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As I walked down the dimly lit alley, that led into the back entrance of the casino I could feel my heart racing with each step. I knew what I was about to do was extremely dangerous, but I had no other choice. My family had gotten themselves into a financial mess and the only way out for my family was for me to borrow the money.
I had never thought I would find myself in this situation, but life has a way of throwing unexpected curveballs.
Between being cursed and thinking I would never hear or know anything about my family it all seemed like a terrible nightmare. I had gotten in contact with my mom a few months ago in secret it was only a couple of minutes on the phone but i just wanted to her know i was alive, she had told me they were struggling to make ends meet.
They were about to lose my childhood home and my mother's health wouldn't let her work their savings were dwindling and they couldn't keep up with the bills. I was desperate and that's when I came to only one conclusion the only person who would have that amount of money and I could payback was Sinostra house.
You could've gone to Jin or Alan but she didn't want to bring them into this since they had already done enough for you.
Jin had even let you borrow a boat without even asking for anything in return.
You had heard stories from the other Darkwick students about Taiga and Fico and the merciless ways of collecting their money.
When you owed them a debit.
You had seen it personally with the last case you had done together.
But you had no other option, at the moment so you swallowed your fear and knocked on the door.
A silky voice answered and you paused for a second before stepping in.
"What do you want BB I didn't call for you, didn't I warn you before I don't need you on my turf unless i summon you."
"I'm here because I need to borrow some money."
Hmph.
He frowned sitting in his favorite luxury chair, Romeo whipped around
elegant face arching up a eyebrow looking at you like he was seeing a new person.
"That gives me a idea you could some do certain tasks for me. And we could make some type of payment arrangement."
"You're scaring her Lulu. Look she's shaking like a newborn kitten."
You heard another voice from the back of the room.
"I'll take over for you since you look tired Lulu you're getting wrinkles your pretty face will start sinking."
Romeo yelled at Taiga,
“SHUT THE HELL UP BTH, just because you’re Captain you think you can just take over whenever you feel like and If anything it's your fault I'm getting wrinkles because you're being a UB."
Romeo swiftly rose to his feet sleek black business shoes moving quickly his steps being the only sound in the room he headed out the black and gold doors without a second glance at you.
"I think Lulu likes you but believe me you would much rather owe me than him he'd have you become his personal assistant which death would be better than that."
As I stood unmoving from being in the front of the room.
He walked slowly until he was face to face with me he was so tall I had to inch my neck up to see him.
Maybe it was a good idea that it was him doing the deal instead of Romeo.
"Well Well, kitty cat how much money do you need?"
I hesitated for a moment, but I knew I had no other choice.
I looked down at my feet then mustered all the courage you could and looked at him staring at his bright green eyes.
That held just a slight edge of madness.
"I need ¥14,868,251 yen."
He went behind the desk in the middle of the room and threw a bag at you that you were barely able to catch. It was heavy without a doubt.
"Um... is that it don't, I need to sign something or confirm it or count it."
He cocked his eyebrow and laughed.
Even in the dark, of the room you thought he looked completely gorgeous, he looked unnatural outer worldly which made you think what had he looked like as a human. Before he made a contract with a demon. His strong features stood out.
You could just make out his piercing cobalt green eyes peering out from his slightly closed eyes while he laughed.
Crimson red hair falling around his face like a shroud.
His laughter echoing into the Vip room of the casino. Sending a slight shiver down your spine.
"Sweetheart this isn't a bank or a loan office. I'll find you when I'm ready for the payment you won't be paying in yen don't worry."
I thanked him and turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me against him.
"I'll see you here tomorrow at midnight you're going to come watch me play."
I nodded, trying to hide my fear and quickly made my way out of the big black and gold doors heading back home. I knew I had made a deal with the devil, but I had no other choice. I carried the bag on my shoulder and sent a quick message to Leo to meet me outside which he replied back with a quick message back.
You~I need you to meet me outside my dorm~
Leo~But why~
You~I need you to wire some money for me to someone~
Leo~Ugh fine on my way but you owe me one~
You put your phone back in your pocket and kept walking towards your dorm till you heard yelling behind you.
Someone was yelling your name.
You turned around to see Leo standing there dressed in pjs he looked like he had jogged all the way there.
"Hey." She called out to him, simply handing him the black bag with the money that she had just gotten handed to her from Taiga.
"Woah Honor bitch this is a lot of money. Did you win the lottery or something huh?"
"No I didn't I left a stickynote in the bag that's where the money needs to be wired to. I owe you one just let me know what you need."
