Hello dearest readers! A thousand apologies for the late update; school has kept me extremely busy this semester. I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Sousei No Onmyouji/Twin Star Exorcists, just the plot and some OCs (some more significant than others)


Chapter 3: Naughty children ought to be punished

Shimon looked through his documents while reaching out to grab the handle of his cup, about to take another sip of coffee, only to realise it was empty. He turned to face Keiji, who was obediently standing next to his desk, apparently on the phone, messaging his girlfriend.

"Where's Mayura?" He asked, immediately catching the attention of Keiji - and a few others - who averted his gaze away from his phone and towards his boss.

"I believe she is cleaning up one of the lower floors."

"Why isn't she done and keeping me company?" Shimon grumbled, going back to his paperwork and continued typing away on his laptop. This garnered a few chuckles - from the few who were brave enough to laugh right in their boss' face.

"Do you treasure her so much so that you need her by your side every moment of your life?" Keiji asked teasingly, to which Shimon simply scoffed - despite the fact that his heartbeat sped up at the thought - and replied, "Don't be ridiculous, I just need my slave to bring me a refill of coffee."

With that, he picked up his phone from his desk and dialled in Mayura's contact - something he memorised since the first day she worked under him. After several rings, he began to get rather annoyed upon hearing her voicemail and growled, "Why the hell isn't she answering my calls?"

"You've been on the phone for less than five seconds, Shimon."

"Oh, shut up," Shimon snapped, drumming his fingers on the wooden surface of his desk as he received her voicemail once more. "Damn it, is she so busy that she can't even answer a call? Go find her and bring her to me. I'm going to kill her for ignoring me."

Keiji let out an exasperated sigh and gave a resigned smile before leaving the room. Shimon remained seated and impatiently waited, putting on his headphones while swivelling the chair around to face the window, looking out to view the night lights of the city.

Hearing the door open once more, he slid off his headphones, turned around and growled, "You little bi-" He paused mid-sentence upon realising that Keiji was standing at the doorway, alone.

"She… isn't here."

Shimon's eyes widened at that, and snarled, "What did you just say? What the fuck do you mean 'she isn't here'?"

"It is as I said, she ain't here. I checked the surveillance cameras and cross-checked with our men. No one has seen her in the last… three and a half hours," Keiji carefully replied, checking his watch as he said this. Shimon gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, anger bubbling to the surface and threatening to spill over.

"Why not cut her some slack? You never give her a break, and she comes everyday from morning till night to clean this place; not to mention she works on her weekends, and days off are spent here," Mitsuka stated, rising from the couch he had been lounging on and stretched his stiff limbs. His words earned him a look from Shimon; one that instantly sent him down on his hands and knees, head bowed low.

"Forgive my being presumptuous."

Clicking his tongue, he picked up his phone once more and dialled a different number, before bringing the metallic device to his ear. "I need you to track a phone, a bird flew out of its cage."

He then rose out of his chair and made his way to the door - Keiji grabbing his coat from the pole stand and placing it over Shimon's shoulders - with several hitmen trailing behind.

"Amawaka Mayura."


Mayura: Every girl is capable of murder

So watch out you don't push me any further

(But you fucking hurt her)

Every girl is capable of murder, if you hurt her

Watch out you don't push me any further (Any further)

You're not the only one walkin' round with a loaded gun

This little girl is capable of murder (Hey!)

This little girl is capable of murder, 'cause you hurt her

Tossing the microphone towards the DJ, who easily caught it with one hand, Mayura stalked over to the couch where her friends were at and collapsed in an unceremonious heap. The world was spinning, and she could barely see straight, not to mention it felt like her body was floating, but she had never felt better in a good, long time.

"Ah~ I've never felt more aliiiiive…" Mayura moaned, slurring evident in her words as she spoke. Her body was sprawled across the couch she was settled in - with Benio in her right and Haruka on her left - and a goofy smile on her face.

"Wow… four hours and you're thoroughly hammered." Haruka stated, taking a swig from her bottle of vodka.

"Amazing," Benio agreed, chuckling slightly as she eyed her busty friend's sluggish state.

"Oh no… four hours…" Mayura exclaimed, clumsily raising her upper body - and failing epically - still feeling tipsy. "Mister Red Chicken is going to be so pissed~ "

"Damn right, he is," A low voice growled, jolting the rest of the gang, who yelped and immediately leaped into action and spun around, finding themselves face to face with the crimson-haired mafia lord and several of his hitmen. "And who the hell are you calling a 'red chicken'?!"

"Holy shi- Who're you guys?!" Benio exclaimed, extremely alarmed. They may have been a gang and are used to bashing skulls in, but even so, if they were going up against members of a mafia, fighting without weapons would easily spell their deaths.

"That is none of your concern. But I do have something I want from you. Hand it to me," Shimon declared, giving a smug smirk as he eyed their cowering forms.

"What the hell do you mean, 'it'?! Mayura is not an object!" Rokuro growled, immensely furious at the fact that his childhood friend and best friend - second only to Benio - was being insulted. The rest of the gang seemed to have the same sentiments as they shot the mafia members, Shimon in particular, disapproving glares.

"Maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that her life is mine - she belongs to me," Shimon simply replied, before raising his hand and snapping his fingers. At the signal, his hitmen moved forward. The gang warily shuffled backwards, Haruka and Benio quickly turned around to grab Mayura by her respective arms and pulled her away.

Watching his subordinates engage in hand-to-hand combat with the males of the gang, Shimon let out a sigh and began walking briskly towards the females, the two less-drunk girls letting out curses when they noticed him. Settling Mayura behind them, they got into fighting stances and stared incredulously at Shimon's outstretched arm.

"No way in hell are we handing her over to you!" Haruka remarked, glaring at Shimon. The crimson-haired male stared at the two of them with bored eyes and let out another sigh, hand pushing back the side of his coat and reaching behind his waist, resting on the handle of the gun stashed in the waistband of his pants. Recognising the gesture, Benio's and Haruka's eyes grew wide, and backed up further.

