Chapter 13: Moribund Wishes

Tsukauchi was still trying to keep his head from spinning; his ears and sight were all a blur from the explosion.

The entire building erupted into flames and several booms came from the house as it blew apart into smithereens.

It was only thanks to Mtn. Lady's quick covering of her arms that she protected the crowd of officers and bystanders from the flying debris. Without her aid, they would've been injured or worse.

He looked up to see the giantess tending to herself; she was busy picking out the various wooden splinters from her forearms and her chest with a wince.

A firetruck and an ambulance were already on the scene; firefighters dousing the flames of the two-story estate with a hose; several paramedics searching and checking the wounded for any injuries.

The Shinjuku Suburbs was lit up with a combination of red and blue lights, as well as the natural, yet dying flame of the burning estate.

There were bits and pieces of the home scattered across the road, street, and sidewalks. It was too humongous for a singular explosive. It must've had dozens or more planted.

The Detective shook himself out of his stupor and paid attention to the feline next to him.

"Sansa…" Tsuakuchi asked with a pained groan. "Status report; how is everyone?"

The feline's fur was covered in soot as he coughed. "Only fourteen casualties from the explosion, sir."

"Ours?"

"Yes. No civilians were harmed, but our officers, and the SWAT, were mostly hurt by the shockwave. Some sustained injuries from the flying debris, but thanks to Mtn. Lady, it's not too critical." His friend showed a brief face of a grimace as he spoke again. "Though, Kamui Woods has suffered great injuries and requires an airlift to the nearest hospital. It's unfortunate that he was the first to get caught up in the blast."

Tsukauchi rubbed his face and sighed heavily. "Can't believe we were too careless with this…" He got off his ass and stood up, stumbling halfway before steadying himself into a proper standing posture. "Any word from Hayakawa?"

"No, sir. In fact, I don't think she's here. None of the officers saw her at the scene. Perhaps she's not feeling too well?"

Tsukauchi shook his head. "It's unlike her to not be here." He sighed once more before pulling out his notebook. "Whatever. Let's just deal with that later. Right now, I need a forensic team here, stat."

He knew that this was going to be a long night filled with headaches and coffee.

In fact, he needed a lot of it to ensure he can get through this without falling over.

"What the fuck do ya mean ya assholes ain't comin?!" Kazuma asked with a rude tone. "Ya guys better come an' help out! We're all workin' towards—"

A louder, annoying, and equally rude voice yelled back into his ear on the phone. "We don't give two fucks, you hear me!? Like I said before and many damn times earlier, the boss is busy now! Too busy to deal with whatever you gaggle of idiots are planning. Leave us out of it!" The call hung up and Kazuma growled.

"God damn it!" He threw the burner flip-phone onto the fine carpet in anger. "Fuckin' Shie Hassakai dogs." He begrudgingly sat onto a couch and crossed his arms, heaving heavy breaths in anger.

They were all currently at the old Geezer's estate waiting for the rest of the other family heads to come and watch this supposed show of dominance that Akiyama's been cooking up.

More like him pulling his wrinkly old dick an' balls out, flopping 'em onto that fancy marble table he has – just to show off that his plan went perfectly.

"They tell you to fuck off too, huh?" Big Sis said, bringing him out of his thoughts. She was sitting on a comfy leather couch in Akiyama's lounge room, complete with a bar and home theater. She was busy adjusting her boxing tape on her knuckles and hands.

"Yeah, and this time it was that short-tempered asshole, Irinaka. Tall fuck's gotten really comfortable being the new general manager of the Hassakai family now." He scoffed and lit another cigarette. "The one damn time we got the entirety of the Yakuza coming together for this plan of Akiyama's an' they're the only ones not botherin' to show up."

"It's not like we really need them in attendance; this ain't some mandatory meeting, Kaz." She let out a soft and deep chuckle. "Don't you remember that this new boss of theirs is a newer-gen type of Yakuza?"

"And you aren't, muscles?" Kazuma scoffed. "You were probably still shittin' diapers when me, the old Geezer, and Shie-Hassaikai's old boss were runnin' 'round in our prime."

Big Sis let out a smug chuckle. "What can I say~? I must be an old soul." She relaxed into the couch and placed her hands behind her head.

"I ain't even gonna argue with ya, right now." Kazuma massaged his temples. "Look, I'm just a bit skeptical on the whole thing."

