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Chapter 8
1
October 14th, 2014—One year ago—Shanghai—a Kowloon supermarket
“Hey, where do we go for our date today?”
As Suzuran was out shopping for groceries at a nearby market, the Robber Rabbit approached her. They said goodbye after the car rammed into the restaurant’s window the previous day, and he hid himself since. Suzuran also didn’t try to chase after him, thinking that he would probably approach her again for another date shortly…and it didn’t even take a day for that.
“If we make it a place you like,” said Suzuran with a truly displeased tone.
“A place I like…”
*
The Robber Rabbit then took Suzuran to the tallest building in Waitan, which housed the Inchan 99, a casino resort. The casino there could rival the ones in Las Vegas, and the hotel street near it was one you’d always see on TV all the time. It would attract those seeking to make money quickly, creating the kind of atmosphere that you’d better fit in as a regular customer than a one-time visit to have fun. And the people walking around there fit that image all the same.
“I guess even a Rabbit gets in here, huh?”
“They don’t care about age. It’s just a facade for the public eye,” the Robber Rabbit responded and pointed at a poker table.
There sat a man wearing a luxurious suit, teaching a girl of about ten years how to play Texas Holdem. Even the dealer just continued to smile and didn’t comment on that surreal sight.
“The only ones who are stuck up on age and all that is the Jack Pistols casino.”
Despite the two being on awful terms, the Rabbit didn’t sound like he had much of a grudge against them. He was known to take victories at every corner he wanted to in the casino. Blackjack, Baccarat, and many more… Nobody could hope to rival him. No matter the difference in rules, he would earn millions of coins. But instead of playing himself, the Robber Rabbit would explain certain rules and moves to Suzuran, trying to ensure that she wouldn’t get bored. Judging from the reactions of the people around them, Suzuran could guess that a lot of money was on the line. Though probably not as much as the Robber Rabbit earned, and yet he didn’t try to brag about it. Every single action he took or move he made, it seemed so innocent and friendly.
—Especially that color in his eyes. He must be so talented, yet he doesn’t want to talk about it.
He even showed Suzuran a reassuring smile from time to time.
—He…resembles him.
But when she reached that thought, she shook her head to rid herself of it.
“Why are you so good at gambling anyway? Did somebody teach you?”
“Yeah. Around four years ago. The yakuza son of the distinguished Kurosaki Family.”
“And who the hell is that?”
“That’s a bit hard to explain. Hadn’t seen him since he disappeared during our graduation trip right after middle school. And when we got reunited just the other day, he sure had changed a lot. He’s even working as an assassin, just like you. I think his codename was—”
But before the Robber Rabbit could finish his words, they heard a commotion near the entrance of the casino. A man not wearing what would be considered etiquette for the casino entered, approaching a poker table. His hair was dyed blonde, almost silver. And seeing the man in his punk fashion, Suzuran narrowed her eyes.
“Yodaka?”
He had his hands still stuffed in his pockets, greeting Suzuran uncomfortably. Suzuran didn’t look away from the poker table as she talked to him.
“Why are you here? Are you helping Karasu? Or were you also tasked with abducting the Robber Rabbit? But just wait, I was about to get something out of him.”
“Actually, we’re not after the Rabbit,” Yodaka scratched his head in a bashful fashion and took out an ice pick from the sheath at his back. “It’s you—Sis.”
He then pointed the tip directly at Suzuran. Meanwhile, the Robber Rabbit readied his Spetsnaz knife, shooting off the blade. It slammed against the ice pick, making it drop to the ground. Yodaka watched this with open eyes.
“Wow! Are you serious?! What kind of prop knife is that?!”
“C’mon now. If you wanna take her by surprise, you gotta keep your expression under control.”
The youth showed a gentle smile and kicked the ice pick beneath the table. Witnessing this brief exchange, Suzuran narrowed her eyes.
“What’s going on here? A fight between siblings from the same master is utter blasphemy. Are you really that desperate to break the rules that Tsubaki set?”
“Not like they’re written on stone, right?” Yodaka shrugged and took out two knives he had kept in his leg holsters.
