It's midnight in Tokyo. The vibrant colors illuminate the streets as thousands of people walk past each other heading home after a long day of work. Through the crowd of people, Nanako and Mimiko could be seen walking next to each other and whispering.
Above Nanako and Mimiko, Mute could be seen silently trailing them hopping from billboard to billboard as his cloak swayed in the wind. Under Mute's mask, his face was covered in boredom. Mute had been following Nanako and Mimiko for the past two hours and they had only stopped once to get food.
Mute jumped onto a bright blue billboard hanging off the side of a massive building. Mute stared at them until Nanako suddenly looked up and waved towards him. Mute looked at her confused until Nananko and Mimiko turned right, slipping through the crowd before entering a building. Mute quickly hopped down from the billboard startling a couple walking past. They stared at Mute like he was insane before quickly walking away.
Mute started to walk towards the building before looking up and reading a bright red sign lit up using LEDs. The building was a large arcade. Mute shook his head annoyed before looking through a glass window and seeing Nanako and Mimiko playing with a claw machine trying to get stuffed plushies.
Mute sighed loudly. Mute was annoyed not because Nanako and Mimiko were having fun but because of the outfit he was wearing. A cloak and a black mask are about as suspicious as you can get. Mute felt the gaze of people walking past him until he shrank the distance appearing next to Nanako and Mimiko while they watched a pink rabbit plushie slip out of the claw of the machine, falling into a pile of stuffed animals. As soon as the rabbit hit the stuffed animals a loud alarm rang mocking the fact that Nanako had lost.
" AH, this is so rigged! "
Yelled out a crying Nanako as she tightly held the glass of the claw machine. She stared at the glass before she saw Mute's reflection in the glass. He was leaning on the machine with his arms crossed. Nanako looked at Mute before talking.
" Hey, don't startle me like that. I didn't even hear you approaching me. But you know you can hang around us. You looked bored jumping from billboard to billboard. "
Mute scoffed at her before giving her thumbs up until Mimiko walked closer to Nanako and spoke to her. Trying to grab a card Nanako was holding. The card was used to play games in the arcade.
" Hey, it's my turn. You have been using the card nonstop. "
Nanako looked over at Mimiko before shaking her head and talking.
" Nope, you get the card after I win one. "
Mimiko looked at Nanako annoyed before sighing in defeat watching her slide the card into the claw machine. Mute and Mimiko pulled out their phones before they both started swiping through their phones, as the loud alarm of the machine repeatedly buzzed as Nanako failed again and again.
Many minutes pass as the buzzer repeatedly goes off. Nanako swipes the card again until her eyes widen and she slams her hand onto the machine's glass. The card declined. Nanako starts to sob to herself while Mimiko chuckles staring at her, as Mute continues to swipe through the black market until he hears light footsteps approaching him, making him look up from his phone.
Nanako stared at him with puppy eyes before talking.
" Do you have any money I can borrow? I promise to pay you back later. "
Mute let out a loud sigh before he made a circular motion with his left hand. Nanako stared at his hand confused until a card appeared between his middle and index fingers. Nanako's eyes widened before she reached for the card until Mute flicked his wrist throwing it towards Mimiko. Mimiko catches the card surprised until a grin appears on her face as she walks over towards a different machine.
Nanako watched Mimiko leave before she snapped her head back towards Mute and spoke.
" Wow, I see how it is. But when did you even get that card? I didn't see you leave once. "
Mute just shrugged his shoulders before he glanced over and watched a black-haired toddler look around an arcade machine before he dropped to the floor throwing a tantrum. Mute had stolen the card using his cursed technique.
Mute grinned watching the toddler cry as Nanako walked towards Mimiko. Mute remained motionless leaning on a claw machine with a grin under his mask. Before Mute could realize it. He was having fun for the first time in 15 years. Mute looked over at Nanako and Mimiko and started to walk towards them until his body halted, feeling massive killing intent engulfing his body.
Sweat rolled down Mute's face as he shot his head towards the familiar feeling. Mute looked through the glass window and stared past the road outside, before locking eyes with his sister standing on the other side of the road glaring at him.
Mute stared at his sister until a red car passed by blocking her body and when the car left, his sister was gone. Mute stared at the same spot his sister was before he swallowed his saliva and thought about something.
" I can't get comfortable, remember why I am here "...