#he just told Baba to give Haruka a message and I know he thinks she’s better off having distance away from him

[the-24-hour-cinderella]

Kiryu please go see your daughter for fuck’s sake

[retphienix]

I did it :)

So, I cried. That's a given.

Also this might be the most overwhelmingly happy ending in the series so far, you know, if you're used to every entry ending with "KIRYU DIE?????"

Bonus points because this ending DID NOT immediately reveal that he lives! I know my intro here is all unserious and the like but genuinely, that does a lot for making the scene so much more impactful and it worked here even though I know he returns for Y6.

So, I'm gonna do this post like the last big post because there's too many thoughts to expel.

Timestamps as I rewatch so I can share my thoughts. Then a short conclusion because honestly? This game has taken all my words multiple times.

I just want to calmly and happily say my final piece at the end :)

0:39 - Spoiler, this ending SUCKS because it doesn't include a final rhythm battle for Haruka! Now I think I read somewhere that there's a member of that assassin clan she can dance battle as a final challenge but I clearly didn't do that right and missed out and that's beside the point- THERE'S NO RHYTHM GAMEPLAY IN THIS FINALE >:(

9:00 - I EARNED IT, I'M USING IT!

13:00 - Spoiler for later, Shinada doesn't get to say this from what I recall. Instead Baba gets a different wake up call, but that works out :)

17:00 - Not now, but this will come up, I offer to you my johns for what happens in the first boss fight. My eyes were dry as hell so I missed some QTEs which means I didn't get the flashiest stuff to happen. This actually happened at the end of Y4 also but I restarted just to capture good footage- not this time.

17:30 - MOUSE. MOUSE MOUSE, A LITTLE RAT, MOUSE. Love to see it.

19:00 - The audible sigh I let out when they played the same song I've heard like 40 times in my playthrough was palpable. I do dig the song! But there are what? 4 Idol songs? They really needed more or to not saturate their use so much :(

19:40 - I legitimately gasped and went "Oh no... of course it's you!" at Baba's role in this. It added a lot of weight to the way he practically begged Haruka not to show up.

20:50 - So here's the gist. Majima's plan didn't work out, we know that. Majima has a REALLY good line and motivator moment where he says he's following orders now to protect Haruka because she means more to Kiryu than anything (and that's how Majima rolls), Majima then reveals some shit which can be amounted to "I think you've gotten weak and wanted to protect you!!!!" which does ring slightly hollow since we saw Majima at a ridiculously low point earlier. So either his low point was him contemplating Saejima's survival chances, or his low point was sincere (it sure sounded it) and his worry over Saejima being weak was just also happening at the same time. I don't really mind either way to be honest, we beat him up. I fail some QTEs.

33:00 - Baba deciding not to fulfill his orders on his own accord is actually extremely important and good as hell. It shows that all this changed him and gave him the motivation to forge his own path- or rather it began to though he's overwhelmed with doubt. It's extremely good.

33:50 - The fact he intentionally leaves evidence shows how much doubt he has though, he's giving up entirely more than forging his own path, he's just refusing to follow the orders of another but hasn't found the strength to continue on his own. It's really good is all.

38:00 - This was the first cry I had beating the game x.x Shinada is just a phenomenally likeable character, and watching him accept where his life has gone and what it's meant to others is way more touching than I'd assume considering it's a tale of a baseball star.

40:50 - THIS WAS HYPE AS HELL AND LEAD TO MY SECOND CRY. THIS PRISON FAMILY HAS NO RIGHT BEING THIS ENDEARING. Also, more or less, they get to deliver the message Shinada was supposed to lol.

42:50 - THIRD AND BIG AS HELL CRY. SHINADA YOU FOOL, YOU'VE A FOUND FAMILY AFTER-ALL!!! I genuinely adore this moment so much is all. It's such a wonderful payoff for this loveable fool. After all the runnin' away he has a home.

43:36 - I love Shinada so much the silly fuck.

46:00 - I got a laugh out of Akiyama KICKING ASS in the news footage (didn't mention but the first brawl cutscene was rather lacking wasn't it?) and Kiryu just like... punches a guy. It's hilarious to me. Also you best believe- I UNLOCKED IT, I'M USING IT!!!

48:00 - Now this is a, well, it's a bad reveal. Like look, there is a metric ton of good going on in this finale- but the reveal that Aizawa is his son and is evil and is the final boss is just too much zero-build-up-payoff. It's the worst part. It's not like extremely detrimental or anything- like it doesn't take away from the good stuff- but it's just entirely uninteresting and bad. It makes Aizawa's interest in Morinaga bizarre and uninteresting since he got no payoff, he had buildup with Saejima and then in the final scenes he's just like "Yeah, Mori was nice but who gives a fuck I am the one who killed him (I think he said) and I aspire to be strong as fuck because all of YOU IDIOTS have FRIENDS and CHARISMA >:(" and like, who fuckin' cares bud.

