Genuine Courage

by MagicName88

He proclaimed himself to be the King of Loners, a selfish, cynical man whom everyone thought of him as a creep, and he's proud of being all of that. And yet, he always helped people with their problems even if he's being hated or forgotten in the end. Even after being betrayed by his clubmates, he continued to help people, and now he will help them even in the face of danger.

10. Chapter 10: The Fallen and Risen

Hi, everyone! It's me! I never thought it would take me this long to finish this. And this shit is the longest chapter of the story! So yeah it's kinda rough over here. Lots of unfortunate circumstances. I had a lot of thinking in these couple of months and it bothered me a lot. But I'm going strong and ready to write again.

As for last chapter, I already expected these kinds of responses. The story went to a sudden shift in directions that didn't have any build-up. It was more like I was getting back to my older self when I was like "fuck the story, I just want to put all the things I like here without care". I'm sorry that many of you are upset.

So how will I fix this? I don't know.

To be honest, it's really hard to do this by myself. Compared to other big stories, I don't have an editor or at least someone to help me write this better. All I have is this computer and Grammarly to do the job. But at the same time, there's this sense of fulfillment when I finished a chapter and post it on this site. All the reviews I've read did upset me but not by a lot.

I don't know how to fix my mistake in the previous chapter so the only thing I can do is to move it forward. It's the direction I chose and I'll see this till the end.

So without further ado, let's get to it.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Oregairu series as it is respectfully owned by the author and studios.

---

Chapter 10: The Fallen Hero And The Risen Enemy

Youth is a lie, and it is nothing but evil.

To this day, I still hold on to that belief. After all, the ultimate flaw of all humans is ignorance.

I'll give you an example. If such people were to dabble in criminal acts such as shoplifting or mass rioting, it would be called 'youthful indiscretion.' If they were to fail an exam, they would say school is not only a place for studying. Their pursuit of 'youth' excuses even distortions of commonly held beliefs and social norms. Under their discretion, lies, secrets, crimes and even failure are nothing but the spice of one's youth. And in their corrupt ways, they discover something peculiar about failure. They conclude that while their own failures are generally a part of relishing in youth, others' failures should be shot down as just failures and nothing more. If failure is seen as proof of one's youth, isn't it strange not to consider those who fail to make friends as experiencing the height of their youth? Not that they acknowledge that.

It amounts to nothing. This is simply opportunism. Therefore, it is a sham, full of damnable lies, deception, secrets, and is an example of ignorance in its complex form. That is a form of evil.

But exiting the stage of youth doesn't mean there is no evil inside you anymore.

Adults still lie but more carefully and cunningly. They read the situation to decide whether to deceive or not depending on what they see as the best option. The moment they stepped into adulthood, the first two things they would learn are self-control, and knowledge although the latter is debatable considering the number of idiots that exist in this world I digress. The experiences these adults are automatically set in a higher difficulty as their stage is the real world. Also, the amount of freedom adults have in their lives was lessened because of things such as responsibilities and obligations to society. Now what you are thinking is, "adults can be as childish as kids.". Yes, that is correct. Don't misinterpret my definition of adulthood as a transformation or as such. The stages of life are processes of growth. Your former traits in our youth won't disappear that quickly and it requires learning and even worse failures than what you had in your youth. However, some traits are permanently embedded in all of us and sadly, evil is one of them. Evil would either shrink or evolve as time goes on. Whether adults are evil or not, they can still have self-control and knowledge as they learn many things throughout their lives and be responsible to do certain things. And that's what makes them terrifying. Despite the lack of freedom, their ability to lie has taken to new heights once they've adapted to the world of adulthood. Also, the number of choices may become limited to them, but their freedom to choose is still something not to mock about.

"where am I going with this?" You ask?

All I'm saying is that humans are capable to become or at least do evil. Age, gender, and whatever characteristics do not matter because we are all evil in different forms.

Now... If humans are capable of evil or they are all evil in general, then the society that we humans built is an aggregate of all forms of evil living together in a more or less ordered community. Evil is everywhere in society from both the underground where the crimes are performed in the dark and the surface where they are hiding in plain sight from the crowds of ignorant people living normally. Even the law enforcers such as the police are ironically evil despite the main objective of their job is to promote justice and punish crimes. But we ignore all that because the roles they've given and established to society overshadowed the true character of each individual. An evil that is called ignorance and another evil that is social manipulation.

If that is the case. Then justice is a word of irony.

If justice can't extinguish evil, then evil is the only way to remove itself.

Within that logic, if crime can't be punished by the established law of society, then to counter a crime is to commit another crime.

That is how I came to be

As with everything I've witnessed and played on HIS stage, this is why the underground feels safer.

It's very ironic.

---

It had only been thirty minutes since the two yakuza members delivered their two enemies to the organization. It was decided that their interrogation will be handled by the "professionals" while the two yakuza members would patrol their assigned area after finishing the last task. The newbie and the long-haired partner were in a black Honda N Box car patrolling the red light district. Although their current job was to patrol, the long-haired yakuza did it in his own... fun way.

"Nope... nope... not that girl..." He mumbled to himself while looking at women as he was slowly driving. Meanwhile, the young yakuza was bored and just stared at anything he found interesting with his cheek resting on his right hand with a black leather glove. They passed by several brothels and strip clubs as snow rained on the city. Since it was winter, the two newbies wore a charcoal grey overcoat over his buttoned sharp black suit with an addition of a red tie, while the long-haired yakuza wore a brown buttoned trench coat. So far, their patrol was uneventful with not a single problem occurring and now the long-haired yakuza attempted to find a woman he could spend the night with. "Hmm... she looks good... but I don't know... Oh! Now that's a hottie! But her face looks like she got no experience in this area. Hey, what do you think, Higeki?"

"Why are you asking me?" The newbie name Higeki asked with a bored tone.

"Well, since you have experiences with a girl-"

"Again, she's not my girlfriend."

"-I thought you could give advice, y'know? Between bros. Or better yet, between men."

"Good luck with that."

"Oi, oi, I'm being kind enough to treat you to bar as an apology from earlier, at least repay me with something."

"And exactly when did I agree to that? Besides, I'm not old enough to drink and I doubt I would drink."

"I'm just gonna buy you some non-alcoholic beverages. Iced tea, Arnold Palmer, club soda with lime, Seltzer with bitters, or maybe you want something for your age like warm milk or some shit," The long-haired yakuza laughed at his own statement and Higeki sighed in annoyance. "Look, if you want me to drop you off at your apartment, fine. But come on, man. Share me some wisdom on how to get ladies."

"Didn't you get a lot of women at the strip clubs? What happened to them?"

"They're just friends with benefits and fuck buddies. I need a girl who can be with me cuz she's really into me. Oh! What about that girl, Higeki?" He pointed at a woman with long curly brown hair walking on the sidewalk. Her attire consisted of a red trench coat, tight denim jeans, and a silver scarf around her neck. He grinned and looked back at his partner. "You think I got a shot at her?"

"Maybe, if it wasn't for that ring she's wearing," The young yakuza said while pointing. The long-haired yakuza looked closely and noticed a shiny object around her left ring finger.

"Doesn't matter. Cheating sex would be thrilling."

"I-I see... But seriously, don't." Higeki stared at his partner oddly and sweat dropped on his cheek. "If by any chance her husband is some sort of rich asshole or a guy who's a lot stronger and more built than you, then it was nice knowing you."

"Pfft, as if. What kind of wife would go into this district alone. She is begging for some pleasure."

"Yeah, but not from you. Look." The two yakuza members saw a man wearing a blue puffer jacket and black pants. He also wore the same ring as the woman and they were walking side by side.

"What the fuck? What kinda guy would just leave his girl in the middle of these kinds of districts," The long-haired yakuza complained while glaring at the man6back as they walked away until they were out of his sight. "That guy must be into getting cucked. There are those kinds of weirdos. Anyways, what bar do we go to?"

"Just a place where they have drinks that are not alcoholic," Higeki said with indifference as he waved his bandaged-covered left hand back and forth to further state his answer. "Just try not to get too drunk, Tsurugi."

"Yeah, yeah. What are you, my babysitter? Are you from a fucking strict and boring family or some shit?"

"Answer from one; I might be your babysitter the more you make me take care of you every time you're drunk. And number two; no."

"Tch, I fucking hate you. So the usual place then?"

"Whatever." That was Higeki's only answer before his partner name Tsurugi stepped on the gas and drove the car. They drove past many love hotels and strip clubs until they exited the district to see shops, restaurants, and more. Snow began to pile up on the leafless tree branches and some buildings had Christmas lights and other decorations that represented the coming holiday of December. After taking a few turns and going a little faster, they reached the destination and entered a small parking area. The two yakuza members exited the vehicle and walked towards the one-story building.

"I bet I can get a nice catch in there," Tsuguri smirked as they entered the bar. As they expected, the establishment consisted of many people drinking and having conversations at every corner of the establishment. The smell of alcohol invaded their noses and approached the counter where the bartender was mixing beverages with a cocktail shaker. "So, what you want?"

"A mojito mocktail I guess..." The young yakuza answered while they sat on the chair of the counter.

"I'm going whiskey highball. I'm feeling for some 1950s for this night." The long-haired yakuza told the bartender their orders and now they waited while watching him mixing the beverages. It didn't take long for the bartender to serve their orders and now they took the pleasure of drinking slowly and without having conversations. The silence wasn't awkward since the peace relaxed their minds after a tiring day of night work. As minutes passed, boredom resurfaced once again and so, they did their own ways to entertain themselves. Tsuguri was looking at the women around the bar, deciding which of them should be his target while Higeki took the time to text the girl once again.

[12:30 PM] Higeki: I'm in a bar.

[12:30 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: Eh? You drink now? Since when?

[12:30 AM] Higeki: No, my friend just dragged me here. I'm only drinking a non-alcoholic beverage

[12:31 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: So you got peer pressured? I never thought you would be swayed by people like that. I wonder how easy it would be for me to force you to go shopping with me 😜

[12:31 AM] Higeki: Don't get your hopes up for anything. Even if I did agree to come with you, I'll still be bored and yawning at your face.

[12:31 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: That's rude! 😣. Of course, we'll have fun while we're shopping. Like, going to the arcade, eat at a cafe, or we could even have an amusement park date after shopping!

[12:31 AM] Higeki: Sounds tiring.

[12:31 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: Everything is tiring for you.

[12:32 AM] Higeki: Yes, for I am a man who conserves my energy for important things.

[12:32 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: You're saying our date isn't important to you?! 😢

[12:32 AM] Higeki: Why are you calling it a date? We're not going out yet.

[12:33 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: Well, I did ask you to go out with me.

[12:33 AM] Higeki: You only asked me to go shopping with you.

[12:33 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: Yeah, just the two of us. And what do you call when a boy and a girl hang out alone together?

[12:33 AM] Higeki: A socialization with a friend. Don't assume a person's activities are based on something as ridiculous as these "boy and girl" speculations. Even people can just spend time with someone of the opposite gender and still not have any affections towards each other.

[12:33 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: MOOUUUU! " Well, do you want to "socialize" 😒 with me when you come back?

[12:34 AM] Higeki: Sure, let's "socialize" this Christmas.

[12:34 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: Seriously?! You're coming back!? 😍

[12:34 AM] Higeki: I'll ask my boss from my part-time job for a week-off. I'll text you soon for an update.

[12:35 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: Okay! let's hang out when you came back!

Before he could reply to her text, Tsuguri tapped his shoulder to put his focus on him.

"What?" Higeki asked and the long-haired yakuza answered by pointing a finger at someone. The newbie looked at where his partner pointed to see a woman with black bob-cut hair and her attire consisted of a beige slip dress under a jaguar fur jacket and black high boots. In Higeki's eyes, she was really beautiful with the red lipstick but she appeared to be older than his partner. "She looks a lot older than you."

"So what? I'm all in for it as long as she is hot and got the moves for the night. Any good bits of advice about older women?" Tsuguri asked while smirking and staring at the woman who was busy on her phone and drinking. The young yakuza scratched the back of his head and held his own chin as a gesture to think of good advice. He wasn't thinking about this seriously but it would be amusing for him to watch his partner fail and get slapped in the face.

"Just one thing, don't mention anything about her age. Don't ever talk about it." Higeki told him with the same indifferent tone. "Also, try not to be too flirty."

"I'll take the first advice. Fuck the latter. If there's a woman alone in a place like this, she's begging for a man to touch her."

