145. The Garage

While Reiji was wondering what the 'gift' could possibly be, Daichi took out a chain of keys from his pocket and unhooked one of them.

He tossed it straight into his hands with the same smirk that had a hint of cockiness in it.

"....What am I supposed to do with this?" Reiji asked, staring at the small key in bewilderment.

"Those two will take you somewhere; choose a gift from there."

Baldy and Beardy stepped up, standing at attention next to Daichi.

Satoshi also walked over and patted Reiji's shoulder, his warm eyes wrinkling with pride.

"Can't believe this day is already here!" he muttered.

"Same!" Baldy exclaimed, wiping a stray tear on his face.

'...What the hell is happening??'

Reiji was taken aback by their reactions, but all he could do was clutch the key tightly.

"Alright, you may leave for now. I'll keep you updated with your next assignment," Daichi nodded, returning to his desk as he picked up a stack of papers.

As Reiji walked out of the office with the two henchmen leading the way, he glanced one last time at the scene of his father tirelessly scanning various documents.

This scene, in an odd way, had a melancholic and lonely ambience that made him furrow his brows when he saw Daichi's focused actions.

'....He looks exhausted.'

***

"Okay, what's with the sappy expressions?"

Both Baldy and Beardy had their gazes fixed on him, their eyes somewhat watery as the elevator descended.

They hadn't pressed the ground floor.

Instead, a button that said P5 was lit up, which also required the same access key for Daichi's office floor.

He already had a sneaking suspicion when he saw that, but he held back from voicing his thoughts lest he find out that wasn't the case.

"N-Nothing, Boss! You'll find out soon!" Baldy sniffled.

Reiji shook his head and waited, his heart rate increasing as they got closer and closer.

And within seconds.....

*DING*

The elevator doors slid open, revealing another set of doors just beyond.

These were made out of thick metal, and the walls around them looked like they wouldn't be phased by bullets if someone even managed to get their hands on a gun.

The three of them walked up to a small pad next to the metal doors, and Beardy placed his thumb on it.

'A fingerprint scanner?'

With a small beep, there was a sound of something unlocking as the doors opened slowly.

Reiji's eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets as he stared in complete disbelief at the marvelous sight in front of him.

Rows upon rows of various cars were neatly arranged in the massive underground parking garage, and he estimated that there must be at least 50 of them.

Ranging from supercars to SUVS, and even limousines!

This was a wonderland for any car lover out there, especially for someone like Reiji, who noticed that he couldn't identify a lot of them.

He recognized a few of these brands and models, but what made him even more excited was the fact that there were completely new car companies that didn't even exist in his previous world.

That meant new designs that he'd never seen before.

Reiji wouldn't exactly call himself a car fanatic, but he still held a soft spot for cool vehicles like the ones before him.

'This...is ridiculous.'

He'd passed the driving test in his last life and had a license, but he'd never owned his own car.

It was a luxury he simply couldn't afford.

And now there were gaudy and flashy sports cars with butterfly doors in front of him.

Seeing his quivering eyes, Beardy chuckled.

"Isn't it amazing? All of these cars are new and haven't been used yet."

"Huh? Unused? So many of them?" Reiji raised an eyebrow.

"Well, some of these were gifts from business partners and the like, some were bought as collectibles because their value would appreciate as long as they aren't used much because of their rarity, and the rest are there for you and the...other Young Boss," Beardy explained, his words trailing off at the end.

"...I see."

So his stepbrother also had access to this garage, which didn't surprise him.

He refocused on the glimmering treasure ahead with a complicated look, rubbing the back of his neck as he scanned everything.

"Can I really take any car from here? Or is it limited to a range of them?" he asked hesitantly.

"Any car here is for your picking, even that limousine if that's what interests you," Beardy shrugged. "For example, the other Young Boss chose a limited edition Forger Ardent, of which there are only 15 in the world."

"Forger Ardent?"

"Uh, it looks a little bit like that one," Baldy spoke up, pointing at a two-seater supercar convertible that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.

".....Wow."

Reiji was a little tempted to pick something similar, but he shook his head immediately.

He'd already decided long ago that his first car would be an SUV, though he'd never planned for it to be this soon.

Initially, he was thinking of renting one with his license, but now a top-tier option was provided to him on a silver platter.

Reiji reined in his thoughts and walked around the garage, taking in all the vehicles parked neatly with an inquisitive attitude.

'Too small...Too ugly....I don't like the color.'

He paid extra attention to all the SUVs, but wasn't fond of any of them.

'....Geez, I feel like I'm being a little spoiled right now,' he scoffed inwardly.

And then his steps faltered.

His piercing blue eyes started shining when he saw the car in front of him, his heart thumping once again with excitement.

"This is the one," he mumbled.

A large black car, almost like a tank, with thick iron bumpers, a somewhat rectangular shape, and massive wheels that lifted the main body much higher off the ground when compared to the other options.

Even with his height of over 6 feet, Reiji would have to use the footholds by the doors to climb into the car easily.

Though that was a slight exaggeration.

The car resembled a Hummer from his other world, but with a more rugged design, and this one was from a brand called Orion.

8 seats, an entertainment system, and a trunk size that was more than satisfactory.

He'd wanted to take a bunch of trips with his friends, and this car would not only fit all of them quite easily, but it would also be able to traverse some harsher terrains if they ever decided to go off-road.

"Aha, the Orion Warzone! An excellent choice that fits the Boss's ferocious aura!" Baldy clapped with approval. "Though I'm gonna be sad that we won't be able to drive you around as much anymore..."

'.....Warzone?'

The name started giving him second thoughts, but he simply couldn't tear his eyes away from this beautiful behemoth.

"So this is the one you want, Boss?" Beardy asked for confirmation.

Reiji pursed his lips in deep thought.

Not because he wanted to choose some other car, but because he was wondering if he should really pick one in the first place.

He felt like he would be getting further and further involved with the syndicate if he accepted gifts like this, and it gave him a small feeling of bribery.

If it was before, he would definitely have hesitated a lot more, but now.....

After hearing some of the stories and background of the organization, he wasn't as cautious about all this as he used to be.

And even though a small part of him thought this was some elaborate scheme from his dad to make him want to be more inclined to take over, he knew that wasn't the case.

When Beardy saw his silence, he scratched his face awkwardly.

"What's wrong, Boss? Don't like this one?"

".....That's not it. I was just.....thinking about things?"

As if sensing his inner turmoil, Beardy leaned against one of the pillars and crossed his arms.

"Boss....You know, one of the reasons the Big Boss bought so many of them despite not having much interest in cars himself was because he knows how much you like them."

".....Me?"

Reiji blinked and then understood, some core memories becoming more vivid when he focused on them.

When he was younger, OG Reiji was completely obsessed with cool cars.

He was too young to actually name most of them, but whenever he saw one that caught his eye, he would jabber on about it constantly to his parents.

Daichi had never really interacted with him much about it, but hearing this now.....

'.....Is this being tsundere or having a complete lack of regular social skills?'

A small smile grew on his face, and he sighed.

"I've decided. I'm choosing this car," he grinned, stroking the large, shiny black hood of the Warzone.

"Haha! Good, good! The keys are already in the ignition, so we can drop it off at your apartment right away!"

Reiji nodded, distracted as he checked out the interior with its plush seats and hi-tech dashboard.

And then Baldy said something that made him shiver with excitement.

"Boss, do you wanna take it for a test drive?"

"Hell fucking yeah!!"