Empty apologies

Hot and suffocating steam billows as the entrance swings open. Inside, white tiles cover every wall, lit by an irritatingly bright, diffused panel.

The doors shut behind him. A floor drain and a small vent are the only openings left, the latter barely pulling the steam away.

Aside from the heater, the soaking tub, and two sealed ceramic vases, the room is empty—its sterility almost maddening.

At the center, the guest kneels: exposed, bound, exhausted. His skin is raw from the humidity and heat, his tattoos warped by the swelling. He slumps, barely conscious, trembling in the oppressive atmosphere.

Atsunori's companion opens one of the vases, releasing a drift of cold mist. As he tips it over the man, ice chunks spill with the water, striking him and snapping him awake.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I've told you everything I swear—"

"Silence!" The enforcer cuts him off with a kick.

Atsunori kneels, casting a shadow over the man.

"I want to hear it from you," he says softly. "Every word. And you'd better remember it perfectly. If anything you say doesn't match what my companion heard…"

He lets the pause stretch.

"... then we're nowhere near finished here."

The worm drags his head along the floor in a weak attempt at a nod. Opening his mouth, he takes a few moments before starting.

"H-his name's Reiji. Least… that's what we knew him by. Guy's some pro hitter, made a big name for himself lately."

"For the last six and a half years, to be exact," Atsunori's companion says. "He's been busy across the prefecture, but he's never stepped into Kurozaka. Not until now."

"Yeah, yeah. None of us knew jack about your city," the maggot adds. "He just started ringin' us up outta nowhere, pullin' people in for some operation he had cookin'. Guy'd never run anything like that before, but paid real good, had the rep… so we didn't ask questions."

"He picked useless punks on purpose. Stayed away from anyone with a real name, anyone who'd know Kurozaka belongs to us. Just needed bodies for a suicide job."

"That's right. The bastard played us, man. Straight up played us! We didn't know we were swimmin' with sharks!"

"Watch your tone." Atsunori's voice is low, yet still startles the coward.

After a gulp, the weasel proceeds.

"We were just told to stir up some trouble and bail when the cops showed. We weren't expectin' them to box us in that fast."

"And that's all he's worth," his right hand chimes in. "The others we hauled in told the same story."

"I see, then we're done here." Atsunori rises and starts for the exit.

"H-hey, wait a minute, chief. Look, I'm tapped out, alright? I got nothin' else worth hearing. I'm real sorry about what I did. So how about you be a brother and just let me—"

His begging cuts off as the doors slam behind Atsunori, the sound deep enough to swallow the rest of his plea.

Atsunori and his assistant keep talking as they reach the dress room and prepare to leave.

"The clown with the fake bomb at the mall was the same deal," the companion explains. "Told to make a scene and bolt at the first sign of heat. Reiji fed them the illusion of escape so they'd sign on."

"What about the ones behind the fire and the district blackout?"

"We couldn't trace them, but I doubt they had anything useful to offer anyway."

Pulling a jacket over his tattoos, Atsunori zips it up.

"And that Reiji? Anything else on him"

"One thing's certain: the man won't pull something this big again. He burned his whole reputation on this stunt. No one in the prefecture, hell, no one in the entire underworld, is gonna touch that name now."

They step out of the bathhouse and into the street, the sun high above with thin clouds drifting by.

"We're talking about that monstrous Tengu, right? No trace of his whereabouts?"

"Sorry, boss. We tried following the trail of that strong magic of his, but the snake had transport ready. Took the national roads, kept moving. Even our dog-nose guy could only track him so far before the trail thinned out. He could be anywhere in Japan right now… maybe already across the sea."

"No, he's still around. Someone who's put in so much effort won't simply vanish. The one saving grace we have is that, for all his immense power, he doesn't heal fast. He recovers almost like a normal human, so we've got at least a month of breathing room. Probably more."

No need to rush, the opportunity will come around again. Let the men rest for a few days. I'll work on my own in the meanwhile.

When they return from their brief break, they'll be back at full focus, ready to catch even the faintest sign of Reiji's next move, whenever it comes.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

After parting from his companion, Atsunori has finally addressed all other priorities and can try contacting Avery.

To his surprise, she answers the phone, although it takes her a few rings.

"Avery, are you there?"

"Yeh, I'm… uh, wai', Astun? T-that you?"

Drunk doesn't even begin to cover how she sounds.

"What have you been doing this last week?"

"Tha'… that's… kinda hard t' splain'. Are you okay?"

A deep breath.

Patience—maybe there's a good reason.

"Let's talk in person."

"O-okay. Just… I'm not, like… super pres'ntable right now."

"I don't care. Where are you? I'll go pick you up."

"Alright, if you insis'."

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟

Bar Kokuu… almost sounds like she picked it as a joke.

Avery is slumped against the wall by the door. Spotting him prompts an attempted wave that almost topples her.

"H-hhi, Astun. Sorry, I'm a bit… kinda wasted."

At lunchtime.

"You have also been skipping your training and disappearing for days at a time, only stopping by the hospital to ask about me."

"Yeh… sorry, I jus' needed a small break after… y'know. And the training… no good for relaxin'."

"Your training is all about focus and meditation, there are few things more relaxing."

"No, no… it doesn't do it for me. Jus'… lemme skip it a bit longer. I can't handle that right now."

"Why? I've held back from prying ever since you proved you're not a danger to my family, but you can't hide things from me forever."

"I'm sorry… I really meanit."

And I'm getting tired of empty apologies.

"You said you wanted to help me, so get your act together."

"I-I… 'bout that… I'm not sure I wanna help with the case anymore."

Something in him snaps.

"You…" He grits it out, holding back by sheer will. "We're going somewhere private. Now."

If this continues out here, he's going to start shouting.

There's only so much of her childish nonsense I can take.