The previous information applies.

Technical Notes : This chapter was started by Mae[Hikou] with some editing, and continued by me around where Akagi comes in.


The Bold and the Bulletproof
by Mae [Hikou] and Djinn

Chapter Two

It was bad enough to have kiddies laugh at me. It was worse to have adults to whisper to each other about my attire. However, who can take it when a little old lady comes up to you and asks which era are you from? I quickened my footsteps, becoming more and more eager to get to the Shohoku Shitheads building as a yappy little dog chased after me for my tweed jacket. I turned and kicked that pest clear into the blue yonder.

"I could make a sugoi footballer." I murmured to myself.

Finally, I saw the building with 'SHOHOKU STREETSTERS' on it. I opened the door and a little bell tinkled.

...Just what kind of mafia are they?! I exclaimed in my head, looking around at the bright flowerpots hanging from the walls. I turned to the front and stiffly marched to the counter, trying not to get blinded. A young woman sat there, smiling. "Konnichiwa, I am Ayako. Please accept this as a gift. Thank you." She handed over a little red heart. My stomach lurched. I hastily stuffed it into the pocket of my tweed jacket. I then said, "Ayako, I'm from the Press and I'd like to do an interview - "

"Did someone say interview?" A tall, redheaded guy popped out of nowhere. He pushed me to the couch nearby. "Take a seat, take a seat." He grinned. "Now, what do you want to ask?"

I coughed, then said, "Well, rumours have been going around that your gang, the Shohoku Shi- I mean, Shohoku Streetsters has kidnapped the heir of the famous Shoyo Society. Is it true?"

"Aha ha ha ha!" He laughed. "Of COURSE it's true! I'm better than anyone in that Shoyo place! I came up with the whole plan to kidnap him! Ore wa tensai!"

"Do aho." A grumpy voice came.

"Baka kitsune, don't interrupt!" The red-haired man snapped. "I'm having an interview!"

"Interview..." the newcomer muttered thoughtfully. I looked up at him. He stared into my eyes. Despite his nonchalant exterior, there was a message there...it said...

Interview me. Interview me. Several times over. I instinctively turned to him. "So..." I began again.

"Oi! Stupid reporter! You were interviewing ME!"

"Who wants to interview you?"

Suddenly, there was a 'BOOOM'. And another 'BOOOM'.

I looked alllll the way up. And had a shock.

Standing at approximately 2 meters, he was just about as wide as he was tall - and a very muscled wide indeed. His face was set in an animalistic grimace - in fact, he was almost as terrible-looking as Hasegawa. Now this was real mafia material.

"I apologise for their disgraceful conduct." He bowed. "I'm Akagi Takenori." Pointing to the one clutching onto his head, he said, "The red-headed one there is Sakuragi." He then pointed to the one who was glaring daggers at him. "The other is Rukawa."

I nodded. "I'm...er...Hikoshichi. From the Press for an interview."

"Ah, then I'll help you." Akagi replied, nodding gravely, "We need the publicity. It's hard being the new kids on the block."

"Er...I'm sure you'll be one of the best in no time."

"We ARE the BEST!!!" His face contorted into yet another animalistic grimace, "SHOHOKU ICHI!!!"

Needless to say, I was struck speechless.

Fortunately for my health, Akagi soon quietened down.

"What do you need to know?"

Finally! Now we were getting somewhere!

"Ah, as I was telling Sakuragi-san over here, rumours have been going around that the Shohoku Streetsters have kidnapped the heir of the prestigious Shoyo Society. Sakuragi-san informed me it was true. Is it?"

"It is. Those elitist Shoyo snobs have been rubbing their power in our faces for far too long. It was due time for us to show them that Shohoku has got all that and more. Not to mention, we need funds. We spent entirely too much on our interior decorating."

"...I think I can see that. Do you really think that Shoyo will pay you for the release of their heir?"

"We're certain. The boy isn't bad-looking, for one...we sent them...*cough*... pictures..." a disturbing grin made its way onto Akagi's face.A shiver ran up my spine.

"Aa. Sou ka."

But...pictures? This was interesting [not in that way!]. Why didn't Hasegawa mention it? Come to think of it...he never even showed me a picture of the kid I was supposed to save.

