It only took a smile - Zetro Translation

Those cruel nights.

When he was locked inside a wired cage.

When he was beaten black and blue until his eyes swelled shut and his legs refused to hold him.

Those days when poisons were forced into his veins, just to test which ones would kill him and which ones wouldn’t.

Naoto hadn’t forgotten a single moment.

That was hell.

And the man who had pulled him out of it… was Nakamura Kenji.

A scientist among monsters.

Kenji was the one who broke Naoto free from the training facility and guided him toward the camp where he would spend years training, before finally being recruited into an unofficial government-backed organization.

After that escape, Naoto learned there was more to life than fear.

He discovered that not everyone in the world was greedy and insane.
He made comrades, created memories, and for the first time, saw a world beyond the four suffocating walls that had defined his life until the age of six.

If not for Kenji, Naoto knew he would either be dead—or worse, a hollow husk.

Naoto owed him everything.

Yet, since the day of that escape, he had never seen Kenji again. By choice, Kenji had kept him away. Not to protect himself—but to protect Naoto.

Which is why, when the call came out of nowhere… when Kenji finally asked to meet… Naoto felt something heavy settle in his chest.

Something was wrong.

That was why he was here now.

Standing before one of the largest private hospitals in Tokyo.

A mask hid half his face, and a baseball cap shadowed the rest. Nothing unusual for the times.

He stepped inside and approached the front desk. “I have an appointment with Doctor Nakamura.”

The receptionist flipped through the register, then looked up. Their eyes met briefly before she said, “Yes. Please wait a moment.”

As she picked up the phone, Naoto walked toward the seats along the wall. His gaze swept the area, quick but precise. Seven cameras in total. An emergency exit is tucked behind the receptionist’s desk.

Even here, his habits wouldn’t let him rest.

Officially, he was on vacation. Kenji hadn’t made any formal request. He hadn’t even hinted that something was wrong. But Naoto knew—Kenji wouldn’t have reached out otherwise.

‘I just hope… it isn’t something severe.’

To Naoto, Kenji was more than a savior. More than a god. He had gifted him a life when Naoto was nothing more than a lab rat.

Kenji had risked everything—betraying the very organization he served—to give that boy a second chance.

And now, after years of wondering how he could ever repay such kindness…

It seemed his chance had finally come.

“Please follow me,” a man in a white coat appeared before him, bowing slightly with respect.

Naoto nodded and rose to his feet.

They entered the elevator, the soft hum filling the silence as it rose. The man kept glancing at Naoto, but his eyes carried only curiosity, not suspicion. Naoto left his hands tucked in his pockets and ignored it.

When they reached the fifth floor, the man guided him down a quiet hallway before stopping in front of a door. A nameplate gleamed on it: Nakamura.

“He is waiting for you inside.”

Naoto gave a brief nod, then pushed the door open.

Normally, his eyes would sweep the room instantly, scanning every detail, every shadow. But not this time. The moment his gaze landed on the man at the desk, he couldn’t look away.

Though his hair had turned gray and deep wrinkles lined his face, Naoto recognized him at once.

“Naoto… please, come.” The man smiled gently, his voice warm and familiar.

Naoto stepped in and quietly removed his cap and mask. “Sensei… I’m glad to see you in good health.”

Kenji chuckled softly. “Well, I certainly look far too old for someone in his forties.”

Naoto only smiled in return, not pointing out the frailty behind the man’s words.

“Sit. I’ll make us something while we talk.”

Naoto lowered himself into the chair as Kenji stood, moving toward a small coffee set on the corner shelf.

“How’s work?” Kenji asked as he prepared the beans. “I hear from Shiba-kun that you’ve maintained a flawless record ever since you joined.”

Naoto hummed. “I only get easy missions. Nothing that counts as real experience.”

Kenji chuckled as he poured the beans into the grinder. “Ahh, but eliminating the infamous drug lord of the east… I wouldn’t call that easy.”

He brought the ground coffee to the filter, but his hand trembled. Just slightly at first—then more.

Before the beans could spill, Naoto’s hand was already there, steadying his arm.