Till something unexpected happen.

Mayura suddenly appeared in front of the two girls, and unintentionally pressed herself against Shimon as she rushed over to him, a firm grip on his wrist despite her drunken state.

"Ah~ No can do, those are my friends! I won't forgive you if you hurt them~" Mayura whined childishly, not realising the effect she had on Shimon as she spoke. The said boy's cheeks were slightly flushed at the contact, and he scowled but let go of his gun nonetheless. Meanwhile, the two girls were too alarmed - by this weird turn of events - and worried about Mayura to notice this.

"Wai- Mayura!" Benio exclaimed anxiously, desperate to get her away - far, far away, mind you - from the mafia boss before them, but Shimon was faster. Now that he had let go of his gun, with both hands free, he swooped Mayura into a princess hold and shot an icy glare towards the duo, who froze in their tracks.

"I got what I needed. Don't follow us," he growled, almost possessively, and the girls picked up the underlying threat laced in his tone. At first, they were against the idea of backing down and letting him have his way with Mayura, but after much contemplation, they - albeit reluctantly - admitted that they were no match for a mafia lord, especially if they were weaponless. The two girls retreated and rushed over to pull the guys away and leave the club.

The hitmen were about to give chase when their boss' voice stopped them. "Don't bother. They are not our concern or objective. Let's go."

"Okay. Understood, Shimon," Keiji spoke up for everyone, and turned around to face his younger brother, before he raised both brows at the sight before him: Shimon was holding Mayura in a, rather notably possessive, princess hold. And apparently, he wasn't the only one who noticed; Mitsuka, Yuzuru and Jinya also took note of the gesture. And all four of them smirked at Shimon.

Noticing the looks on their faces, Shimon immediately realised what they were thinking of, and unfortunately, he had no one else but himself to blame. But that didn't mean he couldn't intimidate them to silence.

"Don't say. A word," Shimon threatened, and with the deadly gleam in his eye as he glared at the quadlet, there was no way they could go against him. But still, their smirks remained, and they exchanged knowingly looks. Rolling his eyes with a low groan, he made his way to the limo and slid in, Keiji holding the door open for him.

He then settled Mayura across the seat next to him, while the four entered and sat in the seats facing him. His chauffeur, upon ensuring everyone was in, started up the limo and drove off.

Shimon clicked his tongue, as he swung one leg over the other and looked out of the window, cheek resting on the back of his hand with his elbow propped on the armrest of the door. He had yet to finish his paperwork, and coming all the way out here has wasted his precious time. Just how was she going to make up for this…

As his devilish mind began coming up with cruel ideas, he heard shuffling next to him, and directed his attention on Mayura, who remained sprawled on the seat, but now with her upper body raised by her arms. Several locks of hair were falling out of her hairdo, her cheeks were dusted pink and eyes were, quite literally, twinkling - no doubt the effects of consuming alcohol - and she was staring at him with an unusually gentle and warm expression that seemed to melt his icy walls. He swallowed hard as he returned her gaze with his own.

It was almost as if she was inviting him to ravish her, and that attire of hers really wasn't helping; it exposed her cleavage and outlined her curves perfectly, not to mention it was beginning to ride up her thighs.

"Shi… mon?" She muttered, tilting her head to the side as she spoke. He simply blinked in response - despite how wildly his heart was thumping against his chest at the sound of his name rolling of her tongue - with his stare fixated on her.

"... What?" He hesitantly replied, before jolting in surprise when she lunged for him, smashing her abundant chest against his abdomen while her arms wound around his neck. The four mobsters sitting opposite them watched in amusement as Mayura snuggled up to their boss, affectionately rubbing her cheek against his chest. The gesture, without a doubt, flustered Shimon as he struggled to get away from her - not in disgust, but in embarrassment. However, her grip on him was surprisingly firm.

"Shimon, Shimon, Shimon~!" She chanted playfully, very much like a child would, as a cheeky smile played her lips. The crimson-haired male struggled to fight back the blush that threatened to rise - without much luck - as he helplessly watched Mayura nestle against his chest. He frowned, slightly agitated by the fact that he was so not in control of this situation.

"Oh god, what is it?"

"You're so warm… " she mumbled, trailing off at the end as she nuzzled into his chest. He clicked his tongue, before shrugging off his long coat and pulling it over her curled-up form, covering her all the way to the neck.

"If you were feeling cold, you should've just said so," he grumbled, glaring down at the green-tipped blonde, who now had her head lying on his lap as she stared up at him with her still glazed eyes. All of a sudden, a gentle smile spread across her face as a hand reached up to stroke his cheek. Taken aback by the gesture, Shimon loosened his frown to stare at her with slightly widened eyes.

She let out a laugh - which was undeniably cute - as she commented, "You have such a nice face, you'd look cuter if you smiled more often!"

Shimon's cheeks turned pink when he said this, and frowned once more. When she had reached, she caused the coat to fall from her shoulders, exposing her cleavage and putting it in plain sight. His gaze partially fixated on it, Shimon clenched his jaw and furrowed his brows into a faint glare. "... Do you want me to rape you?"

Mayura was unfazed by the threat - if it even were a threat - as her eyes narrowed slightly, unintentionally seductively, the smile still on her lips. "Well, not that I mind the frowny face. It makes you look sexy~!"

Shimon stared intensely at her drunken state, before reaching out to pull the coat up to her neck once more, and turned to face out the window. Propping his elbow on the arm rest and resting his chin on his open palm, he growled, "... Seriously gonna rape you."

Hearing a muffled giggle, he looked up to see his four subordinates watching him and Mayura, looking touched. He shot them a deadly glare and snarled, "The hell are you guys looking at?"

With the exception of Keiji, they instantly looked away and pretended to look oblivious, like they hadn't been watching the adorable exchange between their boss and his favourite slave. The said brother simply continued staring, and smiling widely. In fact, he was smiling so much, it was almost creepy, and one could almost see the animated sparkles glinting around him.

"Quit smiling, you look weird," Shimon growled, and Keiji only smiled wider.

