A Bowl of Tonkatsu

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/40713624.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: M/M
Fandom: 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game)
Relationship: Scaramouche/Shikanoin Heizou
Characters: Shikanoin Heizou, Scaramouche (Genshin Impact)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics,
Alpha Shikanoin Heizou, Omega Scaramouche (Genshin Impact),
Mutual Pining, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, mention of human trafficking,
Slavery, Dark Past, Past Abuse, Past Drug Use, Scaramouche Being a
Little Shit (Genshin Impact), Detectives, This is really a happy and sweet
story
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-08-06 Words: 14,118 Chapters: 1/1
 A Bowl of Tonkatsu
by Yellow_Canna

Summary

At first, Kunikuzushi thought this was the man’s tactic in having him. He was the fairest of
them all, it was only natural for Alphas to lust after him…but he was wrong.

Kunikuzushi had never been so wrong in his life.

The first day living with Shikanoin Heizou, Kunikuzushi tried to wrap his arms around his
neck only for that bastard to throw a stack of paper into his face. The Alpha—without
looking at him—heartlessly ordered him to sort out all the documents and have them readied
at his desk.

After that, the sorry excuse of an Alpha dragged him to his detective firm one floor below the
building they lived in and made him print/scan documents all day. Whenever he tried to
seduce that Alpha, he was either met with more documents being thrown at him or got
handcuffed to whatever Heizou could handcuff him to.

It didn’t take long for Kunikuzushi to realize why he was there.

This asshole detective brought him home so he could use him for free labour!

[Modern Tevyat AU. Human Scaramouche]

Notes

In this story, Scaramouche will be given an Anemo Vision. Let's just say I want to because it
fits into the story more and leave it at that. Please do not discuss about it in the comment for
obvious reasons.

Thank you and I hope you'll all enjoy this story! (◕‿◕)♡

See the end of the work for more notes

Shikanoin Heizou had it all planned out.

The raid at the underground auction should have gone perfectly without the chance for a fight
to break out. The attendees were all shrewd businessmen and women who had risen to their
positions. There were no fools amongst any of them. They knew the moment the people from
the Tenryou Commission stormed in and had them surrounded that there was no way out.

Fighting was futile and they have their personal lawyers. As long as they don’t resist and
obey the Tenryou Commission, they will still have a chance to fight off their charges in court.
Naturally, the Tenryou Commission and Heizou were well aware of that and the government
was fully prepared in fighting them in court.

However, what no one accounted for was the final product being auctioned on the stage.

When the Tenryou Commission stormed in, the product was yet to be revealed—covered in a
crimson sheet for suspense. While they were shouting at everyone to get down and hold their
hands behind their heads, an unnatural breeze swept through the auction room. The wind
lifted the veil, revealing a golden bird cage and the beautiful youth sitting on the elegantly
crafted swing at the center.

He was dressed in translucent fabric that did nothing to hide his body with long purple hair
flowing down his lean body with the tips grazing the floor.

In an instant, every single eye in the room shifted onto him—including the people from the
Tenryou Commission.

Heizou was in a police car outside—watching the video being sent by the body cameras of
their people that went inside. The moment he saw the veil being lifted by an invisible force,
he knew something wasn’t right. When he saw the green Vision on the beautiful Omega’s
hips, Heizou nearly kicked down the door as he rushed towards the auction house.

"Tell everyone to get out of there!! NOW!!!" That was all Heizou could say as his confused
colleagues shouted after him. There was no time to explain.

Back on the video, the scene continued to play.

The Omega lifted his chin and parted his lips. What came out of his mouth was a beautiful
melody—a lullaby. With the tension in the air and the silence throughout the auction room,
his voice echoed loud and clear for all to hear.

As he sang that, his wisteria purple eyes landed on the nearest person—a masked Alpha, an
attendee who would later be one of the many corpses the police had to carry out to identify.
He smiled and lifted the fabric around his hips even though there was no need to do that with
what he was wearing.

The Alpha’s eyes dilated as the wind caressed his cheek and threaded through his hair as
though it was the Omega himself who was touching him…
BANG

Someone fired a shot. The sound was so loud it snapped everyone out of trance and then…
the bloodbath began.

The auction house was filled with gunshots and screams as bodies fell one after the other.

The Omega continued to sing and his swing began to sway back and forth—pushed by an
invisible force.

Through the chaos, his voice travelled through everyone’s ears like the wind that filled the
space. There was an eerily serene expression on his face. He didn’t blink when blood
splattered onto his body, nor did he blink when a bullet whizzed by his beautiful face, leaving
a deep cut on his cheek.

By the time Heizou arrived, the Omega’s song had long come to an end. He was sitting there
with a smirk on his lips and eyes locked on Heizou. Between them was a sea of bodies. Some
were alive, but most of them were dead. The only survivors were those from the Tenryou
Commission due to the protective gear they wore.

The moment Heizou took a breath, the heavy pheromone of the Omega slammed into him
full force. Immediately, the Vision on his body glowed and another force of wind blew
through the corridor and slammed into the wind swilling throughout the auction room.

The Omega’s brows rose a little at this, but the smirk on his face didn’t falter. On the other
hand, Heizou was panting hard with large droplets of sweat rolling down his face. His heart
was pounding and it took every fibre of his being to not rush up and pounce on that Omega.

Now he solved the mystery as to why the shooting happened.

This Omega was born with a rare pheromone that can be compatible with any Alphas. But
even so, this scent was too strong. It wasn’t Heizou’s first time smelling the scent of an
Omega that has high compatibility with his and he never felt this way before. The only
explanation would be that this Omega was pumped with pheromone enhancing drug…most
likely way over the safety limit.

That was why these people went crazy and began killing each other.

They were all fighting for him.

“Hey…”

Heizou remembered the way the Omega called out to him with one leg dangling off his swing
and his other leg folded against his chest. He was resting his arm and head onto his raised
knee and looking at Heizou with great interest.

“Won’t be you mine?” He chortled with blood streaming down the side of his face and a
devilish smirk on his lips.

✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧
The young bartender was wiping the counter for perhaps the fourteenth time in the last ten
minutes. His movements were sluggish and his eyes kept wandering to the individual who
has captured all of his attention…

He came in fifteen minutes ago and has been sitting by the counter drinking since. Working
as a bartender, the young man has seen countless people that came here to get drunk and have
fun. But never had he ever met an Omega as beautiful as the person in front of him. Even the
models he saw on television paled in comparison with this one in front of him.

The bartender had been watching him the entire time and all he was going was drink. He
didn’t seem to be waiting for anyone.

Apparently, the bartender wasn’t the only one watching.

Many others had set their eyes on the Omega the moment he stepped into the club, but no one
made any move. They waited and observed to see if this Omega has any protectors lurking
around. Surely someone as beautiful as him wouldn’t come to places like these without any
protection, right?

Eventually, one man made the first move. Perhaps he had concluded that this Omega truly
came alone or perhaps he didn’t want to risk letting anyone else beat him. Either way, the
man—an Alpha—went over to the Omega and casually sat next to him.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” the Alpha gave the bartender a toothy grin.

The bartender froze. He stared at the Alpha, then at the Omega as though waiting for the
Omega’s permission.

“Did you hear me?” The Alpha frowned and only then did the bartender snap out and realized
his mistake.

“I’m sorry, sir. Right away,” he bowed light and quickly went to make the man’s order while
continuing to sneak glances at the Omega.

“If that’s your pick-up line, then you’ll have to try harder,” the Omega said with a small smile
as he swirled the purple drink in his hand. “And this is a mocktail, are you sure you want
this?”

“Not a fan of alcohol?” The alpha rested one arm on the counter and casually leaned toward
the Omega.

“On the contrary, I can drink,” the Omega took a sip of his drink. “It’s just…my Alpha
doesn’t like me getting drunk.”

“That’s a pretty controlling Alpha you have there.” The Alpha commented. “People come
here to have fun! You should drink whatever you want.”

“Is that right?” The Omega set down his glass and leaned his head into his hand. “Then will
you be treating me?”
“What would you like?”

“Umetini.”

“Hey, get two umetini,” the Alpha spoke in an ordering tone to the bartender.

“Y-yes,” the bartender gave another look to the Omega before he proceed to make the drinks.
“Then…the other drink you wanted—”

“Of course you cancel it,” the Alpha clicked his teeth in annoyance and turned back to the
Omega. “Some of these youngsters really are slow on the uptakes.”

“Well then, let’s hope at the very least the drinks come out good,” the Omega said, smirking
at the way the young bartender flinched at his words.

“So what’s a pretty little thing like you doing here without your Alpha?”

“Thing, hmm?” The Omega repeated quietly under his breath. It was so quiet that no one had
heard thanked to the loud music roaring through the clubhouse. “Let’s just say I’m running
away from home for a bit.”

"Why’s that?”

“Because my Alpha is being awful to me, of course,” the Omega chuckled. He tilted his head
up at the Alpha sitting next to him. “I fell in love with him at first sight yet after living
together for three whole years, he has never once looked my way…such a cruel man, isn’t
he?”

