I was looking at the young woman waiting for me under the unbudding sakura trees. She was sitting down at the bottom of the stairs that led to the old temple that served as Shiwazaki sensei's dojo and house. She was anxiously looking at her phone.

I watched it like I would watch a painting, a strange feeling growing inside me. I could almost see what it would look like with the pinks blossoms falling from the trees.

She looked up, anguish filling her eyes.

And the painting suddenly breathed life as she stood.

« Sias ? Are you alright ? » Frei asked me.

« Yup, a bit tired and anxious at the idea of getting all our stuff up this hill. » I answered calmly, showing all the bagage I had had to move from subway to subway.

« I mean, dad told me somtehing had happened in the hotel we were staying at. I looked at your message and tried to contact you, but you didn't answer. » She watched me closely. « What's all this on your clothes ? »

If I told her the truth she wouldn't be worried, she would be furious.

« You tried to contact me ? » I looked at my phone, trying to dodge the subject, and saw multiple phone calls I had missed. I didn't notice them, my ears were still ringing a bit.

« Sorry, I didn't hear them. What happened at our hotel ? » I asked innocently.

« An explosion, they said they found a dead man in an appartement. You want me to believe you were not involved in this at all ? »

I grimaced. I hated lying.

There was a long silence. I was pondering what it would mean to hide the truth. What it would mean to our relationship, our friendship.

But how could I ? In front of those eyes ?

I sighed for the hundreth time this month.

« It was one of the assassin. He won't bother us anymore. »

Frei took a step back.

« Did you... ? »

I stared at her.

« Do you really want me to answer that? »

That made her shut up. She thought for a while.

« I told you you should come with me ! »

« Yes, but I couldn't go away without showing were I was. They were going to go after my friends and my family. Now that I got their attention, they'll only go for me. I know how those people operate, you need to make them act out of emotions, whether it's anger, fear, or curiosity. Never let them think. »

As expected, she was getting angry.

« Did you EXPECT this to happen ? »

« I planned for it to happen ».

A gust of wind made my hair fly in front of me, something I wasn't used to, maybe I never will.

I cleared my vision, passing my fingers through my long hair.

I saw my friend change expressions multiple times.

It finally settled to calm, which was probably good news for me.

« You could have lied to me. »

I didn't see her point.

« Yes. » I simply stated.

Silence anew.

« Why didn't you involve me in your plan ? I'm supposed to be your bodyguard. »

« Yes, not my hitman. »

« What do you mean ? »

« I wasn't ready to let you kill someone on my behalf. »

« We could have fled ! » She was getting angry again.

But someone else answered before me.

« No you could not. »

Shiwazaki sensei was going down the last few stairs of the Japanese Hill temple.

« Tou-san ! » Frei exclaimed surprised.

I bowed politely to my ex-professor. Not liking someone didn't mean you had to be rude.

He bowed his head slightly towards me.

I didn't need to ask Frei how it had gone with her father. Looking at his unusual calm and tired demeanor, he had most obviously, somehow, agreed to take us in.

Still I was slightly surprised to see him as relaxed as he was.

« Don't look so amazed shitty student, I can see my mistakes when they are thrown in my face. »

Well, well, seems I was mistaken about Shiwazaki-sensei.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

« Arigatôu gozaimasu. » I told him.

« Why are you thanking me ? » He countered, annoyed, not really awaiting an answer.

Frei looked silently back and forth between the two of us, awaiting a potential catastrophy most likely, but seeing it wasn't coming, she asked her father a question.

« Why could we not have fled father ? »

« Because you don't flee from people like the ones who were sent to kill him. » He pointed at me.

Frei was still a bit puzzled.

« You completely forgot your lessons with me girl ? Assess the threat. Clearly they sent multiple armed professionals in a peaceful country, in a highly protected area. What does that tell you ? »

Frei took a while to get her bearings back. It seemed she wasn't used to her father speaking to her like this. But it didn't seem to bother her, far from it.

« High threat... I think in the GBA classement, it means a C+ threat ? »

GBA ? What the hell was the game boy advance doing in this conversation...

I didn't dare ask it out loud, they were having a moment, I wasn't going to butt in.

« Yes good. You remembered. » Shiwazaki-san nodded.

Frei almost looked proud.

You may hate your parents, but you always look for their approval.

Still, Reiki Shiwazaki was getting better, more than I could have hoped for, he had changed a lot this past week, and I couldn't blame being happy to be approved by this current individual. I thought I would destroy him, but apparently what I said helped him instead. As someone who tries to help people cope with mental illnesses, this was actually pretty gratifying.

« What's more, they probably have all the info in the world, seeing they are being employed by Shikami. »

That made me panick a bit, did Frei tell him about the assassin's employer ? But before I could do anything, Frei jumped in between me and her father.

« How do you know that ? » She asked.

«The name Shikami? Well, I got an offer to kill the shitty student, in a nice pink letter. Lot's of money too. T'was signed by this name.» He showed us the letter.

« Mizuna. » He continued. « Move out of the way. »

« I thought,... I though... » Began my friend.