52:00 - Now I'll more or less sum up all of Akiyama's payoff here. 1- I unlocked it so I'm gonna use it! 2- He offhandedly says he wants to be a legend in this town, which in Y4 he already was- he was a myth, a city mystery- but of course he means like Kiryu not the loch ness monster. 3- He gets to be a legend by being the only civilian (or person in general) the Omi would bow to. It's kind of not built up at all and is a bit lame, but to be honest Akiyama has a pretty bit part in this entire game. He's kinda just a convenient returning character with motivation to assist Kiryu and a career that allows motivation to get involved through Park. To be blunt, his part in the story is weak. I wish it was stronger. But it's inoffensive and he at least gets something- as minor as it is. Getting to say he's king of the world is something, you know?

56:00 - I will say that the build up of "Oh shit, these are Kanai's men!" and the reveal that "Oh shit! They are WATASE'S men and all the clans who the Tojo were seeking alliances with!" is a good one. Watase is a fine enough character which I bring up only because I was told he was a standout- but he wasn't for me. His scenes are great, his growth with Katsuya is nice, but he's barely in the game and really only exists to be betrayed and then to be like "I'm one of the good yakuza despite being a war-lusting one because being a good yakuza is just complicated enough to allow this overlap" which is interesting for sure, but I don't know. Unless he does stuff in the subsequent games I didn't catch much in this one. Maybe he does- I assume he runs the Omi now!

1:00:00 - I kinda summed it up but yeah. Here's the final boss, Aizawa, a character we were mislead on and who's motivation is empty as fuck. It's, whatever. It's not the good part of the ending. The good part is everything prior and directly after. Like his entire deal is anti-silver-spoon talking points but also he includes being charismatic or capable as silver spoon-isms??? He pretty much just wants to be leader because he's strong. He'd arguably be more interesting if he just said it that way.

1:11:00 - The lyrics to Dream are anything but subtle and I love them and I love Haruka. Sliding this in here- Majima gets no payoff >:( Park's dream is accomplished in seeing her star on the stage, but no Majima moment? No sight of him accepting her loss? Lame.

1:14:00 - I genuinely LOVE that Aizawa focuses in on Kiryu's gunshot wound. He still accepts it as a fair fight because Kiryu presents it as one, but even then he pays mind to it as you'd expect someone wanting to fight at their strongest would- he wants to fight Kiryu at his best and he's accepting this because Kiryu presents as his best even when wounded- it's pretty cool. Fight happens. It's fine stuff, flashy and fun. Still maybe the weakest final boss yet because he has no build up. I'd be the first to admit without looking it up I can't list every final boss thus far, but like, Nishi was built up, Mine was built up, Goda was built up, I just, in this moment, don't recall having a big "WHO THE FUCK, THIS MEANS NOTHING?" fight in yakuza and this is certainly one of those.

1:25:00 - I cried AGAIN. Haruka just hit me with a truck of emotion here is all.

1:41:15 - This is a beautifully shot, emotional, and tragic looking ending. Heck, at 1:43:00 I initially thought he was being awoken in a hospital bed and I was like "Heh, there's the old Kiryu dies fakeout!" but no! They hammer home, they go for broke, they give a TRAGIC AS FUCK bitter ending on top of an ending that's like 99% happy as fuck in terms of offering everyone involved hope for the future. This was a good end :)

So then, some overall thoughts I maybe didn't get out- I mean there's no way this post touches everything but I want to at least try to because I like sharin' the experience and what I got out of it.

The fighting styles were mighty uneven as far as strengths or fun factor. To be blunt,

Kiryu has an overpowered counter attack and heat mode and since heat mode is underwhelming as hell that means he has JUST a counter attack- his strikes don't really hit all that well considering the improvements other characters saw this time around, so he's a bit one note here.

Saejima feel even meatier than before, nothing particularly 'stands out' but the fact that he has super armor as long as he has heat is a pretty big factor in making him feel good to use.

Akiyama got the short end of the straw this time around. His new gimmick is the launch combos and they are... well... less than shit at least from what I could feel during gameplay. They don't hurt much, they burn heat like crazy, and they can MISS, all while being a move that targets just one enemy- has no counter to blocking or armor- and provides no armor in turn.

Despite not losing anything, he kinda got screwed.

(I'm lead to believe Akiyama is invulnerable during his aerial combos which my blurb in my finale post complained felt worthless and cited that as a reason.

If so then I was wrong but I still hold all my other complaints towards it, just not the 'it has no armor or invuln' bit assuming that's true.)

Shinada wins out for being unique and being a weapon oriented character that actually does well with weapons. Weapons have always been something I pretty much ignore in Yakuza and the series itself has always desperately tried to make them interesting with things like weapon skills, Kamiya works, and the like. But other than the god weapons like the golden gun weapons just never felt good to manage.

