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- Prologue -
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Katsu
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"Keep walking. Don't look back..."
The well-dressed man in front of me flinched as he was made aware of the switchblade I was slightly pressing into his back. His eyes grew wide as he walked forward.
"L-Look, I don't have any money-" "That's bullshit," I spat, a ping of annoyance detectable in my voice.
"You've been laundering money for years and have been using your power to bring down others. Furthermore, you look down on anyone with less money," I tightened my grip on the blade and poked him harder. With narrowed eyes, I watched the man tremble as he began to sweat through his suit.
"I assume you're a lower class citizen?" he asked with a shaky voice. I smirked and let out a breathy chuckle.
"What gave it away?" I asked with a fake tone of innocence. "Turn here."
As I made the man walk into an alley with me, I scanned the dark corner to check for any witnesses. Not like anyone would mess with me, anyway.
"I-I can have you killed for this. I know b-bounty hunters and assassins," the man stuttered as a bead of sweat dripped off his chin. I couldn't help but laugh.
I had him cornered; his back was about a foot away from the wall at the end of the alleyway and his front, not even a meter away from me. He was tense and afraid. The latter always shows when I make them realize the knife is in my control.
"All that for Lil ol' me? Please. Whoever you send probably already knows me. You aren't the only one with connections, Sir," I winked before methodically flipping my blade around.
"What do you want?" the man asked with a frown. I was unamused by his pitiful attempt at trying to sound calm. I motioned towards the ground with my knife.
"Well, first I'm going to pat you down and take all your shit. Then, I'm going to send you to the world with a message," I explained ad I walked closer to him. The man wore a fancy, ivory-coloured suit which I began to search for valuables. His eyes widened and I gave him a deadly glare, knowing realization had set in.
"Y-You're..." he gulped loudly as he breathes shakily.
"Tanaka Katsu's my name and public humiliation's my game," I clarified with a sly smirk. I twirled the switchblade between my fingers as I searched through his pockets and found the man's wallet. Opening it, I find a picture of a small girl, a woman, and the man before me. A perfect, wealthy family...
"Cute kid," I said, throwing the leather wallet back into his pocket after taking all the profitable items out of it. I moved onto the pockets of his shirt, finding more things I could trade.
Once I finished raiding the man, I put everything I had taken into my navy hoodie and sighed. As I stood up, I put away my knife. Frowning, the man glared at me.
"Too bad that little girl of yours has to grow up with you as a father," I spat, a disgusted expression on my face. "Take off your clothes."
The man's face whitened, "E-Excuse me?!"
"You heard me. Take off everything but your underwear and walk out into that crowd of people behind me," lazily, I pointed to the busy market that masked the alley.
"Otherwise, I'm sure your wife would love to hear about what you're doing instead of going to your business meetings," I smiled at him as his sweat dripped down his face. He slowly began to remove his suit. When he finished and began to walk out of the alley, I grabbed his shoulder and tsked.
"Ah, one more thing..."
With a sharp hiss, the man fell to his knees. I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth as I whipped the blood off my knife. Spreading the dark liquid over my hand, I smirked and watched the man cower at my feet. Pathetic.
"Tell your friends," I spat before smearing my bloodied hand over the man's back. My mark: the handprint.
He let out sobs that made my ears bleed. When I pulled the man to his feet, he staggered out into the street. Horrified screams of the wealthy and the higher class filled my ears and put a smile on my face.
"Watanabe?!" a female shrieked.
"That...That mark...!" another gasped, pointing out my mark. Hidden in the shadows, I giggled.
"Tanaka's?! They're h-here?!" a man asked in disbelief. As I shoved my hands in my pocket and pulled my hood over my head, I made myself blend into the crowd. No one noticed as I walked right past Watanabe-san. His eyes widened when they locked with mine.
"Hush," I whispered as I put my index finger up to my lips. With a light giggle, I snickered as I made my way back. No rest for the wicked, right?
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"Kat!"
A set of small arms wrapped around me as I walked into the hotel room. I instantly melted at the sight of my sister.
"Hey, Yuka," I returned my sister's hug. She looked up at me with a grin. Her long, brown, hair was wet and dripping onto me a bit. She must have just gotten out of the shower.
"Got anything good?" she asked. A proud smile made its way onto my face as I showed her the contents of my hoodie. My twin sister giggled as she began to split the estimated total worth of it all. Half for me and a half for her.
"I'll see how much I can get for this watch," she said, pocketing a golden watch.
"Remember we have to pay for the room," I lazily wave my hand before flopping back onto my bed. Yuka groaned as she rearranged the piles, muttering to herself. I couldn't help but chuckle.
"I'm gonna go cash in. You need to get ready for tonight," she grabbed the pile of items she wanted to sell and stuffed them into a small backpack that resembled a bear.
"What's tonight?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Yuka threw her arms up extravagantly.
