A/N: Thank you for the review, Sp1c3M0nst3r! After reading it, I actually read the scene listening to that song, and I gotta say it was hilarious, and I recommend everybody do the same thing immediately. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter! I've actually written a lot further than this and have been sitting on chapters in case I need to make alterations, but I'm literally at chapter 60, and have an end written out as well. I want to take this story to the end of Gintama, and will likely need to use a time skip in the future, but haven't decided exactly when or where just yet. That said, happy reading, and I hope you're all doing well. :)
With her new budget, and slightly less monetary stress than before, Kinu stood in front of the hostess club, clutching her stack of fliers. It would have been nice if her head wasn't filled with the proper way to fold a cloth napkin, or her grandfather's notes. Or what she would wear.
The only logical solution was a seance and contact her dead grandfather to mentor her from the afterlife.
Kinu plopped her bag on the ground and snapped a pocky stick in her mouth as she wandered to the mirrors of the dressing tables. The other girls were already getting ready. She had scrubbed the dirt from her nails, and just needed to get dressed. After a moment of fiddling with her hair, and looking over her nails, Kinu strolled to her locker, scrolled through the combination and pulled it open. She grabbed her costume, and started to walk away, but unease had started to spread through her stomach.
Turning back to the locker, Kinu saw it. Another coin. Just sitting on the ledge, near the door. At least there wasn't a victim this time.
The city was a flurry of motion around Takasugi as he turned into the Pachinko Parlor. And navigated his way around the slot machines. He'd gotten a tip from none other than Ai herself. How the woman had gotten his phone number was beyond him, but when she called, he was on the town in less than the five minutes it usually took to walk from his ship to the town. Knew that this was the night he'd settle an overdue score. Despite the packed streets, only a couple handfuls of people speckled the machines. The door rang, somewhere beyond the rows of slots, and as Takasugi reached the end of the line, another form came into view.
He narrowed his gaze at the dead crimson eyes peering back at him. Looked the man over once, then turned.
Takasugi had no intention of talking to Gintoki any more than he needed. He didn't have time for that. There was one last row.
As Takasugi turned and continued about his way, the silver haired samurai wasn't far behind. Lazily strolled, as though they were on a late night walk together, and Gintoki couldn't be bothered to keep up. Then he broke off, one row shy of Takasugi's destination. Ignoring the man, Takasugi's eye settled on the exact man he wanted to see. Found him greased up and glued to the handle of a slots machine that was currently scrolling.
Riku raised a bottle to his mouth. Tossed a swallow of alcohol back and glanced across the aisle. His attention went back to the screen in front of him, then he went rigid. Slowly returned his gaze to Takasugi. The moment it registered, he was on his feet. Rushing in the opposite direction. He rounded the corner, and Takasugi started to give chase, but the man bounced back. Landed on his ass.
"G- Gintoki, thank God yer here," Back on his feet, Riku shot a look at the man advancing down the row. Drawing nearer. He pressed into Gintoki, motioning back. "You 'member Takasugi-san? H- He's after me Gin, ya gotta help! He's comin'!
The one eyed man caught sight of the silver haired samurai. The way he was glaring down at the man pointing back at Takasugi, and so caught up that he was oblivious to the threat he'd walked into.
"Really? Gee, I wonder why, pops? It's not like you did anything, right? Not like you've been doing something…"
That was the moment realization hit Riku. He turned to gape at Gintoki, and a fist shot into his jaw. Sent him into toppling into the aisle and perfectly vulnerable to the second set of knuckles that came from another direction. Quick to adjust to the higher difficulty level, Riku caught himself. Wasn't wasted enough to drop like he had before.
Years of shaking bill collectors had done him some good, because his first instinct was to escape. He fell back towards Gintoki. Clawed his way up, though Gintoki's boot shot into his rear and propelled him further.
"I know all about how you dropped out of the program the first week. You got something to tell me pops? Like hitting women?"
