Losing Masks

by Nicholas Metelsky

  “Be careful not to kill him,” I stopped the Russian Vasya. “Follow basic procedures with the bodies. Call the emergency services and tell them that we saved these guys from criminals.”

  That excuse still works every time.

  Leaving him to deal with the bodies, I finally started walking towards the club. At the entrance, I nodded to the guard, as I usually did. Little things give away the spies, and because I had operated covertly for a while, I still went inside without standing in line, greeting the guards as if they were my friends. When I caught up with what I was doing, it was already too late. In the end, I stopped bothering and just left everything as is. You can screw up even more if you try to cover your tracks. Apart from that, no agent who tried to collect information on me has had anything specific or substantial. I could just improvise if I had to. At least, I was hoping that no one had anything on me.

  The club was hopping. Some young lads occupied the bar counter, waiting to get or place their orders. The dance floor was packed with girls, with a slight admixture of guys. The club girls and, strangely enough, Kazuki, dressed in a waiter’s suit, were fussing around between the tables.

  Judging by the fact that Mouse was chatting up the bartender while he was busy with cocktails, Akemi was already there, so I could go straight to her without standing around with a glass in my hand.

  Akemi was in the room by herself. Dressed in a pant suit, she slouched in the sofa, pretending to be dead tired.

  Why pretending?

  “My boy!” She jumped on the couch as soon as she saw me, squeezing me in her arms. “I missed you so much, Shinji. I'm so tired, and I missed you so much!”

  Racing through the entire room, she basically imprinted me into her chest. Although, I don't mind being caught between THEM. I was only taken aback by the fact that I was being seduced, not the other way around.

  “You're gonna choke me, woman.”

  “Are you not happy to see me?” Akemi asked in a sad voice.

  She pulled me away from her chest but wasn't letting me go.

  “I would have been five minutes ago, but now I can't help feeling the opposite.”

  “You're breaking my heart, boy,” she complained.

  “Why don't you get me a drink?” I changed the subject.

  “Of course, my lord. Be so kind to have some juice...”

  “Stop clowning around.”

  “You're such a bore.”

  “That's the way I am,” I replied, sitting down on the sofa. “By the way, I bought a car.”

  “Co-oo-ol! You're so rad!”

  “Two scumbags attempted to steal it by the club entrance.”

  “That's their problem, I suppose,” she looked a bit puzzled.

  “Sure, sure. But if anything, I'll settle the local superintendent hash.”

  “Do you have any reasons for doing so?” Akemi asked with her face turning serious.

  “I'm not sure yet. That's why I'm saying, 'if anything'.”

  “You have to have reasons. People will stop listening to me if I allow such things.”

  “I know, do not worry. Tell me about my case, would you?”

  “Straight to the point, huh? Not even gonna make small talk about the weather or beautiful me?” She puffed out her chest, putting her hands behind her head.

  “Don't you worry, we'll get to discuss your beauty in time.”

  “You're boring and bratty,” the woman frowned, “but fine.”

  She dismissively waved her hand in a cheerful manner.

  “But remember, you promised, boyyy,” Akemi phonetically pronounced her nickname for me, with a languid look.

  She was definitely a woman, this one. Not because of her languid look though, but because of her mood swings.

  “So what have we got? Is there anything on me?”

  “Ohhh!”

  She grabbed her cheeks with her hands and raised her eyes to the ceiling. She paused in this pose and looked at me. At that moment, I glanced at her and then continued to just stare at the table full of food.

  “What?”

  “Is that just a formal question? Are you not interested at all?” “Hands-on-hips” was the name of her pose at the moment.

  “Of course, I'm interested, but I'm also hungry. I only had breakfast today.”

  “You're impossible! Really? In general, everything worked out.”

  “Could you give me more details?”

  “Some things are good, some aren't so good.”

  “Enough goofing around,” I said, scoffing down deep-fried shrimp. “You might get a well-deserved response from me.”

