R e n e g a d e s (High&Low) v6: Spy



 「They built the hurdles, the walls, and the obstacles.」

Masaki unlocked the door to his house, stepping aside and holding out his arm as if he were showing off a prize on a gameshow. “Welcome to our home, Jen-chan.”

I slowly stepped inside, ignoring Hiroto as he pushed past me so he could disappear into his room. I set my bag down on the end of the couch before sitting down beside it. Masaki headed into the kitchen, returning a moment later with two brown bottles of beer.

“Ah, sorry but I don’t drink.”

“Really? Wait a minute, I think I saw a soda.” He hummed, disappearing back into the kitchen. “Is coke okay?”

“Yeah.”

He stepped out of the kitchen again, a smile on his face. “You get the last one!”

I took the cold can from his hand, offering a tired smile in return. “Thank you…”

He settled beside me, taking a swig of his beer before glancing over at me. I felt his gaze and knew there was something on his mind, but I didn’t have the energy to question him. After a couple of minutes, he spoke up. “Why don’t you get some sleep? You’ve been through a lot.”

“That’s an understatement,” I muttered, running a hand down my face. “That’s a good idea. Can I have a blanket?”

“No.”

“No?” I frowned at him and he chuckled, ruffling the top of my head. “You can sleep in my room.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose on you more than I already have.”

“I insist. Now come on, I’ll show you to my room.”

I nodded, leaving my bag on the couch and following him to the bedroom. I thanked him before falling onto the bed, out like a light.

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Something pulled me from my sleep but I’m not sure what it was. I blinked tiredly up at the ceiling, letting my mind wake up a bit before I sat up. I think I was having another weird dream but I can’t remember anything that happened during it. I’ve never really had nightmares, usually just strange dreams that I always blamed on late night food and anime binges. I rarely can remember what I dream, though, so maybe I do have nightmares.

It took me a minute to remember the events of the past couple of days. It honestly felt like a dream and I can’t even remember the flight over here. I don’t remember sleeping but it’s like I blacked out any memory of the flight. Shaking my head, I pushed the covers off and headed to the door. I was about to open it when I heard my name. As quietly as I could, I pulled the door open just a crack, allowing me to better hear their conversation. Maybe it was wrong to eavesdrop, but they’re talking about me. That makes it okay, right?

“She can’t stay here,” Hiroto stated, sounding unhappy.

“We promised to protect her,” Masaki replied softly.

“We promised to get to her before Kuryu did and we promised to bring her back to Japan, which we did. We need to be looking for aniki which we can’t do if we’re babysitting her. She can’t even fight.”

I frowned, leaning back against the wall beside the door. Way to make me feel like a total burden. It’s not like I was given a choice here. They didn’t say, ‘hey do you wanna go to Japan with us?’ No, they told me I had to come to Japan with them.

“What do you suggest we do, then? Should we just leave her on the street and tell her to fend for herself? She’s never even been to Japan before and it won’t be long before Kuryu realizes that she’s here.”

“I only care about finding aniki.”

“I know…”

It was quiet for a moment and I wondered if this was a good time to make my presence known. I couldn’t bring myself to do so, though.

“Leave her with the Sannoh Hoodlum Squad. It’s not the first time Cobra’s taken in a stray.”

Stray? I’m not an animal, you jerk!

“Hiroto,” Masaki sighed with exasperation.

“She’s not more important than aniki and I won’t let her get in the way of finding him.”

Another moment of silence.

“We can talk about this later. Jen should be up soon so I’ll go grab us some food.”

Hiroto didn’t reply but I heard his heavy footsteps disappear down the hall before a door slammed shut. Masaki sighed again and his footsteps headed to the front door. I waited a few minutes before pushing away from the wall. I’ve always heard that you should never make decisions when you’re emotional but that was something I excelled at.

I made my decision. A very bad decision probably, especially since it’s the fastest decision I’ve ever made.

I stepped out into the living room, pulling a pad of paper from my bag and scrawling a quick note thanking them for their help and apologizing for the trouble. I left the note on the table before swinging my bag over my shoulder and heading for the front door. I could hear the shower running and, unless the food place was next door, I should have plenty of time to slip away before anyone notices.

I still don’t know who those guys are or what they want with me. I don’t know who the brothers made a promise to and why it involved me. I definitely don’t know what I’m going to do without them… but Hiroto’s right. I’ve already been too much of a burden on them and if they’re trying to find their lost brother, I don’t want to get in their way. Whatever this problem is, it’s mine to bear. Besides, I’m used to tackling things alone.

I took a deep breath, stepping outside into the early morning. The sun was slowly ascending into the sky and the air was warm. It felt like heaven compared to the humid mornings I was used to. I glanced back and forth before choosing a random direction, trusting my feet to take me somewhere useful.

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I groaned, falling onto a wooden bench that sat on the side of the road. My legs felt like rubber and I didn’t have much energy left. How far have I travelled from the brothers’ house? I feel like I haven’t made any progress at all. Then again, if I don’t even have a destination, can I even make progress? I groaned again, throwing my head back to look up at the sky. It was painted with red and orange as the sun slowly sank down across the horizon.