Using them, sure, that's fine, but managing them? Durability and skills and limited movesets and all that? Nah. But Shinada really does a lot to make them less shit! His innate abilities that raise durability a metric ton REALLY make weapons feel better to use with him- and his unique movesets with weapons are pretty damn good (mostly. The pipe/'normal one hander pole size object' moveset is worthless as heck, it regularly misses).

He's fun.

===

Revelations were a miss this time around for me. Since you couldn't have seen them if you tried on my blog let it be known- I ONLY got the quest related revelations for each character- which is to say- ONE rev per character.

Revelations in 5 are weapon based, and not just 'bat or pole or gun' or whatever- they are DISPOSABLE TEMPORARY weapon based.

What you are supposed to do is go to the specific place on the map where that one revelation weapon spawns, hope like hell you find an enemy, and wail on them like crazy. If you use a weapon x amount of times then you'll get a revelation according to the internet. This is beyond ridiculous and means a normal playthrough will get none of these, while a focused one will be bored out of their mind GRINDING to get these.

I did not bother.

===

Now.

Yakuza 5.

This might be my favorite Yakuza overall.

I still think 0 is probably the best overall for most people, it has the best style, it has from what I've experienced the best gameplay, it's story is tear jerking and exciting and fun.

But as a yakuza game overall, I really have to give it to 5 personally. Because 0 tried to work within its bounds- it made itself a great entry point to the series or a great addition to Yakuza 1 / Kiwami as background.

But 5 is building on 4 previous games and it does so fucking phenomenally.

There's something to be said about a later entry in a series gaining extra payoff thanks to multiple entries of build up and character depth and 5 fucking does it.

I just. It explores the motivation of some fan-favorites so well, it expands characters so fucking well, I know I've harped on about it but just Saejima- man! Saejima goes from a run of the mill "Decent" character to a fully fledged and explored entity! And I LOVE him!

And no he's not the only shining spot, like hell he is, but he's such a posterchild for what 5 does right in my eyes- take something that's already good and breath some life into it. Also I adore it's laser focus on a singular theme and all the ways it wanted to explore it.

Like. I think Kiwami and Zero take the cake for the most fun I've had " 'playing' Yakuza so far, but 5 takes the cake for the most fun I've had 'in general' like gameplay and me just thinking about it because there's so much to think on.

More time will tell as I compartmentalize my thoughts and perhaps forget some details as one does, but right this moment- this might be my favorite Yakuza game.

I love it.

Also, woot! I beat Y5 before Monhun Rise came out :D Now I can start that game without putting a story on hold!

...

Except I also told my sister that I'd start Omori after Y5. So I guess alongside monhun I'll be playing through a game with a hefty and wonderfully done story. Which is what I didn't want to do with Y5.

I just can't win, lol.

[thedevillord-writes]

Pandora - Courage

"The secret to happiness is freedom...And the secret to freedom is courage"

-Thucydides

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[Sora to Haruka]: Sorry! I'd love to meet but the kids have a play date.

[Naoko to Haruka]: This Friday? I could do next week but not this week.

[Aya to Haruka]: Who is this?

-.-

Scrolling through her messages was a little depressing. When she applied for the leave, she had lots she wanted to do. There were shopping trips, spending time with her sisters, going to the movies, and catching up with her friends from high school; all of whom she had not seen since their graduation. They kept in touch via text messaging but it was always the usual of 'Hi, how you doing?' and while they attempted to invite her out, Haruka always had to decline the invitations because she never had the time. Now that she did have the time however, they were the ones declining. And to make matters worse, she was ill.

For eight years, she never even had a cough. The closest she came to becoming ill was when Baba came in one day wearing a cologne so strong that she could not stop sneezing around him. She always had the theory of bacteria and viruses being too afraid of Eisuke to come close to her. Or well, she was simply too busy to be sick. It was only the second day of her six months leave when she caught the flu and ran a fever. With the last of her fever patches on her forehead, she dragged herself out of bed to stock up on her medicines. Every medicine she had expired at least a year ago. Even the fever patch she had on seemed to be having minimum effect on cooling her temperature down.

"Fancy seeing you here at this time, Haruka-chan. Oh Lord, what happened to you? You look terrible."

"Good morning, Tsubaki-san," Haruka smiled, her voice nasally from her blocked nose. "Yeah...running a fever and I can only breathe through my mouth right now so, I don't think I can look any better than this to be honest."

"Well, it's about time you have some rest from work too. With your boss working you down to the bone, I'm surprised you're only getting sick now."

"Actually, I'm on leave right now. This flu had great timing, I guess."

Eight years ago, when Haruka had nowhere else to go, Tsubaki took her in. When she could have rented out the apartment upstairs to someone else with a stable job, she instead leased the place below market price to Haruka. When the girl spent three months going to interviews and being rejected constantly, Tsubaki would bring her dinner everyday and waive the rent. Without children of her own, it seemed as if the woman had taken Haruka to be her own daughter and for that, she would be forever grateful.

"You're a workaholic, you know that?" Tsubaki sighed. "When people take time off work, they tend to be happier and healthier. The moment you stopped working, you get sick."

