172Entering a two-story building underneath train tracks, a nervous-looking high school boy, still wearing his black school uniform, opened the doors and walked inside. The first thing the student noticed the big mess inside the large waiting room. Leftover wrappers and piles of trash covered the floor and the several armchairs. The student pinched his nose as he looked at the curtains over the windows, noticed that they haven't been cleaned or even opened for a while. The only thing in the whole room that wasn't dirty was the turned-on flat screen television in the corner and the sign hanging over the magazine-filled reception desk. "Welcome to Senji Works," was all the sign said.
The student sighed as he turned around and walked back to the entrance.
"Where do you think you're going!" The high-pitched voice of a little girl yelled.
The girl that yelled grabbed the student's brown hair and, painfully, threw him into one of the armchairs. While the student recovered from the shock of being thrown across the room, the girl that threw him appeared in front of him. The girl with a blonde ponytail looked to be eleven and wore a Gothic Lolita dress with a short skirt. The student couldn't help but notice that the girl was wearing dark make-up that tried to make her look older than she really was.
The student broke into a cold sweat once the girl pointed at his face with her lollipop.
"So, what's your problem?" the girl asked him. The girl leaned closer to the student and began poking his cheek with her sticky lollipop. The student tried to speak but the confusion of his situation got the better of him. "Come on! Tell me your problem!"
"Atsuko, that's no way to treat a customer," A man's voice said from the back. The student's eyes moved to the back of the room, where he saw a tall man in his twenty's walking down the stairs. The man looked just as unusual as the girl, wearing a slate-colored suit without the jacket. The man flicked his messy grey hair out of his eyes while he made his way to the two. "You have to be nicer to them or else they'll leave."
The girl Atsuko pouted. "They'll leave when they see this mess, Senji," she said to the man. "Besides, it's more your fault that they leave! You scare all the female customers with those stupid questions to keep asking."
"I see it as more your fault that they leave," the man Senji said trying to sound refined. The effect didn't take since he was holding a magazine for adults in his hand.
"It's your fault!"
"Your fault!"
"Um, guys," the student whispered. He found it embarrassing to see a grown man arguing with a girl half his age and height.
"What?" They both yelled together, turning to the student.
"I just want help with a problem…" He said cowering into the armchair.
The two reacted instantly to the student's whisper. Senji bowing to the student while Atsuko gave him a wide grin.
"Welcome to Senji Works!" They yelled together. "Any problems you got, we'll solve them! From troubles with the mafia to even problems in bed, Senji Works will solve them all! "
The student could only stare at the two as they stared back, wondering what was wrong with these two.
…...
"My name's Harima Kago," the student said while he watched Senji sit down in a folding chair in front of him.
"So, what's the problem?" Atsuko asked while she leaned against Harima's armrest. She still poked Harima's cheek with her sticky lollipop, despite Harima asking her to stop.
Harima hesitated telling them but he spoke. "Love problems," He confessed.
"Love problems?" Senji repeated.
Harima watched as Senji smile and ran to the back of the store. He later came back with a sealