[Master K] The bad one next door

Qiuben Building is located in the center of Zhenme Commercial Street, and is controlled by the famous Qiuben Pharmaceutical Group in Japan.This company was established by its first owner Yuji Qiumoto during World War II. It has a history of 90 years and has absolute prestige in the national pharmaceutical industry. The drug market is almost monopolized by it.Four years ago, Yusuke Qiumoto's grandson, Yusuke Qiumoto, the third chairman of the Qiumoto Pharmaceutical Group, abdicated from the position of head of the company, and Yusuke Qiumoto's niece Qi Mulisa took over the company.Although the influence is no longer the same as it was in its heyday, the profound heritage of the Qiuben Group over the years is still not to be underestimated.

But such a famous Qiuben Group was severely kicked at the door of its own house one afternoon.

……

Dusk is approaching.

People from get off work and school poured into the street, and as the setting sun sank, the colorful neon lights on the street lit up one by one.

The sound of police car horns was endless.

The towering glass building next to the commercial street was cordoned off, and against the backdrop of the clouds, one could clearly see the big hole on the side of the building, with blue smoke emitting sparks from the hole from time to time.Passers-by with good deeds wanted to get closer to watch the excitement, but they were all reprimanded by the guards standing guard by the cordon and went back.

The cleaning work on the scene is still going on in an orderly manner, and ambulance personnel and people in police uniforms continue to come and go on both sides of the cordon.However, despite the huge formation, few people were actually injured. Those who were rescued by the police were basically some company employees who were still in shock and safe.

—Of course.

After all, no matter what position they are in, the people who caused this incident have no reason to affect ordinary people because of their actions, let alone they are the red clan who are law enforcement officers and have a sense of justice.

"So, Anna." Tokuta Tara touched the head of the girl in the red goth costume beside him, and comforted in a gentle tone, "Don't worry, Hatta-kun and the others will be fine."

Anna Kushina sat quietly by the small fountain outside the blockade, playing with the red glass beads with downcast eyes.Hearing this, she stopped what she was doing, raised her head, and looked at the brown-haired young man with purple eyes a little uneasy: "...Are you all right?"

"Well, it's okay."

The trusted person replied in an affirmative tone, and Anna felt relieved, lowered her head, and silently stared at the glass bead in her white palm.

The clear red glass beads reflect bright light under the neon lights, reflecting the silky smooth silver hair and delicate doll-like face of the girl in the red dress.After Anna stared at herself in the glass bead for a while, she held it up in front of her eyes and looked up at the sky.

The bewitching orange red at sunset is clearly reflected in the glass beads, which is extremely eye-catching in the gray and white field of vision.

"……so beautiful."

She couldn't help but express her sincere admiration.

"Really?" Hearing her words, the brunette young man showed a gentle smile, "This is the color of dusk."

"dusk?"

"Yeah. Dusk is the moment when the sun sets, which means the end of the day. This kind of majesty and beauty is the result of burning its own life."

Anna frowned: "It's so pitiful."

"But not sad."

"..."

"Pretty, isn't it?" Ten Beams looked down at the silver-haired girl's puzzled gaze and said with a smile, "It chose to end itself in this way, not because it was forced, but because it was proud of it. After sunset It will be a brand new day, and when it rises from the horizon again with a proud attitude—" He stretched out his hand, as if wanting to catch the crimson light from afar, "It will be even more beautiful than it is now. What about the scene?"

The setting sun reflects the earth.Little by little, it sank among the tall buildings.

The last ray of orange-red sunlight disappeared from the world.

The silver-haired girl and the brunette youth quietly watched the coming of the night.

"... respect."

"Ok?"

Anna gently grabbed the corner of his clothes: "I want to respect you."

Ten beams chuckled and held her hand: "Okay, then let's go back."

When the two turned around, Anna took a last look at the crowd with the glass bead.At this moment, a slender figure suddenly broke into the red glass beads.

It was a girl with a pretty face, her long black hair was tied into a ponytail behind her head.She squeezed out of the dense crowd with a little difficulty, and after stopping under the streetlight next to a KFC, she showed a relieved expression on her face.

Anna couldn't help being stunned.

<<<<<

Yazawa Maya decided to go to KFC to buy dinner.

why?The reason is simple, because she doesn't have the ability to "prepare three meals by herself", and in such a situation where the city where she used to live has undergone tremendous changes, only fast food restaurants that are global chains can be trusted.All in all, when she realized it, she was already standing on the streets of Zhenmecho at night.

"--Well."

Her drowsy brain became a little clearer.

——I see, did you sleep for so long unknowingly?

However, she was so depressed that she didn't even feel like walking out the door, which surprised her quite a bit.

The temperature in the night was very different from that in the morning, but Maki was still wearing the thin white casual clothes in the afternoon.A gust of cold wind blew by, and she couldn't help sneezing, then rubbed her red nose helplessly, and walked towards the fast food restaurant with warm dim lights in the window.

However, just as she was about to pass through the noisy crowd, something grabbed her cuff suddenly.

She didn't have much strength, and she still felt weak when she grabbed the sleeve, but it made her stop involuntarily.

