[4.3k] Cold Blood
[Flashback]
A day before the Middle School dance Competition
This was back when Aimi was 12 years old.
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Sfx: write
Scribble scribble...
"... There sat a maiden, heart so cold,
Yet her ambitions in the mind were bold.
She would tremble,
She would giggle!
Yet the secret of winning she hold,
Seduction, luring through darkness would unfold,
To which they say: What a story to be told!
Through a mask, through nether her dreams would unfold,
With each little step of her feet, she'd conquer every hurdle,
A sign of Strength, bravery and symphony in the subtle...
But this was all an act,
For the sanity of thy maiden was never intact!
And as she went mad and mad,
She got hearts for this lad.
Her hearts were on his feet,
As they said: she would anything to his drum beat!
To which she thought was over,
The story had taken a recover.
She prepared, tied her shoes to little feet,
As she said: I'm ready for a repeat. ..."
Aimi sat on a bench, it was a little cold that day.
Her beautiful lustrous wavy black hair flowed like a stream of river to her eyes, as she finished off the poem.
"I wonder what made me write this?" She thought, as her hobbies countinued to flow.
Sfx: BADUMP!
Badump... Badump...
"Oh my... I totally forgot!" Aimi covered her hands as she got flustered,
It was the day before of the competition! How can she forget?!
She was nervous, her hands fidgeted.
"I shouldn't worry, I am here to represent my father, mother and my parents. All of them, they are with me! I need to show them, how much of an idol I can be!" She said, her voice filled with determination.
As she sat there's thinking of herself and her performance,
"Are you ready...Aimi?" Asked a boy.
To which, she said.
"Yeah, I'm thrilled, Kaito Senpai!" She replied.
"Remember, we MUST win this...!" Kaito was excited, as he gave a big smile.
"Wait...we?" Aimi was confused a little.
"Uwaaaa-" Kaito's face was long!
"How could you forget dummy?! I'm the one who managed your moves, scripted your lines and what not?! You forgot me? aughhh..." Kaito said with a sad tone.
"Wait! Not that i- I mean-" Aimi fidgeted, she was nervous!
"I-... I feel grateful that you have taken yourself also a part of the dance just like me, making me never feel alone. Thank you for that, Senpai." Aimi said calmly, trying to recover herself from her nervousness a moment ago.
"HUHHHH?! You certainly have a way with your words, don't you?" Kaito commented.
"Isn't it why I'm auditioning for the school idol?? fufu~" Aimi laughed.
"Hahah... I wonder how your future would be!" Kaito wondered.
"Oh wow- aren't we only twelve year olds? Why think now?" Aimi said.
"Well, it's a responsibility of a good father!" Kaito said with a prideful voice.
"Father...? You...? PFFFT-" Aimi held back laugh.
"hey! Don't do me like that!" Kaito blushed.
"You guys really do consider each other to be father and daughter huh...?" Said Another boy, with a straight face.
"Oh c'mon Ray, you seriously think I'm going to father a 1 2 year old?! If that were to be true, I'd be 1 year old when she would be a newborn!" Kaito said with a flustered voice.
"Why are you in the bushes?!" Aimi exclaimed.
"It makes me feel alive, you know? Fresh wee-"
"Hey! Don't say that!"
Smack!
"Owww.... It hurts, you know?!"
The three of them seemed to be having fun.
Until, it was her arrival.
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In a dressing room
Sfx: slap
Slap! Punch! Pow!
"Aghhh! Ahn! I'm sorry- it hurts!" She cried.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T DANCE BECAUSE IT HURTS?!"
The punches and slaps of an adult lady sure did hurt.
But to a little girl?
"You must do anything... ANYTHING TO GET THE FIRST PRIZE! Specifically do everything in your way..."
"TO DEMOTIVATE, AND EMBARASS AIMI...!"
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Chapter 55: Cold Blood
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At the Park
Aimi sat on the bench, Kaito aar near a distance.
While
"Hey!! I need burgers from ya, did ya hear it?!" Ray exclaimed.
"What kind of debt is that?!" Kaito said embarassingly.
"It's the burger debt! Did you not hear it?!" Ray explained.
"Huh?! Burger debt?"