"Interesting," I found myself saying aloud, then hurriedly recalled my purpose, "Er...could I possibly see the captive?"

To my surprise, Akagi reddened and turned away.

"Er...well, it's not that I don't want to show you...but...there're some...complications..."

"Complications?" I raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"Gori!" the young [but very effective-looking] gangster called Sakuragi suddenly shouted, "Don't beat around the bush! Just tell him the truth - the Shoyo heir has -"

"OHohoho."

Sakuragi's great revelation was interrupted by a sudden long chuckle. We all turned as one to see -

A fat old geezer in a tweed suit.

"OHohoho."

Next to me, the Shohoku members bowed low.

"Greetings, oh great Anzai-sensei."

Anzai-sensei! This was...the great Anzai-sensei! This...fat old man...was the...

WHITE-HAIRED GODFATHER!!!

...Well. It was an expensive tweed suit.

I bowed low to the leader of the Shohoku Streetsters.

"Ohohoho...Akagi-kun. Sakuragi-kun. Do not be so free with information towards strangers."

The venerable old one came towards me as he said that, searching my face.

"You are not of the press, young sir."

"How...how did you know that?!"

Despite myself, I was floored. I was certain this disguise made me look exactly like I was from the Kanagawa Mercury!

"Well, young sir, you look exactly like you're from the Kanagawa Mercury."

See?

"Kanagawa has no newspaper circulation called the Mercury."

"...Oh."

Curses. Foiled again.

"So, young sir. Who, exactly, are you?"

I stared hard at those steel-rimmed glasses, heart pounding with anxiety. If these Shitheads found out that I was a spy...

Yet...the eyes behind the lenses seemed kind...

"I...I..." I stammered, thinking quickly, "Er...I...ACTUALLY, I want very much to join the Shohoku Streetsters!" Yeah, that's it! "But I didn't know how to go about it, so I thought that I'd just pretend to be a reporter first, to get some information...I didn't want to embarrass myself by simply asking for admission."

I'm pure genius!

"Is that so?"

"That is so." I said confidently.

There was a tense moment of silence, but I knew I had these Streetsters right where I wanted them.

Sure, enough, in the next second :

"Ohohohoho! Young sir, the Shohoku Streetsters welcome all."

"Ohohohoho! Young sir, the Shohoku Streetsters welcome all."

All around, smiles broke out.

"Welcome to the society!"

"The Shohoku Streetsters are where it's at!"

"We'll teach you to be a great Streetster in no time!"

"Welcome! Are you good at flower-arrangements? I need a hand around here!"

The last remark came from a sweet, pretty-looking bespectacled guy in a business two-piece. Briefly, I wondered what he was doing in a place like this.

"Er, sorry, I'm not too good with flowers."

"That's alright, I can teach you if you want."

The last remark came from a sweet, pretty-looking bespectacled guy in a business two-piece. Briefly, I wondered what he was doing in a place like this.

"Er, sorry, I'm not too good with flowers."

"That's alright, I can teach you if you want."

He clasped my hands in a fit of friendliness.

"I wouldn't mind." I smiled suavely. He was pretty cute.

Then a tough-looking Streetster with a scar on his chin glared his way into my field of vision.

"Oh, yes, you would." He growled ominously.

Ah. The protective boyfriend. I hurriedly pulled my hands away.

"You're right. I would. Sorry."

As the sweet kid was led away by his boyfriend, his plaintive wail faded into the distance.

"Demo - Mitsui-kun! If you keep scaring the new ones away, I'll never be able to get anybody to help with the flowers!"

"I'll help, Kimi-chan."

Weird. At least I knew who was responsible for the decoration now.

As the bubbly crowd around me led me to the dormitories, I couldn't help but marvel at how gullible these Streetsters were. The Shohoku Streetsters had a lot to learn.

...And I had a lot to investigate.

to be continued...


Coming up next : Chapter Three
The plot sickens, and the situation is worse than he thought. Just as all hope seems to be lost, a totally unprecedented event occurs...


Translations/Explanations :

Kanagawa Mercury - I should've mentioned this before. ^.^;; A reference to the infamous Brentford Mercury of the Rankin Woodbine novels, notably Waiting for Godalming.