“Have they arrived yet?”

“Yes. The targets have just landed. Their security detail is as formidable as initially predicted.”

There was a brief pause. The scent of cigarette smoke filled the room as his employer took a long drag. Of everyone he had worked with this had to be most questionable so far. He had only heard about the job offer through a back channel he thought had long gone quiet. No dirty business traveled around the world unless you knew people. No magic. No technology. No trace.

The only thing keeping the Dark Artery connected was skill and fear that revealing it meant a fate worse than death.

Which begged the question; Who the fuck was this guy?

“Will that be a problem?” His mystery employer finally asked.

Paz wanted to scoff. This bastard was offering a shitload of money to off someone who’s death might start a war. The amount of security around the target had more stars than in the night sky. So when the reconnaissance came back as ‘expected’, it only reinforced the fact that even getting close to the target required large amounts of planning, skill, and luck. Offing them while getting away afterwards… Well he honestly couldn’t think of anyone on this side of the world who could pull it off and get away with it.

He licked his lips, heart pumping at the thought of pulling it off. The money itself for the job was more than his last four combined. If it panned out then similar jobs seemed to be lined up as well. No doubt his sister would be thrilled about all of this. She would have taken this job pro bono just for the hell of it.

Luckily he had a cooler head otherwise they would have long since starved, arrested, or killed.

“No. It won’t. Just so long as you can make good on the rest of the payment. Half up front is good but you're paying for two of us. I’d imagine you’d be pissed too if you paid for both but only got one of us instead?”

“Funny.” His employer casually flicked his cigarette, letting the small embers illuminate the metallic hand that was holding it. “The money is a non-factor to me. All I expect are results. You can expect this type of work to be the tip of the iceberg.”

“Tip of the iceberg? Pfftt! Ha!” This only made his curiosity burn even more. If this was just the easy job than what sort of suicidal stunts would they be doing next? It appeared the employer wasn’t the type to make such bullshit claims. In any event he took the briefcase on the table in front of him. “Shit, you’re actually serious… Damn.”

“You have seven days.”

“Ya ya – We’ll get it done. It’ll be close so don’t expect it to be clean. I’m feeling like an assassin right out of the dark ages. I mean… it’s not everyday you're asked to kill real Royalty.”

Hopefully it wouldn’t be the last either.

[LH]

“Hisato-kun, I really don’t think this is necessary.”

I turned around on my heels, smack dab in the middle of the lobby of the hotel we had just switched to at my own discretion to give Takei a wilting look. After all that had happened he was now starting to question all of this? Stealing a car, leaving Nobuo behind and now going against our pre-arranged travel plans… Well, it was kind of mindblowing that an adult father like Takei was still following my lead on my renegade actions.

Given the situation though I would say it was definitely necessary.

When trying to avoid psycho servants from your psycho family… you tend to play it by ear and do what you have to.

“Do I think hiding out from Nobuo or whomever else Grampy sends to haul us back immediately is prudent?” I held up a finger stopping him from answering my rhetorical question. “No, please. Let me answer that question for you.” I turned back around, stepped up to the front desk and gathered the full attention of the clerk standing behind the front desk. “We’ll be needing a room until the tenth of April. Something preferably with a window with a good street view, close to a fire door exit, and possibly not too far from the pool. We’ll be under the name… ‘Smith’, if someone needs to contact us.”

That’s right, this wasn’t my first time I needed to hide out.

The young looking clerk glanced just over my head to get a look at the sighing adult. Very deftly Takei placed his credit card on the counter, giving the official go ahead for our accommodation demands. I wasn’t sure if this place was cheaper or not compared to where we were originally booked. At the very least I chose a hotel that was off the beaten track further away from the city centre. Even the credit card Takei was using was a private one not affiliated with the main Yukihana account. I wasn’t going to leave anything to chance on this trip.

“Thank you for your patronage. Your room is on the second floor. The pool is open from 6am until 10pm. The dining hall is open for breakfast from 6:20am until 11:30am. If you're interested in local restaurants and attractions we have pamphlets you may take.”

“Sweet.” I took one from the front desk, more interested in what sort of unique magic shops and attractions were around here. Since the very notion of using the internet was so far removed from the Yukihana’s mindset I had no references to go on for sightseeing. Sure there were books that had maps of the city but even those were only limited to street names and districts. I could only feel envious of Yasue who could zip around the country in an instant to places with actual cell service and mobile data.

Just another reason I couldn’t wait to move away from that life sucking family.

Present company excluded of course.

“Father… How long are we going to stay here?” Toki asked, tugging on her fathers’ sleeve.

“It’ll only be for a few days. We’ll head back once I’ve finished up my business here. I promise.”

Toki mumbled something, looking and sounding rather lethargic at the moment even though she had slept through most of the four hour train ride. It wasn’t even supper time yet but it seemed as if she had been awake for days. On top of that she seemed a little jittery. Not straying too far from Takei’s side and never walking in front of him. It was strange to see her act so shy.

