Takemichi does not want to go back to the hospital. He does not want to be alone, and climbing out of the place is easy, but climbing back in is a real problem for him. So he and Chifuyu choose to stay at a 24-hour convenience store for the night.

Takemichi talks to Chifuyu a lot, mostly about what he plans to do after he is discharged. He does not bring up the past again. And the whole time, Chifuyu stays right beside him. Their fingers stay laced together, and even when Takemichi falls asleep, Chifuyu does not let go. Takemichi sleeps soundly, even though his position, slumped over the table, looks far from comfortable. He feels safe. There is someone next to him. Someone he always trusts.

Chifuyu also rests his head on the table, but he cannot fall asleep. He watches Takemichi's peaceful sleeping face, his own mind tangled and heavy. How is he supposed to help Takemichi get past all the things that hurt him? He wishes he could blow all of it away.

Tomorrow, they have to get back early before Takemichi's mom arrives to handle the discharge papers. Otherwise, she will definitely worry. That thought drifts through Chifuyu's mind as he slowly slips into a hazy, exhausted sleep.

But Chifuyu does not need to worry about waking up early. Dawn has not even broken yet when he jolts awake because something hits him across the face so hard it burns. A slap. A very clear, five-finger slap.

Before he even understands what is happening, he hears "Takemichi" grumbling.

"God, this is insane. Unbelievable."

The tone snaps Chifuyu fully awake. He frowns and looks at "Takemichi," who also wears an irritated grimace. The boy even shakes off the hand Chifuyu had been holding, as if he just touched something filthy.

"You are not Takemichi, are you?"

Chifuyu asks a question he already knows the answer to.

"Correct. So get away from me, will you? I cannot believe you let him spend the night in a dump like this. My whole body aches. And you held hands? Please, that is disgusting."

That spoiled, sharp, hateful attitude can only belong to one personality: Michi. Chifuyu realizes immediately that today is going to be terrible.

He rubs his forehead, already feeling a headache. Why today? Why now? Takemichi agreed that the alternate personalities could take turns using his body twice a week, but they never follow a fixed schedule. There is no way to predict them.

Fine. Either way, Chifuyu has something he wants to ask these personalities. But before he can speak, he notices Michi going still.

Michi stomps his foot lightly, testing it. He winces, then looks down and notices the bandages. Then he touches his arms. His expression slowly shifts into anger. He pulls off his jacket and pushes up the sleeves.

Both he and Chifuyu freeze.

Takemichi's arms are covered in scratches, long marks left by fingernails. Some wounds are dark red with dried blood, and some are bruised purple. They look terrible.

So last night's episode was worse than Chifuyu thought. Bad enough that Takemichi hurt himself. Chifuyu goes blank with shock, unable to react, until Michi punches him in the face and knocks him backward.

"This is all your fault. Always your fault!"

Michi grits his teeth, veins standing out on his forehead.

Chifuyu knows the person in front of him is not Takemichi, but the body is, the face is, the eyes are. His heart twists painfully when he sees those usually warm, bright eyes now cold and empty, aimed at him with pure hatred. It feels like a knife driving into his chest.

Seeing Chifuyu lose all strength and his expression fall into confusion and guilt, Michi forces himself to calm down. If he loses control, he does not know what he will end up doing. Takemichi will be furious at him.

But when it comes to having a sharp tongue, Michi always knows what to do.

"My dear partner, how does it feel? Do you finally see how useless and stupid you are? You are the one he trusts the most, right? Wow, incredible. He does not tell you anything at all. In the end, you cannot help him with a single thing."

His singsong tone pokes right into the exact guilt that has been weighing Chifuyu down for days, and then he adds a mocking smile on top of it.

Chifuyu lets out a slow breath and stands up. He has to look away. He cannot keep looking at that face. He cannot stand facing that expression of disgust in Takemichi's eyes.

"At least I am not the one sneaking behind his back doing God knows what. The ones who turn his life upside down are you and that other one. If we have time today, then say it clearly. Otherwise I will spill everything you and that guy did."

"Fine. If you want it that badly, go on."

He smirks, challenging Chifuyu.

"You or that bastard are the ones who turned Kiyomasa into a cripple by that brutal method. If we did not try to stop the rumors and if Kiyomasa had not disappeared, what do you think would happen to Takemichi if he heard about it?"

