One last job.
That's what Mitsuki was telling herself. If she did this, if she succeeded, her family would never have to worry ever again. She had been doing small jobs for years, since she turned ten. The Shinkansen was her last hope to truly save the people she loved. Dad had just gotten fired. Mom was sick. Aiko was seeking jobs in warehouses, even though she was only seventeen. She couldn't stand it. They deserved better.
Kanto was a mystery to her. But it was a mystery filled with riches. If she could get there, if she could pull off one last heist… then she'd quit. No more crime. No more stealing, no more tricks. Even if she was already on the Akudama list, she was only a C rank… She'd be able to pass through the rest of her life if she stayed hidden.
Getting into the train itself wasn't hard. A few paper runes let her pass through easily, chalk-drawn magic circles on the doors letting her get into the first class areas. It was the journey she was most worried about. Her hands were white knuckling the arm rests. If those programs were right… she might not even make it to Kanto at all.
But what kind of sister, what kind of daughter, would she be if she didn't try?
Pain.
That was the only thing she felt.
She was half blind, only seeing red in her left eye as she limped her way through the wreckage of the old city. She felt her ribs crackle like crumpled paper with every step. Breathing hurts. Thinking hurts. Everything hurts. Her heart thudded hard in her chest with each limp, feeling like she was going to collapse at any moment should she stop walking. So she didn't.
She was drifting as she kept going with blind determination, vision fuzzy by the time she saw the lights of Kansai. She had to trudge her way through the sewers to get in without any police seeing her. She didn't care if it gave her an infection, if it made her stink, she only cared about getting back inside. She shakily wrote runes along the cement walls with her blood, covering her tracks. She traced one on the inside of her wrist, giving herself what little energy her body could muster so she could climb up into the streets.
No one even looked at her as she walked through the back alleys of Kansai. She avoided the buzzing surveillance drones overhead, knowing that Kanto never forgot. It never forgave. She was gone, and they would know. She couldn't die, not yet.
Flinching, she bit down on the inside of her cheek as hard as she could, until she tasted the sharp metal of blood. Her vision began to swim even more, her whole body trembling. She didn't even know where she was going. Her body was carrying her to her childhood district, her home. Maybe someone would recognize her and help. Or maybe they'd recognize her and get the Executioners. Either way would be some sort of relief, she supposed.
She paused in her hobbling as a neon sign caught her attention. A caduceus. A doctor… She slowly limped towards the door underneath, the sign flickering as she got closer. She knocked as loud as her weak, shaking hands could manage.
A woman opened the door. She had pink and blue hair, and her golden yellow eyes narrowed as she took in Mitsuki's appearance. It was silent for a few moments. Mitsuki hadn't spoken to a real person in two years. She had almost forgotten how to. When she finally got her voice to work, it crackled.
"Help… please…"
The woman smirked with a small huff of amusement. "Darling, I'm no miracle worker… I do surgery, not… whatever it is you need. Especially not for free."
Right. Money.
Her shaky hand reached into her pocket, fumbling for her comm. It was near dead, but she had enough time to go to her savings. The accumulated interest from the past two years had been enough to add up to 100,000 yen. She prayed it was enough as her trembling fingers transferred the money over. "I don't care," she whispered hoarsely, "then cut me open…"
And with that, her vision went black, her exhaustion and wounds finally catching up with her. The last thing she saw before passing out was the woman's smirk and the ground quickly approaching.