicate, sickly Mafia member.

At the behest of the Ninth Boss, I traveled all the way from Italy to Yokohama to take on the responsibility of "helping the young master, Tsushima, restore the family to glory."

The first time I met the young master, who had changed his name to Dazai Osamu, he was wrapped in messy bandages. He'd just gotten into a fight with a stray dog on the street to protect the prime piece of feng shui under a bridge.

I was proud of him, because he'd won.

What a good boy.

The young master's thought process isn't quite normal. Even as a little kid, he was always threatening to run away from home and jump into a river. It took a great deal of effort to set him straight.

Thinking his rebellious streak might be due to a lack of interaction with kids his own age, I warmly invited a red-haired boy from the street to come over.

For some reason, the boy, named Chuuya, looked a little awkward, but he still accepted my invitations every now and then. Sometimes he'd even take me out for a walk instead.

Raising one child is work, and raising two is no different. I was delighted to see Chuuya and Dazai become close friends at first sight.

The family doctor, however, always sighs whenever he sees the three of us together. Perhaps he's jealous.

At last, the young master's coming-of-age day arrives. He inherits the family business, my mission is over, and it's time to pack up and return to my home in Italy.

At the banquet, Dazai, whom I've raised for six years, takes off his bandages. Smiling elegantly, he shows that he knows how to repay a kindness, insisting on toasting me.

Chuuya stands nearby with his arms crossed, unusually not picking a fight with him.

I'm overwhelmed by the gesture. Thinking I'll probably never see either of them again, I take the glass with a mix of gratitude and sadness, and down it in one gulp.

Then everything goes black.

The next day, I wake up with a splitting headache. I look at my hand cuffed to the bedpost, then at the two young men who are dangerous in every sense of the word, and fall silent.

Guys, I don't think I'm going anywhere.

--

I haven't figured out the outline yet, and eight cars have already driven past.

Theme: Rebellious, melodramatic younger-man romance