Sakurai, Part 1
This takes place just after Yuuto lured Kyoya outside with the phone-call in the previous chapter.
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NTR Antagonists are all the same, and they will never change.
That's what I always said.
And I'm right. I know better than ANYONE.
Yuuto's Terms of Service:
11. Should the job go smoothly, the same character will never bother you again.
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'- And it went smoothly.'
'It did.'
'All the pieces are in place... I've placed the usb in Himiko's house, and she will see it shortly. Kyoya is lured out of the house. Evidence about Kazuki's endeavors are all sent to the police station, and with thorough interrogation, the gang and Kyoya will all be found guilty, in time.'
'Every piece is set.'
'I'm a bit fatigued... But not so much that I'd lose to one pathetic boxer, former champion or not. I've slept the entire day, after all.'
Yuuto strolled the empty street beneath the noon-sun. Swirling his slightly battered and dented baseball-bat around with ease. Looking all directions to make sure he isn't seen. The image of Haruto briefly flashes in his head.
Yuuto clicked his tongue as he spoke to that image in his head.
'I'm sorry, cuck. I can't indulge your naivete. Nor do I understand it. You think you're all grown up, huh? Move on, start a new life. Or, how did you tell me? Just end it, get that bastard arrested... NTR will always follow you, no matter where you go. It may not be today, or tomorrow, but soon it will happen again. That's why you must be angry. You need to manipulate, strategise. You need to HATE. Without all those things, you cannot truly stop people like Kyoya, who are evil incarnate, who will stop at NOTHING, and cannot be changed. Or stop your Himiko from falling for another in the future... Naturally, I've checked. Kyoya Guuji had no pals at the police, nor somebody he would contact on the outside... It was just him and his gang. Impressive. But that won't always be the case with other NTR Antagonist, these scum are crafty. Now, police will come for Kyoya soon with all the evidence, for sure... And I can say, with no doubt, that he will be arrested and locked up for a while. But what if he thinks to do something to your precious Himiko just before they start looking for him? Did you think about that? No, you just wanted to "move on" in your selfishness. To grow up, even... Haaah, well; he's in the category of the people I've sworn to protect: Weaklings and the undetermined.'
Yuuto sighed.
'Now, then... Let's get down to business.'
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Kyoya's breaths were ragged, a mix of exertion and urgency as he sprinted through the labyrinth of the city, his phone clutched tightly in his grip. Calls rang out, unanswered, into the void as he pushed his legs to move faster.
"Blank Avenue... 192nd Street... Back Alley, it's gotta be here!" He panted, the words tumbling out in a rush as he rounded the corner and charged into the dimly lit alley. The cacophony of gunfire and the clash of metal called to him, an urgent siren song that spurred him onward.
He skidded to a halt amidst the desolation of the alley, a stillness that belied the chaos he had been led to expect. No signs of a struggle, no blood, no remnants of the violence he had been promised — just the noises he was lured by, and the oppressive weight of the visual absence of them.
A frown creased his forehead, "What the..." His voice was a whisper of confusion that cut through the sound. His eyes, sharp and searching, scanned the area until they landed on an innocuous boombox perched atop a dumpster lid. The unlikely orchestrator of the sounds that had lured him here.
"A speaker..?" The word was barely audible as he edged closer, his movements cautious. His fingers found the pause button, pressing it with a hesitant force.
Silence fell like a heavy curtain, and Kyoya stood there, the gears in his mind turning rapidly. Suspicion and realization dawned in his eyes as he pieced together the deception.
"Kyoya, Kyoya, Kyoya... Life in the corporate world softened you up."
Kyoya's muscles tensed as the sudden voice echoed off the alley's grimy walls. It was both familiar and disconcerting, a jarring note in the silence that had fallen. He spun around, eyes locking onto the figure stepping out from the shadows, the dim light flickering over his form like a spotlight on the main act.
The intruder's footsteps echoed a steady rhythm as he advanced, an unwavering cadence that carried a sense of inevitability. In his grip, a baseball bat moved with an almost hypnotic fluidity, spinning through the air with casual ease.
Kyoya's grip tightened on the boombox, an instinctive reaction as he sized up the man before him. There was a certain nonchalance in the way he held himself, a relaxed demeanor that belied the tension in the air.