"That ain't what happened Gintoki! She's a liar! Yer Ma'll tell ya! I ain't hit nobody in years!"
"Forget I was here?" Rounding the corner, Takasugi eyed the man. "I'm sure I told you something last time… You remember, don't you? Wanna tell me how a certain someone got talked into getting wasted?" Riku's jaw dropped, and he took a step back. "What about her eyebrow, Riku? Care to explain how an eyebrow just splits open? I'm all ears."
Gintoki glanced back at Takasugi. Angled himself to let the man by, and Riku retreated another step. Instead of answering, the man bolted. They were out of the door behind him just as quickly. Crashed through the crowd, practically shoving people aside as they gained on him. Riku thought he could shake them by scurrying down an alley, yelling all the while.
"I ain't do it! Yer both actin' crazy! Have some pride! What kinds'a samurai gang up on one man!?"
Pride he said. Sure. Gintoki turned after the man and Takasugi went straight. Cut down two buildings to flank the slippery bastard. Just as the one eyed man was reaching the end of the next alley, Riku started to pass. And then a hunk of wood flew into his back. Knocked him forward as Takasugi's foot stuck out.
The man toppled to the dirt. Groaned as he turned over, and found himself cornered. Gintoki retrieved his bokken from the ground beside Riku.
"I'm tellin' ya, yer overreactin'! I didn't do nothin' ta hurt no one! It was a game! She slipped in the kitchen while we were playin' checkers!"
Raising a brow, Takasugi kept his eye on the man.
"You sure that's what happened?" Gintoki asked, and Riku fervently nodded. Showed his palms, as if shielding himself from another blow.
"That's what happened! I swear! The girl's clumsy, nobody hit 'er!"
"Funny, cause last I checked, Ki didn't know how to play checkers." At the sound of Gintoki's tense voice, Riku scooted back. Managed to push himself up and run for the alley behind him, but both men remained still. It was a dead end. They both knew it.
Glancing towards Gintoki, Takasugi motioned after the man.
"After you."
Gintoki's gaze was still fixed on the abyss before them.
"No, after you." He offered the lead, and Takasugi's mouth curved.
"Alright." He started on the path, pulling his sword out, but before he could take more than two steps, Gintoki's arm shot in front of him and he was pushed back.
"No! No, I take it back, after me!" Snapping the words, Gintoki took the lead, and Takasugi grinned after him.
The main street was bustling as usual. Kinu had no estimate of how many people had been slinking around before, but now, it seemed worse. Even at her usual post, she was subject to possibly getting bumped around by people wandering to and fro. Amagi had popped up again, but this time, he'd gone straight into the club. Kinu wasn't sure what he was doing, but it had gotten a great deal noisier after. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of piquing her curiosity and drawing her in.
Especially after he kept standing by her to smoke his cigarettes and interject himself into any conversations she was having. Some poor man had stopped to ask for directions and gotten an earful about some sort of elite office building construction across town.
From where she stood, she could see the door to the new maid cafe. It was their second week of business. They had girls out tonight, too, handing out fliers and hugging strangers on the street to try to drag them inside.
Kinu wanted to go in there.
Their costumes were so cute, and she could just imagine all the girls in their french maid suits with their trays calling everybody master; it had to be the epitome of all things cute. Men loved that stuff, right? One of them even had cat ears, and Kinu had been looking at them all night.
Even from across the road, she could tell they looked fluffy. Adorable. She wanted some like that, too. A form stopped beside her, and she shoved a flier at him, eyes still on the girl with the cat ears.
"Please come see us again, Master. Nyah." Raising her fist, Kinu dropped it like a paw, and watched the maid girl wrap herself around a man's arm, and pull him back. The black widow had snagged her first victim.
"That was the laziest cat girl impression I've ever seen."
Snapping her gaze up to the purple splotch beside her, Kinu froze. Takasugi.
"How am I supposed to get this off? Is there a zipper, or..?" His hands grazed her sides and she shot him a look before swatting them. Smirking, he folded the paper she'd given him, and tucked it into his yukata as Kinu grabbed hold of his sleeve.