“He must be blinded if he wouldn’t look at you. Look, you have the attention of everyone
around you.”

The Omega looked up, his gaze lazily dragging around the club. Just as the man said, he was
the center—the star of their eyes

“You also find me attractive?”

“Of course I do.”

“What do you think of my hair?”

“Your hair?” The Alpha raised a brow, not expecting such a question. His eyes wandered
over the Omega’s purple hair with natural highlights. “Your hair is beautiful…like silk.
Makes me want to run my fingers through them to see if they’re as soft as they look.”

“Did you know that my hair wasn’t always this short?”

“Yeah?”

“They were long…so long that they flow down my body and touch the floor,” the Omega
said with a seductive smile. “How do you think I look?”
“I bet you were breathtaking.”

“Am I not breathtaking now?”

“You’re stealing my breath away right now, baby,” the Alpha murmured and leaned closer to
the Omega. “What I would give to see you with those beautiful long hair though…such a
pity. Why did you cut it?”

“Why else?” The Omega’s smile turned sad. “Because of that heartless Alpha of mine, of
course.”

“He didn’t like it?”

“He said~” the Omega drawled. “Your hair looked like a pain. Want me to cut it for you? Can
you believe that man?”

“Fuck, what a bastard,” the Alpha snarled, disgusted with the behaviour of the other man
even though they had never met.

“Here are your umetini,” the young bartender cut in as he placed two beautiful glasses of
cocktail in front of the two.

The Alpha reached forward to pick up his glass, taking a look at the drink before his eyes
flickered up to the bartender. The bartender swallowed hard at his gaze. He snuck a glance at
the Omega before he ducked his head and began wiping the counter again.

“Then for tonight, let’s forget about that heartless Alpha. An Omega like you deserves to be
pampered.”

“Oh? And what Omega am I like?” The Omega asked, picking up his class and lifting it.
Their glass touched with a faint crisp ring echoing from the contact.

“A gorgeous and smart one.”

“Come to think of it…that Alpha of mine never called me gorgeous…or smart,” the Omega
grumbled and sipped on his new drink. “Every single day, I have to listen to him nagging at
my ears. He made me go to his workplace every day to serve his clients and when we get
home after a hard day at work, he makes me clean the house…”

“Sweetheart, you are being treated wrong.” The alpha said seriously. “That is not any way an
Alpha should treat an Omega. I told you, Omegas are meant to be pampered and spoiled.
Your Alpha is no Alpha.”

“Then…will you pamper me in the way I am supposed to be pampered?”

“Of course…if you will have me, I’ll be the luckiest Alpha to ever live in this world.”

The Omega smiled before he tilted his head back and finished his drink in one go. He set the
empty glass aside before ordering another glass.
“Slow down, sweetheart, we have all the time in the world,” the Alpha told him, but also
downed his drink and ordered a second.

“I met that man three years ago…” the Omega sighed wistfully as he began to tell the
stranger his story much like many of the lonely people who came to here get drunk. “He
forcefully took me to his home…he took the most important possession from me and hid it
away so I wouldn’t be able to leave him. During the night, he would handcuff me to his
bed…”

The Alpha froze at this, not expecting to hear…this.

The young bartender who was eavesdropping nearly dropped the glass he was wiping.

“In the beginning, all I could think about was to run away…but eventually, those thoughts
left my brain. Now…he gave me back my belonging and wouldn’t handcuff me to his bed
anymore. Do you think he has grown tired of me?”

“…Yes, it sounds like he did,” the Alpha let out a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry to say this,
sweetheart, but that Alpha has never loved you. He probably is in love with someone else
from the sounds of it.”

“I thought so,” the Omega mumbled as his new glass of umetini was placed in front of him.
He took the glass and once more drank it down in one go. The Alpha watched the Omega
drink with a strange gleam in his eyes.

When the Omega set down his glass, the Alpha reached forward and grasped the Omega’s
hand. The Omega blinked a bit before seeming to register the hand on his. His body was
starting to sway, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Let’s go to my home…I will take care of you there. I will pamper you and spoil you…I’ll
give you more love than that Alpha ever will.”

“Hm…alright,” the Omega agreed, sounding in a bit of a daze. He got up, only to stumble
and fell into the Alpha’s open arms.

“Strange…it must be because of how long it’s been since I’ve drank…I can usually handle
much more than this…”

“I’m sure you can, sweetheart.” The man wrapped his arm tightly around the Omega’s waist
both to support him and to not let his prey get away.

“Come, I’ll help you…” Before the man could take a step, however, someone grabbed him by
the wrist, twisted his hand behind his back and slammed him into the counter. A gust of
violent wind blew into the club and the young bartender yelped when a pair of handcuffs
came flying out of nowhere—one of the metal cuffs snapped around his right wrist while the
other locked around the hanging glass rack where his hand was next to when putting a glass
back.
At the same time, another hand shot out and caught the wrist of the Omega who was trying to
slip away into the crowd.

“Wha—who are you?!” The Alpha tried to get up, but a swift kick to the back of his knees
made him slam back into the counter.

“Drugging and kidnapping Omegas are serious crimes,” a smooth whispered into his ear and
the iron grip on the man’s wrist tightened so much that he was letting out pained grunts. “I do
hope you have your lawyers prepared because…”

Sharp, chartreuse yellow eyes flicked to the young bartender who was struggling on getting
free from the handcuff.

“The two of you—along with your other buddies—will be spending a long, long time behind
bars.”

The weight of the person was gone but before the man could make a run for it, two officers
rushed forward, grabbed him and swiftly handcuffed the man.

“Now then…” the young man with maroon hair watched the man get escorted away while
more officers arrived to collect the bartender who finally realized what the situation was and
began to weep. “Care to explain, Kuni-chan?”

Kuni-chan—or better known as Kunikuzushi—let out a loud huff. In an instant, the glazed-
over look in his eyes was gone and he no longer looked like he would fall over from just
standing.

“Why should I explain anything to you?” The Omega tugged his hand, but couldn’t pull free
from the tight grip. “What I do is my business!”

Heizou let out a small sigh and didn’t bother arguing with the Omega.

“We’re going to the hospital.”

“Hah?!” Kunikuzushi shouted and nearly tripped when the other began pulling him towards
the door.

“Well, what do you think will happen when you drink those drinks knowing they were
spiked?”

“I don’t need—!”

“The hospital. Now.”

✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

The life of slavery was a nightmare to many…but to a certain Omega, he strived in it.

Mora.
Power.

He has it all.

Of course, it didn’t start off like that. Like many of those who were sold into slavery,
Kunikuzushi’s life was nothing but hell. It was through his hard work and finding the right
method to survive that he eventually rose to the very top.

He may be a slave in name, but the true slaves were always those who became his masters.
There was never a dull moment as he watched them lose themselves in order to entertain him.

Changing masters was not difficult for him. The moment he got bored with his current
lifestyle, he would seduce the people around his master. None of those people—be it the
master or servants—were people with morals. All he needed was to give out some sweet
promises and they would be all too willing to start a war to have him.

Unique pheromones that no Alphas could resist…that was Kunikuzushi’s greatest weapon.

In ancient times, someone like Kunikuzushi would probably be deemed as a demon that
seduces men and needed to be slain. That was how a lot of Omegas perished and caused the
great decline in their population that was still recovering to this very day.

Unfortunately, just because his scent smelled good to the Alphas didn’t mean they smell good
to him. Kunikuzushi always have to fight the urge not to gag when he took a whiff of these
Alphas.

Their scents were as revolting as their entire existence.

After Kunikuzushi killed his first master, he returned to the outside world.

It didn’t take long for him to discover that the world in the light had no place for him. Not
only was the world on the other side boring and bland, the laws were also strict—especially
for people who were blessed with the gods’ gaze.

Vision bearers needed to be registered with the government and the use of Visions was
forbidden unless those who were given special permission to do so. With no means of making
a living on his own, Kunikuzushi had nowhere to go. Being underage and a Vision bearer, the
Tenryou Commission—the law enforcer of Inazuma—would surely put him under their
surveillance if he was to catch their eyes.

In the end, he returned to the darkness and chose to continue his life as a slave.

At least there, he will have the freedom to use his Vision and can spend as much mora as he
liked.

But that all changed when Kunikuzushi met him…

He was an Alpha with a pretty face and a small build like him. Had Kunikuzushi not known
better, he could have easily mistaken him to be another Omega.
The way he charged into the auction like some lone Hero and was an Anemo Vision bearer
like him intrigued Kunikuzushi. Despite smelling his scent, that man didn’t lose himself to
his desire and more importantly, his scent…

Kunikuzushi didn’t hate that man's scent.

If anything, he enjoyed it.

It was a smell he didn’t know how to describe in words…but it did gave Kunikuzushi a very
warm and fuzzy feeling.

Since he was a rare male Omega as well as a victim in that auction house, no charges were
put on him. After all, Kunikuzushi couldn’t do anything in his little cage. Even if he created
the wind, he was pumped full of drugs. The doctors confirmed the dangerous amount of
drugs circulating through his body. All he had to do was to tell them the auction house
repeatedly had him create wind and sing and these fools would come up with the rest of the
story.