Kiyomasa... the one who bullied Takemichi in the past, the one who terrified him so badly he threw away his ideals and his dreams. The boy who once believed he could beat anything, who believed he was the strongest. The hero who made beautiful Hinata fall deeply in love, who made a genius like Kisaki burn with jealousy, who made a warrior like Kakucho still remember the hero he admired as a child. That same hero becomes a failure, losing his will to fight, seeing himself as weak. All he does is run away from everything. He even abandons everything behind him: his family, his friends, and the girl he loves, choosing to live a miserable life.

That hand, the hand that once ruined the life of that hero, now pays a price that is far too high.

One day in January, he was kidnapped and dragged to an empty warehouse. The kidnapper wore a black coat and a mask that hid everything except a pair of cold, deep-blue eyes. Eyes like the ocean. Eyes so familiar, yet impossibly distant. And those eyes began the nightmare he later wished he could die to escape.

The first thing was a knife stabbing through his left palm. He screamed in horror, pain ripping through him, but before he could recover, the masked figure pulled out a metal mallet. Every strike on his right hand sent unbearable agony through his body. He felt the bones shatter, blood spreading dark and thick on the floor. All he could do was tremble and beg. The more he begged, the more pitiful and terrified he became, the more delighted the attacker was. Those eyes revealed a madness like a bloodthirsty demon enjoying his suffering. The more he cried, the more excited the attacker got. He had never known despair like this. There was no one else there. No one to save him.

All five fingers were crushed, bones shattered beyond recognition, the whole hand nothing but a grotesque mess. Cutting it off entirely might have hurt less. He eventually passed out just as the attacker finished the torture. When he slowly regained consciousness, he heard the attacker's voice.

"I told you, just kill him. Nothing would happen to us. Looking at him makes me sick."

There was no one else there. Was the attacker talking to himself? The voice sounded familiar and yet not familiar at the same time.

"Are you insane? If he dies, it becomes a huge problem. And it will bother him too much. Leaving him alive with that hand is the only real punishment. Killing him would be too kind."

The figure changed his tone again. He was answering himself. Did Kiyomasa offend someone with a broken mind?

Who? Who had he provoked to deserve this torture?

The left hand... stabbed straight through?

This person was...

"You... it is you..."

His eyes widened in shock. With the last bit of strength he had, he looked up at the man in black.

Realizing he was awake and glaring in anger, the man in black stepped on Kiyomasa's only intact hand, forcing him into another wave of pain.

"Stop looking at me like that, you piece of trash. This is what you deserved. Even if you said my name, no one would believe you. A guy like you has offended who knows how many people. Go ahead, report it to the police. They would think you brought it on yourself because you bullied people and even tried to kill someone before. And even if they investigated, nothing would happen to me. If you did not believe me, go report it. But I promise you, if you cannot keep your mouth shut, I will kill your family, kill your friends, and make you live a life worse than death. Close that filthy mouth of yours if you still want to enjoy life with that useless, disgusting arm."

These words were not the usual bluff. Terror crushed him from the inside out. He couldn't fight back. He curled up, trembling like a leaf, whimpering through the pain and crying in humiliation. His fear was worse than anything he once put others through, worse than what he did to those he treated as slaves, ordering them around, mocking their weakness, treating them like dirt at the bottom of society. And now it was his turn to be treated like an ant, crushed whenever the man felt like it, killed whenever he felt like it. His life meant nothing.

He couldn't stay there. He had to run. He had to escape as far as possible. If this demon ever found him again, who knew what more torture he would endure. That was the only thing in his mind after the man in black left. Not long after, Kiyomasa disappeared. People only know his injuries are severe and his hand is ruined beyond use. No matter how they ask, he says nothing, and then he vanishes without a trace. Some say he crossed the wrong gang and is now running in fear.

The news never reaches Takemichi. Touman blocks any information from leaking inside. Takemichi has just become Black Dragon's boss, he has too many things to handle to care about something so worthless. Someone like Kiyomasa is not worth anyone's attention. Even people who are horrified by the brutality feel a sense of justice. Slowly, everything fades. Who would even remember him now?

When Michi hears Chifuyu's words, he smiles with a sly, cruel glint in his eyes.

"That masterpiece is ours. I wanted to do it alone, but that brat kept wanting a role, so I let him stab the bastard's hand while I crushed it."

He says it like he is proud, like it is some glorious achievement instead of something horrifying enough to make people shudder. When Chifuyu heard the news, he did not need Kiyomasa to confess anything. He already knows. He has seen that pair before. He knows too well.