"I'd like to think that I was always too busy for the viruses to catch me and now, eight years of flu and colds have finally caught up with me."

"Well, I think you'll recover soon. Especially since you have a hottie taking care of you."

"Hottie?"

Without giving her an explanation, Tsubaki simply said goodbye and went on with her day. Although confused, Haruka bid the older woman goodbye and climbed the stairs up to her apartment. Sitting on the top step was the last person she expected to see albeit, by now, it was no surprise seeing him. Focused on what seemed to be a game on his phone, Yosuke was so immersed that he did not notice Haruka's presence at all. Not until she was standing right in front of him, at least.

When her shadow cast upon him, Yosuke looked up and greeted her with a bright smile. If she was being honest, Haruka was getting tired of seeing his face. Her first impression of him was that of a man with extreme good looks. Then it was just a man with an irritating personality who seemed to enjoy actively annoying her. She grew used to him soon after, though she was tired of his shenanigans; whisking her off to double doubles and what she could only describe as pimping her off. Then there was the borderline stalking which he once so cheerfully explained as a friend being concerned. There were also the occasional times where he would speak so deeply philosophical and acted as if he knew what she was thinking. What was infuriating, was the fact that he was always on point.

She took time off work to be away from Eisuke, from anything and everything that kept her from having a life of her own. But just when she thought she shook off everything in the way, life threw in Sagara Yosuke who was sticking to her like a barnacle on a rock unfortunately.

"Tsubaki-san must be blind to think of you as a hottie."

"Tsubaki-san? Oh, that lovely lady downstairs? She's not wrong, you know."

"What do you want, Yosuke?"

"That's the first time you called me by my name."

Since the entanglement with him, Haruka had made it a point to never call him by his name no matter how much he insisted. It was part of her professionalism to keep things strictly business between most people. Though if she had to be completely honest, the main reason was because she did not want to humanise Yosuke too much. If she started calling him by his name, it would feel as if he was a friend. With her temperature running high however, she had no energy to keep up. She had no energy to deal with him at all, yet here he was.

"What do you want?" she repeated.

"A little birdie told me that you're sick," Yosuke smiled. "So I came to see how you are."

"Did your little birdie tell you how creepy that is?"

Knowing that there was no convincing him to leave, she opened the door to her apartment instead. Ignoring Yosuke, she walked in and dropped the bag of medicines on the coffee table before going to get a glass of water. Following close behind, Yosuke took it upon himself to have a look around. Her apartment was not big, though it was more than enough space for one person. As expected of Haruka, the place was spotless with everything neatly in their place.

He took his time, walking around the small space and picking up every picture she had out. There were not a lot of pictures but there were big smiles in every single one of them. They were mostly of her sisters, with a woman whom Haruka resembled. As he continued his tiny exploration, he soon came to a small shrine in the corner; a shrine dedicated to the same woman in all those pictures. Kneeling down in front of the shrine, Yosuke paid his respects silently when Haruka came out of the kitchen with two glasses of water.

"You look like your mother."

"She was more beautiful," Haruka said, sitting on the sofa as she put one glass down on the coffee table for Yosuke. "You know, at the restaurant she used to work, she used to get men writing their numbers down on napkins and receipts for her."

"Like mother, like daughter."

"I'll never be my mother."

From all the times he had spoken to her, Yosuke became rather proficient at picking up double meanings in her words. Despite his persistent digging, any information regarding Haruka's father was carefully concealed. When he could not find anything through Haruka, he went through her sisters instead though just like Haruka, there was no name written on their birth certificates. Nor was there anything that so much as pointed toward a possible candidate. Trying to find out through their mother had proven to be even more useless. Anything before Haruka's birth was completely wiped; no record of academics, and no record of employment. And from the way Haruka would react whenever her parents were brought up, it only intrigued Yosuke further.

Looking over to the shrine and the photo on it, he could not help but wonder just what kind of man Haruka's mother got herself involved with. Although she spoke highly of and idolised her mother, it seemed as if the woman was also the sole reason why Haruka was so afraid of confronting her feelings for Eisuke.

Shifting on the sofa, Yosuke leaned forward and with one hand, he pushed Haruka down and got on top of her. She was weak, physically and mentally. It took her a full minute to finally realise what was happening but by then, Yosuke had her hands pinned above her head with just one hand. Desperately struggling against him, Haruka stopped moving when his face was just inches away from hers. The twinkle in his eyes gave away his mischief though she could tell he had no intentions of letting her go. Leaning in close, she could feel his breath on her ear as he spoke.

"Would you like me to feed you the medicine?" Instead of an answer, Haruka coughed in his face. Recoiling, Yosuke finally let go of her and Haruka pushed herself up with a glare. Fortunately for him, before she could say anything, a coughing fit found her instead. Going through the bag of medicine she bought earlier, Yosuke got two pills out and handed it to her. "Drink," he said, tipping her glass gently. "You should get some sleep too."

