Hearing those words, Kaito Hattori was utterly stunned.

His mind reeled from the unexpected revelation of real-life "stay away from my son/ex/friend" dramas, thus he stood frozen, unable to fathom how to respond to the unfamiliar guest before him.

Observing Kaito's hesitation, the instigator who had dropped the bombshell couldn't resist a mocking laugh. "I knew it. You can't possibly have such deep feelings for Daichi, that wooden punk. You don't really love him, do you?"

"I do..."

However, Kaito's low confidence only boosted the handsome guest's certainty. "You're only after his looks or wealth, right? It's all about the money. Let's settle it right now," he taunted, pulling out his phone and dialing random numbers. "Name your price. I'm sure money won't be an issue—"

"Stop it! You don't know anything!" Kaito's voice trembled, his fists clenching and striking the table in anger.

The sudden outburst caught the attention of the few customers present in the establishment. Kaito forced a smile, apologizing for the disturbance, before redirecting his focus to the nonchalant man in front of him.

Lowering his voice to an infuriated whisper, he continued his tirade, "Who do you think you are? All you've done since you got here is criticize me!"

The older man casually scanned the room, acknowledging the bewildered onlookers, before fixing his gaze back on the flush-faced Kaito.

"You'll scare away your customers with that intimidating look," he remarked.

"I'd look less scary if you just left," Kaito retorted, his smile strained. This guy was already pushing him to his limits, despite being a stranger.

At that moment, the man's phone buzzed, indicating an incoming call. A sudden transformation overcame his face as he saw the caller ID, leaving Kaito utterly perplexed.

The abrupt change in demeanor was starkly contrasting...

"So, you finally decided to call me?" the man's smug expression revealed his satisfaction as he leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs with self-assured confidence.

Kaito didn't know who the caller was, but their displeasure was evident.

"What are you talking about? I wasn't bullying him," the guest chuckled, his curiosity piqued. "I'm more interested in how you knew I was here. Relax, I was just testing him... It's not like you were going to share the news. I was the last to find out, even though I'm your brother. Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?"

Eavesdropping on someone else's phone conversation was not Kaito's style, but he couldn't pretend to be oblivious to the subject matter. Who else could be the target of this current "bullying" and "testing" if not himself?

Which meant that the person on the other end of the call was most likely...

"Here," the man grudgingly extended the phone towards Kaito. "He wants to talk to you."

Kaito's eyes shifted from the man's resentful expression to the screen showing the caller ID: "little bro".

"Hello?" Kaito answered, taking the phone.

Sure enough, Daichi's deep voice flowed into his ear, instantly dispelling Kaito's previous resentment. "Are you okay? Did Daisuke do something?"

Kaito's gaze returned to the man in the suit once more. So, the vexing individual before him was Daisuke Nakano, Daichi's older brother.

Daisuke was the second of the Nakano family's three heirs, running a business in the United States and absent from Japan for quite some time.

When Daichi had introduced Kaito to his family, Daisuke had been absent, leading him to be the last to learn about the news. However, Kaito had seen Daisuke's pictures. The problem was that the current Daisuke bore no resemblance to the person captured in those photos.

No wonder Kaito hadn't recognized him immediately. Daisuke also looked nothing like his two brothers or little sister.

Under normal circumstances, Kaito would brush off his problems and claim there was no issue. But this time, he really, truly felt vengeful.

"I was being bullied."

The "bully" gaped at these audacious accusations, but Kaito resolutely ignored Daisuke's presence, even averting his gaze.

"What happened?"

"He approached me and started accusing me of all sorts of things," Kaito complained pitifully. "He even claimed that you were made of wood and that I was after your money..."

"I did not!" Daisuke hadn't anticipated Kaito would tattle on him like a child. Weren't they supposed to resolve this like adults?

"Aren't you ashamed? How can you deny it after everything you said?" Kaito's expression turned deadpan as he locked eyes with the accused "bully". "Weren't you the one who was ready to throw money at me to make me go away?"

Daisuke nearly stumbled out of his chair in disbelief.

Upon hearing his lover's serious allegations, Daichi requested Kaito to put him on speaker before interrogating his brother with a stern tone. "Is this true?"

"Daichi, listen..." Daisuke attempted to explain.

"Is it true or not?" Daichi's voice held a firmness that brooked no evasion.

Daisuke let out an awkward laugh, trying to signal Kaito to side with him. "It's true... but it was just a game. I didn't mean any of those things, come on. You don't think I was really bullying you, right, Kaito?"

However, Kaito seemed determined to drag Daisuke's name through the mud, completely disregarding the signals. He even added a touch of spice by saying, "He's even making slice your throat' gestures..."

"How?!" Daisuke shot up from his seat, bewildered yet secretly impressed. "I wasn't the one bullying you! It's clear that I'm the one being bullied right now!"

"I obviously don't have a brother like that, so I'll just block this fool."

"Daichi, don't you dare!" Daisuke yanked his cellphone back, his grip tight and his voice filled with frustration. He shook it as if trying to shake some sense into the person on the other end. "It was just a joke! Why the extreme measures?"

"You're being so annoying again. So, how long this time? Two weeks? Three? Maybe a whole damn month?"

"Damn it, I'm sorry!"

Meanwhile, Kaito, who witnessed the entire spectacle, found it all a bit ridiculous. Did it really matter that much if Daisuke was blocked by his brother? Kaito couldn't comprehend the fuss, considering he and his younger sister blocked each other all the time.

"Fine, fine, I'll apologize," Daisuke finally turned to face Kaito. His brow twitched, and he forced out a begrudging, "I'm sorry."

