The bar was its usual brand of misery, just with a few subtle changes. The moment I stepped in, the manager's eyes locked onto me.
"I saw your little interview, kid," he said, voice low, smooth, but carrying a quiet weight that could snap a man in half. "Explains a lot about your… courage."
A slow pause. His gaze sharpened, cold and calculating.
"But let that fire in your chest blind you? You won't last long. Not here, not anywhere."
"I think I've been remembering that pretty well so far, Manager," I said, voice steady, unflinching.
He let out a slow, sharp chuckle.
"Hah. Not bad, kid. But I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you." His eyes flicked toward the bar, dangerous and precise. "Now—get to work."
"Yes, boss," I said, without much fanfare.
Some time later, Tetsu, Maestro, Kurumi, and a few guys from the crew walked in together.
…Well. That was new.
"Kurumi," Maestro said as they stepped inside, voice calm but carrying that quiet authority.
"Whatever you've got going on with the kid—that's your business. Handle it yourselves."
Kurumi clicked her tongue, crossing her arms.
"Ugh, you're no fun, Uncle," she muttered, a faint edge in her voice. "He's been ghosting me all day. You could at least lean on him a little—make him pick up his phone…"
She trailed off mid-sentence.
Her eyes met mine.
Before she could say anything, Tetsu was already leaning against the counter.
"Man, I wanted to congratulate you on the interview," he said with a grin. "But things are kinda messy right now, so… yeah. Still—respect the honesty."
He let out a short chuckle.
"Anyway, hit me with the usual."
I didn't answer. Just grabbed a glass and poured the whiskey over ice.
Tetsu downed it in one go.
"Kid," Maestro spoke up, voice calm—too calm. "Don't think for a second I didn't know you were fucking around with my niece."
A pause.
"It just surprises me," he added, eyes settling on me, sharp and unreadable, "that you thought it was a smart move."
"Uncle!" Kurumi snapped, shooting him a glare, pointedly not looking at me.
"Well, I was a horny virgin who latched onto the first girl that gave me attention," I said bitterly. "So yeah… I guess I had this coming."
Silence settled over the counter for a second.
Tetsu let out a low whistle, shaking his head.
"Damn… kid's honest, I'll give him that," he muttered, half-amused.
Maestro didn't react right away.
He just watched me.
Then—slowly—a faint smile crossed his lips. Not a warm or a friendly one. Just interested.
"Hm," he hummed. "At least you're not stupid enough to lie."
He paused, gaze moving between Kurumi and I... before it settled on me, eyes narrowing.
"But don't confuse honesty with absolution," he added calmly. "Knowing you made a bad call doesn't make the consequences disappear."
For a while, Kurumi didn't say a word.
Her fists were clenched at her sides.
"…You're such an idiot," she muttered under her breath.
A pause.
"I'm not some 'first girl who gave you attention,'" she snapped, finally looking at me, eyes sharp—though something in them wavered.
"What do you want me to say? Cry me a river? I'm not insensitive like you," I said, then turned to Maestro.
"Honestly… I half-expected you to kill me if you found out," I added with a dry laugh. "Might've been easier that way."
Maestro hummed under his breath, sunglasses catching the neon in sharp flashes.
"Careful, kid," he said evenly, although he couldn't quite hide the faint smirk. "There's a line. You don't want to find out what's on the other side of it."
The manager, who'd been half-listening while moving between the back and the counter, let out a quiet, tired sigh.
"Kid's got a death wish," he muttered, rubbing his temples. "Or he just doesn't know where he's standing."
Tetsu burst out laughing, like he couldn't believe what he was watching.
Kurumi didn't laugh.
She just stood there, fists clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms, eyes locked on me.
A beat passed before she spoke.
"…You're seriously getting this worked up over a joke?" she asked, incredulous, a sharp edge slipping into her voice.
I let out a low, humorless chuckle.
"Right. A joke," I muttered.
My gaze went back to her, cold.
"Guess I'm not allowed to react, huh? Not allowed to get pissed. Not allowed to feel anything."
"I should just stand there, smile, and take it. That's the part I'm supposed to play, right?"
I leaned back slightly, jaw tightening.
"Funny how it's always 'you're too dramatic' when it's me," I added, voice dropping. "But when it's you? Suddenly it's a joke."
I looked up at the ceiling, past the lights, past the noise—like I could see the sky through it.
If there's a God…
Then fuck him.
"And you two talking about my death?" I said, voice flat. "Either do it… or shut the fuck up."
The room froze.
Kurumi snapped first.
"Are you insane?!" she blurted, stepping toward me, eyes wide in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing?!"
She didn't wait for an answer—already turning to Maestro, frustration bleeding into her voice.
"Uncle, don't listen to him. He's just being an idiot right now," she said quickly. "He doesn't mean that."
Tetsu clicked his tongue, raising a hand like he was trying to slow things down.
"Hey, hey… chill," he muttered. "Kid's just overwhelmed. You can see it, right? He's not thinking straight."
Maestro didn't respond immediately.
He just watched me.
Then his gaze shifted to Kurumi for a brief second—measured, knowing—before returning to me.
"…He's useful," he said calmly. "And besides…" his voice dipped slightly, almost amused, "it'd be a shame to upset you over something so trivial."
Kurumi stiffened, jaw tightening.
The manager exhaled through his nose, gaze settling on me—sharp, tired, knowing.
