꒰ .ೃ ࿐ ꒱ cat's out of the bag
l/n y/n, age 16
Y/N wasn't surprised when she returned home to see that all Yuji's belongings were gone. Kisaki, too, was nowhere to be seen.
"They finally divorced, huh." Murmured Y/N, frowning. Baji stood behind her, trying to hide behind her figure. He was no longer see-through, making it much harder to sneak in.
"Oh, Y/N, you're back." Hiro was sitting at the dining table, back facing the said girl. She pushed Baji forward, silently telling him to hurry into her bedroom.
"Yuji finally moved out. She took Tetta with him. I doubt you'll be seeing either one of them any time soon." Hiro chuckled, shaking his head, "And to think I was beginning to like her." Y/N blinked, tilting her head to the side.
"I thought you already had feelings for her." The H/C-haired female was confused. What did Hiro mean by 'beginning to like her'?
"Truthfully," Hiro admitted, "She was annoying. I only put up with you because of you." Y/N cleared her throat, shifting from side to side.
"Daisuke, he... um... he passed away." She bit her lip, wondering if Hiro would finally admit it, "Somebody tempered with his equipment."
"I know," Hiro looked over his shoulder, smiling, "I was the one who did it."
And finally, the truth was revealed.
Y/N paused, not knowing how to react. Should she be happy that he finally told her? Or, should she feel betrayed? After all, she saw him as an older brother figure, somebody she could trust.
"I just want to know... one thing." She murmured, "Why? What did you have to gain with killing the people I love? What was your ultimate goal?" Anger was slowly rising, but Y/N did her best to contain it.
"Smart girl. I made the right choice in bringing you back. Perhaps I should've stayed with your mother. It would've been easier to raise you and mould you into a weapon." Hiro chuckled, "Ah, but that woman was so annoying."
"Let me guess," Muttered Y/N as she stepped forward, "You left my mother because you couldn't stand her. You most likely hired somebody to take your place. That, however, didn't end well. That guy ended up murdering my mother and almost killing me. The police sent me to an orphanage and, once you got word of me being there, you adopted the others so you could take on the role of a caring father. You gained their trust and, once I came into the picture, you dropped them all. You mentioned earlier that you wanted to make me into a weapon. Therefore, that is your aim. To make me into a threat so you can stand at the top while all those below you suffer."
Hiro slowly clapped his hands, slightly impressed. He knew he shouldn't have underestimated Y/n and her detective skills.
"I'm overwhelmed by the way your mind works. Truly remarkable. You forget one thing, though, I am a grown man, and you are nothing but a teenager." Hiro sneered, pointing a dart gun at her. Y/N's eyes widened. "Don't worry; it won't hurt a bit."
The dart pierced Y/N's skin. She yelped, quickly yanking it out. Her head felt light and dizzy, and she began to sway.
"Must stay awake." She softly whispered, eyelids growing heavy. Hiro walked towards her, hands held behind his back. He watched as she fell to her knees, fighting against her urge to fall asleep.
"My, you are a strong one." He uttered, circling her like a vulture waiting for its prey, "Perhaps we should give you another dose, just in case."
"Fuck... you." Murmured Y/N, "I mean this from the bottom of my heart..." Her words clumsily slurred together, "When I say I hate you."
"Nice to know. Get some rest, Y/N. We have a long month ahead of us. Night night, my little devil."
━━━━━━
Y/N slowly opened her eyes, squinting when a bright light suddenly hit them. She groaned, her head pounding heavily.
"Hey, guys, she's awake!" A muffled voice exclaimed. Y/N strained her ears, trying to listen. No matter how hard she tried, though, she still couldn't hear a word.
"Y/N! Y/N! Y/N!" Somebody repeated the H/C-haired girl's name over and over again, but it was a fruitless attempt. It wasn't until her cheek was met with a stinging sensation that she finally returned to reality.
"Huh? Where am I?" Y/N looked around, mouth agape.
"See, all it takes is a little violence." It was Aiya, standing there in all her small, miniature glory.
"The goddess lives!" Yamagishi wailed, clinging onto her leg. Y/N blinked, taken by surprise.
"I was never dead." She muttered, "But go on, I guess." She patted the brunette's head, her hand lingering for a second too long. "But, where am I? Last I remember, I was in my house."
"I found you on the floor. You looked like you passed out." Jay piped up, "Hiro wasn't around, so I was bringing you to the hospital before I ran into one of your friends called Takemichi. Currently, you're in Yamagishi-san's house."
Y/N glanced down, spotting a dart Hiro had probably shot into her leg. She assumed he gave her another dose because, as he said, she was taking far too long to fall asleep.
"That lying bitch!" She seethed, pulling out the small weapon. "I'll fucking kill him!" She clenched her jaw and clicked her tongue.
"So Nira was telling the truth. He was the murder." Muttered Jay, stunned.
"Yeah. Hiro killed her and the others because- hang on, back up. Can you see Nira too?" It was Y/N turn to be dumbfounded. "No wonder you would stare at Kei for too long! I did have a running theory, but I discarded that ages ago."
"I'm your half-brother." Jay casually shrugged, "What did you expect? I also happened to get the gift. But Hiro never knew. I made sure to keep it a secret. You, on the other hand, weren't so lucky."
"HUH?! HALF-BROTHER! WHY IS NOBODY ELSE SHOCKED?!" Mikey shouted, shocked. Only then did Y/N realise there were other people in the room. Takemichi and his whole squad plus Mikey, Draken, and Baji were present, and so was Yokai and the new recruits.
"Your mother fucked another man before she had you," Jay explained in the bluntest way possible.
"Oh, boss, this is Rai." Aiya interrupted the blonde-haired boy. She beamed as she lightly pushed a brown-haired female with deep violet eyes forward. A single strand of her locks was dyed black, braided into a plait. "She heard the rumours about you and decided to call us while you were absent."
"Hello, L/N-san, it's nice to meet you finally," Rai formally spoke as she bowed, hands clasped in front of her. Y/N nodded her head.
"Likewise. And, call me Y/N."
Rai nodded, mentally noting that down for future reference.
"I apologise for not being able to greet you properly." Y/N uttered, "Things have been busy, and issues have suddenly risen."
"We have others who'd like you to meet you, but we understand if you're feeling tired, boss." Aiya said, "We did bump into someone else, though. He calls himself Hisashi, I think. He said he wanted to thank you for something, so we brought him along."
"Hisashi? Sounds familiar." Y/N thought long and hard for a moment before an image of a blue-haired boy popped into her head. "Ah... him." Hisashi was the one who was trying to defend his sister by fighting off some thugs. He suffered from an injury, and Y/N decided to step in. Now she remembered.
"Y/N," Nino mumbled, "Do you need anything? You were, after all, hit by a dart containing some form of sleeping drug. Perhaps some tea or coffee would help."
"I'll have a (insert ideal drink), please." Y/N requested. Nino nodded, hurrying off.
"So, Miss Pres, what happened?" Haruka questioned, "I mean, would you care to fill us all in?"
"We have a homicidal adopted father." Y/N bluntly said, "He killed our siblings so he could single me out. He wants to make me into a weapon." Haruka blinked once, then twice.
"I was expecting something else... but pop off."
A/N : I still find it hard to believe that I needed three shots of a sleeping drug to fall asleep.
P.S, I was planning to end this book on chap 69 because it's a funny number but interactions have been limited so I might continue until I reach 100. Who knows.