Chapter Text
The music vibrated through the floorboards, a physical presence more than just sound - entering through his feet into his chest as if trying to lure him to dance like those fools.
Frantic lights above turned the floor into a kaleidoscope, making it hard to stay focused as he slid around the moving bodies of people who had nothing better to do than spend their money in this shady place.
Clicking his tongue at the nuisance, he nearly bit it off too, when he felt one of the fools step into him in a poor attempt to dance.
Having just about enough, he was about to turn and let out his agitation on the person - telling him to fuck off and return to whatever rock he crawled from when the feeling of something heavy pressing into his stomach halted his words.
Quickly refocusing on the reason why he was even putting himself through such torture, his grey eyes filled with specks of blue peered from behind his white strands.
Scanning the place where he stopped, he noticed the slight opening in the crowd. Without more delay he briskly walked forward.
One hand tagging on his hoodie to cover his face more while the other sneaked inside the kangaroo pocket- his fingers brushed against the rough paper that held the content of ‘his job’.
He moved or, attempting to move, through the sea of people, that emitted an aroma of sweat in combination with some rich ass cologne.
If you were to ask him it smelled the same as the cheap shit one could buy at 7/11.
Not wanting to purge, he didn't hesitate to cover his nose with his arm, taking a deep breath of the familiar scent before scanning the crowd once more.
His impatient greys searched for a bright hoodie that should quite literally stand out in this dark shit-hole of a club.
Yet all he could see was bodies of people piling together like a bunch of hormonal penguins who were touch starved.
Cursing at his genes that gave him such a short stature, he was about to move when the crowd on his left parted just a tad bit - letting him see glimpses of a person stepping up the stage with the music slowly shifting into whatever that faceless person picked.
Soon, as if on cue, the guy started or... tried to rap to the beats of what he recognised to be a famous song, that he sometimes heard some juveniles playing outside his window.
Standing in place, he tried giving the faceless nobody a chance to show that that sorry start was just part of some weird ‘being better than you thought’ illusion.
However, the more he stood there listening to the annoying popcorn reading, the less he thought it was an illusion and more of a delusion of the guy thinking he wasn’t embarrassing himself.
With blank eyes, he shifted to peer over the bodies to see who the fool was, only seeing bright white ankle high boots and torn jeans, ‘Of course.’ He sneered in his head.
The guy was probably experiencing puberty. Most probably getting offended when mommy and daddy didn’t allow him to buy Chillas coffee.
Still…
His grey eyes moved towards where the podium was - covered by the multiple bodies who didn’t seem to care about what was playing; too intoxicated to care about the quality of the song.
The guy attempting to rap did have a good voice. If only he could put more emphasis on some verses with the added rasp and emotion to the important parts he could even-!
“Kanata?”
Too focused on analysing some fool, Kanata nearly felt his spirit leave his body upon hearing the familiar voice of Hokusai tickling his ear.
Snapping his body to see the perpetrator Kanata could feel his face reddening with his chest heaving. Holding his pierced ear, he glared at the older man.
Hokusai Masaki. The man whom he had searched for not even a minute ago was just straightening from his slouched posture - peering down at Kanata with a quizzing look that would otherwise be obscured by the large hood attached to his long coat.
However, seeing as Kanata is at least two heads shorter than this slenderman he has a clear view of any expression this giraffe of a man will do. Not like he makes them often that is.
Seeing that Kanata won’t explain his understandable reaction, Hokusai opts to turn his blank face towards the reason why he didn’t felt the approaching presence of the bright green-haired man.
Kanata noted the hint of a frown on the man's otherwise bored face - his eyebrows slightly furrowed with the disinterest being quite visible in his bright green eyes - telling Kanata the older one shared some of his opinions about the ridiculous performance currently happening.
Seeing no signs of Hokusai wanting to turn around - Kanata stopped breathing once the deep greens suddenly locked with his wide greys.
He watched the man tilting his head a bit before turning around and slowly entering the crowd without uttering a word.
Stunned, Kanata had to blink a few times as if he was rebooting his brain, only to see the crowd parting for Hokusai, who didn’t even stop to see whether the younger one was following.
A little annoyed by the display of trust, yet not wanting to waste more time, the shorter male quickly followed the unsaid order given to him by the tall man, who was wordlessly moving forward with his hands in his coat.
