Back in Town

Fortunately, Ryuji had no more random run-ins on his way back to Kakushicho. He heaved a sigh of relief as he spotted the gaudy archway that called out the cheesy fanciness of this area. The sun was beginning to set, but the lights on it had not turned on. Otherwise, a red glow of LEDs would have blanketed the street below.

A wave of pedestrians crossed right by the arch, mindfully keeping away from the city’s moral gray area. Occasional strays ducked through the entrance, an aura for pleasure-seeking lighting up their faces.

That was the nature of the district Ryuji called home. It was a spot where members of the yakuza thrived and patrons with fat wallets unloaded – full of bars, pachinko, and clubs, and the rare whimsy for those looking for something a bit on the questionable side.

Ryuji’s head tilted toward the incessant cascade of metal balls tumbling, seeing Grace eye the colorful screens with avid curiosity. A look on the other side of the street gave him eye contact with a local barker, who tried to come forward with his typical pitch of ‘girls, girls, girls!’

Ryuji shot him a strong look of disinterest to make him back off, before seeing Grace pop out from the stairs behind the barker, dressed in a bunny girl outfit. Seeing an ounce of hesitation, the barker tried to weasel in again, but Ryuji quickly recovered and bared his teeth this time. A shiver went down the man’s spine as he avoided messing with the wrong kind of ‘impulse’.

For the first time in a while, he felt self-conscious of where he was walking. The streets of Kakushicho were gearing up for another night of business, and while Ryuji knew all about the inner workings of these buildings, that was something he cared not to share with Grace. Perhaps, her childish temperament and innocence made him feel a bit guilty, so he focused his eyes forward and cleared his thoughts.

“This seems like a lively place.” Grace tiptoed over when she realized that she was being ignored.

“Not exactly the place for young ojou-samas or artificial intelligence, now is it? Doubly so since I can’t quite figure out what you are.”

“How rude. Dr. Higashi showed me plenty of things about such culture. It’s hardly something for me to bat an eye at, given what I’ve seen in people’s minds.”

Certainly, it seemed like the Doc was an eccentric. Who knew how long he spent filling her head with random junk? Ryuji subconsciously cracked his knuckles at the thought of Ojou becoming impure from it. But then, he relaxed. It was hard keeping an untarnished memory intact for so many years. Though she was in a different form, he couldn’t stop seeing Grace as that little girl in front of the piano.

“I see. Then you wouldn’t mind hitting the bars with me.”

“Only if you drink something tasty. Remember that we share consciousness. I taste what you taste, so go easy on the beer and hard liquor.”

“Heh, you didn’t make any comments when I gorged myself earlier.”

“The food was so yummy. Why would I complain? I was just surprised by how much you could pack in and not feel full.”

“Heh, figures that you weren’t a picky eater.”

v

“Is there anything you don’t like to eat?”

Ryuji prodded around for Miyabi’s favorites, if only to get a better sense of what pastry to make next. Miyabi’s head rolled around her shoulders, wracking her mind at what to choose.

“I’m pretty much made to eat everything I’m given, so there’s not really anything that I avoid… Of course, there are many foods I like. Sweets, seaweed, and freeze-dried fruit, for example… I like things that tickle my tongue with a sharp flavor.”

“Even zucchini?”

“…if I have to.”

“I don’t like it either, but my parents found a way to force it on me. Did you know that you can make a sweet bread with it?”

Miyabi’s eyes lit up with curiosity, sparkling for every new thing she encountered.

“Mash it up and mix in eggs and flour and sugar. After baking, it turns into a loaf of fluffy, sweet bread that goes amazing when the butter melts and drips all over it- Ojou, you’re drooling.”

“B-But, that sounds so yummy!”

“I’ll bring you some next time. Of course, it won’t be as good unless you’re right there when it pops out of the oven.”

v

Ryuji suddenly had a craving for something sweet. His gaze hovered to the window of a nearby café, eyeing some cakes in the see-through counter. But then, he turned away.