"Well, it means the amount of money you pay to close friends must be returned back in the form of burgers, I've scammed about 2 people and consumed 2 5 burgers this way, fufu~" Aimi said in a fast pace voice before shutting up, as she to blushed to realise what she had just revealed!
"Whaaaaa?! 2 5?! Even my record is damn 10!" Ray was embarassed.
"That's my junior for you! Haha, beat that!" Kaito was in pride.
"No, but seriously, what the hell is a burger debt?" Kaito added as his mood changed.
"Is burger debt going to be the topic of the day for you today?"
"That rhymed!" Aimi exclaimed.
"Says the poet~" Kaito teased her.
"Hey...!!" Aimi said while blushing.
And suddenly,
Wham! Slap! Pow!
THUD!..
"RAY....!!"
"WHAT THE HELL MAN!" Kaito exclaimed.
Aimi and Kaito were in shock,
WHAT HAD THEY JUST WITNESSED?!
"...a pet is a pet. And how dare a pet run away from their master?" A girl said.
She had slapped Ray and threw him out of the bench.
"So cruel, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS SEIKO?!" Kaito was furious.
"Hm? It's simple, I won't let my pet go anywhere else and let him help others to win the competition. Isn't he my manager?" Said Seiko.
Pow! Punch!
"I'm sorry-...Aimi, Kaito, please don't watch...-AGH-" Ray said as he kept getting punched Seiko,
But to no avail, nobody came to rescue Ray from Seiko's bullying.
And as the bullying countinued,
Aimi couldn't keep hold of herself,
Sfx: stand!
"HA!"
She stood up, like an erupt volcano and was about to SLAP Seiko, but suddenly-
GRAB!
"Tsk. Aimi, don't!" Kaito whispered.
"B-but...why?!" Aimi pleaded.
"Shh, don't you know she's from a rich household? She could get the both of us expelled from this school of she wished to." Kaito whisepered into Aimi's ears.
"So we countinue to see Ray getting bullied?!"
"Right, that's the current goal."
"HUH?! WHAT DO YOU MENA CURRENT GOAL?!" Aimi could no longer sustain herself within her boundaries of her composure,
What she had saw, shall be never seen by any other stranger. A bullied victim should never be left unattended, right? So with that motivation,
STRIKE! PUNCH!
"AIMIIII.....!!!!!" Kaito jumped!
But Aimi WAS STILL SUCCESSFUL!
for she had finally hit somebody, and to make the bullying over-
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"Haah...please, don't hurt lady Seiko, I beg of you..." Said Ray.
"W-what...?!" Aimi was surprised.
"Phwaah!" Seiko spit on the ground.
"Lick my fucking saliva, and make sure to endure and savour the taste, Ray~" she ordered.
"HOW COULD YOU-"
AIMI UNLEASHED HER SECOND ATTACK!
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"HAAA?!" SEIKO WAS SURPRISED.
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AND AS THE PUNCH CAME CLOSER,
RESTRAIN!
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"Wha-wa...?"
"Haah...haah...haah... Don't...hff, Aimi, don't!" Kaito had grabbed Aimi to stop her from punchin Seiko.
"Right, you don't hit a lady do you, Aimi? Learn some manners~" Seiko said in a playful voice.
Kick!
"Now, my pet, why don't you begin licking off the floor? You're better as a dead beat!"
"O-okay ..." Ray crouched.
And as Ray began sticking out his tongue, with the heels.of Seiko on his back,
Someone shouted.
"NO. RAY, DONT!"
"I-i..." Ray was confused.
Is he supposed to defy, or submit?
"You bitch, stop coming in betwee!" Seiko said out pure anger.
"Huh? Calling me a bitch?!"
"WHAT THE HELL?! I'LL REPORT THAT TO THE TEACHER!" Kaito said furiously.
"Do that and I'll get you both expelled, heheh..."
Ray couldn't do anything but to just listen to whatever the both sides had to say,
He went to the ground once again, but suddenly, this time, a proposal came.
"Don't do it, Ray, how about...y-you leave her and help ME WIN THE COMPETITION?" Aimi proposed.
"Aimi are you crazy...?!" Kaito said through her ear.
"Shh, I'm in my minds...ehh" Aimi said nervously.
"Huh?..."