The auction house trained him and drugged him on the day of the auction. Drugged and not
knowing what was happening, he automatically responded by doing what he was previously
trained to do.

That was their conclusion.

That was why Kunikuzushi couldn’t be at fault.

The fault was on these horrible human traffickers.

Kunikuzushi thought that would be the end and he would walk out free after being discharged
from the hospital. Instead, a nosy detective convinced his higher-ups to keep him locked up
under the charge of inciting violence.

Since it was true that Kunikuzushi—drugged or not—was the cause for the fight, the Tenryou
Commission general approved of the detective’s request. And so the innocent, poor Omega
found himself under house arrest. And because he got no home to stay in, he ended up being
brought to the detective’s home where the famous detective himself will keep an eye on him.

At first, Kunikuzushi thought this was the Alpha’s tactic in having him. It was only natural
for Alphas to lust after him…but he was wrong.

Kunikuzushi had never been so wrong in his life.

The first day he stayed with Shikanoin Heizou, Kunikuzushi tried to wrap his arms around
him only for that bastard to throw a stack of paper into his face. The Alpha—without looking
at him—heartlessly ordered him to sort out all the documents and have them readied at his
desk.

After that, the sorry excuse of an Alpha dragged him to his office/detective firm one floor
below the building they lived in and made him print/scan documents all day.
It didn’t take a day before Kunikuzushi realized why he was there. That Alpha brought him
home so that he could use him for free labour!

Whenever a customer arrived at the office, Kunikuzushi would be made to serve tea. When
his presence was too distracting—especially if the client was an Alpha or a Beta male, he
would be kicked into the photocopy room and went back to sorting out papers sent by the
Tenryou Commission. The Omega had to hold off every fibre of his being to not smash the
photocopy machine into that bastard’s head.

Whenever he tried to seduce that Alpha, he was either met with more documents being
thrown at him or got handcuffed to whatever Heizou could handcuff him to.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Alpha would handcuff him to the bedpost during the night and
then go snoring away on his futon next to his bed. This was not to prevent Kunikuzushi from
running away but to prevent him from sneaking under Heizou’s blanket like he had tried to
on the first night.

Kunikuzushi had no idea what sort of handcuff it was, but he couldn’t get it off no matter
how much he tried picking or smashing it. He might be able to break it if he had his Vision,
but Heizou confiscated it and carried it on him at all times. With the detective’s prowess in
martial arts and having his own Vision, it was impossible for Kunikuzushi to steal it back.

When he tried to use his scent to get his way like he always did, Heizou would…not react at
all. He would continue to do whatever he was doing, as though the air wasn’t filled with the
Omega’s sweet pheromone. Kunikuzushi was certain he was properly breathing it in and not
using the wind to blow his scent away.

He couldn’t figure out why this was happening. Sure his scent was weak compared to when it
was enhanced by the drugs, but even without that, Kunikuzushi could still get any Alphas to
fall head over heels for him.

Maybe he was impotent, or maybe this Alpha wasn’t attracted to Omegas in general. For all
he knows, Heizou could be into another Alpha and only get turned on by an Alpha’s scent.

These weren’t what made Kunikuzushi give up, however. What made him stop and gave up
on seducing Heizou was because of two simple sentences the detective once said to him.
What was the most infuriating was that he made these comments without any thoughts
behind them…

“Your hair looked like a pain. Want me to cut it for you?”

Maybe Heizou genuinely thought Kunikuzushi’s hair was too long and suggested it out of the
good of his heart…or maybe he was too much of a cheapskate to buy the very expensive
conditioner Kunikuzushi needed to maintain his gorgeous hair.

Whichever it was, it hardly mattered because even if it was to save mora on unnecessary
expenses, Kunikuzushi couldn’t get angry at Heizou.
He was a doll, therefore a doll needed to dress up and be taken good care of. That was how
he lived most of his life within the underworld. Kunikuzushi had lost count of how many
times someone would run their dirty fingers through his hair, kissing and commenting how
beautiful it was.

He was an object in the eyes of these people and his hair was one of his accessories.

So when he heard those words from Heizou, Kunikuzushi found himself smiling. That was
the first smile that ever came from the bottom of his heart.

That very day, Kunikuzushi had Heizou cut his hair.

The feeling of no longer needing to drag a weight around his head was a novel feeling. Since
that day, the animosity between them started to become better.

Kunikuzushi got to learn a bit more about his captor’s personality…oh, and his disdain
towards criminals—especially murders. Kunikuzushi wanted to laugh and point out how he
never killed anyone innocent. After all, how could anyone who buys slaves be innocent? But
then he remembered some of the people from the Tenryou Commission who were collateral
damage and decided it was best to keep his mouth shut for once.

Three long years passed like this and Kunikuzushi’s house arrest period ended. That day,
Heizou brought him to the Tenryou Commission station and got the paperwork done. He also
got Kunikuzushi a new identity as a citizen of Inazuma.

Kunikuzushi originally never planned on sticking around. He planned to run off the moment
he was free…only to find his bank account frozen. It was an illegal account filled with illegal
money, but Kunikuzushi still worked hard to collect these from his masters. Penniless and
resentful, he was stuck and had no choice but to continue living with this slave driver/former
captor of his.

“Did you hear a word I say, Kuni-chan?” Heizou’s voice snapped Kunikuzushi back into
reality. The Omega sat on the couch with his arms crossed, clearly not happy with the
situation.

“I’m listening,” Kunikuzushi rolled his eyes, making it clear he wasn’t listening at all.

“Kuni-chan,” Heizou's tone dropped. “You’re lucky that drug didn’t have a lasting effect on
your body. Otherwise—”

“Even if that was poison I would have been fine,” Kunikuzushi finally couldn’t take any
more of his nagging and got up. “I’m immune to those things, or did the Great Detective
happen to forget?”

“Immunity only means you wouldn’t react to those drugs because you developed resistance to
it. It doesn’t mean your body wouldn’t be harmed.”

“I don’t see what the big deal is. If you were worried about that guy, I wasn’t going to kill
him. I was going to take his wallet since I’m broke thanked to a certain someone.”
“So you chose to swindle money from a bar an hour from here?” Heizou asked, not buying
the Omega’s lie in the slightest.

“What kind of idiot would steal close to his home?”

“In the very same bar where I am investigating the disappearance of two Omegas?”

“What? Do you think the entire world revolves around you?” Kunikuzushi was done. He
turned and headed upstairs, wanting to hurry and wash off the stench of that Alpha and the
chemical from the hospital trip.

Heizou watched as Kunikuzushi go. Seconds later, the sound of slamming door echoed from
above, followed by the sound of the shower being turned on. The detective heaved out a
small sigh and lightly tapped his temple—a habit he had been doing more often after this
Omega entered his life.

“Seriously…that guy,” he muttered to himself. “Would it kill him to be more honest?”

He then reached into his pockets and pulled out two tickets. They were a little crumbled up so
he carefully smoothed out the wrinkles.

“Looks like it’s time to take another approach…”

✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

“…What the heck is this?” Kunikuzushi stared, bewildered by the gate in front of him while
the cab behind them drove away.

“This…” Heizou came to stand next to Kunikuzushi in admiring the view. He got a cap over
his head and dark sunglasses covering half of his face. “Is an amusement park!”

“I know what an amusement park is,” the Omega snapped. “So? Did somebody die?”

“If they did, they haven’t made it to the news yet.”

“Is someone going to die?”

“Perhaps, if they get a cardiac arrest or if the machine broke down and caused an accident.”

“Is there a terrorist hiding in there?”

“For what reason would terrorists hide in a theme park?” Heizou crossed his arms and turned
to Kunikuzushi. “I've been meaning to say this for a while now. You have some pretty
disturbing thoughts, Kuni-chan.”

“Whose fault is that?!” Kunikuzushi shot the Alpha a nasty glare. “If nothing’s going to
happen, why are we here?!”

“I told you that today’s our day off,” Heizou answered cheerfully while waving two tickets in
his hand. “Taking a break and resting your mind is also part of being a good detective. Come
on!”

Kunikukzushi hesitated, but still followed after Heizou. As it turned out, the ticket he had
were for VIPs so they were immediately welcomed into the park without the need of lining
up.

“Where did you get the mora for those tickets?” Kunikuzushi asked suspiciously. While he
didn’t know the usual prices for amusement parks, nothing labelled with VIP can be cheap.
Kunikuzushi was the one who sort out their bank statements and incomes, so he knew how
much Heizou makes—which wasn’t a lot.

“Remember that beautiful lady who came to us with the request of looking for her darling
Precious?” Heizou asked with a snap of his fingers.

“You mean that condescending blob of a human being and her nightmare feline that scratches
anyone who went near it,” Kunikuzushi deadpanned before his eyes widened in shock and
disbelief. “Don’t tell me you asked for these stupid tickets in exchange for our original
reward?!”

“Why yes! These tickets are not easy to come by!”

“Are you a moron?!!” Kunikuzushi screamed. “That could have covered a month of our
rent!”

“Chill, I got another case lined up~” Heizou waved him off dismissively while taking a map
of the park and unfolding it. “We’ll never be tight on mora with this Great Detective around!”