She had been quite the enigma so far on this sudden escape. This all started because she misunderstood Takei’s interaction to… well, to whatever that was between him and Kogumi-sensei. I was almost dead certain it had to do with me or… well, it doesn't really matter at the moment. As it happened she didn’t make a fuss and just silently went along with this outrageous situation. I’d like to know what she was thinking right now beyond whatever scornful thoughts she had towards me. Right now Toki was a wild card.

A wild card was not ideal when trying to hide out.

Once again, this was from past experience.

“Hey Uncle Takei, I know it's early but how about we settle in for the rest of the day so we can plan out tomorrow.” I guestered to Toki subtly. “It was… tiring to get here. A long sleep would do us some good as well.”

“Yes, that's probably for the best. I’ll need to call the hospital to let them know we’ll be coming in outside regular visiting hours.”

This ‘business’ that Takei had referred to largely meant checking up on Aunt Yukiko. For the last five years she had been in a coma. No amount of Light magic or medical treatment has found the cause of it. On top of which her body was wasting away with only daily endowment of powerful Healing spells sustaining her life. Very costly from what I was told. Enough that it put the Yukihana in serious debt to one family in particular.

Lo and behold the truth came with a bitter taste in my mouth. Of all the reasons that the Yukihana were stagnating came the one that was painfully sympathetic. It wasn’t the fact the centuries old conservative family wasn’t keeping up with modern times or that they had any problems bringing in talented individuals to train with them. No, it was because the daughter-in-law to the family head and the mother of the future heiress was in a life threatening coma and even their wealth and resources was barely scraping by to keep her alive while trying not to become effectively bankrupt.

I begrudgingly had to give some credit to Grampy on that one.

Well, at least I did… Until I realized it just gave the old bastard leverage to keep Takei and Toki under his deranged thumb.

Other than that I was interested to see what other business contacts here in Tokyo that kept Takei away for months at a time. I still wasn’t sure what services the Yukihana offered as when it was explained to me I didn’t quite understand just what these ‘general services’ were. That was the straightest answer I got whenever I brought it up to someone who actually bothered to answer. As an up and coming entrepreneur I was greatly looking forward to seeing these services for myself.

It would be a whole fourteen days before we returned to Honorobe. By then I planned to make sure I had a whole number of things knocked off my list. I wouldn’t waste this opportunity of freedom before being shipped back to hell.

Priority one; Find a way to fix/replace Grampy's car!

I mean… What was the point of doing a bunch of cool shit if I’d be killed when I went back?

I was hungry to get ahead while I was here but I sure as hell wasn’t planning anything too stupid.

[LH]

“Big sister… I’m hungry.”

“I know, just… Ugh, just tough it out okay and keep your voice down. I’ll try to find you something to eat later.”

If Rika was being honest, going out to shake some punk down for food money was infinitely better than the position she was in now. Her own rumbling stomach would concur with that. It was hard enough to watch her little sister whimpering while clutching her tiny stomach but being hungry trumped being taken away to god knows where any day of the week. They had to be patient for now and bear with it.

Until the loud stomping above them stopped.

Being cramped underneath the floorboards was becoming a frequent occurrence for Rika and her sister. Each time treading a line of familiarity among the dusty air, old rusted nails and the heart rending dread that one of those Tanken bastards would hear them. The latter became worse and worse as the weeks dragged on.

“You… week to… the rest.”

Even with cupping her ear closer she was still having a hard time listening in on the conversation. She recognized the first voice very easily though; The conniving, chafing voice of that lanky motherfucker, Dosai! Talking up big shit even though he couldn’t throw a punch to save his life and had a lesser Star rating then she did in spite of being three times her age.

Being the cousin of the boss had perks, it seemed. With that alone all one needed was actual muscle around them and they became a real threat. By her estimate the assholes that were standing around, trying to intimidate a defenseless woman that never hurt a living creature a day in her entire life. Unfortunately they were stronger than her as well since they were at least two stars. That was the minimum required to be hired on as muscle for the Tanken.

They were only the tip of the iceberg.

“A week! I… I can only pay a third of that. If I just get more time I can–”

“–Shuddap! We’ve been lenient already! You borrowed money from the boss and now we expect it back!”

CRASH!

If only to prove that what would happen without words, the sound of what was likely the kitchen table snapped, the cracking sound of the wood furniture recognizable. It was faint but Rika could definitely feel a faint sensation of magic in the air. Unnatural wind inside of a small apartment complex that could barely hold two people without feeling crowded. A pointless display to someone who couldn’t fight back.

Rika nails dug into the floor board as she tried to stifle her rage. She wanted nothing more than to curse at this shitty situation! If only she was stronger than she would bury these assholes! Smash in their stupid faces and break every fucking bone in their fucking bodies! She would bash their fucking faces in until not even they could recognize themselves in the fucking mirror!

“I’ll… have... by Friday.”

