Erase

Act 75: The Problem

10 YEARS LATER

Ten years have passed since Kurumi's passing. Many things have changed since then. Among them being Jun herself.

From her meek, demure disposition during most of her childhood, Jun went through some dramatic changes as she grew up. She became more angry and prone to violence. There was one time she ruthlessly beat up one of her classmates for making her mad, causing her to be labelled as a "problem child".

In her teenage years, Jun, desperately seeking attention after Mr. Ozawa began focusing more on his tavern than to her, proceeded to joined a gang of bosozoku, which caused a rift between her and her guardian Mr. Ozawa.

As much as Mr. Ozawa wanted to tell Jun about the dangers of staying with this gang for too long, he can only talk to Jun about it for a few minutes until either one of them gets angry and leaves.

However, he couldn't drive Jun away, partially because it would be betraying his friend Kurumi's wishes, but mostly because he doesn't want to let go of his "only daughter".

As a result, this same scenario repeats itself almost every time Mr. Ozawa tries to talk to Jun.

That is, until one Saturday changed everything for the two.

SATURDAY

-Hideout 8:59 AM-

It started out like an ordinary Saturday would. Jun, currently 16 years old, was oversleeping yet again after arriving home at almost 1AM.

Eventually, Jun wakes up to the sound of Mr. Ozawa calling her.

"Jun...! Wake up! It's already 9AM!" Said Mr. Ozawa. "JUN!"

Jun then gets up from her bed, still half-drowsy. She woke up dressed in a pair of black skull-n'-crossbones pajamas, with the top unbuttoned to reveal most of her abdomen, with most of the upper part of her body wrapped around with sarashi. Her long dyed red hair was in an unruly "bedhead" state.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Said Jun. "Fucking hell..."

"I heard that!" Said Mr. Ozawa.

-Ozawa Bar & Drink 9:07 AM-

Jun gets out of her "hideout", where she personally prefers to stay, and goes to the main bar, where Mr. Ozawa was waiting for him.

"Ugh, it's Saturday, old man." Said Jun. "I already had a fucking rough night yesterday. Can't I catch a break?"

"Nope. There's no off days when it comes to Ozawa Bar & Drink." Mr. Ozawa replied. "Here, take this mop. Make sure that floor is squeaky-clean, okay?"

"Fine..." Said Jun.

"Besides, tonight's gonna be a big night!" Mr. Ozawa replied. "Tonight is Sentoki FC fight night! The tournament finals!"

"Meh... once again, sweaty dudes come by here to watch sweaty dudes beat up other sweaty dudes." Said Jun. "You spend so much of your time with your tavern that... ugh, just fuck it."

Mr. Ozawa went silent for a short while, before eventually answering.

"OK, while you're still here, allow me to ask you a question, Jun." Said Mr. Ozawa. "Are you... still with those friends of yours?"

"Ugh... why do you bother, old man?" Jun replied.

"I'm serious, Jun. I've been observing your behavior for the past few weeks..." Said Mr. Ozawa. "... and it seems like every day, your behavior's getting worse."

"You're like... a completely different person now, Jun." Mr. Ozawa continued. "I can't even recognize you at this point."

"Well, what the fuck do you know, old man?" Jun replied. "You've been spending way too much time on that stupid bar to even notice the changes I've been going through!"