"Cold" was an understatement. Sometime during the already chilled night rain just as cold had started to fall from the sky, waking Olivia from her surprisingly hard slumber. The awning from the buildings on either side of the street primarily shielded them from the drops themselves but could do nothing for the concrete that had slowly become wetter under them. To avoid most of the rain's onslaught, the already tightly packed alley became a sardine tin each person almost sitting or laying on top of each other. It was a way to share body heat to keep each other warm from the soaking wet concrete, but with the varying smells wafting around her giving way to the degrees of homelessness she was surrounded by, she was half tempted to deal with the cold air instead. Never in a million years would she even attempt to blame the men—the few women that had been present the previous night must've moved onward—for their current condition. Life had dealt them a shitty hand, just like it had her. Some of them though, like Ota, must've become this way of their own volition. Surely there had been some warning that things were spiraling out of control; like your wife taking your child and leaving, but either he refused to notice or didn't care. Considering how he reacted to Sato bringing it up and how shamelessly he had hit on her, she settled on the latter.

Even though she had slept relatively peaceful until the icy rain had exiled them to the alleyway walls, her body ached. With every movement that she made, she was sure that her body was going to break. Never had the morning light been so destructive. The nerve endings behind her eyes seared with pain. It was probably from the amount of crying she did the previous night. Or perhaps something from the concrete had gotten into her eyes. Insurance was on the ever-growing list of things she didn't possess so if something did get into her eyes, she'd just have to deal with it. Mid rub, Olivia stopped when her mind drifted towards the man with the eyepatch. Surely something more drastic had happened to make him have to wear an eyepatch but was it possible she'd have to wear one too if a rock or something managed to lodge its way in there?! Or if both eyes were affected would she have to wear two?

Oh wait… That would just make me blind.

Olivia blinked her eyes and stood up, attempting to stretch out the kinks that had already formed and prevent others from following suit. Her movement jarred some of the others near the walls, and she offered a hand in apology before following with a small bow. One of the people that was jarred from their less than peaceful slumber was Sato. He looked up and upon seeing her standing, followed and dusted his clothes off. It didn't make him any less dirty, but he had tried. Not that it made him any less of a person due to the shape his clothes were in. She began to dig into her box, pushing small knick knacks out of the way of each other to reach the bottom. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sato standing in the same spot he had been sleeping in, his hands in his pockets.

"So, uh…" He began after the silence had become to much for him to deal with. "Whatcha doin'?"

Olivia had just pulled her target out of the bottom of the box and stood up when Sato had spoken. She showed him the minute amount of money she held in her hand and smiled kinda awkwardly.
"I have to do a thing." She told him, not missing the smile that rose to his own lips. So far Olivia held Sato in high regard due to him treating her like a person instead of just a gaijin. Even with her broken Japanese, he didn't seem to mind and conversed with her normally. She bowed to him and turned and headed out from the alleyway.

The streets of Sotenbori felt like a completely different world now. The park where she had eaten the takoyaki, given Sato the food, and slept for a couple hours was just in her view but it felt like everything had happened years ago. Takahiro-san had explained to her that Sotenbori could get dangerous for an American as they didn't understand the streets very well and things in your life could change within seconds. Olivia had been told, therefore she thought she had been prepared, but the only thing she had been prepared for was her inevitable downfall. Slowly, she made her way through the crowded streets, bumping into a few people along the way that refused to move. In that aspect, she was reminded of home. On the crowded streets, people would refuse to move and would expect the person they were moments away from colliding with would move instead. Often, this sort of thinking had led to altercations where someone would have to run to a pay phone and call the cops so they could break up the fight. Not enough times, the cops had been nearby where no call was needed. Even fewer times was there a time in which an altercation didn't contain a weapon, used or not. That was one thing that she didn't miss about home.

"Harper-san." The takoyaki chef smiled at her as she approached the window of Magutako. He was just as bright and happy as ever. Happiness like that was contagious and she found her own lips curling into a smile. That must be the reason that Magutako was so popular. Even if someone was having a bad day, the man would be able to make her smile. "Are ya here to buy?"

"W-Well yes." Olivia explained. Was there some other reason that she should be here? She wouldn't be passing by. Other than the fact that there was nothing that interested her on that side of Sotenbori, why would she approach the stand if she wasn't going to order food. It seemed like a rather… stupid question, but she was sure he had meant well by it. From their encounters, she was 100% convinced that he didn't have a mean bone in his body.

