Where Loyalty Lies // Mori Ougai x Reader

Chapter 16: Eye of the Storm

After Y/n waited in the lobby for Chuuya after what seemed like forever, he finally showed up. She noticed he had a frown on his face, which made her smirk. He was wearing a black, unbuttoned blazer with a white shirt underneath.

"Are you ready for school, Chuuya?" Y/n said, clasping her hands together with bright eyes.

"I can't believe the boss is making me do this," he said, grunting. "I'm not wearing anything else, you hear?"

"You're going to have to shut up and act a little more innocent if this is going to work. Try buttoning up your blazer first. You stand out enough with your loud mouth as it is. Or if you want, I can give you a wig and skirt instead. The girly look would suit you too."

He sneered at her jokes. "And why aren't you doing this instead? You're at least somewhat of a girl."

Y/n smiled before elbowing him in the shoulder. "Because the boss put me in charge, not you," she said. "And I'm making use of your convenient height, so isn't it great to feel needed?"

He clicked his tongue. "Let's just get this over with," he said, buttoning up his blazer.

They both walked out of the building and headed to one of the areas where the kidnappings were most frequent. "We'll have to wait a few hours until school is over before you can make your glorious debut," Y/n said.

"So, I'm meant to play dress up while you just laugh from the sidelines?"

"The missing children were taken when no one else was around, so naturally, I'll have to hide and wait for the culprit to strike. When they do, we'll both nab them. Simple. It's not like you'll be in any danger," Y/n said.

"Obviously, but this is still humiliating. You better not make me do all the heavy lifting."

"I'm trying to earn my stripes too, you know. I've always planned to outshine you."

Chuuya scoffed. "Yeah. Sure, princess. But what are we going to do in the meantime?"

"Oh, I didn't think about that," she said, grinning like a idiot. "I guess we can investigate the more remote locations where the other children were taken to see if we find any other clues." It could be a useful backup strategy as well, she thought, looking into the distance with a spaced out expression.

Chuuya relaxed his gaze, looking at her from the side. "I'll admit, when the boss first told me about you taking this case, I thought he was being ridiculous, but now—"

Y/n grinned, leaning closer as they walked. "Hm? What was that?" Was she about to get a compliment?

He cleared his throat. "That I'm probably still right."

Y/n laughed at his embarrassment. Of all the members in the organization, Chuuya was the only one she felt comfortable bantering with like this. And given that one of the Port Mafia's traditions was to look after the members you recruit, their friendship didn't bother Mori since it naturally fell to Chuuya to mentor her.

"By the way, where's your hat?" He said, referring to the gift he gave her when she first joined. He went through great pains to pick a suitable one from his collection.

Y/n shrugged. "Must've lost it," she said. It was more like she wouldn't be caught dead in it, or at least, didn't want to ruin it. She would never actually tell him that she keeps it on the shelf in her bedroom so it won't get wrecked.

"Huh?" Chuuya said, raising his voice. "You ungrateful little—" he said before sighing.

As they walked to the train station, Y/n had a burning question in her mind that she had been wanting to ask for the last couple of days, but didn't know when the right time would be. The two of them rode the train in silence, and once they arrived at a rural village town, she mustered up the resolve to ask him.