After a week of enduring the mindnumbing boredom that was school and pretending to be Kaya, it was finally the weekend.

"Sis, are you going out today?"

Saya was standing by the door of the living room, dressed in her t-shirt and shorts, blinking at me curiously.

"Ah, yeah... Sorry, Saya, I have something to do today..."

I was putting on my shoes, wearing some clothes I found in the closet for going out.

The idea of having to wear women's clothing still didn't sit right with me so I picked something that was as unisex as possible -- denim jeans and a shirt.

It felt good to finally not have to wear a skirt that I had been forced to wear the whole week cause of school.

"Be careful, okay, sis..." Saya said, watching me worriedly, "Maybe I should go out with you..."

"Ahahah...! I will be fine, Saya...! You just stay home and enjoy your day...!"

"Okay..."

Just as I was about to leave the apartment, Saya called out to me, stopping me.

"Ah, sis!"

"Hm?"

I turned around to face Saya and saw Saya walking over to me. For some reason, I thought back to the time that Saya had kissed my cheek when I had found Kaya's keychain for her and my face flushed involuntarily.

"S, Saya...?--"

Saya stopped in front of me, reaching her hands up to my face, then she started brushing the sides of my hair.

"Jeez, sis, how many times did I tell you to take care of your hair in the morning? Just because you have such naturally pretty hair doesn't mean you can just leave it alone like that!"

"T, thanks, Saya..."

She scared me for a second.

Ever since that kiss Saya gave me on the cheek, I hadn't been able to relax whenever she got close to me like that.

"There, all done!"

Saya leaned back, smiling at me, "Don't be late for dinner, okay? Have a safe trip, sis!"

"Thanks, Saya! I shouldn't be out too long!" I smiled back, seeing the cute smile on her face. "Well, I'll be off then!"

Leaving the apartment with a sigh, I strolled down the stairs to get down to the streets, then started heading for the train station.

I had been waiting for the weekend to come the whole week.

Back when I was going to school, I had simply skipped all the classes whenever I didn't feel like going (which was most of the time), so I pretty much had all the free time in the world.

But now, having to actually go to school everyday with Saya, I could understand now why everyone looked forward to the weekend so much.

Crossing the street to get to the train station, I felt like jumping up in joy at the new found sense of freedom.

Finally, no more pretending to be a girl (or at least I could pretend less)!

No more students watching me everywhere I went!

No more stupid class!

I could do whatever I wanted to today!

Lighting a cigarette that I had hid inside my bag, I sighed in relief, breathing out a puff of smoke amidst passerbys that stared in shock at the petite girl with cherry pink hair smoking a cigarette.

But first, there was something important that I needed to do.

~x~

Standing at a quiet street in Shinjuku, having taken the train to get there, I stared at a spot in front of me on the sidewalk where I stood.

This was... where I was stabbed.

When I had been on my way back to my apartment that night.

The night just before I woke up in this body.

Although I had been heavily intoxicated that night, I was sure that this was the place.

The only thing that I couldn't remember was who it was that had stabbed me.

It was dark and they had been wearing a cloak, but I could remember looking up into the hood of their cloak just before I had blank out.

...

Aaahh! Dammit!

It was no use.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't remember what their face had looked like.

Maybe I didn't really see their face after all...

"Get out of the way!"

A scrowl came out of nowhere, and I was shoved to the side of the road as a group of guys pushed past me, marching along the street.

"Fucker, did you just shove me?!"

The words had rolled out of my mouth so easily, that I didn't even realised I had said it until the group of guys stopped, turning around to glance at me with murderous looks on their faces.

"Hah?! What the fuck was that?!"

The one that had shoved me stomped over, his eyes dark and violent.

His group of friends crowded around me too, all of them beefed up with intimidating appearances and tattoos running along their bodies.

"What? It's just a girl..." One of them said disappointingly.

"She must be lost, having a loud mouth like that in Shinjuku," Another one sneered.

The one that had shoved me was now leering at me up and down as though studying me, a lecherous smirk smeared across his face.

"Girl, you ain't bad looking... in fact, you're actually pretty fuckin' hot!"

I sighed, hearing his comment.

Today was one of the only free days out of the week that I had to do whatever I wanted.

I didn't want to waste it beating up low-level goons like these retards.

Why couldn't I had just kept my mouth shut...

I tried to think of something to say to get myself out of this situation without having to waste my time.

Then I had it.

"Look..." I sighed again, crossing my arms, "I'm actually one of the girls working for the Shi-kai. I'm sure you guys know about the Shi-kai if you're hanging around Shinjuku, right?"

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Pssschhh..."

I glanced up with a mildly annoyed expression at the group of hoodlums that now looked as though they were holding back fits of laughter.

"Ahahahahahahah--!!!"

They suddenly roared in laughter, some of them dropping down to their knees in tears.

"What?" I glared at them irritatedly, feeling as though a vein was about to pop on my forehead, "What's so funny?"