"What can I get for ya?"

Olivia eyed the menu, even though she had known before she arrived what she was going to get. Her hopes were dashed again when she checked the prices. The original plan was shot out the window. Despite her current plan fading, she kept the smile on her face. The last thing she wanted to do was worry the man after everything he had done for her and how nice he had been.

"I would to get nine Oolong tea and nine 16-piece takoyaki." Olivia saw how taken aback he was for a moment before nodding.

"Anything else?"

"I can get water bottle and 8-piece takoyaki." Seeing him nod, she smiled. "Thank you." She watched him start to make the food. Takoyaki was one of her favorite Japanese foods. The price was great for what you get, and the chefs are always so amazing and polite. Politeness was a common and expected trait from a cashier in Japan, more so than in America, so it didn't shock her too much. This man seemed real and genuinely friendly. From a safe enough distance away to avoid getting in his space as well as being burnt, her eyes were intent on the process for making it. Hopefully one day, if—no when this blew over and her life was back on track, she'd be able to make it for herself.

"…Nakamura…"

"I'm sorry?" Olivia looked up from the balls being formed to his face which was still glued to the steaming grill. The oil sizzling may have made her think she was hearing things.

"Nakamura." The voice was a little louder this time, so she was sure she hadn't been imagining it. "My name."

"O-Oh!" All the time she had been coming here, she had never thought to ask for his name. It wasn't that he didn't have a name tag on, she just… she couldn't read it. As embarrassing as it was to admit it to herself, it would be ghastly if she had to admit it to someone else. "Right. Thank you, Nakamura-san." The frown that had previously adorned his face was replaced with his usual smile. He wasted no time in putting all the balls into separate containers and into bags, giving her a carrier for the tea. It was a lot to carry, but it would be okay once she got to see everyone's depressed faces turn into smiling ones. Even if they tried to hide it, she knew they hadn't really smiled in a long time either. Everything was so depressing on this side of Sotenbori. If she couldn't afford to stay on the poorer side, there'd be no way she'd be able to live on the other side of the river where the 1% stayed and tossed away money like it was mere paper on booze, girls, and food.

"Ow!" A man bumped into Olivia, almost making her drop all the food and tea. A man was kneeling on the ground holding tightly onto his arm. Glasses adorned his face and the other two men that were with him rushed to his side. "You sprained my arm, you bitch!"

"What? You run into me!" Olivia defended, watching the men crouched by the kneeling one stood up to full height.

"Tell ya what. Ya give me 50,000 yen for my medical bills and we'll call it square."

"W-What?!" Olivia exclaimed. Where the hell was she supposed to get that amount of money? Her brows furrowed and she scanned the frames of the three men in front of her. "… It cost 50,000 yen to get your arm checked out?"

"O' course. They gotta run all sorts of tests and X-rays and shit like that. It adds up quick, girlie!" The man that was holding onto his arm explained to her.

"You sprain your arm lots if you know how much it going to charge." Olivia explained and glanced a look at his hand and then back at his face, trying to lock eye contact through his glasses. "If your arm hurt, why you hold it so hard? Does that not make pain?"

"Ya fuckin' bitch." The man finally stood up. "Ya gonna pay me or not?"

"No!" Olivia stood firm.

The middle man laughed and clapped his hands, clearly finding her resistance humorous. Even if she could take the man in the middle, the two next to him would cream her. Even if she did want to pay them to get out of this situation, she had no money anymore, just under 2,000 won. One of the large men slammed her into the wall, dropping the tea all onto her clothes and making her drop almost 5,000 yen worth of food onto the concrete. The people that were nearby quickly began to move faster deliberately avoiding eye contact.

"Ya think yer funny do ya girlie?" The main man said, the other two pressing her further into the wall the more she tried to resist them. "If ya ain't gonna pay, we're gonna have ta persuade ya a little bit." Olivia's heart nearly stopped when the gleam of the sun caught onto a blade he had pulled from his jacket pocket. Now that she was focused on them, she could tell how sketchy they looked, the skeevy sort of vibe that they gave off just by being in their vicinity. "Pretty li'l thing like yerself would go fer a pretty price. Them men like exotic things, exotic women even better."

