Stray Cats

"I really couldn't care less what Sato's quants say. I'm here to make money, not soothe risk-averse geriatrics whenever—"

The doors to Reiji's opulent study burst open as a tall, battered highschooler stormed in. Itsuki hurled an ancient shinai onto Reiji's desk, which clattered as it snapped his laptop shut.

A bodyguard came in after him, panting. "Sorry, Sir! I tried to tell him that you were on a call..." the man bowed his head low in shame.

"I'll let you go." Reiji's expression remained unbothered. "Tell Sato we're holding our positions." He hung up, finally acknowledging his intruder with an amused smirk.

"Ah, Itsuki. It looks like your meeting with Mr. Matsunaga went well." He waved the bodyguard away. "Leave us."

Itsuki scowled. "I got your fancy practice sword. It better be important."

Reiji leaned back in his cushy chair, flicking his gaze to the shinai for a moment before shrugging. "I'm sure it's important to the kendo club. Now, back to Matsunaga. How'd you feel facing off against someone who could actually put up a fight?"

"Huh? Some kids got hurt back there and I took a beating." Itsuki clenched his fist. "Why do you care so much about the fight?"

"Why do you think?"

Itsuki’s eyes blazed. He grabbed Reiji’s collar, yanking him forward. “I risked my neck for your stupid collection. Does the shinai even matter to you? What's your game, Kurobane?”

Reiji held his smirk, but he paused, letting the silence hang in the air.

"Itsuki, did you know that stray cats are actually apex predators? They're such adept hunters, in fact, that their introduction to new ecosystems often results in the extinction of crucial wildlife."

Reiji paused again, but this time his expression became serious. "The men you've taken out thus far had no recourse against an animal like you. But their pathetic ecosystem kept them useful to me. You're done wasting your time and my money. You need to level up for what I have planned. Especially if you want any hope of taking out him."

Itsuki felt a jolt at the mention of his target, and he let go of Reiji's collar. "Just find him."

"You enjoyed the fight, didn't you?" Reiji said, his smirk returning.

Itsuki didn't respond, but his expression told Reiji everything he needed to know.

"Who won?"

"It was a draw."

"Perfect. Matsunaga is another potential asset, and he's even more cat than you. Deliberate, precise, not so messy. My hope was that you'd learn something from him. We'll see if you retained anything as we move forward."

Reiji then stood up from his chair and handed Itsuki a file. "I have somewhere to be. You've proven yourself worthy of my employ, so I'll start looking into your target with more urgency." Then his tone became cold. "Before I go, we need to talk about Sumi Ayaka."

Itsuki felt a lump in his throat.

"If I were your friend, I'd strongly advise you to stay as far away from her as possible. For your own sake. But we aren't friends, so you're going to keep me informed of her next moves. And don't breathe a word of our deal. She's clever enough to sniff it out eventually, but I'd prefer to postpone a confrontation with her for as long as possible. I'm sure you've spent enough time with her by now to understand why."

Reiji walked past the desk and reached into his pocket. "I also know you're working with the Fujiwara Senki—"

"You want me to spy on them too now?" Itsuki growled.

"Frankly, you can continue on with them as normal. Inform me of what Momofuku Chikata is up to, or don't. Tell her that we're working together, or don't. It makes no difference to me as long as you get the job done."

Reiji paused at the door and tossed Itsuki a keychain. "There's an apartment that belonged to an asset of mine who...couldn't keep up. It's yours now. It's near our next lead, and it's better than your current dump. Not that that's saying much. The rest is in the file. Security will show you out now." Reiji turned his back then, his hand up in a casual wave as he left the study.

Itsuki looked down at the keychain, walking slowly as Reiji’s guards escorted him out of the castle. As he was driven to the bottom of the mountain in one of Reiji's limousines, Itsuki thought about Momo, about Sumi, about his earlier bout with Matsunaga, and about his meeting with Reiji. Things were about to get even more complicated. Then he thought about her. About him.

It didn’t matter what needed to be done. He’d do it.

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Pub: 28 Sep 2025 12:59 UTC

Edit: 30 Sep 2025 07:17 UTC

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