"That's how you think about women in general?" The young yakuza asked but he was ignored by Tsuguri who stood up and took off the trench coat. Tsuguri gave his partner a thumbs up and he responded with a grunt of annoyance. The long-haired yakuza approached the woman with his drink in hand. He sat down on a chair across from the woman in which gained her attention. Higeki couldn't hear what they were saying but he assumed that it was going well based on her expressions.

"Huh, looks like he's doing well. How long will it last, though?" Higeki mumbled while drinking his mocktail. His thoughts wandered on his partner's character. Their first encounter wasn't really friendly. In fact, it mostly involved him helping a couple of owners of a restaurant from the katana wielder's violence and almost got killed. The comparison between that time and the present was almost like night and day. Keyword being "almost" because there was still a tense thread in their "friendship". However, that didn't hinder their work for the organization since one distraction could get them killed. All their jobs were underground after all. Whether it was a negotiation, loan sharking, or even a simple patrol in the safest hours, in the dark of society inhabited the incarnation of crime. Higeki trusted Tsuguri as a sort of business partner or a co-worker at best and that would suffice for the benefit of their work. After his line of thought, the young yakuza looked at his partner and noticed the woman was staring at him. Tsuguri didn't notice it since he was busy looking at his phone, perhaps attempting to find something interesting for a conversation between them. Her stare felt strange for Higeki as her eyes widened and her expression was full of bewilderment. He raised an eyebrow at that and then she suddenly stood up from her chair and grabbed her pink handbag. Tsuguri and the women talked shortly before she left although that talk was mostly goodbyes. The long-haired yakuza tilted his head, indicating his confusion and Higeki sighed.

"Damn, and we were getting along too," Tsuguri said to him as he sat back down next to him. "She looked like she was in a hurry. Wonder what that was about?"

"Don't ask me..." Higeki answered while staring at the door where the women exited. "... Did it even go well?"

"Yeah, I told you, didn't I?"

"hard to believe. You must've messed up somehow."

"I think I did okay so fuck you. You want another serve of that?"

"I'm good. Let's get back to the car and patrol for one more hour."

"Ugh, come on. Can't you have a little fun for a minute? Even criminals like us need a break."

"Then, I'll go ahead and get back in the car. Keys."

"For fuck's sake. Did anyone ever tell you that you're a boring grampa?"

"Yes, someone told that a thousand times already."

Tsuguri pulled out the keys From the inner pocket of his jacket and with that, Higekileft the establishment and headed to the vehicle. He looked around to see if that woman was still but he found no one and continued his way to the car. He pushed a button on the car keys and the vehicle's light blinked twice with a recognizable sound that indicated he had turned off the alarm. After unlocking the door, he entered the car and immediately turned on the heater. Despite the attire suited for the winter, it was not enough for him to endure the cold temperature. The young yakuza then turned on the radio to listen to music. He wasn't really the kind of person to be into music but after Minami sent him a text saying she was going to sleep and replied with a goodnight, this was the only option to occupy himself. He pressed a button to change the radio channel repeatedly to find something worth listening to and to calm his mind. After one more channel change, he stopped when a male voice spoke on the radio.

"Tonight, Chiba's famous vigilante stopped three muggers in the-" Higeki quickly changed the radio channel before he could listen to that news any further. Unfortunately, his irritation grew as he listened to a woman speaking about the same topic, and so he hanged it again and again.

"Is Isato truly a hero? Or a person who stepped out of bounds-"

"I don't know about you, but if I ever got into trouble and Isato saves me, I would immediately pull my phone out and take a picture of him befo-"

"A Merry Christmas to all and the hero Isa-"

"People like Isato is the reason why our country became one of the safest in the world. It's because we are all contribu-"

"Isato-"

"Isato-san"

Isato"

"Isato"

"Isato-kun"

"Isato"

Higeki turned off the radio and breathed heavily. He clutched his chest and head to calm the pain and took deep breaths while closing his eyes. The door to his left suddenly opened and he gasped in surprise by that. It was Tsuguri who opened the door and looked at the young yakuza with a raised eyebrow.

"What the hell was that? It's as if you saw fucking ghost." Tsuguri asked and Higeki took one last deep breath before looking at his partner with an indifferent expression and spoke.

"I was asleep, that's all."

"I'm pretty sure I didn't take too long in the bar... Whatever," The long-haired yakuza went inside and made a hand gesture to Higeki to give back the keys. Higeki gave it to him and the car's engine made a sound after turning the vehicle on. Tsuguri looked at him one last time before stepping the gas. "Oi, if you're sick or something, bear with it. It's just one more hour of patrolling anyway.

"Wow, how very considerate and kind of you." Higeki said while rolling his eyes.

"And I'm not sick."

The last hour of patrolling was uneventful so far in which the young yakuza appreciated. As for Tsuguri, he was bored that nothing was happening and hoped a little chaos might occur anytime now. After verifying the area as safe, their final job of the night was done and now the long-haired yakuza drove them to his partner's apartment. After turning the vehicle to the right, they reached a six-story apartment with only the ground floor had lights on. There were no people in and out of the building which meant that all the residents fell asleep or they were somewhere else doing who knows what. The two yakuza members didn't speak as Higeki undid the seatbelt and stepped out of the vehicle. No last-minute conversations, no gestures of goodbyes, only pure silence as the moment their work ended, so too was their friendly act. Before Higeki walked further, Tsuguri spoke.

"Oi, you remembered what I said earlier in front of the building?"

"About me committing to kill? Yeah, clear as day."

"Yeah, make sure to put those words in your goddamn skull. You can't keep that good guy act forever. Not in a world like this."

The only response Higeki gave was only walking away from him and entered the apartment as the two glass doors automatically slid open. The long-haired yakuza glared at his back for a while until he drove out of the area. Higeki entered the elevator and pressed the button that would get him to the fifth floor. After ten seconds, a bell rang and the elevator door slid open. He walked on the corridor while pulling out the keys to his apartment room as he reached the end of the corridor and opened the door to his left. After inserting the key and turning the door handle, the young yakuza finally unlocked and opened the door to reveal a big room with the only furniture a long brown sofa with a pair of white pillows, and a wooden table in front of the sofa that appeared to only fit two plates. There was a small kitchen area with a counter that had a sink. Even though it was an expensive-looking apartment room, there wasn't much anything. No decorations such as picture frames and plants, no souvenirs, and not even a television. All this room had were what it was given for all other residents in this apartment and necessities for chores in cleaning and cooking.

"I'm back~... Well, I'm the only one here." Higeki mumbled with a sigh. He removed his shoes, took off the coat and hung it on a coat rack, and went to the bathroom to refresh himself. All the bruises he received from tonight's intense job stung as the hot shower drizzled his entire body along with all the injuries. He winced in pain and put his hand on the wall in front of him to resist it. His fight with the Russian and the entire job itself exhausted him to a high extent as well as mentally with all the questions he discovered. "Could that Russian really be part of the Barbaros Syndicate? If he is, then that guy along with the other previous dealers who tried to build a drug business here might have a connection with that syndicate. Something big is really about to happen and I don't know what. Guess the only thing to do is wait till tomorrow for the yakuza to get info out of him."

After taking a dip in the bathtub, he went out of the bathroom wearing a white long-sleeve collar shirt and brown shorts while drying his hair with a towel. The bandages wrapped in his left hand and head were removed. He sat down in the middle of the couch and with his cellphone in hand. There wasn't anything in social media that interested him but he still swiped down and played a video for the sake of killing time. His cellphone rang and he saw an incoming call from someone. When the young yakuza looked at the number, his expression changed into bewilderment and then into anger. He closed his eyes to contemplate whether to answer the call or not but before he could decide, the call stopped. Higeki stared at the phone screen for a few moments until the same number called once again. He clutched the device so much that it shook and finally, after the fifth ring, he answered.

"What do you want?" He spoke, trying his best to act indifferent to the person on the other side of the call, but there was a hint of irritation in his voice.

"It's been two weeks since we last talk and this is the first thing you said to me?" A familiar voice of a woman spoke. "A hello would be nice, y'know?"

"How did you get this number, Miura-san."

"Or not... I asked Komachi."

"That idiot imouto." Higeki thought angrily in his mind. "What the hell is she thinking?"

"Now don't growl at your sister after this call. She said she'd give me your number in exchange for a favor of hers."

"A favor?"

"Yeah, something about giving an idiot older brother a punch to the face to get his act together."

"I am thinking rationally, Miura-san. And my rational thinking led me to this best possible option."

"By becoming a criminal? Do you know how stupid and contradicting that sounds?"

"Where could I go? The police? The supposed 'law enforcements'?"

"To me. You should've leaned on me for this problem."

"How can I trust you? You're still working as a police."

"Oh, my fuc-, I'm the one who told you about him before you left the school trip! I even got out of my way to disobey orders from the chief to find you in Kyoto and protected you from-"

"How do I know this isn't part of his plan and you're going along with it?"

"Listen, You can't go on like this. Even if you've managed to get out of his radar or he and the rest of this mess get cleaned, you can't go back to normal life. Please, for the thousandth time, trust me."

"I'm sorry. I can't. If you want to help me, there is one thing you can do."

"Don't tell me it's to leave you alone-"

"So you've read my mind. Well then, please do me that favor. It will help me a lot." Before she could respond, Higeki ended the call and just continued watching the video to distract himself from that. "Guess I need to change my contact number. What was Komachi thinking?"

The video in social media did help for a distraction although maybe in a different way. Higeki was fully bored when an advertisement abruptly cut the video. He already knew it was a scam and wanted to press the skip button. However, he decided to listen further as it did interest him a little on what other sorts of ridiculous claims the man promoting the product would say. The more he watched the larger his boredom grew as well as his drowsiness. His eyelids were slowly closing but he tried to lift them as if they were heavy. It was all futile in the end as the young yakuza's consciousness faded.

---

It was dark. No, everything was all just black. Hikigaya Hachiman checked himself to see his whole body clearly which meant his eyes weren't closed. However, what he also noticed was that he was sitting in a wheelchair wearing a hospital gown. His entire left arm was gone as if it was amputated. He clutched his left sleeve to check if this was real until a scream of a child and man echoed and reached his ears. He looked in front to see a little girl and a bald man lying prone on the black ground. Their faces were indistinguishable but judging from how their bodies were shaking and struggled to get up, he assessed that they might be in pain. Suddenly, chains rose from the ground and pierced their flesh everywhere but no blood came out. The little girl and bald man screamed louder and seemed to be looking at him even though they had no eyes. The boy in a hospital gown tried to stand up but his legs couldn't move. In fact, he couldn't even feel his legs and so he desperately tried to move the wheelchair but it wouldn't move as if the wheels were frozen. The more he struggled to stand, the screams became louder and louder, and his desperation and despair grew by the second until the wheelchair flew towards the two people restrained in chains as if someone threw it along with him with such strength. Fortunately, he was on the ground so he used his one right arm to crawl closer to save the little girl first since she was the closest to him. However, he realized that the girl was sinking to the ground as the chains dragged her down. After closing the distance for about a few feet, he stretched his hand forward in an attempt to grab the girl's hand. Sadly, he was too late as the little girl sank into the black ground as if it was quicksand.

He cursed himself for this failure but he didn't give up since there was that bald guy who was still sinking. He made it in time to grab the man's hand to pull him out. Hikigaya suddenly felt his legs moving and so despite only had one hand, he stood up and pulled the bald man as strong and quick as he could. It was successful as the man's body rose. However, while he was pulling him up, the chains that pierced the bald man began to appear dirty and slowly covered in blood. He didn't notice it because he closed his eyes in the desperation of saving someone. The longer he pulled, the more pain he felt in his right hand. It was as if the hand he was holding tightly had spikes and the pain began spreading through his arm. After what felt like an eternity of enduring the excruciating pain, he finally saved the man from sinking into darkness. The bald man was just on his knees, staring down and not moving a single finger in his hands. A certain rush spread inside his body, his breathing became rapid and his heart was beating irregularly as the sound echoed around him. A hissing sound of steam reached his ears and saw steam coming down on top of the bald man. Hikigaya looked up to see the little girl hung upside down in chains that still pierced into her body. The chains were steaming and glowing as if they were exposed to intense heat. They emitted so much steam it covered the girl's entire body until it was a silhouette and the bald man raised his head up towards the hanging little girl and opened his mouth. He inhaled deeply which absorbed the steam into his mouth and after a few seconds, the bald man closed it with puffed cheeks and looked at the boy who was afraid of all this nonsense happening.

