2012
Miyazaki Prefecture
Japan
8:21 AM
In a two-story house tucked away in an isolated part of Miyazaki, a violet-haired girl whisked together what would become pancake mix.
The rhythmic clinks of the steel whisk hitting the porcelain bowl spread throughout the kitchen, delicately piercing the low buzz of the refrigerator like a needle through water.
"Hm hm hm hmm." She hummed a tune as she stirred the powder. "Hmhm hm hmmm."
The teenager is making buckwheat pancakes. More specifically, a recipe she and her father perfected over eight years ago.
It's been a while since she last had them. With how busy she was, there wasn't time to make the time-consuming recipe. However, today is one of her rare days off and so, she decided to treat herself.
Once the powders became uniform, the girl cracked two eggs into the bowl and poured a blend of sweet and fragrant liquids she prepared prior. The teen then mixed the dry and wet mixtures together.
After around thirty seconds of whisking, the batter had properly formed. She set the bowl aside, right next to a holstered handgun.
The teen didn't seem to pay the firearm any mind and bent down to open the cupboard below her stove. The violet-eyed girl reached out and grabbed one of her cast iron pans. But before she could pull the skillet out, her phone suddenly rang behind her.
The teenager paused, letting go of the pan and picked up the device.
"Yoru Wick here." She pressed the iPhone to her ear. "How may I help you?"
"Good morning, Miss Wick." A familiar voice came over the call.
"Morning Asuka." Yoru returned the greeting. "Did a contract come in?"
"Yes," the woman affirms. "A request came in at seven-thirteen. I didn't want to wake you, so I held off from calling until now."
"Thank you Asuka." The girl appreciatively said. "But you could've just left this to the office people. Doesn't your work as a concierge keep you busy?"
"My duties aren't so time-consuming that I can't do something as simple as this." The concierge of the Osaka Continental rebuked. "But if you so desire, I can always stop doing work for you."
"That includes managing your taxes and stocks, by the way." Asuka quickly added before the teen could add anything.
"Thank you so much for your hard work." Yoru deadpanned as she leaned against her kitchen countertop. "What can you tell me about the contract?"
"It comes from the Akatsuki clan." Asuka informed the girl. "A small group went rogue and stole a weapon shipment to sell to the Kurosaki clan. They want you to kill everyone involved in that arms deal, secure their stolen arms and destroy their rival's vehicles."
"What kind of intel did they provide?" The hitwoman inquired.
"The location and likely number of targets." The woman said. "The arms deal will take place at one of the Kurosaki warehouses and there should be eight people at the arms deal. However, the Akatsuki are willing to pay extra if there are more people present."
"How much are they offering?" Yoru curiously asked.
She doesn't need the money – with her savings and investments, she could live more than comfortably for the rest of her life – but her prices need to be high. Otherwise, she just gets saddled with tons of missions that she would be far too overqualified for.
"Two and a half million yen per person." Asuka read out the payment conditions of the contract. "And one million per person if there happens to be any extra at the scene."
"Hmm. Twenty million yen, not bad." The teenager thoughtfully commented as she did the math in her head. Twenty million yen is around two-hundred fifty thousand USD based on current conversion rates. As far as contracts go, it is good pay and falls just within the minimum she's willing to take.
"I'll take it." Yoru declared, and the sound of clacking keys could be heard as the concierge input her confirmation. "When do I start?"
"The rogue Akatsuki members are expected to meet with their buyers tonight at eight." The Continental receptionist answered. "They're likely going to arrive in armored vehicles, so plan accordingly, Miss Wick."
"Thank you Asuka." The hitwoman appreciatively said.
"No problem, Miss Wick." The concierge replied. "And good luck."
Asuka hung up the call and the line went dead. The teen set her phone down and stared intently at the countertop. Dozens of potential plans went through her head, each using a variety of tools and failsafes to ensure successful completion.
But before she could get too deep into those imaginary scenarios, a bark caught her attention. Yoru turned to see her pet pitbull patiently waiting just beside her.
"You're hungry buddy?" She asked the pooch as she bent down and gently patted his head.
The dog let out another bark in response.
"Alright, gotcha." The girl reached into one of the cupboards and fished out two dog bowls. "I'll get you some kibble."
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Later that night
5:39 PM
Yoru threaded the last button of her white dress shirt and looked into the mirror. The shirt and black pants she's wearing are freshly ironed and wrinkle-free. The teenager's violet hair is tied up in a neat ponytail secured by a wolf hair clip.
Her appearance is clean. Pristine. The hitwoman looks like she's attending some big formal event, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Even though most think of assassins as invisible executioners for hire, there is a reason why they're said to do other's 'dirty work.'
While silent assassinations contain the largest percentage of posted jobs by category, they only make up a plurality of contracts. Infiltration, bodyguarding and being hired as extra muscle round out the rest of the work offered to the underworld's hired guns.
Every assassin has their own strengths and the better one is at their specialization, the higher their payouts will be. Those who excel in detecting threats are often hired to be the bodyguards of important figures; those who're skilled in espionage are hired by corporations to steal company from a rival and so on and so forth.
As for Yoru's speciality, her talents lie in full frontal assaults. While the hitwoman's skills in stealth and perception are top notch, her pure combative abilities remain uncontested.
Thus, extreme-risk jobs – like the one she agreed to this morning – are the only ones offered to her on a regular basis. People don't hire her to protect or infiltrate. They hire her to destroy. To send a message.
