The diner is quiet for a Friday afternoon. An old couple sits by the window near the door, sipping on their coffee without a care in the world. Cashiers chat idly amongst themselves as waitresses wipe down tables and carry away plates. Yagoo’s coffee is unappealingly cold by now, but that doesn’t matter. He isn’t here for coffee, he had ordered the bare minimum and is just here to provide a safe place for the girls right now. Three of his talents sit across from him. Watame is curled up into a ball and weeping gently, hiding her face from everyone. She’s been like that the entire time. Polka’s face is full of despair as she stares blankly down at the small cake Yagoo had ordered and her eyes are red from prolonged crying. Fubuki sits in between them, doing her best to stay strong and comfort her two friends; but even Yagoo can tell in a heartbeat that she’s on the verge of breaking down. With a sigh he pinches the bridge of his nose, then casts his gaze towards Shinove who is still on the phone several metres away. From the way he keeps on grimacing, Yagoo can tell he likely isn’t having much success in catching the perpetrator.
“Yagoo I…”
He quickly snaps his attention towards Polka, putting on as much of a caring expression as he can. “Yes?” he asks softly to the girl he considers a daughter.
“I… I don’t know if I can keep doing this,” she croaks.
Watame and Fubuki both flinch as Yagoo’s heart sinks. The worst case scenario. But admittedly, the most likely. Yagoo bites his lip, ashamed at himself for not being able to say anything to reassure her. Less than an hour ago, these three girls had been attacked by a group of crazed stalkers in a van as they were on their way back from the studio. Fubuki said that the men had grabbed them out of nowhere and attempted to drag them into the van. Such attacks were becoming exponentially more common for all of his talents as Hololive grew larger, especially talents that had large gachikoi fanbases. He has to protect them. That is his job as the CEO of Hololive. He had taken them under his wing so they are his responsibility. Yet despite that, if these three girls had been any slower to run away, or if Shinove had arrived a minute later… he doesn’t want to begin to imagine what would have happened. Does he have any right to ask her to stay?
“Sir.” Shinove’s crisp voice breaks Yagoo from his trance and he bolts upright, unaware that he was holding his breath.
“Yes, Shinove? How did things go on your end?” Yagoo turns to him, an impatient twitch in his foot.
A dark shadow falls over his face as he adjusts his glasses. “If we could… talk in private?”
Yagoo glances at the girls, to which Fubuki meets his gaze. She gives him a small, understanding nod. Yagoo returns the gesture before standing up and following Shinove a few metres away.
“There’s nothing we can do,” Shinove tells Yagoo once they’re out of earshot.
Yagoo’s eyes round in confusion, then narrow in rage. “What? The hell’s that supposed to mean?”
Shinove calmly adjusts the collar of his suit jacket, although it’s clear how frustrated he feels as well. “Their attackers were wearing masks, and gloves, for their fingerprints. There’s no way to… officially identify them or press charges.”
Yagoo clenches his fists. “So what?” he growls, “We let them walk away scot free? So that they can make another attempt to hurt my talents!? Do we at least have an idea of who they are!?”
Shinove observes Yagoo for a moment before nodding. “That, I do.” He taps on his phone a few times before showing various posts on some sort of social media platform. “I’ve tracked a few suspicious accounts on social media for a while, and based on their general locations, post history and the descriptions that Fubuki gave me, I’m almost certain that these are the people who attacked your talents. And from what I saw as they were running away, I’m absolutely certain.”
“Then why haven’t you-”
“Like I said,” Shinove cuts him off, already knowing what he has to say, “they were wearing masks when they attacked. I’ve already checked alibis and it looks like they paid off a local bar to cover for them. There’s no way we can press charges, not without sustainable evidence.”
Yagoo grits his teeth and begins to tremble in raw fury as he looks back at his three talents, traumatised from their recent encounter. Scared for their futures. “Then let’s just find them ourselves. Clean things up. Make sure they can never hurt my talents again.”
Yagoo takes a step forward but a large hand on his shoulder stops him. “Calm down.”
“I’m as calm as I’m gonna get,” Yagoo breathes, worried he might explode at any second. “I don’t care what happens to me. I’m going to tear those pieces of shit limb from fucking limb.”