"Look." She pointed across the street, at the new cafe, and he followed the line to the maids.
"What about it?"
"I wanna go there." Turning to the man again, Kinu felt the corners of her mouth raise. "They're cute, I wanna go."
Really? That's what she'd been looking at? The man eyed the cafe again, frowning as a girl dragged a helpless office worker into the darkness beyond, and the door slammed behind them. That… That looked terrifying! Where was that girl taking that poor man? Was Kinu too short to see that there were no lights on inside that building? That the girls were all predatory and snatching men off the street?
He wouldn't be surprised if they were stealing organs, as hard as they were pushing the sex appeal of their costumes.
"No," Kinu's face fell as he spoke, but he shook his head. "No, don't go there." She pouted, and Takasugi took a moment to examine her costume. A tan tail jutted from Kinu's rear, and a pair of cat ears were perched atop her head, one sporting a little bell from the top. He got his chance to properly see her in costume, and wasn't disappointed. Her heels left her just shy of eye level, and the rest of her was all black stockings and a strapless black bodysuit that was as good as actual lingerie.
She had forsaken her wrapped arms for little black cloth bracelets that were thin enough to pass as decorational. He hadn't come to see her, but it had been a perk of the night. As Takasugi looked Kinu over, the girl turned back to the hostess club, then frowned at his hand.
"Is that blood?" He didn't answer immediately. Examined the cracked dark smudge between his fingers, to assess whether he could pass it off as something else. Kinu didn't wait for the explanation, though. "Wait, why are you here? You can't be here."
"Who's gonna stop me?" His tone was mischievous in all the right ways, but the girl shook her head. She glanced back at the shop again, then pressed her palm into his chest, moving away from the window as she took him with her.
"You can't be here. That guy is inside."
"Who?" Leaning towards her, Takasugi lowered his voice. Her palm remained on his chest as she pressed her shoulder into his.
"He could- if he sees you talking to me, he might come outside. Any time somebody stops he comes out for a smoke break."
"Amagi? He's inside right now?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This wasn't okay! How many times was that asshole going to impose himself on Kinu's private life? No doubt, he'd been keeping an eye on her from the window, and had probably seen Takasugi if he was watching. Takasugi was going to put an end to this. There was no excuse. He knew exactly what Amagi was trying to do and his deadline was tomorrow.
He started past Kinu and she gripped his yukata. Moved in front of him again, pressing her free palm into his chest and pushing him back.
"No! No, what are you doing?"
Grasping the girl's hand, Takasugi removed it from himself. Moreso, flicked it off like a leaf stealing the perch of his shoulders.
What was she doing?! She was getting in the way, this had nothing to do with her!
"Move."
"No! You're-" Her hand returned, firmer, and she pushed him back a step. "You're both gonna get me fired. Please," The girl's brows raised as she met his single olive eye, and tried to take him another pace away from the window and door. "Do you know how much he's spending? He bought Don Perignon for everybody. He's trying to get on the owner's good side after stealing my ears!"
"Your ears?"
"Yes! He stole them! I had to buy a new pair! My last ones were puffy and had a cute star charm, too. I spent a thousand yen on that charm..."
Taking one of the fuzzy ears between his thumb and forefinger, Takasugi barely tugged on it.
"Don't give me the boring parts, how'd he steal them?"
"He yanked them off. Some of my hair was caught on the charm, too. Cute but it always got tangled. It had little blue rhinestones, and-"
"Focus! Why is that charm so interesting to you?! Go buy another! Nobody cares about your stupid charm!"
"The charm made me a person! Now people think I'm a ghost again! They don't even want my fliers! Guys come up to tell their dates how I was murdered right here and was such a hard worker I'm still doing it in death! They believe them! The girls believe them!"
