It's been 2 weeks since that fiasco at Don Joseppi's old place. The police got there after reports of gunfire finally came in. When they got there, Amelia and I were both sent to the hospital for medical evaluation. But the walk and ride there was....awkward. Watson had seen the damage I had done and now that I was able to watch it in relative peace? I was taken back a bit. Yet, also oddly proud of myself...
Since then, I was put on break due to my dislocated shoulder joint, bullet wound and numerous bruisin' on my chest and back. And since then, no one minus me and Ame knew what happened that day. We just said we were jumped by a gang. Nonetheless, every one would walk up to my suite in the HoloEN buildin' and take me gifts.
For instance, my favorite sharky had gotten me a shark plushie with a box of salmon milk, which honestly tasted better than it sounded. Ina had gotten me a small, and I am lyin' because that's the way she described it despite it bein' a textbook. Kiara would bring me food regularly from KFP, which was oddly always a tad late and not to mention I had seen "Help wanted" posters outside on the streets when I went for walks. As for Calli? We would sit in my room and would just watch movies, like Shrek or the Godfather. Hell, even Enma would bring me some stuff every now and then like get well cards or chocolates.
Yet, with everyone visitin'? Amelia never showed up. Not to mention, when we saw each other in the halls? She's turn around and speed away or speed past me. Not givin' me the chance to catch up to her or when I called out for her, she'd say she was busy...
It...hurt. Not goin' to lie but, she was also streamin' a lot more than usual. Then again, I won't lie, these streams that exceeded her usual ones were...lower in quality, for lack of better words. They were shorter, felt almost rushed and most of the time was just her talkin' with her viewers. Which was ironic cus' her viewers actually became my own when I wasn't on break. No matter. She's a busy gal.
So, today I was up and about the office since I wanted to get some things done with the staff for when I return, which was a weak from now! Oddly enough, my shoulder and overall everythin' was healin' really fast. So between my doctor and I, we agreed next week I could jump back into work without issue....Hm. Meanin' I was in my studio with my team, gettin' a schedule ready, pickin' topics like what games, what to sing and my favorite....a 3D stream! That's right! I was able to convince the higher up to let me do my own 3D stream by showin' 'em I could record and manage the whole thing with my team.
So that was definitely goin' to be fun! Pickin' out props, makin' 'em and portin' 'em over to the "backstage." My favorite was, can ya guess it......? That's right! A fuckin' Tommy gun! I basically made it from memory and was thoroughly surprised it was really accurate. From lil' details like the grooves on the barrel to the firin' rate bein' pretty close to the real life thing.
To say I was excited about the whole thing was an understatement. Me bein' able to finally embrace my mafioso self along with my new life was goin' to be great!
However, I couldn't help but notice a certain Tako walk by my room so, I ran after her. Springin' out the room, I reeled my arm back and went to slam it next to Ina's head.
"Kabe-!"
"-don!"
....eh? In a split second, I was against the wall and Ina was in front of me. We've made this a bit of a...friendly competition. To kabedon one another in efforts to erase what happened that day when Ina and I were together. Yknow, before the raid on that warehouse? Yeah. But today was hella different since I had the obvious surprise.
"How the hell-?"
Ina then show what looked like the eye of an octopus on the back of her head before it disappeared. She then began to giggle as she let me go.
"Oh...right. Eldritch horror..."
"Yeah! And...kabe-don't go forgetting that!"
Groanin' out as Ina would laugh some more, our interaction was cut short when we both heard my stomach growl. Blinkin' at one another before snickerin'.
"Sounds like you're hungry."
"Yeah. Sorta had to skip a big breakfast and had a light lunch today to work on that 3D stuff."
"Humu-Humu. I see. Well, I'm going to the cafeteria if you want to come with me."
"Oh! I'd love to! Just goin' to finish some stuff up. I'll meet you over there!"
Ina nodded in silent yet, gracious thanking as she walked off. Rushin' into my studio, I began to lead my team again on some final touches on our "stage." Which was goin' to be much like my background speakeasy but, everythin' was 3D. Even was plannin' to have some staff be in the background as randoms.
