"Hey!" The woman snapped, getting into a fighting stance as she stared the man down. "You're not the Kuzuryuu head."
"I'm a representative," Fuyuhiko said with a smirk. "Shouldn't the heir be good enough?"
"Do you think I'm an idiot?!" Fuyuhiko had to bite back the 'yes' on his tongue. "You're obviously trying to trick me!"
"Look, as much as I'd like to discuss this deception at length, I'm in a rush," Fuyuhiko sighed, pulling out his pistol. "So tell me exactly what your employer wants, before I start playing target practice."
"I won't say anything! I'm loyal to the family!" The woman screamed defiantly... which only put another smirk on Fuyuhiko's face.
"So you work for another family, huh..." Fuyuhiko watched as the woman shifted nervously, moving into a defensive stance. But she was completely unarmed. "You don't have a gun or anything?"
"Shut up!" The would-be negotiator growled. Fuyuhiko just pointed his pistol towards her to get her to stay still.
"What kind of family wouldn't even properly equip their members..." Fuyuhiko regarded the woman with a bit of pity in his eye. That pity disappeared as he put his gun away, snapping his fingers with his other hand. "Whatever. I don't have time to deal with you. Peko!"
"Guh-!" The lady jumped as a knife was suddenly pointed at her throat, the assailant coming from behind. "T-the letter said you had to meet me alone!"
"And what can you do about it now?" Fuyuhiko asked cheekily, before turning to his companion. "You know where to take her."
"Of course, Young Master," Peko nodded, before quickly knocking the would-be negotiator unconscious.
As time went on, Mikan and Mioda got even worse. They would have forgotten to eat most of their meals if it weren't for Hiyoko constantly badgering Mikan to cook something. Their phones were constantly within arm's reach, always visible. The pair were jumpy every time the phone rang or someone knocked on the door, only to be disappointed and downtrodden when it wasn't news about Nanami.
No one even went near Nanami's room. When Christmas came, the two just left their gifts in front of the gamer's door, unable to celebrate anything when one of their best friends was missing.
Hiyoko couldn't even pretend to be annoyed anymore.
"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Hiyoko asked, openly showing her concern.
"Of course," Mioda answered. She was smiling, but it was more bittersweet than the bright and energetic grins Hiyoko saw before. "I don't want to disappoint my growing fanbase."
"Don't be so arrogant," Hiyoko huffed, rolling her eyes.
"Not arrogant if it's true," Mioda countered, her grin growing warmer.
"Glad to see you're feeling better."
Both Hiyoko and Mioda froze, shocked by how genuine the blonde's words were.
"Ahaha! You don't need to worry about me!" Mioda laughed, and for once, it wasn't completely aggravating.
"I can see that," Hiyoko said simply, a small grin on her face.
"Oho ho ho! It's the first time I've ever seen a non-creepy smile on your face!" Mioda exclaimed, leaning towards Hiyoko. Hiyoko hurriedly shoved Mioda's face away, grumbling.
"And it's the fucking last time, got it?!"
"Ah... you're so energetic," Mikan smiled as she watched the scene, already holding her bag.
"Oh, Mikan! There you are!" Mioda immediately abandoned Hiyoko to run up to Mikan. "Are you sure you don't want to come to the concert? Because there's lots of good food! And you'll have fun!"
"She's terrified of your music and horrible with crowded places," Hiyoko countered the words on Mikan's behalf.
"Um... I'm sorry, Ibuki-san," Mikan frowned, her eyes downcast. "But I don't think I could go. I have a shift tomorrow, so I can't stay up..."
"But still!" Mioda huffed, her hands on her hips as she pouted. "Letting you stay with Fuyu-chan seems like a horrible idea!"
Hiyoko's jaw dropped. "She's what?!"
"Haven't you heard?!" Mioda turned to the ex-dancer, already in 'gossiping mother' mode. "He invited her to stay the night in her time of need! What a knight in shining armour!"
"He's just trying to get laid, isn't he?!"
"What are you talking about?" Mikan asked innocently, staring at the pair in concern.
"Are you sure?" Mioda popped up in front of Mikan again, grabbing the nurse's hands as she continued babbling. "This is your last chance, so are you sure that you want to? Like one hundred percent, completely, totally, super sure?!"
"Y-yes!" Mikan nodded. "I'm sorry, but... I would feel safer there than at home alone or at your concert."
"Well, fine..." Mioda pouted, deflating a bit. "But I'll be sure to bring back things for you!"
"Is Kuzuryuu coming to pick you up, or should we walk you there?" Hiyoko asked, before adding, "Mioda, I know I can't walk, shut up!"
"I wasn't saying anything!"
"You were about to, weren't you?!"
