It was like any normal night in Tokyo, as the citizens were traveling back home from their workplaces through public transport or their own cars. The subway was filled to the brim with people and the highway showed no sign of slowing down as it flooded with vehicles at every entrance.
Today, though, was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and most people were rushing back home with more determination to celebrate the special occasion with their families. Houses were decorated with pampas grass for happiness and good luck, as those items are believed to ward off the bad spirits. Families are also sure to make tsukimi dango for the event for everyone to truly enjoy. Most of the restaurants were fully booked for dinners, parks were filled with people who wanted to catch sight of the full moon, and others were dressed in kimonos to pray at the shrines afterwards. There were no shortages of fun though, as performances of many old traditional songs, as well as lion dances, raved in Chinatown.
However, not everyone celebrated Mid Autumn Festival with their families or their loved ones, as a manager and his chefs, waiters, and waitresses were celebrating it in their own restaurant. They have specially closed it during dinnertime to commemorate the occasion within themselves.
"Boss!" One of the waiters called out, "The mooncakes you ordered have arrived!" Upon hearing that, the manager stood up and went to the door, where the delivery guy was standing with a big box in his hands.
"Mr Yosuke Lee?" He asked. The manager nodded his head in confirmation and signed on the paper before taking the package into the restaurant. Placing it on a large rounded table, the manager watched as everyone began to gather.
The waitresses cleaned the table while the waiters poured tea on the tea cups. The chefs came out of the kitchen with dishes of tsukimi dango, mochi, sweet potatoes, udon with raw eggs, pumpkins, and even burgers. They too all placed their food on the same table.
Everyone grabbed a chair and sat around, all secretly eyeing to see what their dinner would entail. Almost in union, each staff member clapped their hands together before heaving out 'itadakimasu', not sparing a moment more to dig into their dinners. They talked heartily while chomping down on the tasty food.
"How's your family, boss?" One of the chefs questioned, "I heard your oldest son just got accepted into a university."
"News really travels fast." Yosuke let out a small laugh, "Yeah, I was so elated when I heard he could get in. He worked really hard for it, and he deserved it.""
"You definitely must be happy, Boss." A waiter added, "Mrs Lee is having your third child in her tummy. That's a happy occasion."
"Of course! She loves kids, and she knew I love more kids! I can't wait for the third one to be born. I am already blessed with a son and daughter, so I don't mind the gender of the third one."
"Hey, Dustin, don't need to get jealous." A male chef told the waiter, "I know your wife can't conceive a baby even after you two did it so many times."
An abundance of eyes widened at the chef's comment, shocked that he would bring up such a sensitive topic to most. Dustin cleared his throat, thinking quick to break the tension, "Just you wait, Nick. I will have a child one day, and I'll prove your ass wrong!" And with that, laughter filled the room and the mood was back on track for a fun night.
"Aren't you supposed to spend the day with your boyfriend today, Alicia?" Nick asked.
"It's okay. He can spend it alone." The waitress crossed her arms, almost pouting out as she added, "He wanted to spend Mid Autumn Festival with his mother, like EVERY other day. He's such a mummy's boy. I just left him alone today. That should teach him a lesson."
"So that's why you left your phone in the kitchen." A female chef replied, "Your phone was ringing with messages and missed phone calls. You should probably tell him at least you're not going to be around today."
"I shall let him learn that he has to follow my way. It's me he's dating, not his mother."
"Boss, you're getting on in ages." Another waitress voiced out, "Aren't you going to pass down the business to your son?"
Yosuke sighed before shaking his head, "I had planned to pass it to my eldest daughter. My son wanted to become a lawyer when he's older, and he's studying law as of now. I know a lawyer really earns a lot, and he'd make our family proud, so I'll let him be what he wants. Anyway, my daughter is interested in managing. I think she's suited for the job."
"Ay, Boss, can you let me date your daughter?" A waiter asked, "Your daughter's so cute and pretty. I'm so handsome and dashing. My mother kept wanting me to get a girlfriend, and you need someone to take care of your daughter. We also know each other in high school, let me be her knight in shining armor. I'll take care of her for life!"
"In your dreams, Aaron!" Yosuke responded, "I will only allow my daughter to marry a smart, rich, and educated bachelor, not to some waiter like you. Maybe you should study harder. As for your mother, that sounds like a you-problem, not a me-problem."
Everyone in the room immediately chuckled at Aaron. As Yosuke was about to continue joking around, his phone vibrated. Slipping it out of his pocket, the boss checked to see who it was only to see an unknown number with a message.
'You're getting it.'
Ignoring it, the older man placed his phone back into his pocket. He talked with his colleagues for a while more before his phone started ringing again. He whipped it out almost annoyed before realizing the same number had messaged him ten other times.
Yosuke excused himself from the dinner as he walked into the kitchen. He unlocked his phone and saw numerous threatening messages. He could feel himself begin to panic. Sweat lined his forehead as his fingers scrolled down to the most recent messages.
'You're not responding.'
'I see you want to take it the hard way.'
'Don't blame me for ruining your fun.'
