Entry 58: And So, Ends the Story of Kuro Ogata
June 26th: Morning
"Huh... the sky looks really nice today." Normally, I wouldn't wake up this early, around eight am, but Itsuki asked for my help with something. Giving my body a stretch, I let out a satisfied groan as my bones cracked. Alright, don't want to keep my adorable sister-in-law waiting. As I began walking to the café that Itsuki texted me to go to, I noticed a couple things. First, it was pretty cool today so far. The sky was clear and the sun didn't feel like it was burning me alive. I didn't get to see Miku and Nino yesterday... Maybe I should ask them out on a date today. Ugh, I hope I'm not being too clingy. I am, aren't I? Eh, so what. They're the best girls in the whole wide world! Who wouldn't be clingy?
Walking into the mostly empty Revival, I already saw the head of red hair from the front of the café. The young woman was sitting at the back of the café, in a booth. Huh, she isn't usually so shy about people seeing her eat. Unless... no way she's gonna ask me for advice about Subaru, right? No, no. I'm overthinking things. "Morning, Itsu-!" When I got to the booth, what I saw was Itsuki, silently staring at a cup of cold tea. Along with that bitch sitting next to her, the only real smile she could muster on. Who knew a snake could wear a white dress?
"Good morning, Og-a-ta~ Take a seat." Yuu Senjogahara gave me a lazy wave as she pointed to the booth seat in front of her and Itsuki. "You had us waiting! Lady Itsuki's tea got cold."
"Itsuki..." When I called her name, all the poor girl could do was flinch. She never took her eyes off of the cup of tea and kept her hands on her legs. "Senjougahara, what the hell is going-"
"Take. A. Seat." All she did was point across from her. With her sitting next to Itsuki, I had to do as she said. "See, not so hard, right? So, how'd you sleep?"
"...what are you doing here?"
"Oh nothing~ What, I can't hang out with a classmate and a liar?" Shit, she figured me out. Dammit, we just needed another week to get the needed info to justify getting her out of Sanctuary and this city. I should have beat the living shit out of her when she admitted to being the one who "pranked" me. "Now, now. No need to glare. We're just talking! Right, Lady Itsuki?" Nothing. All Itsuki did was sit there. "I said. Ri-"
"Y-Yes!" Finally, the youngest Nakano sister... my sister looked up at me with tears in her eyes. "Kuro, I didn't-"
"I didn't say you can talk." Swiftly, Senjogahara went for a fork that was sitting near her. But the moment her skin made contact with it, I was already on my feet. "Pfttahahahaha! Oh come on! I'm just kidding! What am I? A villain or something? I just wanted to scare you a bit, Ogata."
"I'll kill you. I mean that, you know."
"Hmph. You know, in our world, you only say that when you already did the job. Don't tell me you forgot, Ogata." Our world? OUR WORLD?!
"I'm not going to be a part of that shit world for much longer.. But... I'm willing to indulge myself in it for five minutes if it means wiping you off this earth."
"Oh~ Now that's what I'm talking about!" The piece of living garbage sat up and giggled. She then turned her gaze to Itsuki and tapped her shoulder with a single finger. "Alright, you can go now. Bye bye, Brat."
"W-Wh-'"
"I don't need you anymore. Leave before I get pissed." Itsuki looked between Senjo and I. "Even your Big Brother wants you to go."
"Kuro..."
"Go, alright. I'll bring over some cake later, alright? Sorry for this." Quickly, she got out of the booth and let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry. Be careful okay?" flashing her a smile, I watched as my sister left the café. When she was gone and out of sight, I turned my attention back on the piece of shit in front of me that couldn't stop grinning.
"Oh come on. You and I both know that you wouldn't have showed up if I called you out. You seem to be really adverse to the idea of going on a date with me, Ogata." Please. A date is supposed to be fun. Being near you for an extended period of time would most likely turn me into a pillar of salt. "Plus, I needed to remind you. Just what did you think would happen? You're a part of a dangerous world, Ogata. As long as you live, danger will follow you. What would have happened to little miss glutton if I was some evil yakuza, huh? You're lucky I was such a nice girl."
