Chapter 9 - Another shitty day (IV)

When I got there, lots of Evolves were already there this early, all are punk heads like me from all over - Sumiyoshi, Suminoe, Taisho (Under town) and so on.

At a glance, there were like 1000 of us; just hanging around under the old busted up roof of the mall.

Enforcers have a perimeter around the mall, they surround the whole place with their patrol vehicles.

They don't chase us out or make arrest, only watch and limit our movements to just the mall.

I walked in with no body stopping me and went to my usual spot and leaned against a pillar, when I heard a familiar voice.

"Motherfucker, I didn't see you here so I was already assuming the worst"

The person speaking was Daigo; he is sort of my best friend (correction; he is my only friend).

He closed in on me, then we raised our hand in the air, slammed it, before gripping each other palm firmly, and pulling the other person in for a shoulder bump.

"Why?" I asked, Daigo has a very dramatic personality (to me at least).

I wasn't stupid, but I play along with his silly acts even if I know the answer already.

"I know, this morning I overheard so shitheads from your neighborhood talking about some scrapping between two E-Grade Evolved last night at the UnDerGround, they described the fighters and I immediately knew it was you" Daigo said.

"Good to know that at least if I had died, some shit-face would be able to give you a report on how I did" I said, trying to be funny.

Causing him to chuckle, he is the only one that actually find my attempts funny. Others react differently.

Rolling with Daigo does make some of his silly behaviours rub off on me; which I know but still to it.

"Don't be like that, Shitsubo… I heard the other guy shit his pants" Daigo replied, with a silly smirk plastered on his face.

"Well, it seems your shithead narrator probably didn't see whole thing clearly… I was the one actually shitting his pants" I did not try hiding what really happened.

We moved on to talked and laughed for a long time.

Diago is my guy; he stays in the neighborhood that is at least an hour walk away from Sumiyoshi but we were fucking close; aside from my family he is the only person that's close to me.

"…So, your dad has gone dark again? Well, that is fucked" Daigo commented before asking "…So what are you going to do?".

"What do you think I'm going to do? I got to give them a good size of coins next time we meet, so they don't come over and to fuck up my sister or mother or worst… Me again" I replied bluntly.

"Well, you are in luck to make some coins. Do you remember my cousin; the one that was serving time in prison, scrapping in Forts on some fucking island… Goro?"

He did mention that name once or twice.

"The one that fucked your mom, your little bro's dad… That piece of shit?" I asked to confirm because the guy has a lot of cousins in prison, it was hard to keep up.

"Yeah, that one… He got out like 3 days ago, well he might be a piece of shit but he managed to hook me up with some guy he knows, so I am set to get a gig today and I will make sure you tag along" He proposed.

"Thanks man, but are you sure it will be alright?" I asked.

I did not want him to get in trouble with his cousin because of this, I still need his company.

"It's fine, the guy and my cousin are tight" He reassured me.

After staying and waiting in the mall for about four hours for Daigo's gig to show up, watching as other Evolves throw themselves at recruiters from different private military company and Towers; looking hire extras like us.

Norms, some started fighting each but no one tried to separate them.

Not even the Enforcer or the recruiters that they are fighting to be noticed by; they see and use runts as expandable soldiers.

Breaking our nose couldn't worry them less.

All we have to do is survive, I and Daigo would normally have joined the crowd and throwing ourselves to them but we don't have to do that today because of Daigo's cousin.

"…They have finally arrived, see them over there, let's go" Daigo pointed at one of the two cargo trunks that just arrived with a white serpent crest on them.

They squeezed their truck amongst other cargo trucks in front of the mall, all wearing different crest of different proportion on them.

Hired Mercenary-Guard were getting loaded up, the trucks zoom off for other new arrivals to take their space.

"That's the gig… that's the Viper, let's go say fucking hello" Daigo yelled as we pushed through the crowd towards the 'Viper' truck.

"Hey… Hey, my name is…. Hey, I'm talkin' to you, I am…." Daigo had to try yelling over the noise of the crowd, to get the attention of a Guard rocking the Viper crest on the right chest of this black combat uniform.

He was busy handpicking Evolves he wanted to be upload into the cargo truck, so his attention wasn't easy to get.

Daigo had to force his way to the front, crossing the line the Guards always tell us not to cross.

Normally a line couldn't stop us but after too many instances of all the Trucks just leaving when we refuse to not cross the line, and we don't see them for days, even week, we learnt to respect the fucking line.

Daigo didn't seem give a damn about that now, and his sudden act appear to have frightened the Guard a bit, as he quickly backed the hell away immediately.

"Kid, get back… I'm will knock your teeth out, get back!" the Guard yelled at Daigo to step back and few people tried to drag him back, but Daigo quickly dragged parts of his body like his hand away from their grip, moving forward as he did.

They tried to reach but couldn't and didn't want to cross the line drawn, so Daigo was somewhat free of 'em.

I just stayed behind the line, hoping that no one gets too bold to cross the line trying to bring him back.

"Hey…Come on, name's Daigo… my cousin…" Daigo trying state his business to the Guard as he panted and raised his hand up to show he meant no harm.

"GET BACK!!!" The Guard wasn't all that convinced and yelled at the top of his lungs, drawing his sword out.

Daigo didn't even flinch, just stopped walking forward and continued repeating his words.

"Hey, what going on over there?!" A loud voice was heard from front of the truck, the sound of the vehicle's door could be heard opening and getting slammed shut.

"Todo, what's going on here?!" the voice demanded.

The owner of the voice finally became visible for the less rowdy section of the crowd that just focused on Daigo's stunt.

He wore grey tactical combat-suit with black-coloured armour plates, with a similar the Viper crest on the same position as the other Guard's, but he sounded like a damn superior, not an equal.

"Sir, this brat… He crossed the line'" The junior Guard answered, with his eye and the tip of his shining sword firmly pointed at Daigo.

"I'm from Goro…. Sir" Daigo spoke before the boss clap his ass, somewhat unassured about saying 'Sir' in that last past.

"Oh, you are Goro's brother or something?" The superior Guard asked.

"…Cousin" Daigo corrected him.

"Right, I forgot about you… well you can step in the back" The superior Guard calmly said turning his back to leave, even his junior a bit shocked but what just happened before his eyes.

"…That is my… friend – Shitsubo, he is a badass" he said out loud, to stop the Guard in his track and pointed at me, behind the line; still struggle to stand comfortably with everyone packed like mass grave.

"I don't have time for this, I promised your brother… uncle or whatever a spot for you… I don't care Shitso-bum-bum" he said indifferently and started leaving, but Daigo quickly replied.

"…I don't plan on wasting your time, but Shitsubo is a legit badass. Out of these multitudes of Guards here, you are trying to select the competent ones without any idea of their skills but I tell you; this motherfu… (Cough) This guy here is legit" Daigo sops in trying to get a spot for me.

"I seriously don't care… He can join you, just get in bloody back" The Guard didn't seem like he wanted all this convo, but I guess he and Goro were really tight for him to act as he just did.

He then turns to his junior and instructed softly "Put that thing away".

The junior Guard quickly put his sword away and the superior Guard left the scene, that how I and Daigo got this job.