Work Text:
Harumasa knew something was wrong the moment he woke up that morning.
Sure, there were days when he wanted to slack off and skip work as a joke, but there were also days when he needed to. And today was one of those days.
He should’ve paid more attention to the signs. His breathing was more ragged than usual, and every step he took felt unbearably heavy. It was as if he were on the final stretch of a marathon but couldn’t take another step forward. Normally, he would’ve asked for an early leave by now, but Section 6 had just been assigned to follow up on the research Kirishima had left behind.
The thought of his Master’s work being twisted into something evil churned his stomach. It made him push past his body’s warnings and willingly work overtime—for the first time ever.
Maybe his Master only pretended to treat him at first, but somewhere along the way, Harumasa liked to believe that the man had started to see him as family. Or at least, that’s what he told himself.
He didn’t even know why he was pushing himself so hard with this case. It’s not like he’d ever get closure now, nor would he ever have the chance to forgive his Master. What a hypocrite he was, telling the Proxy to move on from the past while he was still here, chasing after loose ends.
How ironic that the one day he wanted to work was the day he couldn’t.
He didn’t want to give his colleagues any more reason to worry about his condition—he’d had enough of that after waking up in the hospital following his confrontation with Kirishima, thank you very much.
The clock read 11 PM. With steady hands, Harumasa finished the report summary he’d been working on and announced his leave.
“Oh, you’re leaving?” Yanagi casually noted.
Harumasa leaned heavily on his desk as he stood up, a wave of vertigo washing over him. “Well, why do you look so surprised? I can be a very hard-working member of society if I want to!” he replied cheerfully, though his legs trembled beneath him.
“Mhm. Good work,” Miyabi added dryly from behind her desk, only her ears visible over the towering stacks of paperwork. “With adequate training and routine, this should give you enough motivation to complete your work hours.”
“Harumasa! Are you sure you’re okay working this hard? You just got out of the hospital…” Soukaku rushed to his side. “Should we grab a late dinner with the whole team?”
Yanagi adjusted her glasses, clearly wrapping up her work as well. “Soukaku, that’s a great idea.”
“NO!”
The members of Section 6 flinched at Harumasa’s sudden outburst.
“I-I mean, I’m heading straight home. You know me, Vice Chief. I may be working overtime right now but I just wanna lay in bed and sleep for the next three days, haha.”
It wasn’t entirely a lie—but it wasn’t the truth either.
Suddenly, Belle’s voice echoed in his head: “No secrets allowed in MY New Eirdu!”
He really is a hypocrite. Well in his defense, it’s not like he was hiding his condition anymore. He just didn’t want his team to worry and treat him like some fragile patient. He was perfectly fine. Capable, even. Now that his little setback was out of the way.
Not wanting to linger in the now awkward atmosphere of the office, Harumasa packed up his things and headed home. He could faintly hear Soukaku asking if they should follow him, but Yanagi stopped her. Harumasa couldn’t be bothered to listen in on the rest.
Not trusting himself to drive in his current state, Harumasa opted to walk instead. His apartment was only a thirty-minute walk from HAND Headquarters, located on the outskirts of Lumina Square.
But even walking proved difficult.
He sighed. He really was set on making all the wrong choices tonight. How was getting home somehow more challenging than walking straight into a Hollow alone?
Harumasa’s legs felt like they were made of paper, trembling with every step. The night chill bit into his skin, sharp and unforgiving, as if he were trudging through deep snow. One strong gust of wind could easily knock him over.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, his vision blurring at the edges. He just wanted to get home, collapse into bed, and sleep—dammit!
Through the haze, he vaguely spotted the bright glow of a streetlight. With what little strength he had left, he stumbled toward it and leaned against the pole, resting underneath its weak warmth. He just needed a moment. Just one moment.
Harumasa closed his eyes, his head feeling unbearably heavy.
Just a short minute… just enough to get my legs working again.
The cold was seeping into his bones now. It was far too cold for anyone to keep walking in weather like this.