Big Sis rolled her eyes and yawned. "Still on about that? If Asuka heard you moaning and whining about—"

Kazuma slammed his fist into the wall at her words with a snarl. "I. Ain't. Scared."

"Sure, ya aren't~!" Big Sis snorted, obviously not afraid of his attempt at intimidation.

"Go fuck yourself, muscles." He said with a glare.

"Heh, fuck me yourself, old man." She retorted with a smug, carefree grin.

Kazuma threw his hands up in the air in frustration. If it wasn't Asuka's bratty attitude that he had to deal with 24/7, then it was always the other gorilla in the room. Big Sis knew what buttons to press, and he often thought of wanting to slice her in two right then and there.

But… the old Geezer wouldn't want that. No point in fighting amongst one another if they had much better enemies to fight: The Heroes and the villains. Once this plan of his works, they'd be back on the radar.

It didn't' ease Kazuma's nerves one bit to have a sleeping monster in the Estate at all. He was never one to tangle with Quirks. He avoided any direct confrontation with them.

They were unfair, cowardly, and not honorable in the least. He hated the fact that they existed, and that they provided an unfair advantage to their enemies.

Kazuma took several deep breaths in.

In and out. Zen mode activate…

Peace and tranquility. Just like those online videos said to do if he ever lost his temper again.

"Ya know, a fight's always a good way to release tension—"

"Shut the fuck up, muscles. I ain't dealin' with your shit right now."

He continued his anger-management exercises for the next five minutes, though every few seconds, Big Sis snuck in some stupid ass remark.

Kazuma hated this generation.

They had no respect for their elders and sometimes pervaded the legacy of their code. Asuka pissed him off due to her child-like attitude. If it wasn't for the fact that they all needed someone really knowledgeable on technology, hacking, and all that other geek shit, he'd have kicked her to the curb a long time ago.

Fuckin' brat. I brought ya into this fold and suddenly yer thinkin' ya could flop yer pussy onto the table and act superior.

Kazuma grumbled at how easily Asuka got drunk with the power that the Geezer had given her. At first, she was shy, adorable in her own way, and seemed to be the quiet type. Always wore over-sized hoodies to cover her face and some jogging shoes, but now she's wearin' top brand sports-clothing and other snazzy shit that makes her stand out. He'd never seen a complete metamorphosis before, but with Asuka, it was damn clear she was going the opposite route.

He still remembered pulling her aside at some convenience store where he'd caught her hackin' into the atm outside. She'd made a lot of money by swiping people's credit card information with just the tap of her tablet. When he questioned her on why she needed so much, she just said it was for funding to buy new games and gacha-rolls. Something whaling or another she called it back then.

When he invited her into the fold, everyone was skeptical. Nobody could respect some kid, let alone a hikikomori who no doubt stayed inside all damn day. She was pale as a vampire when he first met her. But, soon that shy attitude of hers diminished and something more awful bloomed in its place.

Ever since she caught the attention of Akiyama, she began her descent into becoming a rude, bratty, and selfish Yakuza. Didn't help one bit that the Geezer's been putting her on his payroll with how useful she's been with the gadgets, blackmailing, and hacking of surveillance footage to keep the fuzz off their backs. And now she's somehow in the inner circle as one of his most trusted lieutenants.

His eyes slowly shifted over to the walking mass of muscle that pervaded the very air with her stinking shit.

He couldn't do much to Big Sis; he knew that she was the stronger one. Her speed, strength, and quick-thinking will undoubtedly come out on top when compared to him. Kazuma was getting old – too old, even. Every fuckin' night, he'd wake up five times in a row just to take a piss; every damn morning, he'd have to deal with his back and hip aching with sharp pains; every afternoon, he'd get unusually tired.

It pained him to admit that he couldn't wield his blade as properly when he was twenty-years younger. Every swing and slice almost put him out of breath.

Getting old dulled the Golden Blade, and everybody damn well knew it. They just didn't wanna admit it to his face. Only Asuka and Big Sis so far had the fuckin' balls to say it.

Back in my day, a single punch would've sorted out punks and bitches like you, Big Sis.

Kazuma shook his head as Big Sis caught him staring. The wild-maned woman playfully winked and flipped him off as she sat back in the chair, crossing her legs and closing her eyes to relax.