Olivia tried to pull from their grasp again but was met with the cold steel of the blade against her cheek. Sweat prickled her hairline, warning her of the extreme danger that she was in. One false move and these men wouldn't hesitate to kill her or sell her off to some old man like she was just a toy, a sack of meat for anyone to use. Footsteps were coming closer instead of further away, and Olivia knew they had gotten back-up. More people to harm her, hurt her, kill her, or… rape her. The tip of the blade dug into her cheek, a red line following its path, digging in deeper the further it went.

Oh shit…

More men crowded around her. Unable to tell whether they were from the same schemes as the other men or if they just wanted a piece of the action. Two more men took knives and cut at her top, revealing the bra underneath. The skeevy laughter only foreshadowed what would happen if no one came to her aid. The snap of a cut bra strap made her freeze. Tears gathered in her eyes.
"Please stop! Please what do I have to do to make you stop?!" Olivia begged in English, defaulting to her native language to somehow try and get through to them. Another cut through her fabric was leaving one of her only shirts in tatters. "Please—" She screamed as a fist met her cheek, knocking her head back against the wall. Dots spotted her vision and her head bobbing forward.

"Ya gonna shut up now and let us have some fun, gaijin?" The man standing in front of her spoke. Her jaw set and her hands clenched into fists. There is was again. That word. "That's what I thought. Seems ya got enough sense ta—" Without a second thought, Olivia spit in his face. Even when it dripped down his nose and passed his eyes, she didn't regret what she had done. "I've had enough of yer shit!" He said and flipped his knife. Her eyes closed and she waited most likely for death.

Whatever he had been planning to do to her never came. She dared to peek one eye open. A single hand wrapped around the wrist of the man with the knife halted his attempt at her life. Her hands were shaking, and she felt like she could collapse at that moment. All the men had turned their attention to her savior; a man with a gray suit and a red button up shirt. The look in his eyes was smoldering fire, a stone-cold glare so strong, it was rivaling even Medusa's. The furrow in his brows, focused in his attempt of stopping these men.

"Oh-ho!" The knife-man chuckled and turned to the man which could be described best as a living brick wall. "We got a knight in shining armor here huh? Ya wanna end up bein' a punchin' bag?" He ripped his wrist from the living brick wall's grasp. Although, to be truthful, he most likely just let the man go.

"Careful," Brick Wall Man said. "I'm the type of bag that punches back."

The man laughed and snapped his fingers. Four other men surrounded the man in the gray suit. He was utterly surrounded. Even if he was strong, how was he supposed to take on almost ten men by himself? The two men that were holding her had let her go, letting her sink to the concrete. As much as Olivia wanted to, she was unable to take her eyes off Brick Wall Man and the gang that surrounded him. One of the things that shocked her most was his reaction to being surrounded. He cracked his knuckles and neck. Was he really going to try and take all these men on by himself? Even when three other men grabbed knives out of their pockets. Olivia wiped her hands down her pants. Men and women surrounded the scene cheering. Where the hell were all these people when she was being assaulted?!

He stood there, not making a move. One man rushed at him, throwing a punch. Even to her untrained eye, it was obviously frantic and unskilled. The man didn't move, but simply moved his head to the side. Missing, they looked around trying to figure out where the man had gone. Her eyes widened when he grabbed onto the man's shirt and flung him over his shoulder into the other men like he weighed nothing. She would hate to get on his bad side. One of the other gangsters came from behind, ready to run him through. Olivia wanted to scream for him to watch out, but, didn't have the time. With a quick about face, he slammed a fist straight into his abdomen. Olivia was almost positive she heard some bones break. He coughed and held onto his stomach, desperately trying to regain some air into his lungs. Brick Wall Man let out a gruff grunt and kicked the man in the face with his shoe, sending him flying to the ground. Without looking, he reached his hand out and Olivia watched in amazement as the knife landed cleanly in his hand.