"Ahahahah...!!" The one that had shoved me wiped tears from his eyes from laughing so hard, "Little lady, if you're going to pretend to be in a yakuza gang, at least try to pick one that is actually respected!"

"Hah?" I furrowed my eyebrows, my patience was fast waning, "What the fuck are you talking about? Shi-kai are the ones that run the place around Shinjuku!"

"Yeah, maybe like when their leader was still around! Now they don't even control so much as a trash bin around Shinjuku! Ahahah!"

That was the last straw.

My hands had already balled up into clenched fists without me realising it.

It was time to send these guys to the afterlife.

~x~

I breathed out an unsatisfied sigh, patting my hands together as I walked down the lively main streets of Shinjuku that was filled with people walking everywhere.

I can't believe I wasted my time with those idiots.

They were so weak that it didn't even feel good beating the shit out of them til they were in a half-dead, half-comatose state.

Thank god no one was around to see that.

I had left their bodies inside some rubbish bins I found around the place that belonged to some random person's house on that street.

I hope whoever found their bodies would call the police and send those idiots to prison.

Still...

If what they were saying was true... then I needed to do something about it!

I couldn't let the gang that I had found and raised to die just like that!

The whole reason I had formed the gang in the first place...

"Hey babe, are you looking for some hot guys to take care of your every need?"

Again...?

Turning around with my fists at my side, ready to break someone's nose, I found myself face to face with a familiar face.

"H, Higuchi...?!?"

"Huh...?"

The boy with bleached blond hair and a scar running down one eyebrow, blinked at me with a puzzled look.

"How do you know my name...?" He asked.

I stared my second-in-command of the Shi-kai up and down in disbelief, seeing the fancy black and white suit he was dressed in and the flyers to some host club that he was carrying.

"Wh, what the fuck are you doing, Higuchi...?! Why are you dressed like that...?!"

"Eh, you've never seen a host before? They're pretty common in Shinjuku..."

"No! I don't mean that! I mean...! Why the fuck are you doing a host's job?! You're a fuckin' yakuza for fuck's sakes!!"

"Hey, don't talk shit about my job, a man's gotta eat, you know..." Higuchi glared at me annoyed, "And how do you know about--"

I grabbed him by the shoulder, feeling as though I wanted to break his neck, then dragged him off the streets.

"Come with me, we gotta talk..."

~x~

Since Shinjuku was so crowded, there wasn't even really any place where I could talk to him alone.

In the end, we ended up at the host club that he worked at.

"So, let me get this straight..." He said.

Higuchi was sitting in front of me in some couch sofas and a table that was supposed to be for customers.

"You're telling me... that you're Takeru Amano... our missing boss, the leader of the Shi-kai, and that you woke up to find yourself in that body, a girl's body...?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm trying to tell you, man!" I said in relief, glad that he was finally getting it.

Although Higuchi was fearless as the second-in-command of the Shi-kai, never once having disobeyed my orders, he was also pretty dense most of the times. He was around the same age as me but he dropped out of school even earlier than me, having been raised as an orphan most of his life.

Higuchi stared at my face quietly.

Finally.

Someone that would finally recognise me not as Kaya but as myself...

"You..." Higuchi said softly in a serious tone.

Then, suddenly he bursted out laughing, "What the fuck are you saying, girl?! You swapped bodies with the boss?! Don't take me for an idiot just cos I didn't go to school!!"

"..."

"If you're trying to find a fool to trick, you should look some place else! I don't have any money to buy your scam, girl! Otherwise, I wouldn't be here working as a host just to make a livin--"

"You fuckin' useless piece of shit--!!"

I punched Higuchi in the face, sending him flying off his seat and sliding across the ground of the host club.

"How do you not recognise your own fuckin' boss?! Are you really that fucken dense?!" I shouted at him on the floor, "And working as a host?! Are you fucken serious?! I don't give a shit if you're finding scraps off the floor and eating it, where is your fuckin' yakuza pride?! Don't you remember the words that Murano-aniki had told us when we first became yakuza?! How dare you trample on his spirits with pathetic shit like this!!"

Breathing heavily amidst the stunned silence inside the host club, I sighed, "Forget it. I'm just wasting my time. Just take me to find the rest of the Shi-kai, I can do this shit without you, Higuchi..."

I glanced around the host club, about to yell at the bystanders looking over at me until I realised that they all looked really familiar.

"K, Keiji...?! Dai...?! You guys...?!"

I stopped when I realised that every single host in this host club were my kobuns from the Shi-kai.

"I finally see now..." Higuchi spoke as he picked himself up from the ground, "I see what you had meant earlier..."

"H, huh?" I blinked, turning my attention back to Higuchi, still stunned, "You see...? What do you mean...?"

"Yea, all that stuff you were saying before about the boss..." Higuchi said, a knowing smile on his face as though he finally understands something.

"You mean... you finally get it...?" I said in disbelief.

Thank god.

It took some time, but he finally understands that it was me inside this body.