This is why I shouldn’t be allowed to make decisions because I always make stupid ones. I should have stayed with the brothers… but it’s too late now. I don’t even know how to get back to their house. I glanced around as if there would be some sign that said ‘hey stupid, it’s this way!’ but I had no such luck. There was no sign but I did see a diner down the street.

As if on cue, my stomach started to growl. Right, I haven’t eaten anything since we stopped at the diner before our flight. I forced myself to my feet, ignoring their protests as I made my way toward the diner. I was worried it might be closed because it’s starting to get late, but it was still open. The sign hanging next to the door read ‘Itokan.’ I tugged the door open and stepped inside only to freeze as multiple pairs of eyes landed on me.

Did I just interrupt something? My mind told me to slowly back away and pretend as if I hadn’t even stepped inside, but the smell wafting from their plates seemed to wrap around me, begging me to stay.

A young woman stepped out from behind the counter, sending me a kind smile. “Good evening. You can sit wherever you like while I grab you a menu.”

I kept my gaze on the ground as I approached the counter, settling down on one of the stools. I could feel their eyes following me – it reminded me of an animal waiting for its prey to show a sign of weakness so they could pounce. It’s a similar feeling that I get when I go shopping at a store that has security guards. Even though I know I’m doing nothing wrong, I always feel so worried that they will think I have just because I’m a naturally nervous and awkward person.

The woman returned with a single sheet menu, laminated with thick plastic. She sent the men a look before smiling at me. “Don’t mind them too much, they’re just overprotective idiots. What would you like to drink?”

She did help me feel a bit more at ease, but I was still hyper aware of the stares on my back. Do they have Dr. Pepper in Japan? If they do, I don’t even know the name of it here. “Um, do you have any soda?”

“Yep. Is Coke okay?”

I nodded, turning my attention to the menu as she walked away. A thought suddenly occurred to me – I don’t even know how much money I have on me. I need to make sure I have enough before I go and order food. Tugging my wallet from my pocket, I tugged it open and pulled out a 5 dollar bi- oh… shit. I completely forgot about the difference in currency. That means I have zero money on me.

The woman set a glass of coke in front of me, taking note of my dumbstruck expression. “Is something wrong?”

“Um… I’m very sorry,” I bowed my upper body in apology. “I don’t have any yen…”

Instead of being angry as I expected, she just offered me a friendly smile. “It’s okay. May I?” She motioned toward the bill in my hand and I held it out to her. She hummed as she examined it, flipping it over a couple of times. “I’ve never seen currency from the U.S. before. I’ll tell you what – I’ll keep this bill and we’ll call it even okay?”

“Oi, Naomi!” One of the men shot up from the table, sending the woman an annoyed look. This guy was huge, tall and full of muscle. “You can’t just give away free free to any stray that walks in here without money.”

I scowled at the comment. That’s the second person to call me a stray… do I really look like an animal?

Naomi scoffed, narrowing her eyes at him. “This is my diner, I can do what I want. Don’t insult my customer by calling her a stray, idiot.”

“She’s not a customer if she’s not paying, idiot.”

“I don’t see any of you paying!”

He seemed taken aback by the retort but recovered quickly. “Because we’re family!”

“Family should be more willing to pay than strangers, dumbass.”

“Hah? Since when, ugly?”

I frowned, slowly sliding off the stool. “I’m sorry for the trouble. You can keep the bill if you want it, I’ll just -” My stomach growled pitifully. “- go…” I cleared my throat, feeling embarrassed by the betrayal of my stomach. I turned to leave when I noticed something painted on the back wall behind a pool table. Sannoh Hoodlum Squad… that’s who Hiroto mentioned before I left their place, right? He said someone would take me in, but what was their name? It was some animal, I think. Tiger? No, that’s not it. Viper, maybe? That doesn’t sound right. Ah! “Cobra!” I snapped my fingers, feeling proud of myself. That’s the one.

The other guys shot up from their seats, eyes narrowed at me as if I had just placed a curse upon them. The big one took a menacing step toward me. “Who the hell are you? What do you want, huh?” His eyes scanned me as if looking for some clue. “Did the White Rascals send you here to spy on us?”

“The – who?” I swallowed when, in just a couple strides, the tall man was in my face. He’s even more intimidating up close.

“Who are you?” he demanded again.

“I -“

“Knock it off, Yamato!” Naomi tried to push him back by the shoulder but the man didn’t even flinch. “You’re scaring her.”

“She could be a spy for one of the other gangs!”

“This isn’t some drama, idiot. They wouldn’t send in a spy.”

“I’m trying to protect you, ugly!”

“I don’t need your protection, baldy!”

As they continued to argue, I slowly stepped away from them. The other guys were focused on the pair, trying to separate them. This was my chance to activate my special skill before things get too ugly – running away from my problems. I turned on my heel to rush out the door only to collide with someone that had just entered.

This guy was shorter than Yamato but no less intimidating. I just can’t catch a break, can I?