The cheers continued to ring out, louder than before. Each person was clapping and cheering except for the people that were near the man that had skid across the road when Brick Wall Man kicked him. Olivia gasped when Brick Wall Man was gripped from behind by the collar of his suit. Without missing a beat, He slammed his elbow into his abdomen and turned, grabbing the man on either side of his head and rammed his knee into his nose, taking his foot placing it onto the nose she was sure was just broken and slammed onto the pavement below. Slowly, he turned to the men that were still standing. Each of them cringed away from him, backing up against the wall and trying to escape. In a desperate attempt to bring victory to their group, two men rushed him. The man dodged another unskilled punch, grabbing onto the collars of each confused man and slammed their heads against each other, throwing down onto the ground each of them writhing in pain.

Brick Wall Man slowly walked over to one of the last two men. Out of a desperate attempt, he threw a punch which the man caught easily in his palm and twisted it behind his back, a loud yell escaping his lips. The man grabbed onto his head and slammed it into the wall. Again. Again. Again. With a look that was bordering on unconsciousness, he glanced at the gray suited man. With no caring or sympathy in his eyes, he slammed his head against the concrete wall again, letting him go and slide down to the ground. With a quick jut of his arm in the opposite direction, the knife he had been previously holding lodged itself in a crack right next to the face of the last man. He sunk back to the ground, covering his head with his hands. Even Olivia could tell from across the way that he was shaking. He walked over to the man that had adjusted himself until he was kneeling with his face almost to the ground.

"I'm so sorry… I'm sorry! Please don't kill me!"

Olivia watched him. With a single hand, he would be able to kill the man in seconds. The other man seemed to think so and tried to crawl away when the suited man said nothing for a few seconds. The surrounding people also seemed to think the same. He grabbed onto the man's shirt and dragged him across the area where their fight had taken place and threw him to the ground in front of Olivia. She cringed into herself when he grunted in front of her.

"I'm not the one you need to apologize to."

The man scrambled to his knees and pressed his forehead against the concrete repeatedly, just like she had done to the owner of Ebisu Pawn Shop. Olivia could tell that his voice was cracking. There was no doubt in her mind that he was apologizing and on the brink of tears because of the very real threat of murder not even two feet away.

"I-I'm sorry… I'm so sorry!" He repeatedly apologized. "Please… Please forgive me! I'm so sorry!"

Olivia looked at the man and then up at Brick Wall Man. She cleared her throat and nodded. She gripped onto the sides of her shirt, attempting to keep it closed since they had slashed it so much. Any attempt to keep her bra strap from falling off completely and her shirt closed as well was terrible.
"Okay…" She said. There was no reason that she should forgive him, he had almost killed her. At the same time though… she felt like if she didn't forgive him then he'd get killed. "I forgive."

The man gasped and looked up at her and then quickly back down, like he didn't feel he had the right to look at her.
"Y-Yes thank ya! Thank ya!"

The man pressed him to the side with his foot.
"Leave."

"Y-Yes! Right!"

The man quickly got up and left his friends, tripping over their arms and shoes as he pressed through the crowd of spectators that had slowly started to deteriorate talking and laughing among themselves. Surely, they were going to be talking about this encounter to their friends and family. Of course, they probably weren't going to complain to the police the girls were passing and looking at Brick Wall Man. He looked down at her and for a moment she was terrified, but… he had saved her. Right? He reached his hand down to her. They had just saved her and potentially killed a couple men, but it was offering her some protection. The perpetual furrow at his brows softened a little. Olivia reached into his hand, noticing how easily he could crush her hand. It was so small compared to his. He gently pulled her up to where she was fully standing and made sure that she was able to fully stand before he let go of her hand and shoved his hands back in his pockets.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes. I are." Olivia said and pulled her shirt closed. "Thank you."

The man noticed her struggle and how she was looking down and away. She looked back up when she felt something around her shoulders. The man now stood before her in a jacket-less suit, his red button up shirt starkly contrasting against his gray pants. The jacket was large enough to be a blanket and envelop her completely. He was obviously uncomfortable from the look she was giving him, so he looked away and down at his shoes. She smiled and pulled the jacket closer. It had a sort of cologne smell to it, but it wasn't a brand she was familiar with. Back in America, some places were practically swimming in conflicting colognes. This wasn't assaulting her nose and was very subtle. It must've been a Japanese brand.

"It's no problem. I'm glad I got there before things got bad." He said and scratched the back of his head. "Or… well… worse."

"Yes…" Olivia was worried about speaking so much. This was one of the longest conversations she'd had in a long time, she didn't want to mess it up by speaking in her broken Japanese.