The assassin turned away from the mirror and grabbed the loose tie draped across the chair beside her. She looped the silk fabric around her neck and tied the two ends into a knot.
Yoru let the ribbon hang from her neck before turning to one of the last pieces of her outfit, an old black suit jacket that hangs by its lonesome.
It was her father's, the same one he wore during that one fateful night in Paris. It's been patched up and resized to fit her smaller frame, but it's still undeniably John Wick's final suit.
This suit jacket is among the last pieces of her father she still had in her possession, and it had been with her for the past two years. Even though she should've done everything to keep it safe, she couldn't help but wear it. It wouldn't feel right for the coat to remain locked behind a glass box if she's still out and about taking contracts.
The teenager knows it's irrational, but every time she dons the jacket, it's like her father was wrapping her in a warm embrace. Like he's still there right beside her and not buried beside her mother in New York.
"People die two deaths." Her squadmate, Gavriil, once said during a break. "Once when their heart stops beating, and again when they're forgotten."
"Why's that?" She remembered asking back then.
"Well, we all carry a piece of someone we know in our memories." The brunette replied. "So long as that piece is there, their existence is set in stone. But if there's no one left to remember them, then there's no proof they existed."
"So what?" Willafried, the group's shield operator, chimed in humorously. "They're double-dead?"
The girl took the old coat off the felt hanger and threaded both arms through its sleeves. She pulled the jacket over her shoulders, fastening it to her torso by threading the first button.
Yoru peered into the mirror once more. The mirror only showed the reflection of a seasoned murderess. A grim reaper ready to harvest the unfortunate souls of her targets.
She turned around and walked out of her closet. Her preparations are now complete. All that's left is going to the mission's location and set up there.
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Nearly one and a half hours later
7:52 PM
Yoru watched two shabby armored vans and a beat-up toyota – all without license plates – drive along an empty road through a pair of binoculars. From the glimpses she can gleam, the faces of the people matched up with the dossiers she's been given.
The information provided by her employer is accurate.
'Almost too accurate.' A stray thought crossed her mind.
She quickly silenced it. It's not the hitwoman's place to ask where the information comes from, she's just here to complete the job she's given.
The assassin set down her binoculars and cracked open the gun case beside her, revealing a M79 "Thumper" with its stock removed and an AKB-15 with a number of attachments.
She grabbed the shortened grenade launcher and broke the weapon open, inserting a 40mm grenade into the breach before closing the destructive device with a click. Yoru aimed the single-shot launcher at one of the cars and pulled.
*Thoomp*
The M79 let out a hollow thump and a shell whistled through the air. By the time the girl cracked open the weapon to discard the spent casing, the airborne grenade smashed through the quarter glass of the leading van.
*BOOM*
"Caw! Caw!" Several crows shrieked and jetted away when a sudden bright light and loud noise split through the night. A fiery explosion burst through the front of the car, shattering the windows from the inside and instantly killing the driver.
The armored vehicle quickly veered off course following the blast and tumbled across the cement road. The now-ruined van came to a screeching halt as it fell on its side. The rest of the caravan was forced to stop in their tracks, and that gave the hitwoman the opportunity to fire off another shell.
*Thoomp*
*BOOM*
Another grenade smashed through the windshield of the second armored van, engulfing the driver in another fireball
"Fuck!" One gangster stumbled out of the car that's trailing the two armored vans. "Shit, spread out, spread out! We've been made!"
Yoru tossed the second spent shell out and closed the launcher without putting another one in. She only brought four grenades and the remaining two are for the Kurosaki clan's own armored vans.
The teenager put the Vietnam-era weapon aside and grabbed theAKB-15. She slung the assault rifle over her shoulder and made her way toward the two gangsters, careful to not step on any branches and loose leaf piles that populated the wooded underbrush.
The two yakuza ended up taking over on either side of the car with their pistols drawn. Although it appeared to be a two-on-one fight, the fact the gangsters have separated themselves with a barrier made this more akin to two one-on-one fights.
"Can you see anything, Tahara?" Yoru heard the driver ask as she stalked closer to the two. Both mafiosos were anxiously – and unsuccessfully – scanning their surroundings for any sight of her.
"No." The other yakuza – Tahara – replied. "I can't see anything beyond the road."
"Shit." The older man swore and swept his pistol across the clearing. "Get your flashlight out."
Tahara lowered his handgun and reached into his pocket. As his hand fumbled around in his pocket, Yoru aimed her rifle at his head.
He pulled out his phone and right before the gangster activated the device's light, she struck.
*Ta*
The hitwoman pulled the trigger and her rifle spat a round of 7.62 into the rogue Akatsuki's head. The bullet barreled through his skull and punched through the Toyota's windows. The man dropped like a sack of potatoes and the car's alarms activated.
*HONK* *HONK* *HONK* *HONK*
The driver whirled around and let loose a flurry of wild shots. Yoru dove onto the ground as the stray bullets punched several more holes through the vehicle's windows.
The girl climbed to her feet and slightly adjusted her grip on her AK's handguard, putting her thumb on the power button of its flashlight. Now that the yakuza is alerted to her presence, she needs to approach the fight more carefully.
'I can't sneak around the car when it's this quiet out.' The hitwoman thought to herself. 'He'll know the direction I'm coming from and shoot me.'