The grip on his shoulder tightens. “I said calm the hell down.” Yagoo looks up into Shinove’s cold, calculating eyes. “You don’t care what happens to you? It’s not that simple. If Hololive’s CEO was caught in a murder scandal of all things, what would happen to the company under his wing?” Yagoo takes a sharp breath. “It would collapse. Disappear. Your talents would lose their places to belong. That’s even worse no matter how you look at it.”
Yagoo closes his eyes and carefully lets himself relax. “...No, you’re right. You’re absolutely right,” he sighs, then pauses. “...I’m getting too old for outbursts like that. Thank you Shinove, I can always count on you.”
He gives Yagoo the faintest of smiles. “That’s what I’m here for.”
“But still… we can’t just sit by and not do anything. The very thing I want to protect the most is in danger.” Yagoo twists his eyebrow between two fingers.
What could he do about this? Send security guards to all their houses and assign escorts? No, that would be too expensive considering the number of talents he has, not to mention it would be a large invasion of privacy. A large holo sharehouse? No, he can’t force all his talents to move houses and live together, and arranging something like that would take far too long. He needs a solution now. Yagoo strokes his chin, deep in thought.
“If the CEO himself were to be caught murdering people, it would certainly cause quite the outrage.” Shinove breaks his train of thought.
Yagoo stops to process, then views Shinove quizzically. “Yes, it would. You told me that already.”
“But what if we were to have someone else uh,” he clears his throat, “remove the troubled individuals causing distress to your talents?”
Yagoo’s eyes widen in shock, then fear, then contemplation, then realisation all within seconds. A sly grin spreads itself across his face. “And that, my friend, is why you’re my right-hand man.”
***
The concept of death has always intrigued you. Or rather, the very existence of it. One second a living creature is seeing, hearing, feeling… and the next, it is not. All those memories, experiences, everything… gone. The idea of an afterlife is another story entirely. Does your life really flash before your eyes? Is there really a light at the end of the tunnel? What does it feel like? Well, painful, most likely. Not your deaths though, you always make an effort to ensure whoever you kill feels as little pain as possible… unless your client requests otherwise. Torture is still available on your menu after all, albeit a very expensive entrée.
You do not enjoy killing, but nor do you dislike it. It’s simply another job, like any other. Just as one salaryman would go to work and sit at a computer all day, you would snap the neck of an old lady. You do not relish the fear in the eyes of your victims seconds before they realise that you are to be their end, though you deem it a necessary evil. Some would call you a monster, inhuman. But at least you are honest about being a terrible person. Many individuals in this world get away with much worse while still abiding by the so-called ‘law’.
With a gloved hand, you pull out your burner phone and glance down at the contact information, then stop walking. Turning around, you face the rundown, unappealing office building of a supposedly multi-billion yen company. You aren’t one to judge; you are almost a billionaire yourself, yet your accommodation speaks of a young office worker having barely made it out of high school with less than satisfactory grades. Perhaps they have something to hide as well? No doubt for a much more upstanding reason.
A security guard approaches you and you greet him with your default polite smile, quickly noticing the bulge of a gun beneath his jacket. Acquired through legal means? Unlikely. This is good – the shadier a company is, the better they will get along with you; that is if you are to judge by a common trend from past experiences.
“Hello there, I’m here for the ‘special interview’ with Mr. Motoaki at 2:30PM,” you tell him with a slight bow.
“Ah.” His expression lightens and he gives you a small bow himself. “Of course, he’s been expecting you. Please, go inside, reception is to your left.”
“Thank you.”
He presses down on a small device and the door lets out a small click. Upon entering you notice that the interior is much nicer than what the exterior of this building would suggest. It’s clean and well lit, even by your standards. A large, tilted blue triangle rests upon the wall behind the receptionist at the counter. One polite exchange later and the elevator dings as the doors slide open. You step out and glide down the hallway, your footsteps making little to no noise. A group of girls come out from a room to your right and pass by you, chatting amongst themselves. Something about taking a taxi home. At the end of the hallway you’re greeted with a door labelled ‘Motoaki Tanigo, CEO’ in bold, metal letters.
“Come in.” A voice replies to your knuckles tapping against the door almost immediately. To say they’ve been expecting you would possibly be an understatement.
With a click you open the door and step inside, gently closing the door behind you. Scanning your surroundings, you see two men in the room, the smaller one seated at a desk while the taller one stands beside him.
The smaller one motions to the seat across from him. “Please, take a seat.”
“Thank you.” Putting down your briefcase, you straighten the edges of your suit jacket before sinking into the chair, its comfort speaking of high quality.