“Huh? Senior Asaba? What are you doing here?”
Oh, great. Now he was hearing voices. Maybe his Master was cruel after all. There was no cure—just false hope, a fleeting glimpse of normalcy dangled in front of him, only to be snatched away. Was it too much to ask for a simple, normal life?
“Hey! Senior Asaba, you can’t sleep here. Are you alright?”
“Diligent as ever, Seth. Didn’t know Public Security officers worked this late,” Harumasa mumbled weakly.
“Uh, no, I just went out to grab dinner, the ramen shop is usually the only one open during this time… I volunteered for overtime—No, wait. Hey! Asaba! Wake up, seriously, what’s going on with you?”
“Don’t mind me. Just need… a tiny bit to rest my eyes… I wanted to show off and worked hard, after all…” Harumasa’s voice drifted off, faint and unsteady. Damn, it's too cold.
The Cat Thiren hurriedly caught Harumasa as he began to slump forward. "Wait! You're burning up!"
“Bringing you to the dorms would draw too much attention, and I don’t think you’d like that…” Seth muttered, glancing at his contacts list and hesitating before dialing a number. “You owe me big time…”
Harumasa didn’t know how much time had passed. Voices drifted in and out, blending together like distant echoes.
At one point, he caught the blunt yet unmistakably concerned voice of their Chief, Miyabi.
"My fault… I should have known his confrontation with Kirishima—"
“Chief, that’s not true. No one could have predicted he’d do something like that.”
“Poor Harumasa…”
“Now, now, Soukaku, don’t worry,” Yanagi said, her tone softening. “The doctor said it’s just a fever from overexhaustion. If anything… I should’ve known better and extended his leave by a few more days. It was strange how eager he was to return to work so soon.”
“Is it perhaps because of Kirishima’s research?” Miyabi asked, her voice low and measured.
“…Uhm…” Seth’s voice trembled beside her.
“Oh, yes, Officer Seth. Apologies—we ended up discussing one of our cases.” Yanagi crossed her arms, her brows knitted together as if piecing together the events that had led to Harumasa’s current condition. “I must thank you for helping him. I heard you two were acquainted during your time at the Academy.”
Seth mumbled, almost to himself, “He… talked about me?”
“I mean—yes,” he quickly corrected himself. “It was the right thing to do. I couldn’t just stand there and ignore him in that state.” Seth’s face flushed slightly as he spoke. “But what I wanted to ask… his illness. The truth is, I was one of the officers involved in the initial investigation of this case. I… came across Senior Asaba back then.”
His voice wavered. “I didn’t know he had the same illness… and yet I said some things to him.”
“We were all unaware of his condition,” Miyabi bluntly stated.
“Indeed... If only I knew why he always filed for leave so early. To think it was because he’s been pushing himself so hard.”
Harumasa wanted to answer. You’re all wrong. I take care of myself pretty well. I know when I’m pushing my limits. If I file for leave, it’s because I just want to laze around.
But instead, all he could do was lie there, exactly like the frail person they thought him to be.
As much as Harumasa wanted to prove them wrong, the medication started to take effect, and he drifted into another deep sleep.
He could feel hands gently carding through his hair and the cloth on his forehead, cooling his fever. For some reason, he dreamed of Seth fumbling while apologizing and changing his clothes into something fresher—his favorite loose shirt. He felt much more comfortable out of his stuffy uniform.
Harumasa dreamt of a time when his Master would take care of him like this. Maybe it was his Master's ghost, watching over him once more. In a time when he had been much weaker and prone to long bedridden days, his Master would often check up on him, taking care of him in ways Harumasa now longed for.
When was the last time someone had taken care of him? He couldn’t remember anymore. Ever since his Master had left, he’d learned to navigate the world on his own—taking his medicine regularly, keeping up with his exercise, managing his health. And most importantly, living.