What? That was ridiculous, she wasn't even see through. But now that she mentioned it… Takasugi glanced around the street. Nobody was walking near them. He'd thought the night was just slow, probably some sports thing, but there was a pocket of space around both of them. People were looking at the man; mostly standing off at a distance, but wide eyed, in full anticipation of something.
An exorcism?
"I've been stashing fliers in the cracked walls in the dressing room! If my boss sees all these extra papers-"
"Settle down, Kitten." Placing a hand on her head, Takasugi frowned back at the people watching. One was clutching prayer beads. Rubbing his hands together. What was going on?! Kinu wasn't joking. Everybody was making a conscious effort to avoid them, and little napkins with single flowers and rice balls littered the sidewalk around her. There was even a lit candle.
Offerings. As Takasugi stared down at the many gifts, an elderly woman stopped at his side and carefully eased to her knees. She set a napkin on the concrete, and placed an apple on it. Clapped her hands. Though Kinu was squinting down at the woman, she stepped forward, flier extended. The woman almost looked at her. Almost. Before she could make eye contact, she pushed herself up and scurried off into the crowd. Left the apple for Kinu's yet to be departed soul.
Waving the paper, the girl motioned after her.
"They say if you take my fliers I drag you down to hell! Don't go in there!"
Takasugi took the paper. Kept his eye on her.
"Hell is waiting." He grinned and she ruffled her own feathers to glare up at him.
"Hell can wait!" He was going in there. So what if people thought she was a little dead? Look at all the free food it was getting her. That seemed like a plus to him, she didn't have to worry about buying lunch.
On top of that, who cared if Amagi was spending money? That's all he did. Amagi wasn't good for anything but wasting cash, and that shouldn't form a barrier around him. It didn't. Takasugi's sword could still reach him. Kinu's eyes narrowed, and the corner of her mouth raised. He smacked her hand away, and she squeaked. Pulled her fliers to her chest, sulking at the shrine below her feet.
"Worry about your own job. I'm more than capable of doing mine."
The girl didn't move. Didn't even look at him. What a pain. Amagi was a loose cannon. There was no telling what he'd say to her. She'd misunderstand. Think Takasugi actually was trying to give her to the old man, and he didn't think there was any amount of damage control that could override her hearing that was the case.
Kinu was barely looking at him from the corners of her eyes, and he took a step back, tilting his head.
"So… Do you get to keep the costume, or..?"
Her palm swept across his shoulder, and her brow arched as she took a step back.
"See you tomorrow."
Tomorrow? Alright, then, he wasn't about to argue with that. Kinu pressed a bag into his hand and he looked down at it. Found a handful of miniature chocolate chip cookies. He raised a brow at the girl as he pried the bag open and popped one into his mouth.
It was good.
There wasn't a reason to not do this now.
Kinu wasn't even remotely prepared when he snagged her wrist and dragged her towards the door.
She kept her fliers, but jerked forward, cringing and clasping at his hand.
"Oi! Is there a problem here?!" A palm wrapped around Takasugi's wrist, and he glared down at it. Followed it to the curvy brunette in front of him. "What the hell is wrong with you creeps? You think a costume is consent? She's had enough of you scumbags trying to steal her on the clock!"
And off, Kinu wanted to add. The one eyed man's gaze dropped to Kinu and she slowly resituated her fliers, avoiding eye contact. Had she told him about that? She didn't think she had.
"Oh, no this is-" Still peering across the roadway, Kinu tilted her head. "This one is my friend… He'd never kidn-... He's not doing that."
"Hear that?" Forcing a smile, Takasugi wrapped an arm around Kinu's waist and pulled her into his side. She fumbled into place, biting down on her tongue as she met her coworker's eyes. "I'm her friend. I'd never kidnap her."
"Never." Kinu murmured, and Takasugi clenched his jaw.
"Never." He gritted back, glaring down at the girl.
The woman in front of them squinted. Her attention fixed on Kinu and she sighed.
