Sora slammed his foot on the accelerator, the engine of his souped-up sedan roaring in protest. "I expected more from you, you know that," Jiro's voice crackled through the car speaker, laced with a familiar disappointment that grated on Sora's nerves. Sora's jaw tightened, a frown etched deeply on his face. "Shut up! How was I supposed to know she had a freaking bounty on her head worth that much? And besides, why aren't you here right now?" he retorted, his voice echoing in the confined space of the car as if he were arguing directly with the speaker itself.
"Because I have a plan," Jiro calmly countered, his tone annoyingly collected. "A plan to draw most, if not all, of the people after Hikari to me. Don't worry about what I'm doing, just focus on being by Hikari's side. I'll head out now." With a click, the line went dead, leaving Sora alone with his thoughts.
(A plan, he says. What is he up to now? No, I have to focus on the task at hand and be by Hikari's side.) The thought was a mantra, a desperate attempt to drown out the gnawing anxiety in his gut. He pushed the car harder, the speedometer needle creeping higher, but then he saw it – a seemingly endless line of traffic snaking ahead, bringing him to a screeching halt. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Sora muttered, banging his fist on the steering wheel. There was no other choice but to wait, the frustrating reality of the situation settling heavily upon him. He pulled out his phone, scrolling through contacts, contemplating calling Jiro back, but then he remembered the instructions: focus on Hikari. He sighed, leaning back against the seat, the seconds dragging into an eternity. He had to stay calm, but the thought of Hikari being out there, a target, made his blood run cold.
At the Onsen:
Sato and Daiki, two figures of questionable judgment, huddled in a secluded, abandoned room within the sprawling onsen complex, their chests heaving as they tried to catch their breath. Sato, ever the more cautious of the two, cautiously peeked out the door, his eyes darting left and right. Seeing no one, he finally relaxed, letting out a long, exaggerated sigh.
"Thanks to you," Sato began, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "those ladies are probably already reporting us to the onsen managers. And to make matters worse, they know exactly what we look like. Look, let's just head back to the dining hall, act completely dumb, and if they confront us, we'll just say we came here by accident." A self-satisfied smirk spread across his face, clearly believing he had brilliantly solved their predicament.
But Daiki, oblivious to Sato's grand strategy, was already on his feet, his eyes gleaming with an almost manic determination. "No! We've come this far, there's no turning back now. Come on, Sato, think about the… tatas!" he urged, his voice filled with an uncharacteristic fervor.
Sato stared at him, a look of pure disgust contorting his features. "You know you're saying all that butt naked, right?" he pointed out, gesturing vaguely at Daiki's unadorned state.
Daiki merely turned, completely unfazed. "Nothing is stopping me today, Sato, nothing! So let's go. Now that I know what the problem is, I doubt it would trouble us again," he declared, adjusting his intricately hand-drawn map with a confident flourish.
Sato remained rooted to the spot, a stubborn mule refusing to budge. "Why do you even need me to tag along? I'm literally just following you around idly. What is my use? Why do you want me here so bad?" he pressed, genuinely perplexed by Daiki's insistence.
Daiki, without missing a beat, answered almost immediately, his tone surprisingly cheerful. "Oh, you didn't know? Well, because I need someone to fall the blame on if we were to get caught!"
The sheer, unadulterated straightforwardness of Daiki's confession, devoid of any attempt to soften the blow, instantly ignited a furious spark in Sato. "You know what? You're crazy! I'm heading back. You do what you wanna do," Sato fumed, turning to open the door.
But Daiki was faster. In a flash, he lunged, positioning himself squarely between Sato and the exit. "You can't leave now! Think about it, Sato! The 'Gun and Run Level 9 Premium'! It would all be yours!" Daiki cajoled, stepping closer, his eyes gleaming with an unyielding determination.
Sato, eyes wide with alarm, slowly backed away. "Hey, men, you're naked men don't come any closer!" he pleaded, holding his hands up defensively.
Daiki's smile widened, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Follow me, or I'll give you a hug," he threatened, taking another deliberate step forward.
"Hey, okay! You don't have to be that weird! Fine, I'll come. Just stay away from me!" Sato capitulated, throwing his arms out in exasperation.
Daiki looked at him suspiciously, a flicker of doubt in his gaze. "You're sure?"