"Can you blame me? I'm enjoying watching my dear little brother and the love of his life together like this! You two would make such cute babies!" Keiji squealed, almost fangirl-like. This earned skeptical look from Yuzuru, who muttered, "Well, that escalated rather quickly."

Shimon simply sighed at his brother's antics, used to it at this point, and stared out of the window once more. Noticing the troubled look on his face, Jin'ya spoke up.

"Something wrong, boss?"

"No, just thinking about tomorrow's meeting with the other bosses. It is the second official gathering of the mafia lords since the leader changed, after all. I'm just concerned about what will be discussed."

"You don't think they have made their move already, do you?"

"No. If that were the case, the leader wouldn't bother with a meeting, and just mobilise us. I guess he must have sensed that they will act soon."

"After ten years? A bit of a stretch, don't you think?"

"True, but they probably waited that long to throw us off-course. After all, eliminating Seigen-san was only the trigger of their plans," Shimon replied, before looking back down to find the drunk girl fast asleep on his lap. The frown loosened up as his eyes softened, bringing a hand to gently stroke her head. Hearing the sound of a digital camera snapping, he whipped his head upwards and found Keiji holding his phone before him. "Did you just- "

"Totally take a photo and memorialise it? Oh, definitely!" Keiji replied, sniggering to himself as he speedily sent the image to several members of their mafia. Shimon frowned once more, and was about to tell him to delete the photo when Mitsuka spoke up.

"So, boss, what are you going to do with her?" He questioned, nodding towards the blonde who was now fast asleep. Shimon stared down at her for a moment, before a cruel grin played his lips.

"She has a lot of guts to lie to me and escape from my supervision. I think I should give her a good scare tomorrow morning," he cackled, his words and tone causing the temperature to drop as a chill ran down everyone's spine.

'Poor Mayura,' they thought simultaneously, pitying the oblivious gal.

"Sir, we've arrived," The driver said, pulling over. Stepping out of the limo, while the driver held the door open for him, Shimon glanced at the familiar building and tensed. His hand flew to the waist of his pants, gripping onto the handle of his pistol as he glanced around. The place was so shady, dark and ominous, it put him on edge and kept him on guard. He couldn't understand how Mayura found comfort sleeping in such a place.

"Sir, are you not gonna carry her?" Jin'ya asked, nodding toward Mayura, who was now sprawled across the leather seats of the limo. Shimon let out a sigh and bent over to reach out for her, carrying her in a princess hold and making his way up the building. When he was out of earshot, the three turned to each other and wore matching grins.

"How long do you think it'll take before they officially get together?"

"Hard to say. I'd guess a month, but considering how Mayura dislikes the boss when she's sober, I'd say at most two," Yuzuru said.

"I bet two weeks," Jin'ya said, and Keiji's grin grew feral. "How much are you betting?"

"Hm… twenty thousand?"

"I bet thirty thousand on one month," Mitsuka said, pawning his money over to Keiji.

"Forty thousand on approximately two months," Yuzuru said, finalising her bet.

"And I bet a million on six weeks." Keiji stated like it was an everyday thing. Mitsuka, Jin'ya and Yuzuru looked at him incredulously. The chauffeur, Akira, walked over and asked sheepishly.

"Can I get in on those bets?"

"Sure! The more, the merrier! You know what, I'll contact everyone in the mafia to get in on this bet!" And in a few seconds, word of the bet spread through the base like wildfire.

"Naturally, this stays between us. If Shimon ever finds out, it'll be on our heads." Keiji declared, before being interjected by Mitsuka.

"What do you mean 'our'? Don't you mean, 'your' head?"

"Pardon?"

"Yeah, you were the one who started it, asking me how much I would bet. Meaning you should be the one taking full responsibility," Jin'ya replied, and before Keiji could give a comeback, Yuzuru added, "I second the motion."

"What?!"

"What's going on?" Hearing Shimon's voice, all of them instantly shut up and turned around to face their boss, who was just coming down the stairs, his coat hanging from his forearm.

"Shimon! Tucked her in already?"

"If by 'tucked' you mean laying her on that poor excuse of a bed, then yes," Shimon replied, before sliding into the limo. "Come on. I still have a buttload of work to do."


Mayura winced as the blinding ray of light from the morning sun pierced through her window and shone directly on her face. Bringing an arm up to shield her eyes from the light, her eyes fluttered open into a squint, before rolling over onto her front. The action caused her hangover to hit her, hard, and she emitted a low groan as she brought her hand to her head, rubbing her temples.

She looked around, and slowly took in her surroundings. Recognising the discoloured walls, she briefly wondered how she got back to her house. She shoved her hand into her cleavage and pulled out her handphone - yes, that's where she had hidden it, since the dress didn't have any pockets - and slid her thumb downwards to view her notifications, wincing slightly when the blinding brightness of the screen hit her eyes.

Squinting, her eyes slowly adjusted to the light and when she finally registered what she was looking at, she instantly paled. Over fifty missed calls and twenty messages from the contact 'Red Devil', the latest message saying she was to reach by ten. And it was coming to said time in ten minutes.

She was more than dead - she was utterly fucked, and doomed to hell if she didn't get up and get going right now.

Jumping out of her mattress, she practically launched herself towards to her piles of clothes. She stripped out of the beautiful dress so quickly, it was a miracle she didn't end up ripping it. She quickly slipped on a white spaghetti-strapped tube top, pulling a light-grey crop cardigan over it. She quickly buckled a knife-pleated mini-skirt with a dark blue and green checkered print around her waist, and put on a pair of black thigh-high socks before shoving her feet into a pair of simple, black ankle-cut boots.

Grabbing her necessities, she bolted out of the house and slammed the door behind her in a frantic fashion. She sprints across the roads and street paths, heading straight for the headquarters. Taking out her phone, she quickly glanced at the time and cursed aloud; five more minutes. And she hasn't even covered half the travelling distance.

No way was she going to be able to make it in time.

