The flow of clientele at the Tigerlilly that day was steady, without becoming
overwhelming. Mikasa, despite the recent threats from Kitawari and his
Kantou Disciples, was clinging to the precious things that had been enhancing
her happiness for a short period of time, her children... The addition of Benji
to her life with Hinata was definitely a considerable boost to Mikasa Youn's
spirits and momentum. For her, her family was the most important thing,
making Benji feel at home was the mission she had set herself, and she
intended to carry it out, no matter who she had to face...
The clientele's attendance faltered a little, and Mikasa could feel a strong
knot tighten in her heart from one moment to the next. A sudden and overly
unpleasant sensation disturbed her strong desire not to pay too much
attention to what was happening to her. *This... it's not normal, but I don't
understand anything," thought Mikasa when she was able to calm down a
bit, sit down and drink some water. Despite the minimal calm, Mikasa had
been able to achieve in her spirit, the bad feeling generated from those
sudden sensations was still lurking. At that moment, the last sound you
would want to hear in a situation like the one Mikasa was living at that
moment, rang... It was her cell phone, which she had been holding in her
hands since the moment it rang, but she had not seen it, because her gaze
was perplexed and fixed on a single point, while her look narrated an episode
of deep fear of answering that call. "Hello?" Mikasa finally does.
"Mrs. Mikasa Youn? We're calling you from Kantou Central Hospital. It's
about your daughter, Hinata Youn, she has recently suffered an accident
where she was the victim of two guys who approached her at high speed on
a motorcycle while she was crossing the street... Hello, Mrs. Mikasa?" the
nurse in charge of calling Mikasa to give her that strong news swallowed
thickly after the sepulchral silence before Mikasa hung up the cell phone.
Unable to resist any longer and giving vent to her affected feelings, Mikasa
collapsed on the floor of the Tigerlilly uttering a long-suffering, shuddering
cry of deep pain. Cringing more and more on the floor and exhausting all her
energy in prolonged sobs that eventually turned into more weeping, Mikasa
immediately thought of the possible reason for the attack on her daughter.
Her disturbed and trembling gaze fell on the drawer on top of the
refrigerator where she had thrown Kitawari Saitama's document. At that very
moment, almost with the same piercing force of a stabbing, another thought
penetrated Mikasa's mind, *Oh, my God, Hinata!* and she bolted out of the
Tigerlilly, bound for Kantou Central Hospital. Disoriented and in the most
blinding panic, Mikasa looks around, desperate, and unable to focus her eyes
on anything. The lights of the vehicles stun her until she glimpses and
distinguishes a cab to which she makes exaggerated signals and gets it to
stop. The feeling Mikasa experienced during the entire trip from the Tigerlilly
to the hospital must have been so profound, she was unresponsive. Beyond
an unsettling but almost imperceptible movement of her eyes, Mikasa took
no other action, she was paralyzed until they reached their destination and
she darted aimlessly into the hospital shouting "Hinata Youn! Tell me, where
is she?* that shout filled the entire hospital lobby. Everyone, there was
stunned initiating actions that didn't end, except for the receptionist who
while trembling at the sight of Mikasa's expression, desperately searched for
the entry in her notebook. "Hinata Youn... hospitalized, 1st floor, first room
on the left." Hastily said the receptionist to Mikasa, who immediately darted
towards the stairs and started running until she was standing in front of the
door to Hinata's room.
Mikasa's heart was beating at an impressive rate and she was panting
forcibly. Summoning up her courage, Mikasa threw open the door of the
room, then immediately, the woman stifled a loud scream of shock that
seemed to be directed towards her eyes, potentially turning into tears that
began to flow unrestrainedly.
In front of her, Benji rested his whole face in her arms, as he waited seated
next to Hinata. "Be- Benji..." manages to say Mikasa in a pronounced
whisper. Benji slowly pulls his face out from between his arms and turns to
look at his mother, who had brought her eyes to Hinata immediately after
and was slumping to the ground, on her knees. Mikasa had run out of tears
and now both her eyes and mouth lay open wide. Her hands covered half of
her face and were slowly uncovering it.