Kanata kept as close as he could to Hokusai, not fighting the amazement as he looked around.
The fact the people themselves didn’t even realise they were letting them pass spoke volumes of what sort of a presence this guy had.
Yet instead of feeling suffocated or intimidated by it, Kanata couldn’t help but feel empowered - unbeknown to him, he straightened his posture and slightly mimicked the older’s way of walking.
It wasn’t every day that people just parted for him. It wasn’t like he had the status, the height or the handsome face that would make anyone bashful.
Kanata was well aware what his appearance made others think and it always left him with bitter taste in his mouth …cute..feminine.
Unable to help it, his face scrunched into disgust as he reached into his hoodie to tag his collar higher.
However, where he lacked in intimidating stature or looks, he made up with his loud and brash attitude. Even if it meant feeling uncomfortable…Anything was better than being ridiculed or looked down on.
Without realising it, Kanata’s posture soon shrank. He kept his gaze on the ground while Hokusai walked in front of him with zero change in his posture.
Sooner than he would like, the duo stopped in front of a familiar door guarded by two tall men on either side with no sign of moving or breathing, for that matter.
Kanata followed closely behind Hokusai, who moved towards the door without either of the parties acknowledging the other.
Both men were tall with large build - dressed in all black with some golden ornaments running down their sleeves; they wore dark shades covering whatever expression the two men may have.
As the green-head rummaged through his coat pockets to retreat the card that would allow them inside - Kanata glanced at the man on his right.
Bright greys peered from behind his white fringe, scanning the man curiously. The child part of him peeked from the shadows, luring him to provoke a reaction from the supposed statue.
Yet before he could even think of acting on his impulses, his attention snapped forward after hearing the familiar beeping noise - indicating the door was unlocked.
With zero hesitation, Hokusai walked forward without checking on Kanata who walked inside the room right after.
Once inside, Kanata was met with the familiar office that never failed to put his trashing heart at ease.
Unlike the loud club with its bright neon lighting illuminating the dark room that would make anyone have an immediate seizure - shitty pop songs blasting in the background with even shittier karaoke singers that never case to overpower his thoughts.
Suiseki-san’s office, on the other hand, was washed in a soft hue from the lamps installed in the ceiling with only the soft beat of whatever music was playing outside, thanks to the soundproof walls.
Bookshelf ran on both sides of the office, with another shelf put behind the large table, which had to cost more than Kanata’s kidneys.
Used by none other than the head of the Suiseki family - Iori Suiseki.
The current head of the largest yakuza family, owning most of the Tokyo and Yokohama areas, with a reputation that would send chills down anyone back upon hearing the family name.
And as of now, Kanata’s current boss.
Said man whose frame was easily looming over his was watching them with the dark blues that seemed to turn purple once the light was just right - grinning like a cat that swallowed the canary as he walked into the room with Hokusai.
Suiseki-san was sitting behind the large table where he rested his arms with his hands folded and used to cover his more than happy expression.
‘Freak…’ Kanata thought as he gave the room once over - quickly noting none of his other lackeys besides the greenhead who stepped closer to the yakuza was present,
“Got the stray kitty aniki.”
Hokusai pointed behind himself at Kanata, who slouched and tried to hide his face with his hoodie more than it already was after hearing that overbearing nickname.
Kanata took a deep breath so as not to react - the job took longer than he would like. He just wants to be done and dusted so he can return home to his little brother.
Having not received the usual response that he always gave, Hokusai glanced at Kanata before both their attention shifted towards Suiseki-san, who clasped his hands together like some overjoyed brat,
“Haha! Excellent job, Hoshi.” Hokusai nodded his head with his usual indifference. And yet, Kanata saw the way the green eyes twinkled upon receiving the praise.
Not having the energy to comment or tease, Kanata just watched the older move towards the side before his eyes shifted to his shady boss upon hearing the familiar voice enveloping the room,
“My, my~ One would think you would already be acquainted with the club’s layout.”
The way Suiseki-san watched him as he tilted his head was either an innocent bewilderment or a mocking expression.
Either way, it made Kanata think the older man resembled a cat. He can’t believe this is the supposed head of the most feared yakuza family…
Kanata quickly shook his head when familiar words entered his head meant to tease his boss.