When she finally arrived at the entrance of the tall building, it was already fifteen minutes past ten. Speeding in, she waltzed right past the concierge counter as Yuri was about to greet.

"Mayura-san-"

"Yuri. The elevator. Quick."

The said male sighed with a resigned smile and pressed a button, bringing the lift down instantly. As she waited for the lift to make it's way up to the highest floor, each second feeling like an entire year, she was continuously cursing the entire way. It almost sounded like a mantra of bad omen at this point.

As soon as the lift doors open, she dashed out and went straight into Shimon's office. Slamming open the double doors - which effectively silenced the mobsters within - she rested her palms on her knees as she panted. "I'm… here… "

Greeted with silence, she slowly peered upwards and noticed that, instead of the deadly glare and explosive tantrum she had been expecting, Shimon wasn't even looking at her, but instead focussed on something on his desk… a magazine?"

"Um… "

"Oh, you're finally here," Shimon said nonchalantly, flipping a page as he spoke, as if he only just noticed her presence. "I was just thinking of buying a new coffin. Which do you prefer; black or red?"

"C-Coffin?" Mayura squeaked in fear, and her entire being froze when he finally raised his head to reveal the feral grin on his lips. The look in his eyes was steely and cold, but his message got across - loud and clear; it practically screamed, 'You are fucked.'

He slowly raised from his chair and walked around his desk, before standing in front of it and resting on the edge. "All of you, out. And do not come back in till I say so."

With that, all the mobsters in the room slowly filed out. The last one, Keiji, playfully winked at her and flashed her a thumbs-up, mouthing, 'Good luck!' It didn't do much to reassure her of her life, though.

As soon as the doors were closed shut, she kept her head downcast as she waited for Shimon to do something, anything. She listened as he wordlessly loaded a gun - one he was most obviously going to use on her - and fidgeted slightly, unsure of what she should do at this point.

"Well? Do you have anything to say before we begin your punishment?" Shimon questioned, folding his arms across his chest, pistol in hand. Mayura looked sideways before glancing upwards at him.

"... What happened to them?"

"Who are you referring to?"

"The people who were with me at the club last night."

"They aren't dead, that's for sure. They weren't my concern, anyways. You were." He replied, growling possessively at the end. His tone caused her to freeze up, more assured than ever that he was beyond furious. Mayura swallowed hard and sunk to the ground, onto her knees, resigned to her fate.

"And you should know by now that I don't take too well to my property disobeying me or being out of my sight," he stated, undoing the safety of the gun.

"I just… wanted to blow off some steam - " She immediately shut up when a bullet grazed past her cheek, forming a small scratch in the process. She wearily peered upwards and nearly collapsed at the sheer intensity of the glare he gave her.

"Did I permit you to speak?" His tone was authoritative and smug, it pissed her off. But she didn't want to risk losing her head should she agitate him further, and instead bit her lower lip, looking away from him.

He pushed himself off the edge of his desk and stepped forward. When he was right in front of her, he knelt down on one knee, and used the muzzle of his gun to tilt Mayura's chin towards him and upwards.

She hitched a breath when her chin was forced upwards, and found Shimon's face right in front of her, his lips millimeters away from hers. She gritted her teeth, and would've moved away if not for the fact she feared acting out of order and infuriating him any more than he already was.

Neither of them flinched or budged, as they continued to stare - or rather, glare - at each other intensely. Neither of them were bothered by the close proximity, much less how intimate their current position looked - which really, shouldn't look intimate at all with a gun being pointed at her chin, but nonetheless. Neither of their gazes wavered as the stare-off commenced.

Eventually, Shimon slowly lowered the gun, eliciting a low sigh from Mayura as she briefly closed her eyes, before reopening them and averting her gaze sideways. Shimon rose from his crouch and took a step back, tucking the gun into the waistband of his pants, before offering a hand to Mayura. She furrowed her brows in sight confusion, but accepted it anyways, and hoisted herself up from the ground.

When she was about to removed her hand, he tightened his grip on it, earning a surprised look from her, which morphed into rigid nervousness when she saw the cold look in his eyes.

"Leave without my permission or knowledge again, and it'll mean your head. Got it?"

Knowing he was dead serious, she nodded furiously, and only then did he let go of her hand. She pressed her lips into a thin line as she rubbed the hand that was grabbed with the other, easing out the faint pain of his bruising grasp. She then turned towards Shimon, opening her mouth and about to speak when she caught him staring at his open hand with his back facing her.

The same hand that held hers mere seconds ago.

"What are you doing?" He inwardly flinched at her question but remained impassive, remaining still for a brief moment before clenching the hand into a fist, dropping it to his side and walking behind his desk to settle down in his chair.

"... Nothing. Anyways, you're two hours later than usual. You should get to work if you expect to get home in time to have sufficient sleep and not be late tomorrow," he stated, opening a drawer to keep the magazine in before returning to his laptop, typing out reports once more. "And tell the others they can come back in."

Mayura raised a brow, unsure of what to make of Shimon's silence and simply hummed in response. She then headed for the doors and opened them, stepping out only to bump into Keiji's chest.

"Oof. Sorry, Keiji-san." She mumbled in apology, bringing up a hand to rub her nose as she looked up at the said man, who simply stared down at her with an amused grin. Which successfully unnerved her.

"W-What is it?"

"So… what happened in there?"

"Nothing much, really. To my surprise. All he did was give a warning shot," she replied, bringing her hand over her cheek to lightly trace the edge of the cut, before pulling her hand away. Her eyes darkened at the sight of the crimson liquid that stained her fingertips, while her facial expression clouded over into an unreadable one.

Noticing the change in her demeanour, Mitsuka gently placed her hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah… yeah. I'm fine," She numbly replied, dropping her hand to her side as she walked past the group of mobsters and made her way to the bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she stood in front of the mirror as she carefully stuck a plaster over the burgundy line.

Her finger lightly traced across the plaster as a frown marred her sweet face. She was getting a bad premonition, and she didn't like it.

Not one bit.


