Sorry for the longer delay with this chapter, I was struggling a bit with how to connect all of the scenes.

Also, thank you so much to all the readers that favorited, followed, and reviewed! It really means a lot, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

(Also, convenient pro-tip that everyone probably knew about already but I only figured out recently, reading fanfics with the DRRR soundtrack makes it so much better!)

Disclaimer: I do not own the series. I only own my OC.

Politique Of The Underworld

"I'm home!" Kei called, closing the door behind her.

There was no answer.

A curious expression settled on her face, and she poked her head into the kitchen, only to find it empty.

"Aki-nee, where are you?"

Just as Kei's hand pushed open the door to Akira's bedroom, her aforementioned sister animatedly bounded out of the room, ruffling Kei's hair playfully.

"I'm right here, silly!" she said with a laugh, a cheery smile stretching her cheeks.

Kei scrutinized her face for a moment, her eyes narrowing. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Akira's smile didn't fade. "Uh, what's wrong is that you haven't handed over that box of mochi ice cream in your bag!" Her hands inched toward the plastic bags in Kei's hands, but Kei grabbed her wrist before she could reach.

Staring into her eyes intently, she repeated her question. "Akira, something is wrong. What is it?"

The smile fell from Akira's face, and she pulled her hand from Kei's grasp. "I told you, nothing's wrong. It's just the hangover giving me a headache, that's all!"

"It is 3:30 in the afternoon, Akira."

"Yeah, so?"

"The hangover should have worn off by now."

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, it hasn't. The headache's still there, and that's all it is, so just drop it," she muttered, despite knowing her attempts were futile. If there was one thing she knew about Kei, it's that she could be as stubborn as a mule—that much was evident now, as her sister continued to press on.

"Akira, tell me what happened."

In that moment, Akira was reminded of something else that she knew about herself.

She was a terrible older sister.

"God, stop asking me! Why couldn't you just drop it in the beginning?" Akira snapped. She knew she was in the wrong, she knew it wholeheartedly, but she just couldn't stop the words from coming out. "There's nothing wrong, okay? So just leave it, and don't bother me again." She stalked back into her bedroom with clenched fists, slamming the door behind her.

As she flopped down on her bed, she tried to ignore the hurt she saw in Kei's eyes. She tried to ignore the misplaced anger in her own voice—anger at the fact that she couldn't avoid all of her problems. She tried to ignore the reason why she couldn't confide in her younger sister. She tried to ignore it all, but she couldn't.

Pressing her face into a pillow, Akira let silent tears drip down her face. She didn't leave her room for the rest of the day, isolating herself in that empty space with nothing but her fears and her sadness.

Meanwhile, Kei stood motionless in front of the door. She hadn't moved from her spot since Akira's biting remarks, and she tried not to get angry as she replayed the words in her head.

What had she done wrong?

Why was Akira upset?

Why couldn't she tell her?

Then, after taking a few breaths to collect herself, Kei walked into the kitchen. Setting the bags on the counter, she removed the groceries and began putting them away.

At the bottom of the last bag was the box of mochi ice cream. Kei stared at it emotionlessly before haphazardly tossing the box into the freezer. She had suddenly lost her taste for them, but that didn't matter.

They were probably melted, anyway.

The weekend's events bombarded Kei's mind as she walked through the city. Something was going on, something that made Akira upset. Kei had an idea of what it was, but she needed to find more information. She couldn't jump to random conclusions without knowing the full story—but how could she? It was impossible for her to do anything without fully encompassing herself in the situation, which would only get more people involved—people who were completely innocent and had nothing to do with it.

She could go to Izaya... No, that would never happen. The last thing she wanted to do was further imprint herself on Izaya's life, nor did she want him to do the same.

That brought her mind to the topic of Izaya again.

Why did he take every opportunity he could just to bother her? Why was he so hellbent on making her life more difficult? It was becoming annoying, and up until a few days ago, it hadn't involved anyone else—until he baited Shizuo into a fight, which then influenced her visit to Shinra and the Black Rider. Too many people knew of her existence, and she could never undo that.

So, she thought to herself, it should not change anything if I search for information, right?

But then again, Shizuo did not know.

Kei couldn't figure out why her first response to him was to lie. Shinra knew, Celty knew, Izaya knew, so why couldn't she just tell him?

No, I did not want to involve him in something that wasn't his problem.