Are you... are you fucking kidding me?! "Oh yeah, sure. That makes sense. Everyone knows that I'm being pursued by every Yakuza on earth. Hell no! I want nothing to do with the underground world, and everyone from it leaves me alone. Everyone expect for fucking you. Leave me alone. I'm not trying to hurt you or stop you from being queen of Yakuza or whatever. I couldn't give less if I tried. Why the hell can't you leave me alone?!"
For the first time today, Senjo stopped smiling. Her face became completely neutral and it was the creepiest thing I've ever seen. "How many times do I have to tell you, Ogata. You are not meant to be a part of this normal, shit world. I don't understand what you find about this to be fun or even entertaining. Brats going running around and gossiping, going shopping, even falling in love. It's fine and all but... it's different for us. You and I have been tainted."
"No. I don't know what you think you know about me, but I'm not insane like you."
"Keep telling yourself that. I'm sure you've never felt confusion about your future, how to express yourself, or even what normal people were thinking."
"That... so what? Even though I did and still do feel that confusion, that doesn't mean it's not possible. We're still human, you know."
The black haired young woman rested her head on her hand and started playing with a packet of sugar. "Human, huh... I despise it when people say that. As if saying, 'we're all the same on the inside.' While technically it's true, I believe in nurture vs nature. Our experiences are what makes us who we are. Would you say a serial killer is still 'Human'? Would you say someone who takes advantage of others just for their own sick kicks to be 'human'? I think not." Alright, but what is she getting at? Her monologue didn't even seem to be on topic for me. "Ogata, I don't consider myself human. Do you?"
"Of course I do. I may not have always thought that but... That was just my own anxiety and fear talking. I thought my own brother was a demon, but I just misunderstood him. I don't know what you went through but... still. Even if you went so far as to pretend to be my sister and threaten Itsuki, if you just let this go and leave us all alone, I won't do anything to you. Please."
"...hmph. You really are a strange man, Ogata." She stood up from her seat before sighing. "Can you come with me for one last moment? There's something I'd like to say to you before we end this." It's dangerous. But... What if I got through to her. Plus, if she does pull something, being out of sight of bystanders would make it easier to knock her out. Reluctantly, I stood up.
"If you pull anything, I won't hesitate to beat the shit out of you."
"Wow, a true feminist." Her fake grin was plaster back on as she left the money for the tea on the table. She led me out of the café and into a nearby ally.
Behind. I noticed it. We were being followed by someone, Sheesh, she really doesn't know when to give up, does she. Oh well. I'm sure I can take them both on if I have to. Sure, I'm a bit out of practice, but talent isn't something that just disappears. When we got to the spot she intended, she turned on her heel and gave me a sadistic smile. "What do you think? Romantic, right?
"Oh yeah, perfect for a little one on one." We're far enough from the main street to both not be heard nor seen. I'll hazard a guess that this is where she had most of her info dealings. Both for Omi and Sanctuary. "Can we just get this over with? If you're gonna have someone beat me up, just do it already."
"...I'll be honest, Ogata. I'm a bit disappointed. When I first saw you, it was like I was Merlin, finally finding the one worthy of holding Excalibur. You reminded me of the Yakuza legends I grew up learning about. No nonsense, doing anything you had to for the job, not caring what others thought about you and most importantly, you were strong. Both emotionally and physically. But look at you know. Blushing at the thought of a single high school girl. Worrying about a brat that you aren't even working for. Worrying about your public image... What a drag. How the mighty have fallen."
"Yeah yeah. I disappointed you, boo hoo. But I wasn't happy back then. I like this version of me much more." I waved off her criticism. It was nothing more than the type of shit someone who only cares for underground power would say. "I'd say that's more your fault for having such high expectations for me. I have a habit of letting people down, you know."
A strange laugh erupted out of her. "Yeah, you have a point. And I'm sure you'll disappoint those brats more in the future. But fine. This conversation did open my eyes. No matter what I do, I can't lead a horse to water. You've made your decision to be a useless normal person. Good luck being another cog in the machine that is this shitty world!" Her strange laugh transformed into a cackling one. "Don't come crying to me when you realize the mistake you made, Ogata!"
This left a bad taste in my mouth. Not just because she was making fun of me. There's still so much to be discovered, where did she get her info. Just who is she? Why does she want to bring back the Yakuza world? But... there's no such thing as a perfect victory. Being in that world for the last eighteen years taught me that. "Whatever. See you around, but I'd rather I didn't." I turned away from the girl and began walking back out into the street. But after just five feet, I noticed a head of hair poking out from behind a trash can. "Itsuki?"