"So? That kind of revenge is at least a bit better than your Touman lot. I caught him so easily because his bones still have not recovered, all thanks to you. What do you think will happen if Takemichi finds out you guys did something just as brutal? You are no saints, yet you stand there judging me."

The words shut Chifuyu up. Fine, they admit it. After Draken and Takemichi left, Mikey became someone else, as if a shadow fell over him. Mikey beat Kiyomasa almost to death, and if Baji had not stopped him in time, no one knew how far he would have gone. The others were no better. They unleashed all their rage on Kiyomasa and his crew.

At that time, Chifuyu did not even know he had come back from the future, did not even know he and Takemichi were close partners. But he was furious enough to almost smash the faces of Kiyomasa's men. And if it were later, he does not know how far he might go. Takemichi never knows what happens to those guys after the fight. No one wants him to see the cruelty inside them.

"There is a limit to everything. What you two did is pure cruelty. And you used Takemichi's hand to do it. If he finds out, how do you think he will feel? He will blame himself."

Chifuyu does not care about Kiyomasa's fate. He only worries about Takemichi. Someone that kind-hearted... if he finds out a part of him committed something like that, he will be horrified by himself.

"You all just keep your mouths shut like before and he will never know anything. And that is the fate that bastard deserves."

Michi obviously does not care about a single thing Chifuyu says.

"Chifuyu, Takemichi hides a lot from you, doesn't he? Do you want me to spill a few tiny secrets for you?"

The sudden offer makes Chifuyu freeze. He looks straight at the person in front of him, the sly, slightly arrogant smirk still resting on that face.

Chifuyu hesitates for a moment. This personality is a schemer, a cunning creature, and he has no idea which parts are true and which parts are lies. But he also cannot fight the urge to listen. The things he wants to know are the very things Takemichi keeps from him.

He wavers a little, then makes up his mind.

"What do you want to say?"

And he hears it.

He hears that the first time Takemichi goes back to the past is because someone pushes him onto the train tracks, and that someone is none other than his old friend Atsushi Sendo.

He hears that the miserable life full of bowing and apologizing that Takemichi used to live is all thanks to Kiyomasa, the one who bullied him and turned his middle school days into hell. Those fears crush him so badly the so-called hero has nothing heroic left in him.

He hears that Takemichi's original goal is to save Hinata, the girl he loves, not Touman or Mikey. They are the ones who pile more weight on him, and from there he only carries more pain.

"Chifuyu, if Takemichi doesn't return to the very beginning that time, you would understand a lot better what it feels like to watch someone you love die right in front of you. Takemichi doesn't witness it just once."

No, Chifuyu understands. When Takemichi first says Baji is going to die, Chifuyu only feels a bit shaken, because Baji is still alive beside him. But when he watches Takemichi stab himself, his whole body drenched in blood and his breath barely there, he finally understands that kind of agony that no words can describe.

"Remember Kakuchou? The one Takemichi says is his childhood friend. He is also someone who once raised a gun and killed Takemichi. Let me see. His best friend and his childhood friend are both people who have killed him. Amazing, isn't it? Takemichi doesn't feel anything because he thinks he already changed that in the past. It is fine. They are still good friends. As for me, I only feel betrayal. Time can change everything. Friendship only goes that far. It is nothing compared to money and power."

Chifuyu stays silent. He already knows the journey is painful and difficult for Takemichi, but at this level...

How much effort and persistence does Takemichi need just to keep going? Even now, when he is so close to breaking, he still forces himself to continue.

"I should have killed Kisaki. Anyone should have. Yet he still wants to save him."

The source of everything. Yes. Killing him would be much better.

Morning comes. Chifuyu reminds Michi that they have to get back to the hospital before Takemichi's mother arrives to handle the discharge paperwork, so the two of them leave. On the way, Michi breathes in the cold, fresh morning air. Everyone on the street is busy rushing to work, while he strolls along slowly. Chifuyu walks behind him without a word, drowning in his own thoughts.

Those words are true. They are definitely true. Chifuyu finally understands why he acts with such cruelty. He also understands why every time he appears, he shows nothing but hatred toward them. In his eyes, if Takemichi never gets involved with Touman, his life would be peaceful and happy instead of carrying the responsibilities and suffering of others. All these misfortunes are tied to them.

