That night, Totsuka spent his time as usual in the bar HOMRA. After closing, when he tried to get behind the counter and help with the cleanup, Kusanagi tried to be thoughtful of him since he had just lost a relative and told him he could rest. But Totsuka somehow couldn’t bear that kind of consideration, and said “I’m bored” jokingly while helping out anyway.

For a while, the only sounds filling the dark bar were that of glasses being washed and silverware being stacked. Suou had already gone upstairs to sleep. While wiping off the dishes with a cloth, Totsuka listened to the upstairs. There wasn’t a single noise. “I wonder what kind of dream King is having” Totsuka thought quietly to himself.

“I wonder if King regrets it” Totsuka sighed with a vague smile. Kusanagi stopped what he was doing looked in Totsuka’s direction questioningly.

“Regrets what?”

“Becoming a king.” Totsuka had a faint smile on his face, but these were feelings that he had had secretly kept deep within his chest for a long time. Kusanagi frowned in a troubled way.

“…well, he was forcibly chosen by the “Slate”, so it ain’t like he had any choice in the matter.”

Totsuka was about to nod and say I suppose, but before he could, Kusanagi spoke again.

“What about you? Have you got some regrets?” Totsuka’s eyes widened a little as he looked at Kusanagi. Kusanagi was smiling wryly in a way that was even more mature than usual.

“That you called that guy somethin’ like ‘King’. That that guy wished to become a king.”

Totsuka wasn’t able to reply right away. Totsuka, who normally never became speechless, ended up clamming up for a few seconds, then finally smiled limply.

“…Well, you see, Kusanagi-san. I don’t regret it.” He again recalled the voice of his father when the man had called him cold-hearted.

…Even if I find something so important to me that I want to cling to it, in the end, I’m still cold-hearted and selfish.

“Ain’t that just fine, though?” Said Kusanagi with a small smile.

“Anyway, it ain’t like me and you made that guy into a king. We shouldn’t be so full of ourselves.” Kusanagi said it so jokingly, Totsuka also brightly replied mockingly.

“But, you know, they say there’s power in words, don’t they? Maybe the “Slate” noticed that person because I wouldn’t stop calling him a king.”

“You’re a moron, aren’t you.”

“…yeah, I’m a moron.” Said Totsuka while still smiling.