June 17th
7:30 PM
I have to skip school today because of a mission I have to prepare for.
I'm getting tired of these missions. They are the main reasons why I can't take care of you. The idiot who sent me to do this is Kencho Saikou. He said something about getting pay back at the investors who decided to pull out from his failing business. The food is hellbent on trying to keep what's left of his family legacy after the incident and he sees any investor that backs out of the deal as a traitor in his book. Now I am being sent to Thailand to kill five business tycoons and ensure that their deaths look like an accident so the police won't notice and the idiot still owes me five thousand yen!
Honestly, I feel uncomfortable leaving you on your own. Especially with that snake Gwen getting close to you. I don't trust Alice to uphold her end of the deal but she might be my only hope in getting the information I need to eliminate that girl. I hope you are strong enough to take care of yourself when I am gone.
I promise to return as fast as I can.
So hang in there Beloved.
June 19th
3:30PM
Emma was enjoying her afternoon listening to music in her room when her phone lit up with a message from Brianna:
Karaoke Club Competition by 7:30 PM. Are you up for it?
A smile appeared on her face as she sent a quick reply and jumped off her futon to pick out her outfit. Unfortunately, she didn't have many clothes in her closet and the ones she did have were either dull or deemed 'inappropriate' for an evening outing.
'Great! What am I going to do now?' she thought standing in front of her nearly empty closet and hanging her head low.
'You have a sewing kit don't you?' her inner voice chimed.
The thought made her head snap up and she grinned happily. Grabbing a skirt, a long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of old sneakers she slammed the closet door and threw the clothes on the door. Then she moved the cupboard holding her manga collection aside and pulled out her sewing kit hidden behind it while ignoring the katana and battle axes fixed on the wall.
'I shouldn't be worried about that now,' she thought sitting on the floor and grabbing a huge pair of scissors. For the next three hours, she cut through fabric, took several measurements and sewed embroideries of butterflies and cherry blossoms transforming the clothes and the shoes into something beautiful.
Meanwhile, Brianna, Andrew, Aubrey, Caroline, and Gwen arrived at the club building. Although Brianna was excited about the competition she was a little disappointed that Ralph wouldn't be there to see her.
"Why isn't he here?" Aubery asked looking at her phone.
Brianna sighed dramatically. "He is part of a videogame competition so he is live-streaming the event."
"Live-streaming?" Gwen looked at Brianna.
"Yeah. He is a live-streamer." Brianna beamed. "He live-streams video and he is very good at it."
"Oh," Gwen sarcastically said and looked away. Dressed in a short green sequenced dress she clicked her tongue with dissatisfaction and clutched her green purse in silent irritation. 'Pathetic. A tone-deaf singer who has a brother who wastes his time streaming dumb video games, a wannabe chef, and a rich boy with no class. I am surrounded by losers. I have degraded myself by surrounding myself with people like them; the bottom of the barrel in society's hierarchy. Its people like them that have no future in life.'
Despite the growing irritation bubbling inside her, she smiled through her disgust. 'The sooner I get this over with the better. I hate to surround myself with people like them.'
"Sorry I am late," a familiar voice boomed getting her attention and when she turned around, she was shocked to see Jake wearing an expensive satin button-up shirt with some of the top buttons undone and well-fitted dark jeans and adding to his glowing confidence was the sleek dress shoes.
"Woah Jake! You look nice!" Brianna cooed.
Andrew eyed the satin shirt. "Is that 'Kaito Fashion's' latest brand?"
"'Kaito Fashion Brand'?" Aubery gasped. "That fashion brand is the most expensive brand in the whole of Japan!"
"Yeah!" Brianna took out her phone. "I think it's number one next to 'Kokona Couture'. Sorry but can I take a picture and send it to my brother? I want him to see it."
Jake smirked at the attention and his eyes fell on Gwen who was stewing in her anger. "Am I missing something?"
"No," Caroline sharply replied.
"We are waiting for Emma to show up for tonight's karaoke competition and she is late," Aubery said reverting to her usual attitude. "I hope she arrives soon or I'll..."
"Sorry, I am late!" Emma's voice yelled followed by the sound of her high heels hitting the pavement wearing her tailored outfit.
She came to a stop panting and gave them a nervous smile. "Am I still late."
"N...not really," Andrew replied staring in awe. "You look be..."
Jake interrupted him. "Did you make this yourself?"
"Yes," she twirled around and posed. "Did I overdo the design?"