Overall? It was goin' great. So, right after, I ran right over to the cafeteria and sure enough, I spotted Ina sittin' right next to a pillar with a tray of takoyaki in front of her. I was about to call out to her when I heard Amelia's voice. From the sound of it, it was like she was covered by the pillar so, I decided to play a prank on 'em both.
Sneakin' my way up to 'em, I wore a cocky grin as I was plannin' on sacarin' 'em both. However, when I got over to the pillar, the subject matter changed...to me.
"Uhm...Ina? What's your opinion on (Y/N)?"
"Humu?"
Goin' still, I knew easedroppin' was wrong but, I was curious too.
"Oh! (Y/N) is really great. He's fun, funny, witty, overall great! I honestly see him like a big brother! I think Gura does too."
"I...I see..."
There was obviously some pretty rough tone in Amelia's voice as I think Ina caught on.
"Why? Something wrong? Did he say something to you?"
"No! No he didn't but...I just feel like he's still.....dangerous."
Dangerous. Dangerous? Wait does she mean?
"What do you mean?"
"He's...He's still a mafioso. Always has. And always will be. Just took me a bit to find that out..."
"Oh come on, Ame. He's changed! I saw him earlier before I got here. He was working on his 3D stuff and so on. Do you really think he'd-?"
"Yes....I do."
No...hesitation. Unconsciously, I clenched my fist and looked at it with a bit of shock.
"Ame you're talking about the same guy that took a bullet and dislocated shoulder for you."
"He also gave a lot of people a bullet...I don't think he'd hesitate to hurt one of us if it was a big deal for him."
"Now you're just being nonsensical, Ame. There's a difference between us and-"
"And those he hurts? Believe me, there isn't."
Snap.
"Ex-fuckin'-cuse me!?"
Peerin' around the pillar, both jumped in place but, Amelia seemed to be the most scared since she actually stood up. Ina was in shock at my face as it was, best described? Full of anger. Pure unadulterated anger that showed I just been stabbed in the back.
"(Y-Y/N)?! How long-?"
"I heard, every. thing. So, that's what ya think of me, detective? Hm? A cold blooded murderer who wouldn't hesitate to hurt his 'friends?' Hm?"
Ina was now up as I had pressed myself l up to Watson as she basically had nowhere to go. Obviously the scene we were makin' was gettin' a LOT of attention. Ina now grabbin' and tryin' to pull me away.
"(Y/N)! Leave her alone!"
"Well, do ya?! Cus' let me remind you EXACTLY what happened that day! I saw an opportunity for a double win. And I took it. Sure I crossed ya but, the hell I went through to save ya again! Did it mean nothin' to ya!? Did me gettin' my shoulder yanked out and shot right after now worth a damn to you!? Better yet, me tossin' sway my personality!?"
Now Ame's back was against the pillar as I purposely changed the spots. Lookin' at her face, it was full of fear and shock and I now noticed Ina was no longer holdin' onto me. Why? Because she was the same. I was...confused. But angry as to why they were starin'. Then it hit me, almost literally since I felt somethin' hit my collar.
Lookin' down, it was a wet stain. One that made me realise my face was wet too. Wipin' my face with my hand, I sucked my teeth since I was...cryin'. Tsk.
"N-No...I don't."
"Yeah. Sure ya don't."
Lettin' go of Watson, I soon made my way to the exit. It was...conflictin' to say the least. To pass Gura who waved and said "Heya, chump" only to ignore her and leave her standin' in the hall with a cocked eyebrow and small frown.
Right now? I needed to think some things over. If Hololive was a mistake and if I was truly the mafioso I thought I was. I needed a common ground. And what better place than a bar 'n grill?
Night time. Currently sittin' at the bar, a plate of fries and a cheeseburger sat in front of me. Eatin' the fries and burger was slow and time consumin' since I had to think. And think. Sighin' out, I looked at the bartender with a face he knew all too well apparently.
"What ya want?"
"Whiskey. Ice."
"Alright. ID first."
Sighin' out, I'd grab my wallet and drop my ID in front of him as he cocked an eyebrow.
"1904? You really expect me to by that, kid?"
"Oi! I'm not some fuckin' kid! What ya see there is my birth date. Now, server me."
I was growin' angrier by each passin' second as this guy just called me a kid. Technically I am but I can probably hold my liquor better than when he pours it. However, before I could say somethin', somebody beat me to it.
