"Jeez, why are you always getting shot, goddammit!"

The sound of car doors shutting woke me up. I opened my eyes and closed them again in relief at the familiar sight of LRN. I had a weird dream, some strange person was yelling at me to remember.

"You alright? Can you stand?" 

I turned my head to Riki's voice, "Yeah, I didn't get shot in the leg."

"We're gonna go home now." Hiro announced with a yawn, then mumbled, "Fudge, I still have class at nine in the morning!"

"Me, too. Good night, guys." Kenshi rubbed his eye and waved before walking another way. Takuto just mumbled random curse words under his breath while he crashed somewhere. 

"I'm not moving another step, my place is too far to get back now." I jumped onto the first bed I found starfish style and intended to stay that way for the next three days. But nope, a certain fuqboi shuffled into the bed sheets next to me. I was about to protest when I remembered this was his room in the first place.

Whatever, sleep is more important.

I felt Riki change the bandage on my arm before finally getting to sleep himself. I was too tired to resist when he held me closer. 

"Hmph, if only you were always this obedient." He mumbled jokingly as I fell out of consciousness.

A woman with bright red eyes yelled at me as she stabbed a knife through my palm. Where was I? Where's Riki and the others? 

"I'm sorry, Tatsuro! I'm so sorry!" I screamed and cried as I was dragged away to escape.

I sure was involved in a lot of shit.

My eyes opened groggily. I just remembered a lot of things that I forgot about, but it didn't feel like that at all. It was as if those memories were always with me; that I just tucked it away temporarily. What was I trying to forget so badly? There's still one piece missing.

The room was barely lit by morning sunlight, it's still too early. I shuffled a little in someone's arms, though I was too tired to glance at who it is. My eyelids fell and before I knew it, I was asleep again.

Amongst lots of faces that gave me both feelings of love and hate, a pair of violet and emerald eyes flashed in between other images. I couldn't fathom the thought that the person who was so distant in my memory is actually alive. 

I recall the time when I watched movies with all the guys and how I would always squeeze in between two of them while all of us sat on a table. That way, I could sit sideways and lean on one of them so I wouldn't get tired. #lifehacks

I recall screaming when I spotted a spider, and they all facepalmed. I wouldn't bat an eyelash to slam someone's skull into a wall, yet I was frightened by a tiny spider. But it's not my fault! Those eight-legged creepy crawlies are... creepy!

I recall Riki being a wannabe whiny child when he's drunk. 

...But I also recall Riki staying up the whole night to make sure I was fine after I was reminiscing some horrible past. He teased me while doing so, but he got up early and made me breakfast afterward.

...

Once again, immense pain woke me from my slumber.

My hands flew to my head to massage my temples as I groan slightly. At the same time, I heard the door being opened.

I blinked open my eyes to see Kenshi, Hiro, Takuto, and Atsumu piling up the entrance, Atsumu having a large grin on his face. I didn't know what they were staring at until I felt arms secured around my waist.

I turned my head to find Riki's sleeping face right in front of me. 

"Aww" I murmured while I stretched out to wake myself, "Alrighty, good morning, everyone!"

Hiro chuckled a little, "Lillie-chan, it's three in the afternoon~!"

"...Sleep really didn't hold back." I added jokingly. I felt even more comfortable around the guys now that I remember exactly what we went through together. 

The only thing that's still blurry in my mind is my time in the hospital after getting my first gun shot wound from Rabenda.

"I'll go make your favorites, you must be hungry," Kenshi suggested.

Atsumu: "Ooh, me, too!"

Takuto: *grumble grumble* "I still can't have any pork noodles.... Stupid Riki...."

It was nice to see how normal everyone was acting after the incident last night.

"Rise and shine." Riki greeted with one eye open and a small smile playing on his lips.

"You were awake?" I questioned.

"Yup. I didn't want to deal with their glares of jealousy." 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Riki and I sat gloomily with the others as we ate. Riki had 11 missed calls from his work while I had 7. We have a LOT of explaining to do to our employers.

"Good luck, Kuin." Riki sighed as he prepared to leave.

"Thanks, I'll need it. You, too." I said back before we went separate ways.

I listened to a 20-minute long lecture from my boss, but I was let off the hook with just a warning since I've never done something like this before. 

I yawned a little while I did work in my office. Most deadlines were already met, so things were pretty slow all afternoon. I organized my things and looked up ideas for future issues. The one for next month is already mostly planned out. I have to participate in a meeting in three days to further confirm that.

My work here is done~ I thought so myself in satisfaction when the clock hit 6:30 pm. Since we all made it back alive, the Black Foxes should be celebrating tonight. I better get some beverages and food on my way back.

Someone interrupted my plans real quick. 

