Chapter 19
"GAH! KILL MEEE... NOOO, SHISHIBA, DON'T LET HER TOUCH ME!"
Kasumi sat outside the woman's house, a cigarette resting between his fingers as he stared at the ground. The muffled screams from inside barely fazed him.
The door creaked open, and Shishiba stepped out, his hands bloodied. "What a drama queen," he muttered, wiping his hands on a cloth. "I should've killed him earlier."
He glanced at Kasumi, who was leaning against the wall, his expression unreadable. "What's with the long face? You know Mumon isn't exactly the type of guy worth pitying."
Kasumi took a drag from his cigarette, exhaling the smoke slowly. "Now I think about it.. you guys seemed to a history together "
"Something like that." Shishiba retrieved a lighter from his pocket and lit a small piece of cloth, watching it burn. "But don't get any weird ideas. It's not like we've known each other since childhood or had some dramatic connection. He's more like... a bully I ran into during my time at the JCC."
Kasumi raised an eyebrow, a smirk forming. "A bully? Seriously?" He snorted, barely holding back a laugh.
A vein visibly throbbed on Shishiba's forehead. " It started during my first mission. I caught him—" he paused for effect, his expression darkening, "—assaulting a girl."
Kasumi choked on his cigarette mid-inhale, coughing violently. "What?! I was expecting some rivalry story...not that!"
Shishiba shrugged in response
Shaking my head i threw the cigarette away
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??? Pov
"Augh ...my head "
" what happend to me ?? "
Waking up in the middle of the road I scanned the area around me ..the last thing I remember was drinking with mumon and then getting bitch slap By what felled a hammer , my still hurts like hell
" HAALT ! " Two guards came running towards him with spear in their hands , one of them pointed to his neck " Where you your accomplices" He shouted on top of his lungs
"Man... give me a break. I just woke up," I muttered, casually touching the tip of the spear aimed at me. "Whoa buddy ,no need to get all heian era on me , spears ?? Pfft really ? ."
"Eh?! I SAID—"
Before he could finish, I yanked the spear from his grip and pulling him closer then i swiftly pulled a knife from my pocket. In one smooth motion, I plunged it into his neck. Blood gushed out as he collapsed, gurgling and clutching his throat.
The other guard stumbled back in shock, his eyes wide with panic. "You BASTARD!" he shouted, thrusting his spear toward me in a desperate attack.
I grabbed the fallen spear from the ground and drove it upward, impaling his head from below. The force of the strike left him suspended, the spear keeping his lifeless body upright.
I stared into his lifeless eyes, Now what? I thought, running a hand through my hair.
Sniff sniff.
The stench of rot and decay hit me, sharp and overwhelming. My nose twitched in disgust as I instinctively turned toward the source. My eyes widened in horror.
"No... No, no, no, this can't be happening," I muttered, my gaze locked on the cart the two men had been riding. It was filled with disfigured bodies, their forms twisted and broken. Some of the faces looked disturbingly familiar.
What the hell am I going to do now? My thoughts spiraled into panic as frustration bubbled inside me. FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. Clenching my head in both hands, I let out a ragged scream before punching one of the nearby corpses in sheer rage. "How dare you leave me here alone?!" I shouted, my voice cracking under the weight of desperation.
CRACK.
A thunderous impact sent me flying across the street. Pain flared through my body as I skidded to a stop, gasping for air. Dazed, I tried to look at what had hit me. My eyes widened in disbelief. It was the bus we'd arrived in. Sitting in the driver's seat was a blonde guy, and beside him, someone massive with their face obscured by a veil.
Wait a minute—I knew that guy! But why the hell did they hit me? It have to be an accident.
I raised a trembling hand, trying to get their attention. "HEY! STOP! I'M FRIENDLY!"
The blonde glanced down at me briefly, his expression cold, and then... he hit the gas.
"WAIT! STOP! WHAT THE HELL—" My words were cut off as the bus surged forward, running over me. Pain erupted in every nerve of my body.
"AAAAH!"
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The road felt unusually bumpy—had we just run over something?
"What just happened?" I asked, turning to Shishiba.
He glanced at me, his expression unreadable. "Nothing. Probably a rock or something."
He then frowned and continued. " Do you really think this plan will work?"
Shishiba's gaze shifted to Kasumi, who sat quietly with a tattered pink rag draped over his shoulders.
Kasumi smirked faintly. "Yeah, trust me. Just stop by the main gate."
He paused for a moment before adding, "And remember... you're handling all the talking."
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As Shishiba drove the bus toward the palace gates, we were immediately stopped by a group of armed guards.
"Halt! This area is off-limits. Turn around!" one of the guards barked, stepping forward with authority.
Squinting, I caught sight of Yanagi, the target, lounging on the balcony above us, watching the commotion with an air of superiority.
Without a word, Shishiba stepped out of the bus, holding a loudspeaker in one hand.
"Hey! Did you hear what I said?" the guard snapped, approaching Shishiba.
Instead of responding, Shishiba shoved the man aside and raised the loudspeaker. "Testing, testing... This is a message for the so-called 'king' Yanagi or whatever your name is! Listen up: Give up your pointless resistance. Your poor mother back home is crying. She didn't raise you to become this kind of person!"
He then turned to the bus and motioned toward someone inside. "Right, Auntie? Say something!"
One of the guards staggered back, clearly taken aback. "What... Are you serious? She's here ?"
"Oi, look!" another guard shouted, pointing at the bus as Kasumi stepped out dramatically.
Tears streamed down Kasumi's face as he cradled a random funeral picture frame of an old man. "Do you know what your daddy said just before he died?" he choked out, his voice trembling. "Until the very end, he cared only about you! But..." He sniffed loudly, his tears flowing even harder. "Since the day you left three years ago to exploit young women... sniff... Mommy wants to say she no longer has a son!"
Yanagi, standing on the balcony, blinked in confusion before his face twisted in anger. "What are you waiting for? Throw these clowns in the dungeon!" he barked, pointing at us.
Welp... I tried.