BIG MAN

Koichi is lying on his back in bed. The screen of his unresponsive phone illuminates his face with a dim blue light. On the screen are videos of him with his daughter and wife. Rei's cheerful laughter mingles with Yurika's sweet voice. He smiles as he watches the videos. At one point, the phone screen goes dark. The clock reads 1:00 a.m.

He cannot sleep. He quietly gets out of bed, puts on his thin coat, and leaves his room. The corridors are silent, just like the emptiness in his mind. He walks toward the Nullum buildings. Not a single sound comes from inside; everything is dead, frozen.

His steps slow down. As his eyes brush against the walls, a name slips out of his lips: "Yousuke…"

Lost in his thoughts, he goes back upstairs. As he walks toward his room, he passes by the president's office. The inside cannot be seen from the outside, but the sound spreads everywhere. Shouts, exploding words... it is impossible to understand exactly what is being said, but the anger is obvious. Koichi stops, wanting to listen.

At that moment, the president notices Koichi outside. The door opens, and Koichi is called inside. Even though it is 1:30 a.m., the president gets up from his desk and slowly walks toward Koichi. His bodyguards stand on either side of him.

"My son died there. You are responsible for this. People like you... murderers should die."

He turns his back. "When a father loses his child... nothing stays the same. Is that how it is for you too, Koichi?"

Then he looks at the officials next to him. "Give him two more nights. Then seal his room."

As Koichi is being taken out of the room, he whispers, "You were right, Yousuke..."

⸻

FLASHBACK

In Kouchin's office, Koichi is quickly signing documents. Papers are everywhere, and the room is messy. Suddenly, he puts his head down on the papers:

"Enough! Bro, did you bring me here to fill out paperwork?"

With his head still on the papers, he turns to Yousuke:

"We're not even allowed to go outside. Damn it, sometimes it really bothers me that this place is so secure. I miss Rei and Yurika, bro."

Yousuke smiles.

"You have to do this to become the boss."

Koichi frowns slightly:

"What?"

Yousuke continues:

"Someone has to take over after me, and that someone should be you. I'm just a cow with no friends outside of work."

He downs the drink in his hand, then crumples the can and throws it in the trash. When the can lands in the trash, he raises his hands and smiles:

"Oooo!"

Koichi frowns even more and stands up:

"Wait a minute... are you saying that I'm going to take your place?!"

Yousuke laughs:

"Yes. What's the matter, are you excited?"

Koichi raises his hands as if to reject him:

"Don't be ridiculous. That's the last thing I want. I can never accept that."

Yousuke's expression becomes serious.

"If I die and someone else takes my place... They could use Nullum to turn the world into hell. All nations will start using these structures to increase their power. Mercilessly..."

Terrible scenarios flash through Koichi's mind. He sees countries attacking each other with these structures, civilian casualties rising, and the world turning into a map of burning cities.

"If we're not careful, it wouldn't be surprising if World War III broke out," says Koichi.

Yousuke looks at his watch. It's 6:00 p.m.

"It's time to eat. Let's go."

Koichi shows him the papers:

"I'm not going anywhere until I finish these."

Yousuke puts his hands on his hips:

"Okay. It's up to you. But I'll take them and bring them back here. And think about it again."

He smiles and pulls the door shut hard. Koichi jumps.

"He still hasn't learned how to close a door," he mutters.

Someone is waiting for Yousuke outside. Yousuke asks in a serious voice:

"Is everything ready?"

The man stammers:

"Yes, sir."

Yousuke moves forward with determined steps:

"Then... we'll do it tomorrow."

⸻

The next morning, while Koichi is fast asleep, he is suddenly choked unconscious by someone whose face he cannot see.

When he opens his eyes, it is dark. His breathing quickens, and the ground is shaking. He feels like he is in a moving vehicle, but he cannot understand where he is. He starts to scream in panic.

At that moment, a hand covers his mouth. The weight of the sack over his head and the feel of the fabric against his skin make him even more uncomfortable. He tries to remove the sack, but his hands and arms are tightly bound. Suddenly, a deep voice echoes:

"Shut up! Why are you screaming?!"

The voice is familiar. Koichi remembers immediately:

"Ha... You! Aren't you the big man who brought me here?!"

The man hits him hard on the back of the head. "Shut up!"

Koichi becomes even more enraged:

"Where are you taking me?!" He shouts incessantly. As his voice rises, blood rushes to his head and his pulse begins to pound in his ears. He becomes exhausted from shouting. His whole body relaxes and his head falls forward.

