Midoriko struggled through her workday. Not knowing who her father would send after her meant everyone looked suspicious. Her stomach was in knots knowing she'd be walking right into a lion's den after shift was over. But this was all for Itoko.
She was starting to understand her mother a bit better. The decisions she made, the actions she took—it was all for the sake of her child. Midoriko's mother had done everything she could to give her a peaceful life, and that was what she wanted for Itoko too.
Ryouma and Xiǎomíng, too. It was never a question in their minds to abandon Itoko. They truly had become like family to each other. All of that was worth fighting for.
Midoriko checked the phone under the desk. She hadn't heard from either of them yet. Were they waiting on her?
"Um, 'scuse me!" While she was deep in thought, a customer approached the info desk without her noticing. She hastily pocketed the phone and shifted into customer service mode.
"Welcome to the museum!" Midoriko announced cheerfully as she raised her head. "Unfortunately, we will be closing soo–"
Midoriko froze at the sight of Akira standing across from her.
"Yo!" He gave a little wave and leaned against the counter. "I'm here to pick you up!"
She clenched her jaw and swallowed hard. Midoriko wanted nothing more than to both verbally and physically tear into him, but she'd have to restrain herself while she was still in public.
"Wow! That's a nice face you're making," he said, with a shit-eating grin as he rested his chin on his hand. "I thought you were cute before, but you might just be even better like this."
Midoriko wiped the glare she didn't realize she was making off her face. She smiled pleasantly and, in her best customer service voice, said, "The museum will be closing in thirty minutes. Do you have any other questions, sir?"
Akira burst into laughter. Perhaps someone like him, who was also familiar with wearing a mask, could appreciate the absurdity in the switch.
As he laughed, his prominent canines were on display. Midoriko recalled how she used to think they were endearing and one of his attractive points. Now, they just made him look like a predator.
"Thanks for that," Akira said, wiping a tear from his eye. He leaned across the counter and lowered his voice. "I'll wait for you, then."
When he walked away, Midoriko swiveled her head around to make sure none of her coworkers saw or heard that exchange. The last thing she wanted was questions or gossip about her personal life. Especially regarding someone she hoped to never see again after everything was resolved.
Midoriko clutched her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. Just thirty more minutes…
***
"Great work again today, Midoriko!" said Dr. Tanaka as the two of them were both leaving for the day. "You know, patrons are always saying how knowledgeable you are about this place! I really hope we can hire you on after you finish school."
Midoriko could only offer a sheepish smile in return. A gut feeling told her that if she wasn't back before her next shift, then she wouldn't be coming back.
"Um… Dr. Tanaka?"
"Yes?" The older woman stopped walking and waited patiently for Midoriko to continue.
Midoriko bit her lip and bowed deeply. "Th-thank you for everything! You've helped me so much!"
With school. With work. With personal affairs.
"Oh… It's really nothing at all!" Dr. Tanaka waved her hand in front of her face. "It's what I'm here for as a mentor."
"S-still! I just needed to let you know…" Midoriko couldn't put her gratitude fully into words, but maybe just that would be enough. If she were to become someone who just disappears into the ether, she wanted the people she was leaving behind to at least have a positive impression of her.
"Um…Midoriko? Is something wrong?" Dr. Tanaka asked, her smile fading.
Midoriko forced a smile. "Nope! I'll see you next week!"
She hurried ahead of Dr. Tanaka before her mentor could press any further. Because if she did, Midoriko might break. She had to place her faith in the plan—in Ryouma—and hope it all would work out.
When she reached the train station, she found Akira waiting for her just like he used to do when she considered him a friend. Had he ever thought of her as such? Or was she always just an object of surveillance? The way he smiled and waved at her as she approached was nauseating.
"Ready?" he asked, holding out a JR pass.
"No. But I don't have a choice, do I?" She reached for the plastic card, but he yanked it away at the last second.
Akira tapped it on his bottom lip, smiling. "You're not gonna just take this and run, are ya?"
Midoriko sighed and held out her hand. "Nope. I know what's at stake here, so..."
"'Kay!" He motioned like he was going to place the card in her hand, only to pull it away at the last second. "Although maybe it would be better if I held onto this?"
"You little… Just take me to Itoko, alright?" she hissed. Midoriko glanced around to make sure she wasn't inadvertently causing a scene. "That's why I'm coming with you."
"I dunno about that…" he mused. A predatory grin flashed across his face. "Daddy Dearest told me to bring you directly to him."
Daddy Dearest? Was he mocking her now? Midoriko clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and counted to ten. She wouldn't let him get under her skin. There had to be some way for her to get the upper hand here.
"Take me to Itoko first, or I'm not going," she said through gritted teeth. "They're going to punish you if you don't bring me back, right?"
Akira's smile slowly faded. She was right on the money.
