Trying to catch some Zs

The following day, on the other side of town, Shuichi found himself lying again in bed as the sun rose over the desolate desert plains that the city called home. Through the fog of his sleep, he could feel something soft and smooth underneath his hand. He quickly recognized it as the warm embrace of a woman’s skin, and for a moment, he thought he was still having a pleasant dream.

“Hmm… Celestia?” Shuichi mumbled as his eyes fluttered open. But instead of the gothic lolita he met the day before, lying in front of him, he saw his boss clad in a black nightgown and matching lacy black underwear. “A-ah!? Kirumi!?”

“Aaah… good morning, Shuichi.” Despite Shuichi’s gasp of surprise, Kirumi woke up with a calm yawn and turned on the lamp next to the bed. This illuminated the room and revealed that the two were, apparently, in Kirumi’s home. But, instead of being a luxurious mansion or suite in an exclusive skyscraper… it appeared to be a relatively ordinary, one-bedroom apartment not much bigger than the one Shuichi owned. It didn’t even have that much in the way of expensive art or decorations either, though it was impeccably well-kept. “I’m sorry if I woke you up somehow - I am not used to sleeping with others, so I am not used to controlling my movements in my sleep.”

“No, no, it’s fine, Kirumi - I woke up on my own,” Shuichi said as he pushed away the dark black bed sheets covering him. “But, what exactly are we doing here, if you don’t mind me asking? Weren’t we going to head back to my place?”

“That was the original plan, yes, but part way back, you began to fall asleep at the wheel. I couldn’t in good conscience let you drive the rest of the way back to your apartment, so I delicately guided you here to rest your head for the night. I hope you do not mind.” Kirumi stood up from the bed and perfectly made its sheets in one swift motion. “You truly must have been overstressed yesterday because you passed out the moment you laid down on the bed - I didn’t even have time to get you changed into something more suitable.”

“Wow, I really started to fall asleep at the wheel? Just when I thought I couldn’t screw up yesterday any worse…” Shuichi said, reflecting bitterly. “I’m sorry you had to go out of your way even more for me than you already have.”

“Shuichi, I am sorry that things turned out as they did. But as I told you last night, I believe that you are the sort of person who can recover from these sorts of mistakes and learn from them,” Kirumi insisted. “And besides, this is no trouble at all, really. Now, shall I make us both breakfast?”

“Sure, just… not anything too extravagant, okay?” Shuichi replied.

“I’m afraid that ‘humble’ is the only option that we have for breakfast here, but I can go get something better if you change your mind.” Kirumi led Shuichi to the kitchen and prepared a simple breakfast of eggs and toast using her electric stove. “This should give you enough calories to at least make it through the morning.”

“Thanks, Kirumi… I honestly don’t think I can ever really repay you for this.” Shuichi took a bite of the toast, and his eyes immediately began to water. “Mmmph… h-how can you make toast taste this good?”

“A little bit of cinnamon and sugar in the butter can go a long way,” she replied.

“Mmm, definitely.” Shuichi swallowed and looked around the room again. “Say, Kirumi… I don’t mean to be rude, but… you can afford to get a bigger or better apartment, right?”

“Yes, of course. My compensation is of public record, after all,” Kirumi replied.

“Then… why don’t you?” Shuichi said before taking another bite.

“I simply never saw a reason to,” Kirumi explained simply. “I don’t have children or lovers who come over regularly. I never hold meetings with business associates here because I can just use the office or locales around the city instead. I never felt like possessing many things, so I didn’t need the storage space. The only reason I could think of to rent or buy a larger home would be to simply get rid of the money that I’ve been accumulating from my job - and I can think of much better causes for that cash to be used.”

“Uh-huh… right.” Shuichi took a sip of orange juice, the subtle implication that he should ask Kirumi for money not lost on him. “I suppose it is noble of you to live beneath your means like that, especially when you get to donate so much to charity. Like a nobleman who gives up their fortune to become a monk.”

“That is certainly one way of looking at it, though personally I never saw myself as anything truly noble,” she replied. “And I’m afraid that my generosity has limits, Shuichi.”

“Ah… does that mean what I think it means?” asked Shuichi.

“Yes, it does.” Kirumi stepped aside and looked at the clock behind her. “You’re still expected to be at your desk at 8 AM sharp. I’m afraid gambling-related exhaustion does not qualify as a valid reason for a sick day in our company’s policies.”

“Of course, it makes sense.” Shuichi finished the rest of his breakfast and stood up from his chair. “Okay, I’ll take a shower and get ready. I hope you don’t mind if I go to work wearing the same suit two days in a row.”