"You uh… should…" Olivia furrowed her brows. His brows furrowed again, and he looked down and sighed. It seemed that he wasn't as confident as she had expected. Someone like him should have all the confidence in the world. Yet here he was, being awkward and stumbling. He turned to her and she stumbled back slightly. His hands rose in a sentiment of trying to calm her. He went and knelt, buttoning the jacket and standing back to his full height. "There. That should help."

"Thank you." Olivia said and finally let her hands let go of her shirt and relax, putting them into the arm holes. The chill from the weather and the cold concrete from the alleyway was seeping away from the warmth of the jacket. The man scratched at the back of his head again. The awkward demeanor at this beast of a man made her giggle. "Um… my name Olivia Harper."

The man fidgeted slightly and looked at her. He scratched the back of his head and cleared his throat,

"Kiryu-chan!" The voice that came from his parted lips was not the same one that he had spoken this whole time. It took Olivia a moment to realize that it was someone else's completely. She turned with this "Kiryu-chan" and saw Snakeskin Jacket Man literally running towards him. When he stopped in front of this Brick Wall Man, his eye darted from Olivia and back to the man. "Ooh, Kiryu-chan, you been holding out on your friend?"

The man sighed and scratched the back of his head,
"Majima-san." He rubbed his head and didn't turn to look at Olivia, but it was obvious he was talking to her. "Kiryu. Kazuma Kiryu."

Olivia looked from Majima to Kiryu and blinked. What were the odds that these two men knew each other? Out of all the people in Sotenbori these two had to know each other and even more so, they had to both know her? She bit her lip and watched the two men; Kiryu-san all calm, cool, and collected while Majima-san smirking from ear to ear seemingly taunting his "friend". The exchange between the two gave off any vibe other than friendly.

Majima glanced over at Olivia and after a quick look up and down, his head rolled over to where Kiryu was standing. His hands comically on his hips with his perpetual smirk adorning his lips. Kiryu shifted his weight from foot to foot, almost like he was squirming under Majima's one-eyed gaze having a silent conversation. It seemed that Kiryu was able to hold his own in a fight completely solo but was less than sturdy in social situations. He took a step closer to where Kiryu was at, his gloved hands shoved into the pockets of his leather pants. How the hell could he even fit them in there? His head tilted to the side, his jacket falling to the side and she was able to view more of his tattoo. What kind of person was Kiryu to have him be on such terms with this Majima?

"Kiryu-chan!" He said in a sing-song sort of voice, scaring her. Her gaze had been focused on the bit of tattoo she could see, trying to dissect every line and color to imagine the whole picture. She quickly looked away to Kiryu like she had been caught doing something forbidden. Normal people would be terrified at having a one-eyed, snakeskin jacket wearing man that close to them but Kiryu simply quirked an eyebrow. She supposed that they would've had to have been rather close for him to be able to call him Kiryu-chan in such a sing-song voice. A voice that was completely different from the one that he had used to talk to her the previous night. "Ya know, if ya got a girl or somethin', ya shoulda told yer friend. 'Specially if it's someone yer friend knows."

"Huh? You know her?" Kiryu gestured at Olivia.

"Harper-chan?" Majima laughed, almost on the borderline of maniacal. "Yeeeeeeeah, you could say that." He ran in place, his hands remaining in his pockets. Olivia's eyes widened. Did he say things deliberately to make it sound suggestive? She checked Kiryu's expression and back at Majima's.

"So, you mean—"

"Kiryu-chan!" Majima gasped in faux shock. "What are ya suggesting?! I never said that!"

"What? You—"

"Get yer head outta the gutter!"

Olivia sighed, shaking her head. It did seem that he just continued to say things that would deliberately get Kiryu flustered. Headaches and shock were becoming more and more prominent with each passing moment. The adrenaline from her near-death experience was fading which was allowing the pain from her head being rammed into the wall to push itself, demanding to be noticed and felt. Pressing the palm against her head, she hoped the pressure would be enough to get the headache to go down. The banter between the two had continued the whole time.

"So!" Olivia jumped, seeing Majima slap his thighs and stood at his full height that crazed smile still on his face, his eye almost mirroring the borderline psychosis. "Whatcha really doin' here, Kiryu-chan?"

"Harper-chan was in the middle of a shakedown that was… escalating."