The girl who I had told to go home sprung up from her hiding spot. Looking frizzled and had a banana peel on her head. "K-Kuro! You're okay! I'm sorry... but I was worried about you! Are you-" Behind! GET IN FRONT OF ITSUKI, NOW! Instincts that I haven't felt in months overrode my mind and body. The distinct feeling of danger and true, deep, bloodlust was flowing from just behind me. Listening to my body, I rushed in front of her and wrapped my body over hers. "Huh? Kur-"
*slink*
It was practically silent. If I didn't know what to listen out for, I'm sure I would have never realized what had just happened. But, the pain coming from my abdomen made what happened kinda obvious, didn't it? NO! AGAIN!AGAIN!AGAIN! My mind was screaming at me, but I somehow was able to hold in my whine. "Dammit, I shoulda known better than to bring you along." Through my pain and fight-or-flight instincts I could hear Senjo's song-like voice ring out. "You can be reeeeaal trigger happy, huh?"
"KURO!" Itsuki tried her best to wring herself out of my grasp, but I couldn't let go. Not when the feeling of danger was still aiming right at her. DAMMIT, IT HURTS! IT HURTS! WHO FUCKING SHOT ME?! WHO TRIED TO HURT ITSUKI?! But I could feel my body being to weak. I could feel the blood drip onto my legs and the ground. "Oh my god, oh my god. No no no. Please no!" I... NO! THEY'RE DOING IT AGAIN!
*slink*
Silencer. Unusual for when it comes to Yakuza styled executions. Most likely trained by outside influences or Senjougahara herself. Ugh, It's happening again. My brain was going into full analysis mode. Trying to soak up any and all information to distract me from the fact that I was just shot again, this time in the leg. Body's falling onto the ground. Letting go of Itsuki, but bloodlust has died down. Too much blood loss. I'm gonna di- Senjogahara's walking away.
"Man, this is a real shame, now isn't it, lady Itsuki? If only that guy had listened to me, he would still be alive. Or... if only you stayed away, you wouldn't have made my friend so angry~"
"N-No... I didn't! I didn't mean to-! Kuro!"
"Itsu...ki. Don't listen to...her." Conscious fading. Hands grabbing onto my head, keeping it front hitting the ground. There's so much blood. I've never seen so much. No! STAY AWAKE! They could still hurt her. Itsuki, protect Itsuki. Protect Lady Itsuki!
"..." The sounds of footsteps leading away was all I could hear over Itsuki's crying. "Man, there goes another project down the drain! You just had to shoot him!"
My mind was so jumbled, I couldn't even figure out where I was. All I could see was the blood and Itsuki's crying, bloodstained face. "Don't die... don't die! Please don't die!"
"I..." I couldn't handle it anymore. The pain, my brain yelling at me, this feeling of... I can't. I just close my eyes. Just a bit of a...
There we go, letting them down, once again. What a failure we are, Kuro.
?
They say when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. I'd always assumed that was just a saying or a hopeful view on death. From the way people talked about it or it was shown in movies, they made it sound like it was some kind of "best of" for your life right before you go.
Let me tell you this. It's not. There's nothing great or nice feeling of watching the shitty choices and life circumstances that lead me to that shitty ally. Wow, I really am gonna fall in an alley of all places, huh? Guess it makes sense, for someone like me.
For someone who was thrown away by my parents and forced into a Yakuza filled orphanage. Where everyone but two people hated me. And even then, I pushed those two away from me. Shiro, for the last year I treated him like he was nothing more than an insect. My brother, my big brother! He wanted nothing more than for me to live a normal life and push me out of that hell. And yet... Here I am, getting shot in an alleyway. The last thing He'd want from me. I wonder if he'll cry... of course he will. Shiro... I never got to tell him that I loved him, did I? I'll never get to look at his shit eating grin again, hear his shitty jokes or get to punch him for making those jokes. Big bro... I'm so sorry.
W...Sora. I hope she did get away from that world. I wonder how she's doing? Maybe she's hanging out with her significant other right now or sleeping in. Knowing that idiot, if she hadn't changed, she probably stayed up all night building a Gundam or something. I hope so. It's a shame I'll never meet her but, it's for the best isn't it?