Miya looked down in surprise.

"what……?"

It was a girl with silver hair and red skirt who held her back.

The little girl is about seven or eight years old, her face is very immature, but her eyes have a calmness that does not match her age.She hasn't spoken since she grabbed her clothes, she just looked at her quietly, her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if she was a little uneasy.

This made Mimi a little confused.

She has never had the experience of being held down by a cute girl on the street-a boy has had one, but that person looks to be her age, and his mouth is a series of unexplained cold jokes, smiling and exaggerated He acts like a comedian in a small movie, and one can't help but wonder if he has perfected the ability to pick up strange girls.

Even so, the situation at that time would not be as embarrassing as it is now.At this moment, she could only be relatively speechless with this loli in a dress who appeared out of nowhere.

"that……"

Hearing Mami's hesitant voice, the girl trembled slightly, pursed her lips, lowered her head, but her hands grabbed her sleeves even tighter.

"Are you lost?"

She could only think of this possibility.Hearing this, the girl was silent for a while, then shook her head, halfway through the shaking, she stopped as if thinking of something, and nodded instead.

Mami's heart sank a bit.

Probably because the child got separated from his parents and felt insecure, so he wanted to ask someone for help.

However, is it really good to just randomly pull a stranger on the street like this?Fortunately, what she found was herself, and what would happen if she met a bad person was not certain.

With this in mind, she decided to be a good person.

The unique aroma of KFC fried chicken wafts in the air.Resisting the emptiness in his stomach, Mami bent down and showed a friendly smile to the silver-haired girl.

"So, do you need me to take you home?"

……

...Although that's what I said.

However, when the girl named "Kushina Anna" was actually sent back to the "home" in her mouth, Maya couldn't help being stunned.

At the end of the corner is a bar.The decoration on the outside of the bar is all red. Under the flickering lights of the street lights at night, it gives people an inexplicable stinging feeling as if their eyes are burned by flames.

There is a black board under the steps of the bar gate, on which the name of today's star drink is written in beautiful chalk characters, as well as announcements such as business hours.The golden signboard above the gate is engraved with "HOMRA" in red letters.

"...Anna, this is it?"

Anna nodded.It seems right.

——However, I never thought it would be a bar.

Because she was taught "to be a sunny and normal middle school student" since she was a child, Shinya has always kept her own law and order, and has never stepped into places where minors are prohibited, such as "bars" and "dance halls", but she does not want to send a girl home by accident. Let her encounter such an opportunity.

And why does the name of this bar sound so familiar...

When Mami was hesitating whether to go in, Anna patted her hand lightly, as if telling her not to worry.It was gratifying for such a young child to have such a heart. Coupled with the inexplicable trust Anna showed in her at the beginning, she was moved and made up her mind. She gritted her teeth and walked forward to open the door of the bar.

"That, excuse me—"

With the sound of "squeak" from the door, she saw the people in the bar, and swallowed half of what she said.

"Ah, welcome, may I ask..."

The blond man behind the bar who was wiping the wine glass heard the voice and raised his head with a smile on his face. When he saw the two people at the door, he was stunned: "Anna?"

Maya didn't have time to react, but Anna let go of Maya's hand the first time she stepped into the gate, ran over with her little leather shoes, and grabbed the man's sleeve.The man squatted down very cooperatively, listening to the little girl standing on tiptoe and whispering something in his ear, and after a while, there was a little more understanding in the eyes he cast on Zhenya again.

As for the parties themselves, they are completely out of the situation.

She stared at the man and couldn't help crying out in surprise.

"Mr. Shizuo?!"

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she realized that she might have admitted the wrong person.

Blonde hair, sunglasses, bartender uniform, and tall figure are the characteristics of "the strongest in Ikebukuro" Shizuo Heiwajima no matter how you look at it.But if you take a closer look, you will find that the man in front of you looks very similar to Shizuo at first glance, but in fact there is a very significant difference between the two.

Although they are all blond, the man's hair color is slightly browner, and the sunglasses he wears are not black, but lighter purple; although the clothes on his body are somewhat similar to the bartender's uniform, they are orthodox suits.Besides, in all fairness—the facial features of the person in front of me may be more correct than the one in Ikebukuro.For example, there is no obvious malevolence in the face.

The blond man froze.Taking advantage of this opening, Mami hastily bowed his head in embarrassment and apologized: "Holding, sorry, you look a bit like one of my friends, I accidentally misread it."

"It's okay, I also want to thank you for sending Anna back." The blond man laughed.He paused, and just about to say something, suddenly there was a "grunt" in the bar.

Mami blushed suddenly.

The source of the sound was her stomach.Since he hadn't eaten for a long time, his stomach, which felt deeply that his existence was being ignored, finally couldn't help but protest.

Seeing the two people stunned in surprise, an urge to find a crack in the ground to sneak in arises spontaneously in Mami's heart.She lowered her head abruptly, barely daring to look straight ahead, and even stammered uncontrollably with her voice: "Well, since Anna has arrived home, I am relieved! Then I will go back first, and I hope you two have a good time night!"