The bald man immediately opened his mouth wide and a trail of steam launched towards the boy's neck. The steam surrounded his neck and strangled him as if it turned solid. The steam lifted him up with his neck and flailed him violently. As he flailed to the right, Hikigaya crashed into a wall of crystals that appeared out of nowhere which broke. To the left, he crashed through another wall of crystals.

"GAH!" Hikigaya yelled in pain while trying to breathe as much air as possible from being strangled. He kept being flailed into crystals before being pummeled into the ground on his back. The bones in his entire body should have shattered from all that, yet he only felt pain and could still move slightly. He lost the feeling in his legs once again and the steam strangled around his neck turned into two chains twisted together. Hikigaya looked around to notice he was in a cave full of crystals with some rooted in the ground and above in different sizes while others were fragments scattered everywhere. The crystals gave off a light that changed color back and forth from blue to red every second. He looked to his left and noticed his left arm was there attached to his body as if it didn't really get amputated and was just there the entire time. Hikigaya felt the chains around his neck moved on its own and looked in front to see a creature that terrified him. It had a skinny and grey body, and a face that looked dehydrated and the mouth didn't have lips, revealing its unclean and yellow teeth. There were also crystals embedded in its body and most of it was in its back as if they grew inside of the monster.

In short, the creature looked like a skeleton with a minimal amount of flesh in its body. Hikigaya noticed that the creature's hands were handcuffed and its chain was the one that strangled around his neck which was already removed from him. The chain in the monster's handcuff was too long to restrain its hands and it also appeared to be rusty.

The monster slowly slouched its way to Hikigaya and grabbed something on the ground. It was a gavel that was covered in dust and also had a few small crystals rooted in it. The creature slowly raised the gavel while approaching him and the light from the crystals slowly faded as it got closer to him. Hikigaya couldn't move as he only watched as the creature swung down the gavel and hit his head. It was very painful yet there was something strange about it. The pain was from the inside as if he wasn't hit in the head by anything but rather had a splitting headache. He closed his eyes shut from the excruciating pain and the moment he screamed, the bandage wrapped around his head loosened slightly and strands of bandages lashed out as if they came to life. He looked around in the dark to see objects floating in the air. Picture frames with only images of shadow; books with blurred words with some letters just flew out f the texts and papers; and even cellphones that had different ringtones. He hoped to wonder what they were and why they were floating but the pain in his head intensified further until he had to clutch his head to resist. The strands of bandages on his head flew and slowly wrapped the object. One by one, the objects turned to dust from the bandages crushing them. Each time one of them at least cracked increased the pain of his headache even more and when it shattered into dust, he almost lost consciousness. The dust of all the crushed objects froze still in the air and after the last picture frame was destroyed, a static sound hurt his ears.

"GAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

---

Higeki sat up from the couch with his face dripping in sweat despite the cold temperature. He breathed heavily while clutching his head and chest from being overwhelmed by the nightmare. The sunlight illuminating through the large picture window indicated that it was daytime as the morning news on his phone announced the weather today. After a few more heavy breaths, the young yakuza wiped the sweat on his forehead that revealed the huge scar behind his bangs. He stood up and walked unsteadily into the bathroom to take out a roll of bandage in a drawer. Higeki unbuttoned the shirt and removed it to reveal his toned physique with a long scar on his right forearm and two more big scars on his upper left arm. He wrapped the bandages into his entire left arm and then to his forehead.

The young yakuza wore back the shirt while entering the bedroom that consisted of a large bed fit for two people with a white blanket and pillow. it was the same as the living room, not a single piece of furniture nor any decorations in here. Basically, almost empty and dull. He opened the closet and the only clothes hanging were only sharp black suits, white collared buttoned-up shirts, and some winter coats. The clothes were so few it barely occupied half the closet's large space. He grabbed a black blazer to wear and exited the apartment room while wearing the topcoat. The only things he brought were his wallet and cellphone in each of his pocket pants, and the brass knuckle hidden in the inside jacket pocket. After going down to the ground floor via an elevator, he approached a vending machine to insert a coin and pressed a few buttons. The chosen canned beverage fell in the machine and he picked it up. He opened the can and took a sip.

"PFFFTTT!" Only for him to spat the brown liquid out of his mouth and had a disgusted expression. He threw away the can in the trash bin and went out of the apartment to catch a breath of fresh air with piles of snow in his surroundings. As he breathed deeply, the phone in his pocket vibrated and so he pulled it out to see what it was. The phone screen displayed a message from Minami and so he unlocked the phone to read the text.

[8:00 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: GOOD MORNING 😊

[8:00 AM] Higeki: Good morning.

[8:00 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: What are you doing?

[8:00 AM] Higeki: Getting breakfast at some cafe or something.

[8:00 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: That's like the 1000th time already. You should make your own breakfast.

[8:00 AM] Higeki: Too lazy, and I don't have time so I need to eat something from a convenience store.

The young yakuza engaged in a text conversation with her while being attentive to his surroundings to avoid any accidents. He reached the nearest convenience store and grabbed two things for breakfast: an Oronamin C Drink which was an energy drink with caffeine and vitamin C and a maguro onigiri. When he approached the counter to buy it, he noticed the female cashier looked terrified from how her hands shook and her smile looked so forced. As he put down his items on the counter for her to scan them, the cashier tried her best to maintain her composure but clearly failing.

"W-Would you like a receipt?" She stuttered while handing him the two purchased items.

"No thanks," He took them and exited the store but not before hearing a sigh of relief from the female cashier. "I guess she suspects I'm with the yakuza. Either because of my appearance or that rumors are starting to spread in this city. Either way, that's good for me."

While eating the onigiri, the young yakuza walked as he ignored all the stares from other people. Some were avoiding him and whispered among themselves. He couldn't care less about what they gossiped as his primary focus is the interrogation of the captured Russian that would occur today. Last night, there were no updates from the tall foreigner so he was hoping the information would be extracted and also hoping that information would truly benefit the organization no matter if the Russian was part of the Barbaros Syndicate or not. Higeki rode a bus to reach his destination quickly and all the passengers stared at him while others tried to avoid his gaze. The driver would occasionally look at the rear-view mirror to see the young yakuza standing beside other passengers that couldn't find a seat or chose not to. They minded their own business such as looking at social media on their cellphones and waiting for the bus to reach their own destinations. However, the driver and passengers couldn't ignore Higeki's presence. After a few minutes, the bus finally stopped and he went out to see a small three-story building in front of him.

"You may be thinking why a yakuza like me is just walking in broad daylight. Movies and other mediums depicted the Yakuza as an invisible, evil organization that works in the dark doing sketchy operations. While working in the dark is true, the Yakuza organization is not hiding from the public. The organization published a magazine complete with feature stories on its leaders and there was one time when they helped people when an earthquake occurred here in 1995 and a tsunami struck that destroyed many cities in Japan. Unlike most crime syndicates and groups around the world, the Yakuza weren't completely evil and they had a public face. Some say the reason why the crime rate of this country is so low is not just the strict laws and strong enforcement, but also the efforts of our syndicate getting rid of petty criminals that tried to overstep our territories. But does everyone see us as the good guys? Not most of them, because we still commit crimes in the underworld and we can be violent when necessary.

Gambling businesses, loan sharking, managing prostitution, and weapon sales.

Those are the crimes we do on a nightly basis. We were also given jobs such as escorting important people like politicians and act as guards. We are basically the anti-heroes of society."

"Woah, that's a yakuza right there," A male high school student whispered to his girlfriend but due to the lack of people in the streets and the distance between them, Higeki could hear it clearly.

"Scary..." The girlfriend whispered while clutching his arm tighter.

"Really? I think they're cool."

"You think criminals are cool?"

"I mean..." The high school couple walked away until they were too far from his ears to hear their conversation as he sighed and he approached the building in silence. Two people stood between the entrance. One wore sharp black suits while the other wore white and both had sunglasses.

"Old man Katashi wants to speak with you." The guard on his left spoke.

"And he didn't look happy saying it," The other guard said with a grin. "Finally, after a whole-ass month, you fucked something up."

"I didn't do anything that would get me in trouble," Higeki said while entering the building. "He must be having a bad day."

"Maybe, but I want to stick with my personal choice. Hahahaha!" The guard's laugh faded as the young yakuza walked inside further. He walked into a corridor and turned to the right to find a door right in front of him. He knocked on the door three times and the voice of an old man responded inside the room.

"Come in." After hearing that, Higeki opened the door to see a small room that consisted of two couches facing each other and a long rectangular glass table parallel between them. An old man with a black beard wearing a grey sharp suit with a red tie and black collared shirt under. The old man looked at the young yakuza with a serious expression and only tilted his head to point at the couch in front of him, telling him to sit down. Higeki nodded in response and sat on the other couch while taking off the coat.

"So... the job from last night," Katashi spoke while pulling out a box of cigarettes to smoke. "You did well cleaning up those trespassers with your partner. And catching two people with valuable information is a bonus."

"Thank you." Higeki bowed in gratitude to the old man.

"Now there is just one problem," Katashi said while smoking. "That Russian you brought here won't budge. No matter what we did, he closed his mouth shut."

"I see. Should we drug him?"

"That is an option we were about to act on until he said something that made us not to."

"What did he say?"

"A couple hours ago, that gaijin said he would only talk to the 'boy with the brass knuckles'. You can probably tell where this is going."

"You want me to interrogate him..."

"Yeah, how good is your interrogation skills?"

"From a scale of one to ten? I'd say six. I can scare them with threats and stare at them long enough to spill everything they know. But if it's someone like that Russian guy, I doubt I can get him to even let out his voice."

"Is that so? Hmm..." Katashi smoked one more time before tapping the cigarette on the edge of the ashtray to remove the ashes. After a few seconds of thinking in silence, he looked at Higeki with a grin which made the young yakuza felt uneasy and confused at the same time. "Meh, it's still worth a shot."

"I'll try..." The two yakuza stood up and exited the room and walked into the hallway. They passed by other members who stepped aside to let the two walked the path smoothly in silence. Higeki and Katashi went downstairs until they reached a corridor with metal doors on both sides. There was one keypad below each door handle, meaning they can only be opened by entering the correct code as each door had its own code to open. "If I remember right, this is only your second time in the torture hall?"

"Yes, the old man once showed me this place when I first joined in."

"Alright then, do you still remember what he told you?"

"These rooms are soundproof, so we couldn't hear the victim's screams from outside. At the end of the hallway is a door that leads to storage full of toys, weapons, and weird contraptions used for torture. All of the rooms have security cameras inside to record all previous tortures and interrogation attempts. The footage of a victim's confession will either be sent to the boss or put them in an archive for references."

"That's right. And that..." Katashi pointed at a door to their right. "... is where we put the Russian in good care."

They approached the metal door and the old man entered the code to open it. The keypad made a beeping sound as he opened the door to reveal a tall muscular, and naked man with a black crew cut sitting on a metal chair in a dimly lit room. Both of his hands and feet were cuffed on a metal chair, and his entire body and face had cuts, bruises, and dirt. His left eye was swollen while his right eye had noticeable eye bags. All of the cuts were still bleeding as the armrest to the bottom half of the chair were covered in blood and left a puddle on the floor. Right next to him was a laptop placed on a small circular table and a small condenser microphone connected to it with a chord. Two men were standing in front of the tall, restrained foreigner. One had black messy hair and wore a plain grey yukata. He held a katana with a blade covered in blood in his right hand. The other had a blonde shaved head and wore a black shirt and a pair of jeans. The two men turned around when they heard the creaking sound of the metal door opening and their eyes widened by the visitors.

"Old man Katashi!" Both torturers stood straight with their feet closed together and bowed. The messy-haired yakuza raised his head slightly while bowing to notice Higeki standing behind Katashi. The bearded old man noticed him and spoke.

"Still won't talk?" He asked while pointing at the Russian.

"Y-Yes, that gaijin really wants to speak with that kid and won't even open his mouth unless he's doing the interrogation," The blonde yakuza answered.

"Well then, you're now in charge of this one, Higeki." Katashi tapped the young yakuza's right shoulder without turning around to look at him.

"I understand," Higeki's answer satisfied the old man and exited the room, leaving the young yakuza with the two torturers. Higeki noticed the tall Russian staring at him with a grin. He raised an eyebrow in confusion to that expression but regardless, he approached him and analyzed his current state further.

"Give the order." The man with the katana spoke while stretching his neck.

"We trust your guts no matter what, kid." The blonde man cracked his knuckles while glaring at the naked Russian.

"Did he said anything else other than wanting to meet me?" Higeki asked.

"Nope, that's all that bastard said and he didn't even sound in pain. Tough fucker."