Leo noticed that her expression looked different than it usually did but was probably just his imagination, He wasn't sure though.
And it sure as hell wasn't any of his business.
They were decent friends he used you for his tik tok lives and other things but he wouldn't consider himself that close to you to ask what was wrong with you.
"Okay I'll get it done and send you a message at some point tomorrow to confirm with you."
You nodded and headed into your dorm. Seemly in a daze.
Leo walked away in the distance.
You closed your door and breathed a sigh of relief everything was fixed your parents would keep the house.
You had helped even from far away you couldn't be there and honestly you never truly knew if you ever would return back to your normal world.
Borrowing money from Sinostra living in Darkwick trying to learn how to solve all these cases knowing you were cursed and couldn't leave.
But being this worried over everything was never the answer.
You promised yourself to get better and learn how to use your ability to help out the ghouls not just one house or one of them but, all of them.
But sometimes just sometimes you wish you could go back home to the girl you were before who didn't know anything about the supernatural ghouls anomalies ghosts.
Be the normal teenage girl who was just excited to go to one last concert from her favorite band.
With that last thought in your head you crawled yourself into your bed falling into a uneasy sleep as soon as your head hit the pillow you didn't even bother changing clothes.
Sunlight streamed in from the window that was beside your bed.
You opened your eyes seeing the sun reflection on the window as well as the trees outside it was perfect weather outside like it mostly always was in Darkwick.
You took a look around realized you had went to sleep without even changing clothes.
As you stretched and rubbed the sleep from your eyes, you couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement mixed with anxiety in your stomach.
You quickly got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.
You didn't want to be late for class.
After a quick shower, you put on a new uniform and did your hair and some light makeup. As you looked at yourself in the mirror, you couldn't help but think how different your previous life was.
You heard a ding go off on your bed you quickly got your phone not knowing if it was a new case or if one of the ghouls needed your help.
It was Leo.
Leo~Monehhy has been sent figured you wanted to know btw Sho told me to invite you to come over for dinner bleh so like come over or whatever.~
You~Sent a thank you kitty emoji back in response~
You decided it was best not to reply to the second part of the message since you knew you already had plans with a certain redheaded ghoul and didn't want to make him mad since you had a feeling he would personally show up to Vagastrom. And start shooting things up.
Plus you didn't want to say no which then would make Sho message you, you would just ignore it and then come up with a excuse tomorrow to why you couldn't make it.
In another part of Darkwick two ghouls were wondering what the strange feeling they were feeling was called.
Leo typed the messaged and pressed the send button.
He smirked proudly as he sat back on his bed knowing she would reply with a quick message reply like she was on her way.
Leo smirk quickly turned into frown.
Causing him to make a ugly face at his phone.
Leo was pouty and pissed. Well- Only because what else could she be doing that she wouldn't even reply to the invite.
"OH my fucking gosh that bitch."
Sho made a small hmm sound knowing Leo it could be a number of things that made him say that someone unfollowed him someone called him ugly it could be a absolute number of things.
"Something is going on with my uh our favorite honor student. She's standing us up."
Sho blinks as what Leo says finally makes sense because for some reason the honor student isn't coming over to have dinner. Even though you have worked really hard to make one of her favorite dishes.
Not that he minds just eating with Leo, but he was hoping to hear your, thoughts on the meal as well as seeing you, your eyes sparkle while you enjoy your food, and you just generate a air of warmth whenever you're around.
He can't remember when it happened but it just seemed normal for you to always be around either in the pit sparring or just seeing you at the food truck.
You enjoy her company.
"What exactly did she say, have you been rude to her?"
Leo, looks up from where he's laying on his bed kicking his feet at the wall.
"As if I've been my normal self, around her I even did her a favor, last night the audacity of her to treat her one and only savior this way but now that you mention it she was acting kinda weird."
Sho glanced at Leo looking at where he was sitting on his bed.
"Start from the beginning what did she ask you to do for her."
Leo got up from his bed and grabbed his phone heading towards where Sho was sitting on his gaming chair. And pushed his phone in Sho's face letting him read the text messages between you and Leo.
Sho, was confused he shoved his hand through his sliver hair, taking a deep breath why did you need to wire someone money was someone blackmailing you what was going on.
This was bothering him on a different level that it honestly should but between you helping him and encouraging him to open his food truck and helping him with the menu and prices he was attached to you and it bothered him that their was something wrong with you.
He thought you both were pretty good friends that you would've told him If you were In trouble.