They were both large and thick knives you’d use for survival in the woods. Suzuran kept a faint smile and pulled a scalpel out of the sheath she hid in her sleeve. The visitors around them caught on to the commotion, watching them from afar. Some were anxious about the whole situation and kept their distance, but nobody screamed. It almost seemed like they were used to this kind of situation. Suzuran let out a snort, relieved to see this reaction. They should have at least five minutes before guards would show up…and with just Yodaka, this should be done after two minutes at most.
“I’m gonna make you talk, whether you want to or not.”
Suzuran stepped on the table and jumped off it, swinging down the scalpel. Yodaka moved his knives above his head, blocking that attack. Sparks flew as the metal clashed. A dull sound filled the casino, and for just a moment, all the noise from the other visitors disappeared. Yodaka then moved out of the line of the knives, changing his position. After Suzuran landed, she got back up quickly and continued her attacks. Yodaka just barely managed to evade this onslaught of attacks, stepping backward until he reached the wall. As his heel bumped into the stone, a cold sweat ran down his cheek.
—She’s fast! She packs a punch! And where does she get all that strength from?! That makes no sense! Why can she push me to the wall?! With that fragile physique?! With that small knife!
Yodaka tried to evade one of Suzuran’s attacks by stepping to the right, but her scalpel still managed to cut through his sleeve.
—This one’s going nowhere! I’ve got no chance! Why did I have to deal with her all by myself?! Anyway, I gotta talk to distract her!
—After all, it’s not my job to defeat her!
“Hey, hey, hey, Sis! Why did you even go on a date with the Rabbit? Is he threatening you? Or are you serious about dating him? Oh lord, Bro Karasu’s gonna lose his marbles over this!”
“…Of course not. I’m trying to find out where Ishihebi went, and he’s got the information.”
“Hah! You wanna know that so badly? Are you stupid? There’s no point to this request anymore!”
“…What do you mean?” Suzuran furrowed her brow.
Seeing that, Yodaka laughed.
“You didn’t know? You’re worthless to Tsubaki now!”
“…Did she say that? I know she’s angry. I did say I’d kill the Robber Rabbit. And I can get why she’d know that I’m in contact with him, but if I just get Ishihebi, I should be able to regain her trust…”
“You don’t get it! We’re way past the point of reporting back to her and all that!” Yodaka said while attempting to keep his distance from Suzuran. “Tsubaki was planning on getting you killed for the longest time now! That’s why she hired Ishihebi!”
Suzuran’s eyes opened wide. Yodaka seemed satisfied with that response, laughing with all his heart.
“The plan was for us to finish you off while you were dealing with Ishihebi…And yet…that damn bastard with his disfiguration fetish. He just ran away with the cash without contacting us!”
Suzuran just stopped in her tracks, not trying to attack Yodaka anymore. After being freed, taking a few breaths, Yodaka looked over at the Robber Rabbit.
“Now, where did he escape to, I wonder? Maybe he got bought by that new boyfriend of yours?”
The Robber Rabbit remained seated at the table and bluntly responded “yes” like it wasn’t anybody’s business. He showed no signs of helping Suzuran and just watched the situation unfold. In Suzuran’s head, she could only think about Tsubaki. She remembered her gentle gaze that seemed so accepting—“Fukuro isn’t the only one who thought of you as a daughter”—that’s exactly what she said.
—She’s important to me. And yet, she betrayed me? She threw me away? Why?
Yodaka didn’t miss the moment Suzuran’s grasp on her scalpel weakened. He kicked off the ground to slice at her with one of his knives. The opposite of before, Suzuran now had to block it off. As they had locked weapons, Yodaka laughed.
—All right, I got the advantage! I’m pushing her!
—Right now, she won’t be able to pay attention to her surroundings!
From the crowd of people that watched this fight emerged a long arm, carrying a handgun. Their aim, naturally, was Suzuran. A Ruger LCP—the size that you could fit into a suit, acting as a lightweight pistol. Someone in the audience screamed. However, that wasn’t because of a gunshot. A woman, wrapped in flames, ran through the crowd and rolled around in pain on the ground. She was an innocent woman who wore the exact dress that matched the casino’s dress code. Yodaka couldn’t believe his eyes and ran over to her.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey! You good there?”