"Alright, then. First, find me a chair," Higeki raised one finger then continued while raising another. "Second, you two leave the room. I'll handle this alone."

"Are you sure?" The messy-haired yakuza asked.

"Yes, for him to endure this much just so he could confront me is saying something. That deserves respect." Higeki said while maintaining his scrutinizing gaze towards the tall foreigner. The two torturers looked at each other for a moment until the messy-haired yakuza shrugged his shoulders and the blonde man sighed.

"Alright." They followed his requests as they went out and brought a chair for Higeki to sit. The two torturers stayed outside of the metal door in case the young yakuza needed assistance during and/or after the interrogation. Higeki was alone with the tortured Russian in the room as he sat down in a wooden chair and looked at the laptop and microphone.

"I'm assuming that's a translator for him. Technology has truly advanced, huh?" Higeki took one deep breath and finally spoke. "It's just the two of us now. You can talk."

"..." The Russian remained silent and tilted his head to point at the laptop and microphone. Higeki raised an eyebrow in trying to figure out what that meant.

"Ah, He doesn't understand Japanese... right." The young yakuza scratched his head in embarrassment. He stood up to carefully lifted the small table to prevent the laptop and mic from falling and placed it in the middle between him and the tall foreigner. He then moved the chair closer to the tortured captive and spoke on the microphone. "Uhh... Hello?"

"Zdravstvuyte?" A male robotic voice spoke in Russian through the laptop.

"Wow, it works."

"Spasibo, chto prishli syuda. (Thanks for coming here.) The Russian spoke as the electronic translated his language.

"Okay then. Let's start the interrogation with who are you. (Nu ladno. Davayte nachnem dopros s togo, kto vy takoy.)"

"Menya zovut Masaru Kuznetsov (My name is Masaru Kuznetsov.)"

"Your first name sounds like Japanese."

"My father once traveled here and met my mother who is Japanese. After marriage, they settled in Russia and gave birth to me."

"Interesting... And you can't speak Japanese?"

"She didn't teach me her language since she thought it won't mean anything when we were just visiting the country like we were tourists."

"Hmm... Next question: Who do you work for?"

"I don't know his name. He just calls himself the bartender. I work as a hitman you see, and he hired me to kill you."

"Me? What did I do to him?"

"I don't know. He didn't tell me the reason. Just hunt you down and kill you."

"Where is that client of yours?"

"I met him at a bar somewhere in Tokyo. We discussed our business in the basement."

"A man in Tokyo who only referred to himself as "the bartender", huh," The young yakuza said in his mind, thinking about the information he received so far. "Whoever that guy is, he wants me dead. But there is one weird thing about this..."

"Why do you want to speak to me?" He asked Masaru while folding his arms together. It was indeed strange for a hitman wanting to speak with the target unless he had a plan to kill him here. However, Higeki focused his attention on the tortured Russian, observing to see him making the slightest suspicious movement and if he did, Higeki would be ready.

"I'm the kind of guy who puts his curiosity first before I do my job. It's a habit of mine," Masaru said with a smile while shrugging his shoulders. "And you're really interesting. You countered my punches despite the obvious difference in strength. Well, I guess it's more of your defensive techniques than physical capabilities."

"That's it?" Higeki asked in disbelief but maintained his composure. "That's the reason you want to talk to me?"

"Well, yeah. Were you expecting something else?"

"Yeah, like luring me here so you could escape from those restraints and kill me. Remembering our encounter last night, you literally crashed through a wall like it was nothing."

"True, it is possible I can break free from something like this, but that doesn't mean I can escape this place alive. Besides, I really do want to know more about you."

"Okay... Speaking about last night, how the hell did you find me?"

"I just stalked you the entire day."

"Welp, there are some cons in just moving in broad daylight." The young yakuza thought and then spoke. "That's creepy but I'm not one to talk. Anyway, next question: Do you know about the Barbaros Syndicate?"

"Yes," Fuyuku grinned which made Higeki felt uneasy. "I used to work there."

The moment Masaru declared his answer, the young yakuza's widened in shock before getting back his calm expression.

"Is that true?"

"Yeah, it was different from any normal mafia gang. They were all formal and traditional."

"Traditional?"

"Like they're following old traditions. Chinese, Mongolian, and Russian. Although, when I was still a member, it was all Chinese."

"Ah, even in criminal gangs, they are trying to spread their authoritarianism on the underground. So why'd you quit?"

"I quit two years ago because they had their sights on Japan," Masaru's expression turned menacing when he said that. His fists curled into fists and looked down as if he was reminiscing a memory. "I used to come here with mother many times. I love it here so I won't join their plans."

"What exactly are they planning?"

"I don't know their plans but I heard what their current goal is: To take over the entire criminal world in Japan and control the country from the underground."

"So in other words, they're trying to take over Japan?" The young yakuza asked with doubt in his eyes. Anyone would find the tall Russian's statement to be unbelievable. Such a terrifying thought would make people laugh and overreact in optimism to make light of the situation. Even Higeki wanted to laugh at that ridiculous revelation, but he knew that wouldn't change the atmosphere nor reveal the claim itself as false. As he sat in silence, Masaru stared at him with a serious expression and didn't answer the question but that silence may have given him the answer already. Not a single sign of lies no matter how many seconds had passed. The young yakuza was about to speak and ask more questions but the metal door suddenly burst open. He and Masaru looked to see who it was and saw Tsuguri with an annoyed expression. While the long-haired yakuza entered and the metal door slowly closed on its own, the blonde shaved head yakuza peaked his head and silently muttered "I'm sorry" to Higeki for not stopping Tsuguri. Higeki could only sigh and manage this by himself.

"Woah, you sure gave that gaijin a good beating." Tsuguri commented on the injuries the restrained Russian had all over his body.

"I didn't do this. Those two outside tortured him last night and were about to start again an hour ago." Higeki explained with indifference.

"Yeah, figures. You're too much of a pussy to do this kind of thing," The long-haired yakuza grinned and approached the restrained Russian. He leaned forward to face him at eye level with a taunting gaze. "So what did you get from this prick."

"His name is Masaru Kuznetsov, a half-Japanese and half-Russian hitman hired by someone who only referred to himself as 'the bartender' to kill me."

"Shit, what did you do to piss that guy off?"

"I don't know. He doesn't know either but I'm still skeptical about all of his answers so far."

"Huh, well spit it out, you gaijin fucker," Tsuguri grabbed the microphone with one hand and Masaru's head with the other and glared at him for intimidation. However, Masaru fazed by neither the grab nor the glare as his expression was only pure indifference. Tsuguri's eyebrow twitched in irritation to the tortured hitman's lack of reaction, and so he pressed the question further while clutching his head harder. "I said tell us everything or else I'll-"

"He won't talk," The young yakuza interrupted his partner's outburst while taking back the microphone and faced it away from them to avoid the device from translating their conversation. "Not when you're here."

"Hah? What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means he only talks to me alone without anyone else in the room. He requested it."

"And you follow him? Seriously?"

"It's the only way to get him to talk. Besides, there's a security camera here so you can watch the recorded interrogation when I'm done."

"Tch, first the boss and the gang, now even our enemies are taking a liking to you? What kind of shit did you give them to suck your dick?"

"No one's sucking whatever. Just try to be smarter when talking to people."

"What the fuck does that mea-"

"Get out of here already," Higeki pulled the back of Tsuguri's collar of his shirt and dragged him outside surprisingly without any resistance. "You wasted enough for the interrogation. I have other things to do."

He closed the metal door shut and the two yakuza members looked at Tsuguri.

"Pfft! He dragged you out like some garbage bag." The blonde yakuza laughed while the messy-haired yakuza tried his best to resist laughing alongside his partner.

"A-And I thought he's the kid of the gang. HAHAHAHA!" His efforts were in vain as he burst out laughing. Tsuguri just sat on the floor for a few seconds as veins popped out in his head and he quickly stood up in anger and pressed the code to open the metal door. Instead of a beep, the keypad made a buzzing sound instead, meaning the code he entered was wrong. The long-haired yakuza typed the same code more furiously and it only had the same results.

"What the fuck?"

"Oh, right..." the messy-haired yakuza spoke to answer Tsuguri's confusion by showing his cellphone. "The kid texted me to change the code."

"Did he text him while I was distracted talking to that gaijin?" Tsuguri thought as he gritted his teeth in anger. "And you did it without Old Man Katashi's permission? You know that he's gonna-"

"Oh, I did get permission." He then showed a brief text conversation with Katashi and the long-haired yakuza saw the text "permission granted". Tsuguri's face looked more irritated but it wasn't because of the permission the old man gave. It was the last text message Katashi sent which said "Only follow Higeki and not the dumbass".

"God fuckin-, it's always him!"

"You sound like an attention whore,"

"Shut the fuck up!"

While Tsuguri and the others were arguing, Higeki massaged his own temple and sat back down at his chair. Masaru was only quiet as he watched the young yakuza thinking, most likely about the revelation that A large criminal syndicate planned to take over the underground of Japan. After a few seconds, Higeki sighed and opened his eyes to look at the prisoner with an analyzing gaze.

"Sorry about that. My partner is not very polite nor does he know how to." Higeki spoke through the microphone for the device to translate.

"I don't understand Japanese but I can tell that you two aren't friendly with each other, are you?"

"We only see each other as friends at work. Outside of that? We're just strangers. Or maybe it's more appropriate to say that we're just friends when it's convenient."

"What an odd friendship. Or do you even call it that?"

"Doesn't matter. Now back to the important topic at hand, are you telling the truth about what you said?"

"I lie a lot but I don't lie at something as ridiculous as this. For all these years, Japan had one of the lowest crime rates in the world because of the efforts of both the government and the yakuza. This country is basically covered from both sides and thought this country is impenetrable by foreign criminals. And that pissed off the Barbaros Syndicate... Sort of, I do remember one of the bosses mentioned something about their ancestors failed to invade Japan or whatever so it could be that."

"Somehow, I believe the latter more since there are other countries with low crime rates. I know Finland has the lowest so why can't they target that?"

"It is ridiculous when you think about it, but there are people living in the underground with no common sense or at some cases don't have any sanity."

"...Why are you telling me all of this?" Higeki leaned forward to observe the restrained Russian closely. The strangest and most obvious thing throughout this entire interrogation was Masaru just answered all the questions without any hint of hesitation. What was his true purpose from this? The young yakuza couldn't believe the reason was just for his mother, and he speculated that many, if not all of the tortured hitman's answers were lies. What could this man benefit from possibly telling the truth?

"I'm only trusting my gut and went for the right people who can handle this. I believe in the police force's abilities but let's be honest, can we really just blindly trust a man who doesn't show his face and was only recognized for his achievements? He did do some work but with a secret identity? This isn't some superhero comic where you save the day and that's it. The enigmatic detective and the vigilante, Isato are not trustworthy."

Higeki stared at him for a few seconds in silence and then sighed. The young yakuza wouldn't be able to decide in this situation by himself so he needed help. He stood up and went to the door in silence. As he held the handle, Masaru spoke.

"I'm still a hitman, by the way." The young yakuza turned around to see Masaru's serious expression. "My business is still running as long as you pay me a good amount."

"...I'll think about that." And with that, Higeki exited the room, leaving the restrained hitman. After closing the metal door, he only stood still while staring at the door handle in contemplation of the interrogation. Higeki turned around only to see his partner and the other two yakuza members staring at him with widened eyes and bruises on their faces. They seemed to be fighting each other in a two against one with Tsuguri pointing a katana between them while the other two raised their fist as if they were ready to fight. Higeki blinked twice and just walked away with indifference to the strange scene. Meanwhile, the three watched him climbing the stairs and after a few seconds, Tsuguri went after him.

"Hey, wait up, you jackass!" He ran but before he could climb the stairs, the man in yukata shouted.

"Give me back my katana, you bastard!"

---

"Basically, they're planning a gang war," Katashi spoke while smoking a cigarette and Higeki sat on a couch listening to the old man's words. Tsuguri sat beside him with folded arms and looked at Katashi while thinking about his partner's information he extracted from the Russian.

"We still don't know if the syndicate's plan involves facing us directly so we can't say for certain they would start a gang war." Higeki rebutted.

"If they're trying to fuck with us, we'll definitely go to war." Tsuguri said while clasping his fists together.

"You're right, if they think we'll let them crawl their way under our feet and choke us to death, they won't get away in one piece." The old man took out a cellphone from his pocket and made a call while exiting the room. "Excuse me while I call oyabun."

"Things are getting crazy, huh?" Tsuguri commented while scratching his head. "And it's only been a month since we joined and this is happening."

