NN

“B-but sir! There are steps to these types of things! You can’t just run off and accept any contract you please! We are on important business!”

“Boring!”

“Sir, please, be rational. If you run off to do this mission, you might die. What will we do about investigating the shadow beast?”

“I am investigating, but in a not-so-boring way. You’ll see Takeba, now stop calling me with all this boring investigative nonsense.” The strange man hung up the phone and slouched in the backseat of the limousine, his eyes meeting with the capped drivers for just a split second. He propped his leg up on the door and his head with one of his arms.

“Can you believe this? K-Corp International drops me in Japan and expects me to follow all of Takeba's boring rules. Are they insane or what?”

“Very insane, sir.”

“There’s no need to call me sir.” The man huffed and got into a regular seating position.

“There are rumors of a girl by the name of Himeno Takeba being extremely similar to big boss Takeba in terms of appearance. The girl went on record multiple times stating she's not related to him in any way. I wonder about that.” He spoke mostly to himself, “Do you wonder about that, Mr driver?”

“I am not paid to wonder about these things.”

“I should’ve expected a typical boring answer from someone like you.” He allowed his head to slink down, allowing the driver a full view of the man's pink braided hair.

“What makes that situation so funny is that this Himeno Takeba girl has been rising through K-corps ranks; they say that in no time, she could be placed in an elite position. How interesting, how interesting, how interesting.” He slung his head back up, staring through the sunroof with a half-smile.

“I wonder, can she help me have fun?” He placed a finger on his pink lips.

“Himeno Takeba, Himeno Takeba, Himeno Takeba. Yes, she’ll join my elite squad, I know just the type of girl she is.” He threaded his hands together, his feet tapping on the floor with enthusiasm.

“Hmm. Hmm.” He hummed. “Alright!” He abruptly spoke, “Here's fine!”

“W-what? S-sir, with all due respect, this isn’t the designated drop-off area-”

“I already told you, didn't I? I have no interest in being Big Boss Takeba's little lap-dog; that just isn’t fun for me. You get what I’m saying? Now pull over, I’ve got things to do.”

“Yes, right away sir.”

“And stop with the sir nonsense.”

“R-right.”

The limo came to an abrupt stop, the sound of horns blaring echoing in the streets. The man swung the door open, flopping out of the car and tumbling onto his back before quickly standing back up. He wrapped around toward the driver's side, gesturing for the driver to roll down his window.

“I remember your boss telling you to do whatever is in my best interest, and right now I have a deep desire to meet this Himeno Takeba woman. So, see to it that she calls me within the next twelve hours. Got that?”

“Yes, I will get right on that!”

“Good man!” A wide smile spread across his face, his hand tapping the top of the limo, “Now get on!” The car screeched off, leaving the man alone on the street.

“Now then.” He turned to face a narrow alleyway on the other side of the street, sitting between a small grocery store and a bar.

He waltzed into the alley, whistling along the way, when two men in black hoods with long knives jumped out at him.

“Hand over your wallet!” One shouted, his voice muffled by the face covering around his lips.

“Hey, where's a nice and cheap place to eat around here?” He stood before them both with his hands in the pockets of his overcoat.

“What the hell are you blabbering about? We said Hand over your damn wallet!” The other shouted.

“Hey, hey. I just thought two gutter-rats like yourselves would know where a good place to eat is. You see, the boss man got mad at me last time I traveled overseas due to the expenses I racked up on food.”

“Do you think this is some type of game?” The first man's hand began to wobble as his grip tightened. He charged forward, knife held at his hip.
He let out an irritated sigh, taking one powerful step toward the man and slamming his head onto the nose of his attacker, both their visions flashing black and white. His attacker stumbled backward, both his hands clenched around his nose, blood seeping through the cracks in his fingers.

“My freggen nose!” He gargled on his own words, continuously stepping backward.

“I asked you where a nice and cheap place to eat was, now answer my question unless you want me to head-butt you again.” He approached slowly, rubbing his forehead and wincing. “And don’t you even think about it.” He flashed the other man a dead look, his knife clattering onto the floor, and his hands reaching toward the sky.

“Place to eat. Tell me now.”

