Chapter 41: Masked
Kenji’s POV
"Young master," I called for the young master’s name as soon as he had arrived in the mansion. He’s been having this sour expression on his face that makes me want to tease him. Even if he tries to hide it from me, waka is someone I’ve known ever since we were children. "Did the young lady skip the study session yesterday again?" Waka stopped walking after I told him that. ’I knew it’s about the young lady again.’
"The oyabun told us to recheck the mansion." I reminded him as he entered his room. "You cannot skip this time—"
"I know."
I sighed. "I’ll wait for you," I told waka, and it didn’t take long for waka to get out of his room wearing a black suit with his hair pushed back. "Shall we?" He didn’t respond as he walked in the hallway towards the garage. "If you’re wondering, the young lady is in the living room with lady Tomoe." Waka didn’t respond.
Did something happen to waka and lady Noelle? He’s been acting odd, and every time I mention the lady’s name, he gives me that look as if he’s mad yet feeling guilty. ’He might be hard to read for other people, but he’s like an open book to me. Although I’m having trouble figuring out what’s on his mind these days.’
I opened the door to the car, and waka got inside. "The lady had swollen eyes when she came back to the car. Do you know anything about it, waka?"
Waka ignored my words as he looked at the window. ’He knows it. He definitely knows it.’ I thought as I shook my head. "Lady Noemi will feel bad if she learns you’re making your fiancée cry." After mentioning that name, I could feel waka’s death glare from behind, and I didn’t dare look at the rear mirror because I might get killed.
"Stop mentioning my mother’s name."
Our waka is still as sensitive as ever. "Yes, waka. If you stop making lady Noelle cry, I’ll also stop giving you an earful." I said as I drove towards the Alcantara mansion. It’s been a while since we got leads about the people after lady Noelle. However, we are still unsure of their reason or what they’re truly after. "Please stop treating the lady harshly. She stopped smiling much after living in the Yamaguchi household."
The silence was the only response waka gave me. "The lady didn’t want this to happen either, do not blame her," I told him even if I was not sure if he was listening or not. "Oyabun would scold you again if the lady ends up running for the second time because you’re being mean towards her."
"Shut it." I sighed after he said that.
When we arrived in front of the gate, we showed the guard our badge, and he made us enter. This mansion now belongs to the Yamaguchi-gumi, and no one is allowed to enter except the members. However, I narrowed my eyes as I parked near another car. Oyabun didn’t inform me about someone else going inside the mansion today. "Did the oyabun—"
"Shhh." Waka quickly got up from his seat after he told me that. "Someone’s near the garden." He said and made me turn my head toward the garden.
"Uhm, it’s the gardener."
I saw how waka rolled his eyes. "I’m not talking about that." He got out of the car and took a deep breath. I followed him out with my forehead furrowed. "Someone else is here." His instincts might be telling that to him, and our young master’s instincts are really one of a kind.
"Who’s that guy?" I pulled my gun out of my pocket and shot the unknown guy in front of the door towards the mansion. "It’s them." I looked at waka, and he had already opened the door inside. ’What’s the use of shooting this guy if he’ll just barge inside without information?’
I followed him inside, and there was no one there. We confiscated all the belongings with the help of the police and put them someplace else for sir Maki to retrieve when he woke up. Even I feel weird about how the oyabun helps sir Maki’s family. It’s as if he treats him more important than his biological children.
"Waka, I think we should report this to the others." Father will surely scold me if he learns I killed someone without knowing their intention. ’It was someone unfamiliar, so I did what I did.’
Waka didn’t listen as he went inside lady Noelle’s room causing my forehead to furrowed for the second time. "Night?" As soon as I called waka’s name, I heard a loud sound coming from lady Noelle’s room, making me rush towards it. "Waka!" I called him after seeing him sitting on the floor. It looks like he fell, but what made him fall like that?
"Oh, I didn’t know other people were here with me." I looked up and saw a masked man. It’s a masquerade mask with pink paint near the eyes and a butterfly design on the forehead. "I guess my time here is done. I can’t be caught here after all." He said as he turned his back on us, and I saw his long black hair there. He’s wearing a full white tuxedo, white gloves, and even white shoes.
Before he could get out of the window, waka shoots him by the leg, which he immediately avoids despite having his back on us. "Well, that was mean of you." The man faced us again, pulling something out of his pocket, which caused me to point my gun at him. "Oh my, calm down." He said while chuckling. He’s speaking in English, and based on his accent, he’s a foreigner.
’Did sir Maki do something wrong to foreigner partners of his?’ I thought while still pointing the gun at the man.
The man raised his hands after pulling something out of his pockets. I raised an eyebrow with my forehead furrowed. He’s now holding cards in his right hand. "What are you going to do with those cards?" I asked him. Are we facing another weirdo right now? I’ve had enough of this in Kyoto!
The strange man chuckled. "Calm down, mister. Do you want to see magic?" Before he could even show us the cards, waka shot at him near his ear, almost making his mask fall. "You clearly are not a patient person, are you?" He still had the guts to laugh at what the waka did.
"Show me your face."
The strange man hid his hands behind his back without saying anything, this caused waka to charge at him, but he quickly dodged. "Kenji, shoot him!" I shot the man, but he threw one of his cards at me and made me drop my gun. ’What the hell?’ I felt my hand bleeding, but I chose to ignore it as I tried to grab my gun, but then someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me out of the room.
"Waka!"
Waka and that strange man were left inside the room while I got pulled out. I kicked the feet of the person pulling me from behind and punched him, making his mask crack. ’What the hell? These people are all wearing full white porcelain masks.’ Where did these weirdos come from?
They’re too many for me to beat alone. "Fuck." I brought another gun, thank god. However, someone tried to shoot me when I was about to pull my gun out, which I quickly dodged. So they’re planning to kill me, huh? I guess I need to rush and beat them all.
"Kenji!" I heard the door opening, and Kaoru’s voice called me, which made me smile widely.
I took a deep breath. "You know what to do." I guess it’s time for me to have fun once in a while. I’ve been driving the lady to the school, and that’s the only thing I do these days. ’It’s boring.’
After Kaoru was my father, which made me stop smiling. Shit! He’ll surely scold me because I didn’t bring anyone else with me, putting waka’s life in danger. "Go to the young master!" Father said, and I quickly obliged as I rushed back to the room where waka and that strange man were.
"I didn’t know you became this weak, Night." I heard the strange man say that as if he knew waka. "Too bad—" He couldn’t finish what he was saying when waka charged at him again and made him fall to his back. It’s the first time I saw waka being angry like that. Did something happen between the two of them? And why are there too many dead bodies on the floor? Waka’s suit is also covered with blood now.
"Waka, I’ll help—"
"Stay there!"
I stopped moving after waka shouted that. However, the strange man got up from the floor and ran away from waka. "Let’s meet again, Night." He said as he threw a card towards the waka, and it grazed waka’s forehead. "Oh, there’s poison on that card, so I suggest you go to the hospital quickly."
"Chase after him," Waka said while holding on to his forehead, but I chose to help him instead. "Why aren’t you chasing him?"
I sighed. "How will I chase after that guy if you’re poisoned?" Waka couldn’t say anything else as he fell to the floor. "Waka!"