It was rare for her to embarrass herself in front of strangers, so she immediately prepared to run away because of her low face.

Anna whispered "Izumo".The blond gave her a reassuring look.

Just as Mami took a step back and was about to open the door of the bar, the blonde boss suddenly opened his mouth and extended an invitation to her.

"If this lady doesn't mind, would you like to stay and have dinner? In fact, we still have some snacks in this shop, just as a thank you gift for sending Anna back."

……

Miya finally stayed.

While waiting for dinner, she sat at the bar and chatted casually with the blond boss.During the chat, she learned that this "Peace Island No. [-]" was originally called "Kusanagi Izumo" and his current job is a bartender.Because Kusanagi's attitude is more easy-going, her initial restraint gradually dissipated, and now she can respond to his questions with a more natural smile.

Kusanagi took out some condiments such as a wine glass and fruit, and while skillfully arranging the materials, asked her: "What kind of flavor does Yazawa-san like?"

"Well, I prefer slightly sweeter ones, but the sweetness is not too heavy..."

"Sweet but not greasy, I understand."

Kusanagi nodded, and skillfully picked up some bottles and cans: "So, Ms. Yazawa just came back from Ikebukuro, right?"

"Yes." Mami smiled shyly, "It's been a long time since I went back to Zhenmu, the city has really changed a lot, and sometimes I can't recognize the way, but I'm still very happy to be able to return to my hometown, and the most important thing is to return to my hometown. I was able to meet up with old friends."

"Oh, it looks like Yazawa-san is a very affectionate person. That's a good thing."

"Huh? I'm not very clear about this... Since Mr. Kusanagi said so, thank you." Mami smiled, "It's ashamed to say that this is the first time I have entered a bar when I grow up. I used to think that bars are noisy Yes, but the HOMRA is surprisingly comfortable."

When the name of the bar was mentioned, a subtle sense of familiarity crossed my mind again.She was taken aback, and repeated these syllables in a daze: "HOMRA...?"

Something in the depths of the brain seemed to surface faintly.She tried to grasp that ray of feeling.

——HOMRA... HOMRA... Barbara?

When she finally grasped the clue firmly, she suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.

I see.Then everything became clear.

--Yes.One day two years ago, she had heard someone pronounce the word with excitement.

Kusanagi calmly put a cup of steaming porcelain in front of her, and said with a smile, "Why, did you remember anything?"

"Yes, thank you very much." Maya nodded, looking down at the porcelain cup.The tea-green drink in the cup exudes a refreshing sweetness. There is a layer of chocolate-colored and white rose patterns overlapping on the surface of the drink. The sweet smell instantly arouses people's appetite.She touched the handle of the porcelain cup, and was a little surprised: "This is?"

"Matcha latte, the specialty of the coffee shop next door." Kusanagi shrugged, and tapped lightly on the bar table with his slender fingers, "Although it is a latte, it does not contain any coffee ingredients, and of course it does not have alcohol - the sweetness is more than enough So, Ms. Yazawa, please enjoy it with peace of mind."

The other party obviously considered that she was a minor, so alcohol was excluded, which moved her a little.After she sincerely thanked her, she carefully picked up the porcelain cup, blew on the mouth of the cup, and sipped carefully.

A warm current flowed into her mouth, making her whole body warm up. The tip of her tongue was filled with the aroma of matcha and chocolate. Although it was sweet, it was not greasy, and the taste was very smooth. Quietly drink a long drink.After she swallowed the matcha latte in her mouth, she put down the porcelain cup and said hesitantly, "Mr. Kusanagi, can I ask a question?"

"Please say."

"Excuse me, do you know someone named 'Misaki Hatta'?"

After her nervous voice fell, there was a sudden silence in the bar.

Anna, who had been sitting quietly beside her, raised her head, glanced at her, and then shifted her gaze to the blond man in front of the bar.Kusanagi didn't show a surprised expression, crossed his hands in front of his chest, glanced at the wall clock on the wall, and after a moment of silence, he showed a gentle smile: "Well, it's time for Shishu to come back soon."

Eh?

Mami was stunned, and before he could understand why he brought the topic to another person, he heard noisy voices and footsteps coming from outside the bar door.

"...So let me tell you, don't you three mess around like this in the future, Brother Kusanagi will be angry! Especially you two, Hatta-kun and Chitose-kun."

"Huh? Why was Kamamoto the only one who wasn't named!!"

"Because he's not the main criminal..."

As the door was pushed open with a "squeak", a brown-haired young man with a helpless smile walked in first, followed by an orange-haired young man holding a skateboard angrily and looking like he was still awake with a cigarette in his mouth. A young man with dark brown curly hair and a fat young man with yellow hair followed behind with a smile.

"What, it's really unfair." The orange-haired boy wearing a black turban muttered dissatisfiedly, "Well, forget it, I was at fault anyway..." His gaze swept across the bar, and he met the black-haired girl in front of the bar. When the innocent eyes met, the voice became hoarse for an instant.

He couldn't help opening his eyes wide.

In the next few tens of seconds, the orange-haired boy named "Yata Misaki" and the black-haired girl named "Yazawa Maya" looked at each other in silence.