“Not to worry - I’ll have them cleaned and pressed while you’re bathing,” Kirumi replied. “Just make sure to clean thoroughly. You still smell like expensive champagne, with a hint of cigar smoke. Also, remember that if you ever need any… stability in your life, I’ll always be there for you.”

Shuichi nodded and headed to Kirumi’s bathroom, where he left his clothes by the door and took a brisk shower. When he was done and dressed, he bid Kirumi a **** farewell and walked down the stairs of her apartment building. Arriving at his car, he double-checked that his two suitcases were still in his trunk.

“Yep… there it is,” Shuichi said as he opened up the case he found. “So it wasn’t a dream… 100,000,000 yen, all in one case. What in the world am I going to do with this?”

Shuichi shut the case, closed his trunk, and tapped his foot as he thought about this next move.

“Obviously, taking this to the bank without any kind of explanation wouldn’t work - it would be way too suspicious. I could get arrested on the spot,” he said to himself. “I could just keep it around my apartment, taking out whatever I needed for things like groceries and rent when I had to, but keeping it lying around could be dangerous. I could try to launder it by buying more cars or maybe real estate, but that would still be suspicious. Or, I could use it to buy crypto-currency and- wait, never mind. That’s the worst idea I’ve had yet.”

Frustrated, Shuichi paced back and forth in front of his car a few times as he tried vainly to think of the right way to use his newfound fortune.

“Gah… I shouldn’t be thinking about this in some parking lot! I need to get to work!” Shuichi got into the driver’s seat of his convertible and turned on the engine. “I’ll just… leave it there for now as I gather my thoughts. I’m sure I’ll figure something out by the end of the day.”

With that significant decision thoroughly procrastinated, Shuichi drove out onto the city's streets and began heading his way to work, not knowing that the fate of the money had already been decided for him.

As Shuichi drove off to work, Peko arrived at the Kuzuryu safehouse, hidden inside a ramen shop in the middle of downtown. Knocking on the back door in a particular manner, she waited for the door’s many locks to unlatch before she dashed inside, and the guard secured the door behind her. Inside, she was greeted by the sight of yet more guards surrounding a desolate ante-room which led to a much more luxurious red room. But despite the fine carpeting, expensive furniture, and games to pass the time, Peko knew that this place wasn’t one of relaxation - it was one of war. The weapons lining the walls, the map of the city on a nearby table, and the fact that the carpet was red to make it harder for blood stains to show up were proof enough for that.

“Augh, look who it is… Fuyuhiko’s little pet girl,” a blonde girl said as she looked at her phone on a nearby couch. “He didn’t send you here just to keep an eye on me, did he? It was bad enough that he snatched me up and forbade me to leave this place, but adding you to my guard just adds insult to injury. I might be his little sister, but I can still take care of myself, you know!”

“I apologize for any discomfort you might be suffering, Ms. Natsumi, but my Master only wishes to protect you and ensure the continuation of the Kuzuryu clan,” Peko responded with a respectful bow. “I am not here for that, however. Your brother assigned me a special task to do instead. Tell me; are you aware why our clan is suddenly hurtling towards war with our main rival?”

“Of course; it’s because Fuyuhiko lost the stupid money they were supposed to give him, and now we have to save face.” Natsumi crossed her arms. “He told me all about it… though if you ask me, he was way too merciful to that deadbeat courier.”

“Not everything can be solved with ****, Natsumi. You of all people should know that,” Peko said, crossing her arms.

“Yeah, yeah - but life needs a little spice every once in a while to avoid getting too boring, you know,” Natsumi replied casually.

“Well, today, I’m here to ask you to use some of your non-violent skills.” Peko reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out a photo of the surveillance footage she stole from Celeste’s casino. “This is the man who stole the money that was promised to us. No one in the clan seems to recognize him, and we are unsure if he works directly for the Savage Tigers or perhaps an unknown third party. It’s also unknown how he could have discovered where the money was to be hidden and at what time. Your ear is closer to the street than Fuyuhiko’s, so I was hoping that you could help give us a lead.”

“Really? Let me get a better look at that picture.” Natsumi took the photo and looked at it closely. “Hmm… nope, I can’t say that I recognize him. He looks perfectly average, with boring clothes… perfectly inconspicuous. I don’t see any tattoos or piercings either; he looks like a normal office worker. Even if I had seen him, there’s no way in hell I would have remembered him.”

“That’s exactly what I was afraid you’d say.” Peko let out an annoyed sigh. “I’ve been searching all morning for some kind of clue, but I still haven’t found anything. I’m starting to think that this hunt may be completely hopeless…”

“Woah, woah! Before you go and grab your seppuku knife, there is still something we can do,” Natsumi said as she handed the photo back. “Think about it; whoever this guy who grabbed the money just suddenly came into a metric fuck-ton of cold hard cash. And when guys suddenly get a lot of money, do you know what they spend it on?”

