breathe in... breathe out...
breathe in... breathe out...
I took deep breaths. There were still some gangsters in the room. One was asleep on the couch, another was cleaning his pistol on a table, and a few others were playing poker on a coffee table.
"I'll have to wait for an opportunity..."
Then one of the thug's phones rang. He placed his deck of cards down and picked up the phone call.
"Yeah, she's here. No sign of trouble just yet."
There was a distinct voice from the other end of the call.
"Really? Now? Alright then."
Everyone gets up and approaches me, including the one calling as he put his phone near my mouth.
"W- what are you going to do?"
"Sorry, miss. Boss's orders."
I tried to struggle against them. But it was 6 against 1. In the midst of it, someone injected something into my neck. My vision became blurry, and my arms and legs went limp.
"What... was that..."
"Man, this thing is worth the money. I had to buy it over from Russia too."
Their hands started to dig under my clothes, groping me in places I dare not disclose.
Just then, the lights went out and everything went even darker.
"Tch, another short fuse? Kenji, go check it out."
One of them walked out the door to check on the fuse box, but suddenly a loud scream pierced my ears.
My eyes were getting sleepy, but before I passed out for the second time, I could see a figure in the dark, charging at the thugs in the room.
"SHINE, KORA!!"
The sounds of grunts and cracked bones. That was the last thing I heard before I fell into unconsciousness.
"... ..."
"Ugh... My head..." I muttered.
"Wakey wakey~ Are you dead?"
I heard a voice call out. My cheek felt like someone was pinching me. My eyes opened and saw a bleak face. It looked very familiar to me. In reply, I could only mutter a name.
"Sou...ya?"
The figure grinned in front of my face.
"Bzzzzzztttttt~~~ Wrong answer, princess. Try again."
"Huh...? Then... who are you?"
"Kawata Nahoya desu~ But you can call me Smiley."
"Smiley?"
My head started to clear up. My vision and hearing were recovering from the drug.
In front of me was a man with orange-pink ruffled hair and a large smile. His smile was so wide, even his eyes were closed shut.
"Wait, where am I?"
I looked around me. It seems that I was in a park, somewhere in town. I spotted a bike resting beside the bench I was lying on. Did he ride me here all this way?
"Here, catch."
I turned around and caught the cold water bottle tossed by Smiley.
Wait, did he call himself Kawata Nahoya?
Does that mean...
"That's right, princess. I'm Souya's big bro."
"Huh? I didn't even say anything-"
"It's written all over your face, girl. You two got a thing going on for sure."
"No, it's not what you think!"
"And what was I thinking?" He said, with his grin staying in the same spot as it was.
I blushed. Flustered, I waved his question aside.
"Where's Souya? Is he okay?"
Smiley didn't answer. Instead, he got on his bike and gestured at me to sit behind him.
"I'm taking you to him, so hold on tight princess.
As soon as I looped my arms around him, Smiley revved the engine and sped off. I was taken by surprise and held on for dear life. He swerved through narrow streets and wide boulevards.
"A-are we there yet!?" I spoke over the strong winds.
"We'll be there in a second!"
Finally, the bike cruised to a stop in a familiar area. He parked his bike on the pavement and ran to The 4th Division bar.
There, I saw a violent scene.
Souya was squaring off with a group of gangsters. Most of them were out cold and out of the fight, but he had blood dripping from his forehead.
He panted as his energy was burning out promptly. He was used to settling things quickly with brawn, and working as a bartender made him a little rusty.
But he has never forgotten his position as a Toman vice-captain.
"Rahhh!!!"
The gang leader threw a punch at Souya and hurled him back towards the wall. The bartender staggered as he tried to stand on his two feet.
"This guy's almost as strong as Mochi..."
"You're done for!!"
The gang leader threw another punch. But then...
"What the-"
Another arm appeared out of nowhere and blocked his attack. He noticed that the one blocking his punch had orange-pink hair.
"Yeah, I'm gonna stop ya right there, buddy."
The boss recoiled back and some of his goons were recovering from the fight.
"Don't just stand there! Get them!"
Reluctantly, the gangsters followed his orders and charged forward. But there was just one thing:
Alone, they're just ordinary people. But together, they form Sugoaku.