Now wasn’t the time to indulge in such things. He still needed to get his bearings and check in with the rest of his crew. Picking up the pace, he thought Grace shot him a look of disappointment, but then, he knew otherwise.

“Ryuji.”

“Yeah, I hear ‘em.”

A set of footsteps suddenly felt a bit too in-sync. Not to mention, there were quite a few of them. Ryuji looked to the corner of his vision, seeing several masked men lurking from a distance. He made sure to appear aloof at their presence, continuing his stride toward his apartment.

He looked forward at Grace, who wore a concerned face as she hovered in front of him. Fortunately, she could be his eyes instead.

“How many do you count?”

“Fifteen, no, sixteen. Armed with knives and pipes. One with a gun.”

“Tch. Underestimating me, aren’t y’all?”

Ryuji turned down a corner and kicked to a dash. He flew through quiet, narrow alleyways that wove behind the busier main streets. The footsteps behind him grew louder; they picked up that he was onto them.

But before they could organize any way to flank him, Ryuji leapt up and grabbed the drooping ladder of an emergency exit, shimmying to the balcony above. He watched as the group tailing him ran below, before he plummeted right on top of a straggler.

The man groaned as feet slammed right into his jaw, knocking him cold when he hit the ground. The others turned around at the sudden ambush, shocked expressions evident even through the face coverings. A left and right jab snapped two men’s heads back before Ryuji followed up with a kick that swept both their feet and sent them crashing.

The glint of knives caught Ryuji’s gaze as he spun out of one’s reach. He quickly grabbed the hand which was attached to it and did a shoulder throw into the adjacent wall, following up with a knee into the back to sandwich him for good measure.

“Ryuji!”

He quickly ducked as a muffled gunshot echoed, the bullet whizzing by with a visible trail, the trajectory of its ricochet following down the narrow walls. Now annoyed, he clawed at someone standing by the leg, using his strength to uproot him into the air. The tossed man flew past his comrades and plowed right into the gunman, who tried to shove him off.

A fist came into his vision right as he did, smashing his mask and face along with it. The punch came with a cost though, as Ryuji gritted his teeth. He wanted to quickly dispatch the leader of the pack, forgoing all defense for the deciding blow. With fury, his face looked left and right at the minions who felt like taking a lucky shot with their pipes.

It was scary enough to make them drop everything and back off, lest they were next on the makeover list. Of course, one person didn’t get the message, so Ryuji palmed his face before slamming him into the ground. The unnatural crack of bones was enough to send them all scampering away.

“Tch. How the hell did they follow me all the way here?”

Ryuji stared at the spot where the group was for a moment before dropping down to hold his side.

“Damn, overdid it again. Shit’s bleeding now.”

“Hey! You should take better care of yourself! That hurt, you know!”

Grace’s high-pitched chirp made him look up. She held puffed up cheeks like she was angry. Instantly, he realized that the blows that he took had been felt by her.

“My bad. I normally just shrug off attacks like that.”

“You purposefully ignored all the warnings I gave you! Getting hit is not good for your body, especially since you’re still hurt!”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it, Miss Nurse. I’ll keep it in mind.”

Ryuji scratched his head, not knowing how to react with someone chiding him on his style. He had been actively ignoring those motion lines in his vision, placed there by Grace. Settling on his instincts to quickly dispatch his opponents, he ran headlong into attacks. Even if he got hurt, it would end the fight sooner. Dragging it on would make him worse off.

Shrugging off the pain and fixing his clothes, Ryuji walked back toward the main street. He wasn’t far from his apartment now. He could dial up the cavalry afterward.

Night falling made it easier for him to avoid any more encounters, as the streets were now full of wandering patrons looking for a good time. He could blend right into the stream of people. No rightful yakuza would rush into a crowd of civilians to unleash havoc. The consequences would be too dire.

Before long, Ryuji reached the stairs to his apartment, in which he sailed up the steps. He grabbed the hidden key tucked under some loose tiling by his apartment door. The door slammed shut, giving Ryuji a moment to let out a huge sigh of relief.