"YOU!" Chiwa yelled from the top of her lungs. Everybody left in the office turned in surprise at the usual sweet and gentle girl with a nasty frown on her twisted features. I sighed a bit, then turned around to face her. 

I recall a while ago that Takuto purposely provoked Chiwa to report to her sister, Rabenda, in order to get her to stop hiding so we could get rid of her once and for all. 

"The trap was perfect! How did you escape?! It was a top-notch counterfeit!" She screamed incomprehensibly. Thankfully, no one else in the office is taking her seriously as I could already see the security guards making their way in.

Ahh, looks like Rabenda was the one who set us up into that trap with the fake painting.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The security guards said as they closed in.

"No! NO! This isn't how it should be! SHE should be the one in jail! Suffering for the rest of her life!" Chiwa continued to scream. What made her go all berserk on me? Oh, probably the fact that she and her sister tried to kill me OH so many times, but never succeeded :D

'Sucks to be a loser, doesn't it, Chiwa?' I showed the faintest smirk on my face, just enough so that Chiwa could see. Her eyes widened at my taunting. 

"That's enough. You're coming with us." One of the guards bind Chiwa's arms behind her back and forced her out before she could throw a punch at me. I drank from my mug to hide my triumphant smirk. She failed yet again, and this time, I didn't even have to lift a finger.

~~

I wasn't surprised when I encountered Rabenda while I was on my way to my apartment to get some things. She hasn't shown her face in a while. Maybe I should get rid of her for good this time.

"You got my sister arrested." She began. 

"Well, it really wasn't my fault that she starting screaming nonsense and death threats in the middle of an office."

"You caused it! Chiwa has been with me ever since--"

I began to walk away. I had no interest in her life story about her journey to becoming a psychopath.

"Whatever! I'm tired of setting traps here and there only for you to luck out every single time. I kidnapped you way back in Hong Kong with florid magic, and I'll do it again!"

Welp, I appreciate that you told me your plan beforehand.

Before she could release whatever the hell kind of dark magic crap that she has that made me faint the last time, I held my breath and made a frontal attack first, catching her off guard.

I jumped past her side as I pulled out a bobby pin from my hair. I immediately stood behind her and pointed the sharpest tip of the pin against a pressure point on her neck. As soon as I use force to jab that in, she's gonna die real quick from blood loss.

"Heh, you think I'd fall for the same trick twice?" I had my other elbow around her neck so I'm choking and immobilizing her. If all else fails, I'll just do a Brazilian choke on her.

She coughed and gasped. Tears began gathering in her eyes. But nonetheless, I couldn't kill her right here. It was a secluded spot, but still fairly close to civilization. 

Do I really want to commit murder because of this woman?

...Heck, yeah. 

But before I could do anything, I picked up on sounds of a siren from a short distance. To that, Rabenda smirked, "I already called the cops. As soon as they see this, you're getting arrested for assault!"

Ah, she intended to stall me in the first place while allowing me to harm her in some way so she could have evidence. 

Lillie: "You see, gurl, stuff like explaining your actions unnecessarily to your enemy is what leads to many's downfall. Hope you learn your lesson in jail!"

Without letting her react, I flipped our positions. When the police car arrived, all they saw was Rabenda on top, choking a helpless girl, a.k.a. me, who had a small bruise on her cheek.

Half an hour later, I skipped along happily back to LRN. 

"I heard police sirens earlier, was everything alright? It didn't concern you, did it?" Riki asked the moment I stepped into the restaurant bar. Everyone was back to normal, in their usual spots and doing their usual tasks. 

"I tracked that it stopped at the area near your dorm," Takuto added.

I waved my hand and told them the whole story. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

Hiro flipped out, "You mean you saw that Rabi-Rebin-Bambi-something girl?"

I nodded as I took my seat at the bar stand, "pork noodles, please."

"Coming right up." Kenshi responded and headed to the kitchen. Takuto scowled.

"I got some drinks on my way back." I said, putting out the cans from my grocery bag.

"What for? Is it someone's birthday today?" Hiro asked while tilting his head cutely.

"Not that I know of. I just thought we should celebrate the fact that we all made it back in one piece." I explained.

The atmosphere became a little heavy as I mentioned the mission we all risked our lives for but gained no results. 

"Hey now~ cheer up." I opened a can of ginger ale, "It wasn't for nothing."

"Yeah, at least we can now rest easy, knowing it was counterfeit," Riki added and sat down next to me. He opened a can of beer. 

With smiles, the rest of the gang joined in. Kenshi gave me the bowl of pork noodles I ordered. 

"Cheers!" I held up my can.

Takuto: "To what?"

"Uh... to not dying!" 

"Pfft...."

We clinked our cans together. We finally eliminated our major enemy, Rabenda, and now things are settled.

----------

April 8, 2017

😵