If they were back in the office, Kunikuzushi would smash their income statement into this
smug bastard’s face. Who in Tevyat would exchange so much money for two cheap tickets?!
On top of that, this bastard barely did any work! Kunikuzushi was the one who had to find
and handle that stupid cat!

“Now come on, which ride do you want to try first?” Heizou asked, shoving the map into the
face of the fuming Omega who may or may not have wind swirling around his body.

“You bastard…!!”

“Ah, ah~” Heizou waved a finger at him. “We’re in public so the uses of Visions are
prohibited.”

“You—!!” Kunikuzushi crumbled the map into a ball and threw it at Heizou. The Alpha only
let out a light-hearted laugh as he skipped back and kicked the paper ball high up into the air.
With a jump and a spin kick, the paper ball soared through the air and landed perfectly into
the recycling bin some distance away.

Some kids cheered at the sight and Heizou gave those children a dramatic bow. After that, he
pulled out another map from his back pocket and Kunikuzushi once more had the map
shoved into his face—much to his irritation.
In the end, he snatched the map and chose the worst ride he could find. It was a rollercoaster
with an almost ninety-degree drop. Unfortunately, it was also the most popular ride so the
moment Kunikuzushi saw the long line in front of him, any thought of seeing Heizou getting
embarrassed quickly left him.

“Don’t your precious VIP tickets have any other benefits?”

“Why yes, I'm glad you asked!” Heizou gave him a toothy grin. “It comes with a full course
meal on the rooftop at a five-star restaurant where we can watch the fireworks that will start
at—”

“I meant skipping the line, for example!”

“Nope, we have to line up like all the other people around us,” Heizou answered.

“Forget it, you’re useless,” Kunikuzushi groaned, looking around the line before he walked
over to the two Alphas who were in fifth place. They were chatting until they saw
Kunikuzushi approaching them.

“Hello~” Kunikuzushi smiled sweetly, turning on his charm as he leaned in close to them. He
dipped his body forward, letting the wide collar of his shirt drop down to show off his chest
and maybe a bit of his nipples for them to see…

The two Alphas’ faces were burning up and one of them dropped the bag he had in his hand.
“My friend and I want to try out this ride but I’m afraid my poor health doesn’t allow me to
stand in the sunlight for long. Would it be alright for us to—mmph!”

Kunikuzushi couldn’t finish due to the hand that came out of nowhere—slapping over his
mouth and forcefully pulling him back up.

“My dear, it would appear you have bathed in the sunlight for too long! Come, let’s go to the
shade over there—at the back of the line,” came Heizou’s fake cheery voice before
Kunikuzushi was dragged all the way to the end of the line.

“What did you do that for?!” Kunikuzushi shouted once Heizou finally let go of him. “They
would have let us—hey!”

The Omega yelped when a cap was forced onto his head. After that, Heizou took off the
sunglasses he was wearing and slipped them over Kunikuzushi’s eyes—effectively covering
up that lovely face.

“I’m sure they will.” Heizou gave the sunglasses another push so that it was firmly sitting on
the bridge of the Omega’s nose. “But that doesn’t mean you should take advantage of them. It
also wouldn’t be fair for the people lining up behind them. No matter how long the road is,
we shouldn't take any shortcuts. Besides, the line isn’t that long. At most, we’ll get to our
turn in thirty minutes.”

“Hmph…” Kunikuzushi crossed his arms but didn’t try to argue anymore.
“There is also merit to waiting in lines,” Heizou smiled and gestured around the park. “We
can use this time to take a good look around us and decide where to go next!”

“Aren’t you optimistic?” Kunikuzushi said before he snatched the map from Heizou and
opened it up.

It was like Heizou had guessed—it took thirty minutes before they could get onto the ride. At
first, Kunikuzushi thought nothing of it. He had forgotten he was trying to embarrass Heizou
that he chose this ride. When the rollercoaster reached the very top, the Omega began
regretting every life decision he had made.

The drop was…straighter down than he thought.

“AAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!”

Needless to say, Kunikuzushi was never going to go on a roller coaster ever again.

The Omega sat on the bench, trying to calm his still thumbing heart and the nausea in his
stomach. It was a good thing he never made it a habit to eat breakfast, or he would have
vomited by now.

Kunikuzushi looked around the park. Heizou was off somewhere getting the pictures from
their ride. Without the detective around, the world became quieter and a bit more boring. He
glanced at the map of the amusement part Heizou left beside him, then back to the scenery.

There were music, chattering and laughter. The atmosphere of this place was way too
cheerful for his liking yet despite that, Kunikuzushi’s gaze couldn’t help but soften.

“I want it!”

“No means no! We’re leaving.”

“I want it!! Mommy!!”

Kunikuzushi turned at the sound that wasn’t so cheerful. It was a mother and son with the son
yelling and when that didn’t work, he turned on the waterworks. Seeing this, the mother
simply picked up the boy and kept walking, ignoring the screaming from her son.

The Omega let out a small snort at the sight. From how loud that boy’s wailing was, it was
clear that he was loved. After all, children will only cry when they know they can garner
attention.

Now that Kunikuzushi thought of it, it wasn’t until living with Heizou did he noticed these
small details. Back when he was living in the underworld, no children has ever cried because
they knew the moment they made the slightest noise and displease whoever was in charge, it
could cost them their lives.

Even back in the orphanage, crying was only for the weak and will only make the bullying
worst…
“Kuni…kuzushi?”

Kunikuzushi stilled.

That voice…he recognized it but shouldn’t he be dead already?

“It’s you, isn’t it, Kunikuzushi?!” A voice shouted and Kunikuzushi’s hands were grabbed
and the familiar yet disgusting scent of the Alpha invaded his nose. In one swift moment, he
thrust his foot into the man’s soft gut. The Alpha let out a breathless cry. He fell onto his knee
and threw up a bit of stomach acid that rushed up his throat from the kick.

Huh, who thought the self-defense lessons Heizou drilled into him actually had some use?

“Oh my~” Kunikuzushi pulled out a napkin and began wiping his hands while wearing the
fakest smile. “To think an Alpha would dare to harass an Omega like this in board daylight!
Should I call you brave or stupid?”

“HEY!!” A voice shouted and a woman rushed over to the man on the ground. Kunikuzushi
stared at the woman whose purple hair was so similar to his. When she looked up to glare at
him, Kunikuzushi realized their similarity only ended in the hair. While her eye colour might
be a bit close to his, their faces looked nothing alike.

“How could you hit him?!” The woman demanded and Kunikuzushi nearly laughed.

“I was sitting here minding my own business when this guy came and snatched my hands,”
Kunikuzushi spoke in an innocent tone. “How could you blame me for defending myself?”

“But you didn’t have to—”

“Kuni!!” The man managed to shout out after getting over the pain. “Don’t you recognize
me, Kuni?”

“So which asylum did this guy escaped from?” Kunikuzushi asked. He crossed his arms over
his chest and looked down at the worm squirming in front of his feet. He was much older
than he remembered but then again, it had been years since they’d last met.

“It’s me, Kuni!” The pathetic man crawled back onto his feet. Despite hunching over, he was
still taller than Kunikuzushi so he was easily towering over the Omega. “I wouldn’t mistake
you! I know it’s you!!”

“Would you stop this?!” The woman screamed, sounding absolutely fed up as she tugged on
the man’s arm, but the man didn’t seem to notice she was there. There was a crazed look on
his face as he grabbed Kunikuzushi’s shoulders so tightly that he let out a small hiss.

“There is no Kunikuzushi!!” The woman shouted. “You’re hallucinating again!”

“I know it’s you, Kuni! You’re my most—no, you’re the only one—we’re fated pairs!!”

Before he could finish and before Kunikuzushi could break that pitiful thing sagging between
his legs, a hand came in and forcefully removed the man from the Omega. Kunikuzushi felt a
light push and when he looked up, he was being shielded by Heizou who stood between him
and the man.

“Excuse me, sir,” when Heizou spoke, Kunikuzushi could hear the tint of anger in his tone.
“You are being awfully rude to my companion. I’m afraid I will have to call the securities.”

“No, wait! My husband is just—!!”

“Get out of the way!” The man roared. That obsessive look on his face transformed into rage
as he glowered at Heizou who was also an Alpha. The man’s pheromone began to burst out
and Kunikuzushi almost laughed at how weak it was. To think this guy was trying to
dominate Heizou with something as weak and tasteless as this. “Get away from my Omega!”

Kunikuzushi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. After so many years, this man didn’t grow up
at all. He couldn’t understand anyone who believed in craps like fated pairs. Do these morons
seriously think just because the other party’s pheromone smells good that they were fated to
be? Anyone who had went to school would know its chemical reaction. If there was such a
thing as fated pairs, then Kunikuzushi will have to start a harem with all the Alphas claiming
to be his pair.

The Omega didn’t let his irritation show on his face. Instead, he stepped forward and
wrapped his arms tightly around Heizou.

“Darling, I’m scared~” he whined in a honeyed voice and leaned all of his weight onto the
detective.

The sight of this drove the man crazier.