The perpetual, crazed smile left Majima's face and his eye flickered over to Olivia, a look in it that was completely unreadable. Majima had stared at her long enough to make her squirm. It wasn't that she was disturbed that he only had the one eye, it was the way he stared. Olivia wasn't quite able to read people very well to begin with, but he just stared with that unreadable gaze. Unsure how to react, she looked at the edge of the bridge. Whatever hold he had on her was broken, a small nasal laugh coming from Majima's direction. The tapping of shoes against concrete called her attention to the sound; just out of her peripheral vision steel toed shoes made their way to one of the unconscious men.

Olivia looked at the shoes and up to the person they belonged to. Majima took the edge of one the shoes and jabbed it into the side of the man, earning a groan of pain and a cough in response. Her eyes widened, the cough leaving blood on the man's face. To make matters worse, the man's once white teeth were now coated with blood on and in between.

Talk about kicking someone when they're down…

The men had tried to hurt her and… well… if Kiryu hadn't come along when he did, there was no telling what would've happened or if she would've even been alive. Still, the blatant violence to someone that was already down and out for the count—and may have internal injuries… It was borderline cruel. Majima clicked his tongue and after wiping the metal toe of his shoe onto the man's face to rid it of blood, pushed him until he was on his stomach.

The shoes headed to another man. The mugger's face was swollen, black, and blue. If she wasn't mistaken, then there were a couple teeth next to his face. Her head tilted to the side watching the steel toed shoe step on the man's face and turning it every which way as if he was taking in every single detail. The man's cheek gave way to the force of Majima's shoe against his face and Olivia's eyes widened watching two more teeth fall onto the space next to his face. A grunt of approval later and this man was pressed to lay on his side.

"This yer handiwork then I take it?" Majima quirked an eyebrow. A small grunt came from Kiryu. From their speech, it was obvious that Kiryu was the younger of the two, but it didn't mean that he was the least childish. He walked off a few feet off to the man that had been slammed repeatedly into the wall. Again, Majima jabbed the man in the rib. It was a rather weak moan, but it was still present. She curled into herself, watching that man receive the same treatment the other had. Majima mused, putting some pressure onto the man's forehead. Even from the distance where Olivia was planted, she could see that the man's skull was giving away to Majima's shoe. The man groaned from pain as the shoe upon his head rocked back and forth followed by side to side. Without looking at Kiryu, he continued what could only be described as mild torture, "Hm. Been a while since ya beat someone within an inch of their life, ain't it?"

"…"

"Been 'bout… two years now, ain't it?" Majima pressed his foot further onto the man's skull. Olivia swallowed the bile that had rose in her throat, without meaning to, she took a step forward. Majima turned his head to look at Olivia as she had been in his blind spot. He sighed and wiped his shoe, front and back, onto the man's face. He dug the heel into the man's shoulder, sending him onto his stomach with a forceful push. The smile came back to his face and he practically skipped to stand in front of them both. "Didn't know ya still had it in ya, Kiryu-chan!" He said in that sing-song voice and rocked back on his heels repeatedly. The prideful and unapologetic looks were undeniable. "Normally I'd ask ya if ya wanted to fight Kiryu-chan," He sighed, needlessly exaggerated. "But seems like ya got some things to take care of first." Majima headed passed them towards the other side of the bridge but stopped halfway through. "This'll be gone soon. Ya don't need ta worry 'bout it, Kiryu-chan." With those parting words and a wave of his hand, he continued down the bridge.

Their presence around the bodies was rather damning if the police arrived. From the way Majima spoke, he didn't sound too worried about them getting into trouble with the law, and she sure as hell didn't want to test it. With her being from another country, the possibilities of what the law could do could be endless. Possibly sensing her discomfort, Kiryu headed the opposite way from where Majima had went and through the streets. People parted the way for them as they walked. What sort of reputation did he have in order to receive this response? Then again, his appearance was rather intimidating. If she was walking down the street and passing by him, she'd move out of the way too. Some looked terrified while others just didn't seem to want to be in the way.

"I wonder if I'll ever be able to read him." Kiryu murmured to himself.

