Summer was on it's dying breaths as autumn neared, the weather got colder and you could feel the days being shorter. As fun as it was, it eventually had to end didn't it? As a new school year started, excitement flowed among students like a breeze, easily pulling everyone into another year of bettering themselves, learning and improving. Even Keanu wasn't feeling so grim about this new start that he was getting. He walked to school from the city, his bags of clothes, drugs and various ashtrays, pipes,porn magazines and snacks both hanging from his shoulders, strewn across his back. He was working up a bit of a sweat walking towards the school.
(God fucking damn, why do I have this many clothes? Maybe I just got lazier. I don't remember it bein' this heavy first time around.) He thought to himself. He neared the entrance to the school's courtyard. Memories of...well a few days ago sprung back up. He remembered the dorms, the gym, the courtyard, and the many, many times he either threw up in it or pissed behind a tree. He strolled through the courtyard towards the dorms. It was full of students walking, meeting and socializing. He walked inside the boys dorm building and into his room. It was completely clean, just like he left it. After all, it wouldn't have been convenient for the school staff to walk inside during the summer and see evidence of all the atrocities committed inside. He was unpacking with his door open, when he heard a knock and a voice from behind him.
-"Excuse me, I think this is my room?" A voice spoke from behind him. Keanu turned his head. Standing in the doorway was a dall sheep, carrying a travel bag over his shoulder.
-"I think otherwise." Keanu replied and kept unpacking his things. The student walked inside the room. Keanu turned his head again.
-"Well I paid for a room like this, and a roommate wasn't included in that deal." The sheep spoke.
-"Yeah, me too. That's why there's a queen size bed here that's been covered in every fluid imaginable the last two years." Keanu sarcastically responded. The sheep smirked.
-"You? With that whole dealer look?" He provoked. Keanu looked at him, dropping his clothes from his hands onto the bed.
-"Yeah, me, with that whole dealer look. That's funny to you, boy?" Keanu spoke sharply.
-"Ooooh. Feisty, aren't we? God you carnivores are all the same." The dall sheep rolled his eyes, walking out of the room. "Can you at least tell me where another room like this is located?"
-"Last door down the hall, but that's Louis' room. I doubt he's in the market for a roommate." Keanu directed.
-"Oh we'll see. Bye Wolfe, it was nice meeting you." The sheep waved goodbye, walking away. Keanu groaned.
-"Swear they get worse, year after year." He mumbled. Eventually he unpacked all his things, got dressed in uniform and walked back out into the courtyard. He was walking towards the gym to talk to Aoba, when he noticed a peculiar sight behind the building. He glanced and saw a luxury car parked behind it. But standing outside of the car were lions dressed in suits. Weren't any lions either, oh no. These? These were Shishigumi boys. Keanu's eyes widened, and he walked faster towards the building. He eventually got inside and he started looking for Aoba. The entire drama club was standing in shock, looking at the back exit door. Keanu walked up behind Aoba and tapped him on the arm. Aoba turned and saw Keanu. Keanu motioned with his head for them to go over to the locker room. Aoba nodded, and they both walked over to the locker room.
-"What'd you need me for?" Keanu asked.
-"Turns out school staff's gonna be harsher this year. I wanna let you know you should be careful when dealing this year. There could be dorm searches, and they even hired some security to patrol the school grounds. I'm just saying, you should watch your back." Aoba explained.
-"No shit? Thanks for telling me." Keanu thanked him. "Say, did you see Legoshi around?"
-"Yeah you just missed him, he left for class a minute ago." Aoba answered. Class? Oh fuck, right,class. Keanu completely forgot about the whole reason he's even in school.
Keanu nodded and walked out of the locker rooms. He made his way towards his own respective class, which he was almost late to. It was first period math, hooray. Keanu sat and scrolled through social media on his phone, not paying attention at all to the class. Suddenly he felt a smack to the back of his head. He angrily turned to the right.
-"Pay attention dumb ass, this shit's important." Durham whispered and laughed quietly. Keanu's face turned from anger to a wide-eyed and wide mouthed smile. He cackled silently and hugged Durham, slapping him on the back.
-"My boy! I ain't know we had the same class together!" Keanu whispered back excitedly.
-"I know right? At least this time I'm gonna fail with someone by me." Durham chuckled.
-"Damn right. You still with them boys in 701. Legoshi and them?" Keanu asked.
-"Yeah, come over sometime, we rarely get company." Durham invited.
-"Probably will, yeah. Give me some time though I gotta adjust to the whole being back in school thing." Keanu explained. Durham nodded.
Araki was going through some paperwork on his desk. Their profits were slowly but steadily still growing. Can't sell as much guns as when there's a war going on, but still, there was some demand. He smoked his cigar and ran through the numbers, making sure everything was adding up. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door.
-"Come in." Araki called out. Yaki walked inside, bowing slightly before Araki.
-"Morning boss. How you feel?" Yaki asked. Araki chuckled.
-"You'd think it'd be easier to crunch all these numbers when you know you're getting money, but it's just as headache inducing as ever." Araki responded, blowing smoke from his cigar.
-"You think we should get an accountant?" Yaki asked.
-"You know anyone who we can trust with our money?" Araki asked, raising an eyebrow.
-"Fair point boss..." Yaki said, lowering his head a bit. "Anyways uhh... I wanted to ask. Since the day of depravity's coming up in some time, maybe we could strike up a deal with some of the gangs?" Yaki asked.
-"You think we won't win the people's favor?" Araki questioned.
-"N-no boss! That's not it! I just think that... Well... The Shishigumi's weak ever since they've been hit, right? We could easily wipe them out but, we don't want to start a full on gang war with the Inarigumi and Dokugumi. Hell even the Madaragumi might step in if those two combine forces." Yaki explained, fumbling on his words a bit.
-"Your point being?" Araki asked, getting a bit agitated now.
-"You're aware they have a new boss right?" Yaki asked back.
-"I've heard." Araki replied "It's a good thing that the old one's in the ground. That unruly bastard was playing real dangerous with the broad day kidnappings."
-"Well, turns out this new boss is looking to make some changes in the black market. He uhh... He wants to negotiate with us." Yaki told him. Araki laughed, putting out his cigar.
-"Really? He's boss for what, a month, and he already wants to talk to the big boys?" Araki chuckled.
-"Maybe it could be a good thing... You know yourself that the black market's flawed, no matter how much we improve it. Maybe he could help us gain a bit more public opinion." Yaki pondered.
-"He's gonna want something in return, Yaki. And our most valuable asset is firearms. And I don't really feel like selling arms to our competition." Araki firmly stated.
-"Right... Right..." Yaki quietly spoke, looking down at his feet nervously.
-"Although, I can't say I'm not intrigued. We'll arrange this meeting eventually. Right now, I need you to go check on our laundering businesses. Take Johnny with you, he hasn't been out in a while, we don't want him getting sloppy." Araki commanded. Yaki nodded and bowed again, leaving the room.
Araki got up from his chair and walked onto his balcony, overlooking the black market. The sounds of music and chatter making him crack a bit of a smile.