"Tonight's the night we get rich, my dear sister," she giggled before waving and leaving the room.
"Since when is she so cryptic...?" I mumbled. I shrugged then stood up and walked over to the bathroom.
When I stopped to look at myself in the mirror, I noticed that my scarlet hair was a mess. The tight curls that extended halfway down my back were frizzy and needed maintenance. I sighed then got ready to take a shower.
Once I got in and the hot water hit my skin, I didn't want to get out. We hadn't had hot water in a long time...It was definitely one of our better living situations.
That night, Yuka and I walked down an abandoned street. The only source of light was a dim street lamp that glowed a faint yellow. It flickered as we strode past it and I raised an eyebrow, turning to Yuka with a confused look on my face.
"Yuka...Where are we going?" I asked sceptically. My sister gave me a toothy grin.
"Just follow me," she said in a hushed voice as she pulled me into a coffee shop. Why was a coffee shop open this late at night? I soon found out why.
"Hello."
I narrowed my eyes as I found the source of the voice. It was a man with well-managed, dark hair and chocolate eyes hidden behind glasses. He wore a suit that I could only assume to be very expensive. I shoved both hands into my pockets, ready to grab my switchblade.
"This is the man I met last week while I was on raiding duty," Yuka put a hand on my shoulder. I reluctantly locked eyes with the man. My sister walked up to him and smiled.
"You really are the notorious Tanaka twins," he said with a surprised tone. I rolled my eyes and scoffed. Anyone who did their research would know our story and what we look like.
Yuka and I had been thieving for so long that we gained a bit of a reputation. It wasn't out of the ordinary for someone to know of us and still approach but I doubted his intentions would help us.
"So what if we are? Are you gonna turn us in?" I raised an eyebrow as I crossed my arms.
"No, nothing like that..." the man shook his head.
"I need your help," he admitted.
"And why should we help you?" I asked almost immediately. Yuka sighed.
"She's a stubborn one, I told you..." she clicked her tongue and shook her head. I rolled my eyebrows.
"I can protect you," the man explained. My eyebrows furrowed from my scepticism.
"And...who are you?" I asked, not interested in the man's wares.
"I'm Asagiri Makoto. I'm the CEO of a very successful tech company called Fernic Inc. My daughter, Ena, has been having some trouble at school," he explained. I rolled my eyes and put a hand on my hip.
"Asagiri-san is offering us lots of money to be his daughter's bodyguards or something," Yuka somewhat clarified. I stared daggers into the man, waiting for confirmation that what she said was true.
"Th-There is one condition...Well, it's two, I guess..." he stuttered. I raised an eyebrow.
"You will have to attend school with my daughter. Of course, if you do that, you'll also have to change your looks and identities. You won't be recognized as the Tanaka twins," Mister Asagiri said. I studied his expression and body language. In an instant, I flipped open my switchblade and brought it up to the man's throat. Pressing it against his adam's apple, I smirked.
"Why should we?" I tilted my head slightly while adding more pressure to the blade. The man held his hands up while pleading his case.
"You'll be paid considerably. All living expenses will be paid for, too," he stated as if he had rehearsed. I narrowed my eyes. He didn't look like he posed any threat but then again looks are deceiving...
A few moments later, I sighed through my nostrils and lowered my knife, "As long as you pay us, I guess it's fine," I shrugged. Yuka squealed.
"Yes! Thank you, Kat! I've always wanted to go to High School!" she had an excited glint in her eyes. I rolled my eyes.
"Just remember it's a school for the rich. It's going to be a little...different," Mister Asagiri' sweat fell off his brow. I shook my head and massaged my aching temples. What had I agreed to?
"Great...More rich fucks to deal with..." I grumbled. The brown-haired man before me had a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"I'm gonna have to ask you to watch your language around my daughter and at the school. Your sister has told me you like to express yourself with...flair," he said. I frowned.
"Fine."
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A few weeks later...
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"Katsu!" Yuka crashed into me at blinding speed. She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tight. Her freakish strength sometimes scares me...
"Yuka...need...to breath," I gasped. Yuka giggled as she let me go.
Asagiri-san had dropped us off at a private hair salon and told us to pick out our new hairstyles while he went and got something. The cosmetologists doing our hair seemed a little hesitant because we were technically criminals but they got through the job. In the end, it wasn't so bad. I had just forgotten what it felt like to sit down and have someone cut my hair professionally.
"Do you like it?" Yuka asked, eyes gleaming. I examined her new shoulder-length, ash-blonde hair and nodded.
"You look great, Yuka," I smiled. Yuka stared at me for a moment before showing a picture from a magazine to the hairdresser doing my hair. She then walked away with a smile, causing me to sigh before attempting to relax.
It was hard. I was too busy thinking about how fast everything was changing. We'd be going to some rich kids' school with new names and completely new looks...This was a lot to process.