During the whole conversation between Kiryu and Majima, even though eyes had been on her and it had been mostly about her she couldn't be more grateful that she had been mostly on the sidelines. No matter what country she was in, she hated being the center of attention in a conversation. Usually they weren't about her anyway, and while she should've cared about being an integral part of a conversation especially when the subject was about her, she was so relieved. When the park came into view, she grabbed onto the jacket's buttons and began to undo them.

"U-Um…" Kiryu began and grabbed her wrist, making her stop and look at him. "What are you doing?"

"I going to give back jacket." Kiryu's furrow only grew and he quickly let go of her wrist, most likely finding it rude that he had grabbed her without her permission considering what had happened the last time people had grabbed her. The bodies were most likely still on the street as a reminder.

"Let's get you some clothes first."

Olivia looked down at the buttons on the jacket. The sentiment was sweet especially from a man who had single-handedly taken down ten men without a scratch on him. He put his hands in his pockets, rolling his shoulders. The movement made her watch the fabric move as he did, but when their gaze met his, she quickly looked towards the park. Despite the fight that had just taken place, and the terror that some people had seen and that she had been through, the small park now contained children swinging back and forth on the swings. If it wasn't for her current situation, she may have just sat there and watched them. Children were always sweet, they held no prejudice and treated her with respect. A couple times they even wanted her to play with them. A couple parents didn't want them to play with an American, but others she had gotten to spend time with. They hadn't made fun of her and had asked her numerous questions about America which she was happy to answer.

"No, it fine." Olivia said. "I glad you help me though."

"Then let me take you home. Goons can linger around in groups here."

She shook her head and began with the buttons on the jacket again.
"Thank you, but I to go now." Kiryu couldn't take her home… he'd find out that she didn't have one and she wasn't sure how she could take that embarrassment. She couldn't explain that she had no money without feeling like she was fishing for him to buy her clothes. Besides, if what he said was true wouldn't newer, shinier clothes make her more of a target?

"Look," Kiryu sighed. "You've got two choices: either we get you home or we get clothes first."

"…"

"You can't walk around Sotenbori with your shirt in the condition it's in right now."

"…" Olivia frowned, remembering how tight she had to hold her shirt to keep it closed and how her shoulder and collarbone was exposed because of her bra being sliced. Even though the alleyway wasn't too far away, the streets were crowded, and she'd gain more attention than she wanted. The alleyway was full of men too. It wasn't that every man was a dog and just considered women a piece of meat, but she remembered how Ota had acted when she got to the alley. If he had been drinking again and tried to flirt or worse reach out and touch her, she'd probably hit him one. It wouldn't be anywhere near close to the sort of punch that Kiryu could throw but considering that she was new to the location she might be kicked out and then she'll truly be on her own. She had just found someplace where she could rest peacefully—even if it was cold—she had a friend in Sato. Closing her eyes, she sighed and hung her head. "Okay."

Kiryu gestured to the bench that was in the park. He plopped down and leaned against the back of it. Olivia stared at Kiryu in disbelief. He had finally convinced her to go and get some clothes and now he was sitting on a bench in a park. She was about to take off the jacket and go to the alleyway. This was one hell of a day and she just wanted to relax. Sitting on a bench technically was relaxing but sitting next to a living brick wall could get stressful. Although, he had literally saved her life. The least that she could do was let him relax for a few minutes. Taking on a group of ten men by yourself wasn't exactly a small feat despite how easy he made it look.

Olivia exhaled and plopped onto the bench next to him. The park wasn't exactly new and the same could be said for the bench. The moment that she plopped down on it, her blood went cold worried momentarily that it could break. Glancing out of the corner of her eyes at Kiryu, he had stopped in the middle of lighting a cigarette between his lips his own intense eyes staring at her. She cleared her throat and sat up fully, resting her own back against the bench.

"How are you?" His voice was deep, like velvet and chocolate combined. A rather strange question to ask considering everything that had happened at the bridge. Potentially seeing the confusion on her face, he blew some smoke from between his lips. "You went through some traumatizing shit."

"O-Oh." Olivia chuckled slightly and stretched her arm through the long arm hole in the jacket and rubbed her hand down her face. "Yes, I fine."

Kiryu flicked some of the ashes that had gathered at the end of his cigarette into a nearby ash tray. He exhaled and took another drag of his cigarette. Olivia stared at Kiryu's movements, focused on the shirt's tightening and loosening around the muscles of his arms and shoulder blades.
"That's good to hear." He said blowing out some more smoke.

