✦ neglect | kanemoto yoshinori

001 | monster among men

"Help me, Mahiro."

"How am I supposed to─ dude! Get up! You're all burned up so how am I supposed to help you?! What do I do?!"

Mahiro is in panic as he tried to collect his thoughts on what to do to an unconscious Yoshinori laid down on the balcony of his apartment.

"You're not going to die here, aren't you?" asked Mahiro through the thin air as he carefully carried Yoshinori to the couch across his bedroom. He then took the first-aid kit and gently cleaned the wounds on Yoshinori's skin as well as the slightly burnt parts.

That night was like the worst for Mahiro. He could not call any help as he knows what kind of living Yoshinori has─not until an exact person crossed his mind. Hurriedly, he ran back to his study table to grab his phone and called that specific someone.

"Hey..." the person from the other line greeted with a sleepy voice. They must've slept as it was already late in the evening. "What's with the sudden call, Mahiro? You're not the type to call this late unless needed to do so."

"This is just so bad and must be done first thing in the morning." Mahiro quickly tells the latter in panic. "We can do it right now if possible because I'll never know like, what if he suddenly dies? I'm gonna blame myself for that─"

"Slow down, Mahiro." the person said, trying to calm Mahiro. "Who are we referring to and what exactly happened?"

The latter couldn't hold it anymore as he let out a sob, still trying his best to treat Yoshinori's wounds. "He is badly burned and he needs to be rushed to the hospital but I couldn't do so─"

"Who is this person, Mahiro? I need the name."

"It's Kanemoto Yoshinori."

The other line went silent, making Mahiro to halt from his actions.

"Please, just do it for me. I beg you, Shotaro."

The person from the other line let out a sigh. "Fine, alright? Text me your address after this call and Eunseok will be there to pick you both up. I'll get the jet ready."

"I owe you this one, Shotaro. Thank you so much."

✦

A loud whine came from Taki as he lost another round of their game. "Why can't I win just one round?! I'm only asking for one win, that's it!"

"That's because you're stupid." Anton mumbled with his soft voice, making Taki not understand a single word despite hearing what the latter said.

"What was that, Anton?" Taki questions.

With a sigh, Anton stood up from his seat. "I said, you are so─"

He was cut off when Fuma came rushing into the room. "Settle down, kids. Shotaro and Yoshinori are back."

Kei blew out a whistle at the information. "I wonder what they got for us." He pondered as his eyes landed on Fuma. "Got any ideas?" he asks, in which the latter only shrugged his shoulders.

"I hope it's good news," EJ spoke beside Kei. "But it's probably not. I just got a hunch." He finishes.

Shotaro and Yoshinori finally arrived, looking all worn-out. They looked at each other for a moment and decided to speak after.

"We got a mission." Shotaro spoke.

Kei nodded. "Okay, and?"

"We are all going!" Shotaro yelled happily, making the others cheer as well─except for Yoshinori who just stood beside Shotaro with a small smile on his lips.

"Maki would be happy to hear this when they come back!" Taki exclaims excitedly with both hands on Kei's shoulders, shaking the elder out of bliss.

"You can't even properly hold a gun, Taki. You'll end up dying there." Kei tells the younger jokingly with a blank stare. "But, you know, I'm always there to protect you anytime."

Taki could only wiggle his eyebrows, making Kei to stifle a laugh at how childish the younger can be. Meanwhile, Yoshinori excused himself as he got out of the room to smoke. Much to his luck, the other half of the group finally arrived.

"Oh?" Harua mouthed out when his eyes found Yoshinori. "Any updates?"

"Definitely," Yoshinori smiles. "Shotaro is on the game room along with the others. You guys can go there."

Maki widely grinned after hearing those words from Yoshinori. "I can sense some mission with an extraordinary twist!" he exclaims before dragging Sohee with him, in which the rest followed.

"Hey, Nicholas." Yoshinori calls out the guy who seems to be the same as him. "Wanna join me up there?" he asks, offering a cigarette to Nicholas in which the latter only nodded as a response.

Both of them took the stairs, making their way to the rooftop of the seven-story abandoned building that they have been staying for a while now.

"You good?" Nicholas asks Yoshinori. "You seem a little off these days." He finished, lighting up the cigarette in between his lips and inhaled the toxic smoke just to blow it out a few seconds after.

Yoshinori had his eyes set far on the view in front of them. "I wonder how they are doing." He spoke lowly.

With a nod, Nicholas took the cigarette from his lips to in between his fingers. "You may not speak about them, but I can tell everytime you think about them." He tells the latter. "It has been years, but your heart never forgets. Why not fly there to visit them secretly?"

"I'll do," says Yoshinori, flicking off the ash from his cigarette before taking them in between his lips. "Our current mission will make me."

With wide eyes, Nicholas looked at the latter. "Whoa, hold up," he laughs a little. "First, what's our mission though?"

"Hmm, it will work for all of us," says Yoshinori. "We'll watch them and should figure out their plans just to ruin them."

"Well," Nicholas began. "Can you do that?" he asked in a serious manner, eyes never leaving Yoshinori's own.

The latter returned the cold and sharp gaze that Nicholas is giving him, but a smirk is playing on his lips.

"If they can do shit on me, then I can do the same to them." Yoshinori spoke. "I can take a bullet for them, but that was all in the past."

"What about now then?" Nicholas questions, taking his last inhale on the cigarette before dropping it to the ground, stepping on it after to put out the flame.

"Quite the opposite," says Yoshinori. "I'll be the one to pierce the bullet on them."