"Seriously? I'm surprised you actually have a boyfriend… But I'm not surprised that he's like... that." Kinu frowned upon hearing the words. That sounded… vaguely insulting? "Did'ja meet in some kinda spooky place too? Like a goth bar, or-"
"... We're not go-" A hand clasped over Kinu's mouth, as Takasugi grinned at the woman.
"Yes. We did. It was in a cemetery, just after twilight. I saw her, lamenting over a novel under a weeping willow, and thought to myself, it's usually fresh corpses, but this is the next best thing."
"Oh. Em. Gee. That is spooky! You're like, perfect!"
The man snickered, and his palm slipped from over Kinu's mouth, opting for her shoulder instead. She eyed him. Didn't even know why she'd tried to deny him if he was going to fabricate ridiculous stories on the spot while simultaneously charming her workmate. Somehow. Kinu didn't think Socks had even processed a word he'd said, and that was more alarming than his effortless lie.
Maybe she was better outside. Takasugi released the girl and pushed the door to the club open, ignoring his name.
Amagi wasn't hard to find. Takasugi just followed the obnoxious laughter to one of the loudest tables, and there he was, sandwiched between two young women that looked to be twenty at most. The man looked up at him, grinning as he stopped at their table.
"Takasugi-san! Who would have thought I'd bump into you here?"
"What are you doing?" That overly cheerful, inviting tone wasn't disarming him. Amagi was up to no good, it was no coincidence that Kinu worked at the same place.
"Just visiting my favorite girls." The older man dropped his arms from the back of the seat and grabbed the women's sides. Pulled their hips against his, and they both laughed, placing their hands on his chest and shoulders. A real lady's man, apparently. "Don't you just love when a woman pursues higher education? Why, Ayumi here is studying to be a marine biologist." The man turned to the girl on his left, nuzzling into her neck, and her short black bob bounced away as she leaned back, giggling.
"And Naomi is majoring in Amanto technology." Amagi turned to the other girl, scooping her into his lap, and pulling her blond hair over her shoulder as he bit it. "Impressive, isn't it?" The women were still giggling. Looking up at Takasugi, coy and bashful.
"Good for her." Takasugi didn't care! Not even a little. He wasn't buying the whole casual customer shtick. When his eye narrowed, Amagi wrapped his arm around the girl in his lap.
"I was almost surprised to find that this is one of the more hospitable establishments. For the right number, they'll give you a thorough tour of the night life in this area, won't you?" The hand on the girl's waist slid up to her chest. Naomi smacked it away, laughing.
"You're so bad, Amagi-sama!"
Echoing the sound, the older man scooped the other girl up.
"I'm just trying to help you pay for your next semester."
Real charming. Takasugi was already sick of the laughing, and vaguely uncomfortable. If he killed him right now, Kinu would be mad, right? Say he was trying to get her fired or something…
"Getting a last taste of freedom before taking a bride tomorrow, I presume?" Takasugi sparked his pipe and the man looked up at him, brushing a chocolate lock of hair behind his ear. The woman set their wide eyes on him, and he grinned, batting a hand towards Takasugi.
"A joke. He's a comedian." At his sides, the girl's let out a shared sigh as Amagi met Takasugi's gaze. "I've been working on that though. Have a new proposal for you tomorrow. Let's just relax. There are plenty of women to go around." That drew the two at his side back in, and his arms tightened on their waists as they lightly batted at his chest, laughing. "Their rates are good, too.
Takasugi would have chalked it up to sheer idiocy if not for the next line.
"And what about the girl at the door? The cat. Does she do tours, too?"
Gaze sharpening, the eye eyed man locked onto Amagi's eye. His palm was just itching for his sword. Amagi was making this personal. Takasugi already knew the answer before the girls spoke, but what he heard was far more infuriating than simply brushing it off.
"The creepy one?" The blonde, Naomi asked.
"Gross, no. Who would pay for that?" Ayumi rolled her eyes, pushing away and inched towards the other girl. As if reading the atmosphere, Naomi turned to her.