The man at the desk leans forward. “Welcome to Cover Corporation HQ. My name is Motoaki Tanigo, but please, call me Yagoo as everyone does. The man to my left is Shinove Daidou, my… advisor. You can call him Shinove.” He rests his arms on the table. “Now, I assume you usually take one time jobs, no?”
You nod once. “You have assumed correctly, Mr. Motoaki. I occasionally have clients that request me more than once, but they are an anomaly. I prefer it that way too.”
“Yagoo,” he corrects.
“Of course, apologies.” Peculiar name, but that’s none of your business.
He nods a few times before taking a deep breath. “Well, we have something different in mind.”
“Do tell.”
“We’re looking to… put you on a contract. To have you become an official employee of Cover Corporation.”
You put on your polite smile. “Ah… you must be mistaken, I don’t do security jobs.”
He shakes his head. “No, we’re not talking about that. You’ll still need to… erase people for us, but we want to keep your services in the long term due to such people constantly popping up around Japan.”
Your smile disappears. “What is it that you do? What kind of people are we talking about?”
He leans back with a sigh. “See, I run a virtual streaming company called Hololive, and its respective branches. I provide support and jobs to many girls and a few boys who stream online to large audiences.”
Your brow wrinkles as you attempt to take in what he’s saying. You never saw the need to keep up with popular culture, thus it is inevitable that many such modern trends would go over your head. You are somewhat able to keep up however; you have heard of ‘streaming online’ and have a basic understanding of it.
“Unfortunately,” he continues as he puts his hands behind his head and lets the chair drift to the side a bit, “despite being behind a virtual avatar, my talents’ identities are often discovered by stalkers, obsessed fans, the like. One of the disadvantages of using models that look similar to the real life streamer I guess.” He looks back at you. “You understand where I’m going with this, right?”
You’ve killed stalkers before. Whatever ‘virtual avatar’ means you haven’t the slightest idea, but that isn’t what matters. All you need to go on most of the time is a name. Sometimes even less. All part of the job.
“Yes, however one detail you mentioned earlier is… bugging me,” you say calmly, adjusting the knot of your tie, “about putting me on a contract.”
“Yes well… for some reason ever since we hired an English Vsinger, the taxation office has been cracking down on us, so any money that goes missing instantly puts us on their radar and undergoes investigation. I’m sure you’re used to under the table deals but… that is unfortunately not an option right now. We can spend as much money as we like, so don’t worry about that, it just has to be taxed and put on the records.”
You frown, your smile from a few minutes ago a distant memory. “You wish for me to become an official employee under Cover Corporation? On a contract?”
The ball in his throat moves up, then down. “I-indeed, under the guise of something else. Like a script writer or tech support. Your real job, of course, will be the removal of troubling individuals.”
You put your smile on again. It’s always important to be polite, especially when turning down job offers. “I see. In that case, I don’t think I can be of any use to you.” You stand up and deeply bow. “I appreciate the offer, however I must decline.”
You turn around and begin walking away. “Wait, please. Could you at least consider it?” Yagoo asks.
You don’t turn around and continue moving for the door. “No, unfortunately. Apologies, but contracts, official documents and paperwork are among my least favourite things on this planet. I do my best to not leave a trail of my existence. I hope you understa-”
“A hundred million yen.”
Your hand comes to a slow stop on the doorknob, as if you were suddenly made of ice. “Pardon?”
“Your monthly salary will be a hundred million yen,” he says, a hint of desperation in his voice.
You turn around, your eyes cooly flickering between the two men. “That’s quite the sum.”
“It goes to show how in need of you we are,” Yagoo confesses, the desperation now clearer.
You pause to consider it. That’s over ten times the amount you normally charge for a single hit. And you would be getting that every month. You hate leaving behind trails of your existence, but the change of a name and the erasure of the past is relatively simple with some contacts you know. You like being extra careful, it’s basically a necessity as a hired killer, but a hundred million yen per month could change your life. And to be honest, you can’t help but indulge yourself in a bit of greed from time to time.
You return to your seat. “You have my attention, Mr. Mot… Yagoo. Let’s talk specifics.”
He breathes a small sigh of relief. “Thank you, I promise that you will be rewarded handsomely. So as I said before, we will need to officially hire you as an employee to cover for your real job. You’ll only have to do this real job every month or so, just to make things look legit. Are there any skills you have other than… killing?”
