BRIAN

The morning came with the usual trill of my alarm.

These last few days have been… aggravating to say the least. The Hashimoto have such a strong, secure hold on this damn district that everybody is even afraid of speaking their name. And ever since the Yōkai showed themselves, things only escalated for the worse. To the point that the contract to eradicate these Yakuza bastards was the highest priority among all of which I've been sent.

I might as well have had a gun pointed at my head, from the sheer amount of choice that I had on which job I should have taken. And goddamnit, had I known I would have slept in that day, because that had been the most annoying contract of my life, no exceptions.

But at least, I finally had something to work with. Those guys that I… amicably interrogated the day before didn't know much in terms of people, but they all said the same thing.

If I wanted to know more about the Hashimoto's chain of command, there was only one place to go.

Tora no Sumika. The Tiger's Den. A seedy bar right here in Kanezaka, which apparently was used to funnel their illicit finances to the rest of the Clan. It was a hub for the Hashimoto, a place where more important members of the family would gather to discuss paychecks, basically.

I just had to channel my inner inconspicuous nature, infiltrate the place and listen. Some names were bound to be uttered, sooner or later. Patience was key.

Satisfied with my plan, I dressed up in my most generic clothes (most of them were, so no real issue there), grabbed my phone in case I had to make an escape through the Metaverse and prepared to leave.

I could not take a couple of steps outside the apartment that someone called for me.

"Brian! What a coincidence, out early as well?"

Kiriko waved at me from her front door. Staring straight through my soul. The elevator was in the opposite direction.

Meaning that she was actively looking at my own apartment to catch me that quick. My own door was still not completely closed.

She was waiting for me. My brows furrowed almost immediately, my paranoia started acting up. This series of events could mean many things, most of which definitely not good. I decided to play along anyway. Best case scenario it was just a coincidence. Worst case scenario, I'd rather have her close where I could see her, rather than behind me where she could easily stab me in the back.

"Good morning Kamori-san. Going for a jog?"

She had clothes clearly designed for a workout. Light jacket, white shirt that left the midriff exposed, white headphones around her neck and some… distractingly tight pants.

I shook my head immediately. Bad thoughts Brian, bad thoughts. I didn't feel like being killed, after all. Besides, I barely knew her! I felt like a creep for but a moment

Her smile stretched.

"Sure am! Gotta keep myself in shape if I want to be of some use around here! What about you, gonna have a look around? You can call me Kiriko, by the way. It's only fair, after last time".

I nod, while trying not to stare at anything except her face. Being sheltered can have its uses (not)… but more often than not, it makes communication more difficult than it had to. My social skills were not up to par, to say the least.

"I'm not going to stay for much longer, so I wanted to check the sights before leaving. It's a nice, quaint town. Except for… you know".

"Yeah. It's… a work in progress, let's just say".

We waved at Yoshida-san and Akari while we reached the elevator. After the door closed, Kiriko's face morphed suddenly.

"I want in".

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Whatever it is that you're doing with the Hashimoto. I want in".

Should have expected that, to be honest. It was the easiest and logical conclusion. The answer came just as easily.

"Sorry, no can't do. They know who you are, they're probably going to keep an eye on you at all times. You're gonna blow up my cover".

She looked offended at that. Like, way too much offended. I learned way later that it was because I had basically insulted her ninja training, which still makes me chuckle to this day to be honest.

"I know how to blend in, you know?! I'm not going to hold you back, and YOU need help. You can't bring down an entire criminal organization all on your own, especially one as big as this!"

That… was true as well. That wasn't my first contract regarding organized crime, far from it, but I always had people to help with at least the more combat oriented side of the deal. Doesn't really matter how strong I am if I get assaulted by hundreds of heavily armed men and women…

In the real world, of course.

I take in a deep breath.

"Fine. I'll let you help. But…!"

I stopped her before she could get a word in.

"We do things my way. Which means that today will be recon only. And if we want to do it together, you need to not stand out so much. So, first things first… headband, off".

I pointed at the article of clothing shaped like fox ears on top of her head. Reluctantly, she took it off, handing it to me since she didn't even have pockets on any of her current clothes. Damn, that must suck.