'But what if…' Yoru took two steps toward the back end of the vehicle.
The teenager then suddenly spun a hundred-eighty degrees and ran in the opposite direction, making no effort to mask her footfalls. When she was about to clear the front of the automobile, the Wick suddenly bent her knees and leapt into the air.
A dull thud rang out when Yoru's back hit the roof of the car. She tucked her rifle close to her body and rolled across the top of the vehicle.
The yakuza whirled around once he realized that he'd been flanked, but it was already too late. The assassin activated the AK's side-mounted flashlight, beaming light straight into the driver's eyes.
When the man instinctively slammed his eyes shut in response to the sudden brightness, the teen put a round in his forehead.
*Ta*
The driver's body hit the floor with a thud as her rifle's charging handle reciprocated, ejecting a spent cartridge. The brass casing rolled off the car's roof and onto the concrete, bouncing off the concrete like an empty battery.
Yoru went into a kneeling position. She swept her rifle around herself before hopping off the vehicle once she's certain there were no more threats remaining.
The hitwoman made her way to one of the smoldering vans and opened its trunk. The Akatsuki clan was generous enough to provide a master key for their armored vehicles, so securing the arms was not a problem.
The teen dragged the gun-filled crates out of the ruined automobile and did the same for the other van. Once both containers are a good ways away from the burning vehicles, she texted Asuka the coordinates.
She quickly pocketed the device once the message was sent and headed toward the warehouse where the arms deal was supposed to be held. The first half of her contract has been fulfilled, now onto the second.
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Fifteen minutes later
Outside of the Kurosaki Warehouse
8:12 PM
"They're late." Yoru heard one of the Kurosaki members grumble as she stood outside of the warehouse. She took a quick peek inside and took note of everything in the depot.
Like the rogue Akatsuki gangsters, they brought two vans and a car for the arms deal. But unlike the yakuza she just put six feet under, their vehicles are in much better shape.
"Come on, it's only been, what, ten minutes?" One of the other clansmen piped up. "Give 'em some time."
Two people stood to the side of the two covered trucks, and the vehicles were parked in a semi-circle formation. The two vans are parked far enough that a single grenade can't take out both at the same time, so she'll have to expend her last two shells.
"We're in the middle of nowhere," The hitwoman broke her launcher open. "What could have stopped them?"
"A deer, probably." The teen inserted a high-explosive shell. "They're actually pretty common in rural areas."
'This mission is surprisingly easy for something with a twenty-million-dollar payout.' The thought from earlier re-emerged.
Yoru ignored it and closed her destructive device. The assassin moved toward the entrance of the warehouse as the four men continued to bicker. Eventually, one of the clansmen noticed her walking toward them. But it was already too late by then.
The teenager leveled her launcher at the van two were standing in front of and fired.
*Thoomp*
*BOOM*
A large fireball erupted from the van's engine block. A wave of lethal shrapnel spewed from the desecrated vehicle. The force of the explosion threw bodies of the two gangsters across the ground, breaking their bodies with a wet crack when their carcasses hit the floor.
Yoru then released her right hand from the M79 and pulled out her CZ Shadow.
*Bang* *Bang*
With the concussive forces brought upon by the HE shell she used, the remaining yakuza were too disorientated to even aim at her. Their lifeless corpses joined their allies on the floor as the hitwoman stopped a ways from the remaining armored transport.
Yoru stowed away her pistol and cracked open the grenade launcher. A puff of white smoke flowed out of the breach when she pulled the spent 40mm round out. She tossed the spent casing and inserted a new shell, taking aim at the second van.
*Thoomp*
*BOOM*
The last vehicle went up in flames and the hitwoman broke apart the launcher to retrieve the casing. She was about to turn around when a sudden chill stopped her.
*Bang*
The assassin looked up from her destructive device in time for a bullet to tear through her neck and graze her collarbone.
Yoru's eyes widened. There was another person in the warehouse she didn't see when she was scouting the surroundings.
Worse yet, the girl recognizes him. He's Ko Kuroda, the Kurosaki clan's top enforcer and hitman. Why is someone as high-profile as him here? He usually presides over boardroom deals, assassinations, and… arms exchanges.
'Damn.' The girl internally swore as she rolled for a short distance. Yoru threw herself to the floor just as Ko fired three more times at her.
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
The teenager clenched her teeth together as pain bloomed within her non-dominant leg. Two shots hit her left calf and thigh. She disregarded the pain and bolted toward the two burning cars upon clambering to her feet.
*Bang* *Bang*
The enforcer fired two more bullets at her, but the girl managed to barely avoid the speeding projectiles by sliding in between the two vehicles. Once Yoru was behind cover, she whipped out her handgun and aimed at the undercarriage of the van.
*Bang* *Bang*
She attempted to shoot the feet of her attacker, but the man quickly rounded to the front of the vehicle and out of her line of sight.
'He's using those tungsten 5.7 rounds.' The hitwoman thought to herself as she pivoted her aim toward the front of the vehicle. 'And Dad's suit doesn't have the new armor that can stop it.'
'I'm at a disadvantage in a straight firefight.' Yoru climbed to her feet with her handgun at the ready. 'So hand-to-hand is my only option.'
'Though…' She looked down at her left leg.
Angry spots of dark scarlet had blossomed from the holes in her pants, and the hitwoman could feel some wetness run down to her ankles.