  “What kind of response would that be?” The beauty asked cunningly.

  “Have you ever heard anything about ancestral lands?”

  “Mmm, yes. Who hasn't?”

  “I recently bought a piece of such land.”

  “What?”

  Eyes wide open, lips slightly parted, and raised eyebrows—she was a pretty little thing.

  “So what do we have on my case?”

  “Demon... Fine, I'll start by saying that half of Garagarahabi thinks that the Tokyo dwarf is Koyama Shina.”

  “Why is that?” I was surprised. “What the...?”

  “You are probably aware that many have an idea about your approximate age. And now think for a moment, how many teenagers are there in our country that have the rank of a Master?”

  That's true. I'd technically been scrutinized by others since birth.

  “Anyway. How could they take me for a girl? That’s kind of insulting.”

  “Rumors, you know,” the woman shrugged.

  “Do you have anything to do with these rumors by any chance?”

  “No, of course not. Maybe just a little.”

  “You're playing with fire,” I shook my head. “What does the other half of Garagarahabi think?”

  “They think you're either a strong Master or a weak Knight-universal.”

  “Why do they figure that?”

  “After your break-in, which was recorded on surveillance cameras, many watched you fight, and they don’t have a better explanation. That videotape didn't cost much to my surprise. So, that's it. Based on the recording and the stories the guards told, you used lightning. That alone was a good hint about your specialty, not to mention your speed. Besides that, there were a few instances that involved the use of the elements of the wind. There were just a few moments, but that was enough for a trained eye. And two...”

  “I'm sorry for interrupting. Which moments in particular?”

  “Well, for example, the way you sometimes managed to get up off the ground. It looked as if someone had given you a boost. Lightning can't do that. But similar methods are used by Adepts of Air. Add the “air fist” that you used on the Sand Veteran and you'll see why it's so obvious.”

  “Everything just added up so nicely,” I said, deliberating. “Well, the universal that is. None of the universals in history were known to be Virtuosos.”

  “That's correct. Although even that won't keep many people from their desire to meet you.”

  Knight-universal. That sounds pretty rad because they're stronger than regular Knights and very rare. However, the difficulty of managing the two elements makes it nearly impossible to become a Virtuoso. In fact, it is more common among fairly talented people who realized, for one reason or another, that they would not be able to become the best in martial arts. There is only one bloodline in the whole world that specializes in two elements, and there were never any Virtuosos in this bloodline. That bloodline is the Imperial Family. Ultimately, it wasn't essential for them. Their job was to give orders and sit in the palace. For me, this meant less attention from the aristocracy.

  “How much will they want to find me, do you think?”

  “I'll just say that they'll be looking for you for one reason: to recruit you. I believe that makes sense. And now imagine that they were too persistent and turned the Knights against themselves. What's the sense of keepi
ng such a threat nearby? A Knight is a terrible enemy, like a platoon of combat robots in the body of one human, with a human’s mobility and wit. You have to either be friends with Knights or fight them. It’s impossible to keep a Knight against his will. There have been a few examples. Only a Virtuoso is worse than that, but there aren't many of them. That's why you don't have to worry. They will surely look for you, especially the ones on our side, but they'll do it quietly and peacefully, without causing any harm to anyone. Even if they find you, they will try to win you over to join their ranks.”

  “If I refuse, they might get offended. Aristocrats on the other hand will have plenty of indulgences to offer me.”

  “Anything is possible. However, I strongly doubt that anyone will want to engage in a fight with you. That'd be a senseless waste of resources. A conflict without reason.”

  “Even the Emperor would not mind having another Knight.”

  “For him, you're not worth it. Had it been that simple, Garagarahabi would not exist. I don't understand your fears at all. Your risks were just as high being the Tokyo Dwarf. Now they may be higher, but not by much. Now, you can at least be sure that they will want to have a conversation with you first. Before, they could just hunt you down without further thinking.”

  Ultimately, I knew what was at stake. Actually, everything turned out better than I thought.

