I woke up in my apartment to a noisy alarm, or I thought it was. After yesterday’s field trip with Trish, I called in sick; I was ill at the notion of killing Jade Akagiri, even more so of asking her older sister to do it. I grabbed my noisy cell phone and checked the caller ID. Christina was calling me… If I told Christina her mom wanted to kill her best friend, what would happen? I could ignore it, but she would just call back.

  “Rika, speaking,” I said in a low voice.

  “Rika, I fucking need you at the Carter residence, now!” Another queen going off script.

  “Christina, you gave him until the end of the week, and it was generous, your grace.” I had to watch my tone with her, after all, she would be the next in power.

  “Get here, or there will be blood, and I’ll make you file the paperwork!” The call ended. I dropped the phone on the empty bed next to me and listened to the silence of my empty apartment. I walked away from clan life and politics, so why does it feel like I’ve been pulled back in? I got up and dressed myself; I knew I wouldn’t have time to shower, not with Christina so excited. My black jeans and purple low-cut shirt were enough; it wasn’t the professional image I typically sported, but oh, well. I threw on my leather jacket and made my way to the parking garage.

  ***

  “Let me see if I understand correctly,” I said, as the Carter family waited before me on their knees, each at the edge of a blade. “You argued about Ms. Tetsusen’s claim, but accepted the reality of Antwon being taken at the week’s end.” I turned to Sakura, “He came to your room door, requesting permission to share a bed with you, but you told him no.”

  They cautiously nodded not to disturb the blades waiting under their necks. “And Antwon was gone when you all woke up, so you contacted the Iron Fan Court?” More nods.

  I thought about the conversation Antwon and I had in the school hall; the answer was clear. “Well, it is obvious that Antwon Carter—”

  “Is being hidden!” Christina yelled, voice smoldering.

  Don’t sigh, or show disappointment, or she will eat you alive, Rika. “Not quite, your grace. I believe Antwon has run away from the Carter home without informing anyone.”

  “How can you be so sure, Rika?” Christina said, crossing her arms.

  I signaled for Christina’s guards to lower their weapons, and they listened. “For starters, I checked the security cameras for the complex,” I said, pushing my glasses up. “Antwon left the safety of his home around 3:45 AM; it is 6:48 AM. Usually, we could cover enough ground to track him down, but we don’t know which direction he went."

  I don’t understand why you didn’t think of that. Maybe losing your boy made you irrational.

  The TV cut in: This just ended. Another young boy was found brutally assaulted with multiple lacerations in an alley. This recent incident occurred around Kofu.

  Everyone's eyes snapped to the television.

  “Well, that isn’t good,” I said without thinking. The panic in their eyes was enough to cast out doubt; they had nothing to do with Antwon running away. “This is vital; do you have any idea where Antwon would run away to?” I asked the Carters. But they all shook their heads.

  The TV continued: Specialists have declared that the body is two days old.

  I thought back to Tiffany Nakamura’s warning, I thought about telling Christina that I could not continue, and I thought about Trish's wrath. Was I truly the dragon’s heart?

  “Snap out of it, Rika!” Christina shouted. I shook my head, pushing unrelated thoughts aside.

  I bowed to the Carter family and a bruised Sakura, recovering from her bout with Christina. “I do have one more question.” They waited in anticipation. “ Did Antwon take his phone?”

  “No,” Sakura said. “Do… May I stand?”

  I looked at Christina because she ran the show even if I asked the questions. “This is your fault, Sakura. If you had let him stay in your bed, he would still be here!” she said, measuring up to Sakura.

  “A killer is afoot, and Antwon is out there with her. Do you really have time to blame and batter her, your grace?”

  Christina looked at me, fueled by fury, but she knew I was right. She backed away from a kneeling Sakura and made her way to the door. “Why are we still here, Rika? We have a consort to find. Sakura lowered her gaze to the word “consort.” To her, we had a sibling to find. On the way out, I took a photo of Antwon and Sakura and placed it in my pocket.

  “Yes, your grace.” We exited the apartment and made our way to the parking lot, Court ladies and all. “Wait for me in the car,” Christina said. “I need to speak with Rika.” I braced myself for a princess-level scolding, but her eyes were softer than usual. Her Court ladies waited for her in the car, and she pulled me away.

  “Rika, I’m… scared. What if something happens to him? What if the killer gets to him first?” She said, showing genuine worry.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  It was odd seeing the Dragon’s daughter showing compassion for someone other than herself, but it was refreshing. However, she should be questioning what compelled him to run away in the first place. But her fists were clenched, and veins were bulging in her forehead; she was enraging herself.

  I placed my hand on her head, gently stroking her hair, and cooed, “Kitten, don’t worry, okay; I’ll find your boy and bring him back to you.” Her eyes met mine, and I knew that I was fucked if I couldn’t deliver, but at least some poor soul wouldn’t be punished for the actions of another.

  She was always a hot-headed kid, but helping raise her was the highlight of my life, and it helped me win her mother's affection.

  She started to walk away, toward her guarded escort, but she turned sharply, and the future queen had returned. “Do you have a plan, or am I leaving it up to fate, Rika?”

  I stopped smoking when I left the Court, the raids, and the looming death that followed me everywhere, but fate seems to have its own plans. “Yes, your grace. But I would rather not disclose that now.”

