If I manage to get 10 reviews by the 6th chapter, I'LL BE SCREAMING BECAUSE HOT DAMN dO YOU WANT TREATS maYBE

So I managed to garner around 15+ follows and favorites and I like it. First time getting such thing. I'm absolutely hAPPY!

I think being an adult means smiling even when the flames of hell are on you. School projects, exams, and teacher's adamant decision to not give me exam pass is just the lesser of evil things life could vomit.

Shoutout to Of Stories Told for their amazing review and the insight, and to Anonima-Traumada for their lovely review and being an awesome fan from Uruguay who is interested in the potential(?) yaoi pairing Shimane/Ukyo or Ukyo/Shimane.

chapter five

i should have know better

"Nigga, are you that shitty?"

She sent a swift kick to my side, the pain exploding like fireworks and red liquid erupted from my mouth. I grunted and curled on the ground, reminding myself to relax my muscles, but my hair was yanked upwards and through blurry eyes I was able to see Yamazaki.

Her black sharp eyes twiched and I hissed at her, glowing eyes glaring at her with all of my will.

Her butchery of words, the taunts and derisive laughter, the exploding pain―all of it made me so fucking furious at her. The entire fight was one-sided, a silly game for her to break me apart to be molded into the Anego she wanted.

She was toying with me.

She smiled down at me, yellow teeth glistening under the brightness of the afternoon sun. "Girls on their way as an Anego shouldn't cry."

Then there was a sickening crack and I screamed, sobs wrecking through my body as my head plummeted to the ground on my arm, hot white pain flashing before my eyes. The bruises ached horribly and burned like iron rods on my skin, and I knew she had dislocated my shoulder.

fuckfuckfuckfuckFU―

Tears sprang up to my eyes, drawing rivers down my bruised cheeks. The pain used to be a familiar presence I was able to accept, but now I was a child, I was highly sensitive to the acute feeling and I cried, gosh, I fucking cried.

Yamazaki Himeji, in her glory of being the boss of Momokyokai, gazed at me with dark eyes through her messy cropped black hair. She tutted. "Mahiro, you're terribly pathetic." Her eyes piercing though me like daggers, they were derisive and ...

They were making me feel shame.

I was ashame at myself, beaten around by a strong woman and crying at the wounds she had inflicted. Even when I am in a child form. Even when I'm weak (because of my baby body). Even when there's a thousand of reason for this fuckery―still, a part of myself was stabbed repeatedly, making way for shame and I just don't fucking understand this shit going on.

What is this? Is this concerning about my masculinity? My pride? The way how I was weak compared to Previous who managed to take every hit without a cry? Or was it because my pain resistant is equivalent to that one of a child?

I'm not going to use poetic words to describe what I'm fucking feeling and what caused this. I am really burning with shame and I am annoyed by that because I. Don't. Get. It.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Yamazaki snorted like she just heard my thoughts and bent her knees by my lying form, dead eyes boring into my furious teary ones. "You got to man up. Gosh, seriously. At least you got some knowledge out there. But sheesh, you need to come at me, like with your life on the line. I was dead serious when I told you you're gonna take my post. Don't go against my words, you dumbass. I was even hoping you can beat Shimane since he's the top fighter in Momokyokai."

She looked away distantly before whistling unimpressively, her legs spread while her arms lay over it as a armrest. She turned her gaze back to me, the shadows contouring her features and her ink black hair falling from her face. "You're quite unfortunate, to have Shimane taking care of you. Behind that callous attitude, he's going to pity you. He's going to hold you back from being the Anego. He saw you were weak, and that you will always be one." Patronizingly, she patted my cheeks. "But I won't let him."

I bared her my teeth, wheezing the pain out, but she merely tutted and slammed a fist to my head to the concrete floor of the rooftop.

Hot white pain flashed through the punch and I choked out a guttural sound, forcing myself not to cry out but the tear ducts won't listen, leaking water out.

"Hey," she pulled my head up, and I gazed at her through hazy eyes, seeing a faint large curve on her face.