For some, living life to the fullest meant extremes. His job as an elite member of Section 6 was certainly full of those. But Harumasa’s idea of living fully was freedom. Working at a normal pace, not for fame or achievement, but simply for the joy of living. He was good with the bow, and the HSO paid well. That had led him to meet his dear friends—his fellow Section 6 members. He got to experience and meet all sorts of people and built a life.
And through this life, he had even met the Proxy siblings, Belle and Wise. Despite their involvement in so many things, they, too, were living normally in New Eridu.
Harumasa dreamt of being free, and without realizing it, he already was. He was living life to the fullest. Despite everything, it was a normal, mundane life. Isn’t this something he desperately wanted for so long?
A voice next to him spoke softly.
“Look at you, sleeping peacefully after giving me that heart attack…”
The voice sighed.
“Please wake up soon, Senior Asaba. Seeing you so still doesn’t suit you. You’re meant to fly with the wind, just like one of your arrows.” Harumasa felt the feather-light brush of fingertips against his cheek.
By the time he woke up, he had no idea how many days had passed. All he knew was that it was dark and stuffy in his room. He glanced at the clock. 1 AM?
Huh, that can’t be right. He knew he had passed out at some point, but two hours? That didn’t make sense.
Harumasa looked around. Beside his bedside was a stack of medicine and some half-eaten porridge. A drying cloth sat nearby, likely for his fever. For some reason, he felt much better than he had a few hours ago. Heck, now that he thought about it, how was he even home, lying in his own bed?
Did he somehow turn into an Ethereal and return to human form, like some freaky Wolf Thiren movie? Werewolf, he remembered.
No, that wasn’t the point. He tried to trace back his memories. He had been walking home, exhausted, and had rested somewhere by the side of the street… somewhere he couldn’t remember. Then he recalled running into a certain cat.
Oh, yeah—Seth.
The Cat Thiren suddenly walked in, as if he could feel his name about to be called. “This guy really is a cat,” Harumasa thought, amused.
“Asa—Senior Asaba! You’re awake.” Seth hurried over to his side.
“What the? Weren’t you just about ready to throttle me to the ground at the Port before?”
Seth sat up straight and backed away. “A cornered cat,” Harumasa mentally noted.
“N-no! I was mistaken! I was just… I didn’t… uhm…”
Harumasa could tell the Thiren was struggling to find the right words. “Ah… He probably knows about my illness now, too.” Not wanting to make things awkward, Harumasa smoothly steered the conversation in a different direction.
“So, how’d we end up here?” Harumasa mused.
“Excuse me?!” Seth exclaimed, clearly startled.
Harumasa pointed to himself, then to Seth. “Me and you… in my apartment?” He gestured broadly around him. “How did we get here?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever invited you over before,” Harumasa teased. “No way! Did our diligent and honest Officer Seth actually abuse his position to illegally get my home address?”
“Yes.”
Harumasa blinked, not quite believing what he heard. “You really did?”
“I had to ask my brother for help… You and he were much more acquainted back at the Academy, and he was in a position to easily access that kind of information. I’m just a low-ranking officer…”
Harumasa laughed. “Look at you, being rebellious all of a sudden! Didn’t think your brother would help so willingly though…”
“This is not funny! You suddenly became unresponsive, and I was worried you’d be—”
Ah. So he really does know.
“Well, thanks to you, I live to see yet another day in my peaceful life.”
“Uhm… you—”
Harumasa hummed. He really wanted to talk about it, huh.
“Your—the other members of Section 6 just left. They helped take care of you over the past few days. Well, they had to leave me to handle most of it. You’ve been sleeping for three days, and they had to urgently return to investigating Kirishima’s sanatorium.”
Wait, what?
“Three days…?”
“Yes. We were worried your illness—” Seth’s ears perked up. “Uh, we thought your fever wouldn’t go down. Thankfully, the medicine worked, and you slowly got better.”
“I see…” Harumasa fell silent. Great. Not only had he missed most of the investigation on Kirishima, but he’d also been an invalid for the past few days, just when he wanted to prove that he wasn’t. Why did his stupid body have to shut down like this when he actually wanted to show he could be a functioning human being for once?
