It was the end of the day the sun was slowly setting colouring the sky in a wonderful orange as it lowered to the sea. The sound of waves and children playing by the beach could be heard from the hotel. Makoto walked to the hotel room as he adjusted his tie seeing as it was a bit too tight. As soon as he reached the door that was at the end of the hall he slowly pressed his pale knuckles on the door and did a soft knock.
There was no reply. He tried again only this time louder.
"Room service!" he called out in a polite tone "Your kitsune udon is here!"
Again there was no reply only this time he heard a soft click.
Immediately he got down to the floor as loud gunfire broke through the wooden door damaging it in the process. Pieces of wood and bullets flew into the air dropping unto the red and white carpeted floor.
Eventually, the firing stopped. From the hole created by the gunshots you could see from inside the room someone holding a Kel-Tec KSG, it should also be noted that the gun wielder was a woman. Her name was Viyona Menagai codenamed Dakini one of Asia's top hitmen who has been in the business since she was fifteen. She had brown skin, 5'6ft, had long black straight hair that reached to her thigh, and a large burn mark on her cheek that was the result of her drunken father throwing oil at her face when she was a child.
The woman lowered her weapon and opened the door; it was a miracle the hinges didn't break off. She stepped outside and scanned the hallway only to see nothing. It was in here that she felt something on the back of her head.
Viyona chuckled as she dropped the gun and raised her hands "Must you always attack from behind" she spoke in surprisingly fluent Japanese "Number Three?"
The blue-haired assassin had his Colt Python Target, 8-inch barrel .38 Special aimed at the woman's neck "That name is really going around now isn't it?" he kicked the rifle away from her.
"Well your name is a little too cute for someone like yourself" she smiled "Like a little doggie you know the fluffy ones"
"I'll take that as a compliment" he smiled back "I am more adorable than you"
Immediately the woman frowned "Now you're just getting personal" she then did a backflip kicking the gun off his hands before he could fire and spun around and used a crescent kick to hit his head. Now that he was on the ground she went over to her shotgun and picked it up "Let's see if you'll still be adorable once I destroy your face" she then started firing again.
Makoto rolled again on the floor dodging bullets and dived into a room he had opened earlier for such escape and locked the door. He then immediately barricaded the door with furniture like a couch, a table, and a lounge chair. None of this worked however as Menagai kept firing at the door damaging the barrier and the door in the process.
"Come on out you Pomeranian" the Indian kicked down the door and pushed away from the already broken furniture out of the way as she reloaded "It's about time I hang you in my living room"
"Not today Satan" Makoto hit her from behind with a vase filled with stones inside then banged her head on the bedside table before grabbing her gun and aiming at her "Who hired you?" he asked.
Her head was now covered in blood that it even stained the table "Not telling Pomeranian" she panted.
He shot her foot causing her to scream in pain "I'm asking again, who hired you?"
"You sick bastard" she growled "How much is Kirijo paying you"
"Don't make this hard Viyona" he shot her other foot which made her yelp again.
"JUST KILL ME ALREADY!" she yelled.
"Fine" he threw the gun far away then brought out a knife from his back pocket then crouched down on the floor.
Using this as an opportunity Viyona then grabbed his neck and tackled him to the ground "You think it was that easy?"
Wheezing "Yes" using his still free hands he stabbed her right in the spine making sure the knife goes in deep. Despite this though her hands were still trying to choke him her grip eventually started to loosen up.
He then pushed her off and pressed her to the floor making the knife go through her with more blood spilling all around. "Tell me who hired you!" he yelled.
By now the only words coming off her mouth were choking sounds as blood and saliva coughed off her mouth. Eventually, after a few moments of choking and bleeding from several wounds, the woman stopped struggling and died.
Makoto sighed then checked her pockets if she had a phone which he found none; he then turned the woman around pulled out his knife which released more blood from the body dirtying the white sheets of the bed they were standing next to. He placed his knife back in its slot the stood up and locked the hotel room with his key.
