Chapter Text
September 25, Marseille
Maurice and Vivianne entered the house and plopped down on the sofa. He was still wearing the splint, while her belly was starting to become more noticeable.
—What a day
—You can say that— Vivianne sighed— My students are adorable, but their parents are not so much.
—I don't know how you have the patience to be an elementary school teacher; I would have already sent them flying.
—Come on, it's the beginning of the courses
—They've been in class for almost a month.
Emmanuelle entered the house with an old clock in her hands. She had heard the commotion when the other two entered and was worried that maybe something had happened.
—Is everything okay? How did the appointment go?
That revived Vivianne's spirits, and she rummaged through her bag looking for an ultrasound to show her father-in-law.
—I have wonderful news for you, but I need you to sit down, now close your eyes.
Emanuelle obeyed. Vivianne held the ultrasound in front of Emanuelle and asked him to open his eyes. The old man strained his eyes a little to discern the image, but couldn't interpret it.
—Is it a boy?
Maurice started laughing, and Vivianne looked at the old man with some disappointment. Emanuelle didn't understand what was so funny to her son, so he gave the ultrasound back to Vivianne and hit Maurice on the head with his stick.
—More respect than say your father!
—Ouch! That hurts.
—Next time, don't laugh at me, Vivi, beautiful. I don't know how to interpret these things. What did you want me to look at?
—They're twins! It's still too early to know the sex, but I'm past the first trimester of pregnancy, so the riskiest time is over.
Emanuelle smiled and hugged her enthusiastically; she was jumping for joy, and although Maurice tried to join in the celebration, he checked his watch. He needed to send some emails to his boss about the progress of the latest project, and his informants had new leads on Aubert's whereabouts. The boy stood up and went up to his room.
"Don't forget to eat and take your iron sulfate!" Emanuelle reminded him from downstairs.
—Yes, I know! That's right, I have to make dinner today. What are you craving, Vivi?
—Rice with snails and mayonnaise
—Denied
—So why are you asking me, Maurice?
When Maurice finished his work, he went down to the kitchen and turned on the television to the news channel. He didn't pay attention to any of them in particular until one of them caught his attention.
After a month of absence, the famous thief Lupin III has made his triumphant return by robbing a museum in Osaka.
Maurice stopped what he was doing, turned the heat down to low, and sat down so he could watch the entire news report.
The international thief, Lupin III, had been absent from the public eye since last August. Yesterday, he stole a kimono from the Osaka exhibition. The garment was valued at one hundred and fifty million yen and belonged to the country's historical archive.
The thief's return has brought with it the return of the inspectors assigned to the case. Inspector Zenigata Koichi, who was in the process of recovering after his kidnapping on the island of If, fully rejoined the case yesterday. He is also joined by Agent Yatagarasu Goro.
Below are some words from the inspectors regarding their return to the Lupin case.
On the screen, Zenigata was talking to the camera, looking almost the same as always; to tell the truth, he was still a little thin.
“This time, we have renewed strength. We will catch Lupin no matter what it costs, have him for… LUPIN COME HERE!”
Zenigata's statement had been interrupted by the thief's sudden appearance on camera, causing a chase to be broadcast internationally. Maurice was laughing until he smelled the soup starting to burn. He ran to take it off the heat and sat down just in time to see Yata's face for a few seconds.
"Stop sighing," Vivianne said from behind.
—I'm not sighing!
—Sure, it's not like you wear those hideous blue glasses around the house just because he picked them out for you.
—Those are my spare glasses. Do you have any idea how much I've spent on opticians these past five months? Four pairs!
—And you have to wear the pair that Yata happened to pick out for you?
—They are comfortable and not that bad.
—Yeah, if you miss him, you'd better do something other than let the food burn and sigh at the screen.
Maurice turned off the television and returned to the kitchen to check that nothing was burning more than it should.
She'd get over it, one day she'd forget Yata and all the hope he'd given her, but for now she'd keep pretending she wasn't pining for him, keep pretending her heart wasn't somewhere else. She was an expert at that sort of thing.
For the moment, the soup was more important, just like Vivianne and her father.
