Chapter Text
"Now traveling to Kanezaka", the robotic voice of Athena boomed over the speakers as the ship slowly jerked to a halt. Overwatch could have provided a more modern ship, but seeing as most ships were currently in use near Gibraltar, this was all they got. Wuyang slowly adjusted his seating position, having just awoken from a nap. Across from him sat his sister, Anran. She motioned with her hand to the inner corner of her mouth, and then pointed back at him. His hand shot up to his mouth, only to feel a wet spot on his cheek. Great. If only he had control over that kind of water.
A small, grumpy figure emerged from the cockpit after the ship was properly landed. "Miss Ye, we are here!", he grumbled. The stock man seemed to be in a rather bad mood. He had been grumbling throughout the whole entire journey, something about turrets and shields. The ship was his personal pet project and had been uncomfortable at times, with buttons being reprogrammed to do entirely different things than the icon represented. Wuyang and Anran unbuckled their seatbelts and quickly gathered their belongings.
"Thank you ever so much, mister Lindholm.", Anran said in a kind tone, "I am not sure how we could have even started our mission here without your help."
Mr Lindholm's moustache slightly shot up, indicating a forced smile on his end. "Don't mention it.", he grumbled.
After gathering their stuff and exiting the rickety ship, Anran and Wuyang found themselves in the port of Kanezaka. Streetlights lit up the area in a soft orange hue. The various sounds of the city drifted across the harbour, along with the smells of cooking. Wuyang's stomach rumbled. "Kanezaka, huh? I wonder what their local food specialty is.", Wuyang mused.
His sister turned sharply. "Wuyang, we are not on holiday! We are here on a mission to assist the Yokai in their fight against the Hashimoto. If we want Japan to stay a strong and useful ally to the cause of Overwatch, we absolutely cannot fail. There is no time for dilly-dallying.", Anran said in a rather scolding tone.
Wuyang shrunk a little. He knew his sister did not mean it in a mean way, but it nevertheless made him feel small. "Sorry, I know.", he mumbled. Anran relaxed a bit after seeing her brother shrink like that. Even though they were colleagues now, old habits did indeed die hard. However, Anran believed firmly that her attitude towards her little brother had moulded him into the man he was today. She just wished praise for him would come more natural, as she was proud of him. He could definitely use that as well.
"I'll text Ryota we are on our way to the hotel.", Wuyang said. Anran just nodded in reply and started walking towards a busy street. Wuyang double-checked his belongings before hurriedly following Anran. He glanced a last time towards the riverfront where a boat rounded the corner when his eye fell on a man sitting on a parkbench overlooking the square. One arm draped over the backside of the bench and dressed in all black, the man held Wuyang's gaze unblinkingly. He was wearing a sort of mask covering the lower half of his face. It unsettled Wuyang a little. He smiled awkwardly and made a slight bow towards the man before rounding a corner and disappearing out of the man's sight.
The hotel Wuyang and Anran were staying at was a traditional Japanese place, personal recommendation of Ryota. The last thing they wanted was to stay in a Hashimoto stronghold and have all their Overwatch intel leaked to the enemy. They had to be careful regardless, but knowing your bedtime was at least semi-well-protected was a huge relief. The last thing they needed was being jumped and tied down by some Hashimoto goon in the middle of the night.
"Ah, it must be this one!", Anran exclaimed as they approached a wooden-slatted building. Red lanterns cast a soft glow on the sidewalk, as well as a large statue out front. The statue looked like a bear or raccoon in samurai clothing, with a large red hat on its head.
"How cute!", Wuyang said more to himself. As they get closer he couldn't help but whip out his phone and take a picture. He loved cute things, and Japan was known for its 'cute culture'. "They even make their hotels cute, huh?", he mused. Before following his sister inside he gave the statue a soft pat on its nose.