He doesn’t need to prolong his time here more than he already had when he could be on his way home to Nayuta.
With newfound vigour, Kanata moved towards the table where Suiseki-san patiently waited for him to answer with the same cat-like expression - not asking how the job was or where what he had asked for was.
Unable to help it, Kanata grind his teeth before letting out an annoyed sigh, promoting a snort from Hokusai.
Kanata ignored the man leaning against the wall, keenly watching the ridiculous interaction between him and his boss.
Seeing no other choice, Kanata answered in a meek voice through his teeth. He can only hope the older one won't-
“What was that~?”
Kanata felt his left eye twitch, instead of seeing the other nod in satisfaction, telling him to give him the collected money and leave, the old geezer shifted closer, putting his hand around his ear in a clearly teasing manner.
‘Seriously, what’s with these men-children.' Provoking him when he clearly wants to be finished and leave.
Trying to hold onto some semblance of politeness, Kanata replied a little louder. However, when the other only leaned closer, saying to say it again and louder, he can hear the thin string inside him snapping.
Taking a step forward, Kanata didn’t felt how the hoodie that was covering his face slid down - revealing his hair that he had to put into a side bun as they kept getting in the way - slamming his hand on the table, he replied in a loud voice,
“I said I do know you, deaf kusojiji!" Without letting anyone in the room take the stage and speak over him, Kanata continued - ignoring Suiseki-san's gleaming eyes,
"It’s just that your shitty club has so many stupid people who refuse to move because, god, how tragic would it be to miss out on the ass of a show that his place holds every. God. Damn. time.”
Too immersed in his rumbling, Kanata is ignorant to the large grin that was appearing on Suiseki-san's face as the older man leaned into his comfortable leathered chair; enjoying the show the younger was willingly giving him and Hokusai.
“Like, how hard is it to follow a simple beat?! Tone-deaf mediocre wash-ups, all of ‘em,”
Kanata didn’t care about the volume of his voice or whether he was insulting the head of Suiseki’s family in front of his face.
He continued his rude rumbling as he reached inside his kangaroo pocket, retreating a brown paper that was carefully wrapped to protect the money that Kanata was sent to collect from a bunch of nobodies,
“Seriously, you should think about setting ground rules for who can and can’t enter this shady hole in a wall,” Kanata threw the money onto the table. “Anyway, here is your dirty money. Can I-”
Somewhere throughout his rumbling, the older man took out his fan and was now trying to cover the shit-eating grin. Key word trying.
Seeing this, Kanata unapologetically glowered at the man who was not only his boss but was most likely armed with a gun under that obnoxious haori that he loved to wear.
Yet, instead of getting shot on the spot like any other person probably would in his place. The brown-haired man just let out a roaring laugh - the huge earrings dangling with the movement.
Seeing no end to the man’s hysteric laughter, Kanata glanced behind him at the man who brought him here for some explanation, only to see Hokusai,
‘Is he seriously sleeping?!’ Kanata snapped his head back to the yakuza boss, who was now brushing off the tears that started to gather in the corner of his eyes - slowly looking at him with a bright smile,
‘These people are nuts…’
To this day, Kanata is unsure how he survived. The sheer luck of the yakuza accepting his proposal to work for him when he came to this place for the first time.
He remembers how careful he was not to provoke or anger any of the members. However, he knew his defences would sharpen at some point, and he would snap one day due to the constant provoking.
And he did. He did so, realizing quite quickly what he had done, yet instead of being beaten to death, tortured or killed on the spot, the members just laughed - causing them to continue teasing him each day more and more.
The fact he’s standing here still breathing either proves the Suiseki family is that bored or they…
Before the familiar but unwanted thought could fully register in his brain, Kanata bit the inside of his cheek.
Once he tasted the copper on his tongue, did his thoughts shifted to him scolding his shitty self-preservation.
His brain putting the idea that these people could see him more than errand boy at the back of his head.
“Aaaah~ Kyatto-chan laughing is healthy, you know.” Kanata blinked few times as he watched Suiseki-san straightened back into his chair, “Should try it sometimes kid.”
He gave him a teasing look as he fixed some of the wrinkles on his clothes. However, Kanata knew those words were meant to be more than just a playful jab at his tired exterior.