Tilting my head slightly, I decided to go a step beyond. Her green hair, while objectively beautiful, were also way too flashy, so I took them out of the ponytail and raised up her hood to cover them. My hands slightly brushed her face a couple of times, inevitably. She felt… warm.

I really wasn't used to touching, but somehow I managed to not make a fool of myself in the meantime. A miracle all in itself, honestly.

I took a slight step back to observe her. The markings underneath her eyes were still a bit visible, but if she kept her head down, they wouldn't be a problem. For the rest, she looked like a normal young woman ready for a workout.

I hoped that it would be enough while the elevator doors opened.

"Come on. The sooner we get started, the sooner we'll be out of the lion's jaws".

"You mean the tiger's jaw, right?"

That damn smug smirk appeared on her face once more. She looked so damn proud of her stupid pun.

I huffed. It was going to be a long, difficult day, I could just tell.

KIRIKO

It took me two damn days, but finally I managed to catch this slippery guy. He was even more of a ninja than Hanzo and Genji…

Not that it took too much effort in Genji's case. Sorry dude, but as teenagers you really sucked at training. Like a lot.

I followed closely behind Brian, who seemed to have a very distinct destination in mind. Wasting time just wasn't his thing, if that wasn't obvious enough.

Conversation between us was scarce and to the point. When I asked him where he had been yesterday he completely deflected too! It was a serious question as well, he had completely disappeared that day. There had been a couple of moments where I seriously considered having gone insane and just, imagined a dude who didn't exist.

Fortunately he popped back up in the evening, so I didn't have to call an asylum. Not that it mattered, I almost did it anyway when that Dojima asshole showed up out of the blue and started apologizing like his life depended on it. Speaking of which…

"You know what happened yesterday".

It wasn't a question. It was a statement. He knew, period.

"What do you mean?"

And then he started playing dumb. It's one of the things that I always hated the most about him, he could never just answer a question directly, even when he knew there was no point in pretending. You always had to force it out of his mouth.

"I mean, when that Yakuza son of a bitch came back to the apartment. You knew exactly what was going on, I saw that damn smirk of yours. What did you do?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets, his expression sharpening.

"Nothing you should concern yourself with".

"That's a whole lot of horse crap, excuse my french. I am very much involved at the moment, so you might as well…"

"Shush. We're here".

I look up and my eyes widen a bit.

Tora no Sumika. Why didn't I think about that?! I was too focused on getting answers to pay attention to where we were going, much to my dismay.

"You want to go in there?!"

"Yes. That would be the plan. Having second thoughts?"

He shot me a shit eating grin.

"No… but wouldn't it be dangerous? You don't really look tough enough to just… waltz in like nothing".

"Keep your head down and follow me. If everything goes according to plan, they won't even know we were here".

I detected a small hint of irritation, which made me smirk a bit. Poor guy was (still is) a bit on the short side, barely taller than me I'm fact.

But still, he grasped my arm and dragged me to the bar, where a small crowd of people were entering. He seamlessly entered the fray and in an instant, we were blended in, much to my genuine shock. I had noted how he seemed to be good at disappearing in a crowd, but that was actually next level.

We found a table on the far side, got seated and the agonizing wait started. We had to stay mostly silent, trying to both observe and listen to as many conversations as we could. At least we had beers to go along with it. Not the greatest beers ever, but serviceable enough.

Brian would occasionally check his phone, frowning.

One hour passed. Then two. By the dawn of the third hour, I was thoroughly bored out of my skull.

"Say, Brian…"

"Hm?"

"Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself? If we're going to be here for much longer, we might as well get to know each other a bit better".

"Ah. Well… there isn't much to say about me…"

Huh. I didn't believe him, not even a teensy tiny little bit. This guy had the words "secrets" and "mysterious" floating above his head. And I'm not going to brag, but my instincts are never wrong. Except when they are. But that's another story.

I decided to not push too much. But at least the barest of bare information, anything to make the time pass faster before I died of boredom.

"Where are you from, for starters? Your japanese is top notch, but it's fairly obvious that you were born somewhere else. Any family? Still studying or do you have a job? Come on dude, give me something!"

He chuckled.

"Fine, fine. You are right, I'm not from Japan. I was born in America, Seattle to be precise. Spent all my childhood there, then when I turned eighteen I moved to Numbani with my little brother. I do have a job of some sorts. I'm a freelancer, people come to me with various problems and I solve them".