"As you can see I was being the perfect gentleman, I helped her wire some money that will be untraceable even to the most tech savy hacker. I walked to her dorm after my normal working hours. And I haven't even called in my favor she owes me yet. She was also acting weird less of her annoying honor self."
Sho got up from the gaming chair he was sitting on and began pacing back and forth until he came to a conclusion, Leo and him were going to find out what's going on with you.
Even if they had to use their abilities to find out.
Which he didn't like spying like Leo did but if you were in some type of danger he was going to help.
"Get dressed Leo, you're going to make yourself useful were going to spy on her and see what she's hiding not for you to gossip about it, just for us to make sure she's okay."
"Whatever if it's juicy like she's a gambler or even in debt I might not be able to resist."
Leo, frowned but he knew he had no true bite to what he had said he was worried as well but it was better for him not to voice that outloud what about his reputation he had a certain standard to be held.
"I'll meet you at the food truck."
And with that Sho threw Leo's phone on the bed and made his way to the door.
"HEY I have precious material on my phone you break it you buy me a new one."
Leo yelled at the closing door.
He quickly opened his closed and decided on a black long sleeve button up shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans.
He felt like the whole black outfit would help him blend in better.
He got out of Vagastrom and headed directly to the food truck passing by students and some teachers.
"Okay it's afternoon she should be at her last class which is anomalies history 101."
Sho replied looking at his phone intently.
He had remembered your classes because you had sent him a screenshot when you were complaining about how many classses you were taking.
"Okay so we wait in the building by the entrance when she comes out, we follow her silently until we see why she couldn't meet us tonight. And what was up with the large sum of money from last night."
Leo nodded towards Sho heading towards the entrance of the school passing the school garden with Sho right beside him.
You weren't sure how he does it.
But you've seen Leo blend in to room a thousand times by now he's been doing it since childhood.
He had the ability to absolutely fade into a background, observing everything around him well us keeping both of us hidden. With a face and presence that makes it hard not notice him especially when Leo, loves being the center of attention it was pure magic that he has the ability to become unnoticeable.
And there he is again, leaning against one of the old timey light posts that have the lantern type feel of days long forgotten, appearing to be absorbed in a local Darkwick newspaper and not a single student ghoul or teacher takes notice of him or even spares a second glance his way.
Sho glances down at his watch you should be coming out of your last class at any moment.
And then he sees you.
You were so ready to be out of that class you enjoy learning about different anomalies but, you don't enjoy how Professor Dante takes a century explaining to you why It was so important to study anomalies when out on missions insteading of killing them.
It was getting pretty annoying and frustrating at this point.
You heard your phone ding you reached into your bag to grab it.
You were really hoping it wasn't Sho or Leo messaging you about not coming over to Vagastrom tonight.
You didn't have the willpower or energy to deal with it right now.
Jin~Come to my room now peasant~
You~Okay on my way~
You quickly put your phone back in your bag and started jogging to Frostheim.
You knew how much Jin hated you being late you were hoping whatever he needed you could get done before you had to go to the casino.
You made it to Frostheim house in record time if you do say so yourself.
He did say to come right now so you assume he wants to meet you in his room.
You headed up the stairs to his room but before you could make it to knock on the door the door opened by itself Jin, was lounging on a expensive looking sofa, at the very back of the room.
He looked at you intently while he was lighting up a cigar.
You jumped slightly hearing the door close behind you with a loud click.
"Come over here now." Jin responded with some annoyance in his voice.
You stepped right in front of the Captain of Frostheim and held your breath not knowing what he wanted exactly.
He grabbed you and pushed you into the baby blue sofa right beside him putting his cigar out on his nightstand. You were pushed so close together that his mouth was right by your ear. You felt like your heart was beating out of your chest.
You could smell the light smell of his expensive cologne and the smell of cigarette smoke.
"I'm going to sleep wake me up in a hour relax."
Jin mumbled into your ear closing his eyes.
"But Jin I'm..."
You tried to come up with something to say you still had things to do and homework to review and at least two forms you had to get back to the principal.
Not even mentioning you had to head to Sinostra to meet Taiga at the casino.
"Don’t even think you can defy me."
Jin brought you closer and a couple of minutes passed when you heard him lightly snoring behind you, now you realized you were stuck here until Jin woke up or Tohma, came to save you which you really didn't want him to see you like this.
Now what were you supposed to do you didn't put it past Taiga to personally come here guns blazing trying to take you to the casino.
Which also meant a even bigger problem Jin was going to find out you owed a debit.
This wasn't your day.