"Seriously. She was watching me put on my eyeliner on earlier-"
"You too?! She always watches me put on my foundation and lipstick, what a freak!"
Gasping, Naomi waved her hand at her friend, and leaned over Amagi's lap.
"You should have seen her present her last project. She's the laughingstock of our class. Ishii-sensei kicked her out even though the trains weren't running yet, and she just stood there for like, ever. Apparently, all her materials are from the junkyard. She was totally gone after class too. I wonder if she walked all the way back?"
He was going to kill them. All three of them.
"Oh, wow, maybe the walk would do her some good though, have you seen her hips? Is that why she hasn't come back? She hasn't been in biology or ancient literature in like, weeks."
"No, she came back. She left when she saw her desk." A low round of snickering filled the table, and Takasugi glared at the women. What was wrong with her desk? "But she's still been wearing her uniform like she's going. I bet her parents would kill her if they found out."
"I heard she tried to sleep with Ishii-sensei for a good grade and he turned her down-"
"No way!"
Amagi was still looking up at Takasugi. Not smiling, as he usually was, but dead faced. Women were vicious. They were child bearing hips, she wasn't even remotely fat! She was just a little curvy! Kinu was short, she still looked small! He reminded himself for the umpteenth time that he couldn't kill them there. That would get Kinu fired. The girl outside thought he was her boyfriend.
He'd kill them somewhere else.
Amagi crushed the girls back into his sides, and grinned as they playfully batted at his grasp.
"So what do you say? We could be brothers."
"I have no desire to sleep with such sour faces." Appalled wasn't a strong enough word. "Or shapeless, rail thin boys, for that matter. Believe it or not, women should be soft somewhere." Amagi snickered, but the girls frowned up at Takasugi. Snarled, as though he had said the most atrocious thing they'd heard all night. Even after they opened their own mouths. He couldn't believe the amount of hostility in their supposed casual conversation, but after his comments, he wasn't surprised to be on the receiving end of their dirty looks. "It's wonderful that you've finally gotten over her though, Amagi-san. Some women are impossible to reach, and she's certainly one of them. Quite frankly, out of your league. I do hope you find comfort among your own kind, however." Glancing between the women, the one eyed man brought his pipe to his lips. "And don't take her rejection too hard. Send your proposal in the morning. After you finish with your… leftovers."
The number of dirty looks at the table rose from two to three, and Takasugi stared back. Challenged them to say something, anything to him, because he knew if it got back to Kinu she wouldn't know how to handle people like the ones in front of him. She was still figuring it out, and this was at least four levels above her credentials.
He was positive Amagi was there to try to snag Kinu, but how? It sounded more like he was fooling around. Playing up already vicious women and possibly focusing their attention. How would that get Kinu?
When Kinu finally returned home, the store was completely dark. Not on the inside, but on the outside, too. Shards of glass laid under the porch light, and she looked up at the jagged edge, frowning.
"Oi, do lightbulbs explode?"
"I don't think so. Rarely." Kawakami murmured back, and she sighed. She dug into her pocket, and fished her keys out, using her cellphone to light the lock.
It had been a stressful night. With Takasugi barging into the hostess club, then leaving as abruptly as he had come. He hadn't even looked at her as he passed. Had that same expression from when she'd seen him in the alley, and she didn't have the nerve to approach him.
"I'm home now…" She told the man, and he hummed an okay. Didn't say much else before they hung up, and she started up the stairs to her room. Kawakami and Matako had to be tied of her calling them already. They never said so, and assured her it was fine, but she still felt like she was annoying them.
Takasugi scared her.
Only when he was like he had been when he left, but his face said it all. He was usually cold, that wasn't the issue, but Kinu had never seen such a clear expression before in her life. It screamed bloodlust. It was completely unlike him, the normal him, and if he looked at her like that her nerves would bunch and drop into the pit of her stomach. She could only assume that whatever had happened had been terrible.