“…Shut up… It wasn’t strong enough that it could’ve killed me…and I blocked it off with my scarf.”
She had taken off her shirt to get rid of the residual flames, stomping down on her blue scarf. Scars ran along her neck, almost like a spiderweb.
“That was an expensive one… What a bummer. I even went without make-up today,” Botan grunted as she glared at the Robber Rabbit.
Meanwhile, he played with a translucent ball in his hands. Inside was a see-through liquid that was a bit more viscous than regular water.
“It’s a liquid fuel that starts to burn when it gets in contact with air. I set it up so it’d fall right down on your head.”
“…You slick bastard,” Botan covered her mouth with her sleeve.
She then looked over at Yodaka, sending him an encoded message with her eyesight alone.
(“Can we beat them?”)
(“No way in hell, not with that physical monster Sis.”)
(“So did you plant the seed?”)
(“Absolutely.”)
(“Then she’ll absolutely come after us.”)
(“And if we rope her up good enough, we win. Handle that, okay?”)
(“Gotcha.”)
Botan put one hand in her pocket, operating her phone. Suddenly, all the lights in the casino dimmed. Even the chandelier and the decorations lost their power, filling the hall with darkness.
“All right, Sis Suzuran,” Yodaka said.
Suzuran took out her gun and fired off into the darkness, aiming for the exit of the casino, but it didn’t land a hit. As she was about to run after the two, the Robber Rabbit grabbed her jacket and stopped her.
“You shouldn’t chase after the two of them,” he said while holding down one of his ears.
His expression was barely visible amidst the darkness, yet it carried a certain sense of danger.
“Those punks are good at surprise attacks, right? That girl was disguised pretty well, too. I’m sure they’ve set up more, so you shouldn’t chase after them.”
“No can do. There are a lot of things I need to ask you, too, but that comes after. I need to know what Tsubaki is thinking. Don’t worry about me, I’m much stronger than them.”
“Oh I don’t doubt that. But they’re used to fighting those stronger than them. If you play their game, you’ll lose.”
Suzuran let out an arrogant snort.
“I’m gonna trample all over them and their small tricks.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You lost against my tricks just the other day, remember? You definitely shouldn’t go after them.”
Even so, Suzuran twisted her body to break free from the Robber Rabbit’s hold and started walking.
“Just wait!” said the Robber Rabbit, showing an oddly determined reaction as he blocked off her path. “Don’t rush ahead, Suzuran.”
The moment he uttered those words, he regretted it. All shock vanished from Suzuran’s face, as she just stared at the youth with dark eyes, devoid of emotion.
“Why is it you?”
Amidst the dark, the Robber Rabbit could tell that Suzuran was about to break out in tears. He realized she’d start crying any moment now, so he reflexively reached for her hand. However, she slapped it away.
“Why is it you?! Why did you take me to a restaurant?! Why did you bring me here?! You’re so polite! You just smile whenever I’m slow to understand something! You even took care of Ishihebi because he was sent to kill me! You protected me from Karasu’s sedan! You made sure Yodaka’s weapon couldn’t hurt me! You stopped Botan from shooting me! You keep protecting me! But…why is it you?!” Suzuran screamed while dragging a voice from the depths of her throat.
She almost felt like a lost child who didn’t know what to do. So desperate—as she continued.
“Why…couldn’t it have been Fukuro?”
The Robber Rabbit’s hands froze up and he grit his teeth. Finally, both his hands fell down and he didn’t say another word. Suzuran stayed quiet, too, just pushing his shoulders to the side and running after the two. She took out her smartphone and called Tsubaki but to no avail. She just heard a normal “The number you dialed is currently unreachable.”
—She would never turn off her phone. This never happened before.
Suzuran rushed out of the casino, stepping out of the hallway. Botan hid herself right next to the corner of the stairs, firing off one bullet. Suzuran then heard the footsteps of the two, running up the stairs. Suzuran went after them—as they headed to the special Inchan 99 heliport on the rooftop.