She was also brought into the fold at the same time as Asuka was. Big Sis, or as he knew her, Reina Mishima.

He was scouting for new recruits in Osaka when he was told about a certain underground arena beneath the city. Nobody but him knew of her actual name because she used to parade her first name around in the Underground Masquerade.

The White-Flame Reina, she used to be called.

Kazuma snickered at the old image of her. So scrawny, lean, and yet weaker at the time. She had a voracious appetite for blood and fighting. Something she became well known for in that bloodbath of an arena that she'd later emulate and bring to Musutafu.

"Oi, take a picture, old man. I hear it lasts longer." She said with a snicker as she gave him another stupid wink and a rude gesture with her elbow and other arm.

He groaned and stood up, leaving the comfortable confines of the leather chair to pour himself some Izanami-Kami whiskey at the bar-counter. His eyes found its familiar logo and sleek bottle design amidst the other spirits and mixers.

Still can't get behind this idea, though. Ain't one to mess with quirks and never have; they were never our poison. Should've stuck with killin' the broad in my opinion.

He took a quick whiff of the enticing aroma of the malt whiskey. Green apple with some white wine dashed in; green apple soon collaborated with watermelon candies to create a mixture of a sweet scent.

Kazuma took a nice sip and swished it around in his mouth, enjoying his moment of respite of tasting the whiskey. It was tart as it mellowed out to the green-apple flavor with the signature strong maltiness. The finish wasn't anything special, but he loved it most especially – fruity and drying at a nice medium length.

It's been a day since they caught Makima and Asuka's been druggin' her up with more of those wacky tranquilizers they give to the psychos that go to the Tartarus prison or from those I-Island virgins. Either way, it was a lot.

Enough to kill an elephant several times over… And yet she's still somehow kickin'. That ain't right.

He shook his head at how meticulous the old Geezer wanted this plan to go.

Old man wanted to show-off his prize to the other families while bringin' 'em together. It was something of a unifier as they all witnessed Makima's eventual cooperation to aid their rise to power once more.

He took another swig and tried to shake the unsettling feeling in his body.

"Hmm…." Her boss, the old man, circled the bound Makima like a hawk. He occasionally poked and prodded at Makima's body with his cane. "How long did you say those tranquilizers will last? She's been asleep for almost the whole day now."

"About twelve hours, give or take. These are experimental drugs, y'know. I don't know the deets, but this dosage is an absurd amount. We've stolen these off those I-Island nerds and they're obviously meant for animals. Big ones. Not humans. Besides, you wanted her kept asleep until we got everyone in attendance for this." Asuka said casually, not at all looking at Akiyama as she typed away at her keyboard.

Asuka was currently debating with some idiot on Webbit about why she was right, and they were wrong. Why couldn't this loser see how much karma she had? Don't they know who they're dealing with?!

She typed away furiously, adding in factual evidence from online databases and peer-reviewed articles that she personally researched on why rodents are more inclined to get quirks than any other animal on this planet.

Asuka's face hardened into a glare as the idiot she's been arguing with just replied with dog-water retorts.

The nerve of them!

She was about to bring in the fat meat of her argument, certifying her victory until…

"Asuka!" Akiyama's cane slammed onto the ground, shaking her out of one of many hobbies that she had. "Focus!"

"R-right! Sorry, pops. Just young people stuff." She closed her laptop and hopped off the beanbag she brought to the interrogation room – it just being Akiyama's study.

It was ridiculously spacious. There were a variety of bookshelves filled to the brim with stuff from the old tortoise's prime and some even beyond that. He was a collector, she figured. A wealthy, dangerous one at that.

The deep red rug she was on smelled of carpet fresher; her nose scrunched up at the smell of linen. It was odd to have that in a study room if she was being honest. She much preferred lavender, but to each their own, she supposed.

Akiyama had Makima's unconscious body placed in the center of the room facing his redwood work desk. He used his cane for support to walk over to it and sit down in a fanciful brown leather chair.

"Give me the report on what you've seen. You said you had your drones capture some footage?" He continued when Asuka nodded. "Show it to me."

Asuka threw out a small, circular gadget made of metal onto Akiyama's desk. It opened up slowly like a claw unfurling itself, and a holographic video displayed in front of the old man's face – the blue light reflecting off his glasses as he watched.