"grr...." Seiko grinned her teeth as her bangs covered her hairs, she was furious to the point it could not be healed, but still,
"Okay!" She somehow raised her head up as she said.
"If you win the competition, Ray will never be around me. And oh, he will be given to you. However, if I win, you'll be another of my slaves, fufu~" She proposed.
"Eh-h...w-hat?" 13 year old Kaito was nervous.
They are just teens, and yet they had the audacity to talk such? That's what crossed into his mind.
"Aimi...maybe we should-"
"Yes, I accept!" Aimi said naively.
For she didn't know, what could be the outcomes of her action.
"WH-WHAT?! AIMI, ARE YOU SERIOUS?" The concerned Kaito could no longer bear with Aimi, for she was too naive!
And the plans of Seiko could be seen transparently, and easily by somebody who had their brains.
And so it turned out to be, Ray.
He was among one of them.
"Ray, follow me. You can lick my saliva if you want, thought I'm leaving that upto you. For others, especially a bitch around here, bye bye~" Seiko left.
The crouched Ray still remained at his position, waiting for others' approval of any sort of command, that could lead him to do anything.
Aimi crouched, as she comforted Ray,
"Don't worry, it'll be over, Ray." She said in a gentle voice.
"Aimi, he might be dirty-"
"Why does it matter? It isn't him who's dirty, rather it's his pure soul being used by that girl." Aimi replied.
"So, Ray, I hope you join us-"
Sfx: flinch
Throw!
"Ha-"
"...stop it... You guys, you don't know me, you don't know who's Seiko, why do you keep acting like she's a bad person? She feeds me, she makes me drink, she gives me a stone to sleep. She's my saviour, so please, don't talk to me ever again!" Ray said as tears filled his eyes,
"Hff...HAAAH...." He cried as he stood up.
Sfx: run!
He began to prepare himself to run,
And as his foot stepped off
Grab!
"DONT RUN AWAY!" Aimi told him.
"Please...stop! I'm dirty-"
"IT DOES NOT MATTER." Aimi said in a high voice with her eyes closed, not expecting any good answers to be replied with.
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"...eh?"
Ray was speechless.
The then 1 2 year old Aimi seemed like a goddes infront of Ray, who had always thought of himself as a coward, poor and dirty.
But this... This interaction with Aimi, it seemed as if a messiah as taken a form to rescue Ray out of his situation.
"What...?" He said, as he murmered his lips.
He couldn't form words due to the extreme shock and surprised he had gotten.
He knew it was the naiveness of Aimi, but he still wanted to trust on it.
Smile...
"Nobody is born dirty, they are MADE dirty, and not are they made dirty on their own, it's mosst of the times by an evil source. In your case, it is that Seiko. But a piece of charcoal that filters out the impurity from the water, can surely filter out such from you..." Aimi said.
And as she took a deep breath, preparing herself to say what she had in her mind,
She said.
"So, would you let me be your charcoal?" She proposed an offer.
"I-... I don't know what to say... How can a person like me be of your help?"
"Oh silly! I didn't ask for your help!" Aimi smiled.
"Consider me your sister. At times of need, I'll call my brother for help, the same way, at times of need, I'll help you like you're my brother. That's the offer!" Aimi explained.
"W-WHAT? Nobody... even Seiko, has called me their own family member. Seiko refers me as her pet, and I thought being pet of hers is already a great deal, but the thing you say, I-if... that's true... Then, I guess, I'll accept. You're my first family member, then."
"Great!" Aimi smiled gently.
As she countinued
"So-"
"I'll tell you guys one thing..." Ray spoke, as he interrupted Aimi.
"What?" Kaito asked.
"Hm?" Aimi was curious.
"There is a woman... Who bullies Seiko just like how she bullies me... You see, Seiko is pure but-...sigh, just don't hurt Seiko bad, please." Ray puts his hands together as he says this.
"WHAAAA....? How could you... Give this piece of important information just to us? So easily?" Kaito thought Ray had lied.
But what Ray said next, made everyone believe him.
"Well... You see, I don't have a family. I was born as an illegitimate child and I do not have any idea of who my father is. However, a lady took care of me, and after that lady, it's Seiko who cares for me. But for the first time, this kindness that I recieved, it's from Aimi. So to my very sister, I shall not lie." He said with a frail smile.