"No! You look beautiful!" Jake blushed madly as the whole world seemed to fade into a blur and he wished to stretch out his hand to hold hers. "You look so beautiful."
Brianna nodded in agreement.
"I agree!" Aubrey's voice chimed in shattering his illusion and bringing him back to reality. "But what's this on you?"
"What thing?" Emma looked down at her waist and was shocked to see a visible red sewing pin. "I forgot to sew this part of the dress."
"It's alright you look fine," Gwen assured while knudging her way through to inspect the dress. "No one would notice this unless they are close enough. You are a talented seamstress Emma."
Emma beamed in relief. "Thank you."
"It looks nice but how are you going to sing in that?" Brianna asked. "The judges take outfits seriously in these competitions."
Hearing this, worry-filled Emma. "I...I am sorry. I didn't know that."
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Why does their opinion matter? Or is there someone among them you’re trying to impress?"
Jake narrowed his eyes at her while Emma sighed. "No. You are right."
"Great! Now that's settled, let's go!" Andrew chimed in thumbing to his car. "I'll drive."
"Don't worry. I have my own van," Jake replied dangling the keys to his newely purchased black 'Shiori'. "Do you want to ride with me, Emma?"
"Ooh!" Brianna cooed as she playfully nudged Emma. "Your carriage awaits Princess,"
'Shut up you idiot!' Jake thought irritated.
"Thank you but I'll ride with Andrew." she replied.
His jaw tightened as he watched Andrew guide her and the rest of the girls into his car but it masked his growing irritation when Brianna and Aubrey started whining to ride in his van. It was a nuisance but he relented.
The drive to the competition was thick with tension as his grip around the steering wheel tightened every time Andrew’s car drifted too far ahead. The temptation to slam his van into the back of it, to watch metal crumple and glass shatter, gnawed at him but he took a deep breath and held himself until they got to their destination. Getting out of the car, Jake quickly hurried to help Emma out of the car but Gwen beat him to it which only increased the growing irritation he had for her.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Emma asked looking around the parking lot.
"Yep!" Brianna replied looking at her phone. "This is the place."
A lump formed in Emma's throat at the familiarity of the parking lot and the huge building in front of her. Club music blared and bright red and blue neon lights forced their way through the open windows and upon closer inspection, one could see silhouettes dancing seductively in a cage. Everything was so familiar and her suspicions were confirmed when they circled to the building's entrance where the words, 'Club Drunk,' were written in red cursive neon lights.
"Are you sure this is the place?" she nervously asked again taking out her hand fan to cover her face.
Brianna looked at her phone again. "Y...yes."
"Eww..." Aubery wrinkled her nose in disgust. "It smells like alcohol here and not the good kind."
"I agree," Emma replied silently hoping that Brianna got the venue wrong as her hands started to sweat. "Let's go..."
"Well, well, well," a cold and calculating voice echoed along with those familiar footsteps which caused the pupils of Emma's eyes to dilate in fear. Turning around the group came face to face with a group of young boys wearing disheveled-tailored shirts, complete with gold rings and bracelets that complemented their messy hair.
"I knew someone looked familiar among you," Their leader, a tall boy wearing a leather jacket over his shirt said lifting his sunglasses to show his heterochromia eyes. "Emma Cross-wood. Welcome back."
Emma narrowed her eyes and folded and unfolded her fan repeatedly. "Hello Riku."
"You have a lot of guts showing your face here after what you did to us." Riku gave a toothy grin showing a golden canine. "You have a lot of guts."
Irritated, she closed her fan with a snap and pointed it at him. "Ready to lose another tooth then?"
The boys flinched and what followed was silence punctuated with the sound of the loud club music emiting from the building behind the group. Riku gritted his teeth at the painful memory he had of their first encounter with her and tsked.
"No," he growled.
"Good," she slowly opened her fan and started fanning herself wearing a satisfied smile on her face. "This place is hosting a karaoke competition here. Which room is it?"
Riku growled and shoved his hands into his pockets before tilting his head in confusion. "How should I know."
"Careful now," she cautioned pointing the open fan sideways partially hiding her suspicious glare. "Maybe one of your friends should know,"
Another round of silence and Jake couldn't help but grin at the uncomfortable atmosphere. Finally, one of the boys agreed to lead them to the room which held the karaoke competition. Walking past the quiet bar, Jake noticed that his Beloved was covering her mouth with the fan and looking straight ahead.
"Is something wrong?" he asked as they climbed the staircase leading to the second floor.