"Hm… interesting." He glanced down at Makima with a dangerous glean in his eyes. "Giran never told us that she had a second quirk." He turned his attention to the young girl. "What's the meaning of this?" He pointed at the crystal-clear image of Makima pointing her finger at Mirko in their fight.

Asuka shrugged. "I really wish I had an answer to that. Best I can come up with is that she's a rare case like Endeavour's son."

Akiyama hummed and nodded. "I see. This is valuable information. I doubt anybody besides us have any knowledge that our captive here is a really special case."

"That she is, pops. If that League of Villains had their way, they'd have a top contender for a member."

The old man barked out a dry laugh, shaking his head and circling the unconscious woman while he spoke. "The League of Villains." He grunted with disapproval of that title. "They're just children who think they know what they're doing. They bemoan, whine, and complain about how society has dealt them an unfair hand. They're not some isolated case. We've all been pushed around by this world, but we didn't go and harass the entire public because of it. Remember this well, Asuka: We have standards."

Asuka rolled her eyes. She knew a lecture was coming and she had to mentally prepare herself with understanding nods, a few 'yeah' answers, and a firm visibility that she was paying attention.

"We're a chivalrous sort, and I really wish that your fellow youth Big Sis would see that."

Asuka wilted just a bit at the mentioning of her over-protective senior. She loved Big Sis' loving attitude to her. It's as if the macho-built woman saw Asuka as one of her own, and she had to admit… it was a good feeling.

She still remembered when the two first met as they were recruited by Kazuma. She was a lot leaner then – still in the early process of her body-building journey, and once they locked eyes, Big Sis took Asuka under her wing.

No words were said, but she had a protective aura around her. It was comforting, in a weird way.

From then on, anybody that messed with Asuka had to mess with Big Sis. Nobody dared to lay a finger on her ever since.

Asuka sighed, knowing that her senior's more violent habits were frowned upon by the old man. And, in a way, Asuka did too.

She hated the idea of being in a physical altercation and… well, dishing it out. Her physical strength was comparable to a six-year-old, and God forbid if she got into a fistfight with anyone because they'd most likely come out on top.

Big Sis often tried to encourage her to train and build muscle, but Asuka always told her no.

Most of those training sessions involved using human bodies, who were still alive, as punching bags. She still shivered at the thought of the time she was dragged to Big Sis' fighting arenas underneath the metro station of Tatooin.

The stench of blood, piss, and shit permeated the whole arena.

And gods… the screams of desperate clients in debt, forced to fight for their loans to be forgiven. Asuka shook that horrible memory out of her head. She liked Big Sis, she really does. But she had to admit that her senior was more than mentally unstable when it came to fighting.

The Yakuza, to her, were more vicious than villains because they were able to enact all that cruelty without quirks. Everyone had their limits, and the Yakuza specialized in exploiting it through blackmail, extortion, and protection rings. They were bonafide masters in their craft until the eruption of heroes and villains came along.

Asuka got really lucky on being recommended by Kazuma. As much as she despised that man, she had to give him props for seeing actual talent. She's been the main one carrying the Yakuza due to her specialization in modern tech. Without her, they'd have their entire operations already ransacked and dealt with.

She shook her head out of memory lane and her eyes trailed to Makima's sleeping body.

So many think of you as the next coming of the boogeyman, but I don't. You're just some lucky bitch that won the lottery with those unfair quirks. And now look at you: tied up by the best restraints money and research can buy and surrounded in an almost unescapable estate filled with the meanest, strongest Yakuza Musutafu had to offer.

She huffed at the sight of Makima's blissful smile in her sleep. The nerve of the bitch to be dreaming soundly in this kind of situation!

She was so close to wanting to ruin that smile with a high-voltage shock via the metal bindings on Makima's wrists. They were intricate things she modified and tinkered with.

She'd stolen them off a supply convoy a few weeks back that was supposed to have gone to Tartarus. The metal bindings were more box than they were handcuffs.

They were specifically made for villains that had quirks imbedded into their hands, and Asuka figured this would fit for Makima. The prevention of her using that air-bullet quirk kept her at ease.

If the woman had ever tried something else, she'd be met with a rude awakening of bullets.

Asuka peered around to see in the corners of the old man's study a handful of meaner looking Yakuza with rifles in their hands on standby.

