"Who are you working for?" Kolzak asks, but the only answer he receives is the gagging sound coming from Nishioka.
"Le...let me...go...f...first." Nishioka manage to let out a quiet whimper
Kolzak tsk annoyed that he has to soften his grasp, but he obeyed nonchalantly.
When the rope around Nishioka loosens Kolzak immediately tied Nishioka's arm instead.
Nishioka gazes at Kolzak with a close eye smirk "A smarty aren't ya?" when Nishioka didn't receive an answer he open his eyes to only be greeted by a smile that seem to reach ear to ear.
'is he... Mocking me?!' Nishioka thinks. He Never knew Kolzak's smile can irritate him.
"I'm tired of asking just answer the question" Nishioka sighs
'just remember the deal... Do anything in your power can to get the files' Nishioka thinks for himself. do it for the deal. and only that.
'....for the deal'
***
before I even take the job, I was just a kid who people use to pass drugs to, my dad being a drug seller choose me to be his errand boy.
I remember it was horrible. I constantly have to go to the client to give the drug, I have to endure the abuse from my dad.
morning and night, almost every day he would call me with a horrible name, give me a paper with an address and throw me the drug. like I'm some damn dog.
one day my dad comes home with an angry face, I normally would ignore it but I don't know why but I didn't ignore him.
"what happen?" I ask him
"SHUT UP YOU DAMN DOG!" a hit in the head.
I shouldn't have asked.
that day I got beat up half to death.
I remember the pain, I remember what I was thinking of at that moment because my thoughts were the only thing keeping me sane.
'pain it hurts stop Dad why it hurts please' I was pleading in my head thinking that he could hear my thoughts, I mean he is my dad he must know his child feeling right?
how foolish to think of that, he ain't a mind reader and he was blinded by rage at that time.
but one thing I know is that he was taking his anger out of me.
after he was done, he simply let go of my body and shove a piece of paper on my face
"Give this to that bastard," he says before throwing the drug at me.
I do what he says, give the drug to the client in that address, yet. why do people keep getting mad?
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SHIT?!" he yells as he grabs my collar.
the bruise on my cheek still stings
I stay quiet, dully gazing at the person in front. his face is red from anger, I can see the smoke fuming from his nose.
"...the drug you ask for." I finally answer his question
BRAK!
"THIS AINT THE DRUG YOU PROMISE!" he throws me to the ground.
"THAT BASTARD!" he yells, kicking my stomach.
'I didn't even do anything' yet why do people take their anger, out of me?
'why am I in between this guy and my dad's fights?' why can't they just communicate?
why can't they just, talk to each other?
I know why, I think I know why.
they are cowardly, scared cats. they are afraid to take the first step
'THAT'S IT! I JUST NEED, I JUST NEED TO CONTROL THEM TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP! AND THEN– AND THEN' I can get out of this stupid quarrel.
I can be called by my name, not dog, not errand boy, and certainly not odd. but my name. Nishioka
I was too dazed, to distract by my thoughts and goals. that I become obsessed. obsessed with controlling things.
at first, I did it to make my dad love me, to get money, then get away with stuff.
but I didn't realize it I become addicted to manipulating life things.
I would break someone's mind for no absolute reason, making them do self-harm and ending their own life for fun.
that was the first mistake I made after I have become obsessed.
I immediately got caught by the police and put in jail, I try to beg the judge, my dad who was there to defend me to tell them–or at least do something–that no, I wasn't a control freak who killed many people just for fun no. I was just a little boy who wants attention, love, and adoration.
they didn't even take a second glance and put a child in jail, in the name of 'justice'
I still remember the 'jail' the feeling of control fades away in the cracks of my hand.
I was locked, treated like an animal, I was pitied and I was at the bottom.
people don't call me Nishioka there. they called me numbers NUMBERS!! I HAVE A NAME! ITS NISHIOKA!
NI-SHI-O-KA! NOT 696, NOT DOG, NOT LITTLE BOY. NISHIOKA!
CALL ME BY MY NAME! NISHIOKA!!
'MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA MY NAME IS NISHIOKA'
CALL ME BY MY NAME! NISHIOKA!
"Nishioka is your last name. your first name is Maasaki" Huh who is that?
"it means brilliant light, prosper, and pure." why is my body burning?
"but it seems you are not so pure anymore." it hurts. my body is hurting, it's bleeding.