"Hey, I'm here to clean up the room once more before I leave," Mayura exclaimed as she entered the Boss' office once more, cleaning equipment in hand.

"Oh, hi there Mayura-chan!" Keiji exclaimed, the usual warm smile on his face as he greeted her that evening. Her eyes did a quick sweep across the room and noticed a lack of red.

"Where's the Boss?" She asked.

"Oh, you just missed him, actually," Jin'ya replied, an arm around Yuzuru's shoulders as usual as he took a gulp from his glass of beer.

"Pardon?"

"Boss left a couple of minutes before you entered. Something about a meeting with the other mafia lords of the underground community he is in. As you might have probably already realised, Mitsuka accompanied him," the raven-haired beauty replied, filling in the details Mayura needed. Nodding in understanding, Mayura grabbed the vacuum and got to work.

Suddenly, something in her mind clicked, and she whipped her head towards Keiji, Jin'ya and Yuzuru, and blurted out, "Yesterday, when I was drunk, did I… do something undignified?"

The trio exchanged a look, before flashing devious smirks, which were then directed to her. She swallowed hard, undoubtedly nervous as to what the answer was, judging from their reactions.

"W-Well?"

"Well… I guess it would be an understatement to say, you more or less seduced the Boss in your drunken state."

"... What?!" She exclaimed, an octave higher than her usual volume and pitch, causing some of the mobsters to wince slightly, while the trio remained indifferent towards her reaction. In fact, her exclamation only proved to stroke their smugness over the whole situation.

"Yeah, you were lying on his lap, and snuggling up to his chest the whole ride back. And I believe you were calling him some names?" Jin'ya replied, directing the ending question to Yuzuru, who hummed.

"If memory serves me right, she said he would look 'cute' if he smiled, and then he looked 'sexy' when he frowned," Yuzuru added, like she was simply stating a fact and not exposing Mayura's embarrassing display of drunkenness. The said girl had turned crimson in the face, rivalling a certain boss' hair.

"That's a lie!"

"It is, most unfortunately, the undeniable truth," Yuzuru replied with a straight face, but her tone teasing. Her declaration cause Mayura to seemingly wilt, and the green-tipped blonde stalked over to a corner, brought both hands to cover her face, and crouched down.

"My life is over… " She moaned, before mumbling dozens of other sentences non-stop, it began to sound like a chant, echoing off the walls of the room. The members of the mob stared at her, sweatdropping slightly at her behaviour.

"Mayura, calm down…" Keiji muttered, placing. A hand on the girl's shoulder in an attempt to help her relax, while the chanting resumed.


Shimon casually walked into the room at the far end of the casino, with Mitsuka three paces behind him at all times. He was greeted with the usual faces.

"Oh, Shimon-kun! Good to see you could join us this evening!" The head of the group exclaimed cheerily as he waved towards Shimon, the said male not reacting to his words as he took his seat.

"Since you, the head of the Tsuchimikado alliance, summoned us, there's no way I'd miss the meeting, Arima-sama," Shimon politely replied, shutting his eyes.

"I believe Arima-sama is just saying that it is a pleasure to see you, Shimon!" Ioroi Narumi, the boss of the mafia 'Iron Tempest', exclaimed, 'lightly' patting Shimon on the back, causing the poor boy to nearly stumble out of his seat.

"Do cease your patting, Ioroi. Can't you see his back is going to be destroyed at this rate?" Arata Inanaki, boss of the mafia 'Phantom Familiars', stated, never looking up from the manga in his hands as he nonchalantly flipped the page.

"There's no way it'd be destroyed so easily; Shimon-kun is strong!"

Despite being polar opposites, these two bosses were actually the best of friends since young, along with Arima and Seigen.

"You guys are so annoyingly noisy, as always. Please do try not to take up too much time with your verbal exchanges. Time is money to me," Ujii Kengo, boss of the 'Hexa Aegis', scoffed, scowling slightly as he studied the boisterous man.

"Isn't that fine? Being noisy is also a sign of youth," Mitosaka Kankuro, boss of the mafia 'Frozen Scales', drawled in response, locking his hands behind his head, letting out a yawn through the medical mask of his face.

Kankuro was an underground doctor who tended to members of the allied mafias, along with his own, but despite that, he was just as skilled a hitman as anyone in the room.

Similarly, Kengo and Kankuro are childhood friends, although Kengo had mentioned on multiple accounts that their bond was 'undesirable but irrefutable'.

"Well, I don't see why Arima-sama wouldn't be happy to see Shimon-han." Mitejima Subaru, boss of the mafia 'Nocturne Rhapsody', commented, giggling at the end behind her frilly fan.

"Agreed. Despite the youngest amongst us, he has proven to be the most capable and responsible, even as a mafia boss," Zeze Miku, boss of the mafia 'Silver Marionette', added in agreement to Subaru's sentiment.

Miku was the oldest mafia boss amongst those in the alliance, hence she was stricter and more experienced than the rest despite not being as strong. Receiving such praise from her reassured Shimon that he was doing his job well.

"Indeed! Your achievements are most impressive, Shimon-dono!" Sada Sakura, boss of the mafia 'Cosmic Scythe', declared in her ridiculously loud manner, which made Miku sigh exasperatedly.

"So I say, Sakura, please do something about the way you speak. It's seriously loud, and seriously unnecessary."

"But Miku-dono, you know I've inherited this manner of speaking from my father!"

It is a known fact among the leaders that Sakura's father, whose wife was the former boss of 'Cosmic Scythe', was one of Miku's subordinates. When Sakura's mother passed away and he got done in in the line of duty, Miku fulfilled his last wish by taking Sakura in and caring for her as her own.

"It is completely understandable that everyone would love to see Shimon-kun. He is so intelligent and physically apt for his age." Shimon stiffened slightly at the sickeningly sweet voice that spoke up. He didn't even need to look to know who it was.

Kaguya, the current boss of the mafia 'Transcendent Claws'. Seigen's mafia, to be exact. It was only three years after news of the unfortunate incident had been revealed, when she suddenly took over as the boss.