2
Atop the Inchan 99, passing through the door and going to the right, you’d find a metal stairwell reaching up to the heliport. Botan and Yodaka stood in the center, wearing wireless headsets with attached microphones. As for the weather, it was currently the biggest downpour over the past few months. Raindrops hammered into the ground and jumped up, creating a loud noise that eventually was drowned out by the blades of a helicopter swirling around.
“You’re late, Sis Suzuran,” said Yodaka, and Botan silently nodded.
A bit further away from them, sitting on the metal fence surrounding the heliport was Karasu. He was currently checking the system to control the helicopter on his laptop. But then, the door to the rooftop unlocked and the door lever slowly moved down. In response, the grenade launchers equipped on the battle helicopter shot off 12 explosive rounds, engulfing the stairwell in flames. Yodaka then took out the assault rifle he had kept around his shoulder with a belt, changing it to full automatic and firing bullets into that mix, too. Botan used her regular rifle to shower the door with bullets. Karasu then fired the anti-tank missiles into the smoke as the stairwell turned into a small sun. Raging sounds like thunder and lightning filled the air as everything in their view turned orange. Even the metal door was turned into a mess, breaking down because it couldn’t maintain its shape. The empty shells of the bullet had fallen to the ground, too.
“This firepower is definitely not something that should be used against another person. As expected of Bro Karasu, using the services of an underground auction house is definitely something else,” Yodaka said while laughing with all his heart.
“This is something else… You could just work as a weapons trader. That might fit you better,” Botan muttered as she watched over the carnage.
Yodaka approached the stairwell and tilted his head.
—No dead body.
The moment he thought this, a bomb of light fell down and filled the entire area with light. Yodaka used one hand to protect his eyes from the light and fired off blindly with his gun. The bullets created a tunnel through the smoke that revealed the Robber Rabbit. Yodaka’s bullets scraped the headphones he wore, sending them flying. However, that didn’t end the youth’s momentum. He approached Yodaka while the bullets continued to fly. Eventually, Yodaka’s gun ran out of bullets, and the Robber Rabbit pointed his knife at his neck.
“Why the hell did you come? Where’s Suzuran?” Karasu asked.
“I played with the security system and had the fire prevention doors locked. They even move when there’s a blackout, did you know? And since she doesn’t know her way around the Inchan 99, she won’t be up here for a while. Especially in the dark.”
“How’d you make the door lever lower?”
“I used thread to control it from a safe distance. Pretty primitive, don’t you think?”
Karasu looked down and laughed heartily, then glared at the Robber Rabbit.
“What a cheeky younger bro of mine.”
“Former, that is. We cut ties, remember?”
Clear hostility filled the Robber Rabbit’s voice. Karasu looked down again, laughing heartily.
“Just repaying my debt. Who do you think taught you how to gamble and play all those games, huh?”
“I really don’t feel like it right now. Who knows, I might even stab this punk right here. Either way, make that helicopter disappear before Suzuran-san gets here.”
“…I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
Seeing Karasu laugh more and more, the youth clicked his tongue. His expression was unlike anything he’d ever shown Suzuran. In response, Karasu only attempted to ridicule him more, opening his arms as he continued.
“Invisible thread and a prank knife that can be shot at the target… They’re all especially useful for surprise attacks or traps, right? But charging in head-first…that’s not the way you fight now, is it? Or did you barge in to save the girl? Going so far you’re taking hostages to get yourself the advantage? How cool, really. I did want Suzuran myself, but to think my rival was this strong… Ahh, how frustrating.”
“Thanks for the praise, I guess? I don’t know if you’re trying to buy time, but I’m at my limit here. You can protect this guy and finish me off at the same time, right?”
“I wonder about that…” Karasu tabbed on the screen a few times, making the rear hatch of the AH32S open, which revealed odd cylinder-shaped objects.
Immediately after, an explosive roar made the air shake. The knife fell from the Robber Rabbit’s hand and slammed into the ground, creating a sharp metal sound. His small body lost all balance and slipped on the wet ground.
