Smooth Operator.

06. No Smoking Allowed

CHAPTER SIX
NO SMOKING ALLOWED

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AS THE SHINKANSEN PULLED INTO SHIN-YOKOHAMA STATION, ESTELA STEPPED OFF THE PLATFORM, WATCHING AS PEOPLE WALKED IN AND OUT OF THE TRAIN. Her hand rested on her chest, beneath the breast pocket of her blazer, just in case she had to make any emergency pulls for the Beretta.

She stood outside the door that separated carriages three and four, whilst the two fruits stood further up and down the platform.

Although she was supposed to be looking for that Ladybug man to deboard the train with the decoy case, Black Cat couldn't prevent her mind from wandering. She found it so odd how, depending on the circumstance, rivals can become partners in the best and worst of times; she was finding this out firsthand, from going from anxious the fruits would find her with the briefcase, to losing the case and now working with them to find it again.

Lemon seemed nice enough, with his soft eyes and Thomas the Tank Engine obsession, which was sort of endearing for him being a contract assassin. Tangerine, on the other hand, had not presented himself with the best first impression; he was hot-tempered and potty-mouthed, neither of which were a flattering combination, and the porn moustache wasn't really doing him any favours, either.

The woman peered up the platform, to where Tangerine stood, eyebrows furrowed as he glared at every person passing him. His silver gun glinted under the overhead lights as he held it firmly by his side. He held himself with confidence, though Estela was unsure if it was true confidence, or just cockiness, which wouldn't be surprising.

Almost a minute had passed and no ladybugs had stepped off the train, and the platform was beginning to grow less and less busy as people boarded and deboarded the Shinkansen.

At the bottom of the platform, Lemon, gun in hand, looked over at Tangerine and Black Cat with a shrug and solemn shake of his head. Black Cat's lips tugged into a line, and she looked further up the platform to spot Tangerine. He rolled his icy eyes and let out a grunt Black Cat could hear from her place on the platform, and he turned around and boarded the train.

Black Cat looked back over at Lemon, and the two shared a shrug and stepped up onto the Shinkansen once again.

No sign of The Ladybug and his stupid silver case.

The trio met up at the bottom of the Shinkansen, the baggage compartment just before the first economy carriage. They decided that Black Cat and Tangerine would work their way up the train in search of the man with black glasses, and Lemon would stay with The White Death's son, in order to ensure no more harm came to him, working his way slowly up the platform to search for either briefcases more thoroughly.

"No sign of the cunt," was the first thing Tangerine said as he emerged from Carriage One, hands in pockets and a scowl upon his face.

Black Cat shook her head, indicating the same for her.

"Where'd you last see him?"

Black Cat stared through the window of the automatic door leading into Carriage Two. "Way further up. We were just out of Economy."

Tangerine let out a huff. "There's nothing back there, so I guess the only thing left is to go up the cars until we trap the piece of cunt."