She was grinning.

A feral grin that stretched to her high cheekbones, showing her sharp yellow teeth.

It stopped the way my heart beat, dropping down to my stomach in dread for her words.

It took her moments to accessed something before she barked out a rusty laugh. "Your eyes, they are so fucking pitiful. It's like you got shits for brain." Despite the insults, I was breathing heavily, apprehending the doom in her words, feeling like she was going to mark something, a judge's verdict on the court. "You're disgusting actually, makes me wanna kill you over and over and spill your guts and all that crap. But you know what?"

She spat at my face and her words were gun bullets though my heart.

"The fun will be plucking anything that will threaten your position as the oyabun of Momokyokai. You can't even save yourself from this."

I woke up, groggily opening my eyes to see a bright light and white ceiling.

The splitting pain and aching bruises registered somewhere in my head, stopping me from processing everything.

Damn this, I grimanced, not moving from my position on the bed. Closing my eyes, I tried to rid the phantom tiredness away from the crevice in my shoulders but it was futile.

"...so you're telling me to just wait for her to wake up? ...whose gonna help her?"

"..don't know ... but this is ... by Himeji...? What the..."

"Even ... kyo ... she ... priva... but..."

"Gosh... mess ever... Himeji seriously needs to hold back."

"But let's be legit... she considered this 'holding back'."

Oh, there were people talking.

I wasn't in the mood to hear people blabbering about Yamazaki when she had beaten me until I lose conscious. Since I was dulled with the pain and groggy from waking up, I didn't feel much about her except heaviness. She really did kicked hard and got her words in my head.

Opening my eyes slowly and settling myself by leaning against my pillow, I let my fuzzy orbs took in the sight before me.

There was a bespectacled green-eyed man with curly brown hair, strong jaws that could cut glass and he wore a white doctor coat, talking to a woman whose height lose to him by an inch. She was a pretty blonde with the curls that made people think if it was done by a machine but was naturally falling off her shoulders and framing her heart face.

The room was very immaculate. There was a useless painting away from the adults and a small table by the woman's side. Flowers were blooming from the vase of swirling colors with a traditional Japanese poem by the side. Red spider lilies, perhaps. They were thousands strands curved upward, all narrowed and alone, surrounding the pollens dusted on its yellow strands, thinner than the petals.

The woman noticed me and gave a soft smile, pink lips a fair contrast to her pale skin and pale blonde hair. "Mahiro-chan is awake." She remarked to the man beside her.

The man turned to me, brown eyes wide with awkwardness and comprehending. "Ermmm, hey?" He gave a little wave that was actually a wipe motion.

A dainty hand came to slap him in the arm, to which he yelled out aindignant "Hey!" while turning to the pretty blonde.

"Senri!" She chastised with a playful huff, "C'mon, she's gonna be our daughter, be good to her."

Daughter? Me?

Senri, the brunet, spluttered in shock before he turned to me, slowly and hesitant like he wasn't sure if he's doing the right thing. The blonde, Hakuoh, huffed impatiently and swirled to me, pulling on the doctor's sleeve on her way before she pushed him on my bed and hugged me.

I was shocked, breathe almost hitching at the close intimacy of the hug. The feeling was foreign to me. wasn't able to understand this kind of feeling. It was strange, a good kind of feeling filtering thought me, but it was foreign, so foreign I just want to rip myself away for it.

Only to have a part of me screaming for it. Against it.

(i just don't know what to do.)

Her soft cheek rubbed against my hair and I felt wet droplets on my head. Followed by other, then another, until it was like a soft and fragile pitter patters of rain against the glass.

The realization of what was happening was hitting me.

She kept on patting my back, like she wanted to reassure me of something. What was it that she was reassuring me off? I couldn't understand this, can't get used to this.

I hitched on my breathe when I spoke, words that covered what I wanted to say. "Please stop crying..." I don't want to get used to this feeling. She was comforting me, right? By showing her weak side, she was trying to get something from me. She was comforting me?