She slowly closed her fan and held the fan behind her back. "No. Its fine."
He knew she was lying and it irritated him. He didn't fail to notice that she opened her fan again to hide her mouth as a group of women wearing heavy makeup and couture walked passed them laughing loudly. They finally arrived at a room where the competition was held and Emma thanked the boy before entering the room. Although they were late, they still participated and sang to their favorite songs with Emma and Brianna dominating the competition. However, during the thirty-minute break, Jake slipped out to the VIP room to find the boys they encountered earlier.
The VIP room was a seedy atmosphere filled with expensive drinks, girls wearing revealing clothing sitting in between older and younger men laughing with drinks in their hands. The air was thick with the smell of cigarettes and alcohol but there was something else that wavered in the air; a substance that was illegal yet toxic.
'At least the lightning is poor,' Jake smirked evilly as he surveyed the room bathed in a dark blue light. 'My target may be hard to find but easy to kill in here. It's a shame I can't do that right now.'
'At least the lightning is poor,' Jake smirked evilly as he surveyed the room bathed in a dark blue light. 'My target may be hard to find but easy to kill in here. It's a shame I can't do that right now.'
"Well, well, well," a voice purred as a perfectly manicured hand snaked on his shoulder. "It's nice to see you again Yandere kun?"
Jake gritted his teeth at the name and turned around. "Hello, Alice."
Smirking and wearing a mini-dress with fishnet stockings and heavy makeup, Alice surveyed him with predatory eyes and ran her tongue across her crimson lips.
"You look like a lonely man," she purred slowly turning him around to face her. "Do you need anything? I am not free you know."
He smirked, grabbed her hand and squeezed it painfully until she winced. "Let me tell you something b!tch, you're just another body in a crowded room. And I only have eyes for one. If you have a death wish, mention your wish again and let's see if you survive."
Once she was released, Alice winced and shook her hand to ease the pain. "Relax. Yandere kun, I was just joking."
Jake smirked and folded his arms. "What are you doing here? Selling yourself?"
"You wish," she spat back returning the smirk. "I came here to check this place out and I just discovered that your Beloved left a morbid history here. Do you want to hear it?"
Meanwhile, the karaoke completion was ongoing with Emma singing her song, 'Eternal Love' while Gwen watched her with hidden resentment and jealousy. If her friends were the scum of society, then Emma was the flower amongst the filth. She hated to think of what would happen if she carried her talents to the colorful world of Japan's entertainment industry; especially those specialized in the Traditional Arts.
'It's one thing to be beautiful but it's another story if you are beautiful and talented.' she thought as Emma's voice grew to high pitch at the song's climax. Everyone was focused on the competition so no one noticed her pour a drink into a cup with a jealous glare on her face.
'I am sorry Emma,' she thought taking out a small bottle filled with a clear liquid from her purse with a twisted grin on her lips. 'But there can only be one star in the whole of Japan and that star is me.'
She poured the liquid into the cup as everyone gave Emma a round of applause for her performance climbed down the stage with a smile on her face and quickly wore her mask of deceit.
"Wow! You were amazing Emma!" Brianna exclaimed as Emma took a seat beside Gwen.
"Thank you," she replied and gave a small cough.
Gwen seized her opportunity and handed her the glass of laced non-alcoholic cocktail. "Here drink this."
"Thank you," she took it from her and her eyes narrowed when she took a sip. "It tastes salty."
"It must be the salt around the rim," Aubery explained sipping her drink. "Most bars line their glass cups with a mixture of salt and sugar to give the cocktail that punch of flavor."
"But mine doesn't have salt around the rim," Emma observed turning the cup around. "Why is it so salty?"
Although Gwen raised her eyebrows in confusion and tilted her head to act innocent, she knew something was wrong with the poison she created especially for her target. A few minutes later, she excused herself to the toilets, took out the small clear bottle from her purse which had a little liquid lying on the bottom inside it, and poured it on her tongue. It was salty.
"The poison doesn't have taste!" she whispered in a panic. "What is going on?"
The distant sound of chatter caught her attention so she quickly put the bottle back in her purse and confidently walked out toilets only to see Jake sitting on her spot on the couch next to Emma and handing her a cup filled with a golden liquid.
"Don't drink that," she cautioned snatching the cup from him. "It might be alcoholic."
The pupils in Jake's eyes dilated and shook with hidden rage. "It's not alcoholic."
"Still," she walked around the couch and quickly squeezed herself in between them. "It might be alcoholic. Let me take a sip."