The soft sounds of footsteps over the crackle of the burning engine blocks turned her attention away from her injured limb.
The teenager slowly stalked toward the van's bumper with her Czech firearm at the ready. When she saw her assailant's M&P peek over the vehicle, she struck.
Yoru lifted her right knee and let loose a front kick. The tip of her boot hit the butt of the pistol and almost knocked the gun out of Ko's hands.
With the handgun moved out of the way, the assassin planted her right foot in front of her and rammed her elbow into her opponent's solar plexus.
*Bam*
The man's eyes bulged as the wind was knocked out of him. The hitwoman quickly grabbed ahold of his left arm and hooked her forearm into his right armpit.
She swept her left foot in a half circle – brushing her foot against bits of glass and scrap metal – and threw the yakuza lieutenant over her shoulder.
*Tap*
But instead of landing on his back, he managed to land onto the base of his feet. Without an ounce of hesitation, Yoru stomped down on the man's right wrist before he could pivot his gun toward her.
*Crack*
The mafioso screamed in pain as a sharp crack rang throughout the warehouse. Every bone in the joint snapped, rendering his gun-toting hand useless. The teen winced as electric shockwaves reverberated through her injured left leg.
She fought through the pain and pointed her CZ Shadow toward his head. But before the girl could pull the trigger, the yakuza pulled on her left hand and simultaneously pushed her left foot aside.
*Bang*
That caused Yoru to slip on the fragments of debris beneath her boot. She was thrown off her feet and her shot missed, digging into the warehouse's concrete wall instead of the man's skull. The assassin rolled across the floor to break her fall and bleed off her momentum.
She looked up and saw that her opponent was climbing to his feet with his pistol in his other hand. The hitwoman pushed herself off the ground and dashed toward her assailant.
Just as the mafioso began leveling his pistol at her, Yoru threw her handgun at him. The Czech firearm spun through the air and knocked the barrel of the M&P off course.
*Thap*
*Bang*
The yakuza's shot missed, harmlessly embedding itself into the ground. Before her attacker could readjust his aim and fire off a second round, the girl shoved him into the still-burning engine of the van.
He screamed in agony as his suit caught on fire. The burning fabric seared his skin and let off an acrid smell. The enforcer desperately pushed himself off of the vehicle and rolled across the floor in an attempt to put out the fire. But it was all in vain.
Yoru went over to where her pistol landed and pried it off the ground. She leveled it at the screaming man and quickly put him out of his misery.
*Bang*
The final gunshot of the night reverberated throughout the warehouse and her attacker went still. The assassin let out a shuddering exhale before clamping her left hand around the wound in her clavicle.
She gritted her teeth and hobbled toward the car. Once the hitwoman reached the vehicle, she staggered toward the dead body sprawled by its offside.
Yoru searched the corpse's pockets for the automobile's keys and after a couple seconds of feeling up his clothes, she retrieved the plipper and unlocked the automobile.
The Honda Accord blinks its lights, signaling that its doors were free for the girl to open. She pried open the driver's side door, hopped into the seat and started the vehicle.
*Krkrkrwhhhh*
Its engines flared to life and the teen drove out of the warehouse.
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Around six hours ago
A Hospital in Miyazaki
1:34 PM
"AI!!!!!" A doctor with messy hair passionately screamed at a TV broadcasting what appears to be a group of teenage girls dancing on a stage.
His name is Gorou Amamiya, a gynecologist working at a hospital in rural Miyazaki. He's around thirty years old and all things considered, he looks extremely ordinary with his black hair and square-rimmed glasses.
"I want to worship her in real life…" The physician discontentedly groaned as he leaned closer to the television.
The particular program on screen is centered around the teenage idol group B-Komachi, a rising pop sensation that's taking the entertainment world by storm. The cameras were focused on none other than the center herself, Ai Hoshino, the crown jewel of Strawberry Productions.
"It's been four years since her group debuted." Gorou's previous disappointment and longing are now replaced with passion and fervor. "She's slowly but surely gaining popularity, her media exposure has also increased, it's as if her time has finally come!!"
"This is it!" He's almost shouting now with how excited he was. "Her stardom starts here and-"
"Doctor." A stern voice interrupted his ramblings. "Would you please watch that at home instead?"
The gynecologist turned around to see his colleague, Eriko Kawamura. She's quite tall for a Japanese woman, coming just short of Gorou's slightly above average height. Her coffee hair was tied into a tight bun and her auburn eyes looked at him with barely hidden exasperation.
"Why are you watching an idol's DVD in your patient's room?" The nurse inquired. "It's weird if you think about it, isn't it?"
To that, the doctor simply leaned back in his seat. While most other idol fans would get mad or angry at Eriko's backhanded comment, he's been through this same song and dance with her many times now.
The carer is very serious and uptight about her work and constantly clashes with the physician's laid-back personality. There's this cat and mouse game they've been playing for the last couple years now: Gorou slacks off in a patient's room, Eriko finds him and they engage in a match of verbal sparring before she drags the gynecologist back to work.
"Looking at beautiful things is good for your health." Gorou confidently – and quite shamelessly – stated. "That is my opinion as a doctor."
"Isn't that just you trying to convert people?" The nurse deadpanned at him.
"That's cuz they won't hold any live events this far out in the countryside." The physician vehemently defended. "This is part of my duty as a doctor!"