But from what?

I don't need to be comforted. I can handle this. Just leave me alone and don't bother me. I can accept whatever comes my way because I'm actually eighteen years old, not a child. I had long passed that age and innocence.

She stopped for a moment, her hand pressed lightly to my back for a pat, before she pulled me tighter to her chest, like a mother wishing to protect her children from the harm of the world. She choked out painfully of what was once my name before rocking me, humming a soft tune.

But she had to choked it out and it was such a heartbreaking sound.

I was paralyzed. Why are you doing this? Stop it please. My skin itched under her touch, like I was actually disgusted with the notion of being comforted and that I couldn't accept such a foreign matter.

I don't need comforting, please, just leave me alone.

I wanted to voice out what I want to say, but those heavy words were stuck on my throat, lodged in and never leaving from me. It was a moment of weakness that I had fallen to her lullaby and wished to be comforted, but... but... but...

My breathe hitched, I tried to control myself, clenched my fist unto the bedsheet, but she kept on patting my back, those soft hand digging a way for a hot lump to settle in.

I sniffed and controlled my heart, but how can my pure will stop what my heart wants? It was screaming for a release and I just...

I couldn't hold the dam together.

I let tears drop from my eyes, the body providing warmth that sooth my heavy sould. I felt a small sense of light relief in crying for something that I had lost ever since.

The lost for a chance of something new.

Instead of a life in a beautiful light into the sun and enjoying every single thing a teenager like me was supposed to do, I was thrown into the underworld, the criminal world where I'll end up staining my hands.

There goes all of my chance at getting what I had missed long ago.

Yamazaki Himeji had successfully thrown all of my chances into the black hole and chained me down to the yakuza. She had single-handedly took everything away from me. She was the iconoclast.

I couldn't get that life I wished for.

Instead...

I could only inflict pain into people just like her.

I was disgusting. A sick loser. Loner. Nothing to offer and having nothing offered to me. How silly can I be, to be lured in the simple joy of reincarnation and thinking that everything will change? How fucking shitty am I to actually think I have a chance?

I'm so foolish, I felt like laughing at myself and somewhat agreeing with my bullies.

I was a teenager, already on my way to adulthood. I should have know better, should have understand that everything nice only last for a moment before hell takes over.

I had experienced the cruel reality, experienced the harsh society before.

I should have known better.

I should have.

・・・

I remembered now, about Hakuoh and Senri.

Uie Senri, the underground doctor and resident doctor of Momokyokai. Yumura Hakuoh, a member of Momokyokai who failed in her seduction mission and had a miscarriage. They were couples whom Yamazaki made them be my parents to complete my birth certificate.

I was injured so heavily that I had fallen unconcious, and since Yamazaki doesn't want to go to hospitals, she left me here with the doctor. She really thought so meticulously.

I took the tissue from Senri's hand and blow out the snot, putting it away on the table next to me. I looked at them both with red blank eyes.

Even when I shared an emotional scene with them, I still couldn't open myself up. I was back to being withdrawn, someone who couldn't care less with life.

The blonde smiled softly, wiping a tear away from her eye with a grace of an angel, and she spoke. "Hey there. I'm Hakuoh, but you can just call me Mama." She laughed joyfully, her eyes sparkling with an excitement of having a child to raise up.

I looked at her before nodding softly, not trusting myself to do anything else. But because it was because of my consideration for the couple's hospitality about me that I asked. "Is this ... okay with you both?"

It was, afterall, on the orders of Yamazaki that they will be adopting me and creating a fake certificate for me. Supposedly they should be more reluctant about me but here they are acting like I was really their own.

Hakuoh threw her head back for a laugh. "Silly!" She exclaimed out loud, looking at me with sparkling green eyes. "You're a sweet girl, Mahiro! We would love to have you as our own!"

I blinked at that. Even when I'm bedridden, they still believe I am a girl? I vaguely remembered that 'Kyo' told them abiut how I 'liked my privacy respected'. I sighed in defeat, but before I could break into a fake smile, Senri piqued up with saucer-wide eyes.