I knew that no matter how stupid Higuchi was, he should still be able to recognise me.

After all the blood, sweat and tears we've been through fighting as yakuzas together.

"Yea!" Higuchi let out a yell, raising his chin proudly, "The power of that punch...! The passion behind that speech...! I can feel the exact same yakuza spirit burning inside you that I felt with the boss! There's no doubt about it!"

I laughed, still in disbelief, "I knew I made you my second-in-command for a reason, Higuchi..."

"You..." Higuchi strolled up to me, that same knowing smile still on his face, then he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"You want to join the Shi-kai, right?" Higuchi said.

"H, huh...?"

"Even though normally girls aren't allowed to join the yakuza, I think we can make an exception this time. Your speech really motivated the shit out of me, girl. You must had researched about the Shi-kai a lot online, right?" Higuchi said, then he grinned like an idiot, "Well, who can blame you? After all, we were pretty cool back in the day when we ruled the streets of Shinjuku... Hehe, I know it hasn't even really been that long, but just thinking back to our glory days gets me pumped up."

I stared at him blankly.

"I think that's what I had forgotten all about until just now," Higuchi smiled solemnly at me, "Thank you, girl. Your speech and power really hit my heart and reminded me of what it meant to truly be a yakuza."

Then, he reached his hand out towards me.

"What's your name, girl?"

"Kaya..." I replied back in a monotone voice, my brain empty as I shook his hand.

"Kaya, hm?" Higuchi mused, "It's a kind of a girly name, but what the heck. What really matters is in here," Higuchi planted a fist on his chest, then he turned around to face the rest of the Shi-kai, "What do you say, boys?! Did you not feel the power of her speech hitting into the depths of your soul like a sledgehammer?! Shall we allow this young lady to join the Shi-kai or what?!"

"Oiiii--!!!"

The sound of everyone inside the host club cheering shook the place.

"T, that was the best speech I ever heard in my life...!!"

"I really felt her yakuza spirit even all the way from back here...!"

"Heh! I guess sometimes even the fresh ones can teach us old yakuzas a little something about being a yakuza...!"

Everyone was wiping tears from their eyes with manly smiles on their faces.

"Well, you heard em'," Higuchi turned back to me with a broad smile, "Starting from today, you're officially in the Shi-kai now as one of us, Kaya."

I stared up into his face with dead eyes.

I had been so sure that the guys would recognise me that I didn't even have a backup plan if they didn't.

I guess somehow this way I could still lead the Shi-kai and fufil my goal of becoming the number 1 yakuza...

"Anyways," Higuchi turned away from me, facing back the rest of the guys, "Let's get back out on the streets, boys! We still haven't got any customers this week! We won't be able to pay for this month's rent at this rate!"

"Ahh, we're trying our best, Higuchi."

"The other host club down the street is just really good..."

"It's not my fault that girls these days have such weird tastes in men!"

...

Watching the guys start to disperse to find customers, I didn't realise what I was watching for a few seconds before I snapped out of it.

"H, hey, Higuchi...!" I called out to him before he could go.

"Huh?" He turned back to face me, "What is it, Kaya? Is something wrong?"

"Why are you guys still doing that host stuff...?" I asked, "I thought you guys heard what I was saying before...! Weren't you guys all just saying how it hit you in the heart...?"

"Ah, that," Higuchi laughed heartily, "Yea, sure did, Kaya! Even now, I still feel the passion from your speech burning me up inside! Thanks for that!"

I grabbed his shoulder before he could turn away to head for the door again, my hands shaking with anger, "T, then why the fuck are you going back outside to get customers for the host club...?"

"Huh, what are you saying, Kaya?" Higuchi blinked at me with a look of genuine confusion, "How else are we going to raise the money to keep being yakuzas? The rent for this place and money for food isn't going to pay itself, you know?"

The other kobuns standing around laughed, "That's right, Kaya, you gotta be more realistic! I mean your speech was great and all but we have around 60 mouths in the Shi-kai we need to feed!"

"Yea, with the other yakuza gangs taking back control of Shinjuku, this is the best way we can earn a living!"

"And it's not like it's so bad being a host! We even get an excuse to chat up hot ladies!"

Hearing laughter going around the kobuns inside the host club, I slowly walked over to the door of the host club, locking the door behind me.

"Hey Kaya, why did you lock the door?"

"Are you trying to keep all the hosts to yourself?"

They all started laughing to themselves again while I was cracking my knuckles.

"It looks like you guys still don't understand a single word of what I had said, huh...?" I chuckled darkly, "That's fine... I can just beat it inside each of you instead..."

"Why are you cracking your knuck--"

I threw a fist across one of the kobun's jaw, instantly knocking him out cold flat on the floor and the rest of the guys stared blankly at the kobun on the floor for a few seconds.

Then they started screaming, fleeing for the door that I was standing in front of.

"Kaya, what are you doing?! Have you gone mad?!"

"Get me out of here!!"

Sorry, Saya.

It looks like I'll be coming home late for dinner today.