𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐓𝐄𝐃 | 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴

X - candlelit dinner

The office reeked of cigarettes, printer ink, and burnt coffee. It was your first time you'd come in over the past few days, and needless to say, the atmosphere had not been missed.

With the exception of Yuki and Hikaru, the rest of the members still didn't like you. Well, perhaps Masahi could be excluded from that group, but for the most part, your statement held true. It was already stifling enough being the only woman in a building full of criminal men, what with the way they eyed you down as if you were a fawn ready to be preyed on. You'd been expecting that much. But the constant loathing in their expressions was easily a hundred times worse.

You were aware that the yakuza has some sort of code of honor that they adhered to, among many other strict traditions and customs, though they were also subject to modernization, like most things in society. So, you could only imagine how frustrated they must feel to have to share their space with some common civilian, not even part of the yakuza, who was a woman on top of everything else. It probably felt like a big slap to the face. Like you were making a mockery of their whole organization.

But it wasn't your fucking choice. Surely they realized that? You didn't want to be here. You wanted to be as far away from here as humanly possible.

None of this was your fault. You really wished they would stop glaring at you in a way that suggested otherwise.

"None of them can stand me," you muttered out in a defeated tone. Yuki heard you and peered over from his desk, brows pulled together.

"What do you mean?"

"It's pretty obvious. They aren't exactly trying to hide how they feel about me. If Ryu hadn't ordered them to keep their hands off me, I'm sure they would have killed me by now."

"They're not as bad as you might think," he said, offering a sympathetic smile. "Most of them work hard to provide for their families, or have stuck around out of respect for the previous boss, like I mentioned before. It's not as if all of them are here because they enjoy violence or crime in general. It's more of a learned lifestyle for them, if you can call it that."

You chewed on your bottom lip. Even now, they kept stealing glances your way and occasionally muttering something under their breaths. If you had to take a guess, it probably wasn't anything pleasant.

"Call it whatever you want," you sighed. "Still doesn't change what they think of me. I'm sure they like you because you're a proper member. Plus, you're nice and friendly. As for me... it seems like I've got a bit of an unpopular streak."

Yuki grinned, a bit too eagerly, in your opinion. "Do you really think that about me?"

"About you being nice? Yeah. You're pleasant to be around. If I'd met you anywhere else, there's no way I would've guessed that you were involved in something like this. No offense," you quickly added.

"Everyone has their own circumstances. What one person chooses to do with their life might seem completely absurd to the next."

"I guess so."

You agreed with him, to some extent, but you personally didn't think there was ever any excuse for committing crimes. Unless the person was being forced to do something under duress. Like you.

Would what I'm doing technically count as a crime? I'm basically a prisoner, but I'm still running their books and helping their business along. Am I... already a criminal?

You hung your head. Great. Yet another thing to feel endlessly shitty about.

"Hey," Yuki said, motioning towards the door. "Do you want to go outside to get some fresh air for a bit?"