“DON’T TOUCH HIM!!” He pushed the woman to the ground before swinging a fist at
Heizou.

Unfortunately for him, his larger build meant nothing against Heizou who was a master of
martial arts. Kunikuzushi jumped back while Heizou took a step forward. He first deflected
the man’s punch with his left hand before his right hand delivered a swift chop to the back of
the man’s neck.

Like a marionette with its strings cut, the man flopped onto the ground.

The fight barely lasted a second before the curtain was dropped.

“How anti-climactic,” Kunikuzushi sighed in disappointment. He gave the body a couple of

kicks to see if he was really knocked out. When he turned to Heizou, he huffed upon seeing
the Alpha kneeling next to the woman to check on her. She was sobbing hard but when
Heizou tried to offer her a hand, she slapped it away. Without looking at them, she got up,
turned, and ran off in her three-inch heels.

“From the looks of it, she has decided to leave him,” Heizou analyzed before turning to
Kunikuzushi. “Are you alright, Kuni-chan?”

“Oh, now you remember me?” Kunikuzushi raised a brow at him.

Heizou didn’t say anything. There was a regretful look on his face and when he tried to reach
for Kunikuzushi, the Omega stepped back to keep himself out of his reach.

“You have one minute to explain this before I slice you into stripes,” Kunikuzushi threatened
as the wind around them began to pick up.

“Right, of course you’re angry. You have every right to be,” Heizou groaned and ran his hand
through his hair. “It’s not what you think, Kuni-chan. I didn’t know he’d be here, this is all a
big misunderstanding—”

“Misunderstanding? You expect me to buy that bullshit?”

“C’mon, when have I ever not acknowledged something I did?” Heizou asked and the wind
around them stopped.

That much was true…

In all the times Kunikuzushi knew this man, he has never once tried to hide something he did.
If this was set up by Heizou, there was no reason for him to deny it.

“I need to make some calls but hear me out after this, okay?” Heizou pleaded and only after
he saw the Omega's expression softened did he know Kunikuzushi agreed. He then pulled out
his phone and called the amusement park’s number that could be found on their map.

Right after he finished that call, Kunikuzushi frowned upon seeing the detective making
another call from his phone's contact list.

Ten minutes later, the securities arrived with the paramedics. While the paramedics check up
on the man, Heizou explained the situation to the security guards. Kunikuzushi was sitting
back on the bench, impatiently waiting for them to sort everything out. Since they were some
distance away, he couldn’t hear what they were saying.

No one came to question Kunikuzushi because Heizou pulled out his badge—the proof of
him being part of the Tenryou Commission. That was enough to stop them from taking
testimonies from anyone else. Kunikuzushi thought everything would end with the securities
hauling that maniac away, but Heizou put a stop to it.

Another ten minutes later, Kunikuzushi saw some people dressed in the Tenryou Commission
uniforms coming from the distance. He arched a brow when they arrived, saying something
to Heizou before they turned to the paramedic and securities.

Soon, they all left together but it was clear that the people from the Tenryou Commission
were following after that man being carried away by the paramedics.

Once they were far away, Heizou turned back to Kunikuzushi and bend forward…performing
a perfect, ninety-degree bow.

“I’m sorry!”
Kunikuzushi’s brows rose at the sight. It wasn’t every day he gets to see the oh-so-great
detective apologizing for anything.

“I would have never brought you here if I had known that guy would be here as well. I’m
really sorry, Kuni-chan.”

“…It’s fine.” Being the generous Omega that he is, Kunikuzushi decided to forgive this man.
“It’s not like I’m that angry anyways.”

“But you’re upset after seeing him, aren’t you?”

“Upset? Far from it,” he cackled. “I’m delighted. I thought I killed him too easily back then,
but to think he was alive and living like the worm he is…the sight is enough to give me a
decent dream tonight!”

Heizou straightened himself to look at Kunikuzushi.

The Omega laughed for a while before his laughter gradually died down.

“…You want to hear a boring story?”

“It’s a detective’s job to listen to stories,” Heizou replied. He walked up to Kunikuzushi and
Kunikuzushi thought he was going to join him on the bench. Instead, Heizou got down in
front of him on one knee. When he looked up, those eyes were clear and earnest, giving the
Omega his upmost attention.

Kunikuzushi swallowed. For a moment, he wanted to look away from those pure, unwavering
eyes but forced himself to keep their eye contact.

“You already know about him so I’ll cut it short. Did you know how that man sold me?”

“From the information I’ve gathered, he kidnapped you from the orphanage you were at
when you were five and sold you to clear off his debts with the loan shark.”

“Hmm…you’re not completely wrong,” Kunikuzushi’s gaze turned to his surroundings to

take in the view. “I followed him outside willingly because he told me he would take me to
an amusement park. I’ve never been to one before. I think…that was the first time I ever felt
happy.”

Kunikuzushi’s eyes eventually returned to Heizou to see the Alpha’s brows furrowed and his
hands curled into tight fists. He found it funny that the man in front of him was angrier about
this than he was.

“That guy was a high school part-timer. He was always there, so he was like a big brother
figure to a lot of the brats. Because of my face, I was bullied a lot by girls and other Omegas.
He was the only one who took care of me.”

Kunikuzushi then looked at some kids again, running by them.

“He told me that one day, after he earned enough money, he would bring me to the
amusement park. Shortly after that, he went missing for three weeks. When he showed up
again, he was ragged and worn out. He told me he was there to take me to the amusement
park so I followed him. We snuck outside, got into a car and you know the rest.”

Heizou responded with a very slow nod as he took in the information given to him.

“I was too young. While there are old geezers interested in five years olds' bodies, young kids
are considered cheap. They saw my face and decided I will worth more if they wait a few
years. So they kept me untouched and put me on the black market after I turned thirteen. It
took me a while to get accustomed to my new life and how to deal with these masters of
mine. It’s only when my life became more comfortable did I finally have the time to
remember the asshole who used me to pay off his debt. So I implored my dear master at the
time to find him and guess what?”

Kunikuzushi’s lips split wide open and a crazed look took over his face.

“That bastard was living happily and got a wife. He started his own company and was
actually successful! My master was a well-known investor back then. I had her invite him to
a party and to bring me along. As expected, he looked like he saw a ghost when he saw me!”

Kunikuzushi threw his head back and laughed hysterically at the memory.

“He tried so hard to pretend not to know me even though I’m the one who gave him that
debt-free life. Cruel, isn’t he? So naturally, I had to fix it. I kindly requested my master to
bring him over more often. His guilt was gone pretty quickly and he had the gall to proclaim
his love to me and promise to save me! You had no idea how hard it was not to laugh in his
face and slice open his throat!”

Heizou kneeled there, not saying a single word as he continued to listen to the Omega’s story.

“That bastard not only had the gall to tell me he loves me but that he had been in love with
me the entire time—ever since I was five years old. The moron believed in something like
fated pairs. He thought I was his fated pair which was why he treated me special.”

“He fell in love with you when you were five? And sold you while believing you two were
fated?” If Heizou didn't look disgusted enough before, he certainly was now.

“Hilarious, isn’t it? And don’t get me started with his looks…the way he looked so smug
whenever he sees an Alpha falling for me but couldn’t have me…it’s like he already thought
I belonged to him because fate deemed it to be.”

Kunikuzushi let out another laugh at this.

“These Alphas are all the same and every one of them kept the fact that I’m their fated pair a
secret. That’s why no one figured out that my scent was in fact compatible with all of them.
They simply thought all the other Alphas aside from them fell in love with me only for my
face.”
“…What did you do next?”

“I sang a little song to my master and made his company go bankrupt. Even after my master
stopped him from coming around, he never stopped trying. He followed after me as I
changed from one master to another until he eventually got hired as a servant at one of my
master’s places.

Since he tried so hard to come near me, I made sure to tell my master to assign him as my
personal servant. That master particularly like keeping me in a cage because he said I was
like a canary. He often threw large parties and shows me off by putting me in a golden cage.
That bird cage in the auction was inspired by him.

It was hilarious to see how he wanted to touch me but couldn’t. The way he always made this
face like he was the victim was so disgusting I wanted to gouge his eyes out. So in the end I
burned the place down and changed ownership. I thought he had died in that fire but I
suppose that’s what you should expect from cockroaches. They don’t die easily.”

“…Do you want to know the rest?” Heizou suddenly said.

“What?”

“The continuation of that story,” Heizou reached out and gently grasped Kunikuzushi’s
hands. “The story of after the fire, do you want to hear it?”

“What? Don’t tell me you’re going to give me some sort of sob story and change my mind
about him.”

“What kind of person do you see me as?” Heizou asked, offended by the Omega’s comment.

“I thought you don’t forgive criminals. In this story, am I not a criminal?”

“In that case, he is even worst of a criminal,” Heizou stated. “On top of that, I’ve never once
seen you as a criminal.”

“…What?” Kunikuzushi looked up, surprised by that statement.

