I made a note of that.
She continued, "He came to Hiroko about five years ago. He was an orphan, lost his mother very young. He grew up in the system. He was smart, though. Very smart.”
Tsukiko added, “He started working with a tech company when he was seventeen and learned how to code. He worked his way up. Eventually he started writing his own apps. One of them did very well. Then another. By the time he was in his late twenties, he'd retired."
Nika whistled.
"He's a very wealthy man." Ayame nodded. "But he has no family. He came to Hiroko because he was in pain. Emotional pain. The kind that doesn't have a name. He told her he didn't know how to be human."
I felt my throat tighten.
"Hiroko spent months with him. She didn't put him in a cage at first. She just talked to him. Cooked for him. Sat with him. And then, slowly, she taught him how to be a slave. She said it was what his soul was asking for. He needed someone to tell him what to do. He needed someone to take the burden of choice off his shoulders. He needed to be owned by a kind hand."
"Jesus," Deja said softly.
"He's gentle," Tsukiko said. "He's never been violent with her. He's never been any trouble. He just needs structure. He needs someone to tell him to eat. To drink. To sleep. To go outside.”
“To go outside?” Nika frowned. “He pisses outside like a dog?”
“No.” Ayame chuckled. “Hiroko lives above her club in Tokyo’s red light district. Sometimes, she would let him get dressed like a regular man, go outside, and wander around on his own. She was trying to teach him independence. After a few hours, he comes back in and gets in his cage.”
Nika nodded. "And whoever takes him, what's the legal arrangement?"
"His master gets access to his bank account," Tsukiko said matter-of-factly. "He's signed everything over already. There's a monthly allowance, written by his lawyers. Whoever owns him gets to disburse it. It's legal, formal, and ironclad."
Nika leaned forward. "How much are we talking?"
I rolled my eyes. “Nika.”
Tsukiko grinned. “It’s a lot.”
Nika sat back slowly. Her eyes had narrowed in a way I knew very well. She was calculating his money. "I'll take him."
“Hell no.”
"I'm serious. I'll take him." Nika bobbed her head. "I’m already heading out of here. Your Dragon will be happy the slave is gone. I’ll take. . .what’s his name again?”
Tsukiko answered, “Archer.”
I shook my head. “Girl, I need someone that is going to take this serious and treat him right.”
“I would.”
Tsukiko shrugged. “We could train her while we’re in New York, and in the end, Archer would need to decide. We can ask him today. He can speak English too so this may be a good fit.”
“There you go.” Nika grinned. “We’ll go up to Archer and be like, ‘Eh, are you trying to have a blast in New York or what?’ And if he says, 'yes,' then I'm his master.”
I frowned.
“What?” Nika quirked her brows. “I would do a good job.”
I wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but what I did know was that. . .if he stayed on this island any longer. . .the Dragon would step in.
I sighed. “Well. . .Archer is grown. If he says yes, then Nika is his master and takes him to New York this afternoon.”
“Oh shit.” Nika began swaying in her seat and snapping her fingers. “I’ve always thought I should be a master of somebody.”
Deja looked at me. “Girl. . .this is going to be crazy.”
