Charlotte aka Tootie was busy partying with her chums, Eri, Sonoko and Sera. The following three were oblivious towards Tootie's life as an assassin. The quartet were currently enjoying an Anime movie. Tootie snatched the popcorn bucket from Eri's hand.
"It's not fair Tootie-san. Just because you know karate, you can't bully me like this." Eri protested. But Tootie just shooed her of. The interval was announced suddenly which left a lingering perplexity in the crowd's face.
"Damn, those Bastards. Stopping it on such a cliffhanging climax." Sera cried out loudly.
"But, that's their marketing strategy. They just can't have the intermission during a low point of the film. That might lead to a drop in viewer retention and negative reviews. It's all about marketing the product." Sonoko, the daughter of the famed Suzuki international group's founder showed off her knowledge.
"Is Vicki-nee san well, Tootie? She usually don't miss-out on the Birthdays?" Sera inquired.
"Nee-san had a fight with me. That's why she didn't come." Tootie tried to shield the truth.
"Now that you mention it, for some time she isn't going out with us." Eri looked a bit curious.
"She is too robust and too idealistic. Like having sand in her panties. She should become a mother and raise her own child." Tootie looked flustered.
"BTW, Eri just bring us more popcorns." the trio ordered the meeker girl, which she unwillingly obliged.
Eri was busy buying popcorn for her two friends. so she missed the person standing just behind her. Suddenly she felt a slight touch on her back and a rapsy voice cooed in her ear, "Give the popcorn and your ticket to me and run away, if you value your life."
Eri froze in her place, the woman quickly retrieved the popcorn and ticket from Eri and Eri without blinking her eyes ran out of the complex. Eri was a foolish coward, she never figured out that using a fire-arm in public is the last thing a solitary criminal would do.
The woman looked on the shiny door before entering the hall, "Yup, my get up is perfect."
"So, you returned, took you long?" Sonoko asked.
"Well, I slipped and fell on on mu back. Sorry for the problem." the woman dressed as Eri nodded her head.
Eri's seat was just beside Tootie's. Eri sat down rather uncomfortably. Tootie thought that something was off about Eri, but couldn't pinpoint. The movie resumed and she went on with it, forgetting about the nagging feeling.
Just before the climax Eri got up, "I can't hold it anymore, I'm of to the restroom." Eri sprinted towards the restroom, which elicited a chuckle from her friends.
The movie ended, but Eri didn't return, the trio was a bit anxious about her, suddenly it clicked in Tootie's mind.
"Eri was wearing sandals when he came with us, but after returning with the popcorn it was sneakers. Shit, I'm being conned." Tootie rushed towards the ladies bathroom, leaving behind her two bewildered friends.
"Just as I thought, they conned me. By no means that woman was in the bathroom." Tootie meanwhile phoned Eri, and Eri picked it up.
"I'm so sorry Tootie-san, some random woman threatened me to handover my ticket and popcorn bucket to you. I'm so sorry for being a coward." Eri started crying.
"Ok, it's probably some ruse by the random TV show hosts, I'm pretty sure that before the week ends, we would be on Nidito TV." Tootie replied.
"Oh, thank, Kami-sama, I was so worried, it's good that the lady was harmless." Eri replied.
"See yeah, and don't worry." Tootie ended the call.
"Hmm...all the events suggest that I'm being conned, but why just leave it like that? None of my valuables got stolen, Eri's popcorn and ticket don't stand up to her purse?" Tootie was in deep thought, while getting out of the lonely washroom.
Suddenly she felt something in her pocket, she quickly took it out, it was a piece of paper and something was written on it.
"If you really want a more fun job to do, then come visit Black cafe, tomorrow at 7 in the evening. We already know your bodycount, so don't try to play I don't know card here. Destroy this note once you have read it."
"Wow, now a cryptic invitation for a motivating job prospect, but it can be a trap also. In this age of e-world, why these guys still use pen and paper?" Tootie asked herself and then smiled inwardly she has got the answer of her question.
"Where were you? Did you fin Eri?" Sera asked the younger Tachibana.
"That was a ruse, a random TV girl came and conned Eri by a toy pistol to rob her popcorn and ticket." Tootie laughed while answering.
Sera and Sonoko both started laughing too. "Man, she is such a coward. Only courage the cowardly dog can rival her." the girls cried out in unison.
(Tachibana Residence)
"Listen Vicki, you have to be very careful about the mission. You won't be the only one who'll be going after the Turners." Nicky cautioned her diligent elder daughter.
"But, Oka-san; who else can go after them? They didn't wrong..." Vicki instantaneously realised her mistake.
"The people on whose behalf Oto-sama was protecting the relic." Vicki replied.
"Right you are, my daughter." Nicky replied.
"So are you sure those men will send assassins to finish off the Turners?" Vicki asked her Mom.
"Yes, if I know them then they will. They're the last remnants of the Nazi sympathisers later they allied with the Soviet ultras. They're in direct war with FBI and wants to get those relics back at any cost, but probably only the Turners know about the location and they're targeted by the same group year after year. But somehow they survived, but here in Japan they can just finish them off by the help of the local Yakuza." Nicky sighed.