“Annoying bastards. Can’t believe they followed me all the way here.”

“Quite a popular person, aren’t you?”

Ryuji glanced toward Grace. He reached over and tried to grab her cheeks, only for his hands to go right through her. A wrinkle of disappointment fell on his brow.

“Tch, can’t even get back at you for snide comments like I do with the boys.”

Grace responded with a cheeky grin, like a child knowing that she got away with something.

“Ah, forget it! I’ll just sleep then!”

Ryuji’s eyes were barely open. He felt drained by everything that had happened in one day. He didn’t know if it was the blood loss or his brain getting overloaded. The only thing that was for sure was that he wouldn’t be able to make it much farther without some rest.

He plopped heavily onto his bed and was out like a light. Just in time for the neon signs of Kakushicho to flicker on.

v

“Eyes up! They’re coming!”

Ryuji’s gaze darted over to Shiroyan’s warning before looking down a dark street. A headlight beamed right at them, the engine for it revving up.

“Those punks want more, don’t they? Surprising when they can’t take it as much as they can dish it.”

Ozaki walked forward, dragging some unconscious punk by the collar before tossing him casually to the side. He had a blue headband wrapped around his arm, like others that were sprawled on the ground.

Ryuji could taste iron in his spit. He rubbed his lips and found fresh blood dripping from his nose. Shiroyan and Ozaki had similar stains of red smeared on their cheeks like war paint. Regardless, they were all standing, unlike their enemies.

The roar of the engine kicked up again, the sound of acceleration sending a warning.

Heh, showing off their little toys. They think that makes them rule the streets.

Ryuji didn’t have the money to buy such things. He was merely a high schooler that roamed the streets at night with his buddies. He didn’t need any shows of power beyond raising his fists.

Several more roars of the engines joined in. A whole crowd of bikers came after them, cowards who left the brawl to hide behind gas and metal. Ryuji saw them wielding bats held up high, aiming to strike as they passed.

The first one was met with a crossed pair of arms from Ryuji, weathering the blow as the biker cackled from the attack. Shiroyan ducked under the next, slashing the tires as it went by. The motorbike took a rough turn into the sidewalk and crashed, tossing its rider into some trash cans.

Meanwhile, Ozaki took the full brunt of the bat to the chest. Rather than him folding, the sound of yet another bike crashing caused the others to pause. The bat was pressed firmly against his chest, but the one holding it was midair as well, legs kicking in panic having been plucked from his vehicle.

“That tickles. If you’re gonna swing, you might as well aim for a home run.”

The biker screamed as he was suddenly spun around and around, the momentum picking up until he was sent flying away. Over a fence and into some caged parking lot, all that could be heard was a heavy crash, followed by a car alarm going off.

“Time limit’s set! Let’s clean up before the cops come!” Ryuji yelled out.

Another biker shot forward, looking to break the standstill first.

“Ryuji, catch!”

A bicycle came rolling toward Ryuji, compliments of Shiroyan. He didn’t hesitate to snatch it up, swinging full force at the incoming biker. A loud crunch sounded as the bicycle slammed sideways into oncoming traffic, sending the surprised rider flipping in the air.

Ryuji walked right over to the other downed motorbike, hoisting it up with one hand, ready for another swing.

The atmosphere of the fight grew ten degrees cooler at the sight of it. Every headlight turned into a taillight as the sounds of engines slowly receded.

Shiroyan and Ozaki came up and playfully punched him on the shoulder.

“That’ll show ‘em. You made them shit their pants.”

“Any more of this and no one’s gonna want to fight us. How boring that would be.”

Ryuji let out a chuckle. He could face anyone with friends like these.

But then, the sound of a lone pair of footsteps brought him back. He eyed the figure in the darkness, slowly coming forward, despite all that had just happened. Whoever it was, they dared to mess with the Yabai Devils even after they had made short work of the Blue Crusaders.

Ryuji squinted to see who it was, until he noticed pink tresses dangling in front of a sleek leather coat draped over her shoulders.

