Kazuha and Scaramouche were still shaking each other's hands, judging the other, when Scaramouche's phone ringed. The young man widened his eyes as he saw the text he just received.
"- Oh, sorry, I need to go.
- But- didn't you have a shooting just now ?
- This will wait. Just tell Yae I got an emergency, she will understand.
- Uh, okay...
- Just before I go, can you give me your phone number ? We need to plan a day where we will go somewhere publicly together, inform the medias and everything."
Kazuha quickly gave him his number. Scaramouche didn't even thank him.
"- Okay, I'm going now. Oh, and remember, Kazuha : it's not because I offered you a collaboration that I like you or anything, I only chose you because of your money and fame."
And the boy left with a last dark glance, not saying goodbye or anything. But Kazuha chuckled. This last sentence was worthy of a tsundere ! Maybe Scaramouche tried to play the tough guy, but Kazuha definitely found this more amusing than scary.
When he realized he was laughing alone, Kazuha, decided to come back to the main room, warn Yae of Scaramouche's departure and get back to work.
°°°
Kazuha ended his day at 4 p.m. He decided to walk again to go back home.
As he peacefully walked, the young man heard an ambulance and police sirens. He experienced déjà vu as the same thing happened just in the morning. But the difference here is that at the same time, one of the screens on a skyscraper lit up, displaying information about what happened.
A businessman, accused many times of abuse on various people, had been found dead in an alleyway of the city. Kazuha got chills when he realized this was the same he used during the lunch break to go to the restaurant. And he began to shiver when he saw the red flower on top of the body.
The Higanbana clan struck once again. And with a few hours of interval, Kazuha would have been in that street, meeting with one of the members. But he wasn't shivering because of the fear. This was because of the burning resentment he felt. If he had been in that alleyway a few hours later, he would have been able to face the people he hated so much, the people who took everything from him. He would have been able to use all the hatred he had in him and try to avenge his family...
"- Um, Mister... Are you okay ?"
Kazuha snapped out of his thoughts. A young child was pulling on his sleeve, seemingly worried for him. His parents, a couple of meters away, looked pretty worried too. The mother joined her son.
"- I am so sorry for my son's behavior, sir, but you look unwell. Do you want us to bring you to the hospital ?"
Kazuha felt bad for making innocent people worry for him. He forced a smile on his face.
"- Thank you for your concern, but I'm okay. I was going home anyways. Have a good day !"
And he quickly left, as the little family was beginning to make a link between his face and the one they saw on the nearest skyscraper's screen.
Kazuha decided to go back home as quickly as possible, and as he got there, he took a long bath to try and forget all the dark thoughts that poisoned his mind the whole day.
"But why today, though ?"
°°°
"- Father, I eliminated the target.
- Hahaha ! Good, good, Kunikuzushi. You're getting better at this everyday. This scum is everywhere, we need to get rid of it. Tell me, son, did something in particular happen today ?
- What do you mean, Father ?
- Well, for example, did you meet Beelzebul ?
- My cousin ? She goes by Ei now...
- Yes, I know, this isn't what I asked you !"
The tall man was becoming impatient. Kunikuzushi shivered and quickly answered :
"- I didn't meet her, but her girlfriend Yae.
- This Yae Miko... She's beginning to become annoying. But I can't kill her or Beelzebul will hate us. Well, she already hates us but she's beginning to gain power and it would be problematic if she decides to do something against our clan... Anyways, why did you meet with this Yae ?
- She introduced me to Kaedehara Kazuha, the famous heir. I want to use him to become even more famous and have more influence as an idol.
- Hmm... That boy... Be careful, he already escaped from us once.
- ...What do you mean, Father ?
- You don't need to now right now. But gaining his trust will be very useful to us, I will tell you the details later. Now, listen to me, son !"
The young man bent down in front of his father.
"- Yes, Father !
- You are, Kunikuzushi, Scaramouche or whatever you call yourself, my son and the heir to the Higanbana clan ! One day, everything will be passed down to you. I hope you understand the responsibility you will have, to get rid of all this trash populating the land today !
- Yes, I do ! I will do my best to satisfy you !
- Good. For now, you will gain the Kaedehara heir's trust and continue to execute the people I need you to.
- Yes, sir !
- What an obedient child you are. Now, leave !
Kunikuzushi saluted his father and swiftly left to his room.
The young man was 23 and getting close to 24 years old, but he still wasn't able to disobey any order from his father.
