kirara

Huh.

Once I'm back in Siracusa, I'll let you go, and you can text your texts, game your games, nobody'll bother you.

You're seriously going back to Siracusa?

The hell else am I gonna go? Cousin sent me packing to Lungmen like a dumbass, said business here was honey and wine... Whose honey? Ain't no business worth nothing!

I'm telling you, they baited him in, he joined up with a famiglia, and figured he'd get his own little errand boy!

I spent months holding my breath, following him and his business around until I was drowning in all their petty shit. Said I wanted to go home once! Just once! And he robs a jewelry store, pins all the charges on me!

I ain't about to throw away decades a million miles from home!

I got my mamma and papà in Siracusa! They were begging me like crazy before I left, but I was stupider than bricks, and not one word, I didn't listen to one word they said...

I just wanna go home, wanna see them! One more time! And if the powers that be say I'm a coward and decide to sink me into a river, then that's the price I gotta pay!

(Habitually pulls out phone and begins typing)

(Quietly) Honestly... I don't wanna be away from home either.

(Quietly) I went through a lot of my own pain getting out here, all the way from home...

Come again?

Nothing.

You don't have a guide, though, even... Are you really gonna make it back to Siracusa?

Whaddaya want me to do? Ask the L.G.D.?

Sure, I got duped, but I'm still a mafioso. What, a suit walking right up to the fuzz? Saying 'I got set up?' You think they'll listen?

If they don't wanna listen to you, then it doesn't matter how much you tell them, they're just gonna go by their preconceptions so they can misinterpret whatever you say. I know that.

Okay, see, I thought you were just gonna risk your life begging me to 'explain the situation' to an L.G.D.

But, uh, even if you can't convince them, you're probably not gonna die... On the other hand, if you run into trouble in the wasteland then you're definitely never making it back.

Hold on.

Huh?

Hold on, that—is that an L.G.D. roadblock?! Are they checking cars?!

Hey, and I see you pulled out your phone again, huh?!

You were sending the L.G.D. a nice little tip-off after all! Gimme that damned thing—

Cease!

Kirara, get out of the car now! We're Rhodes Island operators, we're here for you!

God damned L.G.D. laphounds!

Kirara, grab my hand—

What is it? Why are you frozen? This is an urgent situation; whatever it is, you can save it for later!

But—

Relax, Kirara, I got your collection out the trunk already. You get out of the car with Akafuyu. L.G.D.'ll take care of the perp!

Utage?!

A—Alright!

(Sighs)

Okay, guy kinda gave us the runaround, but you're alright, the luggage you were protecting the whole way's fine, it's all good. Medetashi, medetashi.

Kirara, hello?

I know you're in shock, but, like, you're gonna block traffic if you keep standing there, okay?

Oh! Sorry...

You got your fruit tea, you've tried Lungmen's famous finballs. I bet you feel calmer now, right, girl?

Um... mmhm. Thanks, Utage.

Lemme get you introduced. This real samurai-vibey lady's Rhodes Island Operator Akafuyu. Should've been her sitting in the car, actually, with the robber guy.

Why?

She's the whole 'guide' he was talking about.

The... young Higashinese-dressed Ægir woman... he was looking for... was her?

Indeed. The L.G.D. has been following him, but scared of alarming him, they had me act the guide, so he could be seized at an opportune moment.

Who knew I'd be so careless, and even draw you in, Kirara. I am truly sorry to startle you.

It's... alr...

(Habitually fishes out phone)

Huh?

(Alarmedly rummages for phone)

It's not polite to send your thanks via text if they're right in front of you, girl.

N—No... I left my phone in that car!

Chill, we'll pick out a new one for you in a bit. Call it a little get-well-soon.

But I've got a lot of important stuff on that phone, and I mean really, honestly important stuff!

You got, like, game cheat codes on there? Or some kinda training notes so you can beat the super tough guys?

Okay... yes, both of those are in there but I don't mean them!

Utage, can we follow that car?

Akafuyu?

This pursuit is in the L.G.D.'s hands now. If we give further chase, I fear we'll simply make trouble for them.

She looks anxious for real to me.

I know her, and I don't think losing her entire collection forever in that car would, like, get to her as bad as this.

Right, Kirara?

(Fiercely nods)

If so, it's not as if we can't send word to the L.G.D. Where should we look for him, however, given he raced away from the checkpoint?

That's—no worries, I can handle that...

You go, Kirara. What, you can pin your phone's location on your handheld or?

Actually, I modded all my electronics before I left so I could protect against losing anything, so they've all got relative tracking functions to each other...

Whoa, you got even crazier at modding tech stuff and I never knew!

Anyhow, that red point that's been moving the whole time is my phone's position, so it looks like that guy hasn't realized I left it in his car yet...

Given so, we have an easy in.

Utage, your classmate here is by no means of ordinary ability.

Preach it. All of my friends are showstoppers. I know that best.

Haha...

Straight for five hundred meters and then take the next right.

The way you've been, like, looking at the map on your console and then giving directions, it's kinda like you're playing a game.

No, that's not really what's going on, I'm just... just looking at a map.

This is no time for modesty, girl.

...resisting...

...give yourself up...

No mistake. We've made dead heat on the target!

Stop resisting! Lay your weapons down, put your hands up and come out!

I don't want none—none of you near me!

Let me go, I wanna leave Lungmen, I'm going back to Siracusa, I wanna go home!

Let it go! Now lay your weapons down, and we can still approach you with an open mind!

Like hell! I know what you're gonna do to me—I ain't no fool! I'm going home, dammit, I just need to get out of here and back to Siracusa!

First that stupid cousin, then the 'famiglia,' and now you, and that girl just earlier, you're all out for blood! You're all filthy liars!

I want you all gone! Get out of my goddamn way! You're not fooling me no more! I'm going home!

Shoot, I think he snapped.

This is kind of a stalemate, so the L.G.D. are gonna go to force soon. I don't think we can guarantee your phone'll survive a firefight, and that guy is, like, the world vs. him at this point.

Akafuyu, you think we can slip in?

Absolutely not. The L.G.D. cannot ensure our safety should we intrude over the cordon. We can only pray the man calms down soon.

I did ask the L.G.D. His jewelry store robbery had no casualties, which should mean they take him into custody.

Ugh, yeah, custody beats dying any day. So when's he gonna realize it, again?

But he... said he was framed.

Huh?!

While we were in the car he told me, he didn't actually rob that store, he was set up by somebody else.

Did he actually, factually say that?

Yeah...

Akafuyu, could you tell that to an L.G.D. guy for us, please?