Oh, he said the ‘k’ word. Not that you mind, you just enjoy seeing how long it takes for your clients to say it since they often tend to avoid doing so. You tilt your head. “Not that I know of, no. It’s all I’ve been doing since I was young.”
He studies your face. “No skills with computers, script writing or anything? Art? Music?”
You blink. “No. Unfortunately, I never foresaw a situation such as this. I thought assassinations would be the only thing I ever needed.”
“I see. I guess I could just put down something random and have you not do it, but I would prefer it if you could come in just once or twice a month to do your cover job and avoid suspicions.” He rubs the back of his neck as his expression wanders.
“Sir, if I may?” The tall man, Shinove, finally speaks up. His voice is a little higher pitched than you expected.
Yagoo nods. “Of course, you don’t have to ask.”
He nods, and clears his throat. “What if we were to have him stream as one of your talents? Put him in the Holostars? You don’t really need any skills for that… he just needs to talk on stream every now and then. Maybe play a game every couple months.”
Yagoo slowly opens his mouth in surprise before gradually nodding and turning back to you. “Are you aware of what ‘streaming’ is?”
You nod once. “It involves providing live footage, generally of yourself, to a large audience if I’m not mistaken. However, that’s not an option. No matter how much money you offer, I am not willing to put my face on screen for people to see. Publicity is the worst enemy for people like me.”
“Ahh, but we run a virtual streaming company, my friend,” he smiles. When you raise an uncertain eyebrow he continues. “It means my talents don’t actually show their faces on stream. They use a virtual avatar that tracks facial movements. After using their actual faces as bases for their models, you can turn regular girls into demons, rabbit girls, elves and so much more. The possibilities are endless.”
A line slowly forms a bridge between your eyebrows. “I’m… not sure I follow.”
He stands up and claps his hands. “No matter. Follow me, we’ll get you started straight away. I’m hoping we’ll have your contract done and the targets eliminated as soon as possible, so we have no time to waste.”
***
New Holostars member????
What!? No announcment?
Wtf is happening?!
We didnt need any more Holostar members.
Solo debut!?
Is he gonna be liek IRyS?
This is so sudden…
You watch the peculiar words scroll up the screen, fast enough to the point where you can barely read them in time.
“Good thing we had a reserve model, huh?” Yagoo grins to Shinove.
“Yes, although I wouldn’t say it looks a lot like him,” he comments. “Now all we need is a name.”
“A name?” you ask.
“Yes, none of our talents stream with their real names, they use an alias. Something to fit their avatar.”
“Uh, sure. Whatever.”
You feel somewhat overwhelmed, much to your own disappointment. You prefer being in control of the situation, and feel too old for this shit. What happened to regular killing-for-cash? Even now a small seed of doubt within you wants you to cancel all this. This is all a little too elaborate and complicated for a humble killer such as yourself.
“How about… Anon?” Yagoo suggests. “No last name or anything. A man who wishes to keep his identity a secret and leave no trail of existence behind… Anon.”
Shinove grins and gives you a wink. “I love it. How about it, Anon?”
“Right, ok. So I’m to refer to myself as Anon while streaming, yes?”
“Correct,” he says as he types away on his computer.
Something appears on the screen. A… cartoonish looking man wearing a suit stares back at you, his whole body slowly bobbing up and down. Shinove types away at the keyboard some more and suddenly the man on the screen moves. You lean back in surprise and… so does the man.
“Volare! This here on the screen is Anon who is mirroring your movements, and is what all the people watching you will see. No worries about your face being revealed.”
“Oh… I see,” you mumble, admittedly a bit fascinated at how accurately this cartoon man is able to follow your movements, especially your eyes and mouth. “I’m starting to get an idea of how this works.”
“Good, good,” Yagoo says, “we don’t have much time to prepare but we need you to do what’s called a ‘debut stream’. It’s a stream about introducing yourself to your audience, and only needs to be an odd fifteen minutes. Once you do that, we can officially call you our employee and can give you your first target. Or targets.”
You open your mouth to ask a question, but realise there are too many to choose from. Improvisation – while not an essential tool if the planning beforehand is done correctly – is still a skill you have relative confidence in. All you have to do is get this over with and get started on your main task. It’s all part of the job. You have infiltrated high class parties and top secret meetings to eliminate targets before. This will (hopefully) be child’s play compared to that.
