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Underground Club of Sinful Pleasure

The music was loud and the strobing neon lights were headache-inducing. Nagisa absentmindedly tapped her foot to the beat of the thumping bass as she watched the patrons on the dance floor and the strippers on the poles. At least the second-floor VIP rooms were padded well. The vibrations were nice though. This was UNDERCITY, one of the many nightclubs in Kyoto owned by the Koryumiya. A hole in the wall where alcohol and drugs meet the half-naked men and women gyrating around.

She was slouched in a booth, minding her own business as she either stared up at the glitter-encrusted ceiling or the sea of bodies below her with a lit cigarette hanging from her lips. She usually smoked with a kiseru made of silver and polished cherrywood, but it was too nice to bring to this den of sin. Her two subordinates were somewhere in the club goofing off. A couple of empty bottles of sake and Suntory whiskey sat on the table emptied from Heft and Wire before they vanished. She didn't feel like drinking tonight.

Nagisa didn't move when someone opened the room door and slid into the bare spot next to her. The strong scent of fruity and flowery perfume assailed her nose. She finally rolled her head that was resting on the back of the booth to the left, seeing a scantily clad woman around the same age as her with brightly colored hair and eyes. She was staring at Nagisa with a pouty smile.

"That's a pretty interesting tattoo."

The lime-haired woman straightened up, taking a drag from the cig before tapping it on the side of the ashtray. All down her left arm were lotus flowers tangling themselves among the leaves and snake-like stems. It started on the side of her neck and trailed down to the back of her hand. The tattoo was just one of the few she had and the only one visible when wearing her suit. Pale white-pink petals peaked from under her collar and a full flower was in complete view on the back of her hand with some leaves. "Hasu" in her grandfather's surname means lotus and while she wasn't allowed to carry the name, she was given permission to have a lotus tattoo.

"Is this the only one?" the other woman asked in a sultry tone while she traced her fingers over Nagisa's hand. "You know, I always found the bad types to be my favorite. Man or woman. I would like to see how far these go."

Nagisa wasn't new to the world of pleasure and if this had been a different situation, she would have taken up the woman's offer. Yet she had other more important business to attend to. "I'm not interested."

"Aw don't be like that. Just a quick dip in the back rooms."

"There are plenty of other people here."

"All of which are under the influence of something. You haven't taken a drink or slipped pills under your tongue. You're far too coherent."

Nagisa turned her gaze away and snuffed the burning tip of her cigarette out in the tray. Her attention then went to a large bartender who was standing out of view of the desperate woman. He had a tray in one hand with a fresh bottle of sake and once Nagisa gave him a curt nod, he tapped the shoulder of the lady. She jumped and looked over with a rather annoyed expression.

"What do you want? I'm busy."

The bartender simply smiled with his slanted eyes closed. "I suggest you leave the young miss alone."

She scoffed. "Get lost."

The man opened his eyes, revealing black sclera and pupilless yellow eyes. The woman froze and her body went limp as his eyes glowed softly. Nagisa made sure to avoid his gaze, not wanting to fall under his hypnosis Quirk.

"It's time for you to leave."

The dancer's movements were slow when she nodded and sluggishly left the room. She zombie-walked away, stopping after a few feet with a shake of her head. She looked around confused, shrugged, and went to find another potential victim. The bartender apologized with his eyes closed as he placed the bottle of sake in front of Nagisa.

"She's one of the newer employees," he told her when he straightened his posture.

"It's fine."

"Is there anything else?"

Nagisa shook her head and the bartender left with a bow. She went back to watching the people on the dance floor through the tinted windows. Hiding in the shadows, she noticed a few other members of the Koryumiya having drinks and talking among themselves. A couple of them she recognized as followers of her father and they looked angry. She had a pretty good idea of what they were talking about. Another attempt to take her out most likely.

She was about to lose her shit when she heard the door open again but stopped herself when she realized who it was. The man looked as shady as they come, but that's how it was with the informants she'd dealt with. His eyes were hidden behind dark glasses and his hair was slicked back. He looked like any normal person you'd meet on the street. Once he sat down, she pushed the cup of sake toward him which he gladly took, downing it in one gulp. When he was finished, he slid a plain folder in front of her. She opened it with the first thing she saw was a picture of a familiar face.

"Hisaguchi Tachi. Currently working at a small pharmaceutical company. Not an official employee mind you. An under-the-table type of worker," the informant told her as he poured himself another cup. "His little ring finds runaway teens and unsupervised children to eventually drug them, making them more compliant for trafficking. Especially if their Quirks are any good. His Quirk is a simple heated touch so he has plenty of others to do the heavy lifting."

"He broke one of our rules because it pays better."

"Children and teenagers are quite gullible and in high demand in some places. The gutters are a fucking dirty place."

Nagisa closed the folder and crossed her arms. "Yes, but it's our job to make sure the worst of our business stays in the underground. Trafficking people may be what other Yakuza families do but not the Koryumiya. Don't want the Heroes with hard-ons for justice on our ass."

"People are greedy by nature. Do you know how much some are willing to pay for certain Quirks? The buyers don't care about the age of the individual."

"And the wonderful Hero Public Safety Commission sends out their agents to gather the kids under the guise of saving them from abusive homes if traffickers don't get to them. Only the ones with useful Quirks though. Anyone else is forever lost unless we catch the perpetrators ourselves."

"What a time we live in. And speaking of time, I believe we are done here."

The man stood, bowed his head, and left. Nagisa skimmed through the folder again before leaving with her briefcase and katana to find Heft and Wire. She headed down the stairs, scanning the club for her subordinates. The lankier man of the two usually hung around the bar if there weren't any women that piqued his interest. The bigger man liked to mingle. She spotted Wire first by himself at the counter talking with the pretty female bartender. He still looked coherent enough when she tapped his shoulder.