“Right, right. There’s this restaurant-”

|

A calm hour went by, and the strange man sat alone in a small restaurant, hands fidgeting with pieces of napkin atop his booth's table. It was a small and homey place. Above each booth was a flower pot full of brimming leaves, the floor was covered in calm beige tile, and only a handful of others occupied the space, including waiters and waitresses. A sudden vibration in his coat pocket caught his attention.

“Hello?” He spoke.

“Is this the man who was asking for me?” A cold womanly voice answered.

“That depends. Is your name Himeno Takeba?”

“It is.”

“Good. Then yes, I am the man who was asking about you.”

“If this is about those rumors, let me save us both the time. No, I am not related to boss Takeba.”

“I’d be lying if I said that didn’t play a part in me seeking you out. I actually wanted you to party with me for a mission.”

“What type of mission?”

“Sorry, I’d like to disclose the details in person if that’s alright with you? If you’re interested you can meet me-”

Some more time passed, and eventually, she arrived. The fabled Himeno Takeba in all her glory. She was tall for a woman, and her figure was muscular and built. She wore baggy blue jeans and a black T-shirt with the name “Ringo Sheena” in red bold on its chest. Her hair was cut to her nape, her eyes a golden brown, and her face devoid of any expression. Her eyes fell on the lonely man at his booth, taking cautious steps toward him before settling down in front of him.

“Hello, Himeno.”

She didn’t respond.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of the shadow beast, especially considering your amazing work ethic. I’ve accepted a contract that I believe may be connected to the shadow beast case. It’s high-priority and pays very well. I’m assembling a team, and I think you should be a part of it.”

“Uh-huh. Why me?” She spoke plainly.

“You’re great at your job, you’re striving for the top, and I suspect that you may be Boss Takeba's secret daughter.”

“Are you serious?” She scoffed.

“Hear me out for just a second.” He spoke calmly, “This job entails hunting down a high-priority anomaly here in Japan. You wanna rise in the ranks? This is your opportunity.”

“Just by looking at you, I can tell you aren’t a regular member of K-corp. On top of that, you can obtain high-priority contracts and get into contact with other members of K-Corp with ease. With the reasons you’ve provided, I have no reason to align myself with the likes of you, and the same goes for the opposite statement. You can contact any elite-level dungeon crawler or bounty hunter, yet you sought me out specifically, and with a subpar reason at that. Don’t screw with me. What’s your real reason for contacting me?”

“My reasons may seem very shallow, but they are the truth, Himeno Takeba. I’m interested in working with you, and I know you’re interested in rising to the top, so what’s the issue here?” He tilted his head with frustrated confusion.

“You don’t know a damn thing about what I want. Who says I want to rise to the top? How do you know what I dream of?” She crossed her arms, her biceps flexing through the fabric of her shirt.

“I guess I misjudged you, Takeba.” He lifted his head back up, tilting in the opposite direction, “Perhaps I can change your mind by discussing the contract a bit more?”

She didn’t respond.

“A few years ago, here in Japan, an anomaly managed to escape from the custody of K-Corp. Apparently, it's a mighty beast with the ability to shape-shift. Not much is known about it besides that, making this a very high-priority contract for K-Corp.”

Himeno's eyes widened, her hands gripping around her biceps, and a flash of fire sparked in her eye.

“Avoid that contract if you know what’s best for you.” She stood suddenly, her balled fists slamming down onto the table, “No one's succeeded in finding her so far, so I suggest you heed my warning.”

She began to storm off.

“Her?” The man called after her, stopping Himeno in her tracks, “You called the monster her, even though I only referred to the creature as ‘it’. Why is that?”

“Screw off, you freak.” She left without another word.

“My nose always leads me to the most interesting places.” The man remarked.

|

Night had fallen, the sun set, the moon took its rise. The man sat silently at his desk, a blaring laptop screen before him, everything around him cast in darkness. He kept himself wrapped tightly in a warm blanket, his eyes throbbing at the constant scrolling on his laptop. The scrolling stopped, and a picture caught his eye; something about him was captivating. The man in the picture had a deadpan stare, and his hair was long and strawberry colored.

“Junepai Nakamura.” He muttered to himself. He clicked on his profile, and a new tab loaded.

"Graduated from the youth program, paid off his debt by sixteen. He’s a free-lancer now, huh. Was he adopted into the program at ten? He’s been credited with completing the most contracts in the youth program for two consecutive years.” His eyes widened, twinkling at the prospect before him.

