Careless

IBMFGI will be paused for a month on most platforms starting next week.

Honeyfeed's MAL contest just ended. Sadly, I didn't make it into the next round, but that means I can now post the story I participated with on all the other platforms. I'll start doing so next Monday at the usual time (might be delayed due to some platforms requiring a review).

Since it's a short story, it'll take less than a month to post all its chapters. In the meantime, IBMFGI will be paused while I start writing it again (check my Patreon posts if you don't know what I'm talking about).

I'm sorry for pausing it on such a cliffhanger. 😅

IBMFGI is ~20 chapters ahead on other platforms that you can find here.

Edited by RedPandaChick

—

"H… Hello?" I stammered, standing around a hidden corner of the venue.

"Kaito, long time no see!" Chiharu replied. "Are you so excited to hear my voice that you're shaking?"

Nothing more than a whistle reached my ears. Although my heart wasn't beating fast, every beat felt like a punch. When I least expected it, my biggest fear returned.

"Knock, knock. Is anyone there?" Chiharu joked.

"What do you want?" I retorted.

"My, my. What's up with that growl? You should know to be polite toward your threatener at your age."

"Can you afford to say that on a call?"

"I can afford to call you, Kaito. It doesn't matter what I say, no one can track this call in any way."

"What if someone is standing next to me and listening?"

"You're smarter than that. Also, I'm watching the camera in your glasses and I also can see if the speakers are enabled."

That sent shivers down my spine.

She continued, "Still, the less time we spend on this call, the better. So, I'll get straight to the point. Meet me in the city's marketplace in exactly two hours."

"I'm not in Saitama."

"You think I don't know that?"

That was confusing, to say the least. She had come so far just to talk with me in person?

I checked the time on my glasses. Luckily, the time she had said fit perfectly between lunch and the sound check, meaning it was going to be relatively easy to sneak away.

"Please confirm your attendance," Chiharu jested.

A deep breath came out of my mouth. "I'll be there. What part of the marketplace?"

"Just walk through the crowd and we'll find each other. Oh, and I'm sure it goes without saying, but don't even think of telling anyone. See ya."

The call abruptly ended.

Instead of punching the wall, I merely wrapped my hand around my forehead and squeezed it until it hurt. After several deep breaths, I managed to stop shaking and calm down enough to walk back into the venue.

An hour later, we had eaten lunch. No one seemed to suspect how anxious I was, but I assumed they knew. Thankfully, they never asked me about it.

After another hour of barely talking, it was time. I told everyone I was heading out to get some fresh air and, once again, no one doubted me.

I walked out of the venue through its parking lot and the GPS in my glasses guided me to the city's marketplace. It only was a fifteen-minute walk away, so I decided to use it to actually get some fresh air.

My mind wouldn't stop imagining the worst possible scenarios. As much as I wanted it to stop, I was sure that reality was going to be even worse.

Before I realized it, I had entered a sea of people. It was impossible for me to see the lower levels of the businesses, yet the tall buildings weirdly resembled the Trading District a lot.

Walking aimlessly amongst this many people felt strange. Almost five minutes had passed and there was no trace of Chiharu. The possibility that she could be playing a prank on me came to mind, but that didn't last for long.

An unknown girl appeared next to me and grinned, "I can't believe it, you're Blostars' manager! I'm a big fan of yours—"

"Yes, I know the deal already."

Her grin turned into a smirk. "Come on, you have to follow the act. You don't want to attract attention, do you?"

"You just shouted who I am and that you're a big fan; that doesn't help either."

For the first time since I had met her, I sensed a threat in her eyes.

I gulped and stuttered, "Why are we here, anyway? I would've assumed you preferred a more secluded place to do these things of yours."

She rested her arm on my back. "Your thinking process is too dull, Kaito. What better place than a busy marketplace to blend in and hide our conversation?"

True.

"What are you planning now?" I asked.

"Anxious, aren't we? Well, I should stop playing around before it backfires." She took a pause before saying, "One million terras."

My heart skipped a beat. "What?"