"Do I hear you complaining about chaos which is something that you found it fun?" Higeki said in a bored tone while looking at his own phone.

"Hey, I'm just saying shit's escalating too fast. That doesn't mean I won't enjoy it though."

"Of course you would."

"But do you think everything that gaijin said was true?"

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking Katashi-san to make the decision."

"Yeah, it's hard to believe those guys are stupid enough to try to fuck with us. I guess the real question is what kinds of shitty plans are they going with to do this."

"In my case, doing it step by step."

"What do you mean?"

"They can't just do the usual roaming around selling drugs and kill in the dark. This country is covered on both sides. What the syndicate needs to do is going with an even smaller plan, either by sending one person to do the job or dig deeper into the underground until we can't follow them."

"Those are plausible," Katashi entered the room after the call and sat back down on the couch facing the two yakuza members. He picked up the cigarette box to pull out another cigarette and smoked. "Whether we believe it or not, there is a fact that the Barbaros Syndicate sent a group here and trespassed in business."

"Kyoto..." Tsuguri muttered which still reached their ears and the young yakuza flinched by his word. They turned towards Higeki who appeared to be calm but on the inside, his mind was spiraling with twisted thoughts. After a few seconds of silence, the old man continued.

"That small group in Kyoto that this kid cleaned up gave us a sigh of relief. Not only he exposed the syndicate trying to mess with this country, but he also reprimanded many small gangs that weren't part of any yakuza clans. And those gangs were negotiating with them which made them in cahoots with the syndicate. The question is how did the syndicate slipped past our eyes and sneaked in one of our territories."

"And then there is this 'bartender' guy who wants Higeki dead." The long-haired yakuza added. "Maybe that guy has a connection with him?"

"Maybe... But we don't have time for speculations. Right now, we need to take measures," Katashi exhaled the smoke and held his chin in thought. "That's what oyabundecided. How, you ask? The only thing we can do is double the patrols, double the security, and double the efforts of all the people here. We'll also be trying to contact other yakuza clans to help us with this situation."

"Woah, woah, woah, isn't that a little extreme for just basing off of a dumbfuck Russian bastard who tried to kill us?" Tsuguri said while standing up in shock at the old man's proposal.

"I agree. We can't tell if he's telling the truth or not," Higeki agreed with his partner's statement. "If by any chance this is all for nothing, we could be wasting resources and time. We can increase some of the securities and patrols, but isn't contacting other clans a bit too much?"

"We're now facing a situation with a lot of uncertainties," Katashi rebutted with a serious expression. "If we don't take this seriously, the Barbaros Syndicate will succeed before we would even notice it. We're not taking any chances."

"But-" Higeki attempted to speak but the old man already stood up after squashing the cigarette on the ashtray and left the room.

"That is all. You can now go do your jobs." He said his final words before closing the door, leaving the two yakuza members alone in the room. Both were silent as they thought about everything that had happened so far today. Tsuguri just stared up on the ceiling while Higeki closed his eyes to recollect his thoughts. After a few moments, the long-haired haired yakuza spoke.

"Oi..."

"What?" Higeki asked.

"The old man was acting weird, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, for him and the boss to go to such lengths based on speculations and uncertain information. There must be something else going on."

"What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you gonna go full detective and solve this mystery or some shit?"

"... No, we just need to rely on Katashi-san and the boss and hope for the best."

"Welp, it's your orders."

"Since when did I became a leader."

"Dude, you're the one who's bossing me around no matter how irritating and how much I want to kill you on the spot."

"I don't act like a leader," Higeki stood up and his partner followed as they exited the room. "A babysitter could be more appropriate."

"Hah?!"

---

"Are you sure about this, oyabun?" A man wearing a black sharp suit spoke. He had grey slicked-back hair and had a small tattoo of a dragon on the right side of his neck spreading to his cheek. He stood in the middle of a room with a fancy red carpet under his feet and looking at an old man sitting on a black office chair in front of a large wooden desk.

"I know for a fact that HE'S the one who is pulling the strings. There's no one else who knows how we and other Yakuza clans move other than him," Oyabun spoke while massaging his temple with one finger. He was fully bald and his face had wrinkles. His attire consisted of a kimono with red and green flower patterns that was draped over his shoulders and a black yukata. "And now he's after the boy's life. He's really gone insane."

"You really favored Hiki-... Higeki Yuudai, huh?"

"Yeah, he's an interesting kid," The old man in yukata stood up and turned around to stare at the city in the night. "For years, after majority thought that there was no need for people like the yakuza, many clans have their number of members declined or worse, they disbanded The new laws restrained our actions and made our businesses hard to manage without facing a penalty. Back then, a lot of young people dreamed of joining gangs, wear fancy suits, and scare bystanders for the hell of it. Now, they're afraid of us because the current law will put them in jail and their social status would crash down. Even if our power and influence is still strong across the country, the era,... even the presence of the yakuza will soon end."

"Oyabun..."

"When I was young and joined this clan, I became brothers with other members and comrades and oyabun was our father. We weren't some crime organization, we were family even though our blood is different from each other. I've experienced what brotherhood was in my early days and but when I became the boss, I couldn't experience fatherhood like oyabun because our recruits were so few that all of our members are the people from our time. Many of our brothers left us to have a better life and we respect their decision at the cost of the family shrinking even more. Don't you think it would be weird if I call someone in his 50s 'my son'? What if I call you a son?"

"It would sound strange considering I'm the one taking care of small yet dumb choices from the current head of this clan."

"Oi,"

"So do you see Higeki-kun as your son?"

"That's where I'm going with this conversation. And no matter how much I hate the idea, I consider Tsuguri as my son too even though he has a few shits loose in his head."

"Tsuguri-kun and Higeki-kun, huh? I don't think they would like the idea that they're brothers of this clan."

"Well, they don't have a choice since they joined this gang so refusing the relationship is not an option..." The oyabun closed his eyes in contemplation of a certain memory. A memory that led to the present time.

...

"What a weird kid," The old man mumbled as he looked at the young teenage boy sitting in a wheelchair while wearing a hospital gown with bandages wrapped around his head and a cast on his left arm. He held a kitchen knife shakingly with only his right hand that was covered in blood. Meanwhile, the old man wore a grey topcoat over a black sharp suit and a grey fedora hat.

"What's your name?" The old man asked while kneeling down to look at him at eye level. The young boy only looked down with widened eyes, not releasing the tiniest sound of his voice. Despite the blade of the knife covered in blood, it still reflected his eyes. A minute had passed as there was only silence between them until the old man spoke while analyzing the boy's current state. "Can't talk? That's gonna be a pain in the ass for me. What's even more of a pain is you getting involved in this shitstorm. You don't look like an assassin out to kill me or some kind of spy in disguise. Are you seriously just a hospitalized kid in a wheelchair who only came here to help me?"

"..." The boy continued to remain silent and raised his head to look at the old man with widened eyes. The man with a fedora could see the pain and fear the boy had which he expected that expression considering what they did tonight. But that also confused the old man as to why would this hospitalized teenager committed this act.

"Am I going to take that as a yes?" He scratched the back of his head in frustration at this young stranger's mysterious action and identity. "For your sake, I'll keep all this a secret as long you shut your mouth, understand?"

Surprisingly, the boy responded only with a nod and quickly dropped the knife to rub his own hands together as if they were shivering from the cold temperature. The old man stood up and walked behind the boy and pushed the wheelchair to move forward.

"Alright, let's take you back to your room and pretend nothing happened," With that, they exited the room while passing by a few dead bodies wearing suits and weapons such as guns and knives. "Is your room in this floor? Since I doubt you can go downstairs smoothly with a wheelchair. Speaking of which, were you sleeping in a wheelchair the entire night? Or can you move your legs and walked towards it?"

"I... can still feel my legs," The young boy finally spoke which made the old man paused. "The screams... and the sound of gun firing woke me up... and I think everyone in the building woke up from that too... so I tried my best to move my legs but I could only raise them and get out of the bed... The wheelchair is right next to me... so..."

"Is that right?" The old man continued to push the wheelchair and moved forward in the hallway. While the teenage boy looked down, contemplating on a certain topic, the old man noticed an open door at the end of the hallway and it slid closed quickly after being a few feet closer to that room. "I guess they really are awake."

He stopped right in front of the closed door and knocked it twice before hearing a woman's muffled gasp inside.

"Excuse me miss, but please don't tell anyone about this." After a few seconds without a response on the other side, he was about to continue their way until the boy spoke.

"How are you so sure... she and everyone else won't tell."

"Hmm... you're right, but I can twist the story in my favor." The old man said with a smirk but the boy couldn't see the expression he wore.

"What do you mean?..." the boy turned his head to look at him with a confused expression.

"Oh yeah, forgot to introduce myself," The old man stopped and walked to the front and knelt down to stare at his dead-fish eyes with a grin. "My name is Minamoto Hiroshi, the current head of the Yamaguchi-gumi."

"... a yakuza?"

"Yup, what's your name?"

"..." The boy hesitated for a moment before raising his hand to point to the side. The old man name Minamoto looked in the direction he was pointing to see a nameplate of a hospital room that said...

"Hikigaya... Hachiman?" Minamoto stood up to read the nameplate and turned to Hikigaya with widened eyes and knelt down in front of him. He then gave the boy a focusing gaze while holding both of his cheeks to keep his head in place. Hikigaya raised an eyebrow until the old man spoke. "So you're the kid, huh?"

"W-What are you talking about?" Hikigaya asked but he knew what Minamoto was saying. Deep in his mind, the boy hoped the head of a yakuza clan didn't know who he really was, and yet the possibility was high since Minamoto may have the sort of power to access information. Endless speculation and fear surfaced in his thoughts and it seemed Minamoto noticed that based on the boy's expression.

"First, let's go inside the room," The old man stood up and pushed Hikigaya's wheelchair into his room and closed the sliding door. "Hajime... Oh, wait, didn't he change his name to Ojin? Whatever. That guy told me about you. How he was 'developing' you or some weird shit he was spouting."

"I should've known," Hikigaya curled his hand into a fist and slammed the armrest of his wheelchair. "You're with him, and all this is another one of his-"

"No, I just came here of my own will to visit a friend of mine here. It was pure coincidence." Minamoto put both of his hands to the boy's shoulders. "I see, so you had some screws loose. Not saying you're fucking crazy or anything... well, you are kinda crazy charging like that back there but y'know, like, there's something wrong with your head... other than that injury wrapped in bandages but you get me? Fuck, sometimes I can't say things right. Listen, I want you to join me."

"To... where?" The boy asked with uncertainty and confusion mixed in his tone.

"Join my clan, so you can escape from that bastard's schemes. You don't have to do anything, we'll shelter you until he loses interest...I guess that's more of asking you to let me babysit you than joining as a yakuza."

"And how long will that be?"

"I don't know," The old man answered while shaking his head. "That man is just too unpredictable and insane for normal people like us to read that goddamn head of his. And by the looks of it, I doubt you can hold on to his antics much longer."

"Why are you helping me?"

"To return the favor... And for once, to piss that fucker off." Minamoto grinned and coughed lightly before continuing his persuasion. "Consider this my payment to your debt in helping me back there."

Hikigaya remained silent for a moment, contemplating the old man's offer while looking down on the floor. The head of the yakuza clan stared at him in anticipation of his answer. He truly wanted to have the boy join him not just because to protect him, but he was also curious what this young vigilante could do and how he would contribute to the organization. Although Minamoto offered him only protection and not exactly join the clan, he would find an opportunity to convince the boy to work for him and the old man thought that would happen soon considering Ojin's personality. Minamoto's desire to repay the boy was genuine but with a selfish reason behind it. Hikigaya looked up with a determined look and told his answer.

"Okay, I accept the offer."

"Alright, then. So-"

"But there are two things that I want." He interrupted Minamoto in which the old man nodded. "One; When I'm fully healed, I'll join the clan not as someone being sheltered but as a real yakuza."

"Wait, seriously?" the head of the yakuza clan asked him in shock to the suggestion. His eyes widened and blinked twice. "But how long till you're recovered, though?"

"Soon enough, surprisingly..." The injured vigilante caressed his forehead that was wrapped in bandages. "Doctor said it was a miracle I could even alk and move my legs in a short amount of time. I'm glad my body isn't normal."

"Everything about you isn't normal."

"True. As for my second condition, I want a name change."

"What?"

"If you have the ability to do so, I want a new identity. Burn all of my records, documents, everything about me if you can."

"I'm pretty sure I can do that as long as you're patient enough. That request will take some careful management and trying not to get caught, but I'll work it out. Why do you want to change your identity?"