"But-" Aimi interrupted.
"I'll still do whatever Seiko says, but I wish you guys a good luck."
Sfx: run
Run!
And with that, Ray ran off towards Seiko.
"Hey! We didn't even get to ask you-" Aimi was concerned.
"Is that your biggest concern?! Not getting information from a random boy?" Kaito asked.
"Huh? What could be bigger?" Aimi thought.
"You're already 1 2, c'mon! Think! Our last practice before the finale, are you dumb?!" Kaito warned.
"OH YEAH! I COMPLETELY FORGOT! LET'S MOVE!" Aimi began running with Kaito to the practice.
And as they ran, they laughed together, and their shoes got dirty in the mud, still, that innocent look of a child in their eyes lingered.
But suddenly,
BUMP!
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At the dressing room
"So, the plan is to sabotage their final practice, making them IMPERFECT for dancing in the finale tomorrow. Do you get it?" Seiko explained.
"Y-yes..." Ray nodded.
"Will..this work though?"
Slap! Kick!
"Agh! I'm sorry-"
"How dare you question me?" Seiko said out of anger.
"I'm sorry! I told you!"
Punch! Kick!
"So my pet will talk?"
"N-no..!"
Ray clearly knew what was about to happen.
"C'mon, why don't you bark for me?" She ordered.
"Y-yes.. lady-" He said.
Stare...
"Woof! Woof! W-woof!" Ray barked, he barked for his life.
"Ahahah...Hahahahha...HAHAHAHAH!" Seiko couldn't help but laugh at the scene.
Sfx: door open
*Creaaaakk
"Ah... You kids, I wonder if this plan would even work." A lady said.
As she entered the room, a quiet atmosphere took over the place.
Everyone got silent, as she spoke
"It's not for the best, but I'll still let you kids have a try. Haah... I do need to have a backup plan it seems." She said.
"N-no...!" Seiko trembled.
Ray sighed.
"Will you beat us too?" He said with a voice of resignation...
"Ah, haha no! Don't count yourself in, random boy~ it's only Seiko..." She grabbed Seiko's shoulder.
"Nnh!..." She trembled
"Isn't she such a good girl?" Lady's omposure was stable throughout.
"Yesh~" Seiko said out of fear.
"Huh...?"
"Let me add a little, cute suggestion to your little plan, make sure to not 'kill' Aimi. Is that alright?" The lady giggled.
"W-wha...WHAT?" Ray had came to his sense, he could not believe what he had heard.
Is this true?
"A-alright... I guess so..." Ray sighed.
"Who gave you the permission to speak huh, bark like a dog and let your master tell me if she agrees or not." He lady said in a cold tone.
"Yesh....I absholutely aghree..." Seiko moaned a little.
"So, in order to sabotage her practice, how about you burn her dress infront of her when she is about to practice?" The lady said.
"So then, Ray, do it."
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At the Park
"Who...who are you?!"
Kaito was confused, scared and yet defensive over Aimi.
He had taken a stance n order to protect Aimi, but moreover
HE WISHED TO PROTECT HIS OWN LIFE.
"d-did I do something wron-g?" The boy said trembling.
"WHAAAA....? You're just a twelve year old-" Aimi peeked through Kaito's defence.
"AIMI NO! he may be just a normal 1 2 year old by looks, but look what he's doing..." Kaito said in a terrifying voice.
"How could it be bad-" Aimi tried peeking in.
Peek
And as Aimi looked down,
She was horrified.
"Oh my god... What on earth, why would you-..."
"G-guys! Its just two lizards reproducing! What the hell is wrong here?" The boy said in a nervous voice.
"WHAT'S WRONG?! EVERYTHING SEEMS WRONG HERE!"
Kaito was weirded out by what that boy seemed to be doing.
But then again, Kaito walked casually ignoring the boys activities as he said
"Aimi, let's move. We are going to be late for your practices, isn't it?"
"Um...but-"
"No buts! You don't want to watch two lizards reproducing, right? Let's move."
"Umm...okay..." Aimi walked.
"Haah..." The boy sighed.
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It wasn't much rare for the boy to be ignored or to be looked down as the weird kid.