As I watched my life move on from the orphanage, it moved onto them. The five identical quintuplets standing in front of me with frowns. Even now, I still coles;'t tell them apart. But, I love them all. Especially Ni-
Nino
"Lady Nino, this is where you are."
"HUUUUH?! How'd you find me?" In front of my very eyes, a very young Nino was sitting on a bench in a park that I barely remembered. The only things I could make out were outlines of a playground, grass and kids running around. Nino was wearing her brand new middle school uniform and her new butterfly ribbons in her hair. This was... it's about a month after I started my job for them. Yeah, If I remember correctly, Nino ditched her classes and I had to come find her. "The hell do you want, stalker?"
"I'm here to keep you safe. It is not my job to make sure you get your education, so I am not here to force you back to class. How you have a target on-"
"Yeah, yeah. I got it, now fuck off." Her dismissive attitude and harsh language was definitely not what you'd expect from a thirteen year old girl. But that's just the kind of girl Nino is. Man, even back then she was tsundere. Wait... no! She wasn't tsundere here, she just hated me! "Why don't you go hide in a bush and watch me like the creepy little sack of shit that you are." WOAH! She used to be really mean!
And, because I used to be a total dumbass, the younger version of me did as she said. Moving right into the bushes behind her. "Like this, lady Nino?"
"Pthahahaha! Yeah, just like that! Now you look like the stalker you were always meant to be." The young girl laughed at me like I was the funniest comedian she's ever seen. "Be careful, I hear this place has a nasty amount of bugs~"
"I'll be fine. Now I can protect you without being seen, Lady Nino. Just as you would like." I clearly didn't respond in the way she wanted, because her smile soon turned into a frown.
"Creepy fuck." Young Nino then stood up, brushed off her uniform and went off into the playground. She didn't seem to go around the other kids, just did activities by herself. She really doesn't want to get near people huh? Well, if I remember correctly, their mother died not too long ago... dammit. I'm leaving her behind too. I'm so sorry, Nino.
After what seemed like hours, the younger me saw something that needed his attention and he stood up. "Lady Nino!" I ran over to the girl to see... her hanging upside down in a jungle gym, her legs wrapped around the ladder. "...are you alright?"
"Don't you give me that 'Are you alright' shit! Get me outta here asshole!" The younger version of me had what could only be described as a ghost of a smile as I untangled the girl's legs.
"Alright, Lady Nino, be car-AH!"
"AHHH!" I made the mistake of letting go of her legs and she fell right onto me, pinning me to the ground. "Ugh... you're body is way too hard to be a landing pad."
"Haha...hahahaaha!" For some reason, the younger version of me started laughing, a reaction that Nino wasn't expecting so she sat up. "Oh man... for all your boasting and anger, you sure are a clumsy girl, Lady Nino." I flashed her a smile and, for the first time in my life at the time, I saw Lady Nino blush. "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah. Shut up, you stupid guard. I'm hungry, so buy me something to eat! Something expensive too!"
"Of course, Lady Nino." going back into bodyguard mode, I stood up, brushed sand and dirt off of my body and extended my hand to her. Which she surprisingly took.
Nino... I'm so sorry. I wanted to make you happy and always smile and now, I'm abandoning you. Dammit! Why do I have to be such an idiot? She'll probably call me a dumbass and a stupid fool for this. I'm gonna miss her insults. Does that make me a masochist? Probably. But hey, anything for Nino.
But even then... Nino's not the only one I'll leave behind. Miku too...
Miku
I watched as young Miku and a younger version of me seemed to share a meat bun. "...it's good." She was wearing the Black Rose uniform and... Ugh, I'm not looking forward to seeing that moment in my life again.
"Really? That's good to hear. Baking still isn't my forte but I wanted to get this right for Lady Itsuki. She's been spending way too much on meat buns lately and Sir Maruo told me to find a way for her to stop spending so much."
"It can't be that bad."
"In the last month, she spent a hundred thousand yen on meat buns alone." She paled at my statement before looking down at the meat bun in her hand. "Enjoy it while you can. Lady Itsuki won't let them leave their sight soon, I'm sure." She continued eating as I began cleaning up. "Thank you for the help, Lady Miku."