"... Inspector Haruto Sakurai. A bit late for an inspection, I'd say." Kyoya's voice carried a note of bravado, a thinly veiled attempt to mask the stirring of unease within him.
"P-P-P-Ping pooong. You get 10 points for that one," the figure retorted, his voice dripping with a taunting mirth that grated on Kyoya's nerves.
"I don't assume you called me here to clean the alleyway together, huh?" Kyoya shot back, his tone laced with a mock levity that felt increasingly hollow.
"Oh, no, Kyoya. I've come to baseball your criminal ass," the man declared, his voice now carrying a weight and a certainty that froze Kyoya in place.
"To what now...?" Kyoya repeated, the absurdity of the statement jarring him momentarily, before Yuuto continued speaking.
"In layman's terms, to crack your nuts with the girthier end of my bat." Yuuto's tone turned more sinister as he tapped the baseball bat repetitively on his other palm. He stopped just 5 meters away from Kyoya, glaring at him.
Kyoya's face twisted into a sneer, mocking the bravado oozing from the figure before him. "Scary guy... Inspector, I've recorded this threat... I'm going to call the police now. So, stop while you can," he said, brandishing his phone like a shield, its screen displaying the call in progress and the glaring red dot of a recording in action.
Yuuto, unfazed, let out a derisive chuckle. "Breezy action on your end, bravoooooo, Kyoya Guuji," he drawled, the bat now resting beside him like a trusted ally.
Kyoya, his confidence bolstered by the legal implications of his recording, shot back with a smugness that filled the space between them. "Seriously, if you're going to ambush someone, do it more discreetly, kid. This isn't some anime. AND you've also sabotaged my establishment with those sudden visits, not to mention you've disturbed my day-to-day life, so let's also add harassment to the mix. You're going to jail for a loooong time," he said, his phone pressed to his ear as if the cavalry were already on their way.
Yuuto's smile only widened, a shark baring its teeth. "The police will come here?" he asked, his tone deceptively light.
Kyoya's nod came with the authoritative beep of the phone against his ear, a confirmation of incoming reinforcements. "Yep. Hope you like juvenile prison, kid. I heard other brats in there don't play it nice with fresh meat."
Yuuto's eyes glinted. His stance relaxed but ready. 'Fresh meat... Haah, honestly, if you're going to pretend you're not a vile criminal, at least do a better job,' he quipped in his mind, his voice laced with contempt.
"...I suppose that will save me the trouble, they WERE going to look for you, anyway," Yuuto continued, the smile never leaving his face.
Kyoya's eyes narrowed, his phone call momentarily forgotten.
[Dispatch, Hello? Is everything alright?]
"..."
[This is the Police, is anyone there?]
Kyoya's hand hovered over the end call button, his expression growing more grim by the second as the police dispatcher's voice buzzed with concern from the speaker. "Yeah, accident. I had someone on speed-dial, and accidentally called you, instead," he lied smoothly, the fabrications falling from his lips with practiced ease.
The dispatcher's professional skepticism was palpable even through the phone. [Sir, are you sure you're okay?]
He managed a chuckle, strained but convincing. "Yes, it happens a lot. Sorry to disturb you," Kyoya replied, already weaving the next part of his narrative in his mind, dismissing the call with a flick of his thumb.
The line went dead, the finality of the tone echoing in the alley. Silence reclaimed the space as Kyoya locked eyes with his opponent. "Speak. Who are you?" His voice brooked no argument, demanding answers.
Yuuto didn't flinch under the weight of Kyoya's gaze. Instead, he met it with an unyielding stare of his own, the smile never wavering. "Kyoya Guuji, Kazuki Tanetsuke... Two butt buddies with a history of blackmail, manipulations, mafia work, and now this job. ONE LAST job before going into legitimacy," he revealed, his voice dripping with disdain.
Kyoya's facade of composure cracked, just for a moment, as the reality of his situation sank in.
Kyoya's patience snapped like a frayed wire, his controlled exterior giving way to a burst of fury. His heavy boot thudded against the cracked asphalt as he advanced on Yuuto, each step reverberating in the tense air. "I asked, WHO ARE YOU?!" he roared, fingers clamping around the fabric of Yuuto's hoodie with a grip that could crush bone, yanking him close enough to feel the heat of his breath.