Kanata unconsciously reached to touch the dark bags forming under his eyes before realizing what he was doing - snapping his eyes away from the older, he let his arms fall beside him.
Probably seeing that Kanata was not up for more teasing, Suiseki-san wordlessly reached for the bundle of money, weighting it with a serious expression.
Seriously. This guy is more fickle than Kanata could handle. And yet…
Whenever he enters the club, he can’t help but feel protected - as if he was covered by an invisible blanket or some shit.
Kanata won’t lie to himself. Such feelings always put him on the edge since he should be feeling anything but, considering who the club belonged to and what it brought him once upon a time.
Upon that thought, Kanata’s eyes darkened without him realising - Lazily gazing at Suiseki-san, who threw the bundle into the air before it landed into his open palm,
“Good job, Kyatto-chan~ Your well earned money was already transferred, so do yourself a favour and treat yourself and your little brother will you.”
Without breaking their eye contact, Suiseki-san hurled the bundle at Hokusai, who was seemingly dead to the world.
Kanata didn’t even flinched nor look behind to check whether the older man got hurt by how fast the bundle flew towards him - already anticipating the sound of Hokusai catching the money with his scary reflexes without even needing to open his eyes.
The fact is that Kanata nearly tripped on himself the first time he saw this - not thinking twice about jumping forward to save the creepy guy from having a concussion due to the heavy sum.
Only for him to be caught by Hokusai, who prevented him from having a concussion himself.
'How ironic…'
Grimacing at the past memory that awakened the gremlin laughter of Suiseki-san now resonating in his head - Kanata softly hit his ear before his focus was stolen once more by the man sitting in front of him.
Ignoring the soft noise of Hokusai getting up and leaving the room without uttering a goodbye - Kanata patiently waited for Suiseki-san to speak.
Once the door closed, the room surprisingly turned more serious.
Not knowing what to do other than wait - Kanata put his hands inside his kangaroo pocket and subconsciously reached for his hoodie to cover his face a little more before realizing there was nothing to grab.
Leaving his snow-like hair exposed with teal dye adoring the inner part of his hair with some purple highlight on the tips.
Realizing this, Kanata expected the other to comment on his new hair colour. Maybe scold him for using the money and risking his life for something as stupid as hair dye.
Yet none of that came. Instead, the other showed no interest in his new look - too interested in scanning Kanata's face with an unreadable expression.
Unable to help it, the usual tiredness enveloped him, encouraging him to quickly cover the yawn with his arm. Once done, Kanata shook his head in a fruitless attempt to stay awake.
Kanata can’t exactly pinpoint when, but somewhere at the start of the last year, he started to feel more tired and less motivated.
However, when sleep finally overtook him, he woke up not even 40 minutes later, unable to fall back and sleep - even if he used the old blanket he and Nayuta had stol- ehm…found yes, they found it.
During those times, all he could do was sit up and try composing or playing offline games, while his brother used him as his personal heather.
The only time he doesn’t feel any of this is when he works or is just busy. Otherwise, it felt like his brain and body couldn’t decide what they wanted. His heart silent and his soul- !
Kanata felt his eyes widen as a sudden chill ran down his spine - sooner that he would like the all too familiar feeling of a cold rain pouring down enveloped his body.
The rain felt piercing, as if it was trying to penetrate his skin - bringing the coldness into his body.
The unexplained wind soon joined, ruffling his already messy hair as he was uselessly standing over-
“Ey, Kyatto-chan! Don’t leave the present yet.”
Hearing fingers snapping near his face, Kanata blinked bewilderedly - looking as if waking up from a dream.
It took some time for his vision to finally clear out where he didn’t see the blend of reality, and whatever hallucination kept messing with his head these days.
Ignoring the dull pain in his head, Kanata took a deep breath and slowly looked around the room, still in Suiseki-san’s office. Upon hearing said man move, Kanata turned back, watching the other return to his seat.
Suiseki-san gave him once over before shaking his head in dismissal. If Kanata hadn’t felt like he was run over by thousands of middle schoolers, he would have teased the other - comparing him to a worried mother hen just to ease the tension in the room.
