[Suga, have you gained weight?]
Right after the laptop screen displayed Danny’s face during their video call, Danny immediately brought up the topic without any preamble.
Suga raised an eyebrow and let out a small laugh, unconsciously raising his hand to touch his cheek, feeling no difference in his body.
“Why do you say that?”
[Your cheeks look rounder.]
“Is that so?”
Danny nodded, looking closely again.
Somehow, Danny’s face also seemed brighter and he looked so healthy.
Knowing that, Suga smiled.
How many days had he been here and only now could he contact his younger brother?
Just as Suga was about to speak to ask something about his day, Danny beat him to it, squinting his eyes while his pupils moving downward.
[Your neck… Why is there a reddish mark there?]
“Ah ….” Suga instinctively rubbed his neck rather nervously, even though when he looked at the mirror this morning the marks had faded quite a bit, Danny’s eyes were sharp like an eagle’s, he could notice it so easily.
“I… got into a little trouble.”
Danny’s face instantly turned into a sullen expression, he looked at Suga with a disbelieving gaze.
[Suga, you’ve only been there for less than two weeks and you’re already in ‘a little trouble’.]
The tone was somewhat sarcastic as he said that, typical Danny.
Hearing that, Suga could only laugh, it seemed like this was indeed his unlucky time.
Suga shrugged, running his hand through his hair.
“Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal, really.”
[Who did it to you?]
Trying to reassure Danny that he was okay seemed useless, Danny’s eyes darkened, he muttered, [… Yuki, that bastard] and for some reason, upon hearing that, Suga couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.
Danny had never gotten along with Yuki, even when Danny was very young, he always made a face of displeasure whenever Yuki came over to play.
“…. But really, you don’t need to worry…” As he said that, in an instant, a mental image of Instructor Zion crossed his mind, and Suga shuddered.
Would things really be okay?
As if noticing the momentary change in Suga’s expression, Danny repeated his question once again.
[Who did that to you? Did he strangle you?]
“That guy, he …. Ugh, I got caught up in a bit of trouble, and let’s just say the instructor took offense to what I did…”
[An instructor? Is it Yuki?!]
“No! Definitely not, it’s not Yuki!”
[Then who?!]
“Instructor Zion, he’s well-known… Ugh, let’s just say he’s pretty strict.”
[Zion…?]
Even if Suga told who he was, his younger brother wouldn’t recognize that guy.
[Why did you get yourself into trouble? What was the reason?]
“I made a mistake… Actually, it wasn’t really my fault, it’s just that I helped a guy who was injured, and that guy turned out to have violated the hunting rules, so the instructor assumed I was trying to hide someone who broke the rules.”
[That’s ridiculous! What kind of instructor is that guy?]
“Exactly! He’s just an idiot, a really dumb person.”
I don’t know why I felt the need to say that, maybe because my frustration resurfaced, and I still find all of this so unfair.
Fuck that instructor.
He was only brave enough to curse the man in his mind.
Yuki, who had been sitting casually and reading a magazine all this while, lifted his head when Suga started grumbling, and he let out a small chuckle.
Upon hearing that sounds, Suga shot a sharp glance at the casually seated man.
[So, just because of that, he strangled you?]
“….. I tried to argue with him, and because of that, he didn’t like it and he strangled me… That’s what happened.”
“I’m just hearing this story now.” Yuki closed the magazine he was reading and placed it on the small table, his tone showing a little bit interest and confusion.
“You didn’t tell me about this, Suga.”
“Did you forget, genius? I’ve only been able to see you today after days of you not being in your room.”
Yuki burst into laughter, he rubbed his forehead and leaned back further in his chair.
Danny, upon hearing Yuki’s voice, instantly grimaced, as if he disliked the presence of that man in the room, even though they were currently having a video call in Yuki’s room.
“I even told that guy not to lay a finger on you, but you sure do know how to catch a madman’s attention quickly. Your talent is truly something else, Suga.”
“Shut up.”
[Shut up!]
“Hahaha, you guys really are brothers.”
Yuki continued to laugh heartily, to the point where his body shook as he heard Suga and Danny said that in unison.
He nodded, “Okay, okay, I’ll let you two have your sibling reunion moment. Haha.”
Suga’s attention returned to Danny, and he looked at his younger brother for a moment before finally asking something.