Or was that really the case? Because if it was, she wouldn't have accepted his offer of visiting the underground doctor instead of fixing her wrist herself. She wouldn't have spoken to him or Izaya when she stumbled into their crossfire during the first few days of school. She wouldn't have stepped in front of him after he had torn through the marketplace like a blonde typhoon. In all of those instances, she was doing the exact thing she warned herself against. So why couldn't she tell him the truth?

Deep down in the darkest crevices of her heart, she knew exactly why.

For some reason, every time she considered ignoring him, considered never speaking to him again, considered never joining him on the rooftop with two cans of coffee and patience for all of his rants... she couldn't bring herself to do it.

However, if she ever voluntarily told him about what she truly was and the unnatural ability she was cursed with, that would be a necessary step—for she truly believed that if he ever found out, he would never want to speak to her again.

That's the way it always was—the way it always had been.

Even someone as stoic and solemn as Amane Kei had insecurities, despite never letting them bleed into her daily interactions. There were always the basic concerns that plagued every high school girl, such as whether or not she was pretty enough, smart enough, good enough—same old, same old.

But with the added pressure of her body's strange ability, her insecurities cut deeper, reaching places that most adults would never think about for the duration of their boring, uneventful lives.

Why was she like this? Her family was normal, and not even her sister shared the ability with her. Did something happen to her during development? Was she meant to be this way?

Was she even human?

It was because of these self-conscious thoughts that Kei could never tell him the truth. He was so irrepressibly human to her, and she already believed that she was not normal and could never be normal. If there was even a chance that someone like Shizuo, who also didn't fit into society's norms, might reject the idea of her existence—well, she wasn't aware of it herself, but it would completely destroy her.

And that's why she would never tell him. She enjoyed spending time with him because it gave her life a temporary sense of normalcy, and because she had gotten used to that level of comfort, she didn't want to sacrifice it so quickly—but, in due time, that would have to change.

The ring of the elevator startled Kei from her thoughts, and she quickly collected herself before knocking on the apartment's door. Just as she expected, Celty was waiting for her at the entrance, giving Kei a warm welcome before ushering her inside. Shinra, hearing the door open, poked his head out from the kitchen.

"Ah, Amane-san, you're here! Would you like anything to drink—maybe tea or coffee?"

Polite as always, she replied, "I wouldn't want you to go through any extra trouble—"

Shinra, whose hospitable nature equally opposed Kei's polite one, waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, we were the ones who asked you to come over in the first place, so it's only fair. Besides," he said as he held up a metal tea kettle, "I've already been heating the water."

"Coffee, then."

"Coming right up!"

As Shinra prepared the drinks like a dutiful butler, Celty lead Kei over to the sitting room and gestured for her to sit.

[Thank you for coming! I'm sorry if it's a little inconvenient.]

"Your concern is unnecessary—it's not inconvenient at all. I had nothing planned today, anyway."

[Oh, that's good.]

A moment passed before Shinra entered the sitting room, balancing a large tray on his forearms. After setting the cups down on matching coasters, he sat down beside Celty, tucking the tray beneath the coffee table.

Kei took a breath, letting out a small sigh. "So, what is it that you wanted to speak with me about?"

Shinra contemplated for a moment. "Well, first off, I'm just curious to know what exactly this ability of yours is. Is that alright?"

Kei nodded, taking a second to think of a response. "I suppose, by basic terms, you could regard me as immortal. Although, that may not be entirely accurate, as I'm sure I will end up dying of old age when the time comes. However, other than that, my body is indestructible, at least from what I've experienced so far. "

Shinra leaned forward, his eyes shining with childlike wonder. "Wow, that's incredible!"

After typing out a message, Celty held her PDA out. [That must've been what I sensed when you came over a few days ago.]

Kei shrugged. "I guess so. Otherwise, I have no idea what else it could have been."

[Is anyone else in your family like you?]

She shook her head. "No, it's just me."

Clapping his hands together, Shinra commented, "You know, Amane-san, you and Shizuo-kun are really two of a kind!"

She tilted her head to the side. "Really?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Oh, this is fantastic! Now I have two friends with superhuman abilities!" Standing up from his seat, he leaned forward with an excited glint in his eyes. "Say, would you be okay with me taking a blood sample or two—"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Kei's shoulders tensed up, and she shrunk back slightly. After seeing this, Celty quickly yanked Shinra back down and flicked him in the head.

[Shinra, you can't just ask someone that out of nowhere!]

The underground doctor gave Kei an apologetic look, rubbing his bruised forehead sheepishly. "Sorry, that was probably a little uncalled for. I'm so used to asking Shizuo-kun the same question, so I didn't really think about how you would react."