The old man wasn't planning on messing around with this whole scheme of his.

"Asuka…? Will you—"

She quickly focused her attention back onto the old man, answering his concern with a sigh.

"Look, I'll relay that she needs to lay back on the protection rings until we get the heat off us. Just don't expect her to immediately agree with it."

"Be sure that you do." He said with a stern stare. "And tell the others that it's almost time. I want this one awake and ready when we put your new gadget to use."

Asuka understood and reached behind her where her backpack was placed near the beanbag she was sitting on. She unzipped the large black duffle bag with a glee.

She hefted the giant hand-held contraption with a grunt. She admired its sleek appearance and simple design.

"And have the incentives brought out too. It won't do if we overwhelm her with that without offering some sort of package to sway her."

Asuka nodded and turned her gaze to the obscene amount of money on a dolly. It was a lot of yen – more than she's seen in her life. There were ten briefcases stacked atop each other. Each one of them could set a person for more than one's own lifetime.

She had to pull a lot of funds out from under wealthy corporations' bank accounts in hush-hush manners and favors. Not that they'd mind, of course. They'd always make back this amount in a matter of days.

This first method of controlling the Control Killer was by buying her loyalty. This stupid amount of money is the first to sway her to their side. With her quirk, they could hold ransom fees; protection fees; extortion fees; any type of fee while holding the fear of death over the heroes and villains' heads! They'd be feared, just like Akiyama had promised. It was gonna be so damn incredible.

If that didn't work, Akiyama had thought of using honeytraps and the services of the Yakuza's best to satiate whatever desire Makima had. Everyone had their vices, and Akiyama seemed to be sure that this Makima had some desire that they could use to their advantage.

If all else fails though, it'll be kablooey for this freak's cranial cavity. Or maybe render her perpetually paralyzed? Either way, she couldn't wait to see that stupid smirk on this woman's face be wiped away with fear.

Asuka then looked at the holographic image of Makima's face. It was an unblemished sort, ordinary almost.

She moved her sight to the actual Makima who was tied up; thick, orange duct tape was wrapped around her eyes and mouth. A countermeasure to what she thought was how the woman's quirk worked.

After getting the footage that Giran had sent her months ago when she first appeared, Asuka analyzed it thoroughly.

The way her control subjugated every single goon of Giran's in his bar with no words or fancy display. They just became her pawns immediately.

She theorized it had to do with her eyes or with her words. There also had to be some stupid restriction on how it works. After witnessing the fight between her and Mirko, that much was clear.

It's no wonder she didn't have the top dogs under her beck and call yet.

She can't control them without some sort of prerequisite. Gah…. I just can't figure out what it is though.

Again, Asuka's eyes trailed up and down Makima's sleeping form. She had to admit… the woman was good-looking. Absurdly so… There was just some kind of allure to her.

This was the Control Killer that cowed the entirety of Musutafu into fear: Makima.

So many speculations were going around online about her, and Asuka was interested in the many sub-webbits that included theories on what she looked like: if she was a man or woman; if she was a foreigner sent to demolish Japan's society; or if she was a proxy, like the Police Force was suggesting.

But the Yakuza knew now. All that proxy stuff was a load of crap. There is nobody under her control as a puppet.

This was the real deal, snoring away peacefully on the carpet with thick duct-tape covering her mouth and eyes. They left an opening for her nose and ears so she could hear and breathe.

And her name… Makima. It is such an odd one. Asuka searched through all of Japan's hospital records and even overseas for any birth certificates of some sort. Nothing came up.

What Giran had said was true: She's like a ghost that popped up out of nowhere.

Like that even matters anymore; we got the bitch tied up, subdued, and handicapped. Nothing scary about her. She's only human.

The door to Akiyama's study opened and Big Sis, alongside Kazuma and a few other nobodies Asuka couldn't remember the names of were in attendance.

"So, did the Shie-Hassaikai—"

"Nope." Kazuma cut him off, taking a drag of his cigarette. "Told us to fuck off and to not bother 'em. Their new boss was 'busy' as Irinaka put it.".

Akiyama sighed disappointedly. "A shame. Oh well, no matter. We'll be fine with all of us here. Wake her up." He urged Asuka to do so, but she shook her head and pointed at a young lackey of hers. She delegated it to the young guy, handing him a smelling-salt packet.

