“...Just how long have you gone without food?”
Atsushi looked up at Chuuya. Through a mouthful of chazuke, he replied, “Aalkdjfa;dfk AFJdlkjfdkj KDSLFJfj.”
“Wow, that long?” Chuuya commented.
Atsushi nodded. “YeAHAKLJFSA:fjdals.”
The red-haired man watched as Atsushi added two more dirty dishes to the pile on the table beside them, then he watched as the orphan downed another bowl in just a few seconds. Other people in the small restaurant also glanced at the sight every now and then. However, they soon went back to their own meals under the warm fluorescent lights to talk about matters such as the weather or their day at work. But Chuuya was subjected to sharing the same table as Atsushi and couldn’t bring himself to look away. The look he gave the young man was a mix of pity, fascination, and a slight hint of disgust. Atsushi didn’t care much. He just put down the bowl and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
“Ah, I’m so full…,” Atsushi murmured. “I never wanna see another bowl of chazuke ever again.”
“Good, ‘cause I wasn’t sure if my wallet could have handled that,” Chuuya quipped. “So, about my offer…”
“Oh. Yeah.” Atsushi brushed some rice off himself. “Right. That. Uh…”
Joining the mafia? Was Atsushi really that desperate? Who knew just a silly attempt at theft would lead to him pursuing such a crime-filled life? The director of the orphanage had always told him that those who fail to protect others do not deserve to live. However, if he didn’t join the mafia and didn’t pay back his debt to Chuuya - a mafia executive - he may not even have a chance to live.
Why have the past few days forced Atsushi into making life or death decisions?
Atsushi looked back up at Chuuya (well, more like down). The man before him wasn’t trying to be threatening or anything, but still, Atsushi felt a chill run down his spine just by looking into his sharp electric blue eyes. Almost like a reflex ingrained in his muscles as a last ditch effort to save himself, Atsushi blurted out…
“I’ll join!”
Chuuya leaned back in his seat. “Really? Fantastic. I mean, I would have given you a chance to sleep on it, but if you’re so sure…”
“You would’ve given me more time?!”
“I mean, yeah. I remember how hard of a decision it was to join the mafia,” Chuuya recalled. “I was probably even younger than you are now.”
“I- Wha-”
“Well, it’s too late to back out now.” Chuuya gestured to one of the servers. “Can we have the bill now, please?”
“Of course, sir. Would you like any dessert?”
Chuuya turned to Atsushi. “Do you want dessert?”
“N- No… I’m good.”
“No, we’re good. Just the bill, please.”
“Of course.”
✦✧✧✧✧✦
The Port Mafia headquarters had the heavy, dreary feeling of bloodlust hanging in the air. The lobby of the forty-second floor had windows stretching from the ceiling to the floor, giving Atsushi the perfect view of Yokohama’s expansive cityscape. The setting sun’s amber and crimson rays accentuated the shadows of the room’s black furniture. The modern art being displayed in the foyer didn’t give the place a feeling of individuality and personality; the strange shapes and figures just made the place feel all the more unsettling and unwelcoming.
YOU ARE READING
𝐔𝐍𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐅𝐈𝐀 | completed
Fanfiction(also on ao3) ✦✧✧✧✧✦ nakajima atsushi has recently been kicked out of his orphanage. after starving and wandering through the streets of yokohama, he discovers an unsettling truth about himself that has an agency of detectives after his head...