He then removed a notepad from the inside of his jacket and crossed out a name "That's number five" he sighed putting the notepad back "Just how many people want that girl dead?"
"It's good to see your my child" the elderly Kirijo spoke as she sipped her jasmine tea with her frail long hands grasping the cup as though they were tree branches wrapping around a bird's nest "How was your trip?"
Mitsuru did her most convincing solemn smile "A tiring one grandmother"
"I told you to come sooner" the Mistress adjusted her wide-rimmed round glasses made of gold "Alas, there seemed to be some issues in the company I see?"
"I'm sure you're aware of them" the younger Kirijo kept her hands on her lap "You do keep tabs don't you"
"Indeed I do" she put down the teacup on the round dining table carved out of baobab wood supported by its leg decorated in topaz and other gemstones. "So I believe you managed to settle the whole nuclear plant issue?"
The redhead politely nodded her head "We've shut down the plants and relocated the former employees"
"That's . . ." she flicked her long red painted nails "Respectable" she then lowered her glasses as she eyed her grandchild "Did that young boy find anything new?"
Mitsuru blinked "Young boy . . ." then she paused upon realizing who she was referring to, "The detective told me he . . . had some sort of lead . . ."
"And that is?"
"He . . . didn't specify"
Chizue shook her head "Can't be bothered, then that silly child to stop his dillydallying as soon as you return"
Mitsuru nodded and bowed "As you wish grandmother"
"Now let's discuss something of utter importance" the older woman closed her palm "As you know, you are the only person in this family who can run this group"
Most capable perhaps, Mitsuru thought in her head but she said nothing.
The Mistress continued "And right now your line is at risk of . . ." she paused to think of a word "Extinction, tell me, my child, how many death threats have you received?"
The girl sat up straight "I don't usually pay atten . . ."
"How many threats have you received" Chizue repeated in a stern tone and cocked her head "You did hire someone to take care of them yes?"
Mitsuru closed her eyes "I did"
"How many did he take care of?"
"Seven this month and twenty since April" Kikuno who was behind her charge the whole time she spoke up for her.
The Mistress did not seem pleased about this though "Speak when only spoken to" she looked at the maid with disdain before facing her grandchild "Now tell me again"
"Twenty threats against my life were taken care of" Mitsuru crossed her legs trying to remain calm.
Chizue's eyebrows waggled "You've hired a good one then, I applaud you for that" she leaned back against her Redwood carved chair upholstered with sheepskin and embroidered with leaves sown by a gold thread "But we can never be too sure"
She just stared "What are you implying grandmother"
"As soon as you finished your college degree and obtained full control of the company" she pointed a long and thin finger towards the younger girl "You are to be married"
Immediately Mitsuru's face flushed "Grandmother, we've discussed this several times" it was taking a lot of self-control to not stand up "I do not need a husband"
"But you need a child" the older woman smirked "You need an heir in order to ensure the legacy of the Kirijo Group"
Mitsuru opened her mouth but could not come up with the words to reply.
"You are not to worry in regards to finding a suitable partner" Chizue snapped her fingers and the maid right next to her went across the room towards Mitsuru and presented to her three binders "I have taken the liberty to give you . . . options"
The girl looked from the black binders in front of her to her grandmother then back at the binders "I . . . need to think . . ." she swears she going to choke "About this"
"Yes take your time child" the elderly woman gave a smile that on her face looks like a crooked straight line going upwards "I've only given this special opportunity for you"
Mitsuru could feel her body shaking but she knew that despite the fact that she had lost she needed to show some grace and not make a scene "Thank you, grandmother" her voice cracked at the 'mother' part as she stood up and immediately left the dining room, leaving Kikuno to collect the binders.
She must not cry. She must not cry. A Kirijo does not cry. Mitsuru repeated this mantra over and over again as she paced inside her room. Her palms were shaking and despite the fact that the temperature was ten degrees and the wind from the sea from flowing inside her room she was completely drenched in sweat. She didn't realize that she was breathing hard and for some reason, her chest feels so tight that at any moment she was about to explode.
