𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐌𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 | 𝗠.𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘂𝘆𝘂

────── thirty-three

A/N: To all Bungou Stray Dogs lovers out there, there's gonna be a tiny crossover section in this chapter hehe ~

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═══ FAMILY FORTUNE ═══

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With Black Dragon being larger in numbers than Toman, Akiko was disappointed when the bike shop turned out to be their meeting place instead of some mysterious underground cave or something dark like that. Then again, she thought of the kind of person that Shinichiro was and recognized the sentimental value. It made her smile.

Since it also was a mere routinely meeting, only the executives showed up, none of which were familiar to Akiko, with the exception of Inupi. The blonde was quick to join the side of another boy who wore his hair in a deathhawk style, the medium-length dark locks framed the right side of his face in a wild wavey fashion, and his eyes reminded Akiko of a sly cat who knew exactly how to determine which fish would not only be the biggest but also the tastiest. Compared to Inui, who appeared rather reserved upon first impression, Akiko had a feeling that this boy was a different story.

"Akiko-chan! I didn't think you would tag along!" The excited voice of Takemichi echoed through the bike shop.

Akiko spun around to find him entering just a minute after they arrived. "Takemichi-kun, hey. I didn't think I would be coming, either."

"Well, now that we're all gathered, let's start!" Shinichiro announced and stood in front of the group.

While the executives made their reports, Inui and the other boy approached Akiko.

"You're the Hoshino girl everyone has made such a fuss about?"

"The name's Akiko," she automatically responded, hating the fact that her public image was mainly reduced to her last name and its reputation.

"No need to whip out those claws, honey. I'm only curious." He gave a sly smirk.

"Be nice, Kokonoi," Inui scolded him. "Don't bother her too much while I give my report."

When Inupi joined Shinichiro at the front, Kokonoi's eyes rested on Akiko.

She awkwardly cleared her throat and started an attempt at small talk - something she hated doing. "So, uh, what's your role in this whole gang business?"

"Making money is what I do best. That's why I take care of all our finances. After all, you can't buy uniforms of such high quality when all you've got is a single dime in your pocket," was Kokonoi's response.

"But you know all about riches, don't you, little Hoshino?" he added.

Akiko felt her whole body stiffen up. Money was the last thing she wanted to converse about. It had caused too many problems in the past, cost lives and ripped apart families. It didn't help that her family was short on money ever since Ken died and all his bank accounts had been frozen due to the investigation. The little fortune that Akiko was to inherit would only be made accessible the day she turned eighteen.

"Actually, I don't. I've never owned a single coin in my whole life," she admitted, averting her eyes to the floor. In a whisper, she added, "We can't even afford a house anymore."