The Yakuza's flower

Pretty lies

Baki Pov

I was having a small conversation with Hanayama while the girls went to grab something to drink.

"So... the friend?" Hanayama asked.

I glanced in the direction Kozue and Ume had disappeared before answering.

"She's Kozue's best friend. Graduated from school last year, I think." I shrugged. "I don't really know much else. Today's actually the first time I've met her."

Hanayama gave a quiet nod.

The conversation drifted to other things, but every so often my eyes wandered back toward the crowded streets, expecting to see the girls walking back with their drinks.

They never did.

A few more minutes passed.

I frowned.

"They're taking a while..."

At first I figured they had gotten distracted by one of the shops. It wasn't exactly unusual.

Still...

Something didn't feel right.

Hanayama noticed me looking around.

"They're late," he said.

"Yeah."

I slipped my hands into my pockets and scanned the crowd again.

Nothing.

Eventually, Hanayama had business to attend to, so we nodded to each other and went our separate ways.

Instead of heading home, I turned and made my way through the busy streets of Tokyo.

I had a feeling I'd find Kozue and Ume before they found me.

As I walked toward the area where most of the vending machines were, something immediately caught my attention.

People were running away.

Parents grabbed their children.

Shopkeepers stepped back into their stores.

Pedestrians scattered without even looking over their shoulders.

Most people would have followed the crowd.

I walked straight toward it.

My instincts were screaming that something was wrong.

I turned into the narrow alley lined with vending machines.

What I saw made me stop.

Kozue and Ume were on the ground.

And standing over them...

"Sikorsky..."

An old opponent.

One I never expected to see again.

He raised his leg.

He was going to hit both of them with a single kick.

...

My blood boiled.

"BAKI!!"

Kozue's scream echoed through the alley.

Before Sikorsky's kick could land, I was already moving.

I stepped between them in an instant.

Boom!

His kick slammed into my forearm instead.

The force pushed me back half a step, but that was all.

I shoved his leg aside and forced him backward, putting as much distance between him and the girls as I could.