The Shadowed Neko (MxM)

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Ren's POV

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't still pissed at both myself and Mr. Kenji. After I'd arrived back at the apartment I was greeted by a strangely chipper Montaro. It only seemed to sour my mood even more. With a gleeful smile swimming on his face, he put a hand up waving at me, "Good morning Ren! How was your night?" My ears drooped and so did my tail as I bluntly responded tossing my phone and wallet onto the table, "Fucking horrible."

Hearing that made it seem like I'd turned off a switch in him and a worried frown replaced the giddiness on his face. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Whatever happened? Do you want to talk about it?" Right as I plopped into one of the chairs I felt the exhaustion hit me like a freight train. Slumping over the table, my forehead thudded against the countertop and I grumbled beginning to list off all of the unfortunate events, "I was chased on my way to work, the bodyguard that was with me decided to abandon me, a stranger helped me by shoving me into some disgusting dumpster, and it turns out the sponsor is trying to nab me to get under Mr. Kenji's skin." Pretending to show enthusiasm I brought my hand up as I said in thick sarcasm, "Oh yeah! Not only that but the sponsor knows where Isamu is and what's even better is that I got into a fight with Mr. Kenji earlier."

Turning my head to look up at him, I sent a glare as I finished, "But other than that I'm doing just great." Montaro looked genuinely surprised and he crossed his arms, "You fought with Shiro?" I raised an eyebrow in annoyance. At this point, I expected his response but I still questioned him at the lack of sympathy I was getting, "That's what you're worried about?" The vampire just blinked at me as he shrugged a little as if it were obvious, "Well, it was inevitable that Isamu would be found here sooner or later. Given the circumstances, I'm quite glad that he made his move at the most inopportune time for himself. He'll be so busy holding his event at the club that he won't have the time to juggle between it and Isamu. It just shows how desperate he's become." Chuckling in amusement at the thought of the sponsor struggling, Montaro's eyes glanced away triumphantly.

It didn't take them long to focus back on me after he paused and continued, "But I wouldn't have expected that you'd end up fighting with Shiro. What caused you to lose your temper with him?" The topic immediately rekindled my anger and frustration. I sat up straight balling up my fist, "Literally everything about him. He hasn't told me almost anything about what I'll be doing and he's now acting as if I'll become a liability." Gritting my teeth together, my narrowed gaze went down toward the floor, "I didn't ask to be a part of any of this. He says that I'm perfect for the job but he could ask anyone else to take my place. I don't even fucking know why he needs me when he's already treating me as some sort of pest. I shouldn't have ever signed that damn contract in the first place!"

My tail was fully bushed up in ferocity while my ears flattened against my hair. Visibly shaking, anxiety and regret quickly overwhelmed me. I desperately didn't want to receive that dreaded phone call. If I could go back in time, I would've done my best to avoid him as much as possible. Not even sparing a single glance at him if I knew I'd be dragged into this mess.

Montaro stood there silently with his arms crossed. His dark green eyes blinked slowly and when he finally parted his lips, he said, "If you had never signed the contract, you wouldn't have helped Isamu. He'd still be in the clutches of that mad sponsor right now if you decided against it." Hearing those words made my rage disappear in an instant, but the anxiety I felt still lingered. My fist slowly relaxed but now guilt flowed in my mind while I bitterly muttered, "Yeah...but it wasn't for a good reason."

Instantly the vampire added, tilting his head slightly, "Even so, you were worried about him. If not then you wouldn't have offered him a place to stay." This time I turned my head away from him as I kept silent. I didn't have anything to say against it. Noticing my silence, Montaro stepped around the table to stand in front of me. Then he continued once more, "If you've helped one being, you more than have the capabilities to save others than just him. How about your coworkers? Are you going to allow your fear to keep them from getting out of this as well? Or would you rather they continue to suffer under his unruly authority?"