"Chifuyu, one more thing. Do you know why Takemichi managed to come back this time?"

He always starts with that mysterious air. Chifuyu cannot even be bothered to think about whether he should listen anymore.

"Why?"

He turns slightly, letting out a small smile. Chifuyu cannot make sense of that smile. Is it happiness or sorrow? He looks like someone drifting through a different world. His voice turns strangely gentle and calm.

"I think maybe I and that troublesome one are born from that moment. The moment he returns to the past again."

"Your near future is probably the happiest one you guys ever have. You lose Baji, but you have Kazutora beside you. The two of you run a pet shop together, living a peaceful life. Kisaki does not exist to cause trouble anymore. Draken can finally smile again. Pachin gets married and lives a fulfilled life. All of you are happy. Takemichi too. In a little while he is going to marry Hinata. And in that beautiful moment, Takemichi goes to find Mikey. That Mikey in that future is not the Mikey you or Takemichi know anymore. He is the leader of a cruel criminal organization. Everyone begs Takemichi to stop looking for him, but he is stupid and refuses to live the life he deserves. He goes to him anyway."

"In the end, he gets shot three times by him. Even when Mikey wants to die, he still wants to save him. And what is the result? The two of them fall from a high floor and crash to the ground, bones shattered."

Chifuyu does not know this. Of course he does not. Takemichi has never mentioned it. He only once said he has to be careful not to hold Mikey's hand or he will return to the future. That is all.

The more Chifuyu listens, the colder his body becomes. The cold starts from his heart and spreads outward. He cannot breathe. He cannot hear anymore. His eyes tremble with pain as he looks at the person in front of him. He wants to cry. Tears rise and threaten to fall. He bites his lower lip hard to hold them back.

"If all of you have those memories, what would happen? Would you all hate Mikey until death? Chifuyu, in that future, you think Takemichi has successfully saved you. You think he is finally happy. But in the end you still cling to pain and despair because you lose someone important again. Let me think. How shocked and broken will you be when you hear Takemichi and Mikey die together like that? Bodies falling from a high floor, bones crushed into dust, the brain inside the skull turned to pulp, the entire body reeking of blood and nothing whole left. You..."

"Shut up, shut up!"

Chifuyu cannot take it anymore and shouts. His whole body tenses, fists clenched so hard the veins on his arms rise sharply.

But Michi is not bothered at all. He grins widely. He cannot smile as brightly as Takemichi does, but it is still Takemichi's smile. Only now it carries a chilling cold, and those eyes are so deep they seem bottomless.

"It is not Kisaki or Izana. The one Takemichi should hate most is Mikey. He is the real villain here. Every terrible future comes from him. And Takemichi always thinks Mikey suffers too much, that is why he becomes like that. Mikey is always the best one, always the most pitiful one. Chifuyu, do you not feel jealous? Everything Takemichi does now is for Mikey. He always thinks about Mikey."

Those words stab straight into Chifuyu's deepest wound. Jealous? Everyone would be jealous of Mikey.

Chifuyu knows Takemichi loves Touman deeply. He always gives them that bright smile. He always looks at them with warmth and affection, with genuine appreciation. But Mikey is always the one who receives the most. That warm and gentle smile, that shining gaze filled with love and admiration, and sometimes endless pity.

In the Touman crowd, Takemichi always searches for Mikey first without even realizing it. No matter how childish or clingy Mikey acts, Takemichi only sighs and gives him whatever he wants. When Mikey makes a mistake, Takemichi scolds him a little, then softens and comforts him again. Everyone can see it.

Mikey has a special place in Takemichi's heart.

But all of them are already grateful for what Takemichi gives them. What else can they ask for? They are only friends anyway. Even Chifuyu is proud to be the one Takemichi trusts with the truth about time travel. Proud that Takemichi shares his worries with him. Proud that he is Takemichi's only partner, and the one who once risked his life to protect him. Yet even with all of that, he still feels he cannot compare to Mikey.

He was fine with it before. But now Chifuyu feels nothing but anger, even hatred. Just thinking that in some future, Baji dies because of Mikey, Takemichi dies because of Mikey, and everyone Chifuyu loves leaves him behind because of Mikey. How is he supposed to bear it?

Shattered bones. Holding a broken, blood-soaked body in his arms, feeling nothing but cold skin and the smell of thick blood. Crying helplessly, begging the heavens to give that person back. But what is the point? In that future, he is probably ripped apart between despair and the desperate hope that Takemichi can change the future again. What kind of future is that? How cruel can it be?