Kei waved her hand. "It's alright. I should not be overreacting, anyway, but I suppose I've become more cynical over the years."

"Why's that—?"

"Just a bad experience," was Kei's curt answer, taking a sip from her coffee. Shinra took that as a sign to stop talking (in addition to Celty tightly pinching his arm).

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Celty typed out a message for Kei. [By the way, you're not a supernatural being or something like that, are you?]

At her question, Kei stared down at her cup aimlessly, her fingertip rubbing against the rim. "I... I do not know what I am."

Celty's fingers rapidly tapped at her phone. [Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I hope I didn't insult you!]

"Oh, you didn't insult me at all. It's just that nobody has ever presented me with that question before, but now that you have," Kei said, looking up at the ceiling, "I can't give you an answer." Her head fell back down, and she gazed at the pair with earnest eyes. "Would you call someone human even if they had one thing that every other human did not? If they didn't fit into the mold of what a human is, would it be correct to say that they weren't one at all?"

Shinra's eyes widened slightly, and he held his chin as he pondered the topic. "That's a pretty loaded question, Amane-san," he said with a chuckle, attempting to quell the uneasy atmosphere. After a moment of thinking, he said, "I guess that's one way you could describe it, but if that's really the way you think, wouldn't you be denouncing Shizuo-kun as human as well?"

Kei's eyes snapped to his. "What?"

"Shizuo-kun is probably the only human on earth with the kind of superhuman strength he has, so it would be safe to say that he also doesn't fit into the traditional mold of what a human is," Shinra said matter-of-factly, as if he were casually teaching a lesson instead of answering a deeply philosophical question. "But even so, he's still just as human as anyone else. In fact, I think he's even more so than most people because he totally challenges the limits of what raw human strength is. If that's the case, then I think it would be the same for you, too!"

"I... never thought of it that way." Kei's eyes softened, and a small smile graced her lips. "Thank you."

Both Shinra and Celty were too stunned at the fact that Kei was actually smiling to give an immediate response. Eventually, Celty elbowed him in the ribs, and he snapped out of it.

"No problem, Amane-san!" Then, laughing lightly as he scratched the back of his head, Shinra offhandedly commented, "You know, I guess it makes a lot of sense that you two are dating."

Kei choked on her coffee. "What?"

Shinra looked surprised. "You aren't?"

"No, we are not. What on earth gave you that idea?"

"Well, you two are always eating lunch together on the rooftop, so I thought—"

"Wait," Kei stopped him and held her hand up, her cheeks steadily reddening. "How did you know that?"

Shinra shrugged. "I used to be the one to go up there and eat lunch with Shizuo-kun, but then one day you were there instead, so I thought it would be better if I didn't interrupt you guys. My bad, Amane-san!"

Kei looked at him in blatant disbelief before letting out a huff, trying to cover up her embarrassment. "Well, now you know that we aren't dating," she reiterated, attempting to keep her voice from wavering—that would only be more humiliating. After glancing at the clock on the wall, she stood up and smoothed her skirt, picking her bag up from the floor. "I should probably leave, it's getting late."

After walking to the entrance and slipping her shoes on, Kei bowed in front of the two. "Thank you for having me. I hope I answered all of your questions properly."

[Yes, thank you for agreeing—I'm sure it must be a sore subject for you.]

Kei's eyes were reassuring. "Not at all. I am actually grateful that I had the opportunity to talk about it—I feel a lot better now."

[Well, if you ever need someone to listen, you can always come to me!]

Kei responded with a small smile. "Thank you, Celty-san, really. It means a lot."

If Celty could smile, she would. [Anytime!]

Giving the two a small wave, Kei exited the apartment. Just as the door closed behind her, Shinra called out, "By the way, if you ever need a doctor, I'd be happy to help!"

"Right," she called back. "But no blood samples."

"Fine, fine."

A few minutes later, Kei was standing outside of the apartment building with no idea of where to go. She was at a loss—there were so many things she wanted to do, but she didn't know where to start.

The first thing she needed to do was to figure out what was going on with Akira. Kei was a bit apprehensive, though—getting information meant contacting Akira's group of friends, which also meant traversing the tunnels of underground bars and nightclubs. Too many times had Kei been subjected to the clammy and cramped environments of such places, usually called in by Akira's friends to pick up her sister after she had too much to drink. Every single time was an unpleasant experience, the only thing making it slightly palpable being the nightclub's security staff watching her back. Suddenly, one face popped into her head.