This wasn't the first time that Mitsuru experienced these things. The first time it happened she was around eight years old and she had a bad dream about her mommy turning into dust. This was the first time her father did not come to console her and fear and panic immediately overcame the child. This was also the first time her grandmother scolded her on crying.
"You should not waste tears on silly things" she reprimanded the little girl "You're a Kirijo, you don't have time to be weak"
Don't cry. Don't Cry. A Kirijo does not cry.
Over the years Mitsuru had managed to keep her emotions in check in order to please her grandmother and to not worry her father. Her father was already tired of dealing with the company's issues after all he did not have time to deal with silly dreams his daughter had.
Whenever Mitsuru felt overwhelmed by something she decided that instead of channelling sadness or pain she must do the opposite. She must adapt to anger. Instead of sulking in a corner when something goes wrong she attacks the situation dead on and leaves no time to sulk in a corner.
That didn't mean she didn't have a heart though. She may not let tears affect her but she would let her subordinate do so. She would always let them know if members of the student council or anyone needed someone to talk to she was there. She may not know how to handle their problems but she could at least try. Another thing a Kirijo must do it to serve and it was that was Mitsuru embodies the most.
The girl was walking on a thin rope of between being a compassionate and malevolent leader and so far it had been working well for her.
That was until her father died.
For some reason, her memory of what happened during the month of her father's burial and the wake was a haze to her. It was as if something in her had shut down. Like a machine has gone on auto-pilot. She had been so used to putting her personal emotions in the back burner that for a moment she had forgotten how to feel.
Don't cry. Don't Cry. Do not cry.
This was a tiny thing. Her grandmother was infamous for arranged marriages, of course, it would come to this. The fact that she was even making her choose her husband was even better, wouldn't it? She should be honoured that such an opportunity was bestowed upon her.
Yet without even looking at the binders, she knew she would never find someone. She could never find herself to . . . endure? Like? Be passive about?
"I can't love any of them" she whispered to herself almost immediately she found herself laughing. Love? Since when did that become an option for anyone? Love does not run a company. Love does not ensure efficiency. Love is a mere distraction. Love is just a marketing strategy used to sell chocolates on Valentine's Day and make people believe that Christmas was when Jesus was actually born. Love is an illusion, nothing more nothing less.
Yet why does she concern herself about this? Why does she feel like her grandmother had just taken the last string of freedom she had? Why does she feel like from now on it's no longer her who manages her life anymore?
This isn't about love at all.
This was about freedom.
And she had just lost it.
Do. Not. Cry.
She was now on her knees staring at the tortilla brown carpet as though it would suck her inside at any moment. She wanted to sink into whatever material this carpet was made of and let it crush her bones and choke her until consciousness would leave her. She wanted to forget about everything. Forget about the Group. Forget about her father. Forget about herself.
But she can't. If she were ever to die she knew even her grandmother had a plan for that.
She was all alone at this point.
She's no long Mitsuru Kirijo as her grandmother told her that fateful day when her father died.
She was now just a pawn.
Do . . . not . . .
"Miss Kirijo?"
Immediately Mitsuru let out a loud gasp of shock, she was panting heavily and her hands were pressed flat on the carpet as though she was clinging onto something.
She could hear steps from behind her slowly approaching her "Are . . . are you okay?"
"I'm . . . fine" for some reason her voice was hoarse as though she had been screaming but she hasn't, she hasn't spoken a word since the lunch with her grandmother.
She felt a hand touch her shoulder. Due to the silk dress, she was wearing she could feel the cold leather of the person's glove touch her skin. Despite how terrifying this situation could be to any sane person right now a person's bloody hand would probably work for her right now.
Maybe the death she wished for might actually happen.
"Are you sure?" he asked again there was a pure concern on his tone it almost made her wonder what she looked like right now "You're shaking"
Finally lifting her eyes from the carpet she had been staring at for hours she turned to face this man putting on the widest smile she could probably fake she said "To be perfectly honest Mr Yuki, I'm not. I'm perfectly not fucking fine at all"
When Minato came to report to Miss Kirijo in her room at the Kirijo estate he did not expect to find her on the floor in what was probably the middle of a panic attack. She almost looked like a shivering puppy that was kicked on the floor so much and was too tired and cold to whimper.