"Chifuyu, tell him to go back. The longer he stays in the past, the worse he gets. This is already more than enough."

Michi purposely reveals the wounds on Takemichi's arm. The more Chifuyu looks at them, the more shaken he becomes.

"But he will not accept it. Takemichi feels like there is still too much he has to fix."

"There is no time left. He needs to go back."

"No time left? What do you mean?"

"I do not know. It is just a feeling. Our connection with him is still faint, just like yours. He hides us from everything he does and thinks. We do not know what is in his mind either. And remember, we are separate beings. I can only communicate with the annoying one. Recently, I feel like Takemichi is terrified and wants to return to the future, but he does not dare to. His soul is exhausted from staying in the past for too long."

Chifuyu falls silent. Whether Takemichi stays or returns has always been his choice. Chifuyu has never interfered. But now, he genuinely wants Takemichi to go back to his time.

"I am not sure about this, but I will talk to him."

Michi looks satisfied, though he still keeps his arrogance.

"There is one more thing. Stop Mikey from getting close to Takemichi. Hold back whatever feelings he has for him. He already does enough for that guy. I do not want his life to revolve around him again."

"You know that is impossible."

"I do not care. Just make him give up on Takemichi somehow. No matter what, the one he loves is Hinata. I know you guys will never cross the line but I am not sure about him."

Chifuyu goes silent again. It is true. Ever since the day Takemichi is hospitalized after the fight with Tenjiku, Mikey starts acting stranger than before. When everyone sits together by Takemichi's side, Mikey always sits on the bed and holds on to him. Everyone else is used to it, so they do not pay attention, but Chifuyu can feel something in the way Mikey hugs him, the way he rests his chin on him, the way he touches him. All of it feels possessive. Whenever Takemichi smiles at someone, Mikey's eyes change for a moment, especially when it comes to Hinata.

There was this one time when Chifuyu and Baji visited Takemichi with Mikey. They were chatting happily when Mikey suddenly wrapped an arm around Takemichi's waist and rubbed his nose against his neck, making Takemichi giggle because it tickled. Chifuyu and Baji froze at the intimacy of the gesture. Then they noticed Hinata at the door. She stood there, stunned, unable to even greet them.

Mikey let her see it on purpose.

Takemichi saw Hinata and immediately pulled away from Mikey and walked toward her. At that moment, Chifuyu caught a glimpse of the darkness in Mikey's eyes as he looked at Hinata. It was so quick that Chifuyu wondered if he had imagined it.

If things continue like this, everything Takemichi works so hard to build, the future he wants most, will be destroyed by the very person he wishes to save.

"I know you understand how serious this is."

"And you know how difficult it is."

"The simplest solution is to make him go back. He loves the Takemichi of the future, not the one in the past. His feelings will fade and disappear eventually."

Chifuyu sinks into thought again. Everything he does is for Takemichi. Everything is to repay what Takemichi has done for them. Takemichi protects their future, so now he has to protect his.

"I can only say that I will try my best."

"That one sentence from you is enough."

Chifuyu plans to go home after taking Michi back to the hospital. But halfway there, Michi tells him to go back and says he will walk the rest of the way alone because he cannot stand being around Chifuyu or anyone from Touman.

Chifuyu hates him, yet he cannot do anything. He curses him silently, calling him an arrogant brat.

Once Chifuyu leaves, Michi almost skips down the street. It is the first time he feels this happy, so happy he cannot hold it in. Then a sudden pain shoots through his head.

"Hey, that guy said half a day for me, half a day for you already. Come on, try to take control of the body. Why are you always like this?"

"There is still a lot to do, you arrogant brat. It has been a long time since we last contacted those people."

"Everything runs on its own now. They know what to do. You do not need to stare at everything. You violence-obsessed maniac. I need to go home and take care of my skin. Look at this face. Terrible. He really has no idea how to take care of himself."

"..."

"What? Later we will have more time. You can do whatever you want then."

"..."

Talking to this jerk always pushes him to his limit, Michi thinks.

"Get lost."

He clicks his tongue in annoyance, but it does not matter. Nothing can ruin his mood today.

"Chifuyu, you good partner. You always stay by his side, so join us and help him achieve his true dream."

The dream of becoming the number one delinquent in Japan.