"I kinda wanted to learn what it's like to have a kid."

...

Oh right, they had done the deed. Of course they would be curious about having one. But maybe it was because of Hakuoh's case with her failed seduction mission and having a miscarriage that it could be difficult to have the matter of having a child settled.

But isn't he a doctor?

Hakuoh gave him the mock inquisitive look. "You're a doctor, 'nuff said." A sigh. "Well, we're at twenties now, so why not explore and get what we want?" She gave him the raised eyebrows look completed with a mischievous smile.

Senri became a blushing mess, spluttering out some incoherent stuff and falling off the bed. I understand the implications it had and wonder why he was so shy about it. They were, after all, not virgins.

She bark at his reaction before sighing. "But it was also dangerous for us to have Mahiro, with our jobs in the yakuza and all." She paused for a brief glance at me. "Actually, Yamazaki didn't tell us to be parents. Just simply someone to watch your improvement in the field. We'll try getting a nanny for you." She gave me a sad look, to which I stared right on.

I could take care of myself. A nanny will just be like them, only to supervise my moves and do their job.

Senri also sighed remorsefully but with a different matter in head. "What's with Yamazaki, suddenly making us create a certificate for Mahiro-chan only to have us as her parents?"

Ouch, those words hurt...

Hakuoh glared at him like she was offended that he was worried about that matter. (But her eyes were furious, darken with eyebags under her eyes. Suddenly everything was serious and stressful between the couple.) "Of course it was a good idea. I'm the shateigashira, and you're the doctor, one of the best college drop-outs. What else could be better than that?"

Shateigashira? She's the second lieutenant after Shimane? And the doctor was a college drop-out? And a best at that? What?

Senri raised an eyebrow at her sarcastically (mockingly). "Shimane and Ukyo. Shimane's the wakagashira and Ukyo's the saiko-komon, so what else?"

I nodded my head at that. Shimane has one of the highest position, right after oyabun and kyobun and saiko-komon. He was only a middle-schooler who gained that title. And Ukyo must be really cunning to be the entire head of saiko-komon, or it was just my exaggeration?

Hakuoh gave an irritated huff at that. She felt challenged for some reasons. "We shouldn't let them beat us. They're just midgle-schoolers. It only would just exaggerated Ukyo's belief that they were some shōnen hero."

I crack a smile at that. Even when everything was bad before, just hearing about Ukyo's idiocy was nice.

Senri shrugged and took a phone out of his back pocket after he sat up. "Well, I have to deal with some crazy shatei. While you, miss," he dived up to give a peck to her lips and left them both with eyes half-life with lust, "have to deal with some crazy delinquents wanting to meet with the the infamous Druken Fist user who ranked fourth in Momokyokai."

...

Holy shit.

Did they kiss in front of me?

Hakuoh swatted his face away and looked at me, embarrassed to be caught in such an action while there was a child. Gosh. "But how about her...?" She pondered, "she's not clean because Ukyo said she likes her privacy not poked at."

Wow, how sweet, they were respecting my privacy. And also to have Ukyo informed them about that... so it was him?

Senri flicked his phone closed, "Well, we got a solution for that."

・・・

Senri's solution came in the form of a brother (not blood related) who had the honor of having me as an errand. The brother―business suit, tattoo peeking our from the white collar, and a weary face paired with slick red hair and golden eyes―was to drop me off somewhere in the quieter Namimori streets by the house of who ever gets me as their problem. In a form of motorbike and some cautious look from the broIher, I hopped in.

The solution was to placate Hakuoh's worries about my hygiene, but I wasn't on that.

I was tired.

Too tired.

I don't know what made me looked at this world with a happy gaze, naïvety of a teenager who thought they finally had it all. That I had a new chance for a life I never had. But I was back to who I was before, depressed and lonely, used to solitary and had to walk forward with no aim at all.

I blinked and saw the word in grey monochromatic colors, never fading to a complete black or white but just blurring shades of it.

