LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 38 – Organized Crime
The wheels of the jet landed softly on the runway.
The psychiatrist, her fingernails digging into the armrests, was sweating profusely.
She suddenly turned white. I looked away as she puked her guts into an ice bucket.
The air whistled.
I blinked and met the smiling gaze of one of my four bodyguards.
This one is Edward.
“Please remain seated while we verify the identity of the person who has come to collect you”
“Understood”
He smiled at me then disappeared.
Even with senses as sharp as mine were, I couldn't follow him with my eyes.
Neither him nor the other three. But at least I could still feel him.
His cold energy appeared outside, on the tarmac. He walked towards a ball of heat that was as vibrant as it was hot. It was so intense that all the other lights that accompanied it were dull in comparison.
That's her.
Her energy was similar to my father's.
The psychiatrist coughed, then wiped her mouth with a silk napkin. She rinsed her mouth with water and spat back into the bucket. The sour smell of her vomit rose to my nose: I covered it with a towel to muffle the smell.
New air hiss.
This time it was the tall blonde with the low ponytail.
“The area is clear. Please follow me”
She picked up my suitcases as if they weighed nothing and waited for me to walk out first.
The jet door slid aside.
A warm wind blew through the cabin, sending my hair flying everywhere. The sun was blazing. I shielded my eyes with my hand and squinted at the tarmac.
My eyebrows raised when I saw half a dozen men in black suits lined up between the jet's stairs and a shiny dark Mercedes.
What the hell ?
I cautiously descended the stairs, my eyes darting back and forth between each man. The moment I set foot on the ground, they all bowed at a ninety degree angle.
“Welcome, Shoto-sama !”
They had all shouted in perfect Japanese, a hint of accent slightly softening the splendor.
I blinked and my four guards were already at my side, two to the left and two to the right.
The driver opened the limousine door.
A woman - a very, very tall woman - stepped out.
She wore stiletto heels higher than my forearm and a dark, immaculately tailored suit. Her hair was like a lava flow, falling delicately over her fur coat. Her blue eyes blazed like fire, casting the shadow of her lashes across her cheeks. As if they were fluorescent.
She crossed the distance between us with grace, her heels clicking on the carpet.
Did they put it on for me or for her ?
The closer she came, the more I realized how young she looked. You'd think she was barely thirty, but I was sure this old woman was over sixty.
Those I assumed to be his henchmen visibly stiffened as she passed.
She stopped in front of me, towering over me. Her cold eyes scrutinized me from head to toe.
“You are small”
I said nothing, refusing to give her the reaction she wanted.
She walked around me, hands clasped behind her back, examining me as if I were a carnival animal she was trying to find some merit in.
Her face, as smooth as an ice sculpture, betrayed no reaction.
“What happened to your face?”
Out of instinct, I almost touched my scar.
It wasn't painful, but every time we talked about it, I could feel the ghost of the knife sinking into my flesh.
“Life”
She inhaled and her eyes fell on my mask.
“And what use is that to you ?”
She raised her finger to take it from me. I grabbed her wrist and stopped her.
“Oh ?”
She raised a perfect eyebrow.
The men in suits became agitated. She raised a gloved hand to calm them. I released my grip and she lowered her hand. She didn't try again.
We stared at each other, neither of us willing to look down first.
It’s this ageless creature who raised my father.
“I heard you caused a bit of a ruckus”
I shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
“Nothing worth mentioning”
The corner of her mouth twitched briefly, as if she was smiling.
“And where's Enji?”
I tilted my head to the side and blinked.
Didn't he told her ?
While I didn't answer, one of my bodyguards decided to do it in my stead :
“He had some business to take care of, Todoroki-sama. He won't arrive until tomorrow morning”
Grandmother Todoroki slowly turned to him and stared back. I knew from his voice that it was Jasper who had spoken. He was the only one whose Quirk oozed so much vocally.
The old woman has a way of staring at people as if they didn't deserve to breathe the same air as her. I really must learn how she does it.
“Good," she said finally “It must have been a long journey. What do you say about going home?”
She clapped her hands and two of her men left the ranks to fetch my luggage.
“For safety's sake, I think you could split up equally between the car in front and the one behind”
“With all due respect, Miss Todoroki, Mr. Todoroki has personally stipulated that we must not lose sight of Shoto-sama”
She pursed her lips, no doubt wondering if chatting with the servants was worth her time.
“Do as you please”
She turned on her heels, satisfied, taking it for granted that I would follow her around like a dog on a leash.
I don't like her.
*
The waiter removed the steaming bell from my plate. A cloud of white smoke poured out like a wave, sliding across the cream-colored tablecloth and falling like water onto my lap before evaporating.
