deciphered

under the red ink II

You recalled the neon sign on the outside, labeling the place as "Sabbath Printing" as a decoy business name for the tattoo shop. On the wall above the register, there was a tapestry displaying the real name of the place, written in brush stroke ink, "Sabbath Tattoo".

You accepted his handshake, noticing the soft and delicate skin on the back of his palms. They surprisingly were well kept, despite his occupation of constantly using his nimble fingers. You nodded your head and introduced yourself to him as well, stating your first name loud and clear. Right after shaking your hand, Sakusa bowed his head and reached to grab some sanitizer from his pocket, rubbing his hands together quickly.

He placed his mask back on his face and the latex gloves he was carrying one by one on his hands, snapping the rim against his wrist before gesturing to Kenma to give him the manila folder. With one quick ease, Sakusa opened the metal clamp, unfolded the flap, and slid out the large stack of printed receipts between Mr. Sakanoshita and the TMPD.

"Mmm..." Sakusa hummed, eyeing the first few pages directly. He was quick to flip pages so easily, skimming through the more recent years of transactions.

"See anything we can compare?" Kenma tilted his head, hands still in his pockets. "Are these legit?"

"Oh they're real," Sakusa commented, still flipping through the large stack of paper. "Are you sure these are copies? They have the official Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department stamp on each of these receipts. They look like originals to me."

Kenma's eyes widened before walking over next to him, looking at the stamp. Sakusa handed him a random receipt, to which he inspected the crimped edges of the stamp and the dark red ink they used on each one. This particular stamp had been from 1995, over two decades prior.

"Wow, we literally have all the evidence we need," Kenma grabbed another document, inspecting the legitimacy of the stamps. "I think we actually have a shot of getting them out with this much blackmail."

Hearing those words come out of Kenma made the huge cloud of anxiety over your head finally dissipate, releasing you into a wave of reassurance. With the small glimmer of hope that both Oikawa and Kuroo could have a chance of getting out of prison, the whole plan made all of this worth it.

You also noticed Leia's facial expression changed when Kenma mentioned the chance of breaking them free, as Kuroo would finally be present for the birth of his child. She cradled her stomach and sighed in relief, smiling down at the baby forming in her womb.

"Are you sure you can get this out to the media?" Kenma inquired, walking over to Kita to show him the stamps and the rest of the receipts.

"Reassured," Sakusa crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back against the counter, and nodded quickly. "The Itachiyama clan has it all under control."

Kenma nodded in response, reorganizing the receipts back in chronological order. You looked between the two men, wondering what kind of plan they were scheming without your knowledge. Neither Kenma, nor Leia or Kita had mentioned any plans regarding informing the media, nonetheless planning public blackmail against the TMPD.

"Wait, what are we doing here?" You interrupted, slightly agitated with the lack of clarity and consensus. "We're taking this to the media?"

"No, not us." Leia turned to you as she sat on top of the padded table, taking a rest from standing too long. "Sabbath will handle all that, along with the connections through the Itachiyama clan."

"Who are the Itachiyama clan?" You asked, alternating your attention between all four members of the room.

Sakusa chuckled a bit before adjusting his posture, opening his hands out to you. "You're looking at him."