Common sense didn’t seem to apply to either of these assassin girls.
Chisato was coming close again, so Mizukawa flexed his lower body to steady himself against the momentum of the swing, bending his back. He had been hoping to stop Chisato from getting too close, but unbelievably, she hurtled toward him even faster, like a rocket. He couldn’t keep her at the right distance.
When she looked up at him, she was so close he could feel her breath. His baton whiffed and hit nothing. The force of the swing bent his arm, curling it around Chisato as if he wanted to cuddle her. They looked at each other, as if about to kiss… Then Chisato pushed the muzzle of her gun into his stomach.
“You can rest now,” she said and fired.
Mizukawa felt the gut-smashing impact of the shot all the way to his back. He got knocked off the floor a bit. The pain threatened to wrestle his last bits of consciousness away from him.
He collapsed, not even onto his knees but face-first onto the floor, like a downed tree. Blood was sputtering out of his guts, and he could do nothing to stop it. It was pooling around him. He reflexively moved his head to the side, struggling for air.
With great effort, he managed to stay conscious, but he couldn’t move anymore. Crushing pain, nausea, and a choking sensation were coming in waves.
“Is it…is it over?!”
It was Ijyuuin. He fearfully walked over to Mizukawa and looked down at him.
“Yup. He won’t be able to stand up now,” Chisato said nonchalantly. She touched her earpiece to talk to someone. Her backup, probably, or maybe the other girl, Takina.
“Heh. Serves you right, Okada’s mad dog. His death was an accident. Our families were in talks… But you’re one crazy bastard,” Ijyuuin said.
He reached into a breast pocket and pulled a knife from a holster. The blade had red stains on it. Okada’s blood? Was Mizukawa going to be killed with the same dagger that took Okada’s life? That wouldn’t be so bad, as far as he was concerned. He actually found the idea surprisingly comforting.
But he still couldn’t come to terms with letting Ijyuuin live. He had to kill him, no matter what. That resolve allowed him to regain command of his body despite the fresh waves of blinding pain. Mizukawa’s fingers twitched. The moment Ijyuuin stabbed him, he was going to snatch the dagger and drag Ijyuuin to the afterlife with him. His best chance was right after Ijyuuin stuck the blade into his body. He was ready.
Would his body move the way he wanted it to? He couldn’t be sure, but if he was going to die anyway, he had to try. He should be able to move. He should be able to. He’d make his body move, no matter what. He could do this. He was going to kill Ijyuuin. That was all he wanted.
“You’re Mizukawa, right?”
Ijyuuin grabbed Mizukawa by the front of his shirt and yanked him up, forcing him to kneel. He pointed the dagger at Mizukawa’s stomach.
“I’ll send you back into the arms of your beloved brother!”
Mizukawa couldn’t help but smirk. He was going to grab Ijyuuin’s wrist, snatch the dagger, and slit the bastard’s throat open.
“Die—”
Ijyuuin’s words were drowned out by a gunshot. Mizukawa saw something like a red flower burst open next to Ijyuuin’s head. It was Chisato’s rubber bullet. A plastic frangible round. The force of the strike bent Ijyuuin’s neck at a right angle. He fell sideways, pulling Mizukawa down with him.
Back on the floor, Mizukawa didn’t understand what was happening as he stared at Ijyuuin’s eyes, rolled back into his head. He heard the tapping of Chisato’s unhurried footsteps. She raised the tip of her high heel, then flipped Ijyuuin onto his back with a sharp kick. She stepped one foot over him and fired down at him with no hesitation. Another red flower bloomed at Ijyuuin’s solar plexus.
“Why did you…shoot him…?” Mizukawa couldn’t help asking.
Chisato cocked her head at him as if the question was silly.
“I told you. Our job’s to protect.” She smiled, holding her gun with the slide open. “We’re here to protect Kousuke Mizukawa.”
Mizukawa didn’t understand. The only person who might have made such a request was his boss. He must have made arrangements while Mizukawa was putting together the AK. The girl and her group must have wanted to avoid a gunfight out in the open or having to chase him around the city, so they dangled Ijyuuin as bait and used the informant to lure him in.
He remembered how Chisato called him a “good doggy” at the start of their fight. But people outside his gang shouldn’t know about his nickname. He should’ve realized it right then and there.
“I get your need for revenge, but killing’s no good, Mr. Mizukawa. It only leads to bigger problems, like yourself becoming a target. Your boss didn’t want any killing.”
His gang was in no shape for an all-out war with other yakuza. The boss didn’t have long left in the world, and he probably wanted to live the rest of his life in peace.
“In the end, everyone just wants to protect their own ass… So they keep fence-sitting…”
Chisato smiled at him gently.
“Did they tell you what the last thing Mr. Okada said was? ‘Stop…Mizukawa.’”
“What?”
“Your boss told me. I think Mr. Okada wanted your pals to stop you from going after the other guys only to get yourself killed.”
“Is that what he meant…?”
“Well, it’s open to interpretation, but that’s what it sounds like to me. Now do you feel less inclined to throw away your life just to get your revenge?”
“Chisato!” cried Takina, returning to the club. She’d changed into a school uniform. It suited her much better than the waiter’s getup. She picked up Mizukawa’s AK off the floor.
“Kousuke Mizukawa’s safe, so our job is done. Don’t stay here just to chat with him…”
Chisato smiled at Takina, silencing her with a look.
“A good master wants their dog to be happy,” she said to Mizukawa. “They wouldn’t want their dog to die for their sake. Take my word for it!”
She waved and walked out of the club with Takina.
All that was left inside was a man with a dagger stuck into the floor beside him…and one dog.
Groaning, Mizukawa sat up, moving jerkily like a broken marionette. He definitely had some fractured ribs and other internal injuries, but he was still able to move. He crawled over to the dagger, stretched his hand, and grasped its hilt. He just had to pull it out, and then…