“Uh… cars? Real estate?” Peko guessed.

“Girls, you dumbass! They spend it on girls!” shouted Natsumi. “I mean, most guys won’t admit it, but in a city where prostitution is legal, it’s always in the back of their minds. Don’t you remember that guy who won the lottery five years ago? The bastard spent his winnings all in just one week buying the most expensive girls he could. And I bet you he didn’t even regret it all afterward!”

“I see… you do raise a good point.” Peko rubbed her chin. “Sex workers are paid almost exclusively in untraceable cash, after all, and they rarely ask where it came from. Spending it on anything else would take time and careful laundering.”

“Exactly! So, all you have to do is go to the Red Light District and ask around to see if there have been any sudden big spenders. Then, flash the photo around to see if anyone recognizes him, and then you’ll have your man,” Natsumi explained. “Be careful, though; streetwalkers prize discretion, so it might take a little while to get everything you need to track him down.”

“I see… then I suppose I have **** then.” Peko turned back toward the exit. “I don’t like going to that part of town unless it’s for… certain personal reasons, but I will scour every part of that neighborhood if that’s what it takes to find the thief. Thank you for the assistance, Natsumi.”

“No problem! You can thank me tomorrow night, once this whole war stuff is over, by fucking my brains out on the bed over there,” Natsumi replied bluntly and without shame. “I still need to break that thing in, and I’ve got this new dildo that I’ve been dying for you to try on me.”

“I’ll be sure to help end the fighting promptly then - though I suspect you will come to regret giving me an opportunity to be rough with you,” Peko replied coolly as she adjusted her glasses.

“Hey! The regret is all part of the magic!” Natsumi replied, leaning back in her chair. “Promise me you’ll come back in one piece so we can have some fun as soon as possible, okay?”

“Yes, young Mistress. I promise not to be harmed.” Peko placed her hand on the door back out to the alleyway. “Though I cannot promise the same for our enemies.”

Shuichi arrived at his office a few minutes later, trying his best not to worry too much about the briefcase in his trunk possibly being stolen as he walked inside.

“Well, at least they have the elevator fixed now,” Shuichi said to himself as he stepped inside the lift and the doors closed behind him. “Augh, what am I going to do? Maybe it would be best to just hand it over to the police… but then, I really would have **** but to ask friends and family for help paying this month’s rent, and I can’t bear to think about that. Maybe I can just take a little bit of the cash to cover my expenses for the next month or so… but what if someone claims it at the police station and notices some of it’s missing!? Then they’d know I stole it!”

The elevator doors opened a moment later, revealing Shuichi’s office floor on the other side. As he walked toward his desk, indecision still eating him up on the inside, he noticed Makoto walking toward his cubicle.

“Good morning, Shuichi! It’s nice to see you again!” Makoto casually greeted before he got a good look at Shuichi. “Oh, wow, you don’t look so hot today. Did something happen last night?”

“Uh, no, actually,” Shuichi hastily lied. “I just, uh… my dinner didn’t really agree with me, so I had a lot of trouble sleeping?”

“Seriously? Bummer… you just had the worst luck yesterday, huh?” Makoto sat down at his desk and booted up his computer.

“You have no idea,” Shuichi said dryly as he turned on his own computer. “I’m done wallowing in my own misfortune for now, though. How have you been, Makoto?”

“Pretty good, actually! I think management is starting to see me as more than just an entry-level employee!” Makoto said, his smile reflected on his computer screen. “Team Leader Margaret gave me my first solo project to do for the company!”

“Wait, seriously? Congratulations!” Shuichi said as he opened the documents he had to review for today. “I hope it’s not too much pressure for you.”

“I’ll admit, having this extra responsibility makes me a bit nervous… I mean, if I screw up, there won’t be anyone to have my back,” Makoto said, scratching his cheek. “But still, if I don’t push myself, then I won’t get anywhere. I’ll just be stuck at the bottom of the corporate ladder forever.”

“That’s the spirit, though you shouldn't feel like you’re completely alone on this,” Shuichi countered. “Even if we’re not technically on the project, I’d be willing to lend a hand if you needed it, and I’m sure Kaito and some of the others would too.”

“I’d appreciate that, but I wouldn’t want to be a burden. Especially since you have your own big project to do yourself,” Makoto pointed out.

“Huh?” Shuichi suddenly felt a burst of adrenaline shoot through him. “Gah!? That’s right; I have to finish summarizing last year’s audits by Wednesday! Aw… just when I thought work today might be easier than yesterday.”

“Heh, isn’t that just the way it is sometimes?” Makoto asked with a laugh. “I’ll let you get to it then. Good luck, Shuichi; I’m sure you’ll do just fine!”