Maybe he knows something.

It was this thought crossing Kei's mind that propelled her legs forward in the direction of the Ayakashi nightclub. She knew she would get in—the bouncers recognized her face from the many times she had been summoned to collect her inebriated sister before Akira could drink herself to unconsciousness. The neon sign's lights were bright against the warm orange of late afternoon, and Kei couldn't help the feeling of nostalgia that crept under her skin.

She could clearly remember piggy-backing her older sister home, the lights blaring against her back as Akira blew a kiss to her giggling friends. However, she was never bitter toward her sister for her stolen youth. Kei knew more than anyone the kinds of sacrifices Akira made to keep her happy—for her to return the favor was only fair.

Except, Kei thought bitterly, nothing I do will ever repay her.

That's why she needed to find out what had happened. She needed to protect her sister, to ultimately repay her for the sacrifices she had made. Kei wanted to prevent something like that from happening ever again. That incident that felt like it was decades ago, when it was really too recent to call history.

Kei wanted to forget it, but forgetting would only be an insult to Akira. She had to remember—the memories kept Kei motivated, filled her with the determination she needed to protect her sister as long as the world kept spinning.

And what, you may ask, did Akira sacrifice for her sister to warrant such consolation? Well, Amane Akira sacrificed her freedom.

She gave up her freedom to the man named Inazuma Tetsuo in exchange for her sister's happiness.

Pushing open the wooden door of the club, Kei gave a polite nod to the two bouncers stationed there. She attempted to weave through the many bodies occupying the space, gingerly pressing herself against the wall as two drunk teenagers wrestled each other on the floor.

Eventually, she ended up leaning against the smooth surface of the bar, trying to keep herself from gagging as a pink-haired girl blew cigarette smoke in her direction. The bartender's eyes lit up in recognition.

"Miss Kei, what brings you here?" he asked.

"Do you know where Hiro-san is? I need to speak with him!" she shouted. With the music so loud, the only way anybody could hear you was if you shouted, screamed, or yelled—one of the main reasons Kei disliked it so much.

The bartender picked up another glass, polishing it as he spoke. "He went out a little while ago to pick up a delivery. He should be back soon."

Kei nodded her head in thanks and shoved her way to the employee's private room. Almost everybody who worked at the club was acquainted with Akira (albeit due to unfortunate circumstances), so, by extension, they all knew who Kei was.

She practically fell into the room as the door swung open, her body roughly pushed forward by the throng of intoxicated partygoers. The only person sitting in the room was a slender woman wearing the tightest black dress in existence, her lips so red they seemed to be painted with blood. Kei recognized her as Ayumi, a failed up-and-coming singer whose only gigs came from rundown bars such as the one she was currently in. She seemed to be in the middle of lighting up a cigarette, pausing after Kei burst into the room.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Kei? What the hell are you doing here?"

Kei's eyes were resolute. "I need to ask you something—"

Before she could, Ayumi was up on her feet and roughly grabbing Kei by the shoulders. "You can't be here right now. You have to leave!"

"What? Why?" She dug her heels in as Ayumi weakly attempted to push her out, leaving skid marks on the floor's white tiles.

"You shouldn't be here, it's not safe—!"

Just as she said that, the door whipped open, a dark mark left on the space where it had been kicked. A tall man wearing a black uniform entered the room, his eyes a surging storm of fury as he looked down at Kei. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her forward.

His eyes bore into hers, his expression dark and serious. "Kei, you need to get out of here. Now."

Kei's eyes widened, her gaze innocently confused. "What's going on?"

"Nothing you need to get involved with. Now leave."

"No, I need to know what's happening."

His shoulders stiffened. "It's none of your business, kid."

Kei stood up straight and gripped Hiro by the collar, tugging him down to meet her hardened gaze. He was unfazed by this, as he seemed to simply let her pull him by his collar without a fight.

"Tell me right now," she said slowly.

Hiro held his hands up. "Look, Kei, I'm trying to protect you—"

"You can keep fooling yourself if it makes you feel better."

At that, he looked away. Kei's expression was disturbingly calm, despite the vicious poison dripping from her words. Ayumi stood by helplessly, her eyes frantically flitting between the two as if anticipating a fight.

Digging her nails deeper into the collar of Hiro's shirt, she continued. "Akira is my sister. I am not going to stand idly by and watch her get hurt again." Kei's voice was almost a whisper as she spoke, but Hiro heard her loud and clear. "Now, tell me exactly what's going on."