  “Got ya. What's new with you?”

  “Hold on, first tell me about the ancestral lands.”

  “There is nothing to tell. Have you heard of the Crystal Eve?”

  “No, I have not. Actually, that sounds familiar, but I don't remember.”

  “That's weird considering that's where my last order was. Anyway, it's a party for aristocrats, where they play poker first and then have an auction. I ended up there and got lucky,” Noticing her confusion, I added, “I won playing cards.”

  “Get out!”

  “Yep, just like that.”

  “Hold on a sec. A real hunt on you is going to start now.”

  “Ha! Wrong guess. Do you know anything about legal matters? I mean, what you can do with the lands and what you can't?”

  “Why would I? I know nothing more about ancestral lands than a common person on the street.”

  “Anyhow. Any financial transaction with ancestral lands excludes its recurrence within the next hundred years. Whether you sold or bought them, you have to wait a hundred years to do anything again. You can't even gift them. Same goes for leasing. If you leased it for fifty years, you still have to wait another fifty years to be able to do anything else. As soon as I put forth an action like that, the hunt for me would be meaningless. There are other aristocratic amendments, but they aren’t important in our case.”

  “I see. So you leased the land. To whom? Koyama? It's too bad that you lost it for fifty years. On the other hand, it's only fifty years to get ancestral lands.”

  “What I did was even smarter, so I outsmarted everyone. I feel pretty good about it,” I said and reached for some juice.

  “You're a monster! Get over here!” She jumped at me and started choking me with her bosom again.

  “What are you do... Hey! Let go of me! You're gonna choke me, jerk!”

  I somehow fought her off and moved to the other side of the table.

  “Are you gonna talk? If you choose to remain silent, that's even better for me.”

  “Okay, Akemi, stop. That's enough acting like a child.”

  “Don't get on my nerves. What did you do?” She asked, sitting back down on the couch.

  “I rented them out to Shidotamoru.”

  “Wait a second. Are you saying you leased the ancestral lands to yourself?”

  “Can you believe it?” I started, also sitting back down. “I'm a minor, that's why I can. It'd be different if I had full ownership of Shidotamoru. According to the Imperial Law, I wouldn't be able to lease the lands to my own company. There is a clause in the Law about that.”

  “You... You sure got the cherry on top of the cake! Hahahaha!” Akemi laughed madly.

  She couldn't stop laughing for a while, which made me smile too.

  “Oh, I can't even... haha,” finally, she started to calm down. “You're such a rascal! You're such a rascal. That's the way to outdo everyone. Koyama probably expected you to lease the lands to them.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Are you going to move now?”

  “Nah. That's too far. It's the other side of the city from my school. When I graduate, then I will. In the meantime, I don't feel like dragging my ass through the entire city every morning. Well, now that I told you, you can go ahead and tell me about yourself.”

  “Same old, same old. Living the life, breaking the law,” she replied carelessly, sipping her wine.

  “What's the plan with seizing new territory?”

  “Why do you care?”

  “Don’t answer a question with another question. Is it really so difficult to tell me?”

  “Everything's fine.”

  “Akemi,” I shook my head. “You're now one of the strongest bosses of your guild, and after you seize new territory you will become the best of the best. We both are well aware that the head of your guild is unlikely to allow this. He wants to be the only one. I know it, he knows it, everyone knows it. For some reason, I doubt that you will win a war against the entire... well, even half of the guild. I'm worried about you, Akemi.”

  She is not just my resource, she is also my friend, so I have the right.

  “Surely, I am flattered, Shinji, but this is not the first flare-up in my career. Don't you worry, I have a plan.”

  “Not the first one, huh? How many were there before, if it’s not a secret?”

  “Who’s counting? Don't worry. I am seasoned in these matters.”

  “You didn't count. But I did,” I unconsciously released Yaki. “There have been two with me around. Two times, you were cliff hanging, and two times I pulled you out. I have an idea of what kind of ‘plans’ you might have.”