Once he got to his bedroom, he jumped on his bed and didn't move, deeply in thoughts. It would be hard for him to combine his role as an idol, even more now that he had to work with that Kazuha, and his role as an assassin, moreover not just any assassin but the heir to the biggest assassin organization of the country.
Scaramouche sighed. How did he get involved in all of this again ?
5 years earlier...
"- Kuni, please, leave this organization ! I can help you !
- No, I don't want to, Bel ! I am loyal to my father, and I'll stay loyal to him for my whole life !"
The woman took her cousin in her arms, almost crying.
"- I know he brainwashed you, he made you believe you only kill people who deserve it, but that's false ! No one has the right to decide of other people's life of death ! My parents understood that and saved me from this vicious spiral. You can still be saved, Kuni, you're only 18 ! You can go with me, I can help you discover real life, without any sadness and remorse !
- What you are saying, all of it is false, Bel ! I like and respect you a lot, but you can't ask me to betray Father, you understand that ?
- But...
- I am killing people who deserve it, I know that ! I am not the bad person here, I am getting rid of the trash populating this land !
- Your father, word for word... So they didn't tell you about 10 years ago, huh...
- What ? What happened 10 years ago ?
- I cannot tell you... This is a secret matter my parents and me were forbidden to divulge when we left the clan, and even we don't know that much about it...
- ...
- Kuni, let's make a deal !
- ...?
- I want to show you the real world ! I want to show you that there are very good people everywhere, and that no one deserves to die arbitrarily !
- ...What do you want to do ?
- You know my girlfriend Yae ? She manages a model agency ! And she offered me to manage the idol agency linked with it ! I'm sure that if I make you enter the idol world, your fans and the joy you will feel will make you forget about all this killing madness !"
Back to the present...
"- Your plan didn't work, Bel", Kunikuzushi spoke to himself. "I became Scaramouche, the nice and friendly idol, loved by everyone, but this didn't make me happy in any kind of way... The only way I can feel I am doing the right thing is by getting rid of bad people for Father... He know what is right and what isn't and I am trusting him ! And if he wants me to use people to help him out, then I will !"
The young man looked down at the red hoodie he was still wearing, remembering the kindness Kazuha showed at that moment. He let a big grin appear on his face. It would be a piece of cake to manipulate him.
"- I don't really know for what purpose, but you are going to become my own little pawn, Kaedehara Kazuha !"
°°°
The pink-haired woman collapsed on the couch, next to her girlfriend.
"- Ei, your cousin is really insufferable. He left today, just saying he had an emergency ! And he didn't even tell me in person, he asked that poor Kazuha to transmit it !"
Ei took her girlfriend in her arms.
"- I'm sorry for that... I suppose the murder this afternoon was his doing... I don't know what to do anymore to free him from his father's influence...
- Did you ever think about him making friends with someone ?
- I did, but he doesn't want to get closer to anyone...
- Well, he decided to get closer to Kazuha, right ? And he decided it himself, you didn't ask him to, right ?
- No, you're right... But he was talking about a fake friendship, right ?
- Then we just have to work on removing the 'fake' part !"
As she heard that, Ei gave her girlfriend a look full of hope, finally seeing a solution to save her cousin.
°°°
Kazuha was about to get to sleep when he received a text from an unknown number.
Unknown
{It's Scaramouche. There is a society dinner in two days. I received an invitation and you should too.
Let's go there together to show we're friends, okay ? By the way, you can't decline.}
Kazuha sighed. This man was as disagreeable virtually as he was in person. But this was a good occasion to show the medias they were "friends".
The young man checked the mail he received today and indeed found an invitation from a luxury brand owned by the Kaedehara company. He was invited as a guest of honor.
Well, he would have to go anyways to announce he would become the new head of the Kaedehara company... And he didn't know what Scaramouche could do if he declined, so he quickly answered the text.
Kaedehara Kazuha
{I don't have a choice anyways... See you there.}
Scaramouche
{You're a quick learner.
I hope I won't see you before that, couldn't stand seeing your face.}
As he read these nice words, Kazuha decided to go to sleep before he got insulted even more. He closed his eyes and almost immediately fell into a deep slumber.
°°°°°°°°°°°
Hey ! I hope you enjoy the story thus far, I will do my best to write something you will all enjoy !
See you very soon !
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Words : 1843
Published : July 7th 2022