I wasn't some justice fighter or wicked sociopath, I was just as neutral as I could be. I'm not on either side but I'm just on my own forever. But the thing I realized is that I was just a little speck. I wasn't worth salt. This fucked-up Japanese animation... made me realized that.

(Again and again, why does the fact that I'm worthless kept on slapping around my face?)

I hopped of the motorbike and nodded to the brother―who had a contemplative expression whether if he had to supervise me on before shrugging―and going to my way to a new house somewhere in Namimori. The motorbike reeved away when I pushed the gate door open and closed it behind me to inspect the house.

It was a beautiful two story house similar to the structure of Sawada's house, which made me ache for normality.

Before leaving, I was told by Senri and Hakuoh that my items from Shimane's room will be dropping off to the house some days later. Shimane had already cleaned his house when I was gone for some day and he was albeit frustrated with the incident, and the adults understood where Shimane's frustration could lead, so it was the safetest solution.

The thought of two middle schoolers made me wished of a time where I hadn't met them, where I wasn't taken by the black-haired teen who couldn't let anything be left behind without a help. But there's no use in wishing when it happened long ago. I had regretted enough from now.

There was a gaping hole inside me that inwardly shrieked about the unfairness of the situation, but I was used to it. I mean, I had lived with this feeling, there's nothing wrong then.

I sighed and pushed the main door, welcomed to the sight of traditional house with tatami mats and sliding doors, the faint woody smell comforting my soul.

I closed the door behind me and made my way to what seemed like a living room, styled in an American fashion. Not taking in the room, I pulled my feet forward and dumped myself on some couch before finding myself lurred to sleep.

I glanced at the boxes that made themselves in the living room.

It has been two days since I had settled in here, and honestly I liked the place. It had three guest room, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There was a small backyard and a pouch behind the house where it was typical for kids to sit out and watch the sun with light clothes and dripping ice creams.

It was nice, very nice.

The boxes needed to be opened, but I wasn't in the mood to do anything. However, a part of me kept bugging me about things needing to get done so I gave in.

There was boxes of clothes, some household utensils, and books.

School supplies.

There were lots of them. All in fancy colors. Rainbow. Tiny books about Japanese, empty weird notebooks that were plain but meh, markers, just the basic stuffs. Nice.

Good thing the living room was bare. While it had furnitures, they weren't decorated. The room felt bare. So the bookshelves were made home to the school supplies. The household stuffs had their way to the kitchen and I used a long blanket to wrapped the box of clothes to bring them up the stairs. Creative.

The packing and unloading of clothes were hard. Shimane had the foresight to pack hangers in bubble warps and I liked the surprise. Since I had somehow developed a second head for fashion sense, all of my clothes were arranged beautifully in the mini walk-in closet I had.

I took the largest room possible. Ha.

So like I said before, my clothes were arranged so well that an OCD will moan in bliss. Pants were arranged by their colors and the tone. There were stacks of blue, white, and black. The clothes were according to their style―t-shirts, button ups, sleeveless, the list just went on. The hangers were holding gowns.

Yes. Glittery, fluffy tutu girly gowns. They were actually pretty, but having my armpits and half of my chest exposed with only a neck halter isn't fun. Thank you very much.

I went down the stairs to prepare the arrangement of the kitchen, but there was a knock on the door before it exploded into some kind of music and an obnoxious voice singing, "My hero! My hero! The Hero!"

My legs took me and when I opened it, I was greeted with the sight of a smiling Ukyo.

"Hello!" He jumped slightly and the plastic rustling sound alarmed me of the groceries he had bought.

I blinked before moving myself with the door to let him in. "Hi."

"Okaeri!" The blond came in and closed the door, almost ripping my hand out, and he proceeded dumping the groceries on the upper levelled floor and did a small shoe routine when one enters the house and I set down the slippers from the cabinet by the wall.

I glanced at the groceries, six bags, before grabbing one and going to the kitchen to set them up. Unfortunately, Ukyo held me back with a grip on my shoulder.