"... Just don't issue it out as anything official." Eriko sighed, conceding to the gynecologist's steadfast love for idols. She knows that continuing to argue about it is pointless, he won't budge an inch.
'Yes!' Gorou celebrated internally. 'Haha! It's my win today, Kawamura!'
"Come to think of it, senpai." She quickly followed up before the doctor had the chance to bask in the glory of winning that exchange. "There was a topic trending on twitter."
"Ah, I'll check that out later." He asserted as he stood up from his seat.
The physician raised his arms above his head and stretched. Now that his colleague had found him, he had to go back to work. Lunch break is just half an hour away, so it wasn't a big deal.
"See that you do." Eriko murmured before she turned to leave. But before the carer stepped outside the room, a sly smirk split across her face. She couldn't wait to witness her senior's reaction to the news.
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Staircase to the hospital's rooftop
Half an hour later
"EHHHHHH!!!!" Gorou cried out in surprise and devastation when he saw the first result on Twitter's trending tab. "Ai is going on a break???!!"
"Hahhh… You and your idols senpai." The nurse sighed in mock exasperation. "You're really dedicated to her, aren't you?"
'I was right, his reaction is glorious.' Eriko internally commented to herself as she looked on at the gynecologist's downcast form. 'His passion for his – what's the word? – oshi is quite cute. If only he is that dedicated to his own job.'
"Also, isn't she Yoru's sister, doctor?" The brunette continued. "She's sixteen as well, so isn't it kind of creepy for you to-"
*Thuck*
"Please don't say it like that." Gorou interrupted her and shoved open the entrance to the hospital's roof with a little too much force. "I have my own reasons."
'Oh,' Eriko realized as her coworker leaned onto a strip of railing. 'I've touched a nerve there.'
"Sorry." She quietly murmured, but the doctor didn't seem to hear her.
"Being a doctor, you often get relocated." Gorou began and the nurse stepped closer to listen. "Especially so considering our unique circumstances. But, this is the same hospital where I did my residency."
"Even back then, I often slacked off in the patients' rooms." He melancholically admitted. "One of the patients I met during that time changed my life."
"It's been four years since then, and I haven't stopped thinking about her since." The physician longingly uttered with his head hung low. "Her name is Sarina and she's the little sister I never had."
"She's the one who introduced me to Ai and idol culture as a whole." Gorou's lips thinned and his eyes grew misty. "Even though she was stuck in the hospital, she remained so bright and passionate about her oshi. Where others fell into depression and self loathing, she still clung onto hope and optimism."
"She wanted to be an idol just like Ai, but she died before she even had a shot at achieving her dreams." The gynecologist looked downcast. "Anaplastic Astrocytoma. She was only twelve."
"If she were alive right now, she would be sixteen, just like Ai." The doctor looked up to the sky as if he could catch a glimpse of the dead girl in the clouds. "Perhaps I kept seeing Sarina-chan in the idol she loved and looked up to."
"I just want to watch over the one who walks the path she wanted to walk." Gorou wholeheartedly declared.
"I see." Eriko was stunned. It took all her willpower to not stutter or pause.
She honestly didn't know what to say. The nurse knew that her colleague's adoration for the teenage idol is nearly boundless, but she always wrote that off as a weird quirk of his. For him to carry on the love of a patient like that, it's…
"That's really sweet of you, Senpai." The carer leaned on the rail next to him. "I should've expected that from you."
Eriko looked toward Gorou and- oh. He's just intently staring at her.
"Who are you?" The gynecologist slowly began. "And what have you done to my coworker?"
'Oh he did not just…' The nurse's smile instantly fell.
"Kawamura would've immediately sassed me and called me a pervert." The doctor continued, and a vein bulged on her forehead. "If you're going to steal her identity, you sho-"
*SMACK*
"You damn idiot!" The brunette cut Gorou off by slapping the back of his head. "I was being considerate!"
"Ugh… " The clinician groaned and nursed the area where Eriko hit him. "You know, you'll be more popular if you're like this all the time. But I guess-"
The physician moved away just in time to avoid a second smack.
"- gap moe is very popular!" Gorou finished his sentence, much to the Eriko's chagrin.
At this point, the gynecologist can see figurative steam pour out of his coworker's ears. With how calm and collected she usually presents herself as, seeing her this ticked off is a rare sight indeed.
However, she's currently like a volcano that's about to erupt. And the best way to survive a volcano is to…
"Get back here you creepy Otaku!" The doctor let out a laugh and bolted across the rooftop with the carer following close behind him.
"So you can hit me?" Gorou taunted as he narrowly dodged a slap. "Not a chance, ice princess!"
"I'm going to beat you!" Fire spewed from Eriko's eyes when the older man used her old nickname.
The two chased each other around the rooftop for some time – well, more like five minutes; doctors aren't known for their stamina – until they started to slow down out of exhaustion.
"Hah…" The nurse panted out as she trudged toward the clinician. "I'm… going… to… get… you…"
"No…" Gorou wheezed while he held onto the railings for support. "You… won't…"
Right as he said that, the physician's legs gave out. He fell to his knees and the carer took that opportunity to catch up.
"Take… this…" Eriko lifted her hand and with no strength behind it, let her fist fall onto her co-worker's head.
"... Ow." The doctor flatly intoned.
The two looked at each other and after exchanging some looks, they silently agreed to a truce. Gorou pulled himself up and leaned against the metal rails.