Yuuto's response was a soft, almost childish giggle that escalated into an unrestrained, mocking cackle. "PFFT, HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA," he laughed, the sound so jarring in its mirth that it momentarily stunned Kyoya into silence.
There, inches from Kyoya's face, Yuuto's own twisted into a smile so wide it seemed to split his face. "I've already sent it all!" he declared, his grin manic and his eyes wild with glee.
"The evidence, all the sordid little escapades with that MILF, your buddy's antics... And your goons? Oh, they must be snug behind bars as we chat," Yuuto continued, almost giddy with the revelation. "Just a matter of time before one of them cracks under pressure, spills all your dirty little secrets... PFFFT HAHAHAHAHAHAH! YOU'RE ACTUALLY SCREWED!!" His laughter, loud and echoing, filled the alley, a victorious fanfare to his proclamation. "Right now, that MILF is looking at all the evidence that exposes EVERY SINGLE THING YOU DID...!!" His voice crescendoed into a mad bellow, laughter still lacing every word.
Kyoya's grip slackened, and he stepped back, a shadow of doubt flickering across his usually composed features. "I... I won't see her again then," he whispered, the words barely escaping his lips, a mix of realization and regret.
Yuuto's brows furrowed, confusion and irritation clashing in his gaze. "The fuck you said...?" he demanded, his voice sharp, a stark contrast to the soft murmur from Kyoya.
Kyoya's eyes flicked upwards, meeting Yuuto's with a newfound calm. He inhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling with the weight of acceptance. "Nothing," he replied, his tone even, the earlier tension seeping away from his shoulders.
'Ahh... The SSSSSS CLASS TECHNIQUE OF "I ACTUALLY CARE, HONEST" BRAVOOOOOOO, KYOYA.... But... A bit poorly timed, scumbag...'
"So, why the hell are you here? If you've already done what you said, why drag me out? Coulda just ended it with the cops." Kyoya's eyes narrowed, seeking the logic in Yuuto's actions, the undercurrent of his own anxiety barely perceptible.
Yuuto was twisting his lips as he spat out his words with venom. "Oh, that... I thought I made myself crystal clear. Are you deaf or something, you motherfucker?" The rage in his voice was palpable, cutting through the still air like a knife.
Kyoya's mind raced, a thousand thoughts colliding as he balled his hands into fists. "Did I do something to you in the past for you to take it this far, or...?" The question hung between them, a thread of tension ready to snap. Kyoya's stance shifted, defensive yet poised, ready for whatever Yuuto's answer might incite.
Yuuto's lips twisted into a malevolent grin, the bat hanging loosely from one hand. "To ME...? Well, let's just say I'm looking forward to cracking you open like a walnut. And... I'm going to masturbate to that tonight." His voice dripped with derision, his gaze locked on Kyoya like a predator eyeing its prey. "Aren't you glad, Kyoya Guuji? After all, someone ought to give you a thought tonight, now that your little make-believe romance is dead and buried..."
The muscles in Kyoya's jaw tightened, a vein pulsing in his forehead as anger surged through him like a wildfire. "You sick fuck," he growled, his fists clenched so tightly they trembled. "You're begging for a beatdown, and I'm about to give it to you. I haven't let loose in a long time, but for you, I'll make an exception. I'll pummel you until I'm bored, and then I'll disappear before the cops can catch a whiff of me. You should've called them when you had the chance." His stance was solid, the stance of a man who knew how to handle himself in a fight, a veteran boxer, his eyes burning with primal fury.
Yuuto's grip on the baseball bat tightened. His grin had a feral edge, his eyes glinting with an intensity that seemed almost otherworldly.
"Why would I delegate the pleasure of breaking you to the cops?" he taunted, the bat now poised like the scythe of a vengeful reaper. "I wouldn't dream of denying myself the satisfaction. No, Kyoya Guuji, I'm your reckoning."
He shifted his weight, ready to spring into action, a dark chuckle escaping his lips. "Consider this personal, you NTR Antagonist piece of shit."