So… a mercenary of some sorts. Not that it mattered, in my eyes he was already a good person, his "job" didn't do much to change my opinion. Everyone has to do what they can to survive, after all. I wasn't going to judge too harshly, especially if making the world a better place was a direct consequence of his actions.

It wasn't always like that, as I would end up learning later down the line.

"As for family… that's a bit of a sore spot".

His face fell.

"You don't have to tell me…"

"It's fine. What I can say is, as you heard before, I had a younger brother. His name was Tim. An excitable tyke, hyperactive as all hell, but he was smart. Smart enough to skip entire school grades. He finished high school when he was only ten years old. He was so full of life…"

Was. Had.

All in the past. I didn't want to ask…

But he must have seen the look on my face.

"He's not with us anymore. Things… happened a couple of years ago. I miss him, but I prefer to remember him with a smile…"

He did smile. But it wasn't a happy smile. Not by a long shot.

I was about to answer, when a group of four people at the table over to our right took both of our attention. The way his gaze sharpened was enough telling.

The wait was over.

BRIAN

I signaled to Kiriko to keep her head down. That was our queue, I just knew it.

"So, how do we want to split this time?"

"Let's go in order. Kobayashi-san, you first". Male, professional and to the point. Likely the head honcho of the group.

"Yes sir. The protection money keeps on rolling in with no problems. We had a small restaurant that refused to pay. They have been properly… motivated". Female, robotic for the most part but with an underlying sense of sadism.

I saw Kiriko's face scrunch up in anger. I gave a light tap with my feet under the table with a small glare, silently ordering her to keep her cool.

"Excellent. What about you, Ōkusa-san?"

"Nothing to report. The police are still keeping their heads down. At this point, they know better than to challenge us". Male, cocky and relaxed, relatively young too, but agitated. Almost as if… disappointed that everything is going so smoothly?

I could almost hear her blood pressure rising.

"Very well. Any news from your front, Norumi-san?"

"The Yōkai are still escaping our grasps. For the most part. BUT I have reasons to believe that one of them has been taken by the Hanamura's police forces for vandalism. I'm going to head here right after this meeting! Ooooohhhh, what fun we will have!" Female, energetic and likely excited at the prospect of… interrogating this Yōkai member.

Her nails scraped against the table, barely hanging by a thread. I silently pleaded with my eyes to not do anything stupid.

"Anything new from Shimada Hanzo, Joichiro-san?"

"Our men are trailing him all around the world as we speak. The second his guard goes down, he will cease being a prob…"

"YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!"

Kiriko flipped the table we were seated on, glaring at the group with sheer and utter hatred in her eyes.

In hindsight, I should have known that it couldn't end well. I should have pushed her away more vehemently instead of caving in at the first sign of logical thought.

I cursed both her and myself as I grasped her wrist and started dragging her away, running as fast as I could.

"DAMN IT, IT'S THAT FOX GIRL BITCH! SHINDO, BLOCK THEM, HURRY!"

"YEAH YEAH, I KNOW!"

The chase didn't last for too long, both Kiriko and I were too fast for this "Shindo" to catch us. I didn't even have to use the Metaverse Nav, just hiding in an alley after losing line of sight was more than enough.

We both remained hidden for a good ten minutes, just to make sure that nobody was gonna come around and check, before we were allowed to relax.

Or at least, I did for a second. Kiriko was still on the warpath.

"Those fucking assholes! Protection money?! Corrupting the police?! Capturing one of us?! Keeping an eye to kill one of my friends?! I'm gonna kick their teeth in, every last one of…!"

I punched her upside the head. Hard.

She was a fucking Yōkai. That's why she was so keen in being involved. A part of me probably knew already, but didn't connect the dots.

But that wasn't the only reason why I was angry.

"Shut the fuck up you idiot! Do you have any idea what you just did?! You completely blown our cover! They know who we are, where do you think they're going to wait for us?!"

Her eyes widened.

"Oh… oh no… nonononono NO!"

She jumped back on her feet, ready to bolt towards our flat, but I stopped her.

"Are you mad?! Do you want to get killed?!"

"B-But, Yoshida-san and Akari are in danger! They're going to…!"

