September 13, 2069, 18:28
Inside the conference office, the two of us waited for Kurayami, who was still meeting with her business partners inside.
"When are you planning to go back home to Korea?" Seto asked. "It's been years—your brother must really miss you."
"After everything's settled," I replied. "Just need to earn a bit more money."
"Must be nice to still have a goal," he sighed. "With what I've got left… I don't even know what I'm supposed to do next."
"Do whatever makes you feel alive," I joked. "For me, just being with you is enough."
"Ohh, look at you cracking jokes, I love ya man. Really do~" he chuckled. "But yeah… I guess I do like making people smile. Helping those with no way out suits a guy who likes throwing punches."
He clenched his fist. "And if it's that baka-mask, I'll knock him flat."
"Easy does it," I said.
Ding~ The bell summoned us inside.
"We're coming in." The moment we opened the door, a foul, metallic stench hit us. As we stepped inside, our bodies stiffened—as if something had seized our minds. Kurayami was kneeling before a man lying in a pool of blood. A tanto knife lay beside her as she muttered to herself, sounding like someone else entirely.
"Dying is just returning to nature… ain't it?" She looked up at us with wild eyes.
"M-milady—" Seto stepped forward, pulling the knife away from her.
"This bastard was one of Arai's former men. I should've known from the start."
"Milady, I think we should—" I tried to calm her.
"Shoosh!" she snapped coldly. "Do you have any idea how tiring it is to carry my father's dirty legacy? Just a kid who wants a normal life but can't have one—how is that not infuriating?!"
She stormed to her desk, grabbed a stack of documents, and shoved them at Seto.
"Do you know what I found? This is the secret I dug up from that thumb drive."
Hayashida Sato—Cleanup: Hachi, Inui, Ichibe — May 21, 2055
Seto read each assassination record, disbelief spreading across his face.
"Hayashida… that's my father!"
"Seto. Your father worked as a freelancer for my father and Arai's group. Killing was his daily job. He was arrested, escaped death row, then lured into a trap and burned alive to keep the truth buried."
She continued calmly. "That's one reason why yakuza like us have to live in hiding. Your father was part of that reason. Hard to accept, isn't it? But that's not the problem."
"What the hell is this?" Seto tore the papers apart. "My father worked for the yakuza?!"
"Bito-sama might saw something in you so he brought you in," I said quietly.
"These documents made me realize my father was no different from the man who killed him. Now we have technology capable of envisioning an entirely new world. Why don't we just make it better." Her eyes gleamed. "Isn't it incredible? I can recreate your father perfectly. And Seoki—I can bring your brother you left behind with just a wave of my hand." She smiled faintly. "You two are the family I have left. So… let's make this imaginary world a reality together."
"Milady, I—"
"Stop calling me milady!"
SMACK! She slapped me hard across the face. "I'm not that pathetic child crying for help anymore! I am Yurei! And from now on, no one tells me what to do—no matter who they are!"
She pointed at us, eyes blazing.
"And don't forget this! that i hold your lives in my hands." Blood streamed from her nose as she staggered toward the door. "Don't you dare try to stop me."
Fearing she'd hurt someone else, Seto shoved her to the floor and dragged me out of the room. We slammed the door shut, trapping her inside.
"The fuck is wrong with her?!" Seto shouted.
"I don't know!" i answered with confusion.
BAM! A violent crash shook the door as Mr. Majima ran over. "What the hell happened?!"
"Call an ambulance, now!" I shouted.
"Got it!" As he ran off— BAMM! Kurayami hurled herself against the door again. We braced it together, struggling to hold it shut.
"LET ME OUT YOU FUCKs"
I pulled up the CCTV feed on the wall. Inside, she smashed her head against the door, her face smeared red.
BAMMM! "You can't lock me in here! You fuckin' pricks! They need me~ Do you hear me?! They need me! They're coming to take me AWAY~!~!~!~"
She screamed until her voice broke. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~~~!" and finally, she collapsed unconscious onto the floor.