Hiro let out a relenting sigh. "...Tetsuo called me a few days ago."

Kei's heart leapt into her throat, but her face remained emotionless.

"His dad posted bail, and he's been released. He's coming back to Ikebukuro, and the rest of the gang's coming with him."

What?

"He's been talking about finding Akira again, and... he's looking for you."

A hollow silence filled the room, punctured only by the drumming base of the club's music. Without a word, Kei limply released Hiro's collar. He rested a hand on her shoulder apologetically, but she did not move.

"I'm sorry, Kei, but there's nothing I can do. You know how powerful he is—"

Before he could say anything else, Kei stormed out of the room, shoved her way through the thick sea of grey bodies, and left Ayakashi, left its neon lights, left its stifling atmosphere.

A flurry of thoughts ran through her mind as she walked through the cold air, tightly wrapping her arms around her body. She realized it was getting dark, and an instinctual unease spread throughout her body. This city wasn't safe anymore—nowhere was safe.

What was this feeling she had? Was it betrayal?

But at who? At what?

Had she been betrayed by Akira? Her own sister, who she vowed to protect, refused to tell her what was happening behind the scenes. Was that what it was?

No, it couldn't be.

If not, then what was it?

Had she been betrayed by those people, by Hiro and Ayumi and everyone else that worked under Inazuma Tetsuo? But then the point would stand that she had never trusted them in the first place, so betrayal would not be the appropriate name to give this vile feeling that burned in her heart—it would simply be anger.

Her thoughts muddled together as she walked, her bare skin prickling from the chilled wind. She needed to get home quickly.

She was so entranced in her thoughts that she almost missed the flash of blonde in her peripheral vision. Stopping in her tracks, she turned to gaze behind her.

"Shizuo-san?"

His head turned slightly, and he lifted his hand in greeting after recognizing her. "Oh, hey."

Her eyes traveled to the other boy walking beside him. His dreadlocks were pulled back into a sloppy ponytail, and he gave her a curious glance through blue-rimmed glasses.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I've interrupted something—"

The boy with dreadlocks waved his hands reassuringly. "Nah, don't worry about it. You're a friend of Shizuo's, I'm guessing?"

Before Kei could mentally filter through her many interactions with Shizuo and properly determine the formality of their relationship, he answered for her.

"Yeah."

The other boy gave her a warm smile. "Cool. I'm Tanaka Tom, by the way."

Kei bowed her head slightly in acknowledgement. "Amane Kei. Nice to meet you, Tanaka-san."

Shizuo gave her a curious look, as if he were trying to decode her expression. He sensed that there was something off about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "What are you doing out so late?"

Noticing his eyes studying her face, Kei was careful with her response. "I should be asking you the same thing," she replied.

He pointed his thumb at a brightly lit restaurant behind them. "We were just going to Russia Sushi. Do you wanna come with us?"

"We could always use the company," Tom piped in.

Kei responded with a polite, although restrained, smile. "I'm sorry, but I have something I need to do. Maybe another time." She gave the two of them a small wave and walked away, hoping that her eagerness to leave didn't give anything away. Now that she knew what was going on, there was no way she could involve Shizuo in it. She would never forgive herself if something bad happened to him because of her.

Kei heard the jingle of the restaurant's door opening, and then there was quiet once again. Letting out the breath she didn't even know she was holding, she continued her journey home.

As she quickened her pace, she contemplated retroactively accepting their previous offer. At a time like this, she really didn't want to be alone, especially when the dark of night was creeping on the horizon. But it was too late at that point—sushi wasn't really her thing, anyways. She had also heard a little snippet of their conversation after she turned away, the major outlier being, "Dude, she's totally gorgeous! You don't happen to have her number, do you?"

If she went back after hearing that, she knew she wouldn't be able to look either of them in the eye.

Despite the uneasy feeling that followed her all the way back, Kei managed to make it to her front door safely. After entering her house, she could see Akira slumped on the couch with a bowl of potato chips cradled in her lap, a trashy show playing on the TV.

Kei knew for sure what was wrong. The famously headstrong Akira only ever acted like this when she had nowhere else to turn to, distracting herself with material things in an attempt to shoo her problems away.

That explained the constant drinking.

At the noise of the door closing, Akira leapt up from the couch excitedly, a sugary smile plastered on her face. "Kei-chan, you're home!" Noticing her sister rooted to the spot, her smile fell. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"We need to talk."