“You have lots of blood on your hands. That’s something that will never change.” Heizou got
up and sat next to Kunikuzushi while never once letting go of his hand. “But you were only
doing what you could to survive in a cruel world. If anyone’s at fault, it’s the people who put
you into that situation and the government that failed to protect you. Considering how young
you were at the time and how long you’ve been living your life like that, it’s normal your
view of the world became twisted. You are a victim, but it is precisely this that led you to
have blood on your hands. You are by no means evil, which is why I wanted to lead you back
to the right path.”

Kunikuzushi said nothing but stared at the hand carefully holding onto his.

“Ever since you were rescued from the auction, I did a lot of digging on you. Your presence
wasn’t small in the underworld, so we were able to arrest a lot of people by following your
trail. After a lot of searching, I finally found the root of it all, which was that man who
kidnapped and sold you. He was the only survivor of that fire you created. He went crazy,
always calling out the name Kunikuzushi and was hospitalized for a long time. After he got
discharged, he tried to find you but without any wealth, there was no chance he would get
into an auction house or high-class gatherings. With his unstable mental state, the only job he
could hold was a part-time job at a convenience store. He was forced to sell his house to pay
back a bit of his debt from the collapse of his company. Since then, he’s been living in a tiny
apartment with his wife, who is the lady you’ve met.”

“Heh…” Kunikuzushi wasn’t interested in that man in the slightest, but he was surprised this
woman stuck with this loser for so long. He had to wonder if that woman was a masochist.

“He was obsessed with you. His wife heard of your name before, but she always believed it
was her husband’s hallucination…until she met you. She must have finally realized after
seeing you…although she doesn’t know that the Kunikuzushi her husband kept calling is you,
your similar hair colour already told her that she was being used as a replacement of another
person.”

“And? What’s the reason you called the Tenryou Commission?”

“To arrest him, of course,” Heizou answered. “After finding him, I began putting together a
case for his arrest—for being involved in abduction, human trafficking and drug dealing. It
took some time, but I finally finished it yesterday. All that’s left is to send it to the Tenryou
Commission and put him behind bars…but I didn’t think we’d run into him here. That’s
something even a great mind like mine couldn’t predict.”

“You have to flatter yourself at every chance you get, don’t you?”

“Well, seeing as a certain assistance of mine never wants to admit how great I am, I’ll have to
do it myself.”

“Don’t use me as an excuse to brag about yourself.”

“But do I not have the right to?” Heizou chuckled.

“…If you think I’d thank you for this, I won’t,” Kunikuzushi huffed. “I couldn’t care less if
that jackass goes to jail or not so don’t think I owe you anything.”

“I know,” the Alpha said softly as he looked at Kunikuzushi. “This is for my own selfish
satisfaction. You may have punished him in your own ways, but that doesn’t mean he gets to
stay away from the law because of that. At most, his sentence will probably only be around
ten years. It’s nowhere enough for the suffering you were put through, but I will use him and
make sure every single person who has ever laid a hand on you is put behind bars. I won’t let
them get away with what they did.”

“You’re nothing but a detective.” Kunikuzushi leaned back to look up at the bright blue sky.
“Aren’t you being too arrogant?”

“I am the Great Detective,” Heizou corrected. “Now come on!”

The Alpha jumped up and began pulling the Omega behind him, causing Kunikuzushi to trip
and stumble a few times before being forced into a jog to keep up with the Alpha.

“Where are you going?”

“Somewhere nice!” Heizou said, looking back with a blinding smile. “That guy released a lot
of pheromones back there. You must be dying for a bath now, right?”

“If you know that much, then—” Kunikuzushi stopped and swallowed the rest of his words.
He stared at the back of the Alpha dragging him, then to the amusement park around him.
What Heizou said was true. The smell on him made Kunikuzushi want to take a long bath to
scrub it off, but strangely, the desire to stay longer was able to beat his dislike of the scent.

In the end, Kunikuzushi kept his mouth shut and followed Heizou.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at a water park. It was a place for children, but Heizou didn’t
seem to mind at all as he grabbed a water gun and shot Kunikuzushi right in the face.

Needless to say, Kunikuzushi also grabbed a water gun and the two began their fight with
water exploding everywhere around them. The battle at the waterpark had completely washed
away the scent on Kunikuzushi.

By the time they stopped, they were drenched from head to toe.

They bought some clothes at the nearby souvenir store and changed in the restroom. With
their wet clothes packed into a bag and the hot summer sun drying their hair, they continued
journeying throughout the amusement park.

They went on all sorts of rides and took small breaks in between to fill up their stomachs with
snacks.

Before Kunikuzushi knew it, the sun was setting into the horizon. He looked up at the red
sky, then to the lights that were gradually being turned on around him. In just a short
moment, the entire amusement park was lit up with colourful lights, transforming into
another view that couldn’t be seen during the daytime.

None of the people around him seemed surprised by the sight. Kunikuzushi noticed they
didn’t bat an eye when the light turned on—including the children.

Perhaps to these people, these kinds of things were common sense…

“Come on, Kuni-chan.” Kunikuzushi blinked and turned to see Heizou looking at the time.
“Our reservation at the restaurant is in half an hour, we should get going.”

He nodded and the two of them headed to the restaurant.

Heizou had said their dining place was on the rooftop, but what Kunikuzushi didn’t expect
was that the entire rooftop was reserved for the two of them. On top of that, this was a
Fontaine restaurant with the owner being well-known chefs from Fontaine. Their table was
set by the edge of the roof with glass panels protecting them from the wind.
From here, Kunikuzushi could see the entire park as they ate their fancy full-course meals.

It was only when Kunikukzushi took a small bite into his meal did he realized how long it
had been since he had food like this. Back when he was a pet, these high-class foods were
common—especially cuisines from other nations since those masters of his shared the same
hobby of flaunting their knowledge and wealth.

After staying with Heizou, they were either eating cup ramen while on a stakeout or eating at
some street vendor. Sometimes, when they have the time, Heizou would cook for the two of
them.

Suddenly, Kunikuzushi lost all interest in the food in front of him and Heizou was quick to
notice.

“Not hungry?” The Alpha asked with a fork in his mouth.

There were no table manners at all with this guy.

“Not hungry,” Kunikuzushi grumbled.

That was a lie.

There was no way he wouldn’t be hungry after running around all day. But instead of these
expensive dishes he was already tired of seeing, what he wanted was a bowl of tonkatsu.

It was a food he never got to eat in the orphanage because of how luxurious it was
considered. Ironically after becoming a slave, he wasn’t allowed to eat it because of how
cheap and oily it was. He was an expensive pet that needed to be fed with the highest quality
food to maintain his shine.

The first time he ever had tonkatsu was the first day Heizou brought him to his home.
Kunikuzushi could still remember when he first tasted the food…the crisp fried skin and the
pork almost melted around his tongue…the raw cabbages also tasted good with the sauce the
Alpha made…

“Then don’t mind if I do!” Heizou said happily and took his plate.

The veins on the Omega’s forehead throb as he stared at this pig. Out of the corner of his
eyes, he could see the waiter and waitresses that were lined up by the wall also gawking at
Heizou. One of the waiter’s jaw dropped, but he swiftly collected himself and fixed his
expression.

It was clear that none of these people has ever seen an Alpha as shameless as Shikanoin
Heizou.

For a detective who was supposed to have sharp eyes and wit, he sure didn’t seem to notice
the attention he was garnering.

Seriously, what kind of ill-mannered Alpha would take the Omega’s food on a date?! Sure
Kunikuzushi said he didn’t want it, but normal people still wouldn’t take the food and eat it!
Anyone with common sense would have asked their companion what was wrong and figured
out the issue, yet this bastard was wolfing down the food like he hadn’t eaten in days.

“Don’t choke,” Kunikuzushi said through gritted teeth and a strained smile, silently wishing
this bastard would hurry and choke to death. At least that way, Kunikuzushi could get his
office firm and mora if this guy kicked the bucket.

“Hey, you’re the one who said you’re not hungry," Heizou pointed out while taking another
bite into Kunikuzushi’s food. “It’s not often we get to eat at a five-star restaurant.”

Kunikuzushi decided to ignore him and turned his attention to the scenery. He stared at the
lights that filled the park and the people that crowded the streets below. Even from way up
here, he could hear the music coming from below.

Kunikuzushi’s gaze eventually trailed to the Ferris Wheel that was slowly turning and
occasionally stopping. He might have stared at it longer than he thought because Heizou
noticed and followed his gaze.

“Are you interested in the Ferris Wheel?”

“Of course not.” Kunikuzushi waved his hand. “That thing is as slow as a snail. We already
got the best view here, why would I want to go up that thing?”

“That is true,” Heizou nodded before remembering something and glanced down at the watch
around his wrist. “Oh! It should start soon.”

Kunikuzushi was about to ask what he was talking about when a loud sound echoed
throughout the sky. It was a sharp whistling sound, followed by a loud bang and colours
exploding across the night sky.

Another one followed.

Then another one.

Soon, the sky was filled with fireworks and loud banging sounds pounding into
Kunikuzushi’s eardrums.

They left the park after that meal and took a cab back to their home one floor above Heizou’s
detective firm. They didn’t exchange many words after that and Kunikuzushi was too tired
and hungry to complain.

