Here's to You, Kid

Aha! The ADA kid who thought I was cool!

"Oh hey..." Chuuya's confident tone of voice began to fade as Kenji stopped in front of him. "...kid?" He was looking up.

He grew?!

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Kenji, seemingly unaware of their new height difference, smiled down at Chuuya.

"It sure as hell has..." Chuuya mumbled, trying to ignore the disappointment that Kenji was no longer the short kid he remembered. He wasn't taller by much, but it was enough. "S-Say- kid, how old are you now?"

"Twenty!"

"T-Twenty?!" Chuuya took a step back. "Already?! Since when did you grow up so fast?!"

And how come I didn't get a damn growth spurt like him...

Kenji thought for a moment. "Since I was born I guess...unless the years are a different length in the city?"

"Eh? N-No they're the same..."

There was a moment of silence. Then Chuuya cleared his throat.

"So you're twenty now, eh? Finally an adult."

"That's right! The ADA threw a celebration for me this morning,"

"They did? Good good. It's an important year." Chuuya folded his arms and nodded knowingly. "Very important."

"Becoming an adult is indeed very important," Kenji agreed.

"Exactly. Remember what I said I'd buy you when you turned twenty?"

"Ummm..." Kenji paused for a moment, thinking back to their brief conversation six years ago. "Oh yeah! A beef bowl!" His face lit up in excitement.

Beef bowl?! Is that what he was talking about the entire time?!

"Er- well-"

Why's he so excited about a damn beef bowl anyway?

"Y-yeah exactly! C'mon, let's go get it for ya," Feeling a little dazed, Chuuya led the way to the shop. This encounter was not going at all like he'd expected it to.

"Here ya go, kid. Enjoy." Chuuya put the beef bowl down in front of Kenji and sat opposite him on the table.

"Thank you so much, Mr Mafia Executive! You're so kind!"

Kenji's innocent words of praise broke right through Chuuya's tough act and he blushed a little.

"Y-Yeah yeah whatever it's nothing. Enjoy..."

Chuuya watched as Kenji polished off the food in a matter of minutes, only pausing to comment on how good it tasted and how grateful he was that Chuuya had bought it for him.

By the time he was finished, Chuuya had been well-and-truly won over.

"Thank you again, Mr Executive!" Kenji, unaware of the effect he was having on Chuuya, said as they left the shop.

Chuuya couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright, listen here, kid." He spun to face Kenji and folded his arms. "I dunno if you're just playin' with me or you really are this damn naive..but I like you. You're clearly a good kid with a good head on yer shoulders. And you've gotta be at least a little strong to have lasted this long without getting yerself killed. So-"

Chuuya held up two fingers.

"First. No more Mr Executive. Call me Chuuya."

"Okay, Mr Chuuya!"