A cold cup of coffee sat on the table, untouched. Seated in front of it was a broad-shouldered man, his shaved head only exemplifying the roundness of his face. Calling him a fuzzy egg would be an accurate comparison. He nervously wrung his hands together as he waited, and waited, and waited. Dead skin flaked from the fresh scar over his nose, and he roughly picked at it.

It was nearly midnight, and the diner was empty. Although, it would be safe to assume that most 24/7 diners that sat on the edge of the Red Light District were not very popular. Despite this, another customer entered the sleepy restaurant. He sat in front of the shaky man, his coat brushing against the seat's torn leather.

A waitress with a body of skin and bones placed a matching cup of coffee in front of the newcomer, and then she left. The stranger took a sip from the cup, promptly made a face, and then set it back down on its coaster.

"That coffee tastes god-awful," he said with a chuckle. "Well, what can you expect from a diner as rundown as this one?" His eyes narrowed at the fidgeting man seated across from him. "Right, Tetsuo-san?"

Tetsuo had a dissatisfied expression. "Look, I don't like to have my time wasted. I didn't call you here so we could talk about the semantics of shitty coffee."

Izaya smirked. "While that may be true, I was the one who complied with your request, so I'm really the one who gets to decide, aren't I?"

"I'm the one paying for this goddamn information, Orihara."

"Fair enough." Izaya leaned forward on his elbows. "So, what does the great Inazuma Tetsuo need from someone like me?"

Tetsuo scratched at the stubble on his chin. "Do you know someone named Amane Akira?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

"Well, she has a younger sister—"

Izaya's smile widened.

"—named Kei."

Resting his back against the musty seat, Izaya drummed his fingers against the table. "What information are you requesting, Tetsuo-san?"

"Everything."

Izaya's smile fell. "Hm?"

Tetsuo's eyes were cold with conviction. "The most I would need is the address—once I get that, everything else will be easy to find. But, if you could, I'd like to know everything about them. Both of them." He tossed a yellow envelope on the table that was positively fattened with money. "This should be enough."

Izaya sighed tiredly. "That's a tall order, Tetsuo-san. May I ask why you need that much information?"

His question seemed to fly right over Tetsuo's head, although he still received an answer.

"All I'm doing is what needs to be done. I'll show that damn bastard, I'll show him that I'm not a goddamn deadbeat!" He began to scratch at his head manically, as if he were trying to physically claw his thoughts out of his mind. "Steal his money, I'm gonna steal his fucking money and his fucking job and I'm gonna be rich! Filthy rich, you hear me?"

Izaya laughed. Prison had surely done a number on his mental health. "Good luck with that, Tetsuo-san." With deft fingers, he swiped the fat envelope from the table, tucking it inside his jacket. "I'll call you as soon as I get any information. Have a good night." Just before the door closed behind him, Izaya poked his head back in and added, "Oh, by the way, you shouldn't pick at your scabs. They'll get infected that way, and that certainly won't do you any more favors."

The door closed behind him, and Izaya cheerily skipped along the sidewalk, twirling the envelope between his fingers. This just might be the most interesting job he's gotten yet. He would be careful to relish in each moment of it—it was the perfect opportunity to observe Kei in all her glory, and he would not waste a second of it.

As he pranced along, Izaya thought back on the character that was Inazuma Tetsuo and began to laugh hysterically. Now that was a guy who had definitely lost his marbles.

Unbeknownst to the man himself, Izaya knew quite a lot about him. Some might call it unfair, but he called it a smart business practice.

Inazuma Tetsuo, son of Inazuma Kotaro, the CEO of Inazuma Cleaning Supplies—an institution known for recently investing in the newly-founded Yodogiri Shining Corporation.

It was an abusive household, to be sure.

Thus, that unhealthy environment pushed the already-teetering Inazuma Tetsuo over the edge.

Desperate to gain approval, he planned an unauthorized capture of one of the company's prime targets. As for why, that is another story for another day.

After being thrown in jail for a spell when found guilty of domestic abuse (which was another long story), his father found out about his plan and decided to pursue the target himself in hopes of grappling for social power.

Filled with hateful competitiveness, Inazuma Tetsuo illegally paid his bail under his father's name and reentered Ikebukuro to finish what he started.

Izaya couldn't think of anything more fun.

Uh-oh, the plot thickens!

I hope this chapter wasn't too confusing or anything—I kinda felt like my writing was lacking a little bit, but tell me what you think!

Of course, if you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to leave a review or a PM!

Thank you for reading!