"So, what's the occasion?" The RN asked after taking several moments to catch her breath.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" The gynecologist asked. "What occasion?"
"Hmmph. Don't play dumb with me Senpai." Eriko huffed and gave the older man a side eye. "You always get more annoying when there's something coming up. So, spill."
"Hah… Well, you got me." Gorou sighed in mock defeat.
The doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrapped box.
"Congrats on making it to your first year here." The clinician smiled and held out the gift to his junior. "I know it was hard for you in the beginning, but you've really made the job your own."
The brunette took the present into her hands and looked at the physician.
"Senpai… I…" The nurse was speechless. She's been so busy that she hasn't been keeping track of how long she's worked here for. The fact that Gorou remembered was…
"Open it." He advised.
Eriko did as she was told, ripping open the packaging to reveal a pair of high-end metal pens along with a pen light.
"... Thank you Senpai." The carer looked up at the gynecologist. "And… Thank you for being my friend."
She whispered that last part, but the brunette knew how much the word "friend" is an understatement. Eriko owed Gorou, big time.
The hospital they worked at is a part of the criminal underworld. They treated normal patients and civilians at all times, but things are a bit different at night.
Once visiting hours were over, the clinic's other – more illicit – operations began. Upon being given the appropriate payment, the hospital would provide treatment to anyone without question.
When she first came to this clinic, the carer never expected that she would be dragged into the society's underbelly once her residency was complete. In hindsight, the clinic's odd rules about certain wings being inaccessible after visiting hours and the unusually high amount of medical supplies being used should've clued her into something being wrong.
Normally, the hospital staff would vet residents to make sure they have the right mindset to treat criminals. If the residents are found to be lacking, they would just be transferred to a non-affiliated clinic. However – because of her "ice princess" attitude – Eriko ended up being let through.
Originally, the nurse didn't think much of it. Some healthcare professionals end up having to treat criminals before they're put behind bars, so she thought that this shouldn't be any different.
But, the RN was wrong. It all came crashing down after she nursed a yakuza member back to health, only for the news to report that the same person killed several innocent people in a bar just a week later.
Hospitals associated with the underworld don't allow their staff to leave until a sufficient amount of time has passed. For the ones that tried anyway, well, they don't get far before they're "taken care of."
Safe to say, if not for the fact that Gorou stood up for her way back when, she wouldn't be here today.
"Don't sweat it." The physician pushed himself off the rails. "Come on, lunch break is almost over. Let's get back to our patients."
Eriko stowed his gift into her jacket and followed him. All the while, not noticing that a small smile adorned her face.
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Gorou's office
Several hours later
7:54 PM
"Thank you for waiting." Gorou sat down in his chair and turned toward the two people sitting in his office.
One is a sharply-dressed blonde man wearing a pair of dark sunglasses while the other is–
"... Yoru?" The gynecologist uttered when he caught sight of violet hair cascading down the girl's white hoodie.
She snapped up at him and the doctor quickly realized his mistake. That is not the teenage assassin. Even worse, he knows exactly who that is.
"My apologies." Gorou quickly apologized, hoping that the teenager wouldn't catch on. "I thought you were someone I know."
The girl sitting in front of him is Ai Hoshino, the center of B-Komachi and the idol he is currently obsessing over. But more importantly, she is Yoru's twin sister.
"So, it's-"
"Do you know a Yoru Hoshino?" The idol cut him off when he tried changing topics.
Oh crap, he's done it now. The last thing Yoru wants is for her sibling to get involved with her. If the hospital doesn't make him dig his own grace for accidentally leaking information, then the hitwoman will certainly get him.
"Ai, that's highly inappropriate to interrupt Sensei here!" The stubbled man scolded the teen.
"No no, don't worry about it." Gorou placated the man. "It's my fault for bringing her up."
"I don't know a Yoru Hoshino, but I do know a Yoru Wick." The clinician technically didn't lie here. He was first introduced to Yoru with Wick as her surname, and the assassin goes by Yoru Wick in all of her legal documents.
"Wick?" Ai tilted her head at the non-Japanese last name.
"She's American." Gorou elaborated. "She grew up in New York and we met when she visited Miyazaki for her job. Wick-san is around your height and has a similar hair color, so I got a bit confused."
"Oh…" The entertainer dejectedly looked down. "I see… I'm sorry, Sensei."
"Don't sweat it." The doctor said before looking at the documents he was given.
'Phew, crisis averted!' He internally celebrated as he soaked up all the information on the papers. 'Thank goodness she bought it.'
"So, it's your first time here, right Hoshino-san?" The gynecologist put down the pamphlet and looked at the teen.
"Yes." Ai answered.
'Twenty weeks in is really late for a first checkup.' Gorou thought to himself. 'But, she is sixteen and an idol, so it's not surprising she would wait this long. It's also probably why she is taking a hiatus.'
"Are you her parent?" He turned to the blonde man – Ichigo Saito, the documents said his name was – sitting next to her.
"On paper, yes." The man nervously said. "She grew up in an orphanage so, in truth, I'm only her guardian."
"I see." The gynecologist nodded.
'Thank goodness I've learned how to stay cool.' The physician mused. 'Otherwise, I think I would actually lose my crap and puke from the shock right about now.'
"Sensei, how is it?" Ai's guardian worriedly inquired. "Is there any possibility of a really bad case of constipation?"