Harumasa then realized. “Hold on, Seth. Did you take leave to take care of me?”
“I did… No one else seemed available. And I couldn’t just leave a sick person alone like that…”
“Thank you.” Harumasa smiled.
Seth looked away, his face slightly flushed. “You’re welcome.”
Harumasa laughed out loud. “What will the rest of PubSec think of me corrupting their dear cat like this? Not only did you illegally steal information, but you also miraculously skipped work.”
“I did not skip work!” Seth argued. “It was an emergency!”
The two continued their light banter, a sense of normalcy returning. Eventually, Seth had to return to the dorms after making sure Harumasa was alright, promising to come back the next day if his fever spiked again.
It wasn’t until a few days later that Harumasa was officially cleared to return to work—for the second time. Yanagi had to emphasize the importance of absolutely making sure Asaba was truly alright this time.
“Harumasa! Welcome back, I saved you some treats for when you returned!” Soukaku cheerfully greeted him.
“Thank you, Soukaku.” Harumasa took the sweet crackers with a forced smile, not having much of a sweet tooth, instead preferring more bitter flavors.
“Mhm. Welcome back. Perhaps I should propose we delegate one official rest day on the first Monday of every month from now on,” Miyabi mused carefully.
“Chief, please don’t come up with any more excuses to skip mandatory meetings,” Yanagi smiled. “Welcome back, Asaba.”
“The case with Kirishima has been wrapped up while you were gone. The higher-ups wanted results as soon as possible. But we couldn’t submit a report until now because we’re missing crucial information that perhaps only you can fill in,” Yanagi adjusted her glasses.
“Vice Chief, don’t tell me…”
“This is your case to finish, Harumasa,” Miyabi answered with a rare smile.
Harumasa silently laughed. First, a Public Security officer in a rebellious phase, and now Section 6 disobeying protocol and direct orders. The people around him really had a weird way of showing they cared. He really was a terrible influence, he jokingly thought.
Not wanting to risk overworking himself again and actually listening to the doctor’s orders, Harumasa went home as soon as he felt too fatigued to continue. He excused himself to his team, who happily obliged and let him leave early without any questions asked.
Wanting to enjoy the warm sun that afternoon, Harumasa decided to walk home once again. On the streets of Lumina Square, Seth’s voice called out from behind him. “Huh? Senior Asaba? You’re going home this early?” Harumasa turned around to face a certain officer he had been running into quite frequently lately.
“Oh, relax. I’m fine, see?” Harumasa raised his arms to show that everything was in perfect working order. “I finished work for today and I’m good to go home. See, get the work done and then slack off.”
“…” Seth stayed silent.
Just as the Thiren was about to say something, two other familiar voices spoke up.
“Oh, hey! Seth and Harumasa!” Belle and Wise waved as they approached the pair.
“Ah, you’re here too,” Harumasa greeted.
“What are you guys talking about?” Belle innocently asked, not noticing the silent tension between the two.
“We haven’t had a chance to talk yet; we just ran into each other. This guy looks like he’s got something to say.”
Seth’s tail slightly flinched at the mention.
“N-no, I don’t! I just wanted to greet my senior… that’s all,” Seth answered defensively, his ears going flat.
Harumasa saw a few other friends approaching their small group. “I see, I thought you were coming to show off.”
“…Huh?” Seth tilted his head.
“The little ones behind you have been stirring for a while now.”
A few meows could suddenly be heard from behind Seth as several cats approached him.
“Why are there so many cats all of a sudden…” The cats started affectionately rubbing against his legs.
"Hey, hey, hey, stop rubbing against me!” Seth flusteredly scolded.
Harumasa sighed dramatically. “This world is so unfair…” He tried to pet one of the cats, but it quickly backed away and hid behind the Thiren’s legs. “Some people are troubled by being liked by cats, while others who love cats are always ignored by them…”
“Why don’t you pet Seth as well?” Wise pointed out.
