Chapter 308 - When I was your age

"So, Yuta is actually more than twenty-year-old." Kamiyama Takeshi looks at his brother with disbelief in his eyes. A wooden table separates him and his brother in the study. "Brother, this is…" 

Unbelievable. 

His brother has revealed everything to him after Yuta regained his consciousness. Everything sounds crazy to him. Even if he believes that there's an evil organization like the Consortium, it's just ridiculous that Yuta is mentally twenty-four-year-old. 

"I didn't want to believe it either." Kamiyama Kiyohira massages his forehead. When he recalls the day Yuta told him the truth, he feels his head hurting. "But it makes sense, right? Yuta isn't like any regular child."

"And Aerie is Maddox's daughter." Kamiyama Takeshi sits down on the chair. "Why would you keep her here?"

"Takeshi, she calls you Uncle." Kamiyama Kiyohira frowns at him. "I can't forget that Maddox saved Rie from Chisa's assassins once."

It happened a long time ago. Chisa requested her secretary to send assassins. There was a huge fire. His brother got hurt and his grandmother died. Takeshi still gets nightmares about that night sometimes. Nothing has been going well since then. "If Yuta is telling the truth, Maddox killed Sister-in-law and kidnapped Yuta. Why should we raise his daughter?"

"Because the Consortium sent her." Kamiyama Kiyohira tells him, "If we raise her to be a good person, she might take our side. Aerie is just a child. How can we send her away? She treats us as her family."

Kamiyama Takeshi stares at his brother. It's true that Aerie treats him like an uncle. She's just a little girl. 

"I also think of her as my daughter." Kamiyama Kiyohira adds solemnly, "When we adopted her, she became a Kamiyama."

Kamiyama Kiyohira can't forget how his wife was treated by her adoptive parents. His step-mother, Hitomi, abandoned Rie. Her adoptive father, Takeuchi Seiji, intentionally kept her in a school where she was brutally bullied. Then, there was Chisa. His face contorts in rage. That woman had an easy death. Rie was too kind. 

He exhales, leaning back in his chair. "I believe that people can change."

"What about Kirishima Mira?" Kamiyama Takeshi asks him. Now that he thinks about it, both Yuta and Mira are truly not like kids. No seven-year-old girl would poison someone and then shove the antidote in a person's mouth. "That girl… she also remembers her other life?"

"Yes." Kamiyama Kiyohira replies regretfully, "I wish I could bring her away from her abusive family before she remembered everything."

Kamiyama Takeshi lowers his eyes, thinking. He understands that his brothers have regrets. 

"You can't save everyone, Brother."

"I know." Kamiyama Kiyohira closes his eyes. His biggest regrets are the things that he did to his wife. But his wife inspires him to become a better person every day. "That day, Yuta wanted to tell you everything."

"I will talk to my nephew after he gets better." Kamiyama Takeshi sighs. The doctors are puzzled about Yuta's condition. Thankfully, Yuta's body is recovering. His paralysis is going away with each passing day. "Brother, I think that Iori is investigating something related to the Consortium."

"I figured." Kamiyama Kiyohira keeps his eyes closed, feeling exhausted. When did he get some sleep? He can't seem to recall. His wife is sleeping with Sho in the bedroom. Aerie must be with Honoka. He should visit Yuta in his room. "The fire in her apartment is the Consortium's doing. I can't think of anyone else. Tezuka Kohei was also related to the Consortium. It's a damn circle."

Kamiyama Takeshi nods. Iori moved to an apartment with her cousin. She's still trying hard to find any clue about the corruption in Ngage. Her senpai's boyfriend hasn't been located. 

To make sure of her safety, he has placed a few guards around her. She doesn't know about it yet. "If I tell her to stop, she will become more interested."

"The question is…" Kamiyama Kiyohira eyes his brother. "Does she want to chase the Consortium or does she want to give justice to the employees who died unfairly? If it's the latter, I can help. Finding clues about the corruption in Ngage isn't difficult. I am sure that the Consortium destroyed the evidence that she collected because there was something that connected them to Ngage and Tezuka Kohei. If we don't poke at that connection, it won't be difficult."

Iori is also scared, but she won't say it. Maybe he can convince her to not bother the Consortium. He will talk to her about it. Kamiyama Takeshi questions his brother, "How are you going to do it?"

"The engineer." Kamiyama Kiyohira smiles at him. "We will turn him into a whistleblower and offer him a job with triple salary and a lucrative retirement plan. It's nothing much if I consider how much of pain your girlfriend and the Consortium is. You should meet that man."

"I will meet Adachi Kase." Kamiyama Takeshi scowls darkly. "But don't call her a pain."

"Did you even go on a date with her?" Kamiyama Kiyohira leans forward on the table, resting his elbows on the edge of the table. "You are wasting your youth. When I was your age…"

"You don't have to tell me, Brother." Kamiyama Takeshi raises his hand. "I already know."

"Then, why are you holding back?" Kamiyama Kiyohira smirks at his younger brother. Takeshi has grown so much. "These days won't return. You should love her while you can."

"I am giving her time." Kamiyama Takeshi heaves a sigh. "She's serious about work. Also, she's looking for a job. She won't even take my help."

"Not even if you want to help her find clues about the corruption in Ngage?" Kamiyama Kiyohira is aware of the power struggle in Ngage. The CEO wants to pass the company down to his secretary instead of his son. The board is divided. The final decision depends on the chairman. In any case, Ngage is a sinking ship. He has no interest in saving it. 

"She will accept it but…" Kamiyama Takeshi tilts his head, staring at his phone's screen. Iori is shaken by Sawano Shusui's death. 

"Takeshi, do anything to distract her from the Consortium." Kamiyama Kiyohira advises him, "It's best if you marry her as soon as possible. The Consortium might not hurt her if she's a part of this family."

"I will try to convince her." Kamiyama Takeshi smiles. Maybe he should come up with a different plan.