"you poor thing.... your so young yet–" I'm hurt. my body hurt, it hurt everything hurt. what is happening? "–you already experienced burst"
burst? what? is this why my body is hurting? burning? feeling like it's shedding? then, I need to control it and endure it. like I always do. I just need to control my emotion and not get angry. emotionless then the pain will surely go away.
"oh my...." the voice now sounds surprised and slightly amused. the pain I'm feeling is fading away
"I never knew you could survive this...a mere child..." The pain goes away but my consciousness began to slip.
that is the only thing I remember before the deal
***
"COUGH COUGH! y-you– you're still trying?!" Kolzak's tone was annoyed, frustrated, and tired. he feels his lung being invaded. 'he is still trying?!' Kolzak eyed Nishioka who is breathing heavily.
The air thick with Nishioka's breath overwhelms Kolzak. He has used his power two times, and his emotion is exhausted and all over the place.
Kolzak's body gave up and the feeling of his brain controlling disgusted him, he feels his control slipping away so easily. His mind was blanking and ready to be used, to be commanded, and that disgusted Kolzak so much.
Nishioka looks at Kolzak, trying his best to break from his mind control. Nishioka pour his pent emotions and used all his remaining anger, confusion, and grief. Yet he feels like it remains.
Nishioka stumbles into the door, finally reaching to it and opening it with a shaky hand.
He needs to get this over with.
And he does it in a flash, hands already searching through the files grabbing them one by one, and reading them quickly trying to find the name 'kaede ikeda' the door is locked securely by a bunch of chairs.
Nishioka finally found it, very slowly opening it to inspect.
BANG! BANG!
"shit!"
'he already broke out from my mind control?! All seeing sure is full of monster' Nishioka swiftly pulls out a burnt flip phone and takes pictures of the files contained.
'send send send—' and he is done.
The only thing he needs to do is get away and—
BAR!
The door has been opened forcibly, Nishioka turns around expecting to meet the unranked guy but no.
instead, A girl with tanned skin instead stands there.
Her tie seems to be quickly tied, and her sharp features twitch in annoyance.
Her sea-blue eye stares into Nishioka sending shivers down his spine.
Behind her cream-colored hair was the unranked, hands closing a flip phone
'so he called back up..' Nishioka thinks nervously.
He knows who's the girl.
'Goda Rin from Division 3, a member and was known because of how fast she climbs her ranks and how she easily matches her strength with the Division 3 captain' As expected, she is wearing that childish shark hoodie just like in the picture they show Nishioka.
Goda's hands were on her waist, mouth forming a frown that Nishioka finally noticed.
"I'm sorry I called you suddenly Goda-san" he heard Kolzak's voice.
"it's ok I understand. Captain Kaeru Rana was on a mission and I was the first one in your mind" Goda answered and take a step closer to Nishioka
"I guess I got caught thinking about you" Kolzak's tone was flirtatious, Nishioka see Goda's face freeze before getting back to that annoyed-like expression
"let's just get this over with" Goda answered instead.
Nishioka quickly stand up, abandoning the files and already in a fighting stance
"I never knew I'll be fighting my senior this early!" Nishioka says with a grin, he might as well go all out as he did his job.
***
"Lord miss, it seems he did his job," a brown hair boy says cheerfully, he stands beside a woman while closing the flip phone.
"Hm." the woman answered shortly before shifting her sitting position
"Hey Lord Isabella, I was wondering why you want that guy's files. I mean we could take the head of the all-seeing files instead of that, uh... Member?" the boy says politely to the woman, named Isabella.
"he traces to the first attempt." the woman's voice was quiet, cold, and bold answering that.
The boy perks up hearing it "First attempt? Do you mean the first-ever burst?!" he says excitedly.
May think he should be dead by now, raising his voice to the head of the black circus, famously known in the underworld: white crow
But the woman nods nonchalantly. Because why? 'because I'm one of the great assessments of the white crow' the boy thought boredly before standing u straight again, beside Isabella. Like he always has
***
Ding!
A guy in a hoodie pulls out a flip phone from his pockets
'so he already did his job..' the guy huffs.
He clicks something and brings his flip-phone ear his ears
"Boss he did his job... The money should be transferred right now" the guy said before ending the call
It was a miracle really, the white crow hiring such a small burst survivor group.
And it was even more miraculous that Nishioka manage to get the file
'That amnesia fool..' the guy pulls out a device that seems to keep track of something.
'now he next job...' the guy glances this right, his eyes set on the normal-looking guy who is smoking. But if you look closely, you can see an odd smoke coming from the back of his neck.
'assassinate Kaede Ikeda'