Chapter Text
The sound of the city of Tokyo never ceases, especially on a Sunday afternoon. The sounds of cars passing by, people crossing the street, the occasional cry of a child, and the faint sound of changing traffic lights could be heard, fully showing how lively the city can be.
"Pleasure to meet you, Yukioto Ei" a grin forms on my face as she rubs the back of her neck. Contrary to my prior image of her, she was underwhelming in person. Before this interaction, I had mentally prepared myself to come face to face with an entitled and vain individual considering the rumors surrounding her person.
' She's taller than what I initially thought, she's taller than me'. Though other than her towering height and the centipede tattoo that looped around the entirety of her right arm, nothing else -physically speaking- had really caught my eye.
"Do I know you?" She asks nervously. "-Not that I'm ungrateful or anything! It's just that my bail wasn't exactly cheap, and I don't think I've met you before" she continues, her eyes looking off to the side instead of meeting mine.
Her reluctance was understandable, she had just stepped foot out of the prison she was to be confined in for 5 more years, only to get out early because some random person just paid 2,225,400 Yen.
"That's because you haven't" I replied as I continued to eye her from head to toe. "Oh, okay??" One of her eyebrows raised in confusion. "Did you need something from me then?" she asks.
"It's better to have this conversation inside don't you think?" I motioned to the Lexus LS I had been leaning on, turning to the side in order to open the door for her. Her eyes lit up for just a second before she raised up her defenses once again. I sigh at this before stepping inside, waiting for her to do the same. "Get in, this conversation is best to have in private"
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She had been silent for the first few minutes of the ride, her focus mostly on the passing buildings seen on the tinted windows -most probably to gain bearings as to where she might be getting transported. Though this was the case, it seemed as though she was uncomfortable with the silence and took action to remedy that problem.
"Soooo-" Before she could continue, I cut her off, my legs crossed and my upper body facing her as she sat on the right side of the car. "I'll get to the point here, my name is Kokonoi Hajime; Bonten Executive"
Her face slightly pales at this. Seems as though prison doesn't hinder a person's ability to learn about one of Japan's most notorious gangs. "Do I have debt?" She nervously asks, leaning ever so slightly away from me.
'So she really is broke. It seems as though her remaining family doesn’t care much about her, -that or all of them had already passed away. Recruiting her should be a piece of cake then' I mused. "Don't be ridiculous, if you had debt I wouldn't have bailed you out of jail" I say, my voice dripping with faux annoyance, although judging by the demeanor she had been showing up until now, she wouldn’t be able to identify it’s authenticity.
"That's true" Her demeanor relaxes a bit. "I'm here to give you an offer-" I start, uncrossing my legs in order to take up more room on the seat. "--an offer?" "Don't cut me off" I gave her an annoyed look and that seemed to be enough for her to learn her place.
"As of this moment you have not only just gotten out of jail, but you are also broke and don't have the monetary support of your remaining family" a somber look washes on her face. ‘So it’s the first possibility then? I’ll have to look into that more’ I thought before picking up where I left off.
"Most of the property you had before your arrest had already been confiscated, including the several vehicles you had hidden in them. I also doubt anyone would sponsor an out-of-practice street racer such as you, especially with the lifestyle you had led, and the accident you were in before your arrest" I continued to berate her. Making sure she knew what type of situation she had landed herself in. My actions proved to be fruitful as her expression scrunched up in offense and frustration.
"I'm starting to think there is no offer and you're just here to tear me a new one" she spitefully mumbled, her focus back on the passing signs and buildings. I snicker at the comment, 'Seems as though she still has her pride intact, that's good, it means she still thinks highly of her skills despite her forced time-off'.
"I'm here to hire you as a valet for us Bonten Executives" Her attention was suddenly torn from the window and transferred to hang on my every word. Her eyes had lit up in interest and attentiveness, wanting to know more about the offer I had just now presented to her.
"A valet?" she asks. "Yes, more specifically you are to drive us executives to and from our destinations, you'll be in charge of transporting us from one point to the other safely, even when in dire situations" I clarified, though it seemed as though this didn’t prove to be enough given her expression.
"So a get-away driver?" Her eyebrow raised in confusion. "In a sense, but your presence will still be needed outside of those situations" I explain further. The raised eyebrow doesn't falter, still confused by the job offer. I sigh at this, trying to simplify my words in an attempt for her to better understand the situation."You'll be the driver whenever we need to go somewhere important, for example; gang meetings, cross-gang negotiations, interrogations, so and so."
With this, Yukioto's eyes light up in understanding. "Sorry I didn't really get it at first" a light chuckle leaves her as she leans back on the black leather seats. This caught my attention.
"Are you fluent in Japanese?" I ask -the question seemingly out of nowhere. With what had transpired just now I can tell she has a hard time understanding formal Japanese, not to mention that for all this time she had been speaking in an informal manner. Though it can be seen as her looking down on me, I doubt that to be the case as all this time she had always displayed signs of uneasiness and fear.
"Oh, can you tell?" "It's pretty apparent," I say, a deadpan expression on my face as she seemed to not know of this self-evident quirk of hers. Despite the look on my face, she lets out a light chuckle "I didn't get proper teaching for the language, I just went with it, to be honest. Nobody really minded tho". She says, an embarrassed air surrounding her after admitting this.
' Nobody minded because they couldn't care less about proper manners when their lifestyle and livelihood required them to always be on edge' I thought to myself. A contemplative look came across her features, it seemed as though she wore her emotions on her sleeves. 'That's probably why a lot of people sponsored her before, she's a transparent person when it comes to these things, you know exactly what she's thinking and how she feels about it' I grin at this, knowing that this feat of hers would help me out in the long run.
"I'll take the job!" She says with excitement and readiness. "Not so fast there" I raised a hand in the space between us. "I'm not the only one who gets a say regarding this matter, you'll be meeting the other executives and get their approval first before you get to work as our official valet," I say lowering my hand back to the surface my lap.
"And besides, how can you accept a job offer without even knowing what you'll get out of it" I continue, shooting a disapproving look towards her. A look of surprise adorns her face before she laughs it off again. "As you said, I'm in a pretty shitty place right now, so I might as well take whatever I can get" A grin forms on her face before she continues. "Besides you paid my bail so I'm already in your debt".
I didn't respond after that and neither did she, but the silence wasn't awkward. If anything it was light, a moment of consensus and understanding between two people from different places of life.
[Updated/re-written on Jan 25 2022]