His hands started shaking in fear and he tried calling the unknown number, but to no avail. The line couldn't be reached. His face immediately turned as white as a sheet and he cursed under his breath. Though everything in him told him something was wrong, Yosuke couldn't show that to his co-workers. Instead, he took a breath, followed by another, steadily trying to calm himself before slowly making his way back to the chatter filled table.
"Boss, what happened?" Aaron had a curious look on his face, "You look very pale."
"O...oh, d...do I r...really l...look p...pale?" Yosuke stuttered, as if he had something stuck in his throat. Aaron nodded his head.
Yosuke sat down on his chair slowly, his whole body shaking at this point. He garnered concerned stares from his people, in which he dismissed them and told them everything was fine.
He tried to call the unknown number over and over again, each time praying for the caller to pick up. However, his prayers weren't answered. He gritted his teeth, looking around for a spot to hide as he could feel something bad was going to happen deep within his gut.
Out of the blue, a group of men, all led by one woman, barged into the restaurant. They all wore similar outfits of jean pants topped with leather jackets. Aaron quickly rose from his seat, speaking up to tell them that the restaurant was closed, only for a single gunshot to ring through everyone's ears and his lifeless body to thump to the floor afterwards. No one could process the sheer terror of the situation just yet as not even a pen could drop before numerous other bullets, from all types of makes and models, littered the walls, clearing out the workers and any possible threat. As Yosuke watched everything unfold before his eyes, all he could do was drop his phone in shock, mouthing out 'what the fuck' as the situation fell beyond his control.
With the air barely having time to settle, a few men stormed to Yosuke and held him back. The woman at the center of it all unsheathed the katana she held by her belt before slicing the table in half. She threw the front half away from her in an attempt to let out her rising anger.
"You really got big guts to ignore Boss." She glared at him, "I admire you, honestly."
"I didn't mean to dismiss him!" Yosuke talked back, "I really..."
"Save it for him, not me." The woman snapped before proceeding to take her phone out and called someone. Placing it on speaker, she faced her phone towards Yosuke.
"Yosuke Lee, what a surprise." The voice uttered, "You must have been very busy. That's why you've been ignoring my messages. I'm sorry to have sent my assistant there. I just wanted to pass on a message, you know."
"I really didn't mean to ignore you, Mr Yazuka!" Yosuke reasoned, "I was having dinner with my workers! I swear I wasn't purposely trying to dodge you!
"Oh, really?" Yazuka asked, "Someone, splash the hot tea on his face, please."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Yosuke screamed, "Surely there's some way I can make it up to you. I know I screwed up in doing my job. I will do my best to do whatever you say, I promise!"
"You fucked up, mister." Yazuka growled, "You were supposed to keep a close eye on Esther! I didn't have cameras installed all around the restaurant for nothing, you useless bum! With so many of your damn workers, which almost adds up to 30, how the fuck did you miss the man?!" Yazuka stopped speaking for a moment before breathing out a heavy sigh.
Gathering himself from blowing up on the man he continued on in an aggravated tone, "I gave you specific instructions: your waiters and waitresses are supposed to corner him, and your chefs are supposed to cook him food that gives him a hard time to run. You didn't even follow a single instruction from me. You trying to disobey and disrespect me, fool?"
"I'm sorry, Mr Yazuka!" Yosuke profusely apologized, "I know I did you wrong! I seek for your forgiveness! Please, Mr Yazuka. I got a family to feed."
"Oh, so now you know you got a family to feed, you fucking dumbass? Yet, you went to meet up with Esther two days after the supposed day you were tasked to poison him, and he offered you loads of money to keep mum about his whereabouts. I already told you there would be very close supervision from me and my assistant, and yet you think dealing at a pizzeria would keep you safe from me? You are really trying to test my patience, Yosuke Lee. You should know better than to mess with the boss of a crime syndicate."
"Boss, I swear I won't do it again. Please spare me." Yosuke pleaded, "I really needed money. Greed took me over, and I couldn't control it. You can place your assistant by my side. I will not try any funny tricks ever again."
"Too late, Yosuke Lee." Yazuka retorted, "You broke my trust for you. I gave you what you needed, and still you turned your back on me. Let me ask you something: where did Esther go?"
"I...unfortunately don't have the answer to that question." Yosuke replied. One of the men standing to the side took the tea kettle and splashed the contents on Yosuke's face. He screamed in agony as the hot tea burned his face.
"Let me ask you again, and you'd better be truthful, you son of a bitch." Yazuka shouted at him, "Where. Is. Esther. Now?"
"I...I...I really don't know!" He cried, "He...he just passed me the money and he disappeared!"
"Don't know this, don't know that." Yazuka scowled, "Are you this fucking stupid and brainless? Did I hire you just to be dumb?" With no response, Yazuka clicked his tongue in aggravation, "Fine, whatever. Since you don't use your brains, you don't need them at all."
He then stopped for a moment, letting the tension build in the room, before continuing, "芬尼思, 你知道该什么做(Venus, you know what to do)."
"是的, 老板 (Yes, Boss)." The woman replied before ending the call. She prepared to use her katana as Yosuke looked at her in fear. He tried to scream, but the men tied a cloth around his mouth, muffling him.
"This will be fast and smooth." She grinned as she aimed the katana at his head. She held it up high while he shook his head vigorously.
Soon the muffled cried were silenced as only the slicing sound of the razor-sharp katana could be heard.
In the city streets of Russia, a blonde woman in sunglasses took her luggage out of a house. She looked back into the quaint little space and smiled at an old woman, who was sleeping on the sofa soundly.
"Goodbye, Obaasan." She whispered before she closed the door. She grabbed the handle and pulled it to the elevator. She clicked the button as she waited patiently for it to come.
"Move those scrawny legs of yours!" An army officer screamed at her and other comrades as she tried to pick her speed up. The commander, nonetheless, still wasn't happy with her speed. He screamed once again as her face was covered in sweat and her mind was clouded by tiredness.
"Run! Run like your life depends on it!"
She walked out of the lift lobby as she called for a cab from the taxi-hailing application on her phone. It took a few minutes before a BMW X2 Advantage arrived at the taxi stand, patiently waiting for its rider. She got into the car, quickly smiling at the driver before they drove off.
She looked outside the windows at the passing scenery as she thought about her army experience. She came here to run away from the city life in Japan. She was sick and tired of the constant rush of life, no one taking a moment to really breathe. Not only was she bored of the life in Japan, she missed living in Russia a lot. She also saw a notice that there would be a special two-year army program that has limited intake. She wanted to try it out to feel what a soldier has to go through. It would make her life more interesting. Temporarily at least.
She signed up for it, and got accepted. Without notice to any of her Japanese friends, she left Tokyo for Russia. She took the training head-on for two years, before living with her grandmother for another two years, working a part-time job along the way. Today was finally her last day. The day she was due to return to Japan to start on her working life.
Her stance was locked as she eyed the man in front of her, preparing to fight against him with only her bare fists. The officer-in-charge eyed them up and down, walking around the ring, before giving the okay signal. The two of them moved around the mat in circles, not making a move. She figured that if no one attacked, the match would go on for ages, and she didn't want the officer to be shouting up and down again.
That was her plan before she saw the man getting closer, preparing to strike.
She swung her fist out first, trying to attack him at the face. However, he managed to grab her arm with his two hands and pull it down. As she was looking at the floor dazed at his speed, he kneed her hard on the chest with his boots, making her fall back onto the ground. Her body was already in so much pain from the harsh blows that were dealt to her. The man didn't stop there. He pulled her up and kneed her in the jaw, giving her no time to react as she could only go down again once more with extreme pain on her face.
"Is that all you got, huh, soldier?!" She could hear the officer screaming at her. However, she couldn't stand up due to the immense agony her body has suffered, nor did she have the energy to.
She paid the fee to the driver before getting out of the car. As she carried her luggage into the airport, the young girl looked around for the check-in counter. She dragged her feet around the bustling crowds, searching around for it until she found the sign in bold letters.
It was dreadful returning to Japan.
Not only was the cost of living in Tokyo expensive as hell, she would also have to take some time to fit into Japan's workplace society. She had been working in Russia for quite long, and she felt comfortable there. Japan was foreign to her though, she wasn't used to the difference in the countries' working lifestyles. And it's not like she didn't want to continue working in Russia; it's just that it was easier for her to take up a job in Japan when she has a degree from there.
The crunch of leaves could be heard through the forest, stepped upon by her and her comrades as they looked around the desolate area. It was silent. She could hear the sounds of the leaves rustling, the birds chirping, and even the water flowing through in the small lakes around the forest. Ah, those were blissful sounds to listen too. It even had the nice, natural smell of nature.
All of that was ruined when an officer suddenly yelled, "GRENAAAADEEEE!"
Immediately, her group dived onto the ground, landing their bodies onto the hard, dried soil, producing loud thumping sounds. They were about to run to the bushes when another officer said out loud, "Don't let the enemy spot you! Crawl to the bushes now! Crawl!"
She and her comrades did what he commanded, and crawled towards the bushes. Some were faster than the others.
"Bloody hell, why are you guys crawling so damn slow?" He shouted, "Even my grandmother can crawl faster than you! If you crawl at this rate during a war, you'll be a piece of dead fucking meat! Dead fucking meat!"
The blonde woman tried her hardest to go on all fours as fast as she could. She knew it was going to be a very long and extremely harsh day. When the group finally reached the bushes, they were tasked to do twenty push-ups, not even allowing them to get up from the dirty floor just yet. To make matters worse, they were given the final command to run two kilometers, no breaks.
After the run, she was exhausted, and she collapsed onto the floor. She had no ounce of strength left. She could faintly hear her officers screaming at her as her comrades encouraged her to get up and keep moving.
As soon as it was her turn, she walked to the attendant and placed her passport on the table. The attendant took it and looked at the blonde woman, who was smiling at her.
"What is your name, and when were you born?" The attendant queried her to test her if she was carrying her own passport. She removed her sunglasses and looked at the attendant before confidently letting out her response.
"I am Eli Ayase, born on October 21 1996."