Benji rushes to pick up his mother from the floor, tears sliding down his
cheeks, but Mikasa can't get out of the invasive shock of Hinata's beaten,
bruised, and disfigured appearance. The impact of the brick was truly
disastrous and possibly Kitawari is unaware of the amount of pain it caused
the Youn family. "I'm sorry, mother... You don't know how sorry I am and I
can't help but feel guilty. To have been there with her, and not calling her..."
Said Benji, who showed a deeply pained and helpless expression, but without
leaving aside the steely serenity that Shoyo possessed. He was perceived
thoughtful as if making too many guesses at once without quite
understanding what the answer was.
"Don't say such things, Benji... You're not to blame for anything. I'm really
thankful you weren't there, or it would be my two children lying prostrate in
those beds." Mikasa approaches Hinata after sliding her hands over Benji's
cheeks gently. "We should be thankful that they are both alive, and hope that
Hinata recovers quickly so we can all go home and perform a dignified
welcome to her." Mikasa said, sobbing but at the same time trying to smile,
pushing aside the ailments in her soul.
Mikasa turns to look at Benji, who was clenching one of his fists with obvious
strength, not taking his eyes off Hinata. The helplessness that Benji was
emanating could be felt for miles. Mikasa suddenly changed her expression
and, with concern to spare, quickly approached Benji, taking his face in both
hands and pulling him close to hers. "Benji, promise me that you will stay
calm about this and persist in your new life, your new present that will forge
a better future for you." Benji seemed to have been touched by an angel, and
he let his guard down completely.
"Easy, Mom... We're going to get through this together." The boy expressed,
approaching his sister and sliding his hand through Hinata's hair. "Benji, stay
with your sister a little longer, I'm going home to get whatever it takes for
your sister's stay in this place." Mikasa had calmed down completely and
uttered those words patiently. "Mother, you must not exert yourself so
much, I will go..." offered Benji, but his mother made a gesture with her
hand, which stopped Benji's movement. "I need to leave this place for a
moment, son. I need to cool my head." Mikasa added, implying to Benji that
she needed a moment alone, and he understood. "It's all right, mother. You
go carefully, and I'll wait here for you." Benji replied, approaching his mother
to bid her farewell. Mikasa's eyes filled with tears again and her arms went
around Benji's neck. The mother hugged her son tightly, unloading on him all
the frustration and pain of the moment. That moment needed no words, the
only response there was from Benji was sentimental, receiving his mother's
pain in the form of a hug.
Mikasa Youn walked out of the room and eventually out of Kantou Central
Hospital. As if more than half of her soul had been taken away, she walked
down the street. Mikasa's expression had changed, she was now resolute,
her eyes still emanating unending sadness. She was following the road to the
Tigerlilly, but suddenly made a stop and then a slight turn to the left, heading
towards a huge warehouse that tried to go unnoticed, and somehow
managed to do so.
As he approaches the warehouse, inevitably a sinister feeling of unbearable
unease comes over Mikasa, but it is too late. A pair of Kantou Disciples had
already spotted her and were waiting around the threshold of the large main
door of the warehouse, with one of the soles of their boots against the wall
and an attitude of smugness overflowing, the bandits were beckoning Mikasa
to approach, fearlessly.
Mikasa's experience was proving catastrophic. She felt that at any moment
she would collapse to the ground, and this time Benji was not there to pick
her up. Multiple thoughts went through her head, including turning around
and running away from that horrendous place, but she quickly knew that was
not an option. Once again, standing in front of an office door inside the
warehouse, Mikasa again gathered her courage and fought back her endless
tears. She, after throwing a couple of murderous glances at the two guys on
both sides of the door, opened it with determination, adopting an expression
of absolute repudiation, hatred, and also disgust before the dark and sinister
figure that was glimpsed as the door was completely open.
It was Kitawari Saitama, who was sitting at the end of a long table,
surrounded by a room with walls full of graffiti and an urban decor worthy of
the Disciples of Kantou. A triumph reigned on Kitawari's face, which he
seemed to savor as he saw Mikasa under the threshold of his office door.