"You heard me."

"For what? You haven't even told me what you're going to do."

"Do I really need to?"

We stared at each other as people's arms bumped into ours every second.

Chiharu sighed, "Fine, I guess a short reminder won't hurt. Let's do it chronologically. The ex-president gave you money."

"That's not illegal."

"Maybe, but we'll see how the public reacts. Then we have your girlfriend's questionable deeds."

"People already know about it."

"They do, sadly, but I've found some details that would make it a little spicier. It wouldn't be a big blow, but I also like a few quick jabs," she said as she punched the air in front of her.

"Why?" I wondered.

"You know why, Kaito. Now, three of your group's members have had their pasts exposed, right? Don't you think it would only be fair for all of them to be even?"

Heat grew in my chest. "Don't you dare."

She crowed, "That's what I like to see: aggressiveness. You should do it more often."

"Stop playing around."

"Alright, alright. I could also make some of your financial problems and agreements public, but that's boring. Except for one thing, though. You know what I'm talking about, right? The thing that happened just two weeks ago."

"Yes, I know what you're talking about."

"Weren't you blown away when you saw her? That's a rhetorical question, I know you were, but I was too! I bet people will be just as shocked when they find out. Ah, what if I blame you for the leak? Her company will be far from pleased."

It was becoming harder and harder for me to hold my anger back. It seemed like she was doing it on purpose, but for what reason? Did she really want me to make a scene in public?

"Boring," she said. "You're going to make me play dirty, huh?"

"Play dirty? What do you mean?" I frowned.

"Look, I know you told your girlfriend about me, and that wasn't a part of the deal, remember?"

"Don't you dare—"

"Yes, I know. Calm down, I'm not going to do anything to her. In fact, I can't do anything to her because, ever since you told her about me, she's been careful about where she takes her glasses to, but you haven't told everyone."

A wicked smile appeared on her face and that was my limit. I grasped her arm and pulled her from the crowd into a narrow alley.

I pulled her further down until it was dark enough to avoid being seen, then I pushed her against the wall, still holding her arms up. Her threatening eyes had been replaced with ones of nervousness, yet she didn't stop smiling.

"What are you doing?" she asked. "Are you seriously going to hit me?"

Never before had I felt such hatred. Never before had I stopped caring about holding back.

"I don't care at this point," I answered. "You've been threatening me with leaking everything in my life and the lives of people around me, but showing pictures and videos of them naked? Just how sick are you?"

"I never specified that—"

I hardened my grip on her wrists until she groaned. She was trying to break free and even threw kicks at my crotch, but they all missed.

Finally, her smile was gone. "Your reactions weren't pleasing me, so I had to use all my resources."

"All your resources? Listen to yourself, you aren't like this."

Her frown became more prominent before spitting on my face.

"What do you know about me?!" she yelled. "You just ruined my life and ran away. You think you have the advantage now, but make one more wrong move and everything will be made public in a split second."

Her wicked smile had returned, yet I didn't hesitate to reach for her invisible glasses, throw them to the ground and step on them. However, her HoloForm remained active, just as her smile stayed on her face.

"Did you really think it'd be that simple? You truly are an idiot."

Suddenly, her smile vanished and her eyes opened wide. She frantically glanced down both sides of the alley.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

Terrified, she yelled, "Let go of me now!"

"What?"

A distant rustle made me turn around. A man wearing a blue hat and a gray jacket walked toward us. He slowly took one of his hands out of his pocket, but he wasn't holding anything. Eventually, his open hand aimed at us and, out of nowhere, something started to come out of his palm.

My grip loosened because of the distraction, allowing Chiharu to break free, but instead of running away, she jumped in front of me.

No sound reached my ears, then extreme heat grew in my chest. I looked down and saw a hole in my shirt, along with something red.

Chiharu fell back against me. I tried to hold her up, but my strength was suddenly gone. We both fell to the ground, she lay on top of me.

Cables hung far above me, almost hiding the blue sky.

A whistle filled my ears, then darkness blinded my eyes.