❝ THE DEVIL'S HEAD START ❞

6

Bonten.

Japan's worst criminal organization.

A gang where every crime was committed, passed through every member.

One word that everyone fears under every felonious alliance in every area of Japan, maybe even far beyond the country.

Wreaking havoc, as if they had lived through this line, which basically depicts them, they were more than inflicting mayhem.

They were capable of everything, doing the impossible with a single flick of their finger, as long as it was under their command.

Gangs, crimes, murders, and whatever else comes to mind, the so-called title and image in a society that has an influence on everyone, one single action can easily induce anyone to commit these things.

Nonetheless, none of them cared.

They couldn't care less about how they were perceived.

They couldn't care less about what other people thought of them.

They didn't give a damn what they were destroying.

Even doing the impossible? Of course.

Say, they are wealthy, with a variety of sources of income, financial connections, and ties to a range of companies, both legal and illegal.

They are capable of owning such luxurious materials, with each of the guys owning their own property and leading areas in full authority.

Of course, many women were drawn to them, owing to their money and the fact that they would even sell their lives to slip under their pants and sleep next to them in bed.

Yet they never kept any of these women.

It's not that they didn't want to do these things or that they didn't have time for them. It's just that it wasn't part of their plan. Too insignificant.

Each man has their own tasks, each man has their own business running.

The Bonten have multiple bases, each in a separate city. They understood damn well how traitors lured people everywhere, and how people could easily reveal their hideouts to the public, which is one of the reasons they own so many residences and hideouts.

Still, they know how to handle traitors.

And to anyone who opposes them.

They wouldn't care how many screams they let out, how deafening those loud screams from the bones splitting were, how they tortured them for hours, how they would see the pitiful dreadful look on their faces.

A sadistic, merciless evil, perhaps?

"So, it's all about Y/n?" As he sat in one of the chairs, Akashi inquired.

Bonten is in the middle of an important meeting.

"I don't even know what's the big deal about it." Rindou shrugged, resting his chin on his hand and slouching his elbow against the armchair.

Eight chairs have a man seated on them.

Mikey sat at the middle end of the table, his eyes closed and his fingers intertwined on the table, raising his head to look at the pink-haired man.

"Hey, Mikey! Got no sleep?" Sanzu bent down as he looked at his boss, but he only received a stare from Mikey.

"My bad my bad, sorry, I'll stay quiet." Sanzu said as he sat down comfortably on one of the chairs.

"Too noisy. It's damn early." Ran yawned as their boss called for an urgent meeting at eight in the morning.

"Y/n L/n... Y/n L/n..." Kakucho mumbled as he rummaged through your files, which most likely contained personal information about you.

"At last." After finding them among hundreds of other files, he tossed that one folder in the center of the table.

As for Y/n... she caught everyone's attention.

Not in a romantic way, but also not in the sense that she was a threat to them.

I mean, who wouldn't? Their boss suddenly went to order them to bring a certain someone onto their gang. What use could this random woman possibly serve them? Will it be beneficial in any way?

Or more like a danger to them?

It sure did pique their curiosity.

Mikey took the folder, read it thoroughly while only humming, and then returned it to the table.

"Was there anything else that needed to be included, boss?" Kakucho inquired.

"No, everything is here." Manjiro answered.

"Mikey, wait, let me get this straight," Koko asked. "Long story short and let's get to the point—"

Everyone turned their heads to him.

"Didn't you tell us that we'll only use Y/n for this one specific deal?" He said.

"Don't think of her too highly." He added.

Koko was a man with a keen sense of understanding. He was the gang's problem-solving calculator, in charge of the money, statistics, and everything else.

Y/n, on the other hand, she's like a problem that is impossible to solve.

That's what Koko sees her, which intrigues him and couldn't help but spark his interest more.

How did this woman get into Bonten's base just like that?

The first question was already perilous.

"She's only part of our plan, right?" Rindou said.

"You're all putting it in your own words, worded differently." Mikey interrupted as the two men raised their heads to look at Mikey.

"Don't treat her like those women you all used in those nightclubs you visited." He added.

"Sure we think of her in that perspective, but there's more I'd like to say about," Manjiro said. "No matter what happens in the end, we'll stick to it."

"Either one of us will suffer at the end... or Y/n."

"Do you understand what I'm saying? All of this misery can only have one conceivable outcome."

"Are you serious?! You're going to risk our entire organization for one woman?" Rindou reacted with a full retort that was nearly an objection.

"You know, I'm not interested in that woman." Rindou added.

"Rindou," Ran warned his younger brother.

Rindou can only sigh and roll his eyes.

Yes, Rindou was concerned about his group; he cared the most about it, and his allegiance was stronger than anything else. After all, his thoughts were hazy, and the abrupt change of plan was not clear to him.

It perplexes both him and Koko.

The man didn't also find interest in Y/n.

While Y/n... has no single idea about any of these.

The woman was still locked in the room, captive as if she were a prisoner, the room's silence almost eating her up, she was bored out of her mind, and she wondered whether at least some updates would arrive.

Having no idea that these men were talking about her.

"However, I didn't ask you to be interested in her or to have affections for her." Mikey stated bluntly.

After the realization hit him, the man shut himself up.

"May I ask as to why you were most concerned about that?" Mikey remarked. "Why? Do you intend to fall in love with her?"

Rindou stayed quiet.

"That's what I thought," Mikey said in a commanding tone, clearing his throat before he continued his words.

"Just let time decide our fate," Mikey added.

"Because at the end, we will only have two choices."

"And that will depend on our voyage. Our journey, which is just starting."

Indeed, the game is just starting.

Yes, this could happen, not all plans worked out, and opportunities arose. Even the tiniest possibility could be worth wagering and risking a person's life.

"Unless things turn out differently."

Silence fell over the room as everyone feared what would happen next, and wondered how any of the events could occur.

They expressed their worry about failing a plan, and not just because their scheme had been ruined.

It can also be because their pride and ego were crushed, how something failed miserably that they have been dug into, totally dedicated to the task that they were doing. How easily their efforts and time might be squandered.

"Dismissed."

Everyone stood up as soon as Mikey announced it, putting the place at ease.

Rindou's statements a while ago... left Mikey with a piece of doubt.

Manjiro sensed a frigid atmosphere, sour, bitter, and cold, and these thoughts instantly brought him back to his past.

Everyone left except for Mikey, who is still sitting in his chair.

But, just as Ran was about to leave the room, Mikey called out his name, causing him to stop in his tracks. Mikey then stood up and walked over to Ran.

"Ran, I'll leave Y/n to you for now."

Mikey then exited the room, closing the doors behind him, leaving the man alone within the room, confused.

But what they didn't know, a pink-haired man was standing behind the door, accidentally eavesdropping on their conversation.

Sanzu was walking down the corridors, stopping in his tracks, he decided to visit you for a while.

Grabbing the door's handle, he placed his ear on the door first.

Silence.

You weren't talking, sobbing, or wailing like you had been in recent days.

You'd been locked in your room for days.

But you were still fed on a daily basis; the meals were filling and luxurious, the clothes you received were comfortable and sufficient, and the items they provided were enough too.

They gave you practically everything, well with the exception of one thing though.

Twisting the doorknob, his mind was suddenly filled with uncertainty.

"Ran, I'll leave Y/n to you for now."

Thoughts coming through like, what will he see behind the door? Will he see you laying there on the bed? Sitting at the corner? Sleeping peacefully?

Or, in the worst-case scenario, witnessing an empty room.

Sanzu despised the idea of escaping.

He walked away when he refused to open the door, leaving you alone for a moment.

"I'll give you some time, Y/n."

"After all, Ran will take care of you, right?"

"God, how I hate sharing." He rolled his eyes.

Jealousy kills, they say.

"Nonetheless, there is still more time, as well as more routes and doors that will open in the future. It will be a ride to indulge in our mayhem."

He then walked away, a gleam in his eyes showing how much he enjoyed how everything was going according to plan, how everything was starting to fall into place like domino pieces.

"The game is just getting started, isn't it?"

Walking through the hallways, a wicked grin formed on his face.

"I can signal the head start... Any fucking time."