Before he worked for the woman he had some idea on who she was. She was a young executive who had been thrust upon the company and so far she looked like she was doing well. She seemed to be a woman who knew what the heck she was doing, basically to poster girl for Head-Bitch-In-Charge. And when he finally met her he noted that she was actually a bit kinder than the Ice Queen label she had on her, yet she still gave off the air that she was a leader. She was a leader who would do anything for the Group and would fight tooth and nail for it.
And from the looks of it, that same Group she had been protecting has betrayed her.
He stood frozen for a moment not exactly knowing what to do, he knew enough first aid to stop bleeding and pull out bullets but anything that didn't involve blood he was completely useless. He scanned the room looking for something, a water bottle? Hot compress? An air-pressure tank?
His eyes then went over to a neatly wrapped pink paper bag with a white ribbon and cursive writing on top of a jade counter in the bedroom. Immediately he ripped off the silk ribbon deposited its contents in one throw and rushed over to the woman and for a split-second paused before he laid his hand on her shaking body and offered the paper bag. "Miss Kirijo," he said in a calm tone "Miss Kirijo, I want you to breathe into this bag"
The woman probably didn't even know who he was as her red hair was covering her face but she managed to reach out a shaky hand and grab the bag.
"Shit" Minato muttered as he looked around for something that would help him, for all he knew this girl was having an asthma attack or something. "Miss Kirijo . . ."
The heiress was breathing in and out heavily out of the pink paper bag and she had stopped shaking uncontrollably.
Pushing the hair out of her face he looked at the girl and as suspected she was unnaturally pale, she was soaked in her own sweat and her eyes were swollen. "Miss Kiri . . . Mitsuru" he said her name and tried rubbing her back to calm her down. "Everything's fine, there's nothing to worry about, just breathe" as soon as he said that a distant memory came to mind.
"Don't worry Minato, everything is going to be just fine" a woman smiled, it was a warm caring one and for some reason it made him feel safe "Nothing will hurt you, I'm right here"
Eventually, after a while,, her breathing became even and she had calmed down a bit. Shaking himself from the random thoughts in his head he brought out a handkerchief from his inner pocket and wiped off the sweat and tears from the young lady's face.
"Yu . . ." her reddish-brown eyes widened in surprise as she realized who was comforting her "Yuki-san . . ." her face suddenly went pink.
Still wiping her face he gave her a small smile "Feeling better?"
"I umm . . ." she looked away "I . . . I'm sorry you had to see that . . ." she held onto her chest.
Still holding out the handkerchief "You . . . seemed a bit stressed"
Letting out a sigh "I have been for the past few months"
"You should probably take it easy" he stroked her cheek with his fingers which made her jump slightly "You're pale as a ghost and this may be the lighting in this room but you look thinner from the last time I saw you"
Holding her cheek and looking at him "I assure you Yuki-san, I'm perfectly fine" she gave a tired looking smile "It's just been a long day
Frowning "I don't really meddle with other people's business, in fact, I don't usually meet my clients" he gave her a look "But what I just saw earlier is something I can't exactly forget that easily"
She stiffened "So . . . you saw everything then . . ." she then kneeled on the floor with her hands on her lap ". . . Isn't this getting a little too personal?"
"You got personal the moment you saw my face" his dark blue eyes bore into her reddish-brown ones.
"I didn't mean it that way" she pressed her lips together, "You said it yourself, you don't get involved"
Minato propped a chin on his hand "It's going to be a waste protecting you if you just keep destroying yourself"
She jolted upright "Excuse me?"
"Just a few moments ago you had forgotten how to breathe" he eyed her. "And something tells me this isn't the first time this has happened"
Mitsuru looked up to the ceiling, closed her eyes and took a deep breath "I'm just becoming a bigger liability for you aren't I?"