The Twin Devils.
--------------------
"No way... Who are you people..."
The leader was on the ground, looking at the already exhausted and injured members of his gang. The twins knelt down and introduced themselves.
"The Kawata Twins. Ring a bell, dipshit?"
The boss then remembered. Before, he lived in Meguro, joining a small bosozoku gang in his childhood days. But there was one gang that dominated the rest of the gangs.
Sugoaku.
"No... It can't be! You're supposed to be disbanded, why-"
"Sugoaku will never be disbanded as long as we're around."
The leader tried to crawl his way out.
"No... No, wait! Hang on, wait-"
Angry delivered a kick to his temple, slamming his head into the brick wall of the bar.
"... People like you is why gangs are getting a bad reputation."
Then he turned to his brother and me, who was watching the whole scene in the back. Instinctively, he had my phone out the whole time, recording the violent beatdown that had just ended.
"Big Bro, are you alright? I have first aid in the bar."
"I'm all good, lil bro. But you oughta check up on yourself." He answered with a big grin. "It's all clear, y/n. You can come out now."
I timidly walked into the aftermath of the brawl.
"I'd say we're all done here. You called the police?"
"Yes, I have."
"Anyways, Angry! That's a mean kick you did just now! I'm proud."
"Mikey would've done better."
"... I know."
And then, I heard the chime ring at the front door of the bar. It was Rin. She was hiding in the bar to not get caught up in the fight.
"y/n! You're safe!!"
She burst out the door and gave me a bear hug.
"I was worried about you! Are you okay? Did they do something to you?"
"I'm fine... I think anyways."
"Should I take you to a clinic for a check-up?" Souya suggested.
"Yeah, I'll go with you. Thanks."
Souya and I walked to the nearest clinic and told the staff about what had happened. They immediately took me to a check-up room and followed procedures.
Moments later, I walked out.
"H-her conditions are in the green. B-b-but she needs to rest at home to cope with the t-t-trauma."
The nurse spoke with fright in her voice to Souya, whose snarl is still etched on his face. She carefully cleaned his wounds and bandaged his head.
"Thank you, ma'am."
Souya hands over some cash and we walk out the door.
"Hey, Souya?"
"Hmm?"
"Thanks."
"I didn't do much. The nurses did."
"I mean, for saving me."
"... I didn't do much either. My big bro did."
"Oh yeah, didn't you say you were both twins? What's with the 'big brother' and 'little brother'?"
"I used to cry a lot as a kid, remember? My brother took up the big brother role and took care of me a lot. So I call him 'Big Bro'."
"I see. You still helped right? You fought those guys because you were mad."
"You could tell?" Souya questioned.
"I guess I can."
"... You're welcome."
"Hehhhhhh...... Looks like they forgot about us..." Rin muttered as the two of us were heading to the clinic.
"Ahh, what youthful passion." Nahoya mused to himself.
"Aren't you two twins?"
"Why yes, is there a problem?"
"Never mind..."
Just then, two more people appear at the scene.
"What did we miss?"
Rin turns around and spot Mitsuya, carrying a sleepy Sakura on his back. He too had his share of injuries.
"Mitsuya! Sakura! What happened?"
"Some guys hit on us. I hit back." The droopy-eyed boy responded.
"I see that. But you're hurt!"
"It's not that bad. I'm okay."
"What about Sakura?"
Mitsuya glanced at Sakura's drowsy face, asleep as if she ran across the entire country of Japan.
"Ah, she sprained her ankle. Don't know how she fell asleep, though."
"Yeah, she does that. Oh, Mitsuya." Rin points to Angry, who was checking on his bike. "This is an acquaintance of ours, he helped to rescue y/n and-"
For the first time, Mitsuya's eyes widened.
"... Smiley?"
Nahoya hears Mitsuya's voice, and something in his mind buzzed. He turns around and sees that same boy with lilac hair.
"Mitsuya... It's been a long time."
Mitsuya gave a heartwarming smile. He puts Sakura down and hands her to Rin, before walking up to an old friend.
"Yeah. It has been."
And now, Smiley's grin looks a lot more sincere now.