At that moment, a familiar voice is heard:

"What happened to him?!"

It is Yousuke's voice. Koichi raises his head and follows the sound:

"YOUSUKE! WHERE ARE WE?! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

The vehicle stops suddenly. The man next to him acts quickly and hits Koichi hard on the head. Koichi passes out once again.

⸻

After a while, he opens his eyes again. This time, there is no bag over his head. A light breeze and the sound of propellers ring in his ears. This time, he is inside a helicopter. The first thing he sees is the man sitting next to him. He smiles:

"Heh... I knew it was you."

But then he turns his eyes to the back:

"Hey, Yousuke... What's going on here?"

Yousuke doesn't answer. As the silence continues, Koichi's anger grows. He continues to question him:

"Yousuke! Don't tell me this is a surprise or something. Where are we going?!"

The helicopter begins to slow down. The lights of the city begin to appear below them. Koichi doesn't know where they are, but as they descend, the scenery looks familiar. His eyes fill with tears:

"Wait... a second... this is..."

The helicopter lands softly. Yousuke is the first to get out. He opens Koichi's door and extends his hand slightly:

"You worked so hard for months, you deserve it, my friend."

Koichi can't stand still. He hugs Yousuke tightly and jumps with joy:

"My friend! You're the best!"

Yousuke responds with a surprised but happy smile:

"Come on... Your family is waiting for you."

Then he remembers his hands

"Could you untie my arms first?"

he says, and as soon as his arms are untied, he rushes forward. He sees his daughter Rei ahead of him. His eyes fill with tears. He hugs his daughter and continues running. He hugs his wife Yurika and his son Kuta tightly. He kisses each of them one by one, breathing in their scent.

⸻

It is dark outside. His wife, children, Yousuke, and the bodyguard are sitting at the dinner table. The bodyguard has been playing with Kuta all day and has not even eaten. Kuta's tiny hands are almost lost in the man's palms.

Yurika leans toward Koichi and whispers softly:

"Honey... Who is this man?"

Koichi, holding his daughter in his arms, eats quickly:

"He's the bodyguard who knocked me out."

Yurika's face freezes. Shocked, she asks:

"What?!"

Yousuke bursts out laughing:

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid! It was just a little surprise. Nothing bad."

Everyone at the table starts laughing. The warmth of the moment spreads throughout the house.

⸻

It is 11 p.m. Koichi, Yurika, and Yousuke are sitting in the garden. Yurika suddenly asks:

"By the way, where is the security guard?"

Yousuke replies casually:

"Inside, putting Kuta and Rei to bed."

Koichi says in surprise:

"I didn't expect such a big man to be so warm-hearted."

He takes a big sip of his drink. Yousuke collects himself:

"I don't want to ruin this beautiful moment, but my friend, we have to go now."

Koichi sighs:

"I guess you're right. I'll call the big guy, kiss the kids, and be right back."

He goes inside. The security guard is quietly watching the children. His eyes are soft. Koichi taps him lightly on the shoulder twice:

"Come on, my friend, let's go."

The bodyguard turns his head:

"I wonder... would you let me kiss your hands?"

His eyes are wide and shining.

Koichi smiles and nodds. The man slowly and respectfully kisses Rei and Kuta's hands:

"Thank you."

He leaves the house with small but quick steps. Koichi caresses his daughter's cheek:

"My beautiful daughter Rei... You will have a wonderful life."

He kisses her cheek and, without letting go of her hand, kisses Kuta as well:

"You will grow up to be a big man, my dear son. I will be back soon."

He leaves without looking back. Yousuke and the security helicopter are in front of him. Yurika is standing, smiling as she did on the day they first met. Her hands are clasped in front of her, her fingers intertwined.

Koichi quickly goes to Yurika's side. He hugs her:

"Sweetheart, I promise I'll come back."

A tear rolls down Yurika's cheek:

"I know you'll come back, you fool. But don't keep Yousuke waiting any longer."

Koichi kisses her one more time and starts walking away without looking back. Yurika calls after him:

"I love you so much, sweetheart!"

Koichi wipes his eyes. When he reaches the helicopter, he turns around and shouts:

"Take good care of our children!"

He gets into the helicopter. As it takes off, Yousuke sits down next to him and wipes his eyes:

"You have a wonderful family."

The bodyguard looks out, his eyes filled with tears. He thinks to himself:

"What a wonderful father…"

And the episode ends here.