"If that's the case, then she'd be dead by now." Gorou flatly answered.
"Don't worry about that!" The idol cheerfully raised a thumbs up. "I didn't have any problems today!"
"Well, let's go take a look shall we." The clinician stood up and walked toward the door. "There's a little bit of preparation needed, so please give me a moment."
The gynecologist closed the door shut behind himself and looked around for any employee roaming the halls. Eventually, he spotted Eriko walking nearby and flagged her down.
"Kawamura, I need a code blue." Gorou whispered to the nurse once she came in close.
"Code blue?" The RN questioningly murmured. "Why, Senpai?"
"Ai came into my office, and she's pregnant." Eriko's eyes widened at his words. "I need the path clear to the first examination room and later, the lobby. Can you pass that to the receptionists?"
The brunette nodded and briskly walked off. After a couple of minutes, the doctor opened the door to his room just in time to catch Ai saying "That's a secret."
"The examination room is ready." The physician announced. "Follow me, I'll take you there.
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Around ten minutes later
"As for your results…" Gorou turned the screen toward Ai and her guardian. "You're twenty weeks in, expecting twins."
"Twins…" The two simultaneously said.
"Twins…" The idol repeated herself as wonder and melancholy washed over her face.
"Ai." Saito-san called for the entertainer's attention. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? If the world finds out about you getting pregnant at sixteen, it would be the end for you, me, and our office!"
Ai grew quiet at the blonde's words and a look Gorou had seen so many times on Yoru manifested. It was a face of solemnness one wouldn't expect to find on someone so young, yet it exists on their face regardless.
"Sensei…" The pregnant teen turned toward him. "What do you think?"
The gynecologist's heart stills when he looked into her violet eyes. He can see so many whirling emotions in those iridescent orbs. Hope, fear, acceptance, denial, all of it rests on his shoulders.
The doctor stared for just a bit longer, and opened his mouth.
"In the end, it's your decision." Gorou answered. "Think carefully before you decide. As a doctor, that's all I can say."
What he gave was non-committal, something born out of pure professionalism and detachment. It wasn't the answer she was looking for – that much was clear – but it is the best he can give.
Ai nodded and the physician left the room to give the two some space.
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Hospital vending machine
Some time later
"As a doctor… huh." Gorou said to no-one in particular.
He popped the tab of a canned coffee and took a long swig. After all that happened, he needed that extra shot of caffeine.
"So, how was it, Senpai?" A voice to the right of him asked.
The clinician turned to see Eriko standing beside him with a can of black tea.
"Hahhh… one of the most stressful things I've been through." The gynecologist breathed out.
"Even more than that time we had a code red?" The nurse raised one of her eyebrows.
"Well… no, not that stressful." Gorou sheepishly admitted. "But, it's still like an eight out of ten kind of stress."
"Do you want to talk about it?" The carer suggested.
The doctor opened his mouth to answer but was quickly interrupted.
"Holy! Are you serious?" Someone in the lobby shouted. "And I really liked Miu…"
The physician looked over to the man and followed his gaze to the foyer's TV. The news channel the hospital put on was reporting an idol's marriage to a well-known comedian.
"How about we take it to the roof?" Gorou turned toward his co-worker. "It should be quieter there."
"I concur…" Eriko narrowed her eyes at the idol fan that interrupted them. "Give me a moment Senpai. I need to take care of this disturbance."
"Alright." Gorou nodded and chugged the remainder of his coffee. He dumped the empty can into a nearby wastebasket before walking toward the staircase to the top of the hospital.
"Sir, I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave." The gynecologist stretched his arms as he heard his coworker admonish the man. "Visiting hours are over and…"
Her words trailed off as the clinician ascended the stairs. He pushed the steel door open and walked to the railings that covered the perimeter of the rooftop.
Gorou leaned on the steel fence and heaved a sigh.
Today was supposed to be a slow day. He was supposed to give Eriko her present to celebrate her first year working at this hospital and take care of some injured assassins after visiting hours, not deal with his oshi showing up twenty weeks pregnant.
*Thuck*
"You looked like you were constipated there, Senpai." The physician turned around to see the woman in question leaning on the steel door frame.
"How would you know?" Gorou asked as the nurse slowly made her way toward him. "My back was facing you."
"That's the thing Senpai," Eriko put her weight on a nearby section of guardrail. "You always look constipated."
The clinician shook his head. He had walked right into that one, hadn't he?
"What will you do now, Senpai?" The carer suddenly asked.
"About?"
The RN rolled her eyes.
"You know, Ai being pregnant and all that." The doctor is avoiding the subject, and they both know it. "From what I know of idols, that's career ending, no?"
"Yeah, it is." The gynecologist grimly confirmed and looked over to his coworker.
"I'm scared for her." Gorou admitted when Eriko signalled him to go on. "Her fate was practically sealed the moment she got pregnant. A huge portion of her fanbase will despise and revile her no matter if she decides to keep the kids or not."
"Yeah, that tracks." The brunette nodded as the physician finished. "But, I'm talking about you, Senpai."
"I will continue supporting her." The doctor firmly declared. "If there is anything I can do, either as her doctor or a fan, then I will do it."
"You really are dedicated to her, Senpai." Eriko said in an undecipherable tone. "That makes me kind of jealous."