“Rough, right? That’s the lowest volume, so without my headset, I might have died, too,” Yodaka tapped one finger on his ear, fixing his belt to put away the assault rifle.
The youth didn’t move anymore, like a corpse at the side of the road, as he was being showered by the rain. Right before he passed out, he could hear steps rushing up the stairs.
*
“What’s going on here?”
Suzuran was gasping for air, wiping the sweat off her brow, as she stopped in front of the broken door. She then looked at the youth and the three assassins, her eyes blinking in shock.
“Ah, crap. I’m all out of bullets,” said Yodaka as he pulled the trigger on his gun, only to get back empty clicking sounds.
Karasu then looked over at Botan, who stuck out her tongue and formed an X with her fingers.
“Even your extra magazine? Really? You morons.”
Karasu once again tapped on the tablet a few times. The helicopter turned around, the front facing Suzuran. At the same time, Yodaka and Botan pressed their hands on their headsets, as another roar resounded on the rooftop. Suzuran held her head as she wobbled left and right. It’s like an invisible hand grasped her brain and violently shook it left and right. That’s how unpleasant all this was.
“What…was that?” Suzuran groaned.
Karasu just grinned.
“Seems to work fine—my sound weapon, that is.”
“That smug grin is pretty gross, Bro. That dumb weapon is strong enough to send everybody around it flying, be it friend or foe. No way this would get mass-produced.”
“All depends on how you use it.”
—A sound weapon? Noise?
“Fine, then I guess you want more.”
Karasu continued two more shockwaves, a lethal dose that made it feel like Suzuran got hit in the chest with a hammer.
“Oh you poor girl, Suzuran. It’s true that I always admired you, you know? Up until the point Tsubaki ordered your death, I dreamed of a happy future for both of us. Together, we’d start our own business, make a buttload of cash… You’d charge into the battlefield, I would stay behind acting as the brains, and we could create chaos using Pikaro… I’d make the perfect sidekick, don’t you think? But because fate played us like a fiddle, that future is now locked off for us.”
Karasu let his head hang and looked at the ground beneath Suzuran’s feet with an almost obsessive expression. He scratched his neck until blood appeared, speaking of the future he wished for. The more he talked, the more his voice dropped. It seemed like he didn’t care if Suzuran heard him, and he just kept talking to himself. Suzuran didn’t know what to say, but she felt a shiver run up her spine.
—He’s an absolutely lost cause.
—Unless you drug me or brainwash me, I’ll never ever even consider dating you.
Suzuran started dashing ahead. Seeing that, Karasu sighed.
—Her movement’s dulled. She’s clearly weakened. She’s only trying to struggle.
Karasu directed the muzzle of his gun at Suzuran. However, right before he could fire his gun, his arm was pulled to the side by an invincible force, the bullet firing off into the distance. Karasu narrowed his eyes and sighed.
“…You really are cool, Robber Rabbit.”
A transparent fishing hook was stuck to Karasu’s jacket. The Robber Rabbit still laid on the ground, collapsed, sending Karasu a sharp glare as he pulled on the invisible thread connecting to the fishing hook.
“…So desperate…and admirable… You don’t even have the strength to get up, absolutely in tatters, and yet you’re trying to protect the one you love. Heh, you’re like the hero in a movie. And I…truly despise you for that.”
Karasu approached the Robber Rabbit, pointing the muzzle down at the ground while keeping the gun next to the youth’s ear, and then fired off two shots. This time, the youth lost consciousness as his hands fell to the ground. Karasu then worked on his tablet again, making the helicopter lower down on the helipad.
“I’ll take the brat with me. Yodaka, you finish off Suzuran.”
“Huh? Didn’t you want to finish the deal yourself?”
“Remember the real contents of our mission. I’m going to abduct that young bro of mine because the Kowloon put up the request. And under Tsubaki’s orders, you two are gonna kill Suzuran. You should finish it since it’s your job, I’m here because it’s related to my job.”
“And how do you really feel?”
“I don’t want to turn the Rabbit into a tragic hero if I kill Suzuran with my own two hands.”
“That’s Bro Karasu! Your real feelings are really kind of disgusting!”