Needless to say, Shimon disliked her. There were a few reasons as to why. There was his professional view on it; he found it suspicious that someone who had zero relation to the 'Transcendent Claws' would suddenly become the boss. Her records or past activities before becoming boss are completely unknown, which made her all the more he suspicious character.

Then there was his personal views. He has never been fond of women, the only few he acknowledged being the bosses of the allied mafias and Yuzuru. But Kaguya appeared to lack integrity, at least in his eyes. Resulting in him absolutely despising her.

"Not to mention, he's so handsome."

Even more so when she flirted with him like that. It seemed to him that she lacked dignity as well, if the way she threw herself at any good-looking or powerful man she comes across, or the provocative dressing of hers were any indicator.

Honestly, she might as well be wearing her undergarments.

Shimon silently clicked his tongue in disgust, and shrugged off the hand that Kaguya had placed on his arm. "I appreciate the comment, but do please be more aware of yourself and keep your hands away from me."

"Aw, don't be so cold, Shimon-kun!" Kaguya teased, obviously thinking that Shimon was just being shy and not realising he was just about done with her. Clenching his jaw, he turned to the side, and his eyes met Mitsuka's. The assassin tensed up and offered a pity-filled smile, shrugging. No matter how much Shimon hated her, killing Kaguya here and now would only prove to be a demerit to the 'Vermillion Wing'.

"Ain't it nice, Bird-maru? Being popular amongst the ladies and all," Unomiya Tenma, boss of the mafia 'Golden Swords', snickered, grinning as he wolfed down another box of mitarashi dango. Shimon scowled, glaring in his direction.

Tenma and Shimon had known each other longer than the rest, due to going to the same academy since elementary school. Their rivalry back then was strong, and even more so now. Tenma never failed to infuriate him.

"Clearly your ears aren't working, because I am saying I do not find it 'nice'. And my name isn't 'Bird-maru'," Shimon replied, shooting a brief glare towards Mitsuka, who fought to stifle a laugh at the weird nickname.

"S-H-U-T U-P. Shut up." Kasukami Cordelia's, the boss of the mafia 'Futuristic Ruins', robotic voice echoed. Cordelia had lost her voice due to an incident during the line of duty, and had created for herself a speaking aid that was connected to her nerves and voiced out her opinions.

For some reason, it always spelled out the first two words of whatever she wanted to say before broadcasting the rest of her lines. And for some reason, it didn't spell out anything when she cursed.

The mentioned head, Tsuchimikado Arima, simply smirked at his response. He swept his blue-tipped silver bangs to the side, as he looked around.

All the mafia lords had been gathered.

He clapped his hands together, silencing everyone and having their attention on him. With a grim look on his face, he announced, "Let's begin our meeting, shall we?"


After finally bringing the office to a pristine state - with no help from the top mobsters drinking non-stop and making a mess almost every second for two hours straight - Mayura used the back of her hand to wipe her forehead, nodding in satisfaction at the results of her hard work.

She quickly stashed the cleaning equipment into the storeroom, before lounging on one of the couches of the now-empty office. The rest had left one after another, receiving orders from Shimon to take care of respective jobs as soon as his meeting had ended.

Now she had to wait for him to return before she could go.

As she lounged on the couch, she thought back to what Keiji, Yuzuru and Jin'ya had mentioned earlier, and she felt her cheeks flush once more at the memory. She simply couldn't believe it - she had snuggled into the Boss' lap. She had called him cute and sexy. Saying this to any mafia boss would be equivalent to having a death wish. And she was currently wanting one.

'Why on earth would I even think or consider him to be sexy? Sure, he has nice, crystal-blue eyes and interesting hair, not to mention a lean body that was neither too muscular nor scrawny, yet at the same time insane for someone who barely works out…' Mayura thought to herself, before feeling her cheeks grow hot once more as she flashbacked to when she saw Shimon in the skin-tight crop top that revealed his abs.

She mentally slapped herself at the thought.

'Anyways, so he wasn't all that unfortunate-looking. But cute? S-e-x-y? No way. Never,' she vehemently denied it in her mind, before it began trailing off elsewhere. Now that she thought about it, there have been times he would look deep into her eyes, his icy-blue orbs sucking her in. She couldn't help but find him rather attractive…

'But never sexy. Naw, no way…' Mayura found herself in a losing mental battle. With herself.

Deciding to temporarily clear her mind off her Boss, she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her list of songs, before selecting one and playing it out loud. For the first few seconds, chords of an electric guitar were heard, before the singing began, to which Mayura sang along with while sensually breakdancing.

Mayura: There's a little secret

I would like to tell you.

There's a book of lies

I know they'll try to sell you.

And they'll try, and they'll try,

To convince you to buy,

you need them.

So the next time you're down,

look inside, not around.

I can bless myself.

There's no need for someone else.

There's no one to blame.

There's no one to save you but yourself.

I can justify

all the mistakes in my life.

It's taught me to be, it's given me me

And I'll survive.

'Cause I have blessed myself.

Unbeknownst to her, in the midst of her singing and dancing, a certain crimson-haired boss had appeared at the doorway, and was silently watching her.


Shimon sighed exasperatedly as he stepped out of the limo. The meeting was mentally draining on him, and he honestly didn't even want to think about Kaguya's advances and Tenma's constant teasing. Mitsuka silently followed him as he walked into the headquarters and made his way towards the concierge.

"Boss, welcome back."

"Thanks, Yuri. Has everyone else gone to do what I've ordered?"

"Yes. Keiji-san left earlier to distribute your orders to our branches in Narukami, so he'll be back by tomorrow afternoon, latest. Jin'ya-san and Yuzuru-san has gone to Rose Maiden Latte, as per your orders, to fill her in on the situation. The rest went to their respective territories they are in charge of to fill their men in."

"Good. Good work today, Yuri. Get me the elevator."

"Yes, sir."

With that, Shimon walked past the counter and into the lift. When it reached the highest floor, he hastily made his way to his office, but stilled when he heard loud music blaring out of the door. As silently as humanly possible, he crept towards the door and peered to through the slight opening, his eyes widening when he saw who it was inside.