"Kaito?" Daichi awaited confirmation.

"Yeah, I'm not buying it," Kaito crossed his arms, relaying the situation to his lover still on speaker. "He even looks like he wants to punch me."

"I will if you keep this up," Daisuke grumbled.

"Did I hear that right?"

"Yes, he just threatened me," Kaito shamelessly confirmed.

"I SAID I'M SORRY!" Daisuke suddenly bowed respectfully. "My words were unkind, and I judged you too quickly."

Now that felt more like it. Who would have thought that even in Daichi's absence, he still held such power over his own older brother?

As Kaito pondered, he remembered Daichi mentioning his closeness to his second brother since they practically grew up together. Perhaps that explained Daisuke's overprotectiveness and fear of falling out of favor with his younger brother.

Fuyumi wouldn't give a damn about this situation; Kaito chuckled at the thought of his younger sister. The world of the wealthy must be a different breed.

But he couldn't deny feeling a sense of satisfaction.

After enduring yet another scolding, Daisuke put away his phone when Daichi hung up. He shot a narrowed look at the brat in front of him and smirked as he returned to his seat. "Did you really think that would be the end of it? There's plenty to discuss."

Kaito: How old is this guy again?

Before he could respond, Kaito's own cellphone began to ring, and a smile curled upon his lips. "He's still here," he reported as soon as he answered the call.

"No, no, I was just leaving!" Daisuke jumped up with a forced smile. "I just remembered I need to grab some takeout. I'll go pack my things and hit the road."

And so, Kaito watched as the man made his way to the counter, ordered a few more pastries, paid in full, and quickly left the store without looking back. Somehow, he had a feeling he would be meeting Daisuke quite often in the future.

"Is he really gone this time?" Daichi's voice came from the other end.

"He's gone," Kaito sighed and cleared away Daisuke's used cutlery with one hand. "Did he just fly back to Japan? It seems like he came straight to this place as soon as he found out my location."

Daichi's laughter echoed through his ear. "Don't worry, he's harmless."

"I didn't even recognize him at first," Kaito admitted, feeling a hint of shame. "He looks nothing like the pictures you showed me."

"The pictures I showed you were from his twenties, when he liked keeping his hair long and bleached. Now that he keeps it naturally dark and short, I suppose he does look a bit different," Daichi pondered. "It's probably because he's changed his choice of clothing too."

Daisuke, who used to be obsessed with casual gangster attire, seemed to have developed an interest in formal wear lately. It was likely because his wife had complimented him once, saying he looked handsome in it...

"Were you getting ready for bed?" Kaito finally moved on from the Daisuke ordeal, realizing it must be late at night in Daichi's part of the world.

"You suddenly vanished from our conversation, leaving me to assume you were occupied. I was ready to call it a night and hit the shower, when out of the blue, your friend's urgent call alerted me to the danger you were facing," Daichi chuckled, unable to contain his amusement. "Ever wondered how I miraculously knew that Daisuke was causing you trouble?"

Naturally, Kaito was taken aback, but the thought had slipped his mind already. He liked to believe that his boyfriend operated in mysterious ways.

But now that Daichi had inadvertently revealed himself, Kaito had a fairly good idea of who that 'friend' was.

"That friend of yours even warned me about how you were on the verge of being 'stolen' by some handsome older man," Daichi added.

Now Kaito knew precisely who that 'friend' was.

Kasumi, that woman. Overwhelmed with embarrassment, Kaito ran a hand down his face and mumbled, "Please don't listen to her. She'll say anything to satisfy her fujoshi fantasies."

"Although it took me a while to deduce who she was describing, I must admit she had me worried initially."

"Why?" Kaito was slightly taken aback.

"Knowing that you were about to be whisked away by another man while I'm far away and unable to do anything about it, how could I not worry?"

Hearing the tenderness in Daichi's voice, a blush spread across Kaito's cheeks. He remained silent for a long moment, simply leaning against the wall behind himself, while trying to calm his racing heart.

Daichi often complained about his lack of expertise in expressing affectionate words, yet he would unexpectedly offer these heartfelt confessions. Kaito had no idea how to respond afterward.

Kaito was certain that if anyone witnessed his expression at that moment, they would immediately assume he was burning up with a fever. Even his casual leaning against the wall seemed suspicious.

"If that's really how you feel, then hurry back," he finally spoke, with half his face buried in his palm. "I'm dying here."

More than anything, he was incredibly sexually frustrated!

Interacting with Daichi occasionally was all well and good, but he hadn't forgotten about his physical needs. It was even worse since their schedules always clashed, and they couldn't even do it over the phone at night.

"I will," Daichi's voice became even softer, tickling Kaito's ear like a feather. "And... I miss you too, Kaito."

Kaito nearly collapsed on the spot. Who said Daichi wasn't good with words? That person needed to be caught and burned!

"D-don't use that kind of tone to say something like that while I'm working."

Kaito finally picked up the tableware and carried it to the counter, where one of his colleagues took care of it. Then he made his way to the staffroom to finish his lunch break.

"I miss your company too," Daisuke continued.

"Daichi..."

"And your kisses," the man playfully teased with a chuckle. "And you know what I miss the most?"

Kaito was overwhelmed with distress. Luckily, he was alone in the room. "Have you forgotten I'm working? Can you not tease me so shamelessly?" he pleaded, incredulous.

"I thought you said you were on break."

"How long do you think my break is? I can't be preoccupied with naughty thoughts while I'm in the studio..."

"Did I mention I was about to hop into the shower?"

"Daichi!"

Laughter filled the other end before Daichi finally promised to cease his teasing.

~~~~~~