"Got what we needed?" He asked in a slightly slurred tone when he joined Nagisa in looking for his partner in the crowd.

"Yes."

"And who is it this time?"

"Hisaguchi Tachi."

Wire let out a scoff. "Really? Didn't know he had the balls to go against your grandfather."

"Money will drive people to do the most fucked up things."

"Isn't that the harsh truth?"

Nagisa stayed quiet as she used her Quirk to carefully move the people are her out of the way. They were either too busy dancing to the music or too drunk and high to even notice the faint push of wind. She found Heft near one of the stages, placing some yen notes in the g-string of an effeminate man. He looked to be enjoying himself especially when the dancer stroked under his chin before going back to the pole. Nagisa gave his shoulder a tap before he went too crazy.

For a quick second, he looked livid that someone interrupted him but once he saw Nagisa, he went docile. She gestured with her head it was time to leave and went back through the crowd to the exit. Once they were outside, Nagisa found the Toyota Century they arrived in waiting for them just out the door. The valet opened the door just for her and she slipped a wad of yen into his hand while Heft entered the driver's seat and Wire in the passenger.

Now it was just a short drive to the Yamashina Station for the three hour and forty-two minute ride on a private train to Fukuoka. Then another drive to the Kasuya District where Hisaguchi was staying.

"So what we got?" Heft asked as they stopped at a red light. "Anyone I can beat the shit out of?"

"An under-the-table employee of a pharmacy handing out drugs to teens and kids to kidnap and traffic them."

"I'm sure there will be plenty of peons for you to punch, Heft," Wire added while typing away on his phone.

"Good! I love punching assholes in the face!"

"Grandfather wants everyone eradicated and all evidence destroyed. The pharmacy will be dealt with by others. We're just going after Hisaguchi and whatever morons he has with him."

"And where is it where headed?" Wired questioned.

"Kasuya in Fukuoka."

Heft seemed rather happy about that since Fukuoka had great food. "I can have me some of their tonkatsu ramen when we're done!"

Nagisa went silent as Heft and Wire kept discussing what they planned on doing once they arrived in Fukuoka and finished the job. She stared out the window, watching the neon lights pass them by. What had she done in her previous life to end up with this one? She can't say it was all bad. But being born into an organized crime family wasn't an ideal way to start in life. Sure she has a nice roof over her head and never has to worry about money. Yet if she goes out in public, she's always looking over her shoulder.

What choice does she have? Even if she left this life behind, there would still be people that want her dead. Even if she was able to escape, she would never be safe. The Heroes wouldn't help her. The HPSC would send her to Tartarus and use her for information. Running to a different country wouldn't make a difference seeing how widespread her grandfather's influence was.

"Nagisa-san?"

Wire's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "What?"

"We're at the station."

How long had she been swimming in her mind to not notice they stopped? She nodded at her subordinates and exited the car. It was quiet. A few surrounding cafes and restaurants were still open, but she couldn't see anyone around. Save one person waiting for them at the station. He bowed when Nagisa stepped before him.

"The private shinkansen is ready for you."

Nagisa only nodded while Heft forked over the car keys. The three entered the station, bypassing the ticket booth, and headed straight for the train in waiting. No one was there to greet them as they boarded the single luxury car. Nagisa took a seat near the front while Heft and Wire sat further back. Once they were seated, the shinkansen departed.

It didn't take long for Nagisa to hear Wire's music faintly from his headphones and Heft's engine-like snoring. She stared out the window with the familiar ambiance, watching the night city zoom past. She always liked the dark hours with the sea of vibrant lights and night owls roaming to streets. It was also less likely someone would recognize her if she took a stroll. Her grandfather usually made her take jobs in the night for that very reason.

She opened up the briefcase and was met with the empty eyes of her blue hannya mask. Once she started taking on jobs, her grandmother gave her this mask. It may seem tacky or even cliché, but Nagisa had grown to like it. When there were meetings with people of a lesser standing, she would wear it. Her grandfather needed her Quirk to "hear" to see if they were being truthful or not by listening to their heartbeat and subtle changes in their voice. It had become a part of her identity. She started to be referred to as Aokijo, the Blue Demon, throughout the underground.

She traced her fingers over the blue lacquered wood. There were a few scratches here and them from when she first started taking jobs three years ago. There were also faint bloodstains. The first time she killed another living being, she had nightmares for weeks. It was also one of the very first times her grandmother had ever comforted her. It took about a year before she became numb to killing people. They had all been defectors so she had convinced herself what she was doing wasn't evil. The outcome would have been much worse if they had been left alive and continued doing work right under the noses of Heroes.

Heroes.

What are even Heroes anymore? They go after petty criminals and look good for the cameras while ignoring the real pieces of shit hiding in the gutters. Her grandfather had explained to her once that the HPSC made a sort of deal with the Koryumiya. They would be able to continue their operations as long as the worst of it was never allowed on the surface. Heroes leave them alone as long as the Yakuza keep the business to themselves. She's seen CEOs of big companies make contracts with her family. She's seen small-time Heroes be paid out to turn a blind eye.

The world was ripe with corruption and Nagisa was in the middle of it, watching it all unfold before her eyes. Honestly, she didn't care if CEOs, politicians, celebrities, or even Heroes fell to corruption. If they were easily influenced by the seductiveness of the underworld, then it really was their own fault for ending up in the gutters if they betrayed the Koryumiya. Her grandfather never sought out people. They always came to him.

She sighed. "What a fucked up world."

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