He remained silent but kept his stare.
She didn't say a word for a while either with the two basking in each other's uncomfortable yet somehow at the same time comforting silence. The gentle breeze from the ocean coming from the balcony enveloped the two occupants on the floor.
"That was actually the second time this has happened" she finally opened her eyes "The last time this happened . . . I was so young . . . I couldn't remember what happened then. In fact, I couldn't remember what happened a while ago as well"
He listened.
"My grandmother had this certain image on what a Kirijo should be, she had ingrained it to everyone in the family, those who do not uphold the standard she set up were kicked out of the family" her palms on her lap closed "And I just happened to suck into every aspect of that vision she had. I was the prime example. I had never com . . . I had never complained about it not once . . ." for some reason, she was losing her voice "I believed grandmother's vision, I thought it was the right thing to do. I thought that if I followed her plans for me I would be happy, I thought if I obeyed her she would . . . forgive father"
Minato raised his eyebrow, so there was something going between the Mistress and the late Kirijo.
"And I did everything as she said" the longer she stared at the hand-carved wooden ceiling she noticed her vision blurring "Everything . . . yet . . ." she choked as her eyes started to water and tears streamed down from her face "My mother is exiled, my father is dead and here I am offering myself to some random stranger I picked off that catalogue like some piece of jewellery" she then chuckled to herself "Only in reality, I am that accessory"
He took a deep breath, human relations was not his strong point at all. Heck, he didn't even do anything when his own sister cried, he's hopeless at this. He took a deep breath, he shouldn't get too involved. He really can't do anything that would alleviate her situation. It was stated in his contract that he would protect and kill for her.
Yet why did things get so personal so quickly?
Mitsuru covered her face and wiped her tears off with her palms, as though she was trying to put on a new mask, a mask of Mitsuru Kirijo the businesswoman "You have something to report to me?" she said in a business-tone completely different from what she was moments ago despite the fact her face was wet and her make-up was far from professional.
He looked at her for a moment. He then slowly stood up and gave her his handkerchief "Go wash up first"
Looking at the piece of cloth on her palms before looking up at him "Do I look that terrible?"
"You probably feel as equally terrible as well" he ran a hand through his hair "I'm sorry that the situation got . . . a bit uncomfortable"
She wiped her face with the handkerchief "It's fine, just . . . forget about . . . ignore . . ." she was then cut off when out of nowhere she felt arms around her and she looked at him "What are you doing?" she asked in surprise.
"I don't know," he said as he tightened the hug "I just thought you needed one"
Her eyes blink "I . . . don't . . . know what to say"
"Then don't say anything"
"Okay guys" Akihiko raised his palm "Since when did you turn my apartment into some hang out or base or whatever?"
Yukari was sitting on formerly white couch that now had several stains all around, she was leaning against several pillows to support her back has a pink bowl of cereal in her hands and was watching a drama about an 18 year-old who gets trapped in the body of a 30 year-old man who just so happens to be his future brother-in-law. "I'm injured and you volunteered to take care of me" the girl replied in a deadpan tone.
"Not you" he then pointed at the drunken figure who had fallen asleep on his white kitchen counter (for a boxer he had such a feminine apartment) "That guy! And where did he get all the alcohol from?!"
Junpei was lying down on the counter drool spooling from his mouth but he was pretty much half-awake "Sooooo . . . ya, dun ker por meh senpaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiii?"
The boxer sighed "What the heck happened to him? He's been like that for the past three days now or something"
Yukari let out a sigh "I tried asking him but he usually ends up balling in tears and saying how the gods had forbidden his happiness"
"Junpei" Akihiko went over to the kitchen and placed a hand on his shoulder "You gotta pull yourself together man, we're getting worried"
The man with the hat (or in this case without the hat his hat had been missing from his head for a while now) gave his senpai a goofy smile "Hev you ever fell in luuuvvvvv?"
This question caught Akihiko by surprise "What?!"
Yukari turning her head away from the TV looked over at the kitchen "What did he say this time?"