Osaka, Japan
Zenigata fell onto the hotel bed. He was about to fall asleep when he heard the room's window open. He knew he wasn't in danger, but his body, out of pure inertia, got up and grabbed his weapon. Behind the curtain, Lupin jumped into his arms.
—¡Koichiii!
Zenigata tried to complain, but he couldn't; he just welcomed him properly, and after a long hug, the inspector kissed Lupin on the tip of his nose.
"Let's have a drink," the thief suggested.
—I still can't drink alcohol.
—Okay, then we'll stay here all night.
Zenigata felt his cheeks turn red. Lupin kissed him, and they ended up leaning against the wall. The inspector's hands drew figures on the thief's back, figures that descended to his hip. Lupin smiled midkiss, proud of his achievements and almost proud to have in his arms the fiercest inspector of the entire ICPO.
Things looked promising until someone knocked on the door. Zenigata immediately let go of Lupin and practically threw him into the closet in the room.
—Don't you think you're too old to hide your boyfriend in the closet?
—And you're too old to sneak into other people's rooms, we're even.
Zenigata approached the door and looked through the peephole, apparently it was only Yata. He indicated to Lupin that he could leave the closet and opened the door.
"Yata What's going on?"
He didn't have time to finish his sentence because he spotted Ari behind his student, in a quick and not at all suspicious movement, he closed the door and told Lupin to hide again. The thief pouted and went back into the closet with a face that promised a tantrum.
—Since when does a father have to hide his boyfriend in the closet because his son is going to get in?
—Since the son brings his future girlfriend to visit, stop complaining and hide!
Lupin grumbled and squeezed himself into Zenigata's clothes, pressing his ear to the bedside cabinet door. Zenigata opened the door again, not noticing that Lupin had left his sleeping bag lying on the bed.
—Mr. Zenigata! How are you feeling?
—Ari, nice to see you. I'm doing quite well. What brings you to Japan?
—I just wanted to visit you. I brought you some souvenirs from Belgium
—Oh, darling, it wasn't necessary. Thank you very much for bothering me. Come in, please sit down
Ari entered the room and examined the space, small as always, austere, and to tell the truth, it didn't seem very comfortable, but if it was enough for Zenigata, what right did she have to judge?
Yata also joined in, and they shared some recent work anecdotes. Since returning to Japan, he had talked with Ari almost every day. While that wasn't enough to say they would be a couple again, it was a solid foundation for rebuilding their relationship and ironing out the rough edges that remained after that day in Lyon.
"So how's your rehabilitation going, Yata?" she asked with her usual kindness.
—Excellent! I'm doing very well. They said I don't need to see the physical therapist for the time being, but I should keep doing my exercises.
—That's excellent! You'll be back to your old self soon, won't you?
Yata would have loved to answer yes, but there were still memories that visited him at night and made him want to return to Marseille, to the Endoume neighborhood, to say goodbye most appropriately.
—Well, no one is the same after things like that— The boy admitted.
Zenigata looked at him. Yata was still reluctant to tell him what happened during his brief alliance with Lupin, so for the inspector, it was a mystery what was going through his head or the reasons why Yata made such a sad face every time he remembered that period of time.
—Ari! It's an honor to have you visit us. Someone has been missing you a lot, haven't they, Yata?
—¡SEMPAI!
"Didn't you miss me one bit?" Ari asked after poking Yata's cheek.
—I mean, of course I've missed you, every day, I mean always, I mean… yeah, I've missed you.
Ari started laughing, and Yata blushed. Zenigata watched them, pleased; his plan to get them back together was going well.
Lupin listened to everything from inside the closet and watched Yata through a crack. The boy seemed to be fine; he seemed the same as always, with the slight exception that his left arm was too stiff.
“Zenigata is rushing things, Yata still has his heart in France,” Lupin thought as he listened to the jokes they made.
"By the way, Mr. Zenigata, are we interrupting something?" Ari had an enigmatic smile on his face, as if implying that someone had been enjoying his company a few minutes ago.
—Huh? No, nothing, nothing.
"So whose bag is that?" The girl pointed at the piece of aquamarine fabric lying on the mattress. It only took Yata a few seconds to recognize it.