"Just serve him, Geoff!"
"Hey! How many times have I told you not to come through the front door!?"
"How many times have you cheated on Hannah, Geoff?"
This shit the guy up as I snickered softly and turned to the spicy gal who entered. Oddly enough....strange seems to follow me.
The gal was a pretty young lookin' gal, younger than me. She wore a white sleeveless button up with a frilled cross flap. Along with that, I also noticed she had a hot pink brooch that came accompanied by a creepy lookin' skull with glowin' pink eyes. Lower though, was a black and purple blouse that overextended at the sides with the pink under it goin' diagonally from her left lower hip down to her right mid thigh. On it was a pretty crazy lookin' huge pink jewel surrounded by a gold rimmin'. Even lower she wore she had two different thigh stockin's. One being pink with gold diagonal cross-sections and the other bein' a plain black frileld rim one. Her boots were pretty neat with black and pink tips along, again, gold trimmin's.
Herself was pretty interestin' too. Hair was a hot pink and her eyes were like a turqouise. But the biggest eye catchers? A pair of horns on her head that seemed like one was shorter than the other and a long tail that held a microphone with bat wings.
"Sheesh...and he was callin' ME the kid. Looks like you just got out of night school."
"Oh? A mafioso? Let me go put on something more fitting like a police outfit to run you out."
Both of us shared a laugh as I then stuck my hand out. A gesture she kindly took and shook before sittin' next to me.
"(Y/N).
"I know who you are, Mafioso. HoloEN."
My eyes went a bit wide as I soon grinned when a cup of whiskey landed next to me. Takin' it, I'd sip from it before cockily smiled at her.
"A fan?"
"More like an ex-employee."
I was...confused as hell to what she meant but, probably nothin'. Like a jab since she seems like she does that a lot. Demon gal with a sense of humor 'n smugness? Sign me up...sign me up...
"Oya. You alright?"
Lookin' at her, I just noticed I was frownin' a bit as I thought of when I signed up for Hololive EN. Puttin' up a smug grin, I cackled.
"Like starin' at my face or somethin' doll face?"
"No. It's just that face was mine too. You're conflicted about Hololive aren't you? But not Hololive. Yourself and who you are?"
My eyes went wide as I then began to blink a bit.
"You readin' my mind? Or are you a stalker?"
The gal laughed a bit before calmin' down and shakin' her head a bit.
"Like I said, I was the same. Let me tell you something, mafioso. When it comes down to Hololive, it can be a genuine blessing for a lot of people. To be in the spotlight, to make others happy or to just be you? That's the dream of a lot of people. But, sometimes you need to be fit for it. I don't mean talent wise, I mean yourself wise. Some people just aren't cut out to be constantly plagued by the spotlight, to handle the responsibility of lighting up others or don't feel like themselves. Those times? You reflect on who you want to be. Because at the end of the day? YOU are king."
She said with a genuine tone and smile as she stood up and began to leave. My guess is she probably some me and came in to speak with me. She soon stopped at the door as it was half open and turned to me again.
"If you ever meet a FPS White Lion, a drunken snow elf mother, a fennec fox girl who's the entire circus and a super seal girl? Tell them their devilish friend sent you!"
"Eh? I...Okay. See ya around....wait a second, I never got your name-!"
And she's gone....thinkin' back on what she said, I knew I would have some thinkin' of my own to do.
That was a week ago. Today was my 3D stream. Throughout the past week, I had returned to streamin' but, as Enma told me, I was lackin' somethin' in all of them. Whether it be jokes, commentary or whatever, I was lackin' more and more each day. Through all that, I would get visits by the girls, minus Watson, who wanted to check on me. I'd just say I'm good and continue on my day.
But even Watson got told she was lackin' a bit too. Her stream schedule was normal now but, she still had the same issue as me. Whatever.
I was settin' up some last minute preparations for the stage as I then stood still as my team set me up with these lil' trackin' balls for a better 3D range of capture. A lil' silly lookin' but, seein' as how I was fundin' all this? It was the best I got. However, I wasn't as excited as I thought I would be for this. I mean, even the girls were jealous about this. But oh well.