Clearly knowing the younger won’t talk, Suiseki-san took it upon himself to put the tension aside to voice the reason why Kanata was still here and not on his way home.
“Anyways, there is still some business to discuss between you and me.”
Feeling the warmth slowly returning to his body, Kanata quickly replied; not wanting the feeling to return. He hoped Suiseki-san couldn't sense the slight shakiness in his voice,
“What else is there, old man? You have the money, I don’t recall you telling me-”
“Did you think of my proposal for-”
“No.”
Kanata cut off Suiseki-san’s question without even letting the older one finish. His voice turned sharp as he swiftly shut any proposition that could have followed.
But if working for this madman taught Kanata anything, it was that if he was stubborn, Nayuta spoiled, then Iori Suiseki was his own fucking category altogether.
Not wanting to lose this opportunity of having the upper hand, Kanata swiftly turned around and, without hesitation, strode towards the door.
Undeterred by the screeching of a chair being pushed a little too harshly against the polished floor, Kanata reached to open the door.
Not wanting to stop in his mission to leave even when he heard the boyish voice speak behind him,
“I know what happened had to be distressful! But it was dealt with. Kanata, you can’t expect to continue doing this without fully facing the consequences one of these days.”
Ignoring how the older finally called him by his name instead of Kyatto-chan, however, upon hearing the following words, Kanata couldn't help feeling his side throb from the bruise that was slowly blooming on his skin.
At first, it scared him how Suiseki-san was able to know that someone was hurt. However, the longer he worked for the lunatic, the less it became scary and more so expected.
What was unusual was the older man speaking in such a strong and serious voice to him.
Usually when he did, Kanata was just a bystander who watched the older man showcasing why he was feared just as much followed religiously by his loyal underlings.
Seeing that nothing he was doing was getting through Kanata’s thick skull, Suiseki-san picked his next words carefully - finally making the younger stop from opening the door.
“What about Nayuta-kun.”
His brother's name made Kanata finally freeze in a spot - sweat slowly forming on his arms as he clenched both his hands. The cold handle somehow grounding him from doing something truly stupid.
But instead of taking this as a sign to stop, the older man continued poking at the aggravated street cat,
“If something happens to you and you won’t return back home, how do you think Nayuta-kun would-”
“Urusai na!”
After that, the room fell into stillness, with neither of the parties daring to make the first move.
However, Kanata couldn’t give two shits whether he just disrespected the yakuza, who may or may not have understood his spoken dialect.
Even though the older man had shown him kindness, that made him feel even more on edge. In his head, he couldn’t help but wait for Suiseki-san to stab him and do something to either him or his little brother.
'No way someone is this caring without having ulterior motives.'
Shaking from all the adrenalin that was now pumping through his body with his brain deciding whether to fight or fight.
Kanata won’t blame himself for jumping a little when a heavy hand falls on his head, making him stand still like a statue.
Not knowing what to expect, Kanata felt his eyes widen even more once the feeling of being patted registered in his brain.
Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, the same hand left his head with its owner, letting out a long sigh.
Unsure of how to react or feel, Kanata moved closer to the door, carefully watching the other murmuring something under his breath before his dark eyes that hid a hue of purple locked with his wide greys.
They stared at each other for a few more seconds before Suiseki-san shook his head - an easy smile slowly forming on his handsome face, “Boke kid~.”
Kanata scrunched his face, trying to translate whatever the old man called him. But seeing as his brain was unwilling to cooperate, he settled for being called stupid kid or some similar phrase.
‘But if he called me cute…’ Glaring at the other, Kanata was not even surprised when he got ignored,
“I won’t force you into anything. And definitely not after what happened, too.”
Upon hearing the words, Kanata felt his body slowly relaxed. Having to see the shift, Suiseki-san continued with his usual tone of voice,
“However, I would still like it if you considered it more thoroughly, yes?”
Kanata could already feel the headache returning. Something tells him he won’t be able to leave unless he gives some indication that yes, I will - Kanata rubbed his forehead in an attempt to ease the pain before letting out a deep sigh.
“Whatever, yes. I go back home, sit under a light with my nonexistent glasses, book in hand and I'll think. Satisfied old man?”
Suiseki-san ignored his snippy tone, only focusing on the word yes.
Kanata scoffed once he met the satisfied face of the man who could snap his neck in half if he truly desired.