"He asked if . . ." he raised his brow "If I ever fell in lava?"
The actress let out a sigh again "I'm really sorry senpai he's really out of it, but it's probably even more dangerous to just leave alone" she shrugged "He's safer passed out in your kitchen than outside doing who knows what"
"I guess but" Akihiko crossed his arms "I can't take care of both of you at the same time"
At this, the girl frowned "That's true"
"Maybe you should ask Mitsuru to hire a physical therapist for you" the silver-haired boxer rubbed his chin "I'll deal with Junpei in case he does something stupid"
Yukari looked away and bit her lip "I dunno, she seems to have a lot of things to worry about more than me"
"Now that I think of it" Akihiko gave her a look "Why didn't you just let Mitsuru deal with your security? I mean not that it's abusing her power or anything but you did just get kidnapped so you'll need all the protection you can get"
She plastered a smile on her face "Thank you for your concern senpai" her hands gripped tightly unto the cereal bowl on her lap "I'll talk to her later"
"NO WOHMAHN NOH CRYYYYYYY!" the sudden drunken singing of Junpei diverted Akihiko's attention.
The boxer put down his bag "That's it! He's getting out of the kitchen"
As soon as her senpai left for the kitchen Yukari's smile dropped into a frown and she looked at the bowl of cereal in her hands "Looks like I'm taking care of myself then"
"Now what do we have here?" Ryoji popped up behind Minato looking over at whatever the blue-haired lad was looking at his laptop "They gave you access to the archives?!" the scarfed man gasped in shock "Margaret keeps sending me those viruses that shut down your laptop whenever I try getting access to the archives!"
Minato looked at his co-worker "You should have asked Liz then"
Ryoji paused for a moment before he raised a finger "You have a point but . . ." his face zoomed over to Minato being mere inches away from it "Only Margaret has jurisdiction over the archives"
Keeping a blank expression he blinked "Oh"
"You're crossing dangerous waters Yuki-chan" Ryoji shook his head.
Turning back to his work "Its work related so I probably won't get flagged that much" Minato typed something "You just like to stalk whatever pretty client floats your fancy"
"Well I think I'm doing a very good business investment" Ryoji sat across Minato "If I marry a woman or male I'm open to that, who has a very stable financial standing and with enough influence to protect herself and myself who happens to be at least an eight in my ratings of attractiveness" he then made a dramatic pause "Then I can fulfil my fantasies of becoming a lovely house-husband and retire from this profession"
Minato paused in typing and raised a brow "You're barely out of your twenties and you're already thinking of retirement"
Ryoji pouted "I thought you'd be more surprised at the house-husband part"
"I actually half expected you to be a cast member of The Real Househusbands of Tokyo" Minato replied dryly.
"Now you're just pushing it" the raven head leaned back against his seat "Exactly what are you looking up in the archives?"
"I told you its work related"
"But I'm you're co-worker" Ryoji slammed his palm on the table "The basis of our relationship is gossiping about work!"
At that Minato closed his laptop "I think I'm done here"
This made Ryoji frown "Already we were just starting to get interesting" he groaned "Urgh, you're lucky you actually know you're a client" he then cocked his head "Hmm, she may be a bit too HBIC for me but I could totally see you getting tied up and whipped by her"
This comment almost made the blunet drop his laptop "What the actual . . ."
"Hey" Ryoji raised his palms "She looks like a dominatrix-like I tell you if she wears a black leather body-suit she will give Black Widow a run for her money"
Minato just gave his friend a look "You need to get laid"
"Wow you of all people saying that" Ryoji held unto his chest in fake pain "That must mean I really do have a problem"
Putting his laptop in a bag and swinging it over his shoulder "Indeed you do" he then left the lounge area going for the elevator (that actually works and isn't Igor's office). As soon as the doors opened he was greeted by the sight of an attendant.
"Well good day to you, Master Yuki" smiled Elizabeth's older sister and oldest attendant, Margaret.