“Alright, I’m going to start the stream in a few seconds. Just… tell them about yourself for a while and we can call it a day with that,” Shinove tells you. “I… need to make some calls to some of our talents.”
He presses a letter on the keyboard and moves away. You blink, and so does the cartoon man. You look at Yagoo and he shakes his head. “Try not to move your head too much!” he says in a harsh whisper.
You turn back to the screen and watch the scrolling words that were apparently coming from the people currently watching your stream.
Nice design!
He’s hot!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
I’m so exited!
Who?
!?
“Um…” you slightly turn to look at Yagoo sideways.
He gives you a thumbs up. “Go ahead and introduce yourself,” he whispers.
You clear your throat. “H-hello… I am… Anon.”
DEEP VOICE
OH GOD IT’S DEEP
IM ALREADY IN LOVE
ANON!?
“I’m apparently a… mysterious man. I don’t like to leave… evidence of my existence.” Well, that certainly isn’t a lie. “Hence my name… Anon.”
Oh god, he’s so stiff
Aww, is he nervous? Cute!
Another terrible streamer…
Yagoo holds up a large piece of cardboard with the words ‘LIKES/DISLIKES’ written on it.
You blink a few more times. “I like… quiet places. And being alone. I don’t like… crowded places. And having people around me.”
What?
Uh…
Okay…?
You’re beginning to regret this.
***
You and Yagoo pass by two girls in the hallway. One of them has twintails and is wearing a strange black hat with pink and yellow markings, and the other has short hair and is wearing a red, white and blue cap backwards. Your pairs of footsteps echo down the hallway, one much louder than the other. The girls stare up at you for what you feel is a slightly impolite amount of time.
“How did I do?” you ask, more as a formality than a genuine query. The answer is rather clear.
“As much as I could ask you for, considering I threw you off into the deep end,” Yagoo replies, giving you a small pat on the shoulder.
“That, you did,” you sigh, looking away.
The comments on your stream got worse and more confused as time went on, obviously due to your complete lack of streaming experience. Not that you cared. You were more worried about having to do something like that again, and for longer next time. It was a bit stressful having to come up with things to say on the spot without prepared answers, especially to what was apparently over a thousand people. And how were you supposed to answer the question ‘what games do you like’? Chess and blackjack? Yagoo has what, over 40 people in Japan alone doing that nearly every day? You can’t imagine it. You will stick to killing. He opens the door to a room to let you in, and you mumble a small thanks before he steps in behind you and closes it.
“Like I said, I’ll introduce you later. Yes, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys, but it was an emergency… what kind of emergency? I… can’t tell you that. Look, he’s now a Holostar as well, alright? You don’t even need to interact with him that much, he won’t affect anything.” Shinove notices you approach. “Ok, I’m sorry Astel but I need to go. We’ll talk later.” He hangs up with a tired sigh.
“Anon… uh…” Yagoo falters. “Can I just call you ‘Anon’ from now on? It’s easier.”
You give him a polite nod. “Of course you may. I’ve gone by many names in the past, another one can’t hurt.”
He lets out a small chuckle. “You just keep on getting better and better. Now, Shinove here will be in charge of giving you information on your targets. When we need someone taken out, he’ll let you know. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Fantastic. And uh, one more thing.” Yagoo glances at Shinove then back to you. “I must ask that you not tell a soul about this. We can’t have the public find out that the CEO of a company hired an assassin to kill stalkers. The damage would be irreparable. Even if you get caught and interrogated, please-”
“Yagoo.” You lower your voice, insulted. “Us professionals are sworn to secrecy. We keep our lips sealed, no matter what; even if it means death. We get caught, that’s on us. I work hard to uphold this code of honour… so please do not underestimate me like that again.”
He quickly nods. “Uh! O-of course, I’m glad we’re on the same page. Now um, if you’ll excuse me.”
He hastily moves for the door and you watch his back before turning your attention to Shinove. He hands you six files which you take and begin flipping through. “These are your first targets. Essentially a group of six men who attacked some of our talents in broad daylight yesterday afternoon. We know it’s them but have no evidence to take matters to court… which is where you come in. Your job is to kill them.”
“Any requirements?” you ask, not looking his way as you continue reading up on the intel.
The first one is a man, looks to be in his mid-thirties, although you can likely get his exact age down to the minute with a good night of proper research. You note his ugliness too, on a minor mental tangent.