The first thing he did after getting back was to take a long bath, washing away all the grim
and sweat that accumulated throughout the day. He put on an overly large t-shirt that fell over
his body and covered up the shorts he was wearing underneath.

It was a home style he adopted after living with Heizou. Kunikuzushi took a liking to these
baggy clothes because of how comfortable they were. Of course, that was only when he was
at home as he would never be caught wearing such tasteless clothes outside.
“Perfect timing,” Heizou came out of the kitchen and into the living room with a large bowl
of tonkatsu in one hand and a glass of water in another. “Hurry and eat before it gets cold.”

Kunikuzushi stared as the detective put the food down on the table, then grabbed a remote
and turned on the television. He plopped down onto the couch and stretched his arms over his
head. When he noticed Kunikuzushi still standing by the doorway, he smiled and patted the
spot next to him.

Kunikuzushi’s gaze shifted to the bowl of tonkatsu before he finally moved. He sat next to
the Alpha and picked up the chopsticks. With a quiet “itadakimatsu”—a habit a certain
someone forced onto him—he began to eat.

The crispy and oily fried pork all but melted around his tongue as Kunikuzushi tried to force
himself to eat slower. He didn’t want to reveal how hungry he was to that arrogant Alpha, but
his stomach didn’t help when it took that moment to growl.

Heizou let out a small laugh while Kunikuzushi’s cheeks warmed in embarrassment.

“You showered?” Kunikuzushi asked as a way of changing the topic but also genuinely
curious about it. Heizou’s hair was damp and he had also changed into the clothes he usually
wears at home. There was also the light scent of soap flowing from him…a smell that
Kunikuzushi was certain none of their soap had.

“I asked the kind, elderly gentleman who lives above us if I could use his shower,” Heizou
replied before his attention was taken by the news that was being broadcast. Kunikuzushi
also looked over to the news while chewing on a piece of tonkatsu.

However, his eyes soon drifted to the shelf next to the television where a new picture was
placed.

It was the picture of the two of them on that rollercoaster that Kunikuzushi vowed never to
go onto again. There were many others since Heizou made sure to get a picture of every ride
they went onto, but that first one left the deepest impression on the Omega.

Kunikuzushi didn’t realize his expression had softened as he stared at those pictures. After a
while, his gaze shifted back to the television to find that Heizou had changed the channel.

“No new cases?” He asked once he swallowed what was in his mouth.

“Nope,” Heizou answered. “I took a look at my phone while cooking and nothing seemed to
require my service either.”

“You sure seem happy about it.”

“That’s because if nothing is happening, it means the world is peaceful. Isn’t that something
to be celebrated?”

“I like to see you celebrate when we get kicked out next month for not paying our rent,” the
Omega snorted and shoved a chopstick full of rice into his mouth.
“So,” Heizou leaned back into the couch and turned to Kunikuzushi. “Did you have fun
today?”

“You’re asking me that now?” Kunikuzushi shorted. His eyes then trailed to the amusement
park map lying at the corner of the table and couldn’t help but allow a small smile to lift the
corner of his lips. “I suppose it’s not bad…if there wasn’t so much lining up.”

“Then let’s go on a Monday next time,” Heizou suggested. “There’ll be fewer people then.”

Next time…

Kunikuzushi’s chopsticks paused. He stared at the last piece of his fried pork, then at the
map.

“Will you accept me to bring you to another date at the amusement park?” Heizou asked.

“You call that a date when you didn’t specify it?”

“But you do know,” Heizou sat back up and fully turned towards his companion. “You’re not
dumb, Kuni-chan. You noticed I’ve been trying to pursue you for a while now, don’t you?”

Kunikuzushi stayed quiet for a moment before he slowly put down the empty bowl and rested
his chopsticks on top of it. He grabbed the water on the table and drank it down in one go.

“Yes,” he said and put the empty cup on the table next to the bowl. A mocking smirk lifted
Kunikuzushi’s lips. He was well aware that Heizou liked him and was trying to court him,
but…

“So what? That’s you. It got nothing to do with me.”

“Considering you’re the person I’m trying to court, I’d say it got plenty to do with you.”

“Then what do you want? A pat on the back?” The Omega asked with his voice dripping in
mockery.

“Well, I’d love to hear your answer,” Heizou answered. His tone was still airy and cheerful,
as though he was talking about the weather and not their relationships.

“No,” Kunikuzushi flat-out rejected as he got up onto his feet. He turned to walk away but
stopped when his hand was grabbed.

“Let go,” he snapped without looking back.

“Okay, okay,” Heizou obediently let go. He held up his hands to show the Omega that he
wouldn’t touch him—not that Kunikuzushi could see with his back to him. Without another
word, Kunikuzushi headed for the stairs, not wanting to look at the Alpha anymore.

It was one thing when he knew but neither had broken that bubble…but now that Heizou said
it out loud to his face, he couldn’t pretend to be blind to it anymore.
That damn detective…he knew of this full well too.

“I really do love you, Kuni-chan.”

Kunikuzushi paused by the staircase. After a long time, he heaved out a long and heavy sigh.
He turned around and his eyes met those bright chartreuse yellow eyes brimming with
confidence.

As for where that confidence was coming from, Kunikuzushi has no idea.

“You’re pretty sad, aren’t you?” Kunikuzushi leaned against the rail of the stairway. “Are you
so pitiful that you got no Omegas around to confess to?”

“Whether or not there are Omegas around me, wouldn’t you know the best?” Heizou asked
back. “Besides, you’re putting yourself down pretty low. Where’s your usual confidence?”

“…You should know better than anyone that I’m the worst candidate for a mate.”

“No, I don’t,” Heizou answered, still looking at Kunikuzushi with that soft and gentle smile.
“Care to enlighten me?”

“You know my medical history and the condition of my body,” Kunikuzushi snorted. “I can
never give birth and thanks to the drugs that were pumped into me over the years, I can’t
have Heat either. Just these two should be enough, isn’t it?”

“I see,” Heizou said with a snap of his fingers. “So that’s what you're insecure about.”

“Who’s insecure?!”

“Kuni-chan, have I ever said I want any kids?”

“Hah?”

“Let me put it this way. Do you want any kids?"

"Heck no," the Omega's response was swift. He didn't need to think twice to give the man his
answer. Just the thought of dealing with children was already giving him a headache, let
alone raising one.

"Then do you think I’ll be a good dad?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever. You’ll be an amazing dad,” Kunikuzushi’s tone was dripping with
sarcasm when he said this.

“Then you got more confidence than me,” Heizou sighed, wondering why it was so hard to
get through the other’s thick skull. “I’m a detective and that will never change. I have no
plans to bind myself to a family. As a detective and as a Vision bearer, I am destined to be
surrounded by enemies. Any children I have will only be put at risk. That’s why children and
family is something I will never want.”
“You know you’ll have enemies yet you’re asking me to become your mate?” Kunikuzushi
grumbled.

“That’s because I know you are fully capable of taking care of yourself. You are strong,
Kuni-chan. If anything, it’s the enemies I’ll be worried about if they go after you.”

“Hmph, flattery won’t get you anywhere.”

“I’m only saying the truth. As for Heats…honestly, I should be the one asking you that
because if anything, you’re the one who will suffer.”

At this, Kunikuzushi’s gaze instantly dropped between Heizou’s legs. Maybe he was staring
for too long or maybe his expression betrayed his thought because very soon, the Alpha was
sporting a large vein on his forehead.

“I am perfectly healthy!”

“Right…” Kunikuzushi smirked, his gaze still lingering between the Alpha’s legs. “Come to
think of it, I’ve been stuck around you for years now and you’ve never gone to a hotel or met
up with any Omegas. I haven’t heard or seen you masturbate before either. Don’t tell me
you're—”

“I’m not impotent!”

“Never said you were. Why so insecure?”

“You were thinking about it!”

“Give me the proof then,” Kunikuzushi snickered. “It’s not good to accuse someone of
something they haven’t said. Isn’t that right, detective?”

"When I said you will suffer more, I was referring to you suffering from my Rut due to not
being able to have Heat," Heizou said through gritted teeth.

"Ah, yes, that reminds me," the Omega waved the Alpha off. As usual, he was making it clear
through words and body language that he was not listening to a thing the other was saying.
"Whenever you have your Rut, you dumped me at the Tenryou Commission and locked
yourself in some facility room. Are you sure you don't have something you need to confess
about?"

"I. Am. Fine!" Heizou raised his voice by a notch before he hurriedly collected himself. Even
though he knew Kunikuzushi was doing this on purpose, he still couldn't help but feel the
need to defend his honour. "Firstly, I don’t fool around with Omegas because I have my
morals. I don’t find any pleasure in having sex with an Omega I don’t know or love.
Secondly, I am not impotent.”

Kunikuzushi snorted at that.