Harumasa gave him a pointed look, “No need to make me settle for this substitute meal.” He grinned.
“Well, since it’s come to this, I might as well pet the cat while things are in chaos!”
Then, as if on cue, Wise held down the poor officer, making him their cat magnet so the cats wouldn’t run away.
“Wait…” Seth struggled a bit.
Belle and Harumasa crouched down next to the officer and happily petted the adorable cats of varying fluffiness.
After enjoying their fair share of serotonin-induced cat time, the siblings bid the two farewell and headed back to their store. The cats surrounding the Thiren slowly ran off to their homes shortly after, seemingly done with their playtime.
Harumasa, sensing the other still had something to say, stayed silent, waiting for him to continue the conversation.
“U-uhm…” Seth started, breaking through the silence that had overcome their once cheerful mood.
“…”
“Uhm, Asaba! I’m really sorry for what I said at the port earlier!”
“…” Harumasa let the Thiren continue.
“I didn’t know much about it at the time, and I still spoke to you like that… Ugh...” Seth seemed to struggle with finding the right words to continue. “I’m really sorry!” He repeated.
Harumasa felt sorry for the officer and decided to address the elephant in the room.
“…So you already know about my illness?”
“B-because it’s related to a case, I’ve also been called to cooperate with the investigation…” Seth answered honestly.
Huh, so that meant they probably re-opened his own case from a few years ago. His Master’s research was leading to something bigger than he initially thought.
“But I absolutely, absolutely didn’t tell anyone else, I promise!” Seth emphasized.
Interesting, his name probably wasn’t shared in the case reports then. This cat actually connected the dots for once. Not that Seth was stupid, he was just too stubborn with information in a way that he wouldn’t believe anything until it was dangling in front of him.
“…Pfft.” Harumasa chuckled. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t care if you’d told anyone else.”
Harumasa stepped closer. “You don’t need to apologize. I should be the one thanking you.”
“No one should be sacrificed like that.” Harumasa smiled fondly at the Thiren’s words from earlier. “—Thank you for saying that.”
“Y-you’re welcome?” The Thiren tilted his head.
“I wouldn’t expect those who live in the light to understand the struggles hidden in the shadows, but I’d admire anyone who did.”
Harumasa observed the bustling plaza of Lumina Square, watching various people idly living their everyday lives. Peacefully.
Seth suddenly answered in a somber tone. “…My bro—” He quickly cleared his throat. “Someone once told me that if I keep fighting for the weak, I’ll inevitably lose.”
Harumasa looked at Seth, who seemed lost in thought.
“But I don’t understand,” Seth’s brows furrowed. “Who exactly is defining losing and winning? Can living against one’s own beliefs really be considered winning?”
Feeling the conversation taking a serious turn and feeling quite exhausted, Harumasa teased.
“Oh, so in your eyes, I’m considered a weak person?”
Seth looked at him, his eyes widening. He raised his hands in an attempt to take back his words. “No, that’s not what I meant! Asaba, you’re definitely a very strong person, I just…”
Harumasa shook his head. “I’m kidding, I understand what you meant.” He then looked at the Thiren. “Sincerity and passion are truly precious things. I hope you can protect them.”
He placed his hand on Seth’s head and gently petted him. Oh, what do you know? A cat that doesn't run away from him.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you did when I was a frail sick maiden.” Harumasa laughed and walked away, leaving the flustered Thiren behind.
“Wait, I—”
Harumasa waved as he walked off.
“Let’s meet up for dinner sometime?”
“Uhm… Sure?”
"In case you don't figure it out, I'm asking you out on a date~"
Seth's flustered answer couldn't be heard over Harumasa's own laughter.
Harumasa knew something was off, but not today. Today, he had friends he could rely on, and life was peaceful as ever with people looking out for him.
Today was a good day, and he hoped tomorrow would be just as good. Good days come to those who wait, after all.