  She sneered and turned, continuing her walk toward the car. Then she got in and rode off.

  The last murder was less than two hours away. Antwon has been missing for less than twenty-four hours. I need to check all my sources and cast a wide web before the wrong woman finds him. But Antwon isn’t a stupid kid. I’m sure, wherever he is, that he is staying up-to-date on this killer.

  My phone rang… Christina was calling me again. I answered, “Your grace?”

  “You better not be standing in the fucking parking lot, Rika!”

  Like mother, like fucking daughter.

  ***

  I rode my bike out to Gifu because they had a growing red-light district. I’m not saying Antwon would sell himself, but I’ve known enough boys to drift ashore at the Moonlace Pavilion to factor that in. If I’m lucky, Akemi Satoru still runs the shop.

  The roads were nearly clear, which was a good sign; maybe the gods were smiling on me.

  Also, if a murder had already occurred in Gifu, the killer was long gone—the perfect spot for a runaway to hide.

  The wind whistled past my helmet as I considered the possibility of finding him on day one. Then my phone rang… again.

  I pulled over to check who it was. Trish? “Igarashi speaking.”

  “Welcome back to the payroll, Rika! Christina told me everything, so I’ve dropped a bit of pocket money into your account.” I scrolled over to my bank app to check the amount; moderation was never Trish’s strong point. ￥500,000 deposited…

  “Fuck, Trish. What the hell am I… I’m sorry, your grace. I forgot my—”

  “Don’t apologize… Fucking talk to me like you own me.” She must be alone… that’s the only reason she would surrender an inch of control, let alone allow me to talk down to her.

  “Trish… I don’t have time for… this. I don’t need ￥500,000. I’m not on your payroll. I’m just helping Christina find her—”

  “Whatever; spend it, don’t spend it; find him, don’t find him, just make sure you find me.” The phone hung up… and I took a deep breath, covering my face with both hands. Don’t lose it, Rika, onward to Gifu.

  ***

  I arrived at Moonlace Pavilion during the day, expecting it to be closed since business happens at night. But, what the hell, I may as well try.

  I knocked for two minutes, but no one answered. And just when I resigned myself, a car pulled up—the grace of the gods. Two people stepped out—one whom I knew deeply, and the other who kind of looked familiar.

  “Well, look at what the laced corner boy dragged in,” she said, slowly walking toward me with arms wide open.

  “Akemi Satoru, you’re in rare form,” I said, killing her with compliments. Time had not been so kind to her, with her hair graying and skin starting to sag around her neck. As the young boy approached us carrying grocery bags, my memory started to function.

  He stared at me with shy eyes that found themselves running before obediently returning to mine; he blushed every time.

  “Oh,” Akemi said, “Do you like what you see? I know we’re closed, but I don’t mind giving you a room with Yuto right now,” she said, low enough to elude passersby but high enough for Yuto to hear.

  I clenched my fist. Yuto Hinohara was one of my first students. In the end, I guess he chose questionable enterprises.

  “You know,” she said, brushing her cheek. “Yuto talks about you a lot, about how he used to fantasize about giving you the child you never had.”

  I fixed my glasses. “I’ll pass.”

  She sneered, rearing her head back. “You’ve been passing for almost ten years, Rika. Why the fuck are you here, just to waste my time?” she said, marching to the front door, unlocking it for Yuto.

  I sighed, “I’m looking for a boy—”

  “I’ve got plenty of them, but you don’t want to play.” The doors to the pavilion swung open.

  I took a picture that I borrowed from the Carter residence. “I’m looking for this boy.” She stepped closer, examined the photo, and sighed. She knows something.

  “A gaijin in Kokiri… I could break the bank with that face. Those eyes… that anger; he would make for a great f—”

  “I just need to know if you’ve seen him, Akemi.” She rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. Yuto had made his way inside, but didn’t stray too far from the entrance; he sat silently in the waiting area.

  “I’m not telling you shit, Rika. If you want information, pay me,” she said, crossing her arms. This conversation sucked up thirty minutes of my time. If I don’t pay her, it’s a waste.

  “Fine,” I said.

  “￥80,000,” she said.

  “￥20,000,” I countered.

  “￥70,000, you stingy bitch,” she said, seething through her teeth.

  “￥40,000, I’ve got to eat tonight,” I said.

  “￥50,000, you can starve. Besides, it will do you some good.” I looked down at my figure… Fucking cutthroat.

  “Deal.”

  “So, have you seen him…?” I asked, expecting to get my money's worth of information. Akemi gradually shifted her weight.

  “Pay me first,” she said.

  I quickly dug up her old wire information and wired her the money; a few minutes later, she seemed pleased.

  “That information, Akemi.”

  She smiled, “I haven’t seen him.” Bitterness hit the back of my throat, so I spat, but not in her direction. “You might want to check at the gambling hall; I hear that someone has been causing quite the fuss.

  She played me, and it stung. But she fucked up because she gambled with Trish’s money, not mine.

  “Thanks, Akemi. By the way, you’ll regret that.”

  https://suno.com/s/8HATPa2GE1oYfqud.

  If you caught any of it, I’m curious what stood out to you.