  “Don't you raise your voice at me, boy. You're not fully grown yet to teach me.”

  I shouldn't have said that. I can't go back now—it'll make me look like a little boy, and she won't listen to me at all after that. Well, I'll just have to use a few good tricks. I wouldn't use them with a guy. It just wouldn't work with a guy.

  Starting to release Yaki, I began to slowly raise small objects, such as spoons, forks, shrimp. I tried to pick up as many of them as possible, so it looked like my levitation efforts were spontaneous. Not taking my eyes from hers, I went into the Sliding Mode and moved right up to her. Leaning on the sofa, and not stopping Yaki, I hovered over Akemi, all the while still staring into her eyes.

  “Frankly speaking,” I hissed, “I'm sick and tired of everyone rubbing in my age. It's time to understand that in my case, this is just another path that you adults, do not have. Remember, beautiful, you do what I say, and the guild will be yours. If you do not listen,” I had to push her buttons now, “your great plans may kill another person who is close to you.”

  “You...” She cried. “What do you get out of this?”

  Apparently, I overdid it a little.

  Surprised, I actually lost control of several things floating in the air. I thought I could let go of everything else and turn off Yaki.

  “Young, beautiful girl. Are you okay?” I asked in surprise. “My profit is that we're friends. The stronger you are, the stronger I am.”

  The girl now looked very sexy. She was sinking into the couch, trying to hide her fear. Her chest was rising up and down frequently. I almost grabbed her.

  Whoa. I'd better get back in my seat.

  “Don't ever do that again,“ she said to my back, probably forgetting that I had initiated the confrontation. “It happens. I get overwhelmed. No need to be so rough.”

  “I'm sorry I came undone,” I said, now sitting in the same spot on the couch as before.

  “You don't sound very remorsefu
l. Khm. So can you move objects whenever you want to?”

  “No,” I lied. “Only when emotions take me over. Let's forget about this unpleasant incident. How about you tell me about your plan instead? Yes, and how things are in general.”

  “You scared me,” Akemi plaintively pronounced.

  What a she-devil. She recovered too fast.

  “You scared me so much that I can't even get my thoughts together. Should we try it next time?”

  Is this some kind of a test? Is she trying to see if I'm a psycho or not? Is she foolish enough to believe that I'm going to leave her alone now?

  “I'm in no hurry, take your time to calm down.”

  “This kind of stress is best relieved in bed,” she said in her offended, grouchy tone.

  The offer is hard to pass on.

  “As soon as you tell me everything, you can go to bed.”

  In response, I got a heavy sigh and a sad look.

  “I have almost doubled my territory. So far I have not received a slightest hint that the head is unhappy.”

  “Do you think he's up to something?”

  “Most likely. But that’s not a fact. He's not in the position to attack right now. Unfortunately, I need to miss the first hit so that everything looks like self-defense. Then three of the five strongest bosses, not including me, will be left out. Two of them will attack the winner, and one will support him.”

  “Two against two, then. But it's gonna be a while before that happens. How long do you think?”

  “Snake will wait out a week for sure. He will benefit from me making the first move. Then... Then he'll have a busy week. Large supplies of all kinds of stuff will be coming and going.”

  “Isn't it easier for him to attack you first?”

  “Do you think I'm a fool? He can't deal with me in one week. If he attacks first, I’ll make him pay so heavily, he’ll wish he weren’t so hasty.”

  “Good thing I got that figurine.”

  “Right. Overall, he's not going to attack me that week. Later, it will depend on whether my luck changes. He might be ready to attack after the ‘busy week’ or engage in shenanigans... In that case, we'll have, another month,” finally she started using we.

  “What's your plan?”

  “To sit quietly and then go all out!” I waited for her to continue. “Okay, okay. I got a hold of one unregistered Bahir 'locker’. As you know, they are closely monitored, but I was lucky. All that's left is to set a date and place for the massacre.”