✔ from this unending abyss (The Assassin and the Trial)「 karmagisa 」

VIII. Bargain

KARMA

I sighed in satisfaction as I watched her return safely to her house from a distance, trying so hard for the past hours to hide my presence completely.

God knows how much I wanted to run to her. To embrace her in my arms. To feel her azure locks with my fingers. To just kiss her and tell her that I was here the whole time, alive, and keeping her at bay. But if I do that, I’ll be wasting the three whole years we sacrificed to set everything right. So I must stay still, and just f•cking wait.

[Psst. Don’t go getting sentimental on me yet, baka.] I heard Rio say to me through the earpiece which snapped me out of my trance.

“Says the one who got herself drunk because she’s afraid she’ll stay single,” I retorted.

[That was ONE time, Akabane. And don’t go changing the conversation! He said he’ll meet you at his office after a meeting by eight o'clock.]

“Isn’t that a bit too risky? An assassin— a dead bureaucrat, moreover— seen armed at an elite school?” I rolled my eyes at the word, but he prefers it to be marked in my vocabulary.

I heard several taps on the keyboard from the other side before Rio replied. [As if you had any other better idea. Sarcasm intended, he quoted.]

“Tell him, I have one and it’s way better than his boring, monochrome office which smells like imitation colognes.”

[You two should really stop treating me as your messenger! I’m a strategist for pete’s sake! Not a post office!] The blonde clicked her tongue in annoyance, but continued what she was doing anyway.

“I’m meeting him at the hideout, same time, whether he likes it or not. It’s more discrete and unsupervised,” by that, I knew he would give up this argument. There is nothing he holds more dear than his reputation.

Well, maybe there is one, but that’s a story for another time.

—•—

Melancholia (The Hideout) ;

“Hold on, let me get it straight. You want me to plant bombs in my own event?” he breathed deeply before slamming his hands on the furniture. “Are you kidding me right now, Akabane?!”

It was a good thing the owners closed the café per request or I would have had to do my kind of negotiations.

“I’m pretty sure I wasn’t laughing, Asano.” I gave him a blank look before continuing. “Of course, it doesn’t have to be you. Let someone else do the job. Or should I say, the others.”

His brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”

I felt the nostalgic smirk playing between my lips. It’s been so long since I had a chance to plan things my way.

“It’s simple really. You, being the only person in this unit that is unsuspected, make the sole traitors do the dirty work they always wanted to have. They wished for it, let them have it.”

“It’s not that simple!” he exclaimed, running his hands through his hair, clearly stressed. I remained calm and mentally stopping myself from laughing at his despair. “They won’t follow if it’s me who’s giving them orders! And for your information, I am just about the same rank as you lot!”

“I told you, Asano. It doesn't have to be you.” Before he could say anything else, I immediately interjected. “I heard you’ve established connections with the Ministry’s executives, the Department of Justice, the Prime Minister. Don’t tell me you built those lines over the years, for nothing?”

“But that wasn’t meant for your schemes!”

“My, my,” I chuckled, my devious grin still intact. “Do you actually think I’ll come here without actually knowing that? Come on Asano. I know all, I see all, and I can help you search for what you were looking for— her. All you need to do is to fulfill your end of the bargain.”

He scowled at me, which was a sign that he just gave in. “You manipulative bastard.”

“It’s in the name, mind you.”

Asano sighed exasperatedly, making me smile in triumph, as expected. “What do I have to do?”

“Trick them.” I simpered.

【 edited. 】

A/N: To those who are still patiently waiting for this fanfic to finish revising, thank you so much! ♥