Sato nodded vigorously, without uttering another word, his face a mask of resigned exasperation.
"Okay," Daiki said, finally satisfied. "We better start going." He reached for the door handle and pulled it open. The second the door swung inward, Sato, seizing the unexpected opportunity, shoved Daiki hard, sending him stumbling. With a burst of adrenaline, Sato bolted out of the room, fleeing from his deranged companion. Daiki, regaining his balance, adjusted his glasses, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face. "You sneaky bastard! Get back here! You don't even know where you're going!" he yelled, launching himself in pursuit of the fleeing Sato. Sato continued to run, desperately trying to locate any nearby person, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Help! A naked guy is chasing me!"
The Dining Hall:
Meanwhile, in the bustling dining hall, Kaito sat alone at a table laden with an array of delectable food, his gaze fixed on the entrance as he impatiently waited for Sato's return. "What is taking him so long?" he muttered to himself, a pang of regret echoing in his mind. "Why couldn't he have just said no?"
His gaze then drifted towards two hulking figures dressed in black, standing near the food ordering station. They radiated an aura of silent intimidation. "Are those mafias?" Kaito wondered, his brow furrowing. "Probably. Police just let anybody walk around these days, huh? Well, mafia is a common thing in our society, so it really shouldn't be surprising to see one here and there. If police were to arrest every mafia they see, this whole world would be in chaos, so they wait for them to commit a crime in front of them, or they have enough evidence of a crime on them before apprehending them. That's why scumbags like that walk this planet." He continued to stare at the two formidable men in black, completely oblivious to the true nature of their presence.
The men in black, unaware of Kaito's judgmental musings, were actually standing guard, waiting to order food for their Mafia Queen. Their mission, however, was abruptly interrupted by a call from their ruthless leader. "Yes, my Queen," one of the men said, his voice instantly deferential, snapping to attention.
"Boys, we have a change of plans," the Queen Mafia's voice crackled through the phone, sharp and decisive. "I'll be coming to meet you at the dining hall. I just set my eyes on Hikari Kuroda."
A stunned silence fell over her bodyguards. "Hikari Kuroda? The daughter of the Mafia boss? No way! She can't be here! Are you sure it was her, my Queen?" one of them stammered, his disbelief evident.
The Queen's voice turned cold, edged with irritation. "I'm not blind, you idiot! I said I saw her, and I'm one hundred percent sure it's her. Now, I also know you two are aware of the bounty on her head by Jigoku. This is the closest opportunity we can get to taking her in."
Her bodyguard hesitated, a note of trepidation entering his voice. "I don't know, my Queen, is it worth the risk? We are talking about the number one Mafia group in the world."
A sly, confident smile played on the Queen Mafia's lips, even as she spoke through the phone. "Don't worry, I have a plan. Just wait, I'll meet you guys. Your job is to make sure she doesn't leave. She's heading to the dining room with one girl. Stage one of my plan has already been completed." She recalled with satisfaction how she had intentionally bumped into Hikari in the locker room, a swift, practiced move to swipe her phone. Now, she waved Hikari's phone triumphantly in her hand. Her bodyguards, despite their lingering doubts, promised to do everything they could to keep an eye on Hikari, and with that, the Queen Mafia hung up, a chilling sense of anticipation settling over her.
Chaos Erupts
Meanwhile, Sato, still frantically running away from Daiki, rounded every corner he could find, his desperate search for an exit proving futile. Daiki, despite his nakedness, was surprisingly agile and was rapidly gaining on him. With a final, desperate burst of energy, Sato burst into a bustling hallway, completely oblivious to his surroundings. He collided squarely with someone, sending both of them sprawling to the ground. Daiki, a triumphant grin on his face, leaped onto Sato's back, a tangle of limbs and gasps.
Sato and Daiki, rubbing their heads, looked up, their eyes widening in shock. Standing over them were Sakura and Hikari, their faces a mixture of confusion and surprise.
"Sa-Sakura? What are you doing here?" Daiki blurted out, his voice laced with disbelief.
Sakura, equally startled, responded, "Babe?"
Sato's eyes widened, his jaw dropping in utter shock. (Did she just say BABE!!!!) The world seemed to tilt on its axis.