The Hattori Family’s Powerful Ties

Kazuya drove on the highway with Inuko, heading to the ice-cream parlour in Shibuya City for their first date. Kazuya had claimed that it was a good cafe, where he and his sister, Kasane, often went in their younger years. Inuko held her white tail tightly because she couldn’t help wagging it with excitement, but didn’t want to disturb Kazuya at the wheel.

My first date with Hattori Senpai! Oh, this is a dream come true! She buried her flushed-up face into her tail. I wish I wore a dress, not my work attire! But it’s okay… I still look good, don’t I? She eyed her reflection in the window and adjusted her chestnut bob. She drooped her white ears, remembering how every boy in high school and the Police Academy called her “mutt” and other vulgar names. She glanced furtively at Kazuya and noticed his crimson cheeks. The scent of his sweaty palms and his adrenaline rush reached her nostrils, making her smile again. Everything will be alright. Senpai wouldn’t have asked me out if he disliked my canine heritage.

So Inuko tried to reassure herself, although a part of her continued worrying. She wished to focus on the road like Kazuya, but couldn’t help squirming.

“I should thank you again for saving me in the nightclub yesterday, Miss Takeda,” Kazuya said. He kept his one hand on the wheel and adjusted his tie with his other hand. “Y-You were amazing.”

He remembered how Inuko, a half-yōkai of superhuman strength, had swept him up in her dainty arms and carried him out of the nightclub, jumping over the dancing crowd. Now that he reflected on it, he must’ve looked like a baby in Inuko’s grip, or even a damsel in distress. His cheeks burned at the thought. Any man would’ve felt embarrassed in those moments, but he hadn’t. Inuko’s fierce look, her white ears folded back amidst her chestnut bob, and her beautiful sprint through the hall in the echo of techno beats were all etched in Kazuya’s memory. That was when he realised he wanted Miss Takeda more than as a friend.

“Oh, you don’t have to thank me, Senpai!” Inuko’s voice, mixed with a soft bark, woke Kazuya from his musings. “It was natural for me to help my friend. And…” She cast her eyes down, blushing and twitching her ears. “Since we’re going on a date, please call me Inuko!”

Kazuya hit the brakes and stopped his car at a red light. Fortunately, both he and Inuko had their seatbelts on, so they didn’t get hurt. Kazuya looked at Inuko, wide-eyed and red-cheeked.

“A-Alright… Inuko,” he said, his lips tingling at the word. He gulped, gazing into her shimmering golden eyes. “T-Then, you should call me Kazuya!”

It was Inuko’s turn to go red. She hugged her fluffy tail tighter and drooped her ears, trembling with timidity.

“K-Kazuya Senpai…” she muttered, then squeaked and tucked her face into her tail again.

Kazuya chuckled at her lovely sight. He pressed the pedals, accelerating the speed. They drove in silence for some time, but then, Kazuya’s phone beeped. Inuko saw the caller was “Ken”.

“Senpai, it’s Kenzō Kagurayama again.” She turned to Kazuya. “You must be close friends!”

“Oh, we’re more than that.” Kazuya smiled. He addressed his phone’s virtual assistant, “Sheri, accept Ken’s call!”

“Understood,” Sheri’s robotic voice replied.

Kenzō’s profile picture, where he stuffed his face with a bowl of ramen, surfaced on the screen. His deep, resonant voice, like a benevolent dragon’s breath, echoed from the phone.

“Yo, Kazu!” He greeted his friend. “It’s four o’clock!”

“I said I’d be there at six.” Kazuya rolled his eyes, although he kept smiling. “I’m on a date with Inuko Takeda now.”

Inuko flushed as Kazuya mentioned their date so casually. Kenzō, on his part, whooped.

“Whoa, congrats! So, your wrecking the Kagenashi nightclub wasn’t all for nothing?” He laughed. “Let me guess, you fell for her when she carried you out in her arms?”

Kazuya hit the brakes again, stopping at another red light. He glared at the phone, wide-eyed. Inuko stared at Kenzō’s profile picture in wonder, too. Had Kazuya told him that much? – But no, she smelled Kazuya’s fear and confusion. He was just as surprised as she, if not more.

“How the hell do you know that?” Kazuya asked.

“Oh, I got some details from Kasane. I’ve invited her over, too,” Kenzō replied nonchalantly, crunching some crab-flavoured chips. “Her tale about how you guys confronted Yukihiro intrigued me, and I thought I’d check out the whole picture. So, I hacked into the Kagenashi system this morning and watched the footage. It was one hell of a show!” His grunting laugh echoed, his voice tinkling like a thousand pearls. “Your hypnosis was so cool!”

Kazuya and Inuko stared at the phone, flabbergasted. The streetlight had long turned green, and the frustrated drivers were signalling at Kazuya, but he failed to notice. All he could hear was Kenzō’s resonant laugh. He had hacked into the Kagenashi Clan’s camera system and seen the footage that threatened their police department?! Kazuya had always known Kenzō was a brainiac like his mother, but this was a whole new level! Hope smouldered in his heart.

“Ken, if… if you’ve hacked into their system, can you delete that footage from their drive?” he asked in a shaky voice.

Inuko pricked up her ears at Kazuya’s suggestion. If that damned footage were deleted, the Kagenashi Clan would no longer have a kompromat against them. She clasped her hands with hope, staring at the phone.

“Uhm,” Kenzō yawned lazily, still munching his chips, “yeah, I could do that… Why?”

“Do it!” Kazuya shouted, almost jumping in his seat. “Ken, do it right now!”

“Okay, chill!” Kenzō grunted. “I’ll start. I’m hanging up, then… See you at six! And, Miss Takeda,” he addressed Inuko, “you should also come to my house this evening, with Kazu. We’ll have some delicious ramen. See you!”

The call dropped. Kazuya and Inuko exchanged glances, their eyes wide, their muscles tense. Relief and joy seeped into their hearts. They broke into laughter. They’d been worried sick about the yakuza foxes holding a kompromat against them, and now, Kenzō revealed that he had hacked into their system to “enjoy the show” and could delete the footage with a snap of his fingers. How could they not laugh?

Kazuya finally remembered to drive on. He hit the pedals, and they resumed their pace.

“Oh, now I’m going to enjoy our date peacefully!” Inuko reclined in her seat with a sigh and cuddled her fluffy tail. “Mr Kagurayama really is a kami!”

“Agreed!” Kazuya chuckled. “I’ve known him for so long, and yet he still amazes me!”

“You said you were more than friends.” Inuko looked at him curiously, her ears pricked up. “What did you mean?”

“Well, we’re sort of cousins.” Kazuya smiled. “I mean, my dad and his mom were cousins. Kenzō’s grandmother was Hanako Hattori, a twin sister of Haruki Hattori, Kasane’s and my grandfather. That’s why our families were close, and now we are, too.”

Inuko gasped. Kazuya Senpai was related to Dragon God Dairyū’s human wife?!

No wonder he’s so cool… She gazed at Kazuya with admiration. The Hattori family has such powerful ties!

After some peaceful driving, Kazuya and Inuko arrived at the ice cream cafe and got out of the car. Inuko could freely wag her tail now, excited about her first date with the man of her dreams. Kazuya offered her his hand, smiling. Inuko yelped with joy and grabbed it, turning red. They entered the cafe together. But they had barely taken a few steps when Kazuya froze, looking at the farthest corner of the cafe. Inuko looked there, too, and her fur stood on the back of her tail. She bared her fangs, hardly restraining her growl.

At a table in the corner sat Yukihiro Kagenashi, slurping a chocolate milkshake from the same glass as Kasane Hattori, Kazuya’s older sister.