On my plate was a slab of rare beef and small vegetables in sauce. I lowered my mask, salivating. I didn't mind having that kind of blood in my mouth.
“Your manners are appropriate. I'm glad Enji didn't raise you like a peasant”
I froze, my vegetable fork a centimeter away from my mouth. My eyes darted back and forth between old Todoroki wiping her mouth with a napkin and the juicy sauce on my plate.
I put down my cutlery and picked up my meat with both hands.
I bit into it.A mixture of blood and fat stained my blazer. Some of the sauce splashed into my wine glass.
I chewed noisily, my mouth half open, using more effort than necessary to make half of what I was chewing fall onto my lap and the floor.
The old woman raised her eyebrows and looked at me, not the least bit impressed.
“You don't talk much," she remarked, returning to cutting her steamed vegetables “You weren't born lacking in anything, were you ?”
She wanted to get a rise out of me, thinking that I, like any ten-year-old, wouldn't take her mockery and would give in to anger.
If only she knew.
I chewed my meat carefully, taking my time before answering. Then I wiped my fingers on the white tablecloth until it looked like a crime scene. I felt his gaze pierce my forehead.
“I think you're rather young for an old woman," I replied, meeting her eyes.
"Perhaps you could explain to me how that's possible, Granny Teka ?”
Her knife flew so close to my ear that I heard it hiss.If I hadn't turned my head to the side, it would have pierced my left eye.
This old woman is a threat.
“Don't call me like that," she growled, and this time I knew she was my father's mother in more ways than one.
Obviously, her age makes is a sensitive topic.
I gave her my most hypocritical smile.
“As you wish granny Todoroki”
A vein throbbed in her forehead - the same place I do when I'm not in the mood - and in return she offered me a hypocritical smile.
“How about a little game ?”
I tilted my head to one side and pretended to think about it.
“What kind of game?”
I'd already put my mask back on my nose, ready to pounce at any moment.
She brushed the top of her glass with the tip of her thumb, a slight smile hovering on her lips. Her malevolent eyes locked onto mine.
“Oh" she shrugged, feigning nonchalance “Something very simple, really...”
She left her words hanging to add to mystery.
Deciding to indulge the old thing, I asked :
“What is it, Grandma Todoroki ?”
The use of her nickname irritated her again.
“Hide-and-seek”
Since I really wanted to annoy her, I asked with a fake worried look:
“Hide-and-seek, Grandma Todoroki? Are you sure? I know you look young, but you must be what, a hundred and twenty? Your bones must be quite frail, and if you fall, you might break something...”
Her hair burned even brighter, as if it were about to go up in flames.
“Yes," she said reluctantly “Since I'm very... old” (it seemed to cost her a lot to admit it) “I won't be able to participate myself. But would you mind if some of my henchmen did it for me?”
She clapped her gloved hands and half a dozen black-clad men emerged from the shadows.
I'd had no trouble following their every move, but I pretended to be surprised to give the impression that I was.
“If you win, I'll let you call me Grandmother Todoroki”
I raised my eyebrows.
“So ?”
“What do you mean, 'so'?”
“I can keep on calling you that way if I feel like it without having to participate in your game. I want something else”
“Such as ?”
“The photo album we saw in the living room”
There must be something in there to blackmail my father with.
“Alright, I'll make you a duplicate. However, if I win” Her smile split her face in two
“I want you to live with me for the next year”
I coughed into my sleeve, surprised, nearly choking on my last piece of meat.
“Even though I'm incredibly pleasant and easy to get along with, I don't see what you could possibly win out of this”
Her eyes went to the tablecloth stained by my fingers.
“I'll take great pleasure in teaching you the manners of a Todoroki heir”
“And...” None of their names came to mind “What about my brother and sister ?”
“I don't care about them. Your father brought you here, and he knew what it meant”
I took the time to ponder her answer and all its implications.
I'm now the sole heir to a family empire worth millions.
“Are you in the mafia ?”
She smiled enigmatically. There was another knife in her fingers that I hadn't seen her grasp.
“Who knows," she said “Do you accept ?”
She's completely crazy
“Deal”
Her smile was so wide it would have made the Cheshire Cat pale with envy.
*
Author's note :
Teka's chara design is 100% stolen from Ackerbangbang OC, Teka Todoroki, that you can find on instagram (which I strongly recommend if you want to get the exact visual of Teka Todoroki).
Other than that, the character is different and there not any ressemblance.
Anyway, we're entering a new arc here.
Any thoughts you would like to share ?
No bonus chapter available this week exceptionnaly, but there will be one available next week and also every week starting from November.
You can still give me your power stones tho, won't say no.
50 chapters ahead of schedule on my P@treon, Nar_cisseENG
See you in the next update everyone !