Rika heard the muffled words of her aunt give some kind of acknowledgement to the unreasonable deadline. This was followed by more insults flung out before the group stomped their way out of the apartment. They still had to wait though until Aunt Wakino gave them the all clear signal.

Tap Tap

Exhaling a breath into the dust, Rika slid the floor panel up revealing the dimly lit space of their apartment. It was only the one room with a small bathroom – rather shower area – making this crawlspace an invaluable storage space. No doubt the owner wouldn’t like the idea of their tenants ripping up their floorboards but it's not like he came around for anything other than to collect money. Living here had to be kept on the downlow just in case some loudmouth neighbor spouted off about them. No doubt that might give that jackass another reason to increase the rent.

Just another thing they needed to pay for on top of the debt to the Tanken.

“Aunty Makino? Are you okay?”

“I… Yes. I’m fine,” the elderly woman replied, not meeting her gaze when she spoke.

As expected the dinner table had been smashed to pieces. It had been the nicest thing they had owned as it had been in their family since the last war. Aunty Makino loved it as it was something passed down to her from her own mother. Now she was hunched over silently picking up the pieces off the floor.

Just another thing she wanted to bash in the heads of those fuckers! She wanted to explode. Risk it all and at the very least beat Dosai’s brains in!

“Those–Those goddamn–!”

“–Sister… Can we go look for something to eat now?”

Cooler heads prevailed though… or maybe just hunger. She felt her little sister slip her hand onto hers – a sad but equally expecting look that filing their stomachs took priority at the moment. Sometimes she wanted to cuss Sada out for her naivety. Despite almost being ten she didn’t seem to quite get the severity of their situation.

‘You must promise me to look out for her, Rika-chan. You’re the only one I can rely on now.’

She was the older sister though. It was her job to look out for Sada and to support Aunt Makino. They needed money. Lots of it and they needed it done quickly. Shaking down street punks wouldn’t cut it. If she was willing to risk facing down Tanken than at the very least she’d be willing to do something equally drastic to put this behind them once and for all!

“Just leave it to your big sister… I’ll find us something to eat.”

[LH]

Grass stained his suit. Branches cutting and tearing at the fabric until it was littered with holes. Clothing that his master had gifted to him on his last birthday.

‘He he he! Not bad, Asskisser! You held on longer than I thought you would!’

Glasses cracked. His watch snapped off and was now somewhere with several dozen acres of farmland. Both items are also gifts from his honorable master.

‘Don’t worry, we’ll bring back some souvenirs for ya! Maybe some lipstick so you can look better the next time you kiss Grampy’s ass! I know just your color too! He he he!’

The Master’s car which had been gifted to him by the man’s own father was now a complete wreck. Most of the windows were smashed or cracked. The back left tire had popped. The shiny black veneer of the paint was now scraped and chipped all over its body. Worst yet was the smoke pouring out of the hood as several branches rammed through the hood and into the engine. How it managed to make it all the way to the train station without

‘So be a good boy until we get back. I’m sure Grampy won’t be too upset that you let a child get the better of you. Now… Let go!’

Nobuo seethed as he looked at his purplish fingertips. The little bastard opened and slammed the car door onto them repeatedly as he tried to crawl his way into the driver's seat and grab the boy by the throat! All the while Master Takei made no motion to stop this madness! The patience that his Master’s son had for the Osawa boy was beyond reason!

When Lady Toki came out to him eyes brimming with furious tears he knew instantly it had something to do with that boy. His Master expressly warned him to make him aware of when Takei went too far with his affection for the boy. He didn’t think much of it at the time given how infrequent the two went outside the compound together. Lady Toki wasn’t one to lie. She had been raised to never utter anything that wasn’t the absolute truth. When she told him that her father lowered his head for some common school teacher he knew then and there that his Master needed to help rectify this situation immediately.

An important matter that vile Osawa boy knew would interfere with their trip.

He should have known the boy would do something desperate and outrageous to get his way! That, if nothing else, was what the boy was consistent with in his defiant behavior!

DING DONG!

“Attention passengers. We are now arriving at Tokyo station. Please ensure all your belongings have been collected before your departure. Thank you and have a good day.”

Desperation being apt at this moment. He couldn’t return to his Master without the boy in hand to face what would likely be the final nail for the boy’s future. As far as insubordinate stunts go this was beyond the pale. An ironic silver lining in this situation was that itself. With this the boy could be finally contained. No one would argue against more draconian punishments in the face of this. Not ever Takei could defend such reprehensible actions.

He would need to catch up and find them first. By his estimate he was three hours behind them. Their planned itinerary was already known to him so it wouldn’t be hard to lay and wait until they showed up. The only considerations he needed to watch out for was that Tokyo was the most populated city in the world. As much as he hated to admit it, the Osawa boy’s powers would help him hide well in a place with a countless number of magic signatures blended together.

Stepping off the train and onto the platform he took a deep breath and collected himself.

It was time to hunt.