"…This is exactly the fire I was talking about," he said quietly. "Burn too hot, kid… and you'll torch yourself before anyone else gets the chance."
"Well," I said, looking at the manager, "I'm mentally ill. What did you think repeating 'I could kill you' to someone already on edge would do? Calm me down?"
A thought occured, paranoid.
"Or were you hoping I'd snap… so you'd have a reason to put me down?"
The manager didn't flinch.
"…You're not that important," he said flatly.
He paused, his eyes settling on me—steady, unreadable.
"If I wanted you gone, you'd be gone. No warnings."
He wiped his hands slowly on a cloth, like the whole thing barely registered as effort.
"What I said wasn't a threat. It was a reminder," he added, voice low. "You're the one turning it into something bigger. Get your head straight, kid. Or walk out before you make a mistake you can't take back."
"My birth's already a mistake I can't take back," I said, almost casually. "I've had that one sitting with me for years."
My eyes met his, flat.
"I get it. That's how you yakuza types talk. Just don't expect it to do anything to me."
The manager rubbed the back of his neck, eyes narrowing as he looked at me.
"Hah… damn it, kid," he muttered, almost to himself. "I keep forgetting. Death threats, warnings… they don't stick to you, do they?"
He let out a quiet, dry laugh, shaking his head.
"Exactly the fire I was talking about," he added, voice low, almost grudging. "It's like you need it, but it'll burn everyone around you before it touches you.
Just… try not to torch the whole place while you're at it, alright?"
I let out a dry chuckle.
"There were times I wished the world would just burn down. Then I grew up… and realized that's not realistic."
The manager rolled his eyes, clearly not invested in continuing the exchange. Maestro leaned back, smirking, while Kurumi froze, caught between panic and disbelief.
Tetsu leaned back, shaking his head with a wry grin.
"Kid… you're beyond me. That's some next-level shit right there. Just… don't hurt yourself thinking like that."
"...Too late, bro," I said, facepalming. "Too late..."
The manager slinked to the back, clearly checked out of whatever mess this was supposed to be.
Nobody even realized how intense things got before they noticed everyone else was staring at us like they were watching a bad movie.
"You two should just get a room already!" a blonde thug barked.
"…That Forsaken kid's playing with fire. If it was anyone else, they'd be six feet under by now," another muttered, eyes sharp.
"Tetsu, Maestro, come drink with us—let the kids sort their own business," a bald yakuza called, tone casual but dangerous.
Maestro shrugged, slow and deliberate.
"Yeah… sounds about right," he muttered, like he was mourning the time wasted here
Tetsu leaned back, a grin under his scarred face. He passed me a joint before leaving.
"Here, kid. Take this, to breathe through the fire. And... good luck, you two. Don't let misunderstandings burn something you're not ready to give up on."
Misunderstandings, huh…?
I glanced at Kurumi. Her lips were slightly parted, like she wanted to say something—but didn't know how to phrase it.
I lit the joint and took a long drag, letting the smoke settle in my chest. For a moment, it helped.
Then I started coughing anyway. Seems like I took too much.
From a nearby table, Tetsu glanced over.
"Yo, easy with that, bro!" he called out.
Still coughing, I passed the joint to Kurumi.
She took it hesitantly, eyes fixed on me—something softer there now.
"Hey… are you okay?" she asked quietly.
"No."
I replied flatly, like it didn't matter.
Kurumi blinked, clearly not expecting that.
"…You're such an idiot," she muttered, softer than usual.
She looked away, taking a small drag from the joint more out of habit than anything else.
"…You say stuff like that so casually," she added, quieter. "Like it's nothing."
Her eyes turned back to me, a hint of frustration breaking through.
"…It's not nothing, Takumi."
She brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, lips parting slightly.
Like she wanted to say something, but the words won't come out.
"Is it… my fault? I'm sorry I was a bitch," she said, voice quieter now. "I just—… I don't know what came over me."
A small pause.
"I didn't realize I was being that mean."
I let out a quiet sigh, my hand gripping hers without hesitation.
"…I'm sorry too," I said. "That was the best answer I had. It's not that I don't care—it's just… complicated."
A small pause.
"…But I'm into you. In case that wasn't obvious."
Kurumi froze for a second, clearly not expecting that.
"…You really suck at saying things properly, you know that?" she muttered, looking away—but she gripped my hands more firmly, as if she'd lose me if she let go.
She paused for a bit, letting the words sink in.
"…But I get it," she added, quieter this time. "…I'm into you too, idiot."
A couple of the guys at the back were definitely watching, 'cause they felt the need to comment.
"Oi, what is this, a confession scene?" one of them laughed, loud enough for the whole bar to hear.
"Man, we really watching kids fall in love over a joint now?" another added, snickering.
"Get a room already!" someone else cut in, earning a few chuckles.
Kurumi clenched her fists hard for a second, her ears turning faintly red.
Tetsu barked out a laugh from his table, shaking his head.
"Oi, shut the hell up," he called out, waving them off. "Let the kids have their moment."
Maestro's sunglasses caught the neon lights, shining coldly.
"I'm leaving Kurumi in your hands, rapper kid," he said evenly. "Hurt her, and you answer to me."
"Uncle!" Kurumi snapped, face burning.
I didn't reply.
I didn't need to.
A few more laughs, but the noise died down after that—
leaving just the two of us again.