Fear of Falling (Izaya Orihara)

Chapter 26: The More the Merrier

It was all going decently for the stranger at first. Few street punks would challenge Izaya to a fight and even fewer were decent fighters. This man was a decent fighter. Not nearly good enough to touch Izaya, but better than the average idiots who'd challenge him on rare occasions.

Izaya was much more skilled. He played with the stranger, taunting him while dodging punches. This man had nothing compared to Shizuo's power. Honestly, it was a bit boring. Then, the stranger said the sentence that spelled his demise: "Shut up and let me punch you, you flea!"

That sounded exactly like something Shizuo would say. In fact, Izaya was certain he'd heard those exact words from the blonde at some point. And that struck a bad nerve.

Clearly this man had done it unintentionally. It was obvious he didn't know who Izaya was. But Izaya lived by the saying 'knowledge is power'. So it was the man's own fault for his foolishness and the punishment he received in turn.

A line of hair resembling a strange mohawk was all that was left of the stranger's hair. Izaya was rather proud of his work. At first, he'd meant to shave the man's whole head. But after trimming the sides, he decided to leave the top alone. It would look worse that way.

"At least your hair's not all gone." Izaya said in his usual carefree tone. "Aren't I nice?"

The man, who was laying in the ground in pain, let out a noise that could either be a groan or a curse word. Whatever it was, Izaya ignored it as he rifled through the man's wallet.

"You only have 3,000 yen?" Izaya sighed. He'd have to use some of his own money to pay Haru. "Tsk tsk. You shouldn't make bets you can't pay. Reimburse me the remaining 2,000 yen." He said.

Izaya pulled a pen from his pocket and scribbled something on a spare receipt that was tucked into one of the wallet's pockets. Once he'd finished, he exchanged the man's money for the scrap of paper and dropped the wallet unceremoniously beside the man's head.

"Call that courier when you have the money. You'll be paying her the delivery fee too, so have some extra money on hand. Oh, and―"

Izaya suddenly placed his foot on the man's chest with a pressure that was menacing. Leaning down, Izaya spoke in a low voice. "That girl you hit on at the sushi place? Do not speak to her again. And don't even think about coming after her for revenge. If you do, you won't be able to get away with just a haircut. Is that clear?"

The stranger knew exactly what Izaya meant. He nodded as best he could from his position. "Y-yes!" He exclaimed.

Izaya withdrew. "Good, I'm glad we've come to an understanding." He said with a smile. "For the future, I suggest you be more careful about who you pick fights with. Don't you agree?"

The stranger on the ground agreed with the entirety of his bruised body.

― Haru's POV ―

Before I knew it, Izaya walked back in, slapped a crisp 5,00 yen bill onto the table, and sat down triumphantly in his chair.

"That was fast." I commented, placing my phone face down on the table and collecting the money with a grin. "Nice job."

"It was nothing." Izaya said with a smile more sinister than sweet. "That guy was a fool to challenge me. Thanks for saving my sushi." He said, starting to eat rather hastily.

"In a hurry?" I asked.

Izaya swallowed before speaking. "We've been here far too long. It's about time we left. But I can't let this sushi go to waste. Especially after you so kindly guarded it from danger."