Chapter Text
Chapter 1: "The Quiet Pawn"
Higuchi adjusted her tie, the cool, crisp fabric smoothing under her fingers as she stared into the mirror. Her straight blonde hair, pulled tightly into a neat ponytail, framed her sharp features with an almost clinical precision. Her uniform was immaculate; tailored to fit her perfectly, the dark fabric absorbing the early morning light. Yet, despite her composed appearance, a knot of unease coiled in her stomach, remnants of the haunting nightmare that still lingered in her mind.
Another day. Another mission. No room for weakness, she reminded herself, taking a steadying breath. She couldn’t afford to be distracted; not when she was so close to understanding her true place in the Port Mafia.
Her phone buzzed sharply, breaking her reverie. She glanced at the screen and saw Mori’s name flash across it. The message was terse, the usual no-nonsense tone of her superior.
Mission Brief: Oversee Shipment. Report back upon arrival.
Higuchi sighed, the weight of the task settling over her. It was a simple assignment, one that shouldn’t require much of her attention. Yet she knew all too well that the simplest missions often hid the most complex games. She tucked her phone into her pocket, her mind already racing through the logistics. There was no time for doubts.
The morning passed in a blur of movement and sharp calculations. The shipment was handled without incident--precise, controlled, and silent. Higuchi’s instincts were honed to perfection. She had learned long ago to read people and situations with a precision that rivaled the sharpest blade. No one questioned her authority or her methods, and the task was completed seamlessly.
But as she made her way back to the Port Mafia headquarters, the usual sense of satisfaction that came with a job well done was absent. Instead, a nagging unease gnawed at her, a feeling that something was off. Her footsteps echoed through the hallway as she approached the main office, but it was the sound of voices drifting from behind a partially closed door that caught her attention.
She paused, just out of view, instinctively straining to listen.
“She’s important to your plan, isn’t she?” The voice was unmistakable--Kouyou.
Higuchi felt a shiver crawl down her spine, the mention of "she" causing her heart to skip a beat. Her thoughts spun, trying to place the context, trying to understand. Who were they discussing?
There was a long pause before Mori's voice, as cold and calculated as ever, responded. "She’ll play her role when the time comes. For now, let her believe she’s ordinary."
Higuchi’s breath hitched. She could hear the steady click of Mori’s voice, but it was like a distant echo, distant and detached from the reality she knew. The words spun in her head, each one a jagged shard of an unspoken truth. Ordinary? Her pulse quickened. She had always been aware of the power games that pulsed through the veins of the Port Mafia the hidden schemes, the puppets who danced on invisible strings, but this? This was different.
A cold sweat beaded on her skin as her stomach twisted in uncertainty. What did Mori mean? What role was she meant to play in his plan? And why was she being kept in the dark?
Her hand, still gripping the edge of the door, trembled ever so slightly. She’d long since learned to bury her emotions, to compartmentalize the confusion that often arose in this world of shadows. But now, it felt impossible to suppress the questions, the doubts.
Mori’s words echoed in her ears as she turned and quickly retreated down the hall, the weight of his cryptic message lingering like a shadow on her back. She had no answers, no clear path forward. Only the sinking feeling that her part in the grand scheme was far more significant than she had ever been led to believe.
With every step, the tension inside her grew, mingling with the cold realization that she might not be as ordinary as she had been made to believe. And that, in itself, terrified her.
To be continued......
Hopefully next week.🤞🤞