I looked at him. Was I wrong ? Did he accept a killing order for my head. But the only thing I read inside him was... amusement.

I put a calming hand on my friends back.

« Frei calm down, he didn't accept the contract. »

« He obviously has ! » She answered nervously.

« I have not. And I may deserve so little trust, but it still hurts coming from my own daughter. I wouldn't kill a friend of yours. » The old teacher calmly explained. « I would also come with a real sword, not with this. » He showed us his wooden bokken.

That seemed to calm Frei a bit. « Sorry, but I am already failing my job on multiple levels, I won't let my VIP get killed by my own father. »

Shiwazaki-san waved his hand up and down. « Yes child, I know, still if you were supposed to be his bodyguard, you shouldn't have personal feelings in the matter, so you fail anyway. »

Frei made a surprised sound at that statement. I couldn't see her expression, but if I had to guess, it would be the timid, pensive gaze she sometimes had.

It was time to end this charming father daughter reunion.

« Sorry to bother y'all. » I began with an exaggerated accent « But what did Shikami tell you ? »

In a perfect motion, my ex-teacher threw me the letter before going back up the stairs.

I caught it easily. The throw had been perfect.

He was not a fake martial arts master. In his current state, I was happy to have him as an ally.

« He could have helped with the luggage. » Exclaimed Frei dissaprovingly, once he was out of sight. But she was interested in the already opened letter. She pressed herself on me, reading behind my shoulder. Which wasn't unpleasant, but a bit distracting.

I focused on the japanese symbols, simple ones fortunately for me. My hotel number, simple instructions and a million yen reward for my dead body, as long as it was in a good condition. It also told about a coordinated strike in two days time, with all seven individuals involved. A simple picture and name of all the concerned members and myself of course. I recognized the ex-living-ex-Yakuza in the lot, but was suprised for a moment as I didn't see Shiwazaki-san anywhere on there. Neither his name nor his picture.

What the hell did that old fox do again... ?

Then it hit me.

I laughed.

Frei, who finished reading the letter behind my back, lifted up an eyebrow at my ridiculous reaction.

I turned around to see hers. As she didn't move away from me, she was mere inches away. If she wasn't going to move, I wasn't either.

She had a fierce look. It was like her timidity and assertivness had mixed into one strange brew.

« What's so funny about your dead pristine body being asked to be brought back in a plastic bag ? » She asked with a half smile.

« Well, it means your father lied. »

« What now ? »

« Look » I said as I was showing her the only hitman's name without a picture. « He didn't recieve the letter, he took it from this guy. »

« How the hell could you assume... oh... »

« Yeah, you don't need a picture if it's your name. Your father probably knew this Hayashi Sakura, heard him talk about the hit, and decided to intervene. But, as the proud strong man he is » I said with irony « He couldn't admit to our faces that he actually helped his daughter and his ex shitty student out of sheer good heartedness. Had to make us scared for a while and pretend to actually be on the gangster list of one of the top criminal bosses of Japan. »

« He's hopeless... » She concluded.

« Nah, it's actually pretty sweet if you ask me, one of his long forgotten good sides. It's nice it's re-emerging »

« Well, I think it's dumb. Still your words seem to have changed him. »

« No, that's not right. He changed himself, what I told him was just the catalyst. »

She was really close, and was resolute not to move. I decided I lost whatever game we were playing and tried to step back.

« Thank you anyway. » She said while putting a kiss on my left cheek, making me change my mind.

I felt giddy inside for a brief moment, and as usual when overwhelmed by my own emotions, couldn't resist teasing. My bad personnality rearing it's ugly head.

« Hey, that's not fair, my other cheek is jealous now. » I joked.

A strange glow passed through my friends eyes, this strange mixture of emotions getting more vibrant ?

Maybe I shouldn't have poked the sleeping dragon... ? But before I could finish my thought, she circled her arms around my neck and pulled me for a kiss, which definitely was more french than german or japanese.

After what seemed a really short time, she left the embrace and finally stepped back.

As she did, she gave me the most cheeky smile ever. She had some nerve, as her blush betrayed how embarassed she was.

« Finally made...you shut up. » She taunted.

I licked my lips as my only answer. It was true I could not talk right now, but she wasn't getting away from this unscathed.

My tongue seemed to make her boil a bit more, her cheeks going into an even deeper shade of red, and she could only stammer her next sentence out.

« I..I'm not your b-b-bodyguard anymore. I quit. So you can't leave me hanging again...You...you...don't have that excuse anymore. »

She took two of the suitcases, and fled towards the stairs.

Well this was surprising. The rare kind I could actually get used to.

I touched my lips with the tip of my fingers.

That had been...especially soft.

I stood there for awhile, before remembering I had something important to do.

I opened my phone and sent all the info I had just gotten to my dad and detective Kendrick.

I hesitated for awhile. Should I break the phone? No. I decided on just shutting it off. I'd turn it on every hour or so to see if something new would pop up

Still, I had only one week to resolve this mess if I wanted to go to school again.

I know, priorities, priorities.