I Was Kidnapped by a Book and Ended Up Saving the World - Chapter 6

“This is strawberry pudding. Do you like it?”

Mizutani Hikaru raised his head. In front of him was the familiar darkness. Oda Sakunosuke placed a small plate into his palm—on it, a tiny fork stuck into one-fifth of a strawberry pudding. It was very small, about just one bite.

He didn’t even need to see it; just by the feather-like weight, he could tell how tiny it was. Hikaru even felt that if he moved, the pudding would melt midair.

The youngest child couldn’t eat sweets, so Oda Sakunosuke had divided it into five portions. Hikaru lifted the little plastic plate—under the light, the translucent jelly quivered faintly, its scarlet hue looking especially pretty.

He shook it twice. He wasn’t so petty as to fight with kids over food.

The young boy suddenly turned around and said, “Open your hand.”

Oda Sakunosuke obligingly stretched out his palm. Suzuki Yuu placed the lightly trembling pudding onto it. “My teeth hurt. I can’t eat things that are too sweet.”

After passing it over, Hikaru leaned on Sakuya’s bed. He didn’t know how to coax children, so he kept a straight face as he gently rocked the cradle, making the lively Sakuya laugh endlessly.

The children played elsewhere for a while. Oda Sakunosuke went to join them, then later sat down across from Hikaru.

The child before him still wore the same calm expression. Oda had rarely seen him with any other look—like a beautiful puppet, silent, lacking any human warmth.

“Where should I go if I want to contact your family?” Oda shook a toy that rustled when it moved above Sakuya’s head.

The baby’s eyes were naturally drawn to the sound.

Hikaru paused his hand. His money was in Tokyo, but the fictional family—he had no idea where they were supposed to be. Placing them in Yokohama would make no sense either.

After all, no one with any conscience would leave a blind child alone in a war zone. Several locations spun through his mind before he finally whispered, “I don’t know either, but they’ll show up eventually.”

Oda’s hand faltered; the rustling stopped abruptly. For a moment, only the sound of rain outside grew louder, damp drops bringing in a chilling draft.

Suzuki Yuu lowered his eyes. His gaze was always like a silent glacier, showing neither joy nor sorrow. In that near-indifferent tone, he said, “They’ll find me eventually. I’ll wait for that day. They’ll take me away to live a happy life. And they’ll give you a huge sum of money to save your life.”

The second time now. This was the second time Yuu had mentioned that taking him in would bring a fortune—like he was emphasizing his worth to avoid being abandoned.

Oda recalled their first meeting: a child like a kitten hiding beneath a wide stone slab, bl00d streaming down his face, desperately trying to survive.

He took a step closer. Yuu’s senses were sharp; almost the instant Oda moved, he lifted his head.

With a nearly gentle motion, Oda smoothed out a wrinkle in the boy’s clothes. Even though Yuu couldn’t see, Oda still crouched down to meet his eyes, saying, “Mm, I’ll wait with you.”

Yuu turned his head uncomfortably. He had never been used to such tenderness—especially from someone who resembled a normal father, something he had never experienced in his life.

“I understand.” Yuu kept his head turned, but stayed put and obediently responded—like a cat that wanted to run but had its paw held.

The atmosphere felt too strange, as if the next second he and Oda would embrace and become two tearful, foolish father and son. Just imagining it made Yuu shiver with disgust.

So he struck back, decisively changing the subject.

“Why did you become mafia?” Yuu knew such a blunt question wouldn’t get him much, so he used a little trick. He’d originally intended to imitate the clingy children he had once seen on the streets, but couldn’t quite bring himself to do it.

So Oda saw the small child awkwardly pinch a corner of his coat with two fingers, like someone doing it for the first time, moving stiffly like unoiled gears.

Was something stuck to his coat? Oda lifted the corner—clean as ever.

At that moment, Yuu realized what foolish thing he had done. He quickly pulled his fingers back and pretended nothing had happened, waiting for Oda’s answer.

“I came here just looking for a job.” Oda’s answer was surprisingly ordinary. Not like he had been forced into a massive violent organization, but as if this were simply a fitting job he had found.

【This was his third day back in the mafia. Oda Sakunosuke stared coldly at the five towering buildings. His heart had long since gone numb. This return was only to reclaim what was his.】

Yuu bit his cheek. After the last time, he had learned his lesson—no matter what, he had to keep his face serious.

So Oda watched as the child suddenly turned away, kicked off his shoes, and leapt into bed like a cat. “I’m sleepy. I’ll sleep first.”

Under the covers, Yuu finally let go of his tight control over his expression. Maybe because of his age, he sometimes couldn’t manage his feelings well. He feared that if he kept listening, he’d laugh right in front of Oda.

But the mechanical voice continued:

【If he were alone, Oda Sakunosuke might not have had the strength. But there was another inside him—his husband, a top Alpha with the spicy aroma of curry: ‘Flawless.’】

A new character? Yuu frowned slightly. “Flawless” didn’t sound like a name—more like a code name.

【Whenever mortal danger arose, a cold Alpha, regal as an emperor, would appear, bringing hell on earth. Amid thunderclaps, Oda Sakunosuke strode toward the tallest building. Since it was revenge, of course he would seek that man.】

Yuu tugged the blanket, waiting eagerly. He much preferred this kind of straightforward, overpowered protagonist plot compared to listening to his boss’s romantic scandals.

Though not very appropriate, he really wanted to hear what came next.

One minute passed. Nothing. Three minutes. Still silence.

Yuu widened his eyes in disbelief. Why stop here?

Angrily, he threw off the blanket and got out of bed.

Oda had worried when Yuu hid under the covers, thinking the mature-seeming child might be secretly upset again. But after a while, he realized the boy was bursting with energy, hopping out with his pale cheeks flushed pink from the heat.

He didn’t know why, but at least the boy looked more spirited than before.

Yuu pressed down his excitement, trying to analyze rationally. But the more he thought, the more another version of Oda appeared in his mind.

If curry and assassin matched, then perhaps the second personality mentioned was real too.

Yuu was genuinely curious what that dark, emperor-like Oda Sakunosuke was like. The strange, codename-like name rolled on his tongue but in the end, he swallowed it silently.

Mizutani Hikaru held his head. The childish behavior of the other body replayed vividly in his mind, making this adult feel an embarrassment he hadn’t known in years.

He suspected his thoughts were being influenced by the body’s age—otherwise, he wouldn’t have acted so ridiculously. Luckily, Oda Sakunosuke was tolerant, not discarding him for his bouts of foolishness.

“The Boss has summoned you.”

Hikaru looked up. Nakahara Chuuya was already striding toward him, those bright blue eyes staring straight into his own. “He said we’re going together.”

Hikaru nodded, then followed behind. He didn’t know what it was about, but being summoned at this critical moment could only mean—more work.