A Monster's Influence: Route C

Chapter 8

Ryuuen's POV

My newly-formed gang and I traversed deeper into the alley system in order to confront Tokitou. It is prudent for me to "peacefully acquire" his services. It honestly was quite difficult to find him, even though the GPS had been tracking his location, becoming less accurate the deeper we went. Eventually, as we went deeper into the alley system, the area became significantly brighter. Neon lights from juice bars, underground restaurants, and arcades lit up the alleys, giving off an eerie feeling that made the ambience more off-putting than the total darkness we were previously in.

Despite such a feeling, I couldn't help but shiver in excitement. It looks like the school wasn't as prim and proper as they made it out to be. Perhaps they are trying to emulate the real world, both the mundane and the more grey area that, while not strictly prohibited, is frowned upon. I decided to let Ishizaki and his boys go off to explore the area on their own while Albert and I continued the search. The information they gather may prove to be fruitful in the future. After a few more minutes of searching, a voice had called out to us.

"Omae." the voice said. My eyes flicked in that direction and saw the man we were looking for glaring down at me. I met his glare head-on with my own, but he didn't flinch at all.

"Oresama," I replied simply. I saw a flash of irritation flicker across his eyes.

"What did you want from me? I noticed you five following me a ways back. Where are the other three that you were with?"

"Pay no attention to them. They're busy doing other things. Probably buying some dirty magazines or something. Come, let's sit down at a restaurant for a bit. Then we'll talk."

Wordlessly, Tokitou, Albert, and I walked a few stores down to an okonomiyaki shop. Luckily, there was ample space so we were sat at a private table without much fuss. We each were given slips that we all marked for the ingredients we wished for our personal okonomiyaki. The host received them, delivering them to the employee in the back, who rapidly loaded up bowls with the ingredients listed. The host then skillfully loaded the bowls on a tray, delivering them to us.

While that was happening, I heated up the griddle to make sure we could cook the ingredients as quickly as possible.

"What did you want to talk about?" Tokitou impatiently asked.

"Maa, maa. What's the rush? We have the rest of the weekend after all. Surely you have time to spare," I smirked at him amusedly, "Let's start cooking the food first."

I used the squeeze bottle to add oil on the heated grill, letting the aroma from the previous user's okonomiyaki permeate the air around the table we sat at. We all then mixed the ingredients in our bowls before pouring our batter mixture on our respective areas of the griddle.

"Well?" Tokitou didn't even try to hide his irritation anymore, glaring at me annoyed at the delay of conversation. More, more! Antagonizing him would likely continue to be entertaining.

"Kukuku, look, it's time to flip the okonomiyaki. We don't want to have our meals burnt, do we?" I took the spatulas provided for us, flipping mine and helping Albert with his. It definitely would be difficult to flip over due to the number of ingredients in his okonomiyaki. I then left the spatulas on the table for Tokitou to pick up and use. I held them too long on purpose so that his okonomiyaki would start burning a little.

I added okonomiyaki sauce, kewpie mayo, bonito flakes, and green laver onto mine before serving some to my plate.

"Albert, do you want to try some of mine? I could take some of yours if you want,"

He wordlessly nodded, holding out his plate to receive a slice of the okonomiyaki.

We started enjoying our food while Tokitou was still busy with cooking his. I could almost feel the delicious irritation coming from him in waves. After he finally served himself his okonomiyaki, he asked in vexation once more, "What do you want, Ryuuen?"

"I want you to side with me," I said bluntly.

Tokitou scowled, "Why the hell would I do that when I could just follow Oda instead?"

"Oda will be crushed anytime this weekend. It's in your best interest to side with me," I smirked, resting my chin on my hand, "Every troublemaker knows you have a rivalry with the Kousetsu Fam, and Oda has better relations with them than you, even though they clash at times."

Tokitou definitely conflicted now, probably trying to consider his next move. Time to stir the pot.

"If that doesn't convince you, maybe this will," I said grinningly, "How about I fuck up that pretty boy's face—"

Immediately, he lunged at me from across the table, intent on getting a hold of my collar. I immediately grabbed his wrist with my left hand and his head with my other, bringing his face close to the still heated griddle. I heard him gasp in shock at what had just transpired.

"Don't fucking interrupt me when I'm speaking, dipshit," I commented before I threw him back to his seat, "As I was just saying, if you don't side with me, I'll fuck up that pretty bitch boy down the line. Maybe I'll get some of the girls to harass that petite brunette with you, too. By any means, I won't stop, even after I win. If you don't side with me, the rest of their three years will be hell for them. I can guarantee that."

Eh, I'd probably mess with them a little if it comes down to it. The pretty boy looks like a pushover so I'd probably force him to hang out with Shiina in the library or something. I think Ishizaki might like the brunette, seeing him casting looks towards her every so often in class. I'll see how he'll try to get her attention, anyway. It'll probably make for some entertainment. I'll bring some popcorn for me and Shiina to eat while we watch this happen over these three years. I made a bet that it would take probably two years for them to get together. Shiina predicted it would be three. She's definitely a wicked demon.

"Ugh, fine, but under one condition," Tokitou finally responded. I was busy monologuing for a minute, yet it took this long for him to decide, "You put down the Kousetsu Fam, first. Those fuckers have been getting on my nerves far too long." At least the stipulation was fair. It was a win/win for me. Taking them down had no downsides— I needed to defeat them anyway in this hierarchy battle.

"Fine. Albert, you are the witness," I commented, holding out my hand for Tokitou to shake. Tokitou hesitantly reached out before trying to crush my hand with force, to which I responded in kind. "A deal has been made. Now to complete it."

I got myself, dusting myself off, before ditching the restaurant with Albert, leaving Tokitou with the bill. Ahh, the sweet sound of obscenities.

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I lied. Well, I have an essay to start tomorrow that I need to finish by 1 pm on Friday. I guess this is just practice. You may or may not see more chapters for my other stories next week. It depends on the free time I have because I'll be busy studying and preparing over Thanksgiving Break. I have quite a few things to get ready for. Bye.