"Not with you here."

"Well that's rude of you," Yosuke frowned, then let out a chuckle. "I'll be on my way. I'm not looking forward to catching your cold anyway, especially since you seem adamant on giving it to me."

"Only if it kills you."

Feigning hurt, Yosuke put a hand on his chest and gave a pout though Haruka only rolled her eyes at him. Once she took the medicine, Yosuke watched as she got into bed. It only took her a couple of minutes but she was soon in deep sleep. "Did your mother not teach you to never lower your guard around a man?" Yosuke whispered, taking his phone out of his pocket. "Let's see if that man would lose his control."

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Not having his secretary around was much more difficult than Eisuke originally imagined.

There were so many things he had grown accustomed to over the years that the moment they were no longer around, it felt as if the entire world was...off. His morning felt off, his afternoon felt off, even as he worked through the night, he felt off. Not to mention the horrendous cup of coffee that Yumi claimed was made exactly the way Haruka did. But there was nothing he could do. After working her to death for eight years, six months away did not seem like she was asking for too much. Though, it was exactly this leave that had Eisuke thinking.

All these years, he never thought she would leave. She found a job that would hire her, and he finally found someone with whom he could work. Early hiccups aside, there was no reason why Eisuke would not continue employing her. But did she want to stay on? The fact that she wanted six months away from him was proof enough that she had no thoughts of staying with him forever. There would come a day when she would eventually hand in her resignation letter and who was he to tell her to stay?

Then the appearance of Sagara Yosuke complicated things further.

For once, he had a glimpse of what it would be like if Haruka found someone to love. Over the years, she did not have a lack of admirers but he was never concerned because she had no interest in any of them. The business smile, coupled with the polite rejection, there was no reason for Eisuke to worry. With Yosuke, however, Haruka was not professional. She would scowl and frown, she would roll her eyes, and she would let her frustration show. She could be herself; something she could never be around him.

A notification buzz on his phone snapped him out of his thoughts. This was a personal phone that only a handful of people would contact him on, and only if it was absolutely necessary. Flashing on the screen was a message with a photo attachment but the sender was unknown. Prepared to delete the message before seeing it, Eisuke stopped himself the last second. Something in his guts was telling him that he would regret not seeing it, so he clicked in instead.

Sleeping Beauty has been missing her Prince Phillip so much that she fell ill!

Without her prince beside her, I wonder who will take care of the princess?

Beware, princesses this pretty, there are princes all over the world after that true love's kiss.

Attached was a picture of Haruka, fast asleep in her bed with someone holding her hand.

Standing up suddenly, Eisuke knocked his chair over though he barely noticed. He had no time to notice. Grabbing his suit jacket, he rushed out of his office, startling Yumi at her desk when he burst through his door.

"Cancel everything today," Eisuke ordered, heading toward the stairs.

"What? But you have a really important meeting wit-"

"Cancel it!"

Hurrying down the stairs, Eisuke was out of the penthouse so fast that the other men barely had a second to say hi. As he made his way to the garage, he grabbed a random key and pressed the unlock button, getting into the car with headlights on. His mind was occupied only with the fact that Haruka was ill and she was alone. Alone with another man. There was no doubt that the hand holding hers belonged to a man, but the question was who and Eisuke had an idea as to who.

The usual thirty minutes drive to her apartment only took Eisuke eighteen minutes as he arrived on her street. There were several lights he ran though he could not care less. Slamming the door to his car, he took two steps at a time and stood just outside her door. Just before he pressed the doorbell, however, he stopped. What was he hoping for? If he went in now and was confronted with Haruka and another man, what was he going to do? Pulling his hand back, Eisuke turned away from the door but could not bring himself to leave.

Still contemplating, the door suddenly opened and he turned to see Haruka. She had a fever patch on her forehead but the redness of her face was a dead giveaway that it was no help. She was leaning against the door frame just to keep herself upright. It took her a minute or two, all the while coughing, just to recognise Eisuke.

"Mr. Ichinomiya...?"

"Where are you going in that state?"

"Buy...medicine..."

"Can you even walk?"

His question was answered when she suddenly leaned forward collapsing, though he caught her in his arms. Just holding her, he could tell her fever was way too high for her to be out of bed. Sweeping her off her feet, Eisuke carried her into the apartment and put her back in bed. Looking around her apartment for a thermometer, that was when Eisuke spotted the small bag of medicine on her coffee table. Just how sick was she to forget she had medicine right there?

After taking her temperature (39 degrees), Eisuke went to get a wet towel. While he knew it was recommended to take her to the hospital for a high fever, Eisuke also remembered the one and only time she was taken to the hospital and had a panic attack. Even seeing the doctor on site at the hotel for a simple annual body check seemed to give her anxiety. Though, he found it ridiculous that he was here taking care of his secretary. Eight years ago, or even just two years ago, he never would have imagined he would be in this position. If he knew Haruka was ill then, he would have just called a doctor for her at most. No one would have thought that Ichinomiya Eisuke would be wringing out the towel and carefully putting it on her forehead.

