CHAPTER 110: LAST NIGHTMARES

Two men stepped forward and pulled the men apart. They were quick to take the knife away from the man’s hands and pressed him down regardless of how hard he struggled. Soon a police car arrived with Haruki remaining at the spot he was when the guards intervened.

Haruki turned away wearing a bored expression as he walked back to his car. Kiyoshi had taken the key and was standing by the car watching Haruki.

The door of the backseat was opened for him. Haruki held back a sigh as he sat in the car and the door was closed beside him.

"How many guards do you have following me when I’m outside?" Haruki asked coldly when the car began driving away.

"Enough to keep you safe," Kiyoshi replied unwilling to give Haruki the number considering that he had increased their number earlier in the day without informing Haruki.

"Send others back and keep those two," Haruki ordered.

Kiyoshi knew the two Haruki was talking about were those who intervened in the fight. He wanted to argue with Haruki but there was no way he could point out Haruki’s mental state to him without courting death.

When Haruki went to sleep for the night, Kiyoshi stood outside his room and sighed in relief. He wiped off psychological sweat wondering how he had dealt with so many things in just one night.

Katoro was working in the bar Haruki went to and he had to keep the man away from Haruki only to get a report that a woman was getting on Haruki’s nerves. There was so much in a couple of hours and too much in a day.

He sighed again before heading to meet with Ren as this called for serious discussion. He day was not yet even over. He would rather deal with bringing in young men than have Haruki walk right into the face of danger casually.

He would rather have a doctor check on the injuries someone got from Haruki and give them the compensation they were promised in their contract than see a drop of blood lost from Haruki’s body.

He held back a strong urge to call Haruki’s doctor. It was a taboo to discuss Haruki’s mental health and it was enough that he had to deal with Ren rather than to include an outsider even if he’s Haruki’s doctor especially since the old man Yamamoto might be the one Ren would contact if anything.

He remembered to call the man he had asked to investigate the lady who approached Haruki earlier that night before he got to Ren’s office.

***

Haruki’s night was plagued with nightmares, and memories of the past he had become too busy to remember came flooding back. The beatings, the abuse from his uncle and cousins all fresh as though he was experiencing them all over again.

Someone as strong and powerful as himself shouldn’t be weighed down by insignificant traumas, right? After all, life was good now and he was untouchable at a height unattainable by those people who had beaten him up.

However, Haruki woke up soaked in his sweat. He reached to mop his wet brow as he took in very deep breaths hoping to regulate his palpitating heart and breathe well.

It was raw, too real as though he had gone back to the past and all that happened in the past decade and who he was was all an illusion. He sat up just in time for a knock on the door.

He invited Kiyoshi in after mopping his brow clean of the sweat and got out of bed.

Kiyoshi scanned Haruki’s tall frame as he walked casually to the door of the bathroom. Haruki’s silk pyjamas was soaked and clung to his body, especially the shirt. He walked to check the air conditioning of the room and it should not have been hot enough to cause Haruki to sweat that much.

It was still summer and the air in the room was cool enough without any atom of heat. He felt the urge to voice his worries considering whatever had led Haruki to sweat that much was not something to be taken lightly.

He looked around the room even after Haruki had ignored the fact that he had not even greeted and entered the bathroom. There were no tissues or wipes in the waste bin meaning Haruki had not done the only save option he had on his mind.

Haruki looked like he had just woken up from sleep so there was no way he had done any physical exercise and since he did not see any evidence of that, he knew Haruki had to see his doctor as soon as possible.

He was almost certain it was a psychological problem but he felt that he could settle for the physical check-up first considering it would be almost impossible to persuade Haruki to see a psychologist as Ren had told him last night.

Haruki stared at his pale face in the mirror of the bathroom. It was as though the nightmare had drained every drop of blood from him. He rested on the sink and met the gaze of his reflection.

This was his reality, he was not back in that small house. He was the chairman of Yugen Holdings the most powerful group in the country. He had hundreds of men who would walk through fire for him at his command, and he was no longer covered in bruises even the scars of the past had faded beyond recognition.

With those words filling his mind, he stood up and ran his fingers through the locks of his hair drenched in sweat. He reached for the first button of the stick pyjamas and undid it. He completely undressed and stepped under the built-in shower. Cold water drenched him almost immediately, awakening him fully.

The past before his parents’ death was beautiful, one he wanted to remember so badly but had a vaguer memory of compared to the pain he experienced after their death.

Although pushed to the back of his mind most of the time, he felt they were too real and raw as though he was reliving each of those experiences whenever he remembered.

By the time he stepped out of the shower, he had corrected his thoughts, and he was back to being the feared and respected young chairman he was. He looked at Kiyoshi who was standing in the middle of the room like a misplaced ornament.

His black eyes were dark and deep with the right amount of coldness in them making Kiyoshi tremble slightly. Kiyoshi almost reconsidered the conclusion he came up with Ren last night. It was though the Haruki he saw when he walked in earlier was his illusion and this was the real Haruki.

Haruki’s gaze softened subtly as he gave Kiyoshi a questioning look. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"Soup and meat," Haruki gave him a casual answer before walking to his phone on the nightstand.

"What do you think about bringing your scheduled check-up forward?" Kiyoshi asked carefully as though he were trying to speak softly to a boss’s child.

Haruki cocked his brow slightly as he looked at Kiyoshi with his eyes darkened in suspicion. He found that tone a bit uncomfortable.

"Is today okay?" Kiyoshi asked after swallowing hard.