“R-requirements?” he echoes. “No uh, we just want them dead so that they can’t try to kidnap our talents again… although I would be lying if I said it wasn’t also for the sake of revenge… a little. I guess just make sure you’re not discovered?” You gently laugh and shake your head, to which he frowns. “Oh, I’m sorry, is that many people all at once too difficult? We would be happy to pay you extra due to-”
“No, no… quite the opposite really.” You close the files as your chuckle dies down. “If all my jobs from you are going to be something as easy as this, I’d happily stream every day of the week.”
***
You sit across from the three girls, a fairly large coffee table adorned with light snacks bridging the gap between you and them. You calmly observe Yagoo’s talents, taking in their features. So these girls also streamed like that often, huh? You wonder what their ‘avatars’ looked like. From what Yagoo had said an avatar model used the streamer’s real face as a basis, so you would guess that they look quite similar.
“And… that’s all I can remember,” the girl with the braided strand of hair, Fubuki says.
She had done most of the talking, while Watame had only added a few details of the attack here and there. Polka didn’t say anything, and had spent the entire time staring down at the table, her eyes strained and dejected. You aren’t a monster, you feel genuine sympathy for them. It must have been scary. It still feels strange calling them these names however, because it’s obvious those aren’t their real names. Does everyone in this company call each other by their streamer aliases?
“Right, I see.” You give the three girls a warm smile. “Thank you very much for your assistance. It has been more helpful than I could ever hope for.” Which is a lie. You had done enough research last night to get a solid ID on every single one of your targets and formulate a plan. More information never hurts though, planning is everything when it comes to hits, no matter how tedious.
As you stand up to leave, Fubuki looks up at you. “Uh, Anon…” You’re getting used to that name really quickly, almost as if it fits you well. “What… is your job here?”
You catch the grimace forming on your face just in time. The one question you were hoping she wouldn’t ask. Yagoo had explicitly told you that under no circumstances were you to reveal to any of his talents what your real job is. Even if they have suspicions, you are not to confirm anything. It makes sense. The more people know of a secret, the more likely they are to tell someone else, and from there it only spreads like wildfire. This leaves you in a tight spot however, since you aren’t entirely sure on how to answer them, and Yagoo hadn’t given you a lie to tell them either.
“I’m… Shinove’s assistant.” Better to keep it vague. “And I double as a uh, Homostar talent.” You quickly add. That’s what they’re called, right? The looks the three girls give you says otherwise.
Time to leave.
“U-uh… hey…”
Oh bloody hell.
You turn back to look at the source of the voice. “Yes, was there anything else uh… Polka?”
She slowly brings her gaze up towards you, the dark rings under her eyes making her look more tired than anything as she begins talking in a dry, dry voice. “A-are we… going to be safe?” She pauses for a few moments. “I… I want to stay here, I really do. I love Hololive, and, and the friends I’ve made here. It’s my home but… I don’t want to live in this constant fear of being watched, or being followed. I hate it, and i-it’s scary. I…” She hangs her head and sighs. “Sorry, it must be weird having a complete stranger just dump all that on you. I just… never mind.”
You rub the back of your neck in uncertainty. You need to keep it professional and not let your emotions get involved. Despite that, you can’t help but feel sorry for her, more than what’s required to be polite. The pitiful sight of her makes you want to reassure Polka, tell her everything would be alright and then find the bastards who did this to kill them for reasons other than money. …But this is just a job, like any other. You don’t kill people based on whether they are ‘good’ or ‘bad’, you kill for cold hard cash, that’s it. The targets will be eliminated as required, no more and no less. Your ‘moral compass’, if you even have one this far into the game, will not dictate how or who you kill.
“I can… at least guarantee that those men in particular that attacked you… will not bother you again. That much I can say for certain.” You plaster on your usual polite smile.
“O-oh… thank you.” She puts her hands together and deeply bows.
Watame purses her lips and watches you with a sudden face of curiosity, as if something you said had piqued her interest. You glance at her, causing her to quickly look away. It’s probably a good idea to leave before you slip up. The possibility of something like that is extremely unlikely, but you aren’t a fan of risks. Adjusting your tie, you move towards the door. As it clicks behind you, your hands find the inner suit pockets and you produce a pair of gloves which you slip on. It’s time to earn a living.