Emma shrugged her shoulders, watched her bring the rim of the cup to her lips and noticed the furrow in her eyebrows as the sickly sweet taste touched her tongue.
"Is it alcoholic?" Andrew asked.
"No." Gwen snapped giving the cup to Emma while feeling Jake bask in her embarrassment. Emma took a sip of the drink and her eyes widened in horror at the familiar taste; it was the safe drink she used to order while she worked here.
"Where did you get this drink?" she whispered.
Jake shrugged. "One of the waiters serving the bar on the ground floor gave it to me. He said the drink was on the house."
"Shoto," Emma whispered dropping the cup on the table. "I thought he quit his job."
Fortunately for her, a distraction came in the form of the announcement of the results of the competition. Unfortunately, Emma and Brianna got second place despite the standing ovation from the crowd. As they got on stage to collect their prize, Emma couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for failing her friend and a lingering suspicion that one of her 'old friends' did something in the background.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3MO31wuCsB
"I am sorry we lost Brianna," Emma whispered with downcast eyes as they left the building.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJ7PSKfPm7
Brianna closed her eyes and shrugged. "It's okay, we will win next year,"
"I hope so," Gwen added although she secretly wished otherwise for them.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13L8qkGdBb
328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdMgVJLUdw
June 22nd328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Ht0xkgbhO
1:00A.M
I knew you were lying to me. I knew there was something wrong with that place and I needed to do is to ask the right people to gather my information.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcuPr4BHki
You worked in that club for three months and no one knew your real age or why you started working there but everyone knew your stage name; Sexy Ballerina. If we did the math, I can guess you were fifteen or fourteen years old when you started working there but I can't understand is the reason why you were doing that.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSNpEve7kVX
All I can think about is the disgusting men who got paid to touch you during your 'private performances'. It rills me up with anger and hurt when I learned all of this but one thing that still remains is why you worked there. Did your aunt sell you to work there when she went into debt? Were you forced to work there for money?328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIH0h7TekCV
Why did you work there Beloved?328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvEfmvG4iuw
Well like my family, its in the past and I can't have that snake getting her hands on that delicate information. So I burned the place down along with everyone who knew who you were...
A loud muffled scream from the other room distracted him and narrowed his eyes in annoyance and looked at his watch.
'The anesthetic should have lasted longer than that.' he thought before standing up and walking out of the room. The apartment he purchased was considered elite with thick walls to block out the sounds coming from the other rooms but he refused to risk anyone finding his 'guest' inside his room. Opening his closet revealed a badly beaten young man, gagged and bound hand and foot in his underwear. He looked up at his captor in fear and his eyes widened in terror when Jake grabbed him by the throat in a tight grip. His victim's eyes watered and rolled backward before his vision blurred and he passed out.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpMKR1JIPm
"That ought to silence him until I get the rest," he whispered closing the closet door and taking a seat at his table. "I will have to break his arms and legs when everyone in the apartment building has gone to sleep. That way, no one will know."328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKnFlRMqHo
He continued to write: I hope you are watching the news right now Beloved. I hope you can see the fire and now how much my love burns for you.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbHqJoWlEH
Your secret is safe with me and burned to ashes with what's left of the building. Now no one will use this against you. Not even that snake that has slithered into our garden.328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxv3tSWclj
I have been following both of you for a long time and it irritates me to see how close both of you have been; telling her what you like and dislike, swapping stories...328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4pAFPZO7Z
It makes me sick. You can't tell that she is deceiving you by taking an interest in your hobbies. I see the jealousy in her eyes and the sneer she gives behind your back. I bet she was gritting her teeth in fury when she saw you in that dress you made yourself with your old clothes.'328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnCSQkqhZY
He stopped, looked at the picture of her in that dress singing on stage amidst a million polaroids pinned on the wall, and sighed deeply with affection.
'At least the Snake reminded me of something. There is a rumor amongst the students that you can teleport yourself to the other world through a strange ritual. All you need is a ritual knife, a skull, and someone to use as a sacrifice. Gwen said there was a room where you could teleport yourself to another world. To start the ritual, you must kill someone with the ritual knife and place it inside the skull and you will be teleported to another world full of demons and ghosts.
I don't believe in such stories but from what I have seen so far, trying this doesn't sound like a bad idea. I just need to locate the objects and be careful with who I am going to make a deal. It's dangerous and stupid but all I can say is love makes one do stupid things and for you Beloved, everything I do for you is worth it.'328Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhqgIEmsle
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