"You're the only person in this world who could make me do the most ridiculous things."

"...don't go..."

Who was she calling out to? Yosuke was not around when Eisuke came, could it be him she was calling for? Jealousy and rage was boiling in him. That was until Haruka started talking again.

"...don't go, Eisuke..."

Hearing his name from her had Eisuke stunned. His heart was beating fast though he did not quite understand why. Last time she said his name, he lost control. Was this what it felt like to be in love? To give in to impulses and lose his grip on common sense, was that what being in love was? To feel jealousy and anger whenever she was with another man, was that what love was? To think about her and only of her, wanting to be with her always, was that love?

If so, he was uncontrollably and madly in love with her.

He was in love with Matsuoka Haruka.

"I'm not going anywhere," Eisuke said softly, brushing her hair out of her face gently. Leaning in, he pressed his lips on hers gently. "Don't worry, I'll be here and I'll wait for you. I'll always wait for you and only you."

[thedevillord-writes]

Kissed By The Baddest Bidder: Rewritten - Chapter Ten

Eisuke x OC

Belong: be the property of.

It was yet another empty morning, waking without Haruka's gentle 'Good morning, Mr. Ichinomiya'. Forcing himself out of bed, Eisuke got ready for the day and headed down to the living room where the rest of the sponsors were already gathering. Seeing their faces first thing in the morning, however, was irritating to Eisuke. Especially since it had been three days starting his day without a good cup of coffee. As he seated himself on the sofa, however, a cup of coffee was presented to him by Baba.

"What's this?"

"Coffee," Baba grinned.

"What in that pea brain of yours made you think I would drink coffee made by you?"

His words were harsh but Baba was used to it. "Huh, would you drink it if I told you Haruka taught me how to make it for you?" Eisuke raised an eyebrow, glancing over to Baba who annoyingly, had a smirk on his face because he knew. He knew, that he had Eisuke hooked just by mentioning her name. "Ah...what a waste of some good coffee. And to think Haruka spent three hours in a small kitchen, sitting right next to me so she could teach me. Her hair smelt so nice, by the way. And her hands are baby soft. She would be so disappointed to know that her beloved Mr. Ichinomiya did not want to drink her coffee."

The rest of the sponsors were having their own fun, watching as Eisuke was failing to resist the urge to have that coffee. It was made personally by Haruka but if Baba was taught by her, it could not differ much. ...Could it?

Lifting his hand to silence Baba, Eisuke finally picked up the cup. He took a sniff first, being cautious, though it smelt alright. Next, he took a small sip. It tasted similar to Haruka's coffee but it was not the same. His brows knitted together into a frown and he put the cup down. "It's disgusting," he stated. "Clearly you need a better teacher." Eisuke knew, however, no matter how many hours Haruka had to put up being in Baba's presence, she would never be able to teach him how to make a cup of coffee that would satisfy him. The reason was simple, because it still would not be coffee made by Haruka.

"Alright, so my coffee might not be up to your standard, but I am pretty sure you would be interested in this information."

Like before, Baba dangled his phone in front of Eisuke. He was sat in his office trying to work then, and even threw his phone in anger. Without a word, Eisuke took the phone from Baba. Instead of pictures, he was looking at a messaging app. Specifically, a conversation between Baba and Haruka. The whole conversation was full of nonsense, mostly just Baba teasing her. But it was the recent conversation they had that interested Eisuke, the one that Baba wanted to show him.

~

Sexiest_PA: Are you making coffee for him like I taught you?

Sexiest_Thief: Don't you worry about Boss, he can survive without your coffeeヾ(＾-＾)ノ

Sexiest_Thief: I'm more worried about you

Sexiest_Thief: Where are you going to work now? (╯︵╰)

Sexiest_PA:  Taka-san offered me a job

Sexiest_Thief: At the host club?

Sexiest_Thief: Are you sure about it? p(╬ Ò ‸ Ó)q

Sexiest_PA:  Work is work. Please make sure to take care of Mr. Ichinomiya. Make him eat and rest.

Sexiest_Thief:  Like I said, don't worry your pretty little head about him

~

"Where is this host club?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Baba smirked.

Standing in front of the club, Eisuke looked down at the address Baba gave him. The club in front of him was nothing like he had expected. What he had in mind was something more...flamboyant. He imagined huge neon lights of the club's name with loud music blasting from the inside and women dressed scandalously dancing outside to attract customers. Instead, there were no scandalous women, no loud music blasting, and definitely no neon lights. Just a simple hand carved wooden sign of the club's name hanging above a door with gentle lighting.

As he walked in, Eisuke looked around immediately for Haruka. The club was laid out in booths and in those booths were men and women sat together in pairs. There was a pathway leading to the back, possibly to private rooms. Waitresses and waiters were walking around, trays in their hands as they served drinks and food. And there she was, wearing a simple white blouse with a tight black skirt, empty glasses on her tray.