As Wuyang closed the door behind him, Anran removed her shoes and walked up to the small reception desk. A woman in kimono looked up and smiled. "Konnichiwa, welcome. Are you here to check in?", the woman asked Anran. Wuyang removed his shoes as well and trotted after his sister, taking in the beauty of the room they had entered. It was a simple room, but something about it made him stare around open-mouthed. It was a very serious work-trip they were on, but Wuyang couldn't help but be a bit giddy about his first trip abroad.
Anran pulled out a small note, showed it to the woman behind the reception desk and said: "Actually, we are here for the ramen. I heard Gozan delivers here?" The woman's face flashed surprise for a split second, but recovered quickly.
"Oh, yes, of course. The delivery boy should be here soon.", the woman said. Wuyang looked at his sister's back in confusion. Hadn't she just scolded him for wanting to try the food asap? Just then the front door behind Wuyang opened. "Ah, there it is, ma'am, your delivery.", the receptionist said and motioned towards the door. Wuyang turned around. The big statue from just outside stood in the opening holding what seemed to be a bowl of delivery ramen. Wuyang stared at the statue, or man. The plastic bowl of ramen was thrust towards him. He meekly accepted the delivery. Wuyang slowly turned towards his sister to pass the bowl on to her. Anran took it from him without so much of a hint of surprise at what had just proceeded.
"I-.. I am so sor-", Wuyang began as he turned back towards the raccoon statue (man?), but they had already left. "Huh... where di-", Wuyang began but was quickly interrupted by his sister.
"Come on Wuyang, let's get settled down in our rooms.", she said and started towards a hallway on their left.
"Sis, don't we need keys for our room?", Wuyang asked as he followed Anran around the maze of corridors.
"Yes, and we do.", Anran replied.
"Huh, wait, you only got some ramen, which by the way, is never going to be enough for the both of us! You know I need my calories or I will not have the energy to run around at all.", Wuyang whined. Anran ignored him. "Anran, please, what is going on?" Anran stopped at a set of doors, turned around and produced two golden tokens. "Huh, where did you-", Wuyang started. Anran looked at him sternly, which made Wuyang shut up immediately. Angry Anran was scary Anran, and he had the feeling she had a shorter fuse after that long journey here. Better be quiet and stand at attention.
"This here is my room, yours is just there.", Anran said and pointed at a door across from the hall as she held out the small golden token with the number 520 on it in the other hand. Wuyang took the golden token, flipped it around in his palm and looked up quizzically. "Hold the token to the door to open it.", she said, "Get settled in and meet me in the lobby in about 20 minutes. We'll go out for food then." Anran opened the door nearest to her with another golden token and went inside.
"But.. what about that ramen you just got?", Wuyang asked the closed door.
"Whaaa I can't wait!", Wuyang exclaimed with raised arms as they stepped back out onto the streets some time later. "Can we go to one of those izakaya? I heard Tora no Sumika is the best for a drink and some pub-food!", Wuyang said excitedly.
"No, we cannot.", Anran said promptly.
"Aw..", Wuyang whined, "Why not? I'm sure officer Chase wouldn't mind if we had one drink at a bar."
Anran looked at him sharply. "Oh, she won't mind us going there, but not today. Let's do that some other day. For now, let's just get something from one of these restaurants in the city centre.", she replied.
They walked a steady pace through the city of Kanezaka. It was a beautiful city; streets lined with quaint little shops and restaurants, temples dotted left and right. They even came across some smaller shrines that featured small statues of foxes. Aside from the old and traditional, the city also features quite a few modern buildings. There was even a large arcade and a cat café. As they strode past some restaurants Anran made frequent stops at the menus outside. Wuyang was not very picky when it came to food, so he would often let his table-mate decide on where to go.
"This looks promising.", Anran said as they stood outside a small restaurant. Wuyang peered inside and saw a few patrons sit at a counter in the narrow shop. Adjacent to the counter was the kitchen, that was being manned by an older man and woman.
"Sure, let's go in.", Wuyang said. The woman greeted them as they went through the door. She held up two fingers and motioned to two empty seats. Wuyang and Anran shuffled past a particular stocky man in a suit towards their assigned seats. Wuyang plopped down and looked around the place, taking in all the details around him in wonder. He heard Anran sit down next to his left and giggle softly.