Thinking on the basis that the man had such a powerful presence yet acted like a child made Kanata scrunched his nose.
If he had such a presence, he wouldn’t be in the slumps with his brother getting the top treatment this shitty nation could offer.
Seeing that there was nothing else to say, Kanata waved his hand dismissively, “If that’s all, I’ll be on my way. See ya-!”
Before he could even touch the handle, Suiseki-san grabbed both his shoulders, successfully stopping him from moving and causing his eyes to widen and his heart to jump,
"The fuck-"
“Atatata! Where do you think you’re going, Kyatto-chan? I still have one job for you to finish today~.”
Seeing the creepy grin forming on the others face sent chills down Kanata's spine as his body instinctually tensed once more.
Unable to shake off the feeling of being held under the claws of a tiger who couldn’t help but play with him before striking him with his final blow.
'Fuck this, fuck the child labouring lunatic. Selling flour and pretending it's cocaine is less worrisome!'
Murmuring under his breath as he moved past the crowd of drunkards who didn’t know the last thing about fashion or modesty for the record.
Kanata pushed through the sweaty and smelly crowd of teenagers the same age, maybe even younger than him, with some older geezer here and there or a woman in the mix.
He could never understand how instead of enjoying the student life and being grateful for their parents and roof over their heads, these assholes went out and spent their parents money for the short pleasure given by alcohol and sex.
Kanata clenched his hands before relaxing his fist up once he felt the flyer crumbling under his hands.
He can’t believe all that bravado was for him to be told to pin this stupid flyer on the bullet board near the entrance.
Wrinkling his nose either from the thought of these people or the smell of smoke, sweat and alcohol mixed together, he doesn't know.
The only thing on his mind was to do another job and go home.
Kanata was ignored by everyone around him as he trying pushing past some group of dancing fools - not fully registering when his shoulder collided with one of them, causing the lady to stumbled on her feet and fell onto the floor.
Kanata ignored the drunker's cruising aimed at him - not worried about being followed as the girl was clearly not in her right mind to even walk straight.
'Break up maybe?'
Not being able to help it, Kanata threw the lady once over before his gaze instinctually moved towards the bar, ‘Those idiots should call a taxi or better yet, security.’
However, instead of caring for the safety of everyone like they were supposed to, the bartenders and the hostess were too busy…flirting.
Kanata scowled at the scene before turning to look for a guard or something. It may not be his job, but it's hard to shake off old habits.
Safely tucking his hands into his kangaroo pocket to keep the flyer from crumbling even more, Kanata looked around for any bouncer or one of Suiseki-san’s lackeys.
However, when all he saw were moving bodies with no visible sign of them parting, Kanata let out a frustrated sigh.
Moving his hand to retreat the phone given to him by the Suiseki family from the back pocket, Kanata glanced at the lady who was hiccuping while trying to get up.
No wasting time, Kanata quickly unlocked the phone before choosing to text the least annoying idiot from his limited contact:
- Right-hand slave -
Kanata: Drunker stage 5 → right side of the podium (centre)
Zen: . . .
Seeing the three dots pop up, Kanata didn’t bother seeing the reply from the man. Tucking the phone back, Kanata threw one last glance at the lady who was now being supported by what he hopes is her group trying to catch her breath.
Ignoring the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, Kanata scowled at the small group, who were in their early 30s, before moving ahead towards the bullet board.
He just wanted to go home.
Kanata hopes Nayuta isn’t feeling lonely or bored. Should he use the money to go buy something better than some shitty ramen...
Unable to help it, Kanata bit his lips, ‘I shouldn’t spend so much. I need to save up for his supplements.’
It was rare for him to get his little brother the much-needed medicine. However, he tried to first and foremost provide food and warmth before trying to have the luxury of Nayuta's medicine.
Kanata didn’t fight the path his thoughts were leading him towards. Even if it meant that he would be more in a sour mood with the feeling of guilt and regret creeping behind him.
Anything was better than whatever those hallucinations were whenever he found himself doing nothing.
Soon enough, the irritation that was so familiar to him returned, causing his slow and meek footsteps shift to his usual fast-paced and rough movements.
As he finally pushed out of the crowd and out into the open that was making the entrance, Kanata finally took in much needed air.
