𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐁𝐓𝐄𝐃

XXIX - biggest weakness

It was a morning like any other, and you were preparing to leave for a shift at the office. Ryu was already waiting outside for you, and like most days, Masahi had swung by the house early to ensure that breakfast was made and that you were ready to go.

But when you stepped outside, you were surprised to see Ryu chatting with a petite girl dressed in a middle-schooler's uniform.

"Keiko!" Masahi cried out in exasperation. "I told you to wait in the car!"

Ah, so that's...

The name was familiar. It had to be the daughter that he'd mentioned before. You waved to her from afar, and she beamed at you and waved back with ten times the enthusiasm. She was incredibly cute, with her big, violet eyes and cherubic cheeks. Her hair fell all the way down to her waist, bangs swept to the side to better show off her heart-shaped face. Most adolescent girls gave off the air of wanting nothing to do with their parents, but she practically jumped into Masahi's arms.

"Sorry," she giggled, burying her face in his chest. "I got bored of waiting. Ryu kept me company!"

"It's always nice having a chat with you, Keiko," Ryu chuckled. He was a horrible man, to be sure, but you were relieved that he seemed to be treating her like family.

Masahi seemed a touch embarrassed by her display of affection, but there was no mistaking the glint of pride in his eyes as well. "Please behave," he sighed, lightly patting her on the back. "I'm sorry, Ryu. I promised to drive her to school today, so I hope you don't mind that I brought her with me while I stopped by. I'll make it into the office shortly after you."

"Don't worry about it," Ryu mused. "I'm happy to see her. Kids sure grow up quick, huh? Just a few years ago, she barely reached up to my waist."

"That's because I had my growth spurt," Keiko proudly declared, placing both hands on her hips. Then her attention turned back towards you. "Oh, sorry. I should've said hi to you first. I'm Keiko, and you are?"

"[Name]," you smiled, meeting her in a handshake. "It's nice to meet you, Keiko. Masahi's mentioned you to me before."

The father's cheeks darkened at your words. "There was no need to tell her that," he muttered.

"Dad can be really shy sometimes," Keiko grinned. "He's getting up there in age, but he still acts like a kid every now and then!"

"Keiko, stop it. And [Name] doesn't have time for this right now anyways. She's on her way to work."

"You really work for the yakuza?" she asked, eyes wide with disbelief. "I thought the group was mostly made up of old men like my dad."

"Keiko, please," Masahi groaned.

You did your best to keep smiling, even though the reality was that you were hardly here by choice. "I just take care of paperwork and stuff like that," you said. "Your dad has way more responsibilities than someone like me. It's just an office job."

"Oh, I see," she frowned. She almost looked disappointed. Perhaps in a way, she was disillusioned as to what sort of work the yakuza actually did. She was still young, and it probably comforted her to think of an organized crime syndicate in a more glorified way. It was an easier truth to swallow than imagining what sort of violent, gruesome deeds her father got up to.

"Well, you've gotten the chance to say hi," Masahi said, clearly in a rush to get his daughter out of here as quickly as possible. "Ryu and [Name] have to get going, so let's stop taking up too much of their time."

Keiko pursed her lips. "Okay. But when I'm older, I'll be able to work for the yakuza too, right?"

To say that Masahi's face turned pale would have been the understatement of the century. It was as if his veins had stopped pumping blood and began carrying ice instead. Just by looking at him, you felt an immense sense of dread. To hear something like that as the parent of a young girl must be more horrifying than you could put into words.