Gorou snapped his head toward his coworker. The two made eye contact for several seconds before the carer looked away. She opened her mouth to take in a breath, but the nurse was interrupted before she could use it for anything.
*Thuck*
"Oh, Sensei." Ai exclaimed upon opening the rooftop door.
"Hoshino-san." The physician turned around to greet her.
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" The idol inquired while she stepped closer to the pair of coworkers.
"No," The gynecologist shook his head. "We were just finishing up."
"Hmm. Do you mind telling me what you two were talking about?" The teenager curiously asked.
"Nothing you would be interested in." Eriko replied. "Just some boring adult stuff between Senpai and I. You should go back inside, Hoshino-san. The cold air isn't good for your health."
"I'm wearing a couple of layers so I'm okay!" Ai cheerfully responded to the RN's suggestion.
Then upon spreading her arms, the pop star slowly spun across the rooftop.
"I decided to come here cuz my boss recommended this place, but it's so nice!" The violet-haired girl looked up at the night sky. "I can see the stars so clearly out here! Tokyo isn't like this at all."
Gotou stared at Ai for a couple more seconds, then back at Eriko. The nurse simply shook her head as if she's saying that she doesn't know either.
"Did you come all the way out here from Tokyo," The clinician let out a small breath before deciding to bite the bullet. "Because you're afraid of the public taking notice?"
"Hm?" The pregnant idol turned toward him. "Have I talked about my job at all?"
"I-"
"He watches your group's CDs." Eriko quickly interjected before Gorou could say anything. "While waving red glow sticks, I might add."
Gorou whirled around to face his coworker, but she simply shrugged at his gaze.
'You're planning to bite the bullet already, why not go all the way?' The nurse seemed to say.
"Oh." Ai was a bit taken aback. "Ah shoot, I thought I'd be okay here since the doctors are mostly old grandpas. I didn't expect to run into a fan here!"
"So… can I please ask you to not tell anyone about me being pregnant?" the idol clasped her hands together and bowed her head. "I'd rather not let the media know about this."
"We take doctor-patient confidentiality very seriously here." The gynecologist assured her. "You don't have to worry about that."
"I'm glad to hear that." The teenager was relieved by the doctor's words. "I'll be leaving now. Nurse-san is right, the night air probably won't be too good for my health."
"Ai." Ai turned to leave, but before she reached the door, Gorou called out to her. "Are you… going to quit as an idol?"
The idol looked at him for a few seconds before realizing what he meant.
"Ah." She murmured. "Of course you would worry about that."
"I won't quit." The girl continued with a smile.
"The ones in my tummy, they're twins, aren't they?" A forlorn look overtook her face. "I'm sure they'll be super noisy when I have them, then we'll be a lively family!"
"I will do everything in my power to keep them together." Ai declared. "I will give birth to my kids and continue on being an idol to provide for them!"
"You mean…" Gorou's eyes widened at what he thought the pop star was trying to do.
"Yeap!" The entertainer cheerfully confirmed his suspicions. "It won't be public! If I were to become the number one idol in Japan, then I can certainly hide a child or two."
"And… idols are people too." Ai softly admitted. "I want to be happy and live just like everyone else. If I had to choose between my job and my family, I'd choose both. Even if it's impossible, I will find a way to do it. That's the kind of greedy person Hoshino Ai is."
'She hasn't given up on searching for Yoru, hasn't she?' A small smile split across Gorou's face. 'I remember from one of her earlier interviews that she became an idol so Yoru would know that she's out there.'
'Ai isn't choosing between her job and family,' The doctor looked up at the teenager. 'She's choosing between the family she used to have, and the family she will have. She simply refuses to give up on either.'
"Hoshino Ai." The gynecologist called out to his oshi, his eyes now lit with determination. "As your fan, and your doctor, I swear to you. I'll make sure you safely deliver two healthy kids."
'Even if her dream of reuniting with her sister is impossible,' Gorou's thoughts continued as Ai's starry orbs slightly widened in shock. 'I will make sure her path to happiness is realized.'
'Because, you are as much a hopeless idol, Hoshino Ai,' The physician heard a notification sound from his phone, but he could care less at this moment. 'As your sister, a hopeless assassin. Even though you two both chase impossible dreams…'
'I will do everything in my power to make sure you get your happy endings.'
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Gorou's office
Several more minutes later
8:31 PM
*Click clack*
*Click click*
"Alright, and I think that should be all of it." Gorou swiveled his chair to face Ai and Saito. "Now, can you tell me what you should be doing during your pregnancy?"
"Eat lots of fruits and protein," The idol began. "Avoid junk foods, avoid coffee and tea, exercise consistently, don't smoke, don't drink, take the vitamins you give me with water and follow the instructions on them."
"Very nice." The clinician nodded. "And remember to come to me if any complications come up. Remember, I am your doctor, I need to know if anything goes wrong."
"Mhm." The pop star nodded in agreement. "Am I free to go now?"
"Yeah, you are." Gorou said before spinning around to face his computer. "And…"
The gynecologist's breath got caught in his throat once he saw a notification on his computer screen. It had come in just when he turned around to face Ai and her guardian.
He quickly turned around to call for Ai, but it was too late.
"Y… Yoru?" The entertainer's voice floated from the hallway. "I… Is that really you?"
'Welp.' Gorou leaned back in his chair and looked toward the ceiling light. 'I'm screwed.'