“I am a healthy twenty years old male and I do masturbate, thank you very much. But that
doesn’t mean I have to like having sex. I find having Ruts very time-consuming and I don’t
like the way it clouds my judgement. Every year when my Rut comes, I'm forced to take a
week-long break and one time, a homicide happened. A family of four was murdered in cold
blood and because I couldn't be there right away, the culprit was able to get rid of a lot of
evidence, making it much harder to identify him. By the time we were able to catch him,
another life was lost. So as you can see, I find these kinds of things more trouble than it’s
worth. If it wasn’t for an Alpha’s enhanced senses that could be useful in many of the cases, I
would have long removed my scent glands and turned into a Beta to save myself the trouble.”

“Is your head filled with nothing but cases?!” Kunikuzushi gaped after hearing this. Who in
their right mind would remove their scent glands for that kind of reason?!

“That’s why I told you, I’m not a family type of guy,” Heizou shrugged. “What I want isn’t
someone who will start a family with me. What I want is a lifetime partner whom I can trust
my back to in times of danger and solve mysteries together. Oh! That being said, I’m not
saying I don’t like having sex at all. If it’s with you, I’m always—”

“Enough! Quiet!” Kunikuzushi slapped a hand over his face. He felt like he will go crazy if
he keeps listening to this guy talk. “I’m a murderer—a criminal. I couldn’t care less about
other people’s lives.”

“You don’t mean that, Kuni-chan.”

“How?” Kunikuzushi challenged as he glared at Heizou. “How the fuck am I different?!”

“I told you already, you are as much of a victim as you are a killer. That’s why despite all the
lives you took—including the lives of the people who weren’t directly involved in your
misery—I can’t find it in myself to blame you. That said, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be
held accountable for those deaths either.”

“So I should keep working as your assistance to bring good to the world for the rest of my
life is my way of atonement…is that what you’re trying to say?”

“Bingo! So going out with me is a two-in-one deal. What do you think?”

“You need to get your brain checked, that’s what I think!” Kunikuzushi rubbed his temples
which were starting to throb. Seriously, what is this idiot saying?

“But Kuni-chan…”

Kunikuzushi’s eyes snapped open when those words were whispered directly into his ear
with hot breath tickling down his neck. He looked up to see Heizou standing in front of him
with that gentle look on his face.

“I love you,” he spoke these words softly…lovingly. “I love how you never waver in your
own belief. I love how you never give up no matter what situation you’re in. I love how
you’re always so confident in yourself. I also love it when you become extremely stubborn at
times. I find everything about you endearing. You’re like a box filled with endless mysteries
waiting for me to discover and solve.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” Kunikuzushi was very skeptical and suspected this
bastard was mixing insults in there, wording it in a way that he couldn’t catch.

“It’s my confession!” Heizou laughed.

The Omega narrowed his eyes suspiciously but decided to drop it. His mind began to wander
to when he and Heizou first met and how the detective was immune to his charms. No matter
what he did back then, he couldn’t seduce him.

It was ironic how it was the other way around now.

The only difference would be that this time, Kunikuzushi was not the one acting and neither
was Heizou.

Just like Kunikuzushi was aware of Heizou’s feelings towards him, Heizou also knew about
Kunikuzushi’s.

If Kunikuzushi was to sum up his entire life with one word, then it was all an act. His life
was one big, theatrical play where he can never step off the stage. Back at the orphanage, he
had to act the way the other children wanted to avoid being beaten. During his time in the
underground world, it was no different except each time his acting wasn’t good enough, what
came was worse than any beatings he could get from children.

Normal people would probably call it hell, but to Kunikuzushi who spent most of his life in
the darkness, he simply grew accustomed to it. He learned from his failures and adapt until
his way of life was simply the norm for him.

Love was a concept he was both familiar and unfamiliar with. Familiar because being in love
was something he acted the most. He was always behaving like some dumb Omega bitch
being in love with those Alphas but never once did Kunikuzushi truly know what love meant.

Even now, Kunikuzushi didn’t know what it was that he felt towards Heizou.

He didn’t want to kill him, but it wasn’t like Kunikuzushi made it a hobby to kill people.

He could tolerate him most of the time, but it wasn’t like he was the first person he could
tolerate.

What he did know was that he was getting too used to his current lifestyle. It wasn’t anything
close to the luxury he used to have. Heck, he got a little excited when a rich client came into
the office the other day despite the payment they received not being anywhere near the
allowances he used to get.

But Kunikuzushi couldn’t care about his old, lavished life. If anything, he was tired of it.

Rather than expensive food, Kunikuzushi preferred instant ramen and tonkatsu.

Rather than having a room filled with designer clothes, Kunikuzushi preferred these ugly,
baggy clothes and lounging in front of the television or under the air conditioner.
Rather than riding in a fancy sports car, he preferred Heizou’s cheap second-hand car with a
noisy engine.

Rather than ordering people around for his entertainment and getting spa treatment every five
hours, he preferred going on a stakeout and complaining—wait, no, screw that. Kunikuzushi
still preferred those tiresome spa sessions than those stupid stakeouts. Who in their right
mind would make a beauty like him hide behind some dirty old crates for an entire night in
some shady alleyway?!

“I don’t want to interrupt your thinking but I have a feeling if you keep up your current train
of thought, it wouldn’t end very well for me.” Heizou’s voice brought Kunikuzushi back to
the present.

“You really want to date me?” Kunikuzushi asked, his voice quieter than usual.

“Of course,” the Alpha responded as though it should be obvious.

“Isn’t that a little too late? We’re already living together. I think we’re way past the dating
stage.”

“Oh? Skipping straight to marriage, are we? I’m fine with that too,” Heizou chuckled.

“…Are you serious?” Kunikuzushi couldn’t help but asked because the Alpha did not sound
like he was joking at all.

“I told you, I love you,” Heizou repeated. “I don’t say these kinds of things lightly. I fully
intend to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“You’ll regret it.”

“The Great Detective, Shikanoin Heizou, never regrets the decisions he makes!”

“Then Great Detective, care to deduct what future I will have if I take your hand?”
Kunikuzushi challenged with his lips curved into a mischief smile.

“According to my deduction, I believe there will never be a point in our lives that would be
boring. Don’t you agree, my dear assistant?”

Kunikuzushi let out a small chuckle before he reached out his hand and was wrapped by the
slightly larger one.

“You better remember these words, detective,” Kunikuzushi smiled as he leaned towards the
Alpha. “If one day my life becomes uninteresting, I’ll kick your ass to the curb and take off
with whatever mora you got left.”

“I can’t have that now, can I?” Heizou smiled brilliantly and held onto his Omega’s hand
tightly—having no intention to let go this time. “Then first thing tomorrow morning, let’s get
to work! I happen to have the perfect job for my dear assistant!”

The very next day, Kunikuzushi woke to a piece of paper stuck on his door.
When he plucked it off to see what it was, his face instantly transformed into rage.

This was a poster of a lost dog.

His so-called job was another fucking pet searching request!

“SHIKANOIN HEIZOU!!!”
End Notes

I've been trying to write this story ever since Heizou's hangout came out and finally have the
time to complete it. I absolutely adore him and I feel in love his English voice which is rare!
Seriously, his English VA's voice is simply beautiful. I lost count of how many times I
replayed his hangout! \(★ω★)/

In this story, Heizou is working two jobs, one for the Tenryou Commission while also
opening his own detective firm as a side job. And as you can see, Scaramouche ended up
being stuck with taking care of his side job while Heizou took care of cracking bigger cases
with the Tenryou Commission.

I kinda reused Scaramouche's background from the other story I have where he's paired with
Kazuha. I tried coming up with something new, but in the end, I feel like this kind of
background fits him the most. I don't mean that Scaramouche deserved to live such a
miserable life. If anything I really want him to have a happy life, but I just feel like this kind
of background is the only way I can think of to make his personality makes sense, if you get
what I mean. If he had a good upbringing and still behaved like an a-hole, then he'll just be
another typical and unlikable a-hole.

So yeah...this is to make Scaramouche a more special and likable a-hole.

Since I had Scaramouche's background written before, it wasn't hard for me to reuse it in a
modern setting. But the real struggle for me in this story is not to turn Heizou into Kazuha. I
know their personalities are very different. Maybe it's because of the Kazuha/Scaramouche
stories I've been writing that's messing up my brain. A lot of times I reread this story and
Heizou's line feels like it would fit Kazuha more so I had to rewrite it ahahahaha. ( ´ ▽ ` )

Anyways, I really do hope you guys enjoyed this story!! With Sumeru around the corner, I
got tons of stories lined up. Though before that I need to get some other stories out of the
way.

The prequel for The Thousand Leaves and Thundering Storm (Kazuha/Scaramouche) is
coming soon and if anyone's interested in a Cyno story, I will be rewriting an old fic I have
called Star-crossed Lovers where I paired Cyno with Xiao. Once we finally get to Sumeru
and Cyno is shown should be around when I will have the rewritten version done so stay
tuned!

Well, that's all for advertising my other stories. I'm pretty satisfied now that I got one Heizou
story out. Maybe in the future, I will write more about him if I get the creative juice but for
now, this is it! Please do leave a comment to tell me how you like this story! I really love
hearing from you guys and if you enjoyed this story, please give me a kudo~ It would be
much appreciated!! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡

I hope you all have a great day/night, wherever you are in this world!! Take care and stay
safe! (≧◡≦) ♡
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