Kazuma waited with bated breath as one of the brat's morons was waking up the damn broad. He was sure the others were too; they were just hiding it well.

The young man in the two-piece suit knelt and opened the packet, coughing at the strong-smelling salt and quickly shoved it to the woman's nose. She jerked around in her tied up state before letting out a muffled cough. She got to her knees and stayed still for a long minute.

Kazuma's hand was twitching to his katana, ready to end her life if she did anything sketchy.

His breath, along with the other Yakuza hitched as they saw their elder, Akiyama, knelt to Makima's level. He adjusted his glasses and smiled.

Old bastard's got some balls - I'll give him that.

"Can you hear me, child?" Akiyama asked, narrowing his eyes at the monster as he waited for her to shake her head up and down.

Makima did so, she bobbed her head up.

"Good, good. Now, you may be startled and that's completely fine. Anyone would if they were in your shoes." He pulled away, taking great effort to stand back up and he leaned on his cane for support.

"You've gone and stirred the hornet's nest. You've dipped your toes into the underworld." He circled her, jabbing and prodding at her as if he were lecturing the psycho like a child. "Don't you know that you need to respect your betters? Giran may have been lenient with you stepping on his toes, but not us. We have codes, morals, and chivalry. It differentiates us from the animals that call themselves villains. And you, are nothing more than a savage running amok, leaving chaos in its wake." He slapped her head with the end of his cane.

The Yakuza all snickered at the sight.

The old Tortoise of Musutafu was coming out of his measly old shell, berating, and abusing the villain as if he were twenty years younger. He continued with his monologue and the Yakuza all listened in.

"We've ruled the underworld for generations." The Yakuza all agreed and cheered with that sentence. "We are the shadows that lurk in the dark to keep things from falling apart. We're a necessary evil that keeps the vilest of things at bay that the Police Force nor the Heroes can't see."

More Yakuza and even Kazuma hummed in agreement.

"But when annoying children that don't know how to play the game dip their toes into our business, things go awry." He yanked on the woman's braid and pulled her face close to his.

Kazuma and Big Sis almost stepped forward, ready to protect their elder, but Akiyama stopped them. He held his hand up and continued to talk to Makima.

"Because of you, we're more closer to extinction than ever. More heroes are snooping around what little remnants of territory we possess. That fool Detective you're hanging around with, Tsukauchi, is beginning to find out more and more about things he shouldn't be. We'll need to take care of him soon enough."

The mention of the Detective gained a reaction from her finally. Her head titled upwards a bit as if she was listening more actively.

"Got your attention, eh? Someone's got a soft spot for her detective. I see, I see." He leaned in more to her ear. "We know of your alias, Detective Hayakawa. You may have fooled the Police Force and this city, but not our dear Gadget Fox Asuka."

Asuka stepped forward with a smug grin and laughed. "Yeah, yeah! That's right. Just a little digging here and there, and I figured out who you were, bitch. That's right. Your sneaky shit couldn't sneak past me."

Akiyama let out another dry chuckle before continuing. "What would happen if such information like that was to leak out? It'll no doubt thwart some big plan of yours, that's for sure."

Again, that earned a more visible reaction. Makima's shoulders drooped down lower.

"Blackmail is a possibility you know. We dabble in it a lot to get what we want." He sighed tiredly but stared back at Makima with a glare. "It's villains like you that disrupt the natural order of this world." Akiyama let go of her and used his cane to push her to the carpet.

She was surprisingly docile… That alone disturbed Kazuma. He had his katana unsheathed, just for safety measures.

"However, I, like my colleagues here," Akiyama's wrinkled hand gestured to all the Yakuza in the study, "Have decided to change your fate. Instead of killing you like originally planned, we're generous enough to give you a second chance."

He ordered his men to lift her up back into a kneeling position. "We're offering money and a new home for you to stay in exchange for your loyalty. Now, we can't let you leave." Akiyama's dry laughter filled the room. "No, if we just gave you the freedom to leave whenever you wanted to, it just means you'll run off if given the chance. No, you'll be under strict surveillance, using your quirk like you have before at a distance in a room specially made for you. And just for insurance purposes, Asuka, if you would?"

Asuka nodded and ordered her men to hold Makima steady as she loaded the weaponized gadget in her hand. She hefted the thing up to have a muscular man wield. Ordering him to apply the over-sized stapler to rest on Makima's nape.