"Sometimes, I wish I wasn't born rich. Maybe if I was poor, I wouldn't have to deal with prestigious kids and a prestigious school..."
"...?" It seemed Aimi was earsdropping.
"Being alone. It's kind of peaceful at this point. Won't complain anything about it though." The boy countinued.
"Maybe... I really am useless-"
"NO!" Aimi interrupted in between!
"UWAAA-" the boy got frightened
Rush!
The lizards elft the scene immediately.
"Oh my...! You made the lizards run away! Approached me like a proper human, the front!" The boy said while blushing.
"You said you're useless, isn't it?!"
"Yeah.. I am" he sighed.
"If that's the case, I'd like your help. And make you useful!" Aimi said in a cheerful voice.
"Huh?" The boy didn't seem interested.
"First work for you would be... Finding R-"
"Aimi, we are supposed to go to the hall and find Ryou, so that he can help us- what are you doing with lowlife over here?!" Kaito sighed.
"Ryou?! Where?!" The boy trembled.
"Huh? You don't know him?" Aimi was confused.
"I mean I do know but I also don't-" the boy stuttered.
"Pretty weird for someone who has written the name Ryou Aikawa pretty bold and clear on their id card..." Aimi said in an embarassing tone.
"Huh?! That's me?!" Ryou was confused! It was him?!
"It's him?! That's...THATS RYOU?!" Kaito was surprised.
THATS, the son of the one of the most richest people of Japan?
"Can't believe you're this stupid looking, we have heard things about you in a negative sense because of which you're in this school, but to this extent?!" Kaito couldn't believ his eyes!
"Hey! Stop bad nourishing him! He's still a nice person, isn't he?!" Aimi defended Ryou.
"Thanks guys... I'm used to it. Anyways, why are you guys looking for me?" Ryou said.
"Ah, well, know Seiko?"
Upon hearing the name Seiko, Ryou blushes.
"S-seiko?! Yeah I know her! She's my favourite ido- my- no, the whole acjool's number one crush!" Ryou stared fanboying over Seiko!
"Ughh..." It seemed the young twelve year old Aimi got jealous of the other fifteen year old Ryou!
"Whatever... If you help me with my plan to bear Seiko, I'll let you-"
"Helping you against my favourite idol Seiko?! No way!!" Ryou protested.
"Ughh... This guys a pain in the ass anyways, Aimi, I knew it wouldn't be worth our time!" Kaito grabbed Aimi as they started to go back.
But Aimi still had faith into Ryou,
As she turned around to take a glance at Ryou for a final time, she said
"Ryou! They are planning to hurt me, if you wish to prevent that, please come in the evening!"
And then, she left.
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At the Dance hall.
Clock striked 5 pm.
It was evening, the sunset was red, as the skies were following a similar scheme of colors,
however the sun refused to do so. It glowed bright red instead of a normal red, adding a tone contrast to the already beautiful scenery.
"...and, begin!"
Final practice for the Dance, began!
If I were a mirror,
Aimi danced, with her hands going over her shoulders
Would falling turn me into pieces?
She took a sudden twist, as she bent over, pointing a finger to the fake audience.
Would the pieces fall into a set~
"That's the move!" Kaito capped his bands.
And even so, would the broken mirror...
She took another twist, and made a heart sign as she danced to the rhythm of the next lyric-
Show the real me ?
Twist, Throw!
"This will do." Ray smirked, as he threw a burning matchstick over Aimi.
But suddenly,
"HAAAAA!"
Ryou ran in between.
But sadly,
It still burned.
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At Lee's house
It was night, clock struck 9pm
Lee was exhausted, he was taking off his shirt as his wife came from the door.
Sfx: door open
*Creaaaakk
"Why, honey, quite late again today?" Lee asked.
"None of your business." His wife replied.
"Huh? Wouldn't you ask me for a bath, dinner or anything else first?" Lee was upset.
"Is that so? How about you ask the same to me? Aren't you the one in the home?"
"What the hell? I'm the one at home? I just came over to the house a few minutes ago and this is how you treat me?"
"Oh yeah? And you think I keep myself in leisure all day? Don't you think I get tired too?"
The two always had fights in between.
Their marriage was a sunken ship, but a lifeguard kept it alive.