"Hey, hey, hey!" He sniffed dramatically, pushing me to the living room. There was more rustling sounds so he must've took the rest of the groceries. "Mahiro-chan, what's with the silent treatment? I brought groceries when Himeji was like 'oh, that gaki only had bread to satiated her hunger for two days'!"

Well, not just a bread. There was orange juice, eggs, and a bit of leftover rice from the rice cooker. The leftover rice was reborn as fried rice with boiled eggs. Then some fried chicken and hotdogs for the second day.

They all lasted enough for three meals.

I let him do as he likes and he settled me on the couch before inspecting the room. "Man!" He scrunched his nose up and placed his hands on his hips. "This room needs more style! Should I buy a lava lamp?"

He turned to me with an excited look but I just shrugged. "Do as you like. But aren't you spending a little too much money on me?"

The blond tutted and as fast as his legs could bring him, he settled down to the bookshelf and the box of school supplies after dumping the groceries next to him, and started arranging.

"I'm not spending too much, " he snorted. "Since I'm basically the saiko-komon, advisor, bah, I lead most operations. Loan sharking, bribery, black market, large investment and harassing large companies' asses because they too scared. All successful."

I blinked at how he was casually speaking his job and the crimes he had done. There was a heavy silence in which neither of us can come up with a topic. Ukyo seemed like he was lost in his thoughts and I was thinking up of something to say.

I decided to make some noise by checking the plastic that I still had with me. Upon seeing it was snacks, I took out the chips and biscuits and some soft drinks then arranged them on the table.

Ukyo sighed and fiddled with the Japanese book. "Look, Mahiro-chan. Throw any questions you got. You're... as much as we hate this, you are involved. You're now the kyobun who will have to succeed Momokyokai. Hime-ane-san had the news going around."

His electric blue eyes were down and heavy, like the news had affected him deeply.

Staring at him, the clock ticking in the background, I tried to contemplate my situation in the yakuza, unconsciously taking some packet of chip and ripping it.

"How's everyone?" I asked instead, munching on the chips and the sharp BBQ flavour.

Ukyo didn't seem put off by the change of topic, he just laughed boisterously. "Fine, fine! Shimane got a whole load of problems in Shimon, Haku is out for Kokuyo, and Sen is dealing with kids who got hurt. Highschool and their yakuza fascination..." He end with a huff and along the lines of 'they should say something like senpai noticed me'.

I don't know what is Shimon except that common sense lead me to it being a town. Which is awful, why would Japan had a town with an English name? And Haku must be Hakuoh and Sen is Senri. How creative.

The tapping against the wooden floor brought me out of my musing, Ukyo gazing clearly at me with a hidden meaning in his blue eyes. Those expressive orbs were blanks and honestly, they were starting to be creepy.

Stop beating around the bush.

I gave a loud exhalation and slumped on the couch.

"I know this," I began slowly, sucking on my finger for the barbeque flavour. Nice. "I got two days and I had been thinking about it. I couldn't do much about it, and I just have to... go with it..."

The admittance was harder than I had expected. I had been acknowledging where I stood and to accept it, to admit it, is a sign that I gave up on the peaceful dream of done life.

The blond sighed deeply, expression schooled into frustration. "Goddamnit, that's so unfair for you. You're just a two years old kid. What the hell is wrong with her? If only I was more careful..." he released a huff angrily and muttered, "Dammit, there is still nothing I could do about it..."

I gazed at him, moving on to chew on vanilla biscuits at the information of my age. He noticed my inquisitive look and rubbed his neck.

"Okay, so we got the basic stuffs for you." He informed me with a face as blank as a paper. "You have AB blood. December will mark your three year living. You're a natural blond. Healthy and in good―nevermind. Your birth certificate doesn't involve Haku and Sen as your parents, it was a whimsical move for Hime actually, which caused us to cry blood because, wasted efforts bro." He rambled off with an uncertain look and turned the book in his hands around.