"If I'm going to work as a yakuza, I don't want my family to get harassed and be seen as a family of a criminal."

"If that's the case, do you want me to give your family protection too?"

"No need, the identity change should be enough."

"How are you so sure Ojin won't go after your family?"

"He won't. Do you know how many times I tried to ignore every crime that is obviously crafted by him? One way or another, he'll bring me into a situation that forces me to get involved but in all of those situations, he didn't put my family in danger for the sake of what goals he has for me. So it's fine."

"I don't think that's enough to prove your claim." Minamoto shook his head in disagreement with the young boy's claim. "It's better if I send at least two of my men to observe-"

"No offense, Minamoto-san, but I don't trust you completely yet. You'll gain my trust if you keep your end of the bargain."

"...Pfft! HAHAHAHAHA!" The head of the yakuza clan laughed loudly that echoed in the silent hospital. He couldn't help but clutch his stomach to resist the pain from laughing so hard at Hikigaya's statement. Minamoto took a few deep breaths, shed a tear on the corner of his eye, and tapped Hikigaya's shoulder repeatedly in amusement. "Fuck! y-you're a stupid kid. You accepted my offer, proposed two conditions BEFORE you say you don't trust me? What the fuck was the point of this discussion if you don't trust me in the end? Haha... Whoo! Okay..."

"This is desperation, nothing more," Hikigaya answered while clutching the armrest. "I'm running out of options. At this point, I might as well kill myself than just keeping up with all the nonsense that has happened to me."

"And who's to blame for that? Ojin? Or you? He may be the one who got his eyes on you, but you were the dumbass who went in dangerous shit as if you're the hero. Do you regret what you've done so far even though it helped a lot of people?"

"Funny you say that, because the last time I saved someone, it didn't really give the right happy ending. I want to get out of this scary life of a vigilante so I guess I do regret it."

"You don't sound like it."

"I'm still not sure if regret is the right word when I'm thinking about my actions. I got myself into trouble even if I'm still injured, but before that, all the fears I had every time I charged into those things didn't bother me after facing them. I guess I just didn't see where all of this is going, and that I was doing it for a selfish reason."

"Is that so? Alright then, one last chance, kid. Do you trust me on this or not?"

"I trust you for only 45 percent."

"... You really are dumb, are you?"

...

"He's a really dumb kid," The old man said while chuckling. "Can you believe someone like him exists?"

"Well, there are many people around the world who would be that desperate for something." The man in the suit spoke. "But I see what you mean. For him to choose this despite knowing what kind of job this is, would take a person with either guts, less sanity in his mind, or maybe just pure stupidity."

"It's all of the above." Minamoto held his chin in thought and remembered the young yakuza's appearance in their first encounter. He then walked towards a metal drawer and pulled the top open. As he looked at the documents, the head of the yakuza grabbed one and opened the document to read. "His frontal lobe is damaged from a bullet graze. It was one hell of a miracle he survived, even more so that he's recovered"

"The boy has quite the abnormal body, hasn't he?"

"More like he has an abnormal fucking head."

"So did his head injury gave him a mental disorder?"

"Obviously, bad case of PTSD after getting grazed in the head and all other fucked up shit Ojin did to him. It's understandable for his wish to escape the cause of all his current problems by asking a stranger. If I give that offer to a normal person, he would be more likely to refuse or at least give it some thought. Hell, a normal person would ask more questions about out of suspicion but all it took for Higeki was a few seconds and he accepted it by working under me as a yakuza."

"With all the difficulties Higeki-kun had in hospital treatment and his struggle in playing in Ojin's game, his mind really snapped."

"Yeah, and according to this, he needs another month of cognitive behavior therapy. I doubt his life would be back to normal once this shit blows over. He's already digging too deep underground. In any case, his PTSD didn't hinder his job and he's surprisingly doing well. Either the kid's improving or he's really good at hiding it."

"I see," Before they could discuss any further, the landline telephone on the oyabun's desk rang in which he answered the call.

"Hello?" Minamoto asked. A moment of silence ensued as the man in suit waited patiently while looking at his watch that was worn on his left wrist. After a few seconds, the old man spoke. "A week off? Well, yeah, I'll allow it. It's almost Christmas after all... No, wait. Let me think about this for a second."

"What's the problem?" The man asked.

"Higeki requested a week off for Christmas."

"It's understandable since the holiday is near but with the current situation against the Barbaros Syndicate, I doubt we should relax yet."

"And we're just talking about his mental issues. Depending on where he was going, a week off means he'll have to skip his therapy weekend. I'm still having doubts about his health improvement. What should I do, Hiroto?"

"In my opinion, the most logical option is to decline his request but this is your decision and I will trust whatever you choose." The man name Hiroto said his opinion and Minamoto sighed as he contemplated while holding his chin. As of now, they didn't have much information about the syndicate's actions since their only source was from a Russian hitman who may or may not be lying during the interrogation. Intensifying patrol and security measures was the right call in his opinion but that could be a waste of time and manpower as they were moving with paranoia and there might be a chance they were worrying for nothing. Letting one member like Hikigaya take a week off wouldn't affect the operations, but what concerned him more was Higeki's current state. Was the boy's health truly improved? Or was it all a facade to hide his true problem? The old man shook his head and dismissed his thoughts as paranoia.

"Did he say where he was going for the week off?" The old man asked the person on the other side of the landline. He already figured out where Higeki would go but he needed to be sure. The person answered which left him unsatisfied. "I see... Fine, I'll allow it. That is all."

"Where is he going to spend the week off?" Hiroto asked.

"He didn't tell though it's pretty much an obvious guess."

"Chiba... Would he be alright? Ojin is still working in the Chiba Police Department so the moment he catches wind that Higeki-san even stepped into the region, he'll surely-"

"I know, but still..." Minamoto sat back to his office chair and folded his arms. "I don't want the kid to get involved in this conflict. He's already been through enough."

"Higeki-kun completed his jobs quickly and well. He already acts as the official member of our clan so something like this should be nothing."

"Yeah... If this was decades ago, I would've agreed with you. But times changed. This modern era is not as simple as solving things with violence. It's gonna take a lot more than the usual 'punching the assholes'. It's fine. He deserves the rest and escapes from a gang war."

"Yes, oyabun."

"And besides, there are a few people I trust in the department that can protect the kid. It's all up to us now so let's get to it. Our clan won't fucking move in Japan if all we do is talking."

---

"Whoo! That was a nice night," A man with blonde, slick-back hair spoke. He wore a black, zipped, puffer jacket and a pair of jeans. His right arm was around the shoulders of a woman with straight blonde hair who wore a white fur coat. They were both laughing loudly and seemed to be drunk as their movements were flimsy and faces were red.

"I'll make an even better night for you." The woman said seductively while giggling and hugging his chest. "My apartment is not that far, y'know?"

"Heeeh~?" The man grinned as they walked in the empty streets at night to reach a rundown apartment and climbed the rusty metal stairs. The woman pulled the man's sleeve, telling him to stop in front of a door which meant that this was her room. She opened her purse and grabbed the apartment key, inserting it into the keyhole below the doorknob, and noticed something odd. When she twisted the key, it didn't make a sound that indicated the door was unlocked so she grabbed the door handle, and to her surprise, it opened. The drunk man noticed her expression, and he was about to ask but she suddenly ran inside the dark apartment room and flipped the light switch. What she saw as the light turned made her eyes widened and her face growing pale. The drunk man slowly went inside to look at the room. It was small and there were garbage bags littered on the floor. He looked in front to see the drunk woman standing still which made him raised an eyebrow in confusion. As he walked closer behind her, the drunk man tilted his head to see what she was looking at and saw two men wearing black sharp suits sitting in seiza under the tamaki while drinking green tea in the traditional cup.

"Oh, you finally arrived," The suspicious man with bandages wrapped around his forehead and left hand spoke.

"You sure took you sweet time. What have you been up to?" The other suspicious man with a ponytail spoke. "And I thought this poor little baby is abandoned or something. Aren't you fucking embarrassed as a mom?"

He pointed with his thumb behind him to give attention to a wooden cradle with a sleeping baby only wearing a diaper. Higeki stood up and walked towards the drunk pair as he grabbed the woman's shoulder and touched the man's chest with his index finger.

"You're not the husband, are you? Just some sex partner?"

"Well, I-" Before he could answer, the young yakuza spoke.

"In that case, please leave. My partner and I have a... rough business with this lady," Higeki then lightly held his neck with a menacing glare. "Unless you want to join, then it's fine. It won't change what happens next anyway."

"U-Uh, I'm a-actually was just about to leave so-"

"Wait!" The woman suddenly grabbed the man's left arm tightly which made him yelled in pain. "Please don't leave! I-I'll-"

"S-Sorry, but I have something to do! Take care!" He pushed her away and quickly exited the room, leaving her with the two yakuza members. The woman knelt down and cried until she spoke between sobs.

"Y-You're not the same people who used to collect my debt."

"We came here on behalf of them because they were busy elsewhere," Higeki spoke while squatting down to look at her within eye level. "We are from the same group but if you don't believe us and want proof, I can contact your collector and-"

"No! I-It's fine..." The woman stuttered in fear after he pulled out his cellphone in his pocket.

"Welp, you already know why we came here," Tsuguri stood up while stretching his neck. "So pay up."

"I-... I don't have enough-"

"The fuck? It's already 5 months, you dumb bitch. We ain't waiting till the debt goes one million yen."

"Uuwwuu..." The voice of the baby gained their attention and turned around to see him opened his eyes. Tears began to appear and he let out a loud cry. This made Higeki scratch his cheek because of how awkward the situation for him and couldn't ignore the baby's cries while Tsuguri inserted both index fingers in his ears to protect himself from the annoying sound. The woman could only look down for a few seconds until Higeki called her.

"Hey, uuhh, can you please comfort your baby?" He said while scratching his cheek and the woman hesitated for a moment until she complied. She stood up and approached the wooden cradle, grabbed a pacifier, and inserted it into the baby's mouth. It didn't work as the baby spat out the pacifier and continued crying. The two yakuza couldn't see her expression but based on how slow her movements were, and how much she curled her hands into fists every time her child spat the pacifier out of his mouth. The woman grunted in annoyance that reached their ears. After the seventh, more aggressive attempt to calm the baby with a pacifier, Higeki grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the baby. "The baby won't stop if you keep doing that."

"Shut up!" The woman shouted angrily while pulled her arm to escape his grasp. "You felt bad for this brat and not me?!"

"What?..." Both yakuza members were taken aback by her response. From her angry shout to referring to her child as a "brat", It was very clear to them that this woman lost her mind. Before Higeki could speak, Tsuguri stepped in with an irritated expression and pulled the woman's hair painfully as she screamed and resisted.

"If I remember right, before one of our loan sharks got his eyes on you, you were already a bitch," He said while swatting away her hands that were slapping him. "And then you got pregnant, you and your fuck buddy got married for the sake of the kid. But in the end, you're a fucking slut, desperate to enjoy all the shit here by yourself while he was working his ass off."

"And then he left me after one of your fuckheads ruined everything!"

"Pfft, what a fucking liar. The day before our loan shark spotted you, Your husband left after he found out you've been hanging around with other dumbasses. And you're asking why we feel worse about your baby than you? Get a reality check while you pay up the debt, will you?"

"I told you! I don't have enough money." The woman gritted her teeth while still struggling to escape his grasp of her hair. "I promise I'll pay you back! Promise!"

"I wonder how many times you promised that to our pal. We're not waiting for shit!"

"T-Then take everything!" She ran desperately towards the drawers and threw out all her clothes, cheap accessories such as earrings and rings. She even took off her fur coat and expensive red dress to reveal her black lingerie. "Surely t-this is enough to b-buy the debt."

"I highly doubt these would even reach 50,000 yen." Higeki commented as he picked up a wedding ring.

"Then... then how about I'll use my body instead! I'll even work as a prostitute in one of your brothels!"

"Doesn't sound like a punishment considering what you've been doing so far. How are we going to settle this?" The young yakuza asked his partner who was staring at the woman's body.

"Well, she got a nice bod-"

"Tsuguri."

"Shut up, I know. Why the fuck did he give us this kind of work?" Tsuguri scratched the back of his head and sighed in frustration at their job. "Let's just take all the accessories and that expensive dress she threw on the ground."

"I doubt it would cover her debt."