There were so many things he wanted to say, and he wasn’t sure which one to ask first — but once again, Danny beat him to it.
[Avoid that person, that instructor must be crazy if he’s already having problems with you.]
“I intended to do that as well. I want to steer clear of him and only interact when necessary.”
The color of his face lightened, Danny seemed relieved to hear those words.
Suga wasn’t a fool who would willingly step into the lion’s den.
He didn’t want to get involved with that man again, and after he served his punishment, he wouldn’t even glance at the man for a second.
Besides, he was also an instructor from America, which meant he would only be at the Australian headquarter temporarily.
So, he had to do his best to avoid that man until he was no longer here.
“Danny, how are you over there? Do you have friends already? Have you seen your school? Are you eating properly? Is the food there delicious?”
Hearing Suga’s rapid-fire questions, Danny laughed.
[Take a breath, Suga, haha.] He shifted his sitting position and adjusted his laptop.
[I’ll answer the first one first, I’ve gotten to know some people in the dormitory. And second, yes, I’ve seen my school, and third, the food here is really good, so you don’t need to worry.]
“Ha, thank goodness, that’s a relief.” His shoulders, which had felt heavy earlier, suddenly felt light after hearing that, “I was worried because it’s your first time abroad, so you might not be used to it and might feel nervous.” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
[Suga, I’m studying at Arkan, so my safety is assured, you do not need to worry. Oh yeah, Mr. Logan also personally welcomed me when I arrived there.]
“Mr. Logan?”
Wait a moment, why does that name sound familiar?
Suga tried to recall where he had heard the name from, but immediately dismissed his thoughts since he realized that almost many people had the same name.
[He’s still young, but already holds a lot of Arkan properties, and they say he’ll be the next heir of Arkan Corp. He immediately offered me to stay at his mansion, haha, I was quite surprised to hear that.]
“Huh? Why did he offer that to you?”
[Arkan School is located on Arkan Street, so it’s very close to his mansion. He also mentioned that he heard about my talent from Mr. Jason.]
“So did you say yes?”
Danny immediately shook his head, [It’s more fun to live with friends of the same age, so I declined his offer.]
“Yeah, you’re right, it’s better to interact with friends of the same age.”
Back in Japan, Danny rarely went out of the house.
After school, he would go straight home, and Suga seldom saw him spending time with his friends.
It’s as if Danny didn’t want to spend money on things that weren’t too important, so he avoided going out with his friends.
Suga only realized this now.
Ah, how did he end up with such a wonderful younger brother like Danny?
Suga’s eyes instantly welled up with warmth, he felt like crying.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it there.” Suga added.
He couldn’t help but smile, it was a pleasant feeling to know Danny finally had his childhood moments.
[But seriously, I’m actually more worried about you, Suga. Should I just tell Mr. Logan to hire you to work with him? He’s a really nice guy and friendly to everyone, compared to being in madmen’s den it seems like you’d be safer working with Arkan.]
It was rather rare to hear Danny praising people with a sincere face, no, this was the first time for Suga to hear Danny saying positive things openly about people he had just met.
“Haha, Danny, what skills do I have to work there? How could I work with him? I might just end up being a nuisance.”
[Just wait until I start working and earning money, then you can live with me again.]
“Are you trying to make me cry? Ha, stop saying cool things, Danny! And besides, that’s still far off. And when you do have money, you should save up for your own marriage and living with your partner, not with me, haha.”
Suga laughed pleasantly, feeling that it was true that talking to Danny made him feel better.
Their communication would become less frequent after this due to their individual busy lives.
They wouldn’t be able to spend as much time together as they used to when they lived under the same roof.
Yes, all of this reminded Suga of his primary reason for coming here.
He mentally reminded himself to solve the mystery of his parents’ murder as quickly as possible so that he could finally feel at ease.
“You can code, right.” Out of nowhere, Yuki, who emerged from the bathroom, suddenly spoke up.
Suga turned his head to look at Yuki, who was now proceeding to open a bottle of water.
“That’s your skill, Suga. If you want, you could probably be in Arkan too.”
“I haven’t practiced coding in a while… So it’s not really possible.”
“Hm…” Yuki furrowed his brows, took a sip of water, and then closed the bottle.
He appeared to be lost in thought.
Eventually, a voice from the laptop screen recaptured Suga’s attention, redirecting it back to Danny.