I soak in the information before throwing him a Coke. His hand unconsciously shot up to catch it and he opened the bottle with a pop

"Do you want to know more?" He asked, blue eyes wide and considering.

I sighed. There's no escaping this. Also Ukyo was starting to creep me out with that behavior. "While I don't know myself, I'll just start new. But I would like to know more of where I'll be diving to."

"The yakuza?" His voice rise slightly in panic before he composed himself with a shrug. "Oh well, it's normal to be curious. So our yakuza had been alive for two centuries. And Yamazaki Himeji is our kumicho. The big bad. The boss. We couldn't call her oyabun because she said 'it's for old fugly male'. Lol, then she controls the saiko-komon, yours truly! I'm not alone here but people just like to exaggerate that I'm the face of the entire saikō-komon. Bah! So we control our own turfs in different areas and we have our own underlings, including other underbosses, advisors, accountants and enforcers."

He continued his explanation with exaggerated flourish and dramatics.

"Then the second in the chain of command is the wakagashira―Shimane!―who governs several gangs in a region with the help of a fuku-honbucho who is responsible for several gangs. Haku is the shateigashira, the local boss who governs the regional gangs herself! Total bomb, total diggity! And Senri is the underground doctor, but Haku marked him her's, which in turn mark him to us, to the Momokyokai, so he got the post so-honbucho, like he was the chief of headquarters? Something like that."

He took a sip of his Coke and wiped his lips on his shoulder. Then blew his bangs away from his forehead.

"Our yakuza system is pretty different from others. No drugs, but there's prostitution, human trafficking, some shitty stuff. So I'm just a new timer to those bad business. Despite that, I had lot of knowledge but Anego―that's Himeji, you call the girls Ane-san―had plans for you." The fast and slightly panicked tone turned somber. "You got to be prepared. Do a hundred push-ups, a hundred squats, a hundred sit-ups, a 10km jog. Learn some fight moves. Don't place Soul Caliber like Shimane. Don't choose Darth Vader." He stressed out heavily like a drunken man, his pretty face pale and sickly with worry.

Heaviness cloaked over my heart at the mention of the kumicho visiting me but I nodded it off. "When?"

Ukyo looked at me with bright, bright blue eyes before his long eyelashes fluttered. He releases a puff of breathe resignedly. "I don't know. She just said about visiting. So be prepared. Do your kata." He shuffled over the groceries and took out the Martial Arts for Dummies, the cover showing some dude punching a man with some flair.

"This book says it all, take good care of it." He put it on the bookshelf and stood up slowly with the grace of a weakly old gramps. With a hum, he sway his upper body and popped some bones, moaning in bliss. Then he carried the groceries and gestured me in with a broad smile.

"C'mon, let's get this house fixed!" He declared and I jerked at the sudden change in behavior. The entire conversation we had about yakuza was disorientation. I know bits since it was kinda retro in Japan or whatever Previous believed, but the skipping of topics and how they just don't connect at all made my head spin.

I got up from the couch slowly with the plastic bag and followed him to the kitchen. During some time in arranging the vevegetables in the refrigerator, a qestion popped in my head.

"Hey, Ukyo?" I called for the blue-eyed teen and turned to see him.

Said blonde tilted his head in acknowledgement like a golden retriever, the chopping sound coming to a halt. He was preparing for lunch so early but I wasn't complaining when there's food.

"Who owns this house?"

The day couldn't get any better.

I blinked at Yamazaki who somehow intruded in the house and made herself some coffee in the kitchen before shrugging her presence off while getting myself some cereals.

It wasn't an easy task. I was intimidated by the kumicho who was wearing a sailor uniform and had punched me to unconscious.

Also the owner of the house

(Which gave me a terrible heart attack. Which Ukyo took delight in. Which leads to lunch. Which leads to some visits during the week I was imprisoned here.

Which also leads to the revelation that it won't be Hakuoh and Senri who gets to be my 'parents' or 'supervisor' but the bitch drinking coffee.)