"Thank you."

"…"

"…"

Olivia placed her hands on her lap, fingers fiddling with the buttons on the sleeves. Kiryu didn't seem like the type to have a long conversation at all. Two people trying to have a conversation that had that in common was one of the most awkward things she had dealt with in her whole life. In her peripheral vision, she watched Kiryu adjust himself on the bench before taking another drag of his cigarette. Kiryu and Olivia locked gazes. He turned his head away from her and blew out the smoke.

"You're a strong woman." He said, the last wisps of smoke moving with his words as they escaped from between his lips.

"Me? No, I not." Olivia said. If he was aware of how much she had cried recently, his opinion would change. Lately, her own opinion of herself had changed. Back in America, she had been more on the strong side. She didn't really go out of her way to find a fight, but she would stand up for herself. Here in Japan, it felt like every time something upset her, she started to cry. "I rather weak actually."

"Hmm." Another drag and an exhale. Kiryu was silent for about a minute before he continued his thought. "You were outnumbered and in trouble but didn't give in to what that mugger asked. You stood up for yourself even in the face of danger. I know some grown men that won't even do that." She flicked some of the built-up.

"I wanted to live." Olivia explained.

"Yeah," Kiryu's voice dipped to a lower octave, the chocolate that was his voice melted and merged with the softest silk she could think of. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Olivia blinked. It took her mind to realize what he had actually said, she had been too surprised by how low an already deep voice could get. "What you sorry for?"

"… I heard what that man called you."

Olivia immediately looked down at the ground. Being called a gaijin was embarrassing enough when she heard it by herself, but words couldn't describe how she felt when others had heard it. She bit onto her lip. Does that mean Kiryu had just helped her out of pity. Inside of the sleeves of the jacket, her hands balled into fists. Just before she was about to get up, thank him again, and leave Kiryu's voice stopped her.

"I wanted to let you know, not many people could deal with being called that." Olivia watched more ashes drop into the tray. "Let me explain something to you, Harper-chan." Kiryu leaned over towards her and Olivia leaned away. He cleared his throat and pulled out a lighter, "Sorry…" He flipped open the top and lit his cigarette again. Sometime during their talk, it must've went out.

"It okay."

"You are a gaijin."

Olivia's eyes widened. As much as she wanted to look away from Kiryu, she couldn't. The man that had been her savior had just insulted her? The idea of saving her out of pity popped into her head again,
"W-What?"

"You're a gaijin, but not a gaijin."

Olivia's brows knit together creating a furrow almost as deep as Kiryu's. Aware that her Japanese was sub-par, she tried to piece together the sentence to make sense to her. One of the main things she had trouble with was when someone said that they were and weren't something; especially if the words sounded close to each other.

"Huh?"

"In the literal sense, you are a gaijin." Kiryu said, flicking more ashes onto the tray. "A foreigner. Unfortunately, people have taken the word and twisted it to mean something different then what it should. Old, bitter men and women, or people that have been raised by people like that are the ones that call people a gaijin."

"Hmm…" Olivia mused, listening carefully and thankful that he was talking slower and breaking it down.

"So, there may be some who continue to call you a gaijin, just because of the literal word. That's something that you won't be able to really get away from." Kiryu explained, blowing some of the smoke from between his lips. "However, when those that use it as an insult; you've got people on your side. Don't forget that."

"Kiryu-san…"

Kiryu leaned forward, lacing his fingers together.
"Anyway," He cleared his throat and stood up, snuffing out the little bit of cigarette that was left and stuck his hands into his pockets. "Let's get you some new clothes… It looks like you're drowning in my jacket."

Olivia raised her arms and looked at it. Well… he wasn't wrong. His shoulders were about twice as wide as her's and had muscles for days. There'd be no way she'd even begin to fit into this jacket. A smile spread across her lips and she found herself giggling. She stood up and followed him out of the park. Olivia assumed that Kiryu had an idea on where he was going because he started walking without hesitation. Her steps turned into borderline jogs, with the severe difference in length between their legs. She strayed behind slightly when they headed back towards the bridge where the altercation had happened. She quickly jogged until she was closer to him, looking behind her. There was no trace that a fight had went down and all the bodies were gone without even a speck of blood.