Edward
The very one we had discussed at that meeting. The one James had drawn up as a sample.
I looked at Kazuo in confusion.
"You're returning it to me? You decided against it after all?"
Kazuo sighed.
"Turn to the last page and don't piss me off."
I turned to the final page.
There was a signature.
Kazuo's signature.
"What does this mean?" I asked.
"Did you get shot in the shoulder or the head? If I signed it, it's pretty obvious what it means."
I stared at the document for a while, slowly taking in what had happened.
"What about Luka?" I muttered, raising my eyes to Kazuo. "Isn't he going to sign it?"
Kazuo sighed as though I were the greatest idiot on the planet.
"I'll cut you some slack and pretend you're only this stupid because you've been stuck in this hospital. The meds clearly messed with your head. Don't you know hybrids can't own property?"
I looked back at the document.
"Right. Sorry. I forgot."
"Anyway, I agree to your terms. They're pretty reasonable. I didn't make any changes. James put together a decent document. But so that you know, I need that permit as soon as possible. So don't think being stuck in this hospital is gonna excuse the fact that I still don't have permission to open the bar."
I gave a faint chuckle.
"I'll deal with it. Do you have a pen?"
"Of course not. What, you think I carry one around with me? Get one from the staff, sign it, and deal with the rest yourself. I don't wanna handle all this paperwork with you."
"Fine."
I held the crumpled documents in my hands. They looked more like rubbish than a contract, yet somehow, they were the most precious thing I had ever held.
"He doesn't mind?" I murmured.
"He doesn't. All he does is worry about you getting shot and blame himself."
"He shouldn't."
"Yeah, no shit, he shouldn't," Kazuo said indignantly. "Now try getting that through his head."
I said nothing, still staring at the papers in front of me.
I was going to become a co-owner of The Little Night.
My life would be tied to Luka's.
Warmth spread through me, accompanied by a terrible unease as the full weight of responsibility settled on my shoulders.
Now I had to protect this place, whatever happened.
I had to protect his dream.
I had to protect him.
My fingers tightened around the papers.
"What the hell are you doing, dumbass? Hey, be careful." Kazuo grumbled, snatching the documents from my hands and smoothing them out. "I'm not signing another copy." He handed them back to me, now properly straightened. "Here."
I didn't answer, and he sighed.
"Actually... I didn't come here to give you those. I could've handed them to your unhinged friend. His signature needs to be on there too, by the way. Don't forget to get it from him. Just keep him away from my bar. He might be a co-owner, but that doesn't mean I wanna see him there all the time."
I smiled.
"Well, I can't promise you that. I don't know anyone capable of stopping Michael from doing whatever he wants."
"Try. That guy pisses me off. Anyway, I came here to talk about something more important."
His tone changed.
"Luka doesn't notice it. He's too busy worrying about you, me, the bar, everyone around him. But you understand that everything happening here isn't about your daddy desperately trying to keep his precious son away from a hybrid. This isn't just about him thinking Luka isn't good enough for you. You understand that, right?"
I turned towards Kazuo.
He was staring at me with a serious expression.
And I knew he was right.
"I know." I nodded.
"Which means," Kazuo continued, "this isn't over. I can tell there's something bigger going on here. Luka and I talked about this a long time ago, and I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told him."
He glanced at the papers in my hands.
"You sign that document, you're choosing a side, man. This isn't you going against your daddy, your family, your company, or whatever else. You're choosing a side in a fight. You're choosing hybrids. And there's gonna be a price for that. Think about it before you sign."
I looked at him, understanding exactly what he meant.
Everything that had happened to us during all this time might have been connected to my father in some way. But that was only one small piece of a much larger picture.
Having someone like me on the side of The Little Night meant making a very significant statement. Politically, economically, and in every other possible sense.
Statements of that magnitude came at a high price.
"I know what I'm getting myself into, and I know what you're worried about. The price you're talking about could put Luka in danger again. But this time, I won't let that happen. I'll do everything I can. I promise you. I'll do everything in my power to make certain nothing ever happens to him again."
Kazuo stared at me for a long moment, apparently trying to determine how serious I was.
I held his gaze.
Then his gaze dropped to my bandaged shoulder, and he sighed.
"Fine. Just as you can't stop that idiot Michael of yours, I can't stop Luka either. In the end, it's his choice whether he wants to put himself in danger because of you or not. Though I don't think the danger's gonna disappear that easily now, even without you."
Kazuo stood up.
"Now I'm leaving. That lunatic friend of yours has been spending way too much time with Luka, and it's pissing me off more by the second. Who knows what kind of crap Luka's gonna pick up from that idiot."
I laughed.
"Yes, I understand your concerns."
"Get better," Kazuo said as he reached the door.
Then he glanced back at me.
"By the way, once your injuries heal, come and help with the rebuilding. Don't think you can buy your way out of it with money or those papers." He nodded towards the documents lying in front of me. "You're still gonna have to do some work with your own hands. You got that?"
"Yes, boss," I said with a smile, nodding.
The door closed behind Kazuo.
I was alone in the hospital room again.
The crumpled contract lay in front of me.
The unease and anxiety that had tormented me before were gone. In their place came anticipation.
And more than anything, I wanted to get away from here so I could finally start doing what really matters.