𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰

𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬

Barely a few days into the new year,
Y/N was already swamped with work.
As usual, she was unable to catch up, which was a real drag.
Her friends were busy and barely available, so Y/N sat alone in a secluded corner of the teahouse, lacking company.

She stirred her hot drink and watched the other guests chatting, laughing, coming and going.

'Maybe I should quit the company...' Y/N thought as two more guests came through the door and into the room.
A man and a woman.
The latter looked like an ordinary office worker, blonde and with a very bitter face as she looked around.
'What a snob,' Y/N thought and smiled to herself.

It wasn't the most exclusive tea house in the district, but it was a friendly and pleasant place with delicious teas and a very nice owner.
Last but not least, it was quiet. That was what Y/N liked most about it, that it wasn't crowded with people.
She was pulled out of her reverie by a harsh, rough voice: the snobbish blonde and the man in the black coat sitting opposite her were arguing about something.

The woman looked both alarmed and annoyed, but the man's face was unreadable, expressionless, staring ahead.

'An odd couple,' Y/N observed.
It was late in the afternoon and nothing interesting was happening.
'My life has been shortened by another day, and nothing worth opening my diary for has happened today...' Y/N sighed and stood up from the table.
She put on her black balloon coat and slung her bag over her shoulder, taking one last look at the strange man, who returned her curious gaze with a piercing look.

Y/N shivered, but tried to shake off any bad feelings and forced a smile as she said goodbye to the other guests and headed for the exit.
As she stepped out into the street, she felt a chill in the winter wind that made her want to sit back in the warmth for a few more teas.

Arriving home, Y/N turned on the TV as she settled herself on the sofa with a bowl of ochazuke in her lap.
She stared bored until a familiar face appeared on the screen.
Black hair with white ends and those piercing grey eyes...

'Akutagawa Ryonnosuke is a wanted assassin for the Port Mafia.'
"What the fuck... I saw him, I was sitting not far from him today in the teahouse..."- Y/N snapped.
"How can a mass murderer even be on the loose? What are the police doing?!" Y/N was getting increasingly nervous, almost shaking.

Y/N spent the rest of the evening trying to find out as much information as possible about Akutagawa.
He was linked to the deaths of hundreds of people, and not many survived the encounter.

"Then I'm one of the lucky ones," Y/N grinned.
After the initial shock, Y/N became more and more excited.
"Finally something interesting".
"I wonder if he will come for tea tomorrow?" mused Y/N.

Y/N was sitting in the same teahouse the next day, waiting for Akutagawa, but it didn't look like the young mafioso was going to sit down for tea again.
"Shit," Y/N sighed.

Tired of waiting, she went for a walk around the neighborhood.
It was cold and snowing, Y/N would have preferred to sit in the warmth, but she was determined to find him.
What if she found him? Y/N wasn't sure yet.

For the moment, she was not afraid, but excited.
More than anything, she wanted to get away from her drab everyday life and finally find something interesting. That was what drove her.

It must have been an hour since she had been wandering the streets when she caught a glimpse of a familiar black coat out of the corner of her eye.
"Gotcha," Y/N grinned.

The young mafioso was alone, talking on the phone to someone, a satisfied look on his face.
"I wonder if he killed someone today," Y/N guessed at the reason for his satisfaction.

She followed him at a distance as he walked through narrow side streets.
It was already dark and this part of Yokohama was not very safe for a woman alone.
Fortunately, Y/N was not alone, as she was following a wanted murderer. At this, a cynical smile involuntarily tugged at her lips.

She had been following the man for some time, but it was as if he was walking aimlessly.
"Maybe he spotted me," Y/N mused.
She had lost sight of the mafioso and found herself in an alley.

"Damn," Y/N cursed.

"It is said that she who seeks death will find it easily if she follows the trail of death."

"Maybe I'm looking for death, maybe I'm just lost."

"Why are you following me? Maybe you don't know who I am?"

"Maybe I'm following you, maybe I'm just lost," Y/N smiled.

"Maybe I should help you decide," the mafioso grinned. "Rashoumon!"

Akutagawa's ability wrapped around
Y/N's neck, almost strangling her.
Y/N grinned.

"Not a nice way to treat a woman before a first date."

The mafioso looked embarrassed.

"Shut your mouth and answer what I asked you."

"I can't do that, maybe if you'd squeeze my neck a little less..."

"If you don't answer me, I'll kill you," the man threatened.

"As much as I'm enjoying this, I don't want a mark on my neck tomorrow," sighed Y/N.

The mafioso looked in disbelief at the girl, who didn't seem the least bit afraid of him.
In fact, she was enjoying the situation. He felt embarrassed.
All because of a cheap whore.
This irritated him more than anything.



Y/N, seeing the pure contempt on the mafioso's face, decided to wait no longer, looked him straight in the eye, and activated her own ability.

"Let me go!" ordered Y/N in a weak voice from the choking.
Akutagawa's Rashoumon dissolved around Y/N's neck.
The mafioso looked at her in disbelief.

"If you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do. I hope we have the pleasure of meeting again next time, Akutagawa Ryonnosuke," grinned Y/N.

"You'll regret this, you stupid bitch," threatened the mafioso.