Mayura was singing along to the song while moving in that similar fashion he had seen most people in clubs dance. She spun around, made sharp movements with ease, and sensually ran her hands on the sides of her body and face, all while swaying her hips to the rhythm of the music. Her voice was powerful with each note she hit, and despite not knowing what song it was, Shimon took a liking to it immediately.

"Boss? Are you not going to go in?" Mitsuka asked in a low voice, not wanting to startle Mayura should he speak too loudly. Shimon smirked slightly as he watched Mayura go at it a little longer.

"Soon," he simply replied, watching Mayura a little longer. When what sounded like the song coming to an end, he pushed open the door and wordlessly entered, standing behind Mayura, who was still caught up in her singing and dancing.

"What are you doing?"

"AHHH!" Mayura screamed, shocked out of her skin at the sudden voice that rang out behind her. Coming to a complete stop, she whipped around and eyes widened when she realised it was Shimon.

"B-Boss… Since when were you there?" Mayura questioned warily, shakily even.

"I just arrived. I repeat, what are you doing?"

"I-I was waiting for you to come, so that I could leave. I finished cleaning all the floors, so I just need your approval. B-But then I got bored, so I decided to play some music and… nevermind," Mayura stuttered to answer, before mumbling resignedly at the end. Shimon restrained the urge to smirk at her complicated expression and walked over to his desk.

"Well, whatever it is you were doing, do not do it again. Stop playing that music out loud, it's annoyingly noisy. Also, you can leave after you get me a cup of coffee," Shimon stated, settling into his chair before opening his laptop and began typing away at once.

"A cup of coffee? Are you staying up again?"

"Considering I have a lot of things to do in regards to the meeting I had earlier, yes. Now hurry up and get me my damn coffee."

"Yessir," Mayura dryly replied, promptly picking up her phone from the couch and stopping the music before waltzing out of the office. Mitsuka studied the green-tipped blonde as she dashed out, before directing his gaze towards Shimon. Feeling an intense stare on him, Shimon looked up from his laptop and met Mitsuka's eyes.

"What?"

"Do you not intend to fill Mayura in about it?" Shimon's eyes softened at the mention of Mayura, and looked away, almost guiltily as he gave a solemn smile.

"It's best if she doesn't know. She's involved enough with the underground world because of me, anymore and she will be potential danger. And I'll be damned before I let that happen, not to mention she will have my head."

"True." Mitsuka replied, chuckling slightly, and immediately after, Mayura enters the office holding a cup of coffee resting on a saucer. She carefully placed it down, making sure not to accidentally tip the cup.

"Here's your coffee."

"Mm." Shimon simply hummed in response, typing away at the laptop for a few more seconds before pausing to pick up the cup and took a sip, before giving a satisfied hum. Placing the cup down onto the saucer, he briefly looked up and stared at Mayura in the eyes and said coldly, "You may go, but don't you dare be late tomorrow."

"Yes, Boss." With that, Mayura picked up her sling bag and strutted towards the doors. Opening one, she took one step out, before looking back at Shimon. He noticed this and asked, "What is it?"

Mayura furrowed her brows, and opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to say something, but ultimately decided not to ask what was on her mind and shook her head. "Nothing. Excuse me, I'll be leaving now."

With that, she closed the door behind her. It wasn't long before she was out of the building and on the way back to her 'home'. Mayura groaned as she held her head with one hand while she walked with a slight limp in her steps.

Her head was killing her. She wasn't sure when, but a while after the whole fiasco in Shimon's office that morning, she felt this terrible headache hit her. And it couldn't have been a hangover; she had already taken painkillers for it.

It temporarily left her when she was dancing in the office, but it felt worse when she had heard what Shimon had said earlier. What did he mean, it was best if she didn't know. About what?

And what did he mean, she will be placed in potential danger? She was in the most danger when she was with him, goddammit! She was constantly in danger for every second of her life, like some sort of inevitable fate, even when they first met. What the heck was he worrying about now?

Shaking those thoughts away, she reached the familiar run-down building and walked upstairs. Fishing out her keys, she stilled upon realising the lock of her door had been busted open. Scowling, she kicked the door open, and stormed into the room. She found herself face to face with the suspect, who was holding a metal box.

A metal box which happened to contain her savings.

"What the hell? Of all the places to rob, you chose the god-forsaken shack? How low thieves and thugs have fallen around here," Mayura mocked scornfully, honestly tired and wanting to get this done and over with so that she could rest.

"S-Shut up! Back away and let me leave, then you won't get hurt!" He exclaimed, and in an instant, he whipped out a pocket knife and thrusted it towards her. She smoothly tilted her head to the side, enough for it to avoid her eye, but her cheek wasn't as lucky. In fact, it was the same side that Shimon's bullet had nicked her this morning. Feeling the warm liquid trickle down her cheek, she clenched her jaw.

The male smirked, thinking he was victorious in scaring her, but instantly regretted ever coming when she met his eyes once more, now the look of death in her eyes as she glared at him.

"I don't have time to deal with idiots like you. I already had it from one asshole today, and the only one I would actually willingly accept punishment from, since I would deserve it. And even then, half the time I don't tolerate any shit from him. I don't need another asshole bothering me. Get lost."

Her cold tone made him waver, but he eventually manned up and charged towards her, knife in hand. The sight of it itself made her snort. Then suddenly, a sharp pain hit her again, and she swallowed back a wince. She really needed to deal with this quickly, or she might seriously get killed.

"Seriously, a knife at point-blank range against a teenage girl? Pathetic," she sneered, swiftly stepping out of the way, causing him to stumble past her. Taking opportunity of his momentary shock, she grabbed the wrist of the hand that held the blade, and swiftly twisted it behind his back, emitting a sharp groan of pain from him.