"It's no problem. I...Kuro, can I ask you a question?" I looked up from the dishes at her and nodded. "Umm, is there a particular reason why you're looking out for Itsuki so much?"
"Hm? Not at all. I see to it that all of you are always comfortable. It's just that Lady Itsuki and Lady Yotsuba are much easier in that respect. Lady Nino and Lady Ichika are... a different point." The younger version of me seemed to deflate at the thought and let out a sigh. "As for you, I have to thank you, Lady Miku. You're so easy going, you make my job much easier."
It seemed my words had the opposite effect that I had intended. Because Miku gave the young and dumb me a pout. "What's that supposed to mean, Kuro?"
"Hm? Well, just that you're very easy to take care of. You don't talk down to me, you don't make unnecessary issues and you don't make much of a mess. You're the perfect client."
"...that so..." She let go of her pout and put back on her neutral expression. "I guess that makes me boring then. My sisters are far more interesting."
"I don't know if interesting is the word I'd use lady Miku. Perhaps a handful is more accurate." I was actually surprised that I didn't say something sarcastic at that. Man, I was boring. "Besides, I enjoy spending time with you quite a bit, Lady Miku. That's why I asked you to help me with these buns."
"T-That so..." The idiot me just shrugged at her shy expression and went back to doing the dishes. "So there's no... real reason why you pay more attention to anyone else."
"Of course not. I'm just your bodyguard after all. I don't have any preference for any of my clients." Well that didn't last for long, did it?
I heard Miku move around and looked up, to see her give me a smile. "Not yet." HOW DID I NOT SEE THAT BEFORE?!
"...okay." Fucking idiot.
?
Watching my life pass me by, all I felt was regret. There was so much I haven't done yet. I... I wanted to go to college, get an apartment with Miku and Nino. Finally figures out if Taro would fall for Ichika or Yotsu. Tease Subaru and Itsuki too.
I wanted to go camping with everyone again and stop the fire that Yotsuba would definitely let go out of control. I wanted to go to Ichika's first big budget premier. Read Itsuki's thousand page blog about her food reviews. Finally opens up the restaurant with Miku and Nino... dammit. Why?
I don't want to die... There's so much I want to do! Dammit, stop! Please! I want to see everyone again! I DON'T WANT TO-
Oh... I'm dead.
AN: Hey there guys. I'm back and with the last chapter of the New World Arc. This was supposed to be the chapters that I was going to update with before fixing my PC and man... that woulda been a wild thing to do before a hiatus. But, good thing things got so bad with my PC that I sent it in early. First there's the fact that FFN is apparently having really bad glitches and issues. I saw that they're planning on not only fixing it but also giving the whole site and app a whole upgrade. So that's cool. I don't know how that will affect notifs for followers but all I can do is hope you guys get to this. Anyway, the Drift Arc is next and I hope you all enjoy it! I have to once again apologize though. I'm sorry for being gone so long, I really didn't plan on it happening like this. It's my first time having a PC and I had no idea that getting it fixed was such a hassle. Either way, I'm back and will continue to update every Friday. Thank you all for your continued support and I hope you all continue to enjoy and read my story. Thank you.
Speaking of finishing things. I recently finished Cyberpunk Edgerunners. What an amazing show. I highly recommend it to everyone who hasn't watched it. Definitely Trigger's best show. In my unexpected break, I was able to get a lot of things off of my backlog, including anime and rereading QQ for the thousandth time for extra research. While it was fun, I missed writing this story a lot.
TheMist33: Hey! I was kinda worried that you might have left forever. It's good to see you again and thank you for your birthday wishes. Unfortunately, I seemed to have taken more time off than I anticipated. Sorry. Thanks for reviewing again.
Guest (1): I really don't want to think about the shipping costs again. I had no idea it would cost so much to just mail something. But thank you for your understanding. It means a lot. I was actually really worried that you all would be mad at me or stop reading because of my unexpected hiatus. Thank you for your kind words.
Guest (2): Thank you! I hope this update was worth the wait!
ShutenScript: Yes, I was so happy to see it come back. I've only had it for a short amount of time, but I've gotten really attached to it. Maybe being the only way I can write was a part of it. Honestly, I tried opening up my old laptop to try and write on it while it was away but was a total bust. Eh, what are you gonna do, right? I hope you liked these new chapters and I really appreciate your support. Thank you so much for sticking with me.