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When I actually thought it through, it wouldn’t have made sense for him to call such a low-ranking member all the way here just to dispose of them. If he’d wanted to do that, he’d just have me meet at some waste-treatment site and get a hit man to cut me up and toss me out—low cost, low effort. The Port Mafia’s boss was much more logical than his predecessor, and above all, he preferred to keep that kind of stuff eco-friendly.
So why in the world did he summon me?
The elevator door opened, breaking my train of thought. The hallway was laid with a carpet thick enough to muffle even the most hurried footsteps, and the walls were so strong that not even a rocket-propelled grenade could take them down. The concealed light fixtures illuminated the interior with a milky-white glow.
I told the black-suited guard my name, and he pointed to the office door without saying a word. Standing in front of the French door, I gave my outfit another quick once-over, then traced my chin with my finger to make sure I hadn’t missed a spot shaving. After clearing my throat, I called out like a believer addressing God in a church.
“Boss, it’s me, Oda. I’m coming in.”
“Come on, Elise. Put on the dress, just for a little bit! Just for a quick second!”
…What I heard coming from inside the room was disturbing. I waited three seconds, pretending I didn’t hear anything. Then I took a few deep breaths.
“Boss, it’s me, Oda. I’m coming in.”
“Awww, please don’t
take off your clothes and just toss them on the floor like that! That skirt was expensive, you know!”
…Yet another troubling comment. After giving it some thought, I decided to play the role of an unsuspecting subordinate who just happened to open the door at the exact wrong moment.
“Pardon my intrusion.”
With those words, I opened the door and immediately saw two people running around the spacious office: a middle-aged man in a white coat and a little girl who appeared to be around ten years old. The girl was half-naked; the man was the Mafia’s boss.
“No way! Never!”
“Please, Elise, I’m begging you. Just try it on, okay? I put a lot of thought into picking this out for you. Look at these crimson frills! They’re like flower petals! I’m sure it’ll look great on you!”
“I don’t hate the pretty clothes. I just hate how desperate you are, Rintarou.”
“You’re acting like this is new. Heh, I’ve got you now!”
“Boss.”
They simultaneously glanced in my direction at the sound of my voice—smiling. They were smiling and completely motionless.
“I came just like you told me to. What was it you needed?”
The boss continued to stare at me, that same smile still plastered to his face. His eyes were pleading, begging for help. Hopefully, he wasn’t actually expecting it from me.
“Boss, you wished to see me?”
“Uh…”
After his gaze wandered around the room—from his desk to the ceiling lights, the window, an oil painting, and a silver candlestick—the boss looked at the young girl by his side and said, “Why’d I tell him to come here again?”
“Don’t ask me.”
The girl called Elise scowled at him as if he were so much vomit on the side of the road, then left through the door to the connecting room. I waited on the boss for the next word. After peering around the office, he slipped behind his desk in the center and pressed a switch that tinted the glass windows a dull gray. As the room instantly dimmed, the boss took a seat in his black leather chair, and out of nowhere, two guardsmen suddenly and noiselessly appeared behind him. The lamp on the mahogany desk illuminated the boss’s profile—eyes squinted, brows furrowed, elbows on the desk and both hands clasped in front of his face. He spoke in a low, reverberating voice.
“Now…”
“Yes, sir.”
“Oda, I called you here for one reason and one reason alone.”
The boss shot me a piercing look through the darkened room.
