Chapter 23: 23
Kenzo found himself in a rather interesting situation involving the lady he had been eyeing for quite some time. He couldn't believe the opportunity that had fallen into his lap, as thoughts of sex began to consume his mind.
However, there was also a thrill in taking something that had already been claimed by another.
"The forbidden fruit," Kenzo thought to himself with a sinister grin, wanting to test the boundaries a little further.
He gave her breast a firm squeeze, and that's when Mizumi snapped back to reality, breaking away from him and springing to her feet.
She clutched her chest, clearly surprised by what he had done.
She expected an apology, as most people would apologize for such an inappropriate action. But Kenzo just looked at her.
"They are a lot softer than I thought they would be," he complimented, before getting up to his feet.
"What do you think you're doing?" Mizumi blurted out, taken aback by his audacity. But Kenzo walked up to her, explaining himself bluntly.
"I helped you break your fall, and my hand somehow found itself on your breast, so I decided to see if they were as soft as they looked." His tone made it clear that he didn't think he was in the wrong.
Mizumi couldn't believe the nerve of this man, but Kenzo noticed something in her body language. It wasn't closed off, and the pheromones she emitted were similar to Mrs. Wong's, there was no doubt that her body was in heat. Before things could get even more tense, Hitomi walked out of her room and saw the two of them standing across each other.
"Kenzo, when did you get back?" Hitomi asked casually, unaware of the tense atmosphere in the room.
"I had no idea you could cook so well. Something tells me we might have found ourselves a chef. You're free to stay as long as you want, as long as you keep cooking," she pointed out, though there was something strange about her aura.
"What's this?" Kenzo wondered to himself. Hitomi wasn't emitting any pheromones.
"Of course, you'll still have to pay some money!" Hitomi blurted out, clarifying any confusion he might have had.
There was no way he was going to be a freeloader. However, the problem with this arrangement was that Kenzo didn't have any privacy or clothes.
They didn't even ask if he wanted to return home, assuming he could move around with his injuries. If he chose to stay here, it would be odd.
Kenzo was aware of this and saw it as a test. "I'm sorry, but I can't stay here for long. However, I plan to stay for a week since there's some work being done in my home," Kenzo pointed out. He wasn't some homeless bum with no place to go.
He noticed Mizumi's facial expression change.
"Just a week?" Mizumi questioned, but she quickly cleared her throat.
"...I meant to say that a week is too short to repay us for saving your life," she quickly corrected herself.
"I will pay a generous amount into each of your accounts. Or would you like me to pay in some other way?" Kenzo asked, looking directly at Mizumi. She knew exactly what he was implying, but Hitomi thought he was referring to payment by cooking.
She quickly shoved Mizumi aside, determined not to miss out on a payday.
"No! Money is fine! Money is just fine!" Hitomi reassured him, but Mizumi walked away during that exchange.
Kenzo smirked inwardly because she might not be aware of it yet, but she was already caught in his web.
-
Kenzo had no idea about the don's decision, but he was being pursued by the worst person imaginable.
Akujin went to the train station and stared blankly at the floor before closing his eyes.
His finger twitched as if he were typing, but he was actually visualizing a scene of what might have happened.
The train station was bustling with people going about their business, oblivious to the horrific event that had occurred the day before.
Akujin stood alone, dressed casually, but his tattoos made the elderly pedestrians uneasy as they passed by. Even some younger people were cautious, sensing the danger he exuded, despite his efforts to conceal his appearance with shades and a face mask.
Akujin was a familiar figure in the area, once a wanted man until he joined the dons. Although his slate had been wiped clean, he knew better than to walk the streets with his true identity exposed for all to see.
"I can feel it," Akujin muttered to himself.
And then Akujin did something nearly impossible. He reconstructed the fight that had taken place, albeit not exactly as it happened, but capturing the overall essence.
Akujin knew there was no way even the Oni could have emerged unscathed; that was simply impossible. His contacts at the hospital hadn't reported anything unusual, but he knew better than to venture to the one place that would make him vulnerable.
That meant someone must have aided the Oni's escape or at least witnessed it.
Akujin examined the two exits, trailing his fingers along the walls. The assailants who had come to kill the Oni must have approached from the North.
The Oni was a highly skilled assassin, but he couldn't ignore his instincts. It was inconceivable for a trained killer to exit in the same direction that his adversaries came from, as it would leave him susceptible to further danger.
Thus, he would have chosen the less risky option, which meant exiting from the South.
Though the possibility of enemies lying in wait still existed, it would be diminished with that exit.
Akujin walked out and left through the Southern exit, retrieving a cigarette and placing it between his hardened lips before lighting it.
His eyes scanned the area for additional clues, and as he anticipated, one of the various shops in the vicinity shared a common feature.
"CCTV," Akujin muttered under his breath with a grin. He was certain that the Oni had taken precautions to disable the cameras in the train station, but there was no way he could have done the same for every camera in the area. This was his first clue.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone