Miss G was quick with the banter and even quicker with the interrogation. Moments after her arrival, their meeting was put to a halt. Instead, she inquired about the news story circulating. Ghouligan had been caught on camera — it was blurry, but enough to spread his image online. Adding the victims’ testimony served to amplify its validity. And even if there was no evidence to leverage, even if the testimonies were all false, and even if Miss G wasn’t an ally, he would have spoken the truth.

Not his truth, but the truth. Regardless of justification, the fact of the matter was that Ghouligan did kill those criminals. What he found particularly odd was Miss G’s interest. After their first encounter, she should know about his methodology. Maybe this didn’t ‘make the cut,’ but more people would have died had he fought to pacify.

“It’s true,” Ghouligan said. “I killed them.”

Ghouligan didn’t appear human. He didn’t have skin, and he didn’t have a face, but underneath it all? He was. Grinta may not have known that. Make no mistake, she knows he’s human. But she would not know if his form, permanent or otherwise, altered his psyche, too.

And it didn’t.

Which made his uncaring, matter-of-fact tone as he spoke about their deaths all the more revealing.

---

“Yeah, I don’t get it personally.”

Considering his workplace, Antoine ran into natives more often than not. They were interested in trying authentic, American cuisine. Whatever that means. Considering the place had been a melting pot for so long, it’s hard to tell what is “American” and what is a deviation from some other culture’s dish. Even so, there were a few foreigners that came in, too. And for whatever reason, there was a resounding sentiment in American culture, from what little he’s experienced, that Japan was the place to be. Usually from people who watched cartoons, but…

“It’s walkable, I guess. But I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to be. It wouldn’t be my first choice of residence.”

There were a few muffled grunts and groans as the process continued. It felt like a knife being pulled out very, very slowly. Whether he liked to admit it or not, speaking to Megumi was helping. But she always had to press the damn issue. Friends. Like what does that even entail?

“Right about what?”

---

Japan’s greatest accomplishment is the walkability of its cities. With paved pathways and alleyways like veins, getting where you need to go on foot alone is easy. But with the proliferation of quirks, unregulated power at people’s fingertips — despite how desperately the government tried to limit it — still prompted the most opportunistic bottomfeeders to harass the most vulnerable parts of society.

There’s a commotion in the alleyway. There’s always a commotion in the alleyway. A man’s voice pleads for help. A big, bad wolf looks to feast on Little Old Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs, a gluttonous meal befitting a monster. Apparently, the biscuit wasn’t enough.

Stepping into the fray is something less than human. They have everything you might expect of a man: two arms, two legs, and a head, but they’re different. There isn’t skin on their body, only an undulating black umbra, expanding and retracting to the rhythm of an unsung heartbeat. Black wisps emanate from their body. And behind their mask, you can see they don’t have eyes, only an imprint of where they should be.

There’s a metal pipe on the ground, a misplaced dumpster, and a man’s blade at another’s neck. These men were anything but harmless, yet they were still disposed of. A few thoughts come across Ghouligan’s as he drops three pool balls levitate before him. Lifting his cue stick, he prepares himself for the confrontation.

“I can’t be sure who is and who isn’t a threat,” For all Ghouligan knew, the elderly woman could have been responsible for the altercation. He’s not one to judge on appearances — not when it’s a matter of life and death. “But this is everyone’s chance to put a life of crime behind them.”

Half the time, people run. Even if they return to their old ways, criminals deserve a second chance. The other half chose to die where they stood. What’s the saying? You can lead a sinner to Church, but you can’t make them pray.

“Let’s start by returning everything to their rightful owner.”

---

A lot can happen in a day. Even more in three.

When Antoine agreed to this meeting, he didn’t only think it’d be the next time he saw ‘G’ but that it’d be the last. He arrived in Japan in search of his brother but found himself entangled in the lives of strangers. Most notably Bernard and all the shenanigans that entailed. With his resources and newfound inspiration — some of which were prompted by this upcoming meeting and recent coordination amongst criminals — he planted the seeds of an underground network.

Whether or not it’d flourish would depend on factors beyond his control. But he’d do his best to tend the soil. The project wasn’t to satiate his ego. It was the opposite; an admission that he needed help. Japan was too large and too corrupt a country.

They still had ground to tread, but there were new avenues to explore. ‘G’ was paranoid. Justifiably so. And while he’d still keep them at an arm’s length, their perspective on the meeting was something he looked forward to.

Now it was a matter of them showing up.

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