"They're going to be fine, for now. The Hashimoto want to bait us to come back. They can't do that if they kill them. Most likely, they're being kept hostage".

"That doesn't help Brian!"

"Can you let me finish you braindead imbecile?! They're probably being kept hostage, and I know how to save them! But you have to trust me with this, all right?!"

"I… I…!"

There is a reason why I always hated the hero types. Emotional outbursts were the norm, the second something doesn't go their way they immediately panic. Little to no mental or moral flexibility. Shades of gray? Never heard of them.

In Kiriko's specific case, I know better now, but at the time my irritation was at an all time high.

With good reasons, mind you, but the two of us back then just couldn't see each other's perspective. Friction was inevitable.

"I… all right. Fine, I screwed up more than enough for today…"

Fortunately, I had gained enough of her trust. I have no idea how things would have turned out otherwise.

I fished out her headband and the elastic she used to keep her hair up, and while she fixed herself I checked the Nav on my phone.

All right, the guy that chased us was named Shindo. There were only two males at that meeting, and that Joichiro dude was the one to issue the order to catch us. Meaning that there was only one option…

I inserted the data and grasped Kiriko's shoulder at the same time.

Shindo Ōkusa. Overworld. Target identified, beginning navigation.

Her head started spinning everywhere while the world changed. I couldn't help but smirk. That expression never gets old…

KIRIKO

I had never been more confused in my entire life.

All around Brian and I, the entire scenery changed. The car disappeared, the people became mere silhouettes, the sky turned red and the building started to crack.

And he just strolled on through like it was the most normal thing in the world.

I hurried up and caught up to him, a million questions buzzing in my head.

"What happened?! Where are we?!"

"We switched worlds. This is the Metaverse".

"Metaverse?! What the hell is it?! How did we get here?! Do you even know how to go back?!"

Brian's right eye twitched. The questions were irritating him, obviously. My fuck up back at the bar probably didn't help his very low opinion of me. But I didn't give a single shit. I think I could be excused for my confusion, to say the least.

I had more, but he stopped me.

"Enough with the questions! Now is not the time, I can explain later. Moving on to the important bits. Do you remember that… glowing piece of paper that you used to save Yoshida-san the other day?"

"My Healing Ofuda? What about them?"

"Do you have more of them on you right now?"

"Yes, I do. Why?"

"Keep them ready. You won't be able to fight in this world, so you will have to stay behind and heal. Understood?"

"What?! I can fight! You saw it! Why would I…!"

"Because the Metaverse functions differently than the normal world. No amount of heavy weaponry is gonna do much if you don't have a Persona, which means that you'll have to be in the backline".

My questions, naturally, only huddled up. Persona? What the hell is a Persona?! Why would it matter?! His sharp blue eyes, though, pinned me to the spot, leaving me unable to refuse.

I already made a very terrible mistake earlier that day, I couldn't afford to make more. Which meant that I had to put my trust into this guy that I knew for barely two days. It sounds like madness when said this way, but I had no alternative. Plus… I couldn't help but feel like I should trust Brian. That he wouldn't stir me wrong.

I was already starting to see him as a leader. Maybe because of my inexperience with the Metaverse at the start, so I had to defer to his expertise, but I can't deny that a feeling of… respect, was starting to grow.

Mutual respect, as I discovered in the future.

When we reached our flat… it was gone. In its place, a hole on the ground, where one the four Hashimoto members from the bar was standing. Shindo Ōkusa, was his name.

"Don't panic. The flat is still intact in the real world. This is merely a Metaverse thing".

He assured me with a gentle voice and I nodded, seeing no reason to not believe him.

Yoshida-san… Akari… I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life back then.

And I was determined to fix it, no matter what.

Hello?! Is this thing on?! It is?! Noice.

Welcome back, dudes and gentleladies to a new chapter of UTFW (I should really start making smaller titles…), the show that fuses the Overwatch story and characters with some nice, Persona 5 alternate reality bs.

Why? Well, why the hell not, I say. It won't be the dumbest thing I ever wrote, that's for damn sure.

Communication of service, updates are fixed to every two weeks on Saturday. This allows me to cycle through all four of my stories, hopefully without risking to burn myself out this time around.

That's all folks! Ta-ta for now…