“Yamaoka Ryuji! I humbly request for a duel!” a familiar feminine voice called out. A plastic straw dangled from her mouth like a cigarette, in an effort to look cooler. A comically large cap covered half her face as she dramatically pointed her declaration with a side eye and a pose. Overall, she looked like a kid trying to cosplay as her favorite gangster.

It made Ryuji burst out in laughter.

“G-Grace? Wh-Wh-What the hell?! Why the outfit?! Oh, I get it! It’s a dream! I’m stuck in a memory again!”

Grace cutely puffed up her face in annoyance.

“I’m serious, you know.”

Despite that, Ryuji couldn’t help but find it precious and amusing. He looked around for his friends, but they had somehow disappeared. It was a shame because he wanted to see their reactions.

“The boys don’t know what their miss-”

A sudden punch sent Ryuji hurling backwards. He stomped the ground awkwardly, trying to regain his balance. His head whipped forward to see Grace with her fist out. The pain of his cheek made his defenses flare up. Instantly, Ryuji understood that it was not a joke.

Grace stepped forward, far faster than any other fighter. If it weren’t for the trail of pink, Ryuji wouldn’t have had time to step back. An uppercut grazed his forearms, making them tingle from the friction of the block. She followed up with a spin kick that aimed for his head, which he awkwardly fell backwards and rolled to recover.

“Those, they’re my moves.”

Grace nodded and stuck out her tongue.

“In a dream, I can make anything possible. Your moves are my moves, so you better learn to dodge seriously. I’m not going to let you brush off my warnings, Doctor’s orders.”

Ryuji weaved past another swing that came for him. He now regretted brushing her off and simply going to bed. Dreams were Grace’s domain, after all. He would think twice before pissing her off before calling it a night.

“Let’s take it from the top! Ora ora ora!”

Ryuji bounced around, avoiding her attacks, until he lazily accepted an innocent-enough looking one in the middle of the flurry. The gentle fist of Grace slammed into Ryuji’s chest with the force of a wrecking ball, causing his eyes to bug out as all the air left his lungs. He toppled over like an origami blown by the wind.

“I told you to dodge seriously. And here I thought a legendary yakuza would be able to avoid a few tricks,” Grace said deviously. She knew that he couldn’t hit her back.

“Fine! I’ll play your game! I dodge them all!”

When Ryuji set out to do something, there was nothing stopping him.

v

Ryuji woke up with bags under his eyes. It felt like he hadn’t slept at all. An annoying buzz echoed within the room, making Ryuji look all around to see what had disturbed his slumber.

Finally, he went to the drawers in his desk, pulling out a spare cell phone that he kept on hand. Clicking it on, he found several missed calls, instantly reigniting his warning levels.

This number was meant to be called only during emergencies, and all three of his captains – Ozaki, Morinaga, and Awano – had done so multiple times.

He clicked Ozaki to call him back first. But after many rings, he didn’t pick up. He dialed Morinaga next, and then Awano. But no one picked up.

“That is not a good sign.”

Ozaki, he could understand. He had a penchant for becoming too absorbed into his day-to-day whims. He wasn’t worried about him unless an hour passed without any callback. But both Morinaga and Awano, loyal followers to a fault, not answering him immediately after dialing for help, it seemed that he had quite a bit of catching up needed.

Just as Ryuji was about to make tracks, his phone buzzed again. He quickly snapped it up to his ear.

“Tell me the situation.”

“A-Aniki! I finally got ahold of you!”

“Ozaki, what’s going on?! Spill! I got calls from the other captains too! I doubt you’re all just worried about me.”

“It’s the club! A large group has us surrounded. I don’t mind getting a bit rough, but it’s getting a bit too much for the boys. Not to mention, I can’t let any of them so much as touch the girls.”

“What’s with the panic, Ozaki? A bunch of Azumito guys coming to invade, and you come running to me, fresh out of the hospital. That’s not like you.”

“Aniki, it’s not the Azumito Alliance.”

“Huh, then who?”

“The Shindou Family.”