"2 minutes! (Y/N) anything else?"
My studio director asked as I looked around and held up an "ok" sign with my hand before standin' up and gettin' ready in the middle of the stage that was my streamin' room cleared of everythin.'
"3...2...1..."
My director pointed at me as a way to show we were now live. Puttin' up the biggest grin that I could force, I pointed at the camera while raise my arms up into the air.
"What's up, you magnificent bastards~?"
I could see the chat explode with cheers as I greeted them. They were all excited...minus me...
"Now, let's see what really is up~!"
Snappin' my fingers, I could see a stream POV as to what they were watchin' and to them? I was now at my iconic table and chair from my 2D streams. Silently, my crew pushed a chair and table to me as I then sat down and kicked my feet up.
"Welcome to my now 3D speakeasy, ya drop deads! It feels a lil' more...packed. Don't it? Snappin' my fingers, the people I signed up for background people were now active and speakin' but, in a low enough volume where myself and my show was still audible. Watchin' the chat cheer more with "ohs" and "ahs." I knew they were havin' fun. Somethin' that made my stomach a bit...packed.
"Better! We need background for this day's show. Other wise, who else would enjoy it?"
From the point on, the stream was straight forward. Me messin' with props and even dancin' with some people from the sidelines. Even danced with a cardboard cutout of Yagoo, the gremlin head, legs and arms version. But throughout this...I felt...nothin'. Thinkin' back to the cafeteria, I just now noticed how many of these backgrounds were backgrounds from that day....it made me feel spited.
Unconsciously, I clenched my fist and blinked as I shook it rapidly to make the fist disappear. Now was the time for the endin' show...a song I chose out. One to end on. It resonated with me in the native language it was sung in so I looked up the lyrics in english. And I could see why. So I spent the time I had free to fix the translation a bit.
"Now for a finale to drop dead for. Hit it!"
Now that everythin' was ready, the lights dimmed and a swivel chair slid up to me with a a guitar in it. Pickin' it up, it was a spanish guitar. A spotlight shinin' on me as all went silent before I began to strum the guitar. Some instrumental music other than my own came on to fill in the gaps for the full song.
"I have the heated blood that boils... The sweat sprouts from the fear that gets lost....I have the cool that says nothin'... I am that breeze that gets stronger~"
Takin' a quick glance at chat and my crew, everyone was a bit taken back by this since up to this point, my performance has been pretty...lackluster. But the song was somethin' entirely different. Like if my soul was singin' it...heh. Ironic.
"Even if the clouds move away...And my skin stays in a drought, I will arrive one day. To unravel my return..."
Watchin' my hands on the guitar, I was doin' it pretty effortlessly as if they moved on their own. Like they were no longer held back by any thoughts.
"I have the land that nurtures the road. I have the branches of a tree without green...I am the one who protects the tired night... I have silhouettes that come to see me..."
Thinkin' back on life, I relived everythin' in a split second. From the second I was born to when I grabbed this guitar I held. But I focused more on my mafioso career. Pullin' the trigger, joinin' Don, that museum night and most vividly of all? Turnin' the dagger on Junior. God...did that feel good. Doin' it to protect-....Watson.
"Even if the clouds move away...And my skin stays in a drought, I will arrive one day. To unravel my return..."
Thinkin' on this line more, I just now noticed how my mafioso life meddled with Hololive. And the devil girl at the bar had a reason. I was never truly cut out for this, huh?
"I do not need eyes to find you...This scar, I want it to never close...Everything that runs off spills onto me...Everything that I have dreamt of, I've already lived through it..."
The money. The power. The badass nature of a mafioso versus an idol company of full girls? Those don't mix. Perhaps not in this life.
"Even if the clouds move away...And my skin stays in drought, I will arrive one day. To unravel my return..."
As the song finished up and with my stream, I now knew what I wanted. As my crew cheered and whistled they soon slowed themselves as I quickly got up from my chair and stormed out the room. So fast that the guitar fell off onto the ground with a semi-loud crash.
Once at Enma's door, I swung it open to meet her smilin' at me from her desk. That smile was great but, I knew what I wanted.
"(Y/N)! Congrats on the 3D stream! One of the highest viewed in Hololive-"
"I want to leave Hololive."