"Er, Fuyuhiko-kun is coming to pick me up," Mikan offered timidly, not wanting to intervene in... whatever Mioda and Hiyoko's squabbling could be called.
A knock came on the door, startling all of them.
"That's gotta be him..." Hiyoko grumbled, still unwilling to hand Mikan over to that tiny midget.
"I'll see you tomorrow!" Mikan smiled as she waved, only to be pulled into a hug by Mioda.
"Come back safely, okay?" Mioda said pleadingly. Her voice was devoid of all the energy she had just moments before, becoming dead serious in her desperation.
"Of course, Ibuki-san," Mikan returned the hug, before turning towards the door. "Goodbye!"
"See you!" Hiyoko waved, having to elbow Mioda into doing the same. She scowled at the musician, rolling her eyes. "She'll be fine, moron. Get ready for your concert already."
"Got it," Mioda nodded, giving Hiyoko a thumbs-up before retreating to her room.
'What a fucking idiot,' Hiyoko sighed wearily. 'But at least she's getting better.'
"Even though you said you weren't good at mystery games, you managed to figure that out fast!" The former Simon head beamed with pride.
"You... you're not mad or anything?" Shibakuzo asked in stunned disbelief. "You're not going to say 'you ruined my plan! Curse you!' or anything like that?"
"Not really," The former Simon head shrugged. "To be honest, I'm more relieved than anything."
"...why?"
"Well, I guess I thought you would understand. You would do anything for your family, right?"
"T-that has nothing to do with it!"
"Doesn't it have everything to do with this? I did this to save my family. You can understand that, right?"
"But! Doing something like that... that's dishonourable!" Shibakuzo protested. "If you want your family to regain their status, do it honourably!"
"If we did it honourably, we would be killed," The former boss's smile faltered for the first time since the truth came out, concern and fear showing in their face. "I... I can't fail them twice like that."
"Do you really think you can go up against the biggest Yakuza family in Japan and not die? You think you can take the heir's..." Shibakuzo trailed off, eyes widening as she realized something. "The wife...? But... we saw Tsumiki...?!"
"Haha... that's kind of what happens when there are two big-breasted brunettes in the same building," The former Simon head laughed gently.
"What?! What's wrong with you?! You got a completely innocent person involved?!" Shibakuzo's horror turned into anger, glaring up at the former Simon boss with genuine fury for the first time since she met them. "Do you even take pride in your position as a Yakuza?! You-"
"I don't have a position as a Yakuza," The former boss cut through Shibakuzo's words with a smile. It was bitter and resentful, to the point of poisoning their words, but it was a smile nonetheless. "Not yet, at least."
"This... this isn't right! Aren't you supposed to follow the codes, just like everyone else?!"
"Shikabane," The former head said seriously, addressing the woman by name for the first time since they met. "It's not a matter of following the code or rules. It's for my family. Wouldn't you do the same thing?"
"I...?"
"It's fine if you don't have an answer," The former Simon boss smiled genuinely, patting Shibakuzo on the head. "But once you find your answer, meet me in the basement of the movie theater."
Shibakuzo stared at their retreating back, unable to say a word as doubts began clawing at her mind.
'Doing anything for your family...'
Late at night, a trio traversed the snow-covered streets together. A brunette wearing a long trenchcoat leaned on one woman, his arm flung over her shoulder, while the other woman walked off to their side, slightly away from the group. The woman separated from the pair had tied her hair into twin braids, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I can't believe this!" The twintailed woman huffed, annoyed. "Getting drunk at this time... you're completely useless."
"S-" The brunette hiccuped, his eyes unfocused. "Sorry..."
"Ugh, where should we bring him?" Miss Twintails turned towards the other woman.
"Over here," The other woman pulled the brunette towards an apartment, sighing. She guided them towards a basement, opening the unlocked door for them.
The moment the trio got inside, the twintailed woman and the brunette's demeanor changed immediately.
The silver-haired woman shed all signs of irritation, instead becoming serious and silent, while the brunette removed the hidden knife from the other woman's throat, yawning as he stretched out his back. They had dropped their acts.
"Doesn't seem like a place they could keep Chiaki," Hajime noted, staring at all the boxes and dust.
"Hajime, my sword," Peko said simply, her intuition screaming at her to prepare for a fight. She knew they shouldn't have trusted that woman!
"Sorry, won't that ruin everyone's fun?" The other woman smirked arrogantly as she opened the door, revealing the crowd of gunmen behind her.
"Of course it's an ambush," Hajime sighed, tossing off his coat. Peko quickly grabbed the sword from the case on his back, before charging towards the army on the other side of the door.
School is starting today! Yay!
Hajime is actually very good in a fight. He can strike up a heartfelt conversation with someone while trying to point a knife at their throat. If things get desperate, he uses his hair. (No, not really.)