Eisuke's body moved on its own upon seeing Haruka but an arm stuck out in front of him, stopping him from going any further while Haruka disappeared into the kitchen. The arm belonged to a man about Eisuke's height, just an inch shorter than him perhaps. He was definitely a host here; Eisuke could tell from his looks. "We usually only get female customers but we welcome all," the man smiled. "Although, a man of your stature, are you really sure you want to be seen here?"

"I'm here for someone."

"I know." They both looked at the same time as the kitchen door swung open and out walked Haruka into the lounge, this time with a tray full of drinks. "I'm Akiyama Takashi. Please come with me, Ichinomiya Eisuke." The man led the way and Eisuke followed after. Although he hated the idea of following someone's order, something in his guts was telling him to follow Takashi. They walked into an empty room and the door was closed behind them. Takashi stood by the window, looking out to the lounge where everybody was. "What are you here for, Ichinomiya Eisuke? To get Haruka back after you dumped her in front of everyone?"

"I'm here to get what is mine. Haruka belongs to me."

"What do you know about Haruka?"

"What don't I know about Haruka?"

"Alright, what about her past? Her family? What she wants in life? Or what she likes to have for breakfast?" As much as Eisuke hated it, he had no answers for the man. He knew nothing of her past, he knew nothing about her family (apart from the two sisters he found out recently). It hurt him even more to admit that he had no idea what Haruka liked for breakfast either. "All Haruka ever wanted was to have a normal life. A normal life for herself and for her sisters. But her life is anything but normal.

"She started working after her mother's death at sixteen, at a maid café, to support herself and her sisters. As soon as she graduated from high school, she looked for a second job and was recommended this place. Most girls who worked here at eighteen are simply looking for a rich man to latch onto. Or hoping for a handsome host to fall in love with. Not Haruka. She took shifts whenever she could, working early in the morning until late at night. All for her sisters. Then she moved on, found a better job. One that would support herself and her sisters, working for you. You have no idea how happy she looked the day she came in to turn in her resignation letter. When I saw her again, I knew working for you was the job for her.

"You said Haruka belongs to you, but you only see her as an item. You never thought about her, try to get to know her. Did you know that she doesn't drink coffee at all? The caffeine gives her a headache. If you're here to get her back because you don't like your toys misplaced, I'd suggest you go home now. Haruka doesn't need someone can't understand what she wants or needs."

Every word that came out from his mouth, Eisuke hated it. So what if he knew nothing about Haruka's past? It was their present and the future that mattered. Haruka never spoke about these matters either, which could only mean that they were not important enough to know about. Not wanting to hear another word from Takashi, Eisuke walked around the host and left the room, walking straight up to Haruka and grabbed her by the elbow.

The woman was surprised, the cocktail glass on her tray toppling over when she pulled her elbow away, her eyes widening at the sight of Eisuke. "You're leaving with me," Eisuke stated, grabbing her hand but once again, Haruka pulled away.

"I'm not going with you," she said.

"What did you just say?"

"I'm not going with you. I'm working."

"You work for me."

"No I don't. Not anymore." She put her tray down, reaching into her pocket and pulled out a cheque to hand to him. "I've been meaning to return this to you. I appreciate the money but I don't need this much. Nor do I deserve it. Or want it."

Looking down at the cheque, anger started boiling in him. Not only did he waste a good ten minutes or so being lectured by a man he never met before, he was being rejected by Haruka and had a cheque he wrote out for her returned. He snatched the small piece of paper from her and ripped it up before throwing the pieces up into the air. "Fine. Don't take it. And keep working this mediocre job that you love so much. Mediocre suits you."

"I'm sorry, I know you probably don't want to be back here but this is probably the best place for drinking. Plus, I get an employee's discount."

With a cocktail in front of her, and Kuroba sat next to her, Haruka never thought that she would be sitting in Tres Spades' bar. Even when she was working with Eisuke, they never visited the bar for some reason. Although he could drink, Eisuke was not much of a drinker. Alcohol consumption was mainly for party purposes. But just like any other place in the hotel, Tres Spades' bar was a beautiful place. Haruka never associated bars with a calm feeling yet being in here, it was so relaxing that she almost forgot this place belonged to Eisuke.

"It's alright. I've never been in here before but it's actually really nice," Haruka smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear as she took another look around.

"So...you and Mr. Ichinomiya...is it really over between you?"

Haruka looked back to Kuroba at his sudden question, temporarily losing her processing skill. "We...it's over," she nodded. "Not his girlfriend, not his personal assistant." Even as she was admitting it herself, her words were like knives to her heart. Not his girlfriend, not his personal assistant. The reality was really settling in now; she was no longer relevant to Eisuke. She thought back to that night, when he came to the host club and told her to leave with him. She could have left that night with him, get back to the life she had been used to for the past three years. Something was stopping her, however. A simple question.