Minato just nodded his head as he entered the elevator and pressed the button to one of the parking lot levels. "Nice to see you as well," he said trying to be polite.
Margaret gazed him over "How's your current job?"
The younger man shrugged "Not something I'm used to, but I'll adapt eventually"
"Now that's the spirit, though I understand that in such assignments you need to be well informed of your situation" the blonde pressed her palms together "That doesn't mean you have to go snooping around the archives behind my back"
He looked at her "Are you gonna send a virus to break my laptop as well?" he gave a weak smile.
She sighed "Nothing of that sort, and I only do that specifically to Master Pharos" her gaze went over to him "Though I must give my sister talking to"
His smile slipped "You don't have to do that, I coerced her into doing it"
"I see" she folded her palms in her lap "If you had just asked me I wouldn't have minded" her mouth twisted "It is, in fact, something work-related"
Tapping in fingers on his laptop bag "I wouldn't have looked over the archives if I had been informed prior to the engagement that the Velvet Room had been associated with the Kirijo's for years"
"I believe you were informed" she looked away from him and stared at her reflection on the elevator doors.
"I presumed only for three generations" he was looking down on the floor "I didn't think they were the first investors"
Keeping a passive face "The Kirijo family is more illustrious than they portray themselves to be"
"I just have one question" he adjusted his bag strap "Why did they skip a generation?"
At this Margaret raised a brow and turned to him "Pardon?"
"The Velvet Room has supplied a personal hitman for every head of Kirijo for as long as the organization existed" a corner of his mouth lifted "Yet for some reason, no one was supplied for Takeharu Kirijo, thus why he's the first one to be actually murdered"
Margaret's forehead furrowed "Are you certain that there was no one recorded?"
He shook his head.
"That's strange" she placed a finger under her chin "If I remember correctly there was someone . . . yet" her eyes sparkled with the realization "I remember now"
He lifted his chin "What happened?"
"The one assigned to him . . ." Margaret bit her lip "Malfunctioned"
He twitched "What?"
Naoto was looking over a few files that had been sent to her by her grandfather over the weekend. Her grandfather didn't ask her to solve them per se he just wanted to ask for an opinion. There had been an increase in the number of unsolved murder cases for the past few years with leads just getting nowhere until there was nothing at all.
Unsolved cases were not uncommon for the Shiroganes either. There were just some mysteries that were meant to never be uncovered. But it was cases like these that made Naoto want to solve them more, there was nothing like having the thrill and satisfaction of solving a cold case.
"Let's see what we have here today" Naoto was excited as a child on Christmas day opening her present wondering what's inside, it's probably an unhealthy feature of being a detective but she was alone in her hotel room right now.
She was about to open the file when she heard her cellphone ringing from her bedside table. The girl sighed then put down the case file for a moment and grabbed the phone. The moment she saw the caller id a jolt went through her spine and she got cautious when she answered the phone "Hello, Shirogane speaking"
"Well good afternoon Shirogane-san," said the ever-cheery Chairman Ikutsuki "Sorry to bother you on such short notice"
Crossing her legs with her toe-tapping the floor "No Mr Chairman you're not being a bother, please is there something you need?"
"Well you see, last week I had been informed that for some reason a breach happened in our system" Naoto could just see the man adjusting his glasses while having that condescending smile on his face "While I am not one to jump into conclusions, I'm from the year of the Ox after all"
The detective let out a sigh "Are you suspecting that I hacked into your system chairman"
"Oh heavens no" Ikutsuki let out a chuckle "It would be blasphemous to accuse the famous Detective Prince of hacking into our system with no proof. It's like turning water into gold or training pigs to jump"
Narrowing her eyes "Then what are you trying to tell me then, Mr Chairman"
"Well just because something seems difficult or ridiculous . . . doesn't mean it cannot be done" the chairman chuckled "A word of advice, don't get too cocky in the end"
Her eyes widened in shock, how was that possible? She had never been traced. No one has ever caught, if anything the only thing they could do was suspect. She knew she was nearing dangerous territory when she was up against a company like Kirijo but she's hacked bigger companies before that.