"Come in, Mrs. Mikasa. Make yourself at home and take a seat." Kitawari said
cordially, who maintained an unperturbed side-to-side smile and pointed to
the seat at the other end of the elongated table. Mikasa didn't move for at
least 5 seconds and after swallowing thickly, she started walking, not taking
her eyes off Kitawari's. "I must admit, Ms. Mikasa, you are an intimidating
woman... You proved it before, refusing to cooperate and you continue to do
so now, directing that look at me in the heart of my territory." Kitawari
added, slightly intimidated by Mikasa's piercing gaze, which conveyed
nothing but resentment, hatred, and disgust towards the person in front of
him.
When Mikasa finally takes a seat, Kitawari continues to smile as he puts his
hand in his pants pocket. Mikasa raises her guard slightly, instinctively.
"Relax, Ms. Mikasa, I'm not going to do anything to you. That would be a
cowardly act that would not represent me." Kitawari says, seeing Mikasa's
reaction. "Wouldn't it represent you? Tell me one thing, what would
represent you then, disfiguring a young girl's face with a fucking brick outside
her school, IS THAT SOMETHING WORTHY OF YOU, YOU DAMNED IMBECILE!"
Mikasa, after being silent for a couple of seconds after Kitawari's words,
inevitably lost control of his emotions.
"You'd better calm down, Ms. Mikasa, because if you manage to make me
angry, I can plunge you into the suffering you're experiencing now, but for a
much longer time. It would be very simple for me. Now..." Kitawari had
adopted a serious but at the same time serene expression after the shout
uttered by Mikasa. "..... sign." He added, tossing the pen he took out of his
pants along the table until it stopped right in front of Mikasa. On the left side
of the end of the table where Mikasa was sitting, lay a copy of the document
Kitawari wanted Mikasa to sign. After unburdening herself, Mikasa could not
hold back tears as she signed the document. "Please, Mrs. Mikasa, don't let
the tears tarnish the signature or it won't do any good and you'll have to
come back here. And you don't want that, do you?" Kitawari had smiled
again as if it was a happy situation in every way.
Mikasa paused for a moment, raised his gaze to observe Kitawari's
expression, and without faith in humanity, finished signing the document. At
that moment, Kitawari began to clap stridently, while his smile underwent a
change and in its place was now only a twisted grimace that appeared to him,
was his expression of gratitude for the one in front of him. "It has been a
pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Mikasa." Said the bandit leader.
Mikasa no longer had the energy to continue crying or express herself
forcefully as she had a few minutes before, so she simply stood up and began
walking towards the office door.
"I hope that at some point, regardless of whether I am still alive or not, you
will pay for all the damage you have done. And that subsequently, if divine
justice exists, you will rot eternally in the most terrifying place in hell." Those
words, coming from an ordinary lady, were no big deal for a bandit chief.
However, Mikasa Youn was not just any lady, she possessed great will and
had courage to spare.
The look Mikasa gave Kitawari Saitama as she uttered those words was so full
of hatred that it completely disintegrated the expression of triumph on
Kitawari's face, and in its place left a slight expression of genuine terror.
Saitama watched perplexed as the woman walked out of the office with a
defeated look on her face and leaving him surprised, for Kitawari had
forgotten what that feeling that Mikasa reminded him of with her words felt
like.
Mikasa started to walk out of the warehouse ignoring the stares of the
Kantou Disciples that populated the place. Izaki, who was standing near
Kitawari's office surrounded by colleagues, watches Mikasa with particular
glee as he leaves the warehouse. "See that, guys? That's the countenance of
a woman who has lost everything. I, on the other hand, feel a great desire to
celebrate. That woman came here to sign the document making us the
owners of Tigerlilly, and if she left in that mood, it's because everything has
gone very well." Izaki holds up an expression of unmeasured ambition. "What
exactly are we going to do at the Tigerlilly, Izaki?" asked one of Kantou's
Disciples, chewing a piece of gum and watching as Mikasa finally exited the
warehouse and was lost from their sights. "The Tigerlilly will become a
brothel that will serve as our base of operations, as well as generate income
for us. It is without a doubt the organization's best acquisition since it was
formed." Izaki replied, turning around and heading for Kitawari's office.