I wasn't in the mood with talking with her because I hate to get into more troubles, I am scared of her, and I'm a pacifist at heart, thank you very much. Also, I just woke up so I need my cereals.

"How was your day now?" She asked me casually when I got the milk and bowl, watching for where I kept the rainbow cereals.

So she can act civilized? I thought to myself before replying blandly. "I got a whole week to be away from you."

A week where everything is finally settled, the house having a comfy feeling yet a Yamazaki Himeji danger touches to it because she's the fucking owner. A week where only Ukyo visited us, sometimes handling some ops with a Bluetooth headset and a laptop while keeping me company for Japanese lessons. A week full of peace only to be marred by the bitch sitting on the chair with a cup of coffee in hand.

You don't know how my day goes, no? Well, it was as normal as a depressed people could have. Shimane was busy. The one who called themselves as my 'parents' didn't come nor the nanny.

I wasn't petulant, okay? I was just... meh...

The kumicho waved her teaspoon at me, the droplets of coffee falling on the counter she was leaning on. "Well, that's my welcoming gift for you. A whole week of peace. So you deserved some presents. I'm here and you got a mission."

What the heck? I shuddered at her jokes(?) and frowned at her callous attitude, but wiped the expression off when I got the rainbow cereals and poured milk over on the bowl while mixing sugar in.

Yamazaki sent a look at me like she knows what I am feeling. "C'mon, speak up. You got brains now, unless you're a dumb blonde."

I sighed inwardly at being caught and the stereotyping. There's goes my undercover. If only she hadn't got Shimane and Ukyo, along with the couple, around her fingers, then I could just outright ignore her.

"I wouldn't want to go on a mission with you." I retorted, now putting in the rainbows and ignoring Yamazaki's sudden look of outrage at my actions rather than my words.

So what if I first put milk and later now cereals?

"I'm your Anego." She stated firmly, looking at me with a threatening look. I stopped in my ministration at the overwhelming aura she is releasing, feeling chocked up at the sheer intensity she is displaying. "Ya betta obey me, I'm doin' dis for yer own good."

I breathe in deeply before releasing it in one go, along with my fear. "How so?" I managed to voice out, but it was still quiet, fearful.

"I was workin' on tis case long ago, and I think ya need some field experience. Objective is ta find a whore, not just any whore, but a whore who crossed wit us long ago." She jerked her head back to drink all the coffee in a gulp.

I huffed angrily at the mission and her bullshit, eating my cereals. "You could ask someone, I just woke up." Also, I don't want to find some person, or a... whore.

"Sadly the world doesn't work that way, so prep'ed up and get your ass for some shit." She stood up and with inhuman speed, threw the cup on the sink, the whooshing of the air and the crashing sound sending me jumping in my seat.

Once registering what had happened, I breathe shakily, thinking if the throw was aimed for me or just some intimidation tactics. God, I was so scared for a moment. Angry that she dared break my property, I glared at her retreating form but she flipped the birds at me as a response.

Well, fuck you too.

I really don't like how the chapter went. It was... the tone is just off... I had to rewrite, rewrite, rewrite and read then rewrite because it doesn't seems right. Also I took some sips of Lipton tea because why not?

I hope I expressed Mahiro well. I mean, they went through the trauma of being reincarnated/transported in a two years old body with an androgynous face and a mentality of an eighteen years old kid. Then they got kicked by Yamazaki Himeji to unconsciousness in their first week.

So the off-tish writing was how Mahiro copes. They were disattached and withdrawn with life.

Also, can someone suggest me any drabble challenge so that I can limit my phrasing. I had read my previous chapters and was like, "wut is dis?" because I was all about fancy words that I didn't even focus on getting the point across.

QUESTION: If you were Mahiro, how will you take the situation?

Actually, I would brush it off when in fact my brain was full of everything and yet nothing and yet I felt heavy with devastation. That's how I deal with my life.

Constructive reviews are welcome! I love to hear your ideas and what you think of the chapter and some of the points in general!