"Close your mouth, Wu. You might start drooling again.", she said.
Wuyang put his lips together and felt his cheeks grow hot. "Old habit.", he murmured. Wuyang had always been a curious person. Whenever he visited a new place he couldn't help but stare around open-mouthed. As a kid, he'd often feel his mother's gentle touch pushing his jaws together. The older woman in the kitchen came over and handed them the menu as well as some cups and a jug of water. As Anran's eyes scanned the menu, Wuyang looked over to the right. The counter actually curved around the kitchen in the back, with more seats. He could not see the customers sitting at the far end very well, as the barrier dividing the kitchen and counter was rather too high. The only this he saw was the top of the head of what appeared to be a foreigner, judging from the platinum blonde hairdo that bopped in and out of sight every time they bent down to take another bite.
"I think I'll have the nanban menu. What about you, Wu?", Anran said. Wuyang snapped his head back to his sister.
"Sure, sounds good. I'll have the same.", he replied. Anran ordered, and not long after two large servings of delicious smelling food was set down before them. They called out the Japanese phrase to give thanks for the food before digging in. Wuyang could not help but moan in pleasure as he took his first bite.
"Wuyang, please, we are in public. Behave.", his sister said giggling.
"Shorry", Wuyang replied, his mouth still full. He continued chewing and then swallowed down the food. "It's just so good, it really hits the spot!", he mused.
They ate their meals, chatting away about this and that. Food had always been an important moment in their family. It always seemed like dinnertime was a time when all the tension from training would just fall away. It was the one time his sister would not nag him in a stern way. It was a time for healing, both physically and mentally. Mealtime would show a different side of Anran. A fun and playful side. It resulted in them forgetting about everything and everyone around them. Only you and the people you cared about is what mattered at that time.
Customers around them came and went, without either one of them really taking notice. The only person Wuyang really noticed leaving was the foreigner in the corner, as he brushed a hand along Wuyang's waist in order to squeeze past him towards the exit. It made Wuyang jump ever so slightly. He looked up and saw the man exit the restaurant. He was quite tall and wearing a black suit that perfectly fitted his slender and well-built body. It was only then that Wuyang noticed his outrageous hairstyle, for it was shaved in the back, exposing his natural darker hair color. The man exuded a confindence that slightly spiked Wuyang's heartbeat. Foreigners were always so bold, how cool.
After their more than satisfactory meal, Wuyang and Anran made their way back to the hotel. The meal had energized Wuyang again, but it seemed to have the opposite effect on Anran.
"Ah, big meals always make me so sleepy. I can't wait to go straight to bed. I'll wash in the morning.", Anran said as they entered the hotel lobby.
"You can't be serious. You said they have a natural hot spring here, right? Tonight is the only night we truly have to ourselves before work starts tomorrow! I am not going back to my room before I am a shriveled up raisin from a hot bath. Besides, free ice cream after each bath? Count me in.", Wuyang excitedly said.
Anran waved her hand. "Nah, I am going to bed. I'll catch you tomorrow. Good night, Wuyang.", Anran said.
"Good night, sis.", Wuyang replied. He watched her go down the hallway and disappear around a corner. Wuyang glanced around, spotted the hotel bar and made his way towards it. He'll just have a drink before going to his room and get ready for that bath.
The bar was quiet. There was a couple sitting at the far end of the room, having eyes only for each other. Wuyang pulled out a chair at the counter and sat down. He ordered a funny-sounding alcoholic beverage. The barman immediately went to work and soon set down a tall glass in front of Wuyang. The drink was colorful and topped with slices of fruit on a small paper umbrella. Wuyang took out his phone to snap a picture. As he was fiddling with his phone to get the right light-setting, another customer sat down 2 seats away from him. A man's voice ordered a drink as Wuyang admired his photography skills. He opened his chat app and sent the picture to a friend at home. 'Overwatch isn't so bad after all'. And send. Wuyang put his phone away again, picked up his drink, and took a sip. Sweet, but tangy. Lovely.