How the heck did they catch her?
Before she could think about that she heard knocking on the door.
The train ride back to Tatsumi Port was the most comfortable Mitsuru had felt throughout the entire trip. Despite the fact that she technically was on leave she felt as though she needed another vacation.
"The holidays are fast approaching" the heiress closed her eyes and sighed "That means preparations for year-end parties and year-end reports are on the way"
Kikuno was as always by her mistress' side "Well at least you managed to survive the year" she said trying to offer some sort of encouragement.
"I guess there's that" she opened her eyes and faced her friend "Kikuno . . ."
The maid went alert "Yes madam"
"In regards to what you told me the other day" Mitsuru did a frown "About what Shirogane-san told you, do you think it's true?"
The maid was taken aback for a moment "I . . ." she took a moment to think. She could remember that night when the detective came to the house and told her about her suspicions about the late Master Kirijo "It's . . . something that's . . . quite . . . fantastical in a sense" her brows drew together.
"You're right" a corner of the redhead's mouth lifted "It's a little silly of a story"
Kikuno felt a little unsure in her voice "But . . . there was this one time . . . if I remember correctly when we were still young" she looked away from her mistress "I could have been mistaken but I did overhear the Master talk to your father in regards to . . ."
Mitsuru squared her shoulders "In regards to what?"
The maid bit her lip "I was a bit far off from the conversation but I did hear . . . the word shadows and energy mentioned several times"
In here Mitsuru's pupils went wide "You heard my grandfather say that?"
"Madam I'm . . ." Kikuno started to stutter "I was not sure, they could be talking about something else for all I know" she held onto the tray in her palms "It was years ago Madam my memory might not be accurate"
Mitsuru leaned back against her seat the redhead did not know whether she should laugh about it or be angry about it, in fact, these past few months have been testing her on how she should properly react to situations "Harnessing energy . . . from shadows?"
As soon as he entered the apartment he knew something was off. As he took off his shoes he scanned the hallway looking for something or anything. "Hamuko!?" he called out to the apartment as he entered the kitchen "Hamuko, you back from your excursion?"
There was no reply. The only sounds that could be heard were his own steps and the weak buzz coming off from the refrigerator. For some reason, despite living in the apartment it was only now that he realized how off-putting the fully black kitchen was. It just looked like something a psychopath in some novel would have made it easier to hide blood stains or something.
Deciding that he was probably stressed from work and needed a vacation he opened the black LG Super-Capacity French Door refrigerator and took out a can of Carlsberg Export. He slammed the fridge door and exited the kitchen heading for the bright dining room that contrasted the kitchen with its light green painted walls and oak tables.
It was in here where he saw it.
Right in the middle of the round wooden oak table was a 17x10 inches photo of his sister. She was in front of the Ninna-ji Temple with her two friends Fuuka and Rio. The young redhead was in the centre with her arms holding onto her two friends and all three girls smiling brightly at the camera. It seems that the girls were having fun.
When he flipped the photo his face immediately went pale. Written in deep red was a note:
It is time. Show yourself.
Work kinda pushed me back for this one but at least I managed.
Thanks to FanFicFreak6669, RedOmega, and fufulah for following and/or adding this story into your favorites.
BossNoss: Thank you for that long review, it was kinda like some wake-up call for me in a sense. This story basically came up with the idea of what if Minato/Makoto was John Wick and the Velvet Room was the Continental. That was basically the main idea. I'll admit action isn't exactly my forte if anything I'm probably better utlized in 'slice-of-life', though I'm trying. I did tag this story as Mitsuru/Minato as I written them before and logically it would make sense for them to hook-up given the situation. That saying I didn't want to rush immediately towards their relationship, it would still happen just not that quickly. I'll admit I'd probably spent the last few chapter waffling a bit but I was trying to build up Fem!MC character, only to realize I probably did spend too much time with her. I'm not sure if this new chapter would address the issues you've had for better or for worst, but again thank you for the constructive criticism I really appreciate it.