He picked his phone up from beside his laptop and punched in a number.

“Hey.” Someone spoke from the other line.

“I need to get into contact with something.”
“Who?”

“Junepai Nakamura, he’s nineteen years of age, five eight, one-seventy pounds.”

“Ok, that should be enough.”

There was a long moment of silence, the sound of clicking on the other line growing louder until finally he spoke again.

“Junepai Nakamura has accepted a contract to guard the perimeter of a distortion possibly related to the shadow beast. He sets off for this mission tomorrow.”

“Send me the address.”

“Right. May I ask why you’re so interested in this Junepai person?”

“He may be able to help me find something I’ve been looking for.”

“Right, the address is in your inbox, and please, be safe, sir.”

“Uh-huh.”

|

The next morning came quickly. He donned the same attire in which he arrived. A limousine awaited him at the bottom of his hotel, the same man from the previous day greeting him with a deep bow.

“Good morning to you, sir!”
“Mornin’. Hey, didn’t I tell you to drop all this ‘sir’ nonsense?”

“Yes, my apologies.”

Their drive was mostly silent, except for the random noises that would leave the man's mouth at inconsistent intervals.

“What’s your impression of boss Takeba?”

“What do you mean?”

“Does he seem like the type of boss to have a secret child?”

“With all due respect, I don’t see how that information would benefit you. Furthermore, the woman herself has come out and stated directly that she is in no way related to the head of the Takeba group despite their shared surname and similar appearances.”

“Right, but why go through all the trouble of making a public announcement to denounce these rumors?”

“They were likely impeding on her ability to operate as a member of K-Corp, either that or she simply desired to dispel the false accusations.”

“And who are her real parents? Or is she another member from the youth program?”

“I don’t have much information regarding the matter. I do hope that you can forgive me. Also, again, no disrespect, but I don’t see how your newfound interest in this Himeno Takeba person is going to aid in your investigation of the shadow beast.” He peered through the rear-view before quickly looking back at the road.

“Is that all the Takeba group cares about? You guys eat, sleep, and drink information regarding the shadow beast. I thought I was obsessed with finding it, but it seems like there are even bigger fanboys than me.”

“The shadow beast has been terrorizing Japan for the better part of twenty years. The Takeba group has made it their mission to find and destroy the beast. The people of Japan are counting on us.”

“Well, don’t worry, I’m following my nose on this one, and it has yet to lead me astray.”

The limo came to a whining stop as they approached the abandoned shopping district.

“Here we are.”

“Thanks, I’ll be sure to give you five stars.”

He plucked the sheathed short sword from beside him and clamped it down onto the belt around his waist, stepping out of the vehicle with his eyes set ahead of him. Without warning, the ground below him burst into a screen of dusty pavement and rubble, his body flashing forward at impeccable speed.

I can sense something there. His body was overwhelmed with an intense pressure, and though he could not see it, he could feel the dreadful force wrapping itself around his body and soul. It was something he’d never felt before, a pain unbeknownst to him, yet despite that fact, it made him all the more intrigued.

That’s Junepai's- His own thoughts were cut off as two figures came into view. One a beast, the other a familiar man. The man held his hand out before him, a powerful energy gathering at his fist.

“There will be no need.” He spoke, flashing forward, unsheathing his sword, and slashing at the creature's exposed neck all in a single motion. He held his blade high as he flourished it.

Cool. He stood for a brief moment before speaking to him, “Done. See?”

A waterfall of green began to pour from the monster's neck, its body wobbling from side to side and loud squeals escaping from its mouth, until finally, it tumbled. Thick green liquid poured from the open gash on the side of its neck and bled atop the pavement.

“Thank you for distracting it, otherwise its neck wouldn’t have been so wide-open.” .

Once he’d turn to face them, he was met only with confused gazes.

“What? Do I have something on my face?” He looked between the two with a worried expression.

“Actually, there is something-” Yuya slowly stood, pointed at his cheek, which had been stained by that creature's green blood. The man wiped the side of his face with the sleeve of his black overcoat, holstering his blade inside the sheath clamped at his lower back.

“Guess there was. Anyway, hello. I believe your name is Junepai Nakamura. I’m not too sure who the weakling beside you is, but that matters none. I’m with K-Corp International. I’m here to make you an offer.” He stepped toward Junepai, his face still devoid of any expression.