The Kuze Clan Head and an Awano Family ensign walk into a bar. Old-fashioned neon signs hang outside the door while soft chimes reside on its inside. The two settle on a table next to the window. Shosuko sits down at the foot of the table while the ensign takes the head. The ensign takes out a walkie talkie and pushes it towards Shosuko.
"What is this?" Shosuko looks the device up and down. "I was told that Emu Awano would be here."
"She is." A staticky voice bursts out of the walkie talkie. "Emu Awano, at your service."
"This isn't what we agreed on." Shosuko grips the walkie talkie tighter, as if it were Emu's neck. "I'm risking my head by coming all the way out here by myself."
"I have my reasons." She brushes past the issue with the finesse of a professional. "Regardless, you've come here to learn more about the… Blackadder Gang, right? Or do I have you mixed up with my other clientele?"
"No, that's me." Shosuko runs her hand through her hair. This is almost definitely a trap of some kind. She wouldn't be surprised if a sniper round crashed through the window and buried itself into her head right now. Still, she's already here, she might as well make the best of a bad situation. "What can you tell me?"
"Well, for starters, Blackadder troops outnumber the Kuze troops three-to-one." Emu's light and peppy voice comes through in spite of the static. "Though, I do have files on most of them if you're interested."
"No need. Just tell me about the heads on the snake so I can cut them off."
"Of course!" The sound of Emu snapping her fingers can be heard through the walkie talkie. "So long as you can afford it, I mean."
Wordlessly, Shosuko raises a large suitcase almost bursting with cash and lays it flat on the table. Without taking her eyes off Shosuko, the ensign cautiously pulls the case towards her before opening it. She gingerly takes one of the wads of cash and riffles through it.
"How is it, Mukuro?" Emu's voice pops out of a walkie talkie the ensign wears at her hip.
「Mukuro Ebunage」- Awano Family Ensign. She's a short girl that barely reaches up to Shosuko's chest if she stands upright. Maybe it's just the bagginess of her white jacket but it gives her a somewhat stout appearance. Based on the muscles that show through her clothes, Shosuko hazards a guess that this girl gets into a lot of fights.
"It seems good, lieutenant." Mukuro mutters into her walkie talkie.
"Perfect. Hand our client the documents."
"Yes, lieutenant." Mukuro reaches into her jacket and produces four thick dossiers. She slides them across the table at Shosuko.
"There are four people you need to be worried about." Emu continues speaking to Shosuko through the walkie talkie. "The first one, you've already met. Kasai Ryusei. She's the new Blackadder head. She's both quick and deadly with that blade of hers. I would suggest avoiding her at all costs… but that's not really an option for you."
"The new Blackadder Head? What happened to the old one?"
"Hell if I know, people drop in and out of this lifestyle all the time. That's the ICMG's job to keep track of."
"Right… and where is Kasai?"
"No clue. She's not in a Blackadder safehouse, that's for sure."
"Not in a Blackadder safehouse… huh? I guess I'll have to smoke her out some other way."
"Next in line are the three lieutenants, the Masazumi triplets. The eldest is Nanako Masazumi, she's got a bunch of grappling-type Taijutsu under her belt."
"And where can I find this… Nanako?"
"She should be… yep, rapidly approaching your position."
"Excuse me?" Shosuko pinches her nose bridge. "Dammit, I knew this was a bad idea."
"I agree. Still, it's not like you had much choice. I did demand you come here yourself."
"You set me up?!" Anger rises in Shosuko's voice.
"Okay, I know that sounds bad, but trust me when I say that while it was in my best interests to lure you into a trap, it is now in my best interests to get you out of it."
"Why?"
"If you die the Kuze Clan also dies and I don't want my best customer to die just yet."
"Alright, fine. What's the plan?"
"You catch on quick. I like that." Emu clears her throat. "You're going to have to deal with Nanako first, then her two sisters at the same time."
"Why don't they all come at me at once?"
"Nanako's got a sense of honor. She doesn't like the idea of ganging up on one person."
"I can respect that."
"Oh and one last piece of advice before she kicks in the door. I suggest you stop holding back, if your battle with The Batter was anything to go by."
"I'll make that decision myself, thank you, lieutenant."
"Look sharp. On your left, through the window."
Shosuko is immediately greeted by the sight of a beefcake of a girl charging straight for her. The window shatters under her weight, glass shards raining down on both Shosuko and Mukuro.
"Shit!" Shosuko flinches away from the girl and tries to gather her bearings but it's too late, she's grabbed her arm.
"「Genjutsu - Ring」"
Shosuko feels her arm being pulled before overwhelming pressure in the form of a furious sucker punch slams against the side of her face. She lets herself roll with the punch and feels her feet lift off the floor. Her body goes sailing across the room and crashes into the far end of the bar. Or she should, anyway. Instead of the bar counter, she feels the elastic ropes of… a wrestling ring?
Shosuko shakes the fuzziness from her consciousness. Now that she takes a good look around her, it appears that an entire wrestling ring has appeared in the once cramped bar. This is definitely a first for her. "What the…?"
"I always preferred fighting one-on-one. This should keep my sisters out while we enjoy ourselves." She taps her fist against the metallic cage keeping them both in for emphasis. In the red corner stands a girl dressed in a stylized wrestling leotard, complete with leather boots that end in a pair of high heels. She wears a pair of fingerless leather gloves that cover her forearms.
"If I had to guess, you must be…" Shosuko wipes her mouth as she tries to recall what Emu told her. "Nanako Masazumi, right?"
"Nanako 'The Kraken' Masazumi, to be precise."
"I've heard about you." Some of her classmates are wrestling fans. Shosuko's overheard a thing or two about this 'Kraken.'
Nanako smirks ferociously. "And what do they say?"
"That you're pretty good." In the blue corner, Shosuko rests her arms on the ropes at each of her sides. "Let's see if 'pretty good' is enough."
"Ha! I didn't know the star prizefighter of Ao-Ward had such a big ego."
"Oh? I didn't realize I'd made a name for myself."
"They say that you've got a killer right hook and that you're undefeated inside of the ring. "
"If 'killer' is all they can say then they haven't seen shit." Shosuko smiles, beside herself. "Though, it is true that I am undefeated."
"I like your style." Nanako cracks her knuckles together. "You have my respect. From one prizefighter to another."
"And you have mine." Shosuko lowers herself into a boxing stance, arms raised in front of her like two solid pillars. She takes her first step towards the center of the ring.
With a wicked smile like she's baring her fangs, Nanako begins her approach.