What was she going back as?

Was she to continue as his girlfriend? Or was Eisuke simply coming back to reinstate her position as his personal assistant? She did not know. All she knew was that she did not want to go with him. Not when she did not know what was on Eisuke's mind.

"Have you ever thought that perhaps Mr. Ichinomiya is not the man for you?" Kuroba asked. "That he's not the man who could make you happy." Lately, everyone had been asking if she really dated Eisuke, and if it was really over between them. They were all out of concern for her, Haruka knew, and she had given them all a standard answer. Kuroba, however, was asking something that Haruka was not expecting. "Did you ever think that perhaps...there's someone out there who could make you happy. Always."

"I..." Her voice trailed off as Haruka stared at someone just behind Kuroba. The concierge turned around to see what caught her tongue, surprised to see the owner of the hotel standing right behind him. "Mr. Ichi-" Before she even finished her greeting, Eisuke wrapped his arm around the waist of the woman he came in with, walking off without so much as another look at Haruka. It hurt a lot to be treated this way by Eisuke. She would be arrogant to ever say it out loud but for the three years she worked for him, she was the only one he would ever look at.

"You don't have to make your mind up now," Kuroba said, snapping Haruka back into reality. "I know it's a little impossible for you to instantly forget about a man like Ichinomiya Eisuke but whenever you're ready to move on and let someone else bring you happiness, I will be waiting."

Seeing Haruka with the concierge irked him.

The moment he slipped into the booth, Eisuke let go of the woman who had become too giddy for his liking. He found himself peeking out from the booth, glancing over to the bar where Haruka was sat with Kuroba. He heard everything the other man said, that Eisuke was not the man for her. That he could not make her happy. Who was that man to say those things? How dared he make assumptions about what Eisuke could or could not do for Haruka? What made that man think that he could ever give Haruka happiness?

Though, it clicked with Eisuke.

That man right there, sitting in the stool next to Haruka, he could give her the simple life she wanted. Both of them working a stable job, getting married in some mediocre hotel, have children, and live the rest of their lives not in extravagance but happy with what they have, happy with each other. That was something that Eisuke could never give her. Being with Eisuke would be the equivalent of living her life on the edge. She could get into dangerous situations, she would definitely be harassed by women (even men), and her life would never ever be normal again.

"What are you looking at, Eisuke?" the woman beside him cooed. She pressed her body right up against his, her breasts pushed up on his arm as she tried to take a look. "Why are you looking at that girl? She's got the boobs and maybe the looks but she's nothing special. You shouldn't be looking at another woman when you have me with you, Eisuke." The woman wrapped her arms around Eisuke's neck though he grabbed one of them before she could and pushed the woman away, a little too roughly. "Eisuke?"

"You are nothing special," he stated, getting up from the booth. "Get out of my sight. I don't want to see you ever again."

"All because of that woman? I'm a model, what the hell is she? She's with another man anyway, so why are you so caught up with her?"

The glare Eisuke gave her shut the woman up instantly. Eisuke stepped into the booth, backing the woman against the wall at the end and slammed his hand next to her head as he lowered himself until he was seeing her eye to eye. "You are nothing but a shallow gold digger who will probably end up marrying a man about fifty years older than you because only then would you have a chance of getting any kind of inheritance. That woman sitting over there? She is more than you could ever be in the next ten miserable lives of yours. If I hear another word from you badmouthing Haruka, I'll make sure that your modelling career ends right now and you can kiss goodbye to your chance at marrying rich. Do you understand?"

When she finally nodded, Eisuke pulled away and straightened himself. He looked over to the bar once more but where Haruka and Kuroba sat before, it was now empty. Eisuke took a quick scan of the bar though they were nowhere to be seen. He let out a curse under his breath and glared at the woman who was still glued to the wall, too afraid to move. His mood had been far too ruined for him to even enjoy a drink now so Eisuke decided to leave.

"Don't you think that was a little harsh of you, Boss?"

The bartender called out to him as he was leaving. "What are you doing here, Baba?" Eisuke asked, seeing right through the thief's disguise. He knew, however, the exact reason why Baba was there. For fun. Everything about this was just fun for Baba. It was fun for him to watch Eisuke getting agitated over Haruka. It was fun for him to watch as Eisuke, for the very first time, was losing out. "Have you been spying on me this whole time?"

"As much as I'd love to learn your womanising skills, I wasn't here for you, Boss," Baba smiled. "That was not exactly very gentlemanly of you either so I don't think I should be learning from that. I'm here for your dear Haruka. I heard somewhere that she was going on a date so I thought I should keep an eye on her for you."

"Did I tell you to?"

"No, but..." Baba smirked. "Don't you want Haruka back? Don't you miss her? Someone else is trying to get their hands on your toy. It isn't like you at all to not stop them, Boss."

"Haruka is not my toy."

"Hm? Then what is she?"

"She's...she's my woman."