***
Going a couple nights without sleep is common for you, and your body has long since adapted to such a taxing lifestyle. Part of being an assassin is the ability to be a nocturnal after all, although three nights would be pushing it. You will have to rest tonight. You find yourself at the door of your new boss, and decide to at least knock.
“C-come… in…” You nearly don’t hear his quiet voice.
Twisting the door knob you waltz in, feeling ever so slightly cocky because you know what they’re watching. The news on the TV sounds out as you approach Shinove and Yagoo, who are both watching rather intently.
“-and have been missing since early this morning. Police investigations are now underway and many suspect that the six disappearances last night are somehow connected to each other. As of right now they are ruling out the possibility of a kidnapping or murder, as the six individuals lived very far from one another and the three that had families did not hear anything happen in the night. More news in just a second, after this break.”
The trumpets that make up the theme of this particular news program blare out as the two men blankly stare at the screen. Shinove is the first to turn to you, his eyes as wide as you have ever seen them. You didn’t think someone so serious looking could appear so surprised.
“Wait… no way,” he mumbles.
You produce the files from your briefcase and present them to him. When he doesn’t react, you toss them onto Yagoo’s desk. “The targets have been eliminated,” you say nonchalantly.
“No…” It’s Yagoo’s turn to show you his wide eyes. “That- that’s impossible! It hasn’t even been 24 hours since you-!” He swivels his head to the TV then back to you. “How!? Some of them had families in the same house that night! Wha…!” His lips continue to move as if to form words, yet his throat doesn’t produce any noise to back them up.
A blanket of stunned silence falls over the room as the two bewildered men stare at you in a mix of shock, horror and maybe even a hint of admiration. You just politely smile and wait.
“Wouldn’t… wouldn’t all six of them in one night make it more suspicious?” Shinove slowly says after a full minute.
“Not really, the police don’t think there’s anyone good enough to kill and dispose of six bodies in one night… or at least someone with enough motive to do something like that. This works to my advantage and makes the possibility of something like the six of them secretly going on a trip together more plausible. Not to mention… they definitely won’t find the bodies. Murder investigations are rarely launched without a body in the first place, and even if they do start looking into it… well, let’s just say they don’t get too far without one.” You run a hand through your hair as you tell them all this.
“Oh my god. Holy shit I, I need to take a seat.” Yagoo staggers into his chair as he takes a deep breath. “Anon… just who are you?”
“A professional.”
“Are all professionals like you? If so, I'm not sure if I can feel safe at night anymore,” he mutters, leaning back and resting his forearm against his eyes. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m relieved that they’re gone but fuck…”
You briefly adjust your tie. “I’d wager that I’m one of the best.” Honesty is more important than modesty.
“Yeah… no shit,” Shinove breathes. “I don’t even want to think about how you pulled that off…”
“Years and years of experience my friends,” you smile as you sit across from Yagoo, “years and years. Do remind me to tell you gentlemen about the ballroom job someday.”
“You fucking scare me Anon, you know that?” Yagoo sighs as he points at you. “Now I’m giving you a goddamn raise, and we’re all going out for drinks tonight. Sound good?”
You pause for surprise, then smile a genuine smile. Perhaps you could push three nights.
***
Watame doesn’t hear the door creak. Nor does she hear her friend enter the room. Her eyes are glued to the television, hand frozen on the remote. She is still attempting to process what she had heard and piece things together from the news report just now.
“Um… Watame, are you ok?”
She flinches to the touch and moves away, then instantly regrets it when she sees those sparkly eyes become even more concerned. “O-oh. Polka-chan… h-hi.” Watame attempts to force a smile but fails miserably. “I’m fine. Fine…” she mumbles, her voice a hair’s breadth above a whisper.
She isn’t. In fact, she’s terrified. The sensation of those hands grabbing at her arm. The sight of being surrounded by the men in masks. The thought of being taken somewhere she didn’t know. The feeling of being chased. Those memories still remained as clear as the day they had happened to Watame and showed no signs of fading.
And now she has something new to worry about.
Polka nods and sits down next to her, “Um, I came to tell you that Mr. Shinove just told me not to worry anymore… because the men who tried to kidnap us won’t bother us again,” she says, “and that… apparently we’re going to be safe from attacks like that from now on. It was kinda weird, how can he know that for sure?”
Watame’s eyes widen and she automatically bites her lip, taking in the cold air through her nose. Polka says something else but she doesn’t hear it. A thousand needles prick the skin along her spine as every single one of her muscles tense up. There’s no way.