"Tell me, how did everything go? Judging by that woman's expression, I can
be sure that..." to Izaki's surprise, Kitawari was not in the office. There was no
sign of him. Izaki sighed after his mind whirled around a few thoughts, and
finally left the office.
Mikasa, who is now finally on her way to the Tigerlilly, watches as night falls
upon her. *In a matter of a single day, my beautiful daughter's face was
disfigured and I have had to give up the Tigerlilly, an establishment that
represents my home, my work, my core. I keep hoping this is a terrible
nightmare, but I'm beginning to lose faith that it will be* thought Mikasa,
who just kept going, keeping Benji and Hinata in her thoughts. Finally, Mrs.
Youn arrives at the Tigerlilly where she intends to pick up what she needs to
take Hinata to the hospital. Due to the stop at the grocery store, she was
running a little late, so Mikasa quickly enters her daughter's back bedroom
and begins to gather the belongings she thinks she needs. She turns on the
bedroom light and, after opening a suitcase she took out of the closet, begins
to fill it with clothes and toiletries.
At that moment, a thud from the front of the Tigerlilly disturbs Mikasa's
hard-won emotional stability. She walks to the bedroom door and realizes, in
her panic, that in her eagerness to pack up and head back to the hospital, she
forgot to turn on the lights in the living room and at the front of the facility.
Penetrating into the gloom of the place and dispelling the darkness a little
with the flash of her cell phone, Mikasa advances at a cautious pace towards
where she thinks the strange sound that caught her attention originated.
Strolling the flash of her cell phone across the room while her heart seemed
to have stopped and holding her breath with her soul on a string, the
horizontal cone of light focuses on a couple of cats playing noisily... Mikasa
seemed to take a huge weight off her shoulders and let out a breath of air
that she had been unconsciously holding back since she left Hinata's room.
At that moment, and without knowing very well why, although there were
plenty of reasons for that, Mikasa started to cry once again, when suddenly
something a little strange happened... both cats stopped their game and cast
their eyes in Mikasa's direction. She, now sobbing, raised her gaze to the
front where a large mirror lay, and just behind it was the silhouette of a
person who, due to the deep darkness, only a completely black and
expectant form could be glimpsed.
Before he can react, Mikasa watches as the unperturbed figure moves in and
wraps a thick rope around his neck, applying terrible force and pressing down
on his body, strangling his neck with impetuous fury. Mikasa puts up a heroic
and impressive resistance, imposing her strength for mere seconds over that
of her assailant. However, during the struggle, the dark figure imposes his
strength and regains control. Mikasa's cell phone falls to the ground with the
flash upwards, but a little away from her. Mikasa tries her best to bring the
cell phone closer, trying to get her attacker's face illuminated by the only
source of light in the place, but the dark figure is no fool and pushes the cell
phone away with her foot before Mikasa gets what she is looking for.
The assailant lifts Mikasa's body with the rope, applying more force as
Mikasa, even as his eyes were beginning to bulge out of their sockets, clung
to life and held on to the rope, failing to make any headway. At that moment,
Mikasa uses reserves of energy to shake her body in a desperate effort to
somehow harm her assailant. She manages to strip the attacking dark figure
of an object she was carrying, and this action generated a pronounced
complaint from the dark figure.
Mikasa held the object tightly, she knew it meant something by the reaction
the aggressor had, however, before Mikasa could carry out the action she
had in mind, which was to throw the object forcefully to the side, the
aggressor decides to put an end to his goal that night.
*Benji, I'm sorry... once again you are left without a mother. Please take care
of your sister.
The light in Mikasa Youn's eyes gradually dissipated, as did the strength that
even then, she was still standing against her assailant. Without anyone being
able to do anything to prevent it, life departed from Mikasa Youn's body
there, in her Tigerlilly.