Even if it was still heavy, to his assault nose it felt like a fresh mountain breeze.
Shaking off the feeling of being touched by the sweaty bodies of strangers, Kanata releases a sigh he didn’t even know he was holding when he set his sight on the board. Once he puts up this stupid paper, he can finally go…home?
Stopping in his movements to put up the flyer in his hand, Kanata's gaze falls on another flyer promoting,
‘Paradox…live?’ Kanata’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion before, finally, recognition flashed in his greyish eyes at the word Paradox.
If his memory serves him right, this is either a stupid advertisement tactic to lure naive rappers into some shady competition that would gain them everything and those who compete nothing.
Or…
Kanata chews on his bottom lip, feeling his arms fall a little - the music in the background reminding him where exactly he is. Suiseki-san may be a dangerous and fickle man, but he is fair.
Well, as fair as yakuza can be, he supposed. But Kanata knows he wouldn’t let some scam be put on the-?!
Just as he thought that his eyes fell on the flyer he was holding only to lock eyes with a poorly drawn chibi of Suiseki-san with his signature tobacco pipe pointing at the obnoxiously written text that said:
Wanna experience the true sweetness of the CANDY? Subscribe to our monthly subscription NOW,
“How much?!” Shocked by the price, Kanata brought the flyer closer to himself, thinking his eyesight must be at fault.
But even up close, the zeros did not go down; if anything, it seems there was more.
‘Do people really pay…’ Just as quickly the thought appeared, so did Kanata dismissed it.
The people who visit the club CANDY are lonely and are trying to find kinship, so he wouldn’t be surprised if a bunch of losers would subscribe to have the ‘special treatment’.
Rolling his eyes at his boss's scumminess, Kanata quickly pinned the flyer onto the board and prepared to leave.
However…just as he took a few steps ahead, the feeling that he should do something stopped him in his tracks.
Kanata let his head look over his shoulder as his eyes locked onto the innocent flyer. Mulling over the possibility of going home to his brother and his…
‘Aaaagh! Fuck this!’
Turning around, he swiftly approached the flyer before quickly scanning the text. He won’t stop thinking that this isn’t a scam, but he will also hope that it is not - now where is the important…part.
Kanata read the rewards repeatedly to the point where even his forgetful brain will remember them forever.
Ten billion yen and the opportunity to go toe to toe with Buraikan. The founders of Club Paradox.
Less interested in the famous rap duo that disappeared together with the club, Kanata was more focused on winning the sum of money.
Without wasting a second more, Kanata took out the phone - taking at least five pictures just in case one was blurry or it somehow didn’t save.
Satisfied, Kanata went lower to see how to register, only to see when and where the competition would take place.
Either there was no registration, and this was only to advertise the event that was in full production, or the participants could be anyone.
Unsure which is more likely, Kanata stepped away from the board towards the wall; not wanting to stand in the way of the walking patrons, before doing a quick Moogle search.
A few minutes passed in total silence with the occasional curse under his breath as his frustration grew with each page stating the same thing, time and place with no registration button.
Kanata clicked his tongue as he closed another useless page, scrolling down to the searching bar, he was about to change what he had typed to something more ridiculous and longer, only to feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up.
Suddenly, Kanata was not the only one near the wall staring into the phone.
Feeling someone's presence stopped behind him, Kanata didn't dare to flinch when he felt the stranger loom over his shoulder.
Choosing to slow down his breathing, Kanata felt his heart beat against his chest as whoever was towering over him, doing whatever this perv was-
“Oh! There is no registration. You are just supposed to- Oof!”
The second the man spoke with a hint of a foreign accent, Kanata didn’t even think as his elbow connected with the weirdo's stomach.
Once Kanata felt the other slumped over, letting out a pained noise, he stepped from the taller man and turned around, clenching the phone to his chest with wild eyes, breathing heavily.
‘Stupid idiot looking-!’ His startled expression soon shifted to confusion as Kanata fully saw the pervert.
Kanata had to hit the guy harder than he intended to as he was still slumped over, groaning and murmuring something that sounded entirely different from Japanese.
The guy had dull red hair - most likely a far cry from what once had to be a bright red - with three strands of hair sticking upwards, making the fool look like a…rooster?