"Also, since it looks like you're new in the neighbourhood, a little heads-up: first, I've been living around this area since I was a child, and believe me when I tell you, that kind of pathetic threat with that dull knife ain't gonna do shit for you around here. Second, I've slitted more throats than the number of houses you have broken into, considering I started since I was seven." She then dragged the man out of the house and kicked his back, forcing him out.

"And third, I work for the damn mafia. You might wanna think twice before attacking me again, 'cause I can assure you my boss doesn't take well to things happening without his knowledge or permission." With that, she shut the door and barricaded it with the boxes she found lying around the room, before swiftly stripping herself out of her clothes and into a simple singlet and a pair of homey shorts.

When her head hit the mattress, she was out like a light.


"So, you chased her out, just to follow her?" Mitsuka asked, sitting on a slightly battered, leather chair in the barren room. He, along with Keiji, Jin'ya, Yuzuru and Shimon were in a room in an abandoned building not too far off from the one Mayura was staying in.

The man who got thrown out by Mayura was unfortunate enough to bump into Shimon, who had decided to follow Mayura back to her house just in case, in regards to the recent meeting. Said man was currently pinned down, on all fours, and being sat on the back by Yuzuru. She leisurely held the chains that were wound around his wrists and ankles in one hand, and a electric riding crop in another.

"And while I'd love to tease you about it, boy, am I relieved you did," Keiji exclaimed, staring down at the man with uncharacteristically cold eyes. To Mayura, who didn't know the first thing about the situation amongst the mafias in the underground, she thought he was just an everyday thief. But to them, who were practically the ones moving the underground world, this was clearly a planned move from the enemy.

After all, why else would they have someone attack the daughter of a late boss of a mafia that was one of their enemies, and immediately after the meeting, at that?

The man cautiously eyed the mobsters surrounding him. He was supposed to report back to headquarters after countering the Amawaka girl, but he wasn't told of this. Since when the did the boss of the 'Vermillion Wing' mafia personally watch her return home?!

Shimon stepped towards the man, and stood before him. The man raised his head to meet his gaze, an indignant and defiant gleam in his eyes. Instantly, he felt a jolt of electricity run down from his thighs to his knees, which trembled from the sudden shock and threatened to give out.

"Watch the attitude. No one gave you permission to look at the Boss in the eyes," Yuzuru's voice rang out in the empty room, tone harsh and merciless. Just like how her torture on this man was going to be.

"Good, keep him like that, Yuzuru," Shimon said, before looking down on the man once more. "Tell us your name and your association to the underground world."

Shimon was met with silence, and his eye twitched. Bringing his hand back to where his gun was, he grasped at the handle, finger resting on the trigger. His crystal-blue orbs hardened as he narrowed his eyes, and he repeated his question. "Name and association, now."

The man continued to give the silent treatment, refusing to speak and just looked up, glaring at Shimon once more. He let out a yelp of pain when he felt the same shock hit his other thigh and dropped his head in pain.

"I already warned you once." Yuzuru stated, waving the riding crop around threateningly. Jin'ya removed the cigarette from his lips and dropped it to the ground, stubbing it before walking over to them and bent over slightly to look at the man.

"C'mon, you know that dragging this out is gonna hurt, so why not save both you and us the trouble and 'fess up already, huh?" He said, in an attempt to negotiate. However, they hadn't taken into account how stubborn this man would have been, for he shook his head in reply, refusing to give in. Keiji, who had been on his phone while watching, finally stepped forward.

"Inui Hyousuke of the Magano Alliance. You belong to the lower branches in the Narukami district, don't you?" He spoke, loud and clear for the man to hear. The man, Inui, looked up and stared at him in shock.

"You shouldn't underestimate a top-rate mafia so easily. We can obtain information from wherever we want, whenever we want. More importantly, wouldn't you like to know what else we know about you?" At this, the man tensed momentarily, not long enough to be considered a pause, but enough for Kenji to notice. With that, the older Ikaruga made another step forward in his 'negotiation'.

"We know where you live, who your relatives and friends are, where they live, what they do and where they go every hour of the day. Wouldn't it be just unfortunate if they all suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth, for good?" Keiji said, his usual cheerful grin in place. But this time, there was an obvious hint of malice in his entire demeanour, and Inui widened his eyes in horror, and began to break into cold sweat.

"Y-You wouldn't…"

"Oh yes, yes we would. As much as those from the Tsuchimikado Alliance despise abusing authority and power to hurt civilians, we would do it if it is completely necessary to protect our family. You can count on it. And besides, relatives of a mobster can't be considered to be 'ordinary' civilians, now, can they?" Keiji could see that the man was now visibly shaken and wavering, but still unrelenting. Looks like he needed a final push.

"Oi, Mitsuka." The said male looked up from polishing his dagger, one that those in the 'Vermillion Wing' mafia knew to be his favourite. Apparently, he was getting impatient too. He looked up from the glinting blade with a slightly murderous grin. "Yeah?"

"Hey, hey, save the threatening looks for our prisoner here. That aside, since this man seems reluctant on filling us in with what we want to know, why don't you help to kill time by telling us some of your stories?"

Mitsuka immediately understood what Keiji was playing at, and smirked slightly. "Which one? How I skewered thirteen men on the battlefield in our fight against the Russian mob? Or the time I was still an assassin, and wiped out a whole camp of men in Germany before joining the mafia? Or the time I skinned a man alive as torture when I started out as an assassin to pry information out of him?"

The mobsters barely managed to keep the deadly act, laughter threatening to spill over as they watched Inui's face literally turn white with trepidation, hanging at each word Mitsuka had said. While everything Mitsuka said was true, he was laying it thick for show. Keiji pretended to ponder over it, and that finally broke the man.

"Stop! Please, just… stop…"

"It looks like you finally understand your position. Your call, Shimon," Keiji said, and Shimon crouched down, harshly grabbing the man by the chin, hard enough to leave bruises, and tipped his head upwards.

Inui nearly collapsed at the absolute-zero gaze that held a promise of a slow and painful death directed at him. With a scowl, Shimon said, "Let's try this again: Why are you here?"


Hope you liked it! Please do review!

XOXO, anime4life2112