Polka notices Watame’s reaction and tilts her head. “What’s wrong?”
“Um, Polka-chan,” she starts, “we were… attacked by six men three days ago, right?”
Creases appear on her forehead as she grimly nods. Watame turns away, hoping she could hide her teary eyes and trembling lip. This has to be a coincidence. She prays that it’s a coincidence. That man who had talked to them before, Anon… why is he here? Why would they suddenly hire a new Holostar out of nowhere? Watame isn’t entirely sure if she wants the answers to those questions, but there’s something she is sure of.
Something’s wrong.
***
“I guess a brief introduction is due.”
“To whom?”
“Your… main coworkers,” Shinove says as you walk alongside him down the hallway for the nth time. “See, you’re now technically a part of the streamer group called the ‘Holostars’, as I’m sure you’ve heard. They’re our male branch.” Ah, so that’s what they were called. “I’ll admit it was pretty unfair of me to suddenly add a new member to their group without asking, so the least I can do is introduce you to them.”
“I assume they won’t take very kindly to my presence?”
Shinove clicks his tongue. “Well considering you’re a sudden newcomer and you’ll only be streaming once a month or so, while they’ve been at this for a while… I can’t exactly deny that.” He adjusts his glasses. “I hope that’s not the case though, they’re all generally really welcoming and kind people, but I think anyone would be upset with this situation. Sorry about all this.”
You shrug. “It’s part of the job.”
He opens the door for you and you’re greeted with a large room and nine of its inhabitants. They all stare at you, some of their gazes more friendly than others. It always helps to build friendly relations with clients, and while these people technically aren’t your clients, it certainly won’t hurt to get them to warm up to you considering you’ll be here for a while.
Shinove clears his throat. “Hey boys, this is Anon. He’s a Holostar too now.”
You bow to them. “It’s nice to meet you all.”
A small boy with wavy hair somewhat resembling seaweed scoffs. “Shinove, care to explain what this is all about?”
As he sighs and begins trying to explain things without explaining things, a man with slight heterochromia approaches you. “Hey, mah name’s Roberu. Glad to ‘ave you on the team, Anon.” He sticks out his hand and grins.
You take it. At least one person is friendly. “Thanks. Glad to be on board.”
He turns to look at the rest of the men in the room as his smile disappears. “Look man, I hope ya can understand why not everyone’s gonna be too friendly, nah?” he mutters in a hushed voice.
You sweep your eyes over everyone in the room. A couple of them give you genuine smiles. Most give a curt nod. One of them doesn’t even look at you. “No, I absolutely understand, Roberu. I wager that I would act in a similar fashion were I in your shoes.”
“Hey, thanks man. Lemme know if ya need any help with streamin’ or anything. I’d be glad to help.” He gives you a pat on the shoulder. “Welcome to the Holostars.”
You awkwardly stand there, not knowing what to do next as Shinove is hounded with questions. Perhaps gaining the trust of these men could be something you do on the side in your time here. At the moment though… that seemed like quite the task. Not that it matters a whole lot. Your main goal is the removal of troubled individuals while keeping your job a secret from Yagoo’s talents. This is the beginning of your new journey… and you really hope it goes smoothly, just as you like it.
***
No. 231269248
>Anon
THEY’RE HERE
No. 231269319
>his name is Anon
Is he /ourboy/?
No. 231269384
>>231269248
>>231269319
What did I tell you faggots. I kept saying over and over that there are cover employees constantly watching this place. I’ve been trying to tell everyone this for months. WE ARE BEING WATCHED.
No. 231269444
>>231269384
Ogey
No. 231269467
>male
Don’t care.
No. 231269498
Rrats?
No. 231269531
>>231269498
He’s Yagoo’s onahole. No other explanation for how he got in. That or a lot of money.
No. 231269576
>>231269531
>He’s Yagoo’s onahole.
I thought all the stars were?
No. 231269611
>>231269498
He’s here to fuck (You)r oshi.
No. 231269620
>>231269498
>Solo debut
>No announcement whatsoever
>Can’t stream for shit
There is no fucking way this is legit, there’s some shady shit going on in the background. My rrat is he got in through a combination of bribery and nepotism.
No. 231269723
Did you guys hear about the disappearance of six men in Japan right after his debut?
No. 231269792
>>231269723
The fuck does that have to do with anything? Whatever rrat you’re selling, I’m not buying.