"That is my only demand," she added. Midoriko had lots of practice bargaining with Ryouma at the beginning of their situationship—she knew how to play the game and win by now.
"Tch… Fine! Have it your way." Akira shoved the card into her hand, then headed for the turnstiles.
"Where are we headed?" asked Midoriko, following at his heels.
"Nagoya."
"Yes, but where?" she pressed.
He looked over his shoulder at her, eyes narrowing. "You'll find out when we get there…"
Midoriko dropped it, knowing his suspicion of her would make it difficult to wring information out of him. The trip on the Shinkansen would be almost two hours—she had plenty of time to get him to let his guard down.
Or so she thought.
They were an hour into the trip, and they'd barely said anything to each other. Chatting with him used to come so easily, but maybe now that all pretense was gone, there was nothing to talk about.
Midoriko fidgeted with the smartphone. Ryouma hadn't said he'd contact her first, but she was really hoping he would. He explained that he and Xiǎomíng were going to try to infiltrate the Shishiba-gumi territory to get ahead of things, but never elaborated on what exactly that entailed. Knowing him, it was probably something extremely reckless.
Akira, who had been quietly observing her, noticed how she kept checking the phone every few minutes. He also noticed that the phone wasn't her usual one.
"What happened to your phone?" he asked. It was a soft probe for any information that could put his little mission at risk. "That one's different."
Midoriko held the phone to her chest protectively.
"My old one was broken by one of those men," she said. Midoriko quickly corrected herself and added, "One of my father's men."
That word still felt so strange on her tongue, especially given the kind of man he turned out to be. She'd longed for a family connection outside of her mother her whole life, and now that she finally had one, she wished he were dead too.
"Oh?" Akira grimaced. "It's funny you mention that, because your boyfriend absolutely destroyed a bunch of my shit!"
"Uh huh?" Midoriko couldn't help but wear a satisfied smirk.
"Uh huh! He broke into my place and just wrecked it!" whined Akira. He started mumbling—listing off the valuables that were broken by Ryouma.
She crossed her arms and tilted her head, frowning. "I seem to recall you came into our place first and made a mess of things."
"Th-that wasn't me!" he stammered. Akira put his hand to his heart. "Th-that was the other guy! I told him not to do it!"
She exhaled sharply and looked away. Midoriko shifted her attention to the window as the landscape whizzed past at a couple hundred kilometers per hour.
Of course, she didn't believe him. Why would she? Akira rubbed his hands over his face and groaned.
"Hey," he said, looking through his fingers. "What do you see in that guy anyway?"
"Lots of things," she answered without looking away from the window. "Unlike you, he's never hidden his true nature from me."
"Pfft! Do you even know who he really is?" Akira leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. There was no way Nishikawa wasn't taking her for a ride just like everyone else he'd screwed over.
"Yeah. Probably way more than you do," she spat. A slight smile cracked on her face. "And… I love him in spite of it."
Hearing that made Akira's chest hurt. Had he gotten too in over his head? Was he actually feeling…jealous?
"Tell me," he mumbled. "Did I ever have a chance with you?"
Midoriko spared him a sideways glance while her mouth contorted into a disgusted sneer. She put her hand to her forehead and sighed. Returning her attention to the window, she mumbled, "You did… Once…"
That was enough for him. Akira leaned back and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Why do you look so smug?" she asked flatly.
"Do I?" he mumbled, now looking out the window himself. Akira supposed he couldn't hide his facial expressions very well if that was the case. "Well, it's nothing in particular."
He was satisfied with the crumbs he was getting. He'd let her father deliver the news of their impending nuptials, though. Akira would rather not draw out any more of Midoriko's ire for the time being.
Midoriko tried not to look at Akira directly. She didn't want him to think she was being friendly or anything of the sort, but she wanted to keep an eye on his general vibe. Judging by his body language and facial expression, now might be a good time to ask him questions…
"Why does my father want me under his control so badly?" Midoriko asked bitterly. "Couldn't he just find some other neutralizer?"
"He could but…" Akira caught himself from saying more than he needed. "Well, maybe you should just ask him about that."
"And what about Itoko? Did he take her just to get at me?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Akira scratched his head. "It's her power. He probably wants to use it for himself."
"She's just a little kid…"
"Yeah… Well, he seems to only care how useful someone is to him…" he mumbled, remembering the earlier comment Shishiba made.
"It stands to reason that two neutralizers will make another, no?"
Akira shook off his conscience. What did it matter to him if a father was willing to pimp off his own daughter for personal gain? In the end, wasn't he just as bad for accepting the deal?
"Can you at least tell me how she's doing? Is she safe?" Midoriko looked directly at Akira, her intense worry written all over her face.
"Until I had to come get you, they had me takin' care of her," he explained. Akira gave a little shrug. "She's fine. Nobody's gonna hurt her."
"I see… That's good." Midoriko's expression softened slightly.