With a hiss and click, the weapon snapped suddenly, causing her to jolt as the weapon implanted something inside.

"If you refuse, this little machine, as I'm told, will cripple you. Permanently. Now, I imagine this must be of great worry to you. The other option, if you continue to rebel, is… More morbid than I care to admit. In other words, Asuka…?"

She made an explosion gesture with her hands. "Your head will explode into bits and pieces."

He let out another dry chuckle. "We're a very persuadable organization when we need to be."

Akiyama twirled his cane and slammed it down before pulling the handle free.

Kazuma let out a smirk.

Old fuck's bringing out the blade, huh? Didn't—Wait…

"Geezer what are you—"

His words were stunted as the old Geezer sliced away the duct tape covering the psycho's eyes in a refined fashion before quickly sheathing the hidden blade back into his cane.

"Be quiet, old friend. I merely wanted to be the first to look the Devil in its eyes. I wanted to let her know that I am not afraid."

"F-fuckin' hell, geezer. Y-you're gonna give me a heart attack." He circled around to stand next to Akiyama and he almost jumped at the sight of Makima's eyes.

"Mmmm… yes." The old man hummed. "I know the eyes of a monster when I see one. You're something else entirely, aren't you?" The geezer asked as he knelt once more to see eye-to-eye with the Control Killer.

"You can't control me, can you? Do I not meet the criteria of your previous victims? Why, I don't feel ill. I don't have the sudden urge to slice my throat open. Is it because you're bound to a certain extent? You are, aren't you? It's proof why we all aren't dead yet." He gestured to the Yakuza in the room who got cockier.

While they all laughed their asses off on how docile she is, Kazuma gulped as he saw her eyes; there was a silent fury brewing behind those red swirls. They stared directly into Akiyama's own.

It was almost like a silent battle between the two until Akiyama broke the silence.

"Tell me: Do I anger you, child? Do I create a burning rage deep within your bosom?" The geezer took off his glasses and stared at this monster without worry.

When she made no gesture to answer, he spoke once more.

Akiyama placed a hand on her shoulder and those fucked up looking eyes trailed to his hand before shifting her focus back to the old geezer. "Accept my offer. Become more than just a misguided lunatic. With you, we can herald back a new era for the Yakuza. Continue to be my loyal hound and eventually that chip in your neck will be removed. But that won't happen soon. No, not by a long mile, child."

He grinned, just like he did when the old Geezer proposed this idea to them all a couple weeks ago.

Controlling the Control Killer… That sounds so fucked, Geezer. You know that as much as I do. We shouldn't even be messing with a monster, let alone one that seems competent enough to mastermind the horrific shit she's cooked up.

Kazuma's thoughts struggled with this plan of the old Geezer. It just seemed like it was on brittle legs.

The old man continued speaking to Makima with, his refined, gravelly voice getting louder. "You need to understand that we're this city's saviors. Before the villains and heroes came, we were there to tend to its needs. We kept it safe from foreigners like the Russians and the Chinese Mafia. We were the ones who kept communities thriving with business. We are a necessary evil that keeps Musutafu safe."

If a stare could kill, then Makima's certainly could. She looked displeased with what the old Geezer had said.

AN:

"Who are you and what've you done with our author?!" The fellow Makima enthusiasts demanded.

"W-what...? But I'm-"

"Sinakin doesn't post a new chapter so soon! It usually takes 2-3 months until then!"

That's how I imagine it goes, lol. XD

Anyways, I'm here with a new chapter! I really appreciate your comments and love your feedback. I'm in the process of replying to comments now! I'm doing so on AO3, which is where this story is also being read by other fellow Makima enthusiasts! However, FFN's reply feature is a bit more strange to me. It seems that it's a private message, and I don't want to come off as creepy since it's a new thing to me.

I usually replied in the AN, but that takes a while and eats up a lot of space in the AN, so expect some replies in the near future, fellow Makima connoisseurs! I enjoy your comments and I want ya to not feel left out if you do leave one! Always appreciate your words as they mean a lot to me!

Also, I hope you're all staying safe out there! Where I'm at, there's a lotta snow and a crap ton of icy roads. This humble human being only wishes the best for all of your wellbeing!

Until we meet again!