"Doesn't matter, the loan shark will get the rest next time. And this bitch got the message the next time she won't pay." The long-haired yakuza pointed at her with his thumb. The woman gritted her teeth and slowly turned her head around to look at the infant who was still crying in the cradle. Veins appeared on her head and averted her eyes back to the two yakuza members as they began taking her accessories and other materials they thought as valuables and had good money to sell. She walked unsteadily towards the cradle and held her child's neck. All the memories she had that led to this current circumstance flashed in her mind, each memory increased her rage and frustration a hundredfold.

...

"BLEAAH!" A naked woman vomited on the toilet.

"Hey, are you alright?!" The voice of a man shouted and knocked on the door in worry for her situation.

"Yeah... I'm fine..." She lied. She wasn't fine. What the woman discovered within herself destroyed the views of her life in an instant. Worries, doubts, fears, all negative emotions surfaced in her mind and formed into one, guaranteed, life-ruining mental state.

Anxiety.

What was the reason for this situation? It all began when she discovered the world of lust, money, and paradise called "prostitution". While many argued that such a profession was a pernicious form of violence against women due to men's desire for sexual gratification, others saw the benefits such as the profit prostitutes made compared to other professions and became an economic plus, and of course, the joy of committing sexual acts. This woman took the latter's side. When she first experienced it in her early high school days, it was terrible. However, when her first customer gave her the money, she saw the worth in this kind of job. Years had passed and she continued her work and pursuit of pleasure. She slept with all kinds of men: From a young client to an old man, and from Japanese to foreigners. So many men, so much profit. The man who was outside of the bathroom door was one of her favorites. He gave her large sums of money and the payment never dwindled, and sleeping with him was euphoric. She could tell this man was in love with her, but she didn't bear the same towards him. So when he confessed to her, the only logical answer was to reject. However, a thought surfaced in the woman's mind that if she did, she would lose one of her best customers and friend with benefits. After a few seconds of hesitation, she decided to accept and now they became a couple.

It was a decent experience.

Going out on dates, enjoying even the most peaceful romantic moments, heartwarming kisses. She found the joy of being in a relationship.

As a way to kill time...

She didn't harbor any romantic feelings for this man. Despite dating for three years, there wasn't a single development in her heart. Again, the reason she accepted the confession was so her favorite friend with benefits wouldn't leave her. Even the day before now, she had been sleeping with other men behind her "lover's" back. She just couldn't let go of the pleasure in seducing men and gaining profit out of every night she slept with them. While it was nice her "lover" provided them so much money from his job, it wasn't as satisfying as earning them herself with her own "job". Add that with their current savings provided by him, they would have no trouble living somewhere luxurious. In short, it was all an act of greed and lust for this woman as she continued her prostitution. However, this would come to an end because of a serious and heavy miscalculation on her part.

She was pregnant.

And even worse was that she didn't know who the father might be.

She must've slipped when she was sleeping with one of her customers while drunk although there was still a possibility her "boyfriend" could be the father. Whoever may be, her life would be ruined.

"You sure?" The man asked and he heard a toilet flushing. A door opened to reveal herself with a fake smile.

"Don't worry about it!" She reassured him while kissing him on the cheek. "I just had too much alcohol from last night, that's all."

And so she decided to hide her pregnancy and planned an abortion in secret. She wasn't ready to take on such a responsibility, nor did she intend to do so in the future.

...

However, the woman had no choice but to take that responsibility.

Because her "boyfriend" found out through discovering the abortion papers. It led to a heated argument between the couple and it only tilted in the man's favor.

"Why are you hiding this from me?!" The man yelled angrily while showing her the paper.

"Because I don't want to ruin both our lives! Do you really think we can take care of a child this early?!"

"Yes, we can!"

...

Her grip on the baby's neck tightened.

...

"If you're worried about money, I can cover that for us." The man said while sitting down on a bed.

"It's not about savings and shit! This is life-changing, can't you see? How are we supposed to tell our parents about this?!"

"I know this is terrifying but..."

...

The infant's cries turned into a sound of struggling to breathe.

...

"... To me, killing a life is even worse."

...

She didn't feel any guilt. Only satisfaction, relief, and rage surfaced inside as she stared at her child's expression with contempt.

...

"We've been dating for years now, so maybe we could get-"

...

"What the hell?!" Higeki shouted which broke her train of thought. While he was picking up a piece of clothing on the floor, the young yakuza turned around to witness the woman strangling the infant with one hand. And so, he rushed towards them and punched the woman in the cheek without hesitation nor holding back his strength which made her tumble on the floor. Because of how small the room was, she hit the wall on her back and gasped in pain. Higeki glared at her before hearing the baby crying once again and he released a sigh of relief knowing that he was alive. He then went back to the woman who leaned on the wall and covered her mouth as she spat some of her broken teeth due to his punch. Tsuguri watched the whole scene and glared at her.

"You're more fucked up than I thought." The long-haired yakuza commented.

"And who's... fault was that?" The woman fired back, only to be met with a kick in the face by Higeki.

"You're blaming us? Well, that's understandable," He grabbed her neck and pulled closer to him, forcing the woman to stand up while struggling to breathe. "Our clan did contribute to your suffering. But before all that, you already fucked your life over!"

The moment Higeki shouted, he slammed her against the wall with his expression slowly showing anger and contempt. The woman attempted to break free by grabbing and punching his face, but none of her efforts seemed to work as he was unfazed by them. While still strangling her neck, Higeki pulled her and then slammed her again to the wall. The woman coughed in pain as it became more difficult for her to breathe. But instead of showing fear, she grinned which showed her broken teeth on the left side, and tried her best to laugh despite the young yakuza's tight strangle to her neck. This confused the two yakuza members and so Higeki weakened the grip slightly to make her speak.

"What the fuck is so funny?" He asked angrily.

"Of course... I'm blaming you assholes... I'm really trying my best to... take care of my son... ALONE! But then you fuckers showed up... to ruin everything!"

"Right, trying your best by wasting your body away and ignoring him for a full day without hiring a babysitter. How very nice of you."

"Ha... Hahaha... You fucking yakuza... just find whoever's the easiest to rip someone apart." The woman spat on his face and laughed. "And now you're all acting like you're the good guys. What kind of hypocritic bullshit is that! Haha... hahahahaha!"

"AHAHAHAHA!" Higeki suddenly burst out laughing along with her which made his partner unsettled.

"What the hell is happening to him?" Tsuguri wondered in his mind while staring at the woman who looked confused and terrified by Higeki's weird response to her statement. Higeki then punched her in the stomach and pummeled her into the floor all while still laughing hysterically.

"That's... Haha! That's right! It really is funny!" Higeki said while punching her in the face. "In the end, we're a group of criminals just doing a lot of dirty work. Hahaha!"

"Oi!" Tsuguri tried to call out to him, but Higeki suddenly shouted in anger as he grabbed her hair to pull her face close to him.

"BUT UNLIKE YOU, WE'RE HELPING THIS SHITTY PLACE!" He then struck her face with his left knee, punched her left side, and threw her into the drawers. Various memories flashed in his mind with each step he took to approach the bruised and bloodied woman.

##$#$%#$ It's all my fault)_#)$)_)$%_)# # #!(#$&

^*%&^#%^$^$#^$&*%%(%^*& Why is our son so...#$()#($()%_#)$( )#_

)(#$_)! ()(#$#$ #*#$ It's better if I leave them (#)($(()*#$

)(#$*#$(*#$ #($ #%$ HOW COULD YOU!(#$)($# #

#$*(*# Why did you chose him and not-...#$%$ #%$%#

#$$$^ ###You're (*&$&%^*&& not a hEr0#$^$6

"SNAP OUT OF IT, DUMBASS!" Tsuguri punched him in the face to stop him from going too far. Tsuguri did say to himself he found new enjoyment in working as yakuza with one of his job could involve killing but that was because it brought actual merits to both himself and the clan. The long-haired yakuza may be insane, but not to the point he'd commit killing like a psychopath. His murder of their enemies last night was all part of his job and an act of self-defense since those enemies were also committed to killing the two yakuza members. Tsuguri kill people when it was part of a job or situation demanded it. Although, his main problem with that was there were some cases he couldn't see why letting the enemy live would have more benefits as such with what happened last night. Just like he said:

"Morals won't mean shit when you're in a shitty situation."

However, that didn't mean one should lose sanity and the ability to see what the appropriate action would be to those shitty situations. Bloodshed was part of Tsuguri's job and he enjoyed it, but it wasn't the only thing he could do in his job as a yakuza. And so he saw Higeki's tantrum as unreasonable and unnecessary. He did give him the advice on having the courage to kill not only when his life was on the line, but when it brought merit to all sides. This wasn't one of them.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" Tsuguri glared at him. "Did your head really fucked you up?"

The only response he received was Higeki staring at him with dilated pupils while tilting his head. Along with the overstretching silence, this made Tsuguri irritated and afraid at the same time. He already suspected during their first week as partners that Higeki had PTSD after the Kyoto incident and those suspicions were confirmed at their first few jobs they were assigned but he thought he was wrong after Higeki's progress and becoming adept in working as a yakuza. Now, this proved Higeki's mental condition and despite having this sort of commitment to kill, it was more because of his broken mind than fully doing his job as a yakuza.

"So Kyoto really fucked you, huh? You should've just stayed in a hospital and get therapy." The long-haired yakuza said with a smirk but Higeki remained silent and just slowly approached him with arms hanging down as if they were paralyzed. Tsuguri didn't retreat nor show any signs of fear for his partner's insanity. "What did she say to make you go apeshit? Is it about us not being the actual good guys?"

Higeki flinched and stopped in his next step.

"What's so shocking about that? We're really not the good guys. Just a bunch of criminals doing things like we're in a business company. You're just throwing a tantrum over the dumbest shit. And besides right now, what you're doing is not how a good guy should act."

Higeki tilted slightly to stare down at the woman who was crying while holding both knees.

"And didn't you say you gave up on that heroic shit? What, do you wanna go back to that? Not after what you've been through? But shit, I don't know what happened after Kyoto and I ain't asking if you're that bothered." Tsuguri then approached him and grabbed the upper front of his shirt. "But don't put all that fucking issue you have to me or that woman. It's either you get the fuck out or I'll kill you."

"Hey..." The young yakuza suddenly spoke but his attention wasn't towards his partner but to the woman. "Hey... woman..."

"Eh?" The woman in mention looked at Higeki with a terrified and beaten-up expression.

"Did you tell your parents about this?" He asked with a low and exhausted tone. The woman averted her gaze from him and didn't answer. Tsuguri repeatedly turned to look between her and Higeki in confusion.

"Did you tell them about what you've been doing in those past years?" Higeki continued to ask further and the only response he received was only silence. After what felt like an hour of waiting for something to shift the atmosphere, Higeki held Tsuguri's wrist of his hand that was holding the shirt and sighed. "Let's go and take the valuables. We're done here."

"Hah?" Tsuguri's confusion grew as he watched the young yakuza walked towards the door.

"I'll get something to carry as a bag." Higeki spoke and pulled open the door but before he could exit the apartment room, the woman answered his questions.

"No," She said in such a soft voice while wiping a tear on the corner of her eye. Her answer stopped Higeki from taking one step outside and clutched the doorknob tightly. The woman slowly stood up with shaky legs and approached her child who was still crying throughout the entire scene. She carried the baby and let his chin rest on her and shoulder while she caressed his head with a hand and rubbed his back with the other. All to comfort her son. Tsuguri looked even more confused by this. How did Higeki know or even speculated about her parents, especially when his PTSD was triggered and hit her earlier? And was Higeki ignoring him throughout his whole speech? The long-haired yakuza then noticed something on the floor right next to where the woman was lying when Higeki threw her into the drawer.

It was a picture frame of a man and a woman sitting and leaning very close to each other on a bench under a cherry blossom tree. In the middle between them was a little girl with black hair tied into a pigtail and she held their parents' hands.

"It must've fell when he threw her to the drawer. So that's how he guessed it?" Tsuguri thought as his partner returned with an empty sack in his hand. The two yakuza members were all silent while picking up whatever they found to be useful to sell. The infant son finally calmed down and was now sleeping around her mother's arms. Higeki and even Tsuguri didn't bother to strike a conversation with her nor with each other and so, they exited the apartment without a single exchange of words nor any gestures. They put the sack full of the woman's things in the trunk and when they entered the car, Tsuguri spoke. "So that lady was taking care of her kid without telling anyone, not even her parents."

"..." Higeki just stared at the door of the woman's apartment through the windshield and didn't respond to his partner's statement.