Enough for him to not bother toying with her before leaving. Not even spare a single word. Maybe she'd done something, and he was mad at her. Too mad to even say the word punishment.
When Kinu made it to her room, she flipped the light on, and her brow furrowed at the black dots speckled across her floor.
Butterflies. Tens of butterflies, all dead and haphazardly sprinkled as far as the eye could reach. They came in all shades of orange, yellow, blue, and purple. This couldn't be random happenstance. There was no way dozens of butterflies just so happened to find their way into her room and all die in a matter of six to nine hours. There hadn't been a single one when she'd left.
The longer she looked, the more unsettled she grew. Her window was open.
"We were wrong." Sitting around the meeting room table, the members of the Kiheitai looked up at Takasugi as he brought his newest prisoner into the building, tucked under his arm. He sat in his usual spot, scratching the top of Momo's head, and ignored the questioning frowns from his three companions as he set the grizzly cat in his lap. "He's broken the agreement. Has been going to the hostess club."
"So how do we kill him?" Kawakami asked, and Takechi was the first to respond.
"Perhaps there's a better way. If we tempt him with a younger girl-"
"Any younger and it's illegal, loli-con." Matako's eyes cut towards the man, and he stared back at her, expressionless.
"I say we meet for another deal. Bring some girls like it's the usual run around."
"Shinsuke, that… If we can change his mind we won't have to find a new way onto the boat."
"There are other connections. Sasaki could be reasoned with if we back off." Pressing his finger into the table, Takasugi leaned towards Kawakami. He kept a hand on the brown cat in his lap, and made sure to dish out scratches that tamed the beast. Reduced him to a ball of fur, grabbing at his fingertips and nibbling at his hand. "If he's pushing this hard, I don't care to change his mind."
"If we kill him, we'll have half of the country beating down doors to get to us. It doesn't seem worth it… Not just the cops, but gangs, business men, hell, probably little girls still in daycare. They own half the city. We won't even make it on Japanese soil, let alone onto that boat with Nobu Nobu." Matako, though perfectly straight and reserved in appearance, raised a brow to Takasugi. She already knew where this was going. "I don't like it either, and I'm just as against giving her to him as anybody else, but maybe she could go along with it just long enough for us to get what we want."
"That's not the point." Takasugi said, lifting his phone. He scrolled through his contacts, and found Amagi's name. Contemplated video calling him. But there was no guarantee that he'd answer after their talk. He hadn't sent a proposal. It was best to leave things as they were, and keep the upper hand.
"The women for the speed date are on the way, right?" Takechi looked to Matako, and she nodded.
"Twelve of them."
"Tell them to hurry. We should do this before..." Kawakami met Takasugi's gaze, and paused. "I mean, we can kill him, Shinsuke. I'm willing to kill him. That makes no difference to me."
"Are we serious? We're killing him over her? It's just one girl, she's not even that useful."
"How about a call? Maybe the sight of strong, beautiful women will change his mind." Takechi spoke before anybody could answer Matako's question.
Looking at Takechi, the one eyed man lifted his cat. He stood, and threw the feline over his shoulder, scratching his back as he eyed the group.
"Fine. But if he doesn't pick one, we're going my way."
"The ship is already on the way, they're about three hours out. Had to stop at another planet before earth." Matako kept her eyes on the table, and Takasugi nodded once. Sure. Amagi knew exactly what he was doing, and he should be made to pay as anybody else would. He needed to be made aware of the kind of opponent Takasugi could be.
That had to be it. He had never experienced Takasugi's wrath first hand. That needed to change.
"Tomorrow morning, we're gonna have a chat with him." Taking his cat with him, Takasugi started down the hallway.
Momo pressed into his cheek, and he placed a hand over his head. What an affectionate alley cat. Kinu was raising him right. He never expected the cat to let him pick him up and keep him so long. Frowning, Takasugi paused. He turned to the kitchen, and ignored the three pairs of eyes on him as he pulled a cabinet open and snagged a can of tuna, then headed for the porch.