Ever since Yuka and I were little, we dreamed of having the most normal life ever. My expectations were low compared to Yuka's dreams of what basically was a slice of life show. Bullies which she overcomes, high school crushes, the whole shebang...
"Oh, my God..." Yuka gasped once the hairdresser revealed the finished product of my hair. I looked into the mirror Yuka gave me and my jaw fell. She bit her lip as I became speechless
"Adorable!" she squealed. My hair had been cut short with my curls sitting on top of my head and I loved it. A lot easier to manage.
"So cute," my sister giggled. I got out of the chair in time to see Mister Asagiri walk back in. He held some papers and two fancy boxes. I was still on edge but she trusted him just like that. She's always been that way, so I wouldn't put it past her.
"Hey, Makoto-kun!" Yuka walked right over to him. I gave him a silent nod. He smiled.
"Hello, girls. I came bearing news. News I honestly have no idea how you'll react to," a bead of sweat fell from his forehead as he chuckled. I crossed my arms at my chest and raised an eyebrow. He cleared his throat when he saw Yuka and I's expressions.
"First, you both look amazing," I rolled my eyes. Flattery. It always starts with flattery. I braced myself for whatever would be said next.
"Thanks!" Yuka smiled. Asagiri-san paused to take a deep breath through his nostrils. He held out the papers first.
"What I have here is your school applications. The administration let you enrol and even arranged for you to be in every class my daughter's in. However, some changes and...mistakes...were made during the processing of your forms..." he warily watched us as we looked over them.
The first thing that came to my attention was the box marked male. I felt a vein pop out from my forehead. My fists clenched, wrinkling up the paper.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, you see Katsu...is more commonly known to be a boy's name...and when the name was written down, the administrators must have accidentally marked you as a..." his voice trailed off.
"A boy," I sighed. Great. Just. Great.
"So, what's in the box?" Yuka asked, trying to change the subject of conversation. Asagiri handed us the boxes and we hesitantly opened them. Well, I did, at least...Yuka ripped it open with the strength of one thousand men.
"Your uniforms. You won't have to wear the school's horrific uniforms, but you will be forced to wear one of my daughter's design," he explained through Yuka's excited squeals. "She wants to make her own clothing line, so when one of her sketches made its way onto my desk, I had it made. Now, they are your uniforms."
I raised both eyebrows, widening my eyes a bit. That actually...didn't sound too bad. The way he explained it, I thought it would be worse. Kind of sounded sweet.
"I love it!" my sister giggled. She had pulled out a plaid yellow skirt, a black tailcoat, a white button-up shirt, and a yellow tie. I sighed before opening my box and finding my outfit to be more or less the same. The only difference was that my outfit was themed red and I had to wear pants; the male equivalent of Yuka's outfit.
"And your daughter designed these?" I raised an eyebrow as I looked up at Asagiri. He nodded with a smile.
"I hope if Ena sees one of her sketches come to life, it might help us see through some of our more...personal...issues."
"Now, come along. I must take you to your new living space so you have time to settle in," he clapped his hands together then motioned for us to follow him. Yuka and I blinked.
"New..." she paused as we looked to each other then back to the wealthy man before us.
"Living space?" I finished her thought. This dude had to be joking. He simply nodded.
"Can't have you living in a hotel, now can we?" he smirked. I opened my mouth to speak but Yuka quickly cut me off.
"Can't argue with that!" she agreed as she ran out the door. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
"She's a child..." a sigh escaped my throat before I turned to Asagiri, "This is a bit much. Are you sure it's okay?"
"It will all be paid for while you're in service to my daughter, so don't worry about a thing," Asagiri smiled then continued on out of the building.
When I got outside, I found two fancy limousine's waiting. My jaw dropped and my eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
"This...is unreal," I mumbled breathlessly as I was ushered in by another man in a suit.
"It's amazing, right?" Yuka giggled from inside the limo. She sat next to me, holding on to my arm tightly.
"Yeah...almost too amazing," I narrowed my eyes. She paused and looked up at me with a confused expression. I sighed and closed my eyes as I leaned back against the seat, "I still don't trust him."
My sister sighed, "You don't have to...but can you, at least, trust me?" She looked at me with wide, puppy-dog, eyes. I groaned, remembering her expectations of life that can only be described as something out of a Disney movie. After averting my gaze I felt a blush make its way onto my face.
"Fine."
Yuka's smile made my jaw drop a bit. She smiles every day but usually, there was some sadness, regret or something in her eyes that would give away her true feelings. However, this was the first time she had genuinely smiled in a while.
"You really did trust all this, huh?" I raised an eyebrow. She nodded before snuggling into my lap, a soft giggle escaping her lips.
"Not like we have anything to lose."
I paused. Staring at the blackened window, I sat there, unmoving. I'd give anything to make Yuka happy and this was the perfect opportunity. It was probably because of the suddenness of it all, but I had a bad feeling.
Something big was coming and neither of us knew...