"You saw the picture frame of her as a kid with her parents sitting by her side on a bench. You guessed if she really is a bitch like what you saw in her, she wouldn't keep something like that, didn't you?" Tsuguri continued asking but Higeki didn't answer. After a moment of silence, the long-haired yakuza turned on the vehicle's engine and drove away from the apartment. "Whatever, you're done for the night. I ain't letting you work after that whole shit you did back there."

"..."

"Oi," Tsuguri turned away from the road to look at Higeki, only to see that his partner was asleep. "Are you fucking- Whatever."

The night was cold, peaceful, yet festive at the same time. Only a few days left for the holidays to come for the world to enjoy while the terror of the criminal underground moved with gigantic and earthshaking steps. Higeki's sleep would be the last peaceful yet still nightmarish one before the inevitable would occur to his life.

---

"Suǒyǐ, jiù zhème dìngle, (So, that's it.)" The voice of a Chinese man spoke through a cellphone that was set on a mic for everyone in the entire room to hear. "Wǒmen de jīhuì shì zài shèngdàn hé xīnnián (Our chance is at Christmas or in the new year).

"Shāngdìng. (Agreed.)," A bald man with a bald cut and unshaved beard spoke while drinking a glass of wine. He wore a charcoal grey suit vest, a white shirt with sleeves rolled-up to his elbows, and a blue tie. "Nà shíhòu de zhì'ān huì hěn yánmì, dàn tāmen de gāoxiào xìtǒng yǐjí jǐngchá hé hēidào de gōngzuò liàng dūhuì zēngjiā, zhè jiāng shì tāmen de bàibǐ. (At that time, the law and order will be very strict, but their efficient system and the workload of the police and the underworld will increase, which will be their failure.)"

"Rúguǒ zhège bùxíng, nǐ zhīdào nǐ de nǎodai huì fāshēng shénme. (If this doesn't work, you know what will happen to your head.)" The Chinese man on the phone said in a menacingly low tone.

"shì de, nǐ kěyǐ sī kāi, pāishè, shènzhì zhuāngshì wǒ de tóu zuòwéi zhànlìpǐn. Dànshì, zhè jiāng gōngzuò, wǒ bǎozhèng nǐ. (You can tear apart, shoot, and even decorate my head as a trophy. But this will work, I promise you.)" He reassured the Chinese man and the call ended. A tall man wearing a black sweater approached him and leaned forward to whisper.

"Bartender, the hitman failed to kill the target."

"Tch, and here I was hoping I could have two of my New year wishes granted early," The "Bartender" clicked his tongue in frustration to the hitman's failure but then shrugged his shoulders with a sigh. "Well, it doesn't matter. Once we successfully let the group sent by the Barbaros Syndicate sneak into Japan from all eyes, we can kill two birds with one stone."

"Why are you so hell-bent on that kid sir?" The henchman asked in curiosity while looking at a school photo of Hikigaya.

"He's the old man's new favorite," The bartender answered with a scowl. "I intend to keep an eye on him and see what he'll do next against us but he is stupid enough to join a yakuza clan. He needs to die."

"Can he really be a threat to us?"

"Not exactly..." The bartender stood up and took a knife out of his pocket and pierced Hikigaya's head in the picture. "He pisses me off, that's all. And as for that other 'Isato', we'll deal with him after completing our job. That poser's no threat to us either."

---

It was midnight. As the snow fell from the night sky outside of houses, many people fell asleep peacefully to go into another day. Others were still awake because of many reasons. It could be because of work, had late night activities, or their sleeping habits differ from the rest. Sagami was one of the third reason as she laid down in bed while staring at the screen of her cellphone. In the past, her time to sleep was this very time or less due to looking through social media and texting with friends. Now it changed because she was looking through social media and texting Hikigaya. She did text and even called other friends such as Totsuka and Ebina. The glasses-wearing fujoshi became good friends after the Kyoto trip and Miura would often contact her for mundane conversations such as studies, make-up, and other topics for girls. Sagami swiped down her contact list on the Line app to find a specific person to call but stopped when she saw the contact name, "Zaimokuza Yoshiteru".

"This guy is really weird," She mumbled while giggling. It was all thanks to Totsuka that they were able to become actual friends. Two weeks ago, Zaimokusa asked Totsuka to review his latest manuscript since Hikigaya disappeared and he didn't want to request help from the Service Club for an obvious reason. Totsuka refused at first since he didn't have any knowledge of the kind of literature Zaimokuza wrote but he accepted after a loud and pitiful persuasion from the "Blademaster General". Totsuka then asked for Sagami's help in reviewing the novel which she accepted. She did read several books in middle school so she had confidence in giving a critical analysis of his work. The next day, after school, Totsuka and Sagami waited for Zaimokusa in their empty classroom.

...

"Oh, it's the War God's mistress! Good evening to thee!" Zaimokuza shouted with a grandiose tone and posed what appeared to them as a fighting stance. He then turned around with his left hand in his coat pocket and moved his head to look behind him and adjusted his glasses. "What brings a divine goddess such as you to this realm for lowlives?"

"Ahahaha... what he means is-" Totsuka awkwardly laughed and tried to translate the meaning behind chuunibyou's words because he thought Sagami would be confused and off-put by this act. However, the brown-haired girl walked forward and raised her head up to look down on Zaimokusa.

"I seeth thee recognizeth mine own identity. I very much am his mistress, Sagami Minami!" She spoke with the same tone as him while grinning. "State thy identity for I hast reveal'd mineth."

"OOHH" Zaimokuza's eyes sparkled from her response. He then turned around to face her with a dramatic pose as he took out his left hand from the pocket and clenched it into a fist. "I am the Blademaster General who is the closest ally to the divine being of archery and war! My name echoed the shogun who reigned the Muromachi period! Zaimokuza Yoshiteru, at your service!"

"You can understand him?" Totsuka asked in awe of her ability.

"Well, I used to read some of those books in my middle school days," Sagami answered while scratching her cheek. "And Hachiman and I have been... sorta doing that often so I can understand this guy a little."

"FUHAHAHAHA! YES!" Zaimokuza laughed while both hands on his hips. "As expected of my brother-in-arms. Choosing a mistress who can speak our sacred tongue as we clash our swords in the horrific darkness of chaos! The world that all fools once know shall be-"

"But uh... that, I don't understand," She mumbled with a drop of cold sweat on her forehead as the Chuunibyou continued speaking out whatever was in his delusional mind. "Is he always like this?"

"Yeah, but he is learning to control this habit." Totsuka approached Zaimokuza with the manuscript in hand and stopped him by speaking. "I asked Sagami-san for help in reviewing your manuscript. Honestly, I don't know about this kind of stuff but I'll try my best."

"Your valiant effort from you both is very appreciated!" The Chuunibyou grabbed the chair next to him and sat down. "Shall we begin with a verdict?"

"Verdict? Umm..." Totsuka looked up to the ceiling to think of a fair answer. "F-Five out of ten?"

"Guh!" Zaimokuza bent forward and clenched his chest with a pained expression.

"Is he alright?" Sagami asked in a worried tone.

"He's fine. This happens a lot every time Hachiman reviewed his manuscripts though bluntly and without holding back."

"W-What about yours, mistress?" Zaimokuza asked with heavy breathing.

"Uhh... I guess..." Sagami flipped the pages to remind herself of the story the Chuunibyou wrote, trying to rate it fairly high based on her overall opinion. She thought about lying but she dismissed that suggestion. "Probably... six out of ten?"

"GAAAHH!" The Blademaster General knelt down on the floor and coughed. "S-Such low scores... Please state your reason..."

"Well, the story gets confusing sometimes..." When Totsuka said his opinion, Zaimokuza gasped in pain.

"And I feel like the characters are a little... I don't know, they kinda don't make sense to me." Sagami also voiced out her opinion which made the Chuunibyou laid down on his back and his entire body shook as if he had a seizure.

"W-What's the problem with the characters?" Zaimokuza asked as he was in all fours.

"Ah, he starts talking normally now," Sagami commented and flipped the pages of the manuscript to find other flaws and other elements worth calling out. The more the two critiques pointed out many things written in the manuscript, the more in pain Zaimokuza looked as he began rolling on the floor, hitting the desks and chairs. While Totsuka was smiling awkwardly and trying to calm the "Blademaster General", Sagami looked through the door window, hoping desperately that no one would come here.

"Should we stop?" Sagami asked with a worried expression.

"NO!" Zaimokuza slowly stood up with shaky legs and looked at them with a determined expression. "Do not cease! The Blademaster General can endure more reality-shattering words for the sake of his dream! Continueth thy critique!"

"Aaaand~ his speech went back to that," The brown-haired girl read the last page of the manuscript while Totsuka laughed at her comment. After skimming through paragraphs, she spoke. "I think that's it for me. What about you, Sai-chan?"

"I think I'm done too."

"I see, so it still needs some work," Zaimokuza mumbled in a surprisingly serious tone and suddenly struck a pose while adjusting his glasses which made their lens shine from the evening sunlight's reflection. "This is what I needed. I appreciate thy contribution to mine worketh."

"Your welcome," Sagami responded and looked down on the floor in contemplation. "Zaimokuza, right?"

"Yes! That is my name, mistress!"

"Can I get your Line contact?"

"W-What?" Zaimokuza fell down the floor with his back in shock at her request. "Y-You wish for my means of communication!? For what cause?!"

"So we can communicate?"

"I see... Hmmm..." He turned around to contemplate on her request while hiding his nervous expression and pulled out a cellphone in his coat pocket. Sagami and Totsuka looked at each other and giggled lightly at his display of inexperience in being social to someone. After waiting for the Chuunibyou fiddling the device, he turned around and coughed to regain his usual demeanor and showed them his Line account on the screen. "Very well, I shall gladly give you the spirit link that will let us communicate."

"Did you just download the app on the spot and made an account?" Totsuka asked while giggling.

"HAHAHAHA! What nonsense are you speaking?" He laughed unnecessarily louder than usual with a drop of cold sweat dripping on his cheek. "Now let us exchange our sacred numbers to form the spirit link!"

...

"He's weird but a good guy." Sagami mumbled while chuckling as she swiped down the list and reached the bottom to see Hikigaya Hachiman's contact info. Before she could call him, a notification appeared which was a text message from him.

-Last Updated: 30 seconds ago-

[12:00 AM] Higeki: I got the week off. I'll be there tomorrow.

She read that short message over and over again, thinking if this was a dream or some kind of prank, and texted him in response.

[12:00 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: Really?! This isn't a cruel joke, is it?! 😞😞😞😞😞😍😍😍😍😍😁😁😁😁😁😞😞😞😁😁😍😍😞😞😂😂😋😋😆😆😆😍😍😍😍😐😐😍😍😍😍😋😆😆😆😞😞😂

[12:00 AM] Higeki: No, it's not. and stop spamming emoji's.

[12:00 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: 😂😂😈😈😅😅😅😇😇😇😍😍😍😍😍😅😅😅😁😁😁😁😁

[12:00 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: 😤😤😤😂😂😂😅😍😍😍😁😁😁😃😃😍😍

[12:00 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[12:00 AM] 😈 Mina 😈: 😞😞😞😣😣😣😣😣😣😁😁😁😁😁😁

Sagami couldn't stop sending emojis to him. She was so fast that Hikigaya's messages disappeared upward in the screen until the entire chat was all her emojis. Her happiness was through the roof and her entire concentration was all on the phone screen as she sent as many emojis as she could. She already thought about the things she and Hikigaya would do this week and hoped they could catch up to each other in their lives. Sagami stopped thinking about the plans as her happy expression was replaced with a mix of worry and fear. What happened to him in these past two months? Was he still the same person she fell in love with? While they still interacted via text messages, it wasn't informative nor true enough for her to determine his current state of wellbeing. But Sagami had faith in him and hoped she could be helpful if he had any trouble. A ringing tone from the phone interrupted her line of thought and so she looked to see who was calling.

"Yuigahama Yui"

"Yui?" The brown-haired girl hesitated for a moment until she answered the call. "Hello?"

"Y-Yahallo, Sagamin." Yuigahama's voice was heard behind the phone. Her cheery voice sounded forced. "Mind if we uhh... y'know... chat a bit?"

---

TRIVIA

1) Oyabun means "boss" in Japanese. It's how the yakuza members address the boss.

2) In 8man's new name, Higeki means "Tragedy", and Yuudai means "great hero".

So I'll try my best to put as many flashbacks and hints as possible to make sense of all this while not ruining the flow of the story. This is the only thing I could think of for this fanfic. Whether you enjoy it or not, I understand it completely.

Thank you for reading this chapter. Please leave a review as your opinions will help me make this story better.