That lifeguard,
"Mama! Mama!"
Was Aimi.
"Tsk, get away!" Lee's wife shrugged Aimi off.
"Honey, that's our child..don't do like that!" Lee was furious.
"Huh? Why don't you take care of her?"
Throw!
"Ouch...!" Aimi got thrown towards Lee.
"Lately, you've been getting distant from me. I ask you again honey, where were you this night? Why are you so late? Who is this Seiko and why do you contact a little girl so often?"
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At the School
That was it. It was the final day, the day of the competition.
"Haah! A good mood and a fresh day!" Lee sighed as he just dropped off his daughter in the school,
and sat next to the audience seat waiting for beautiful children including his own daughter to come up and show their talents, impressing the audience for a future career!
Next to him, which he assumed, was a parent.
"Ah... Which one is yours over here?" Lee said with a playful talkative voice.
"Haven't decided yet."
That was NOT a parent.
Twist!
Lee quickly turned his head around, only to see
"Ah, Seiko, isn't it? You're my daughter's bully. I heard about you from her yesterday. Why aren't you in the dressing room with my daughter?" Lee said with a calm tone.
"It's going down...everything's going down..." Seiko said
With a horrifying look over her face.
"Whoa going down?!" Lee sounded concerned.
"It's her... She will destroy everything...everything." it seemed Seiko was comfortable with the fact that Lee was sympathyzing with Seiko.
But suddenly
"Tsk. Hahah..hahah!" Lee started laughing.
He had put up an act it seems.
"So it failed huh, you couldn't harm my daughter huh?"
"Tell me, DID THE PLAN WORK?"
did the plan work?
DID THE PLAN WORK?
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Now, outside the Main room
DID THE PLAN WORK?
Asked Lee.
"That day... Did the plan work? Who defended you, my long lost daughter, huh?" Asked Lee, who had gotten a grip over Aimi at this point.
"S-stop! Stop calling me your damn daughter." Aimi resisted.
"Well, you should be grateful, just because you're daughter is the reason why I don't have the nerves to kill you. Or else, you'd be rotting in hell today." Lee put handcuffs over Aimi.
Aimi submitted, she didn't say anything..
Instead with a smile, she giggled.
"Fufufu~ fufuufufu~"
"Huh?" Lee was confused.
"Kindness, that is where you get wrong. After all~"
Twist! Turn! Leap!
"HUH?! AIMI!!"
"Because... That day, RYOU DEFENDED ME!" Aimi said with courage.
[Flashback]
"Aaah! Aaah! It burns!!!" Ryou screamed in pain.
Why won't he?
HE WAS BURNING IN FIRE!
"WATER! BRING HIM WATER!" Aimi exclaimed.
Splashñ
A bucket of water wasn't enough, bubagter numerous tries, the fire finally cooled down.
It left a patch of scar over Ryou's shoulder and his abdomen,
While everyone gathered near Aimi, seeing if Aiminwere to be safe or not.
Everyone left Ryou left unattended, only a few had taken care of Ryou.
To which Aimi swore.
"One day, I will find whoever did this to you. And punish the mastermind."
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And that's how, I knew who Ryou was!
"HE WAS NEVER THE RIGHT ONE FOR YOU-" Lee slapped Aimi!
Slap!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The handcuffs were still lose, so Lee's misfires
"Shoot for the arm!" Turned out to be a failure.
As that just led to Aimi's handcuffs be open.
"EVERYONE IS EQUAL BEFORE RHE LAW, EVEN MY LONG LOST DAUGHTER!" Lee exclaimed, before he threw a punch at Aimi.
Crouch,
"AND I WILL EQUALLY KILL YOU, MY LONG LOST ABANDONED FATHER, YOU KNEW I WAS ALIVE THIS WHOLE TIME?!"
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STAB!
"don't ever come between me and Ryou again..."
Haah... Haah...
Aimi breathed heavily, as she had just murdered her own father.
"I see, that's how it is... Then." Lee said, as he spit out blood from his mouth.
Cough... Cough!
"I don't have much time, but listen to me Aimi..."
Aimi looked down at her Father, Lee, who breathed his breaths, preparing to tell his last words, as he said
"My daughter, take care of Ryou, and please, search for Seiko..."