"Didn't take you for a cocktail type of guy.", the man next to him commented.
Wuyang whipped his head around towards him. His eyes found the most piercing gaze staring back at him. His eyes were a shocking blue. His hair was an extremely light greyish shade and was cut into a very modern haircut with shaved sides. One arm was lazily propped on the bar to offer support for his head as he glanced sideways at Wuyang. A slight smile played on his lips. He had a very handsome face. It wasn't until Wuyang registered the man's clothes and body that something clicked in his brain.
"Huh, you're not a foreigner!", he blurted out. The man recoiled in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry! Weren't you having dinner at that narrow restaurant? The one with the friendly staff? I think you passed me and my sister on your way out. I recognize your unconventional hairstyle.", Wuyang explained. The man chuckled and turned his gaze away from Wuyang.
"So you did see me...", the man mused before turning his gaze back on Wuyang.
"I just thought you were a foreigner, European or American. I only saw your hair, you see.", Wuyang rambled on, "I mean no offense! I think you look really cool. You don't look from around here. I mean, neither am I, but you know what I mean? Heh, I'm Wuyang."
"Mizuki.", the man replied, "And don't worry, you're alright."
Wuyang breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, where are you from, Wuyang? And what brings you here?", Mizuki asked.
Wuyang gave a nervous chuckle. "I am from China, and I am here for um... work.", he said. Mizuki hummed in reply while holding Wuyang's gaze steadily. "So um, what about you then?", Wuyang asked nervously.
Something about the way this Mizuki guy looked at him made him feel nervous, but not in a bad way. More in a way where he wanted the guy to think him friendly. Wuyang felt entranced by the him. "I live here.", Mizuki replied after a solid second of silence. Wanting to keep the conversation going Wuyang fired another question.
"Oh, I see. So what do you do? For work, I mean.", he tried.
"What do I do?", Mizuki mused, "I guess you could say I work in communucations." A normal office worker then. Such a world away from his own occupation. Talking to a local resident may be beneficial, for his Overwatch mission. It would be good to have as much intel as possible. If he worded his questions correctly, he might gain a lot of information on the Hashimoto. And, bonus, he got to talk to a hot guy in the process.
"So, what's life like in Kanezaka? What are the ins and outs? What is the talk of the town?", Wuyang tried in a happy neutral voice. He sounded like a dweeb.
It didn't put Mizuki off though, as he replied kindly: "Heh, it's alright."
Wuyang shuffled in his seat. Drats, the guy wasn't giving him anything useful. "Are there parts of the town I should avoid? I don't want to be caught on the wrong side of town...", he tried again. Mizuki considered it for a moment. A slightly bigger smile started to play on his lips, flashing part of his teeth. Wuyang noticed his canine tooth was slightly potruding. It made Mizuki look like a predator.
"It really depends on how much trouble you want to be caught in.", Mizuki said before picking up his glass of amber liquid and taking a sip.
Wuyang chuckled nervously. "I'm not so sure. I'm here with my sister, so...", Wuyang said.
Mizuki put his glass down and showed true interest in Wuyang for the first time. "Your sister, you said?", Mizuki responded in a light tone while leaning in a little bit. Wuyang felt a pang of disappointment at Mizuki's piqued interest in his sister. Probably a straight guy.
"Yes, me and my sister work for the same company. They sent us out here together for a job.", Wuyang said, "Though I wish it was somebody else with me, she can be quite... strict with me."
Mizuki nodded. "And... she's staying here as well? This sister?", Mizuki pressed on. Wuyang nodded. "Cool, cool. I hope I run into her sometime.", Mizuki said and downed his drink. He stood up, tossed some money on the counter and made to leave. "See ya around, Wuyang.", Mizuki waved his goodbye as he walked away. Wuyang watched as Mizuki's tall frame confidently leisured out of sight.