Demon's Protégé

MEN AND MOURNING

The streets of Shibuya is still as crowded as ever with the busy citizens filling in the roads and sidewalks of the intersection at the central plaza, with the gloomy afternoon drawing closer to the evening. The expansive sky paints a backdrop of hazy hues of indigo and orange that brings in an auburn glow all over the city. It is cold and chilly and there are short sudden light rains that every now and then would shower soft moist in certain areas.

The whole of Tokyo looks like it is weeping in itself with the coldest winter of the decade gradually coming in.

Aoi Chiba sits in silence at the backseat of a black limousine, at the same time, with the brooding Kenji Yanagi beside her. No one has spoken a word yet since they have left the Yanagi territory. Aoi does not really know what to say nor even think right now. It would never make sense.

So, she tries to distract herself instead with the view of the city passing by the tinted window on her left. Yet nothing could still drive her thoughts away from thinking about the young man she met just a little while ago. The young one who had introduced himself as an ally of Ito Yamazaki and told her that they have a plan on sabotaging Kenji with her help.

And now, she suddenly feels conflicted. The things Jin had told her the last time has found its way to resurface into her mind once again and somehow it makes everything even more confusing.

Is she still doing the right thing here? Will her revenge ever really make any sense?

There is no certainty. Even though she clearly knows why she is here now and acting the part of this ridiculous role in Yanagi’s life. But because of several things that she had now discovered while being near the young notorious man, she eventually realized how truly complicated it is to be a part of this whole thing.

Associating with the Yakuza world makes it all even more risky and horrifying. It seems like she might never ever get away from this place now. She is all but torn between being an ally and an enemy.

Will she risk and try to fulfill her mission?

Or will she betray Ito?

Two things, yet it makes it so hard for her to choose which side she thinks would give her the satisfaction of achieving the only thing that made her even be in this kind of scheme. Now that she kind of doubts the idea that Yanagi killed Kenichi before, she wants to dig deeper to reveal the truth.

Who killed her lover?

And Aoi knows that there is only one way to know everything about it.

Jin Sasai.

That man. He will be the only one who knows it for sure. And if it turns out that he was actually the real one who killed Kenichi…

Then Aoi would never think twice this time. She would really kill him. That is the only way for this all to finally come to an end.

___________________________

Ito Yamazaki picks up his phone resting on top of the desk in front of him to answer the call flashing on its screen.

The ID shows up unknown but he already has a certain guess who it is. He does not really have to hesitate as he quickly swipes it to answer on the second ring.

“She’s with him on the way to Shibuya, boss.”

The deep man's voice comes in raspy and crooked from the other end of the voice call, as Ito quickly takes note of it as he smirks smugly while he turns on his seat to gaze at the overlooking view of the city from the fall-to-ceiling windows behind him. The atmosphere is slightly filtered with fog and adds more to its grim appearance.

“He’s taking her to the funeral, huh?” The old boss muses as he slowly pulls a drawer below his table. A small automatic pristine revolver appears, delicately placed on a case inside the drawer. Ito Yamazaki pulls it out as he stares and gets instantly fascinated by its perfection.

“She’s still on the lookout,” the guy from the other line tells Ito after a beat, “I think Y is going to make her reveal the enemy while trying to be discreet.”

“You mean me?” Ito just snorts, resisting the urge to even laugh, “And he thinks she’ll do it for him? He’s a total sucker.”

With this rate that Yanagi is now going, it would only be a little more time before he eventually gets completely whipped by that woman. And by the time that finally happens, Ito Yamazaki would be celebrating. It would surely shock him, to find out that the woman he has been trying to keep to himself is also the real enemy here.

“Apparently,” the voice replies to the old boss in a much colder tone this time, “They are also getting quite intimate.”

“Is that so?” Ito comments while he tests the gun in his hand and tries to point it to an imaginary target across his big office.

That certainly makes this all the more interesting now. Yanagi and that woman… He never even expect she would really make it.

“Let the youngun inside the territory handle the rest for now,” Ito eventually finishes as he returns the gun inside the drawer and pushes it close once again. He stands up from his seat and finally crosses the distance towards the front door as he leaves the place.

“I’ll be going to the funeral now,” he adds, “Keep your tabs on the woman and the spy. Then report to me once you find something much more interesting.”

The call ends as soon as Ito utters the last word. He opens the door and meets his two bodyguards standing outside. He nods at them as they bow their heads at him.

“Prepare my ride,” he orders them as he walks past the two figures who immediately follows him behind. “There’s somewhere we have to be today.”

Ito Yamazaki has already planned on not going to the funeral today, but something suddenly changes after he received that call. He likes to take risks and now he wants to see how bad and how gruesome it would be…

The moment he finally meets Miss Aoi Chiba again… right in front of Kenji Yanagi.

He wonders what face she would ever make. Will she flinch? Be obvious? Or will she keep the act? He cannot really wait. Things are just getting even more thrilling and riveting with all these sudden twists playing along with his plan.

Now, all he needs to bring with him is a good mask to fake it out. He is not really a good actor, but then... It's not like he has to be one to deceive someone as gullible as Kenji Yanagi.

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