Karasu ignored Yodaka’s retort and entered the rear hatch of the helicopter. Suzuran tried her best not to throw up the contents of her stomach as she ran away to get her distance from Yodaka and Botan.
—I get it now. That sound weapon is specifically for the Robber Rabbit. I thought it was weird. Using a special knife, some invisible threads, or burnable liquid… I now understand why he’s using all those items.
—His senses are so sharp that he’s weak against sound or other impacts like that. When I fired my bullets at him, he seemed plagued by pain. But aren’t you overdoing it a bit, Karasu? A regular stun grenade would be enough for that. I swear, he loves to be flashy.
Before the hatch closed, the Robber Rabbit glanced over at Suzuran, showing an expression like he was close to breaking out in tears. It was the same expression he made when they first met. And yet, this time, it probably was no longer an act.
—Yeah, this is what you deserve.
Suzuran barely finished that thought, only for her to feel something moving within her chest.
—Does he…deserve that?
As her brain was still recovering from the unbearable noise from earlier, she felt a gust of wind clear her thoughts. She remembered the Robber Rabbit’s expression. The moment he blinked, close to shedding tears. Her head turned hot. He didn’t show that expression because he was scared of the Kowloon’s torture, nor was it because he still suffered from the attack of the sound weapon. She instinctively knew. The reason he looked like he was crying was—
Various visions and voices entered Suzuran’s head, making her brain almost burst from overheating. A scorching hot voice ran up her throat, and out of her mouth.
“You idiot! Why…? I thought you were in love with me!”
In her head, she saw the scene of Fukuro’s death. His dead eyes, his open mouth, the wound on his chest, the open hole shaped like a star—everything around it was colored black because of the gunsmoke. Creating such a sight wouldn’t have been possible if you didn’t fire the gun from close range. Even less so if you used a silencer on the gun to suppress the sound or impact.
—It doesn’t matter if my lungs give out. I don’t ever need to speak again…but just this once. One last time…scream like your life depended on it, Suzuran!
“Aren’t you supposed to be the greatest poker player there is?! You always called yourself the man who could read everyone like a book… You knew that saying all that would make me hate you, so why… You should have known that I would never fall in love with you like that… You should have known… So why did you never tell me that you can’t even use a damn gun?!”
Although the sound weapon had long stopped, the main rotors of the helicopter cut through any noise, making it impossible for the youth to hear her. She knew this was the case, and yet she pushed her body above the fence to scream to the point she coughed up blood.
“The one who killed Fukuro… It wasn’t you, right?!”
The helicopter continued to grow smaller as it flew into the distance until it vanished without a trace. Suzuran turned around and started running over to the stairs. However, Yodaka blocked off her path.
“Out of my way. I need to ask him… Need to ask that guy a few questions.”
“Come on, Sis. That’s now how any of this works. We heard everything because of the wiretap. The Rabbit tried to stop you. He tried to tell you…but who was the one who never bothered to listen?”
“…Whatever. Out of my way.”
“Still, what a poor guy. If you hadn’t fallen for this trap, he wouldn’t have gotten captured,” Yodaka said, clearly trying to provoke her.
“Out of my way.”
Botan witnessed their exchange, pulled a knife out, and leaped at Suzuran. However, she didn’t even turn around to just kick Botan away with her boot.
“Out. Of. My. Way!”
Suzuran pulled another scalpel out of the sheath she hid in her sleeve, pointing it at Yodaka. He just raised his right leg, kicking down the blade with his heel. He then took out the knife he had shown in the casino and rammed the dull end on Suzuran’s head.
“Sorry about that, Sis. Can you just give up now? You can’t win against us in that condition, right? Your eardrums are slowly giving up on you too, aren’t they? Gonna throw up? Must suck, right? Do you wanna die?”
“But don’t worry…” Botan stood up and pointed the muzzle at Suzuran. “Even if you don’t want to…we’ll still help you die.”
Suzuran tried to escape Botan’s line of sight, but after being hit, her brain was still trying to recover, not allowing her to move her legs. And then, a gunshot rang out.
CClaw Translations 