And Zenigata turned livid upon realizing that not-so-small detail.
"IT WAS ALREADY THERE WHEN I ARRIVED!" the inspector assured, his face as red as a traffic light.
—Oh! So you want me to take it to the front desk when I leave? That way, you can come and claim it later.
—Nononono Ari, no need, I can take care of it, don't worry.
—Oh, really?
—Yes, girl, I don't want to bother you.
—Oh, Mr. Zenigata, it's no trouble at all.
Zenigata stammered, his face changing color, alternating between red embarrassment and pale terror. Yata found it unusual to see his mentor in such a state, and without thinking, he let out a few soft chuckles. The inspector took the sack, quickly rolled it up, and hid it under his pillow.
From inside the closet, Lupin had to stifle a laugh. If the girl hadn't noticed the masculine perfume on the garment before, with all the shaking of the fabric, she surely had already done so. They would be lucky if she didn't remember the perfume Lupin used.
After twenty minutes, both young people said goodbye and left a nervous Zenigata in the room. Lupin peeked through the closet door, and when the other confirmed that the coast was clear, he picked up his sleeping bag from the bed and began to laugh as if he had just been told the best joke of his life.
—Haven't you learned to hide evidence despite all the years you've been chasing me?
—Oh, shut up, it was just a slip.
—But you didn't have to shake my jacket like that, you spread my perfume all over the room. Or did you do it to remember me? Because I can leave you something else, tangible, so you remember
—Lupin
—Okay, I'm stopping.
Zenigata started to chuckle. He adjusted Lupin's jacket, and although he was still red with embarrassment, he couldn't stop laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
—Wow, everything is chaotic with you. Who would have thought that at fifty I'd be acting like a sixteen-year-old?
—Oh, come on, you love it when I bring you like a schoolgirl in love
Lupin kissed him on the lips and then dragged him to the bed.
—By the way, Pops, there's something I wanted to talk to you about— Lupin whispered.
"Tell me," Zenigata's heart was racing. Lupin pressed himself against his chest to hear his heartbeat better.
—I'm planning to rob DeLaRochê, probably late October, probably early November.
—You usually give me less time to try to stop you. Do you want me to arrest you now?
"No, this time I'm asking you to help me. You were thinking of returning to the Leblanc case, weren't you?" Although Lupin tried to sound neutral, there was something reproachful in his voice.
—Could be…
—Zenigata
—Yes, I still have a promise to keep to old Emanuelle.
—Then we're going to need both of them.
—Are you planning to help him?
—We just happen to want to rob the same guy, that's all. The cooperation will be a fortuitous coincidence.
—Yes, of course… but I don't think it's the best for Yata, he still seems very reluctant about anything that has to do with the Leblancs.
—That's why I need you to go; you have things to solve, and I think your heart got stuck in that port.
Zenigata looked at him in surprise. Clearly, Lupin knew things that he didn't and hadn't asked him out of respect for Yata, believing that at some point the boy would tell him, but here he was now, learning things he hadn't imagined.
—Lupin, that boy shot him, almost ruined his career, and made his life miserable. Even if Yata once had feelings for him, it's all gone.
—I make your life a mess, and you don't seem too upset, let's say!
—But you've never shot me or framed me for a crime as horrible as murder.
—He did it with good reason!
—It's not the reasons that matter, but the consequences. He hurt Yata and put you in danger. He put us all in danger because of his revenge. Besides, the two of them only spent a few weeks together. By now, Yata will have forgotten about him.
Lupin looked away, and Zenigata tried to say something else, but the thief stood up and approached the window. The inspector didn't try to stop him.
"You'll help me, right?" Lupin asked as he opened the curtain.
—Yes, I will help you, but I can't promise that I will take Yata, the boy is still very hurt.
—Okay, that'll do. Although, in my opinion, you shouldn't be so hard on Maurice. Don't you say that everyone deserves a second chance at some point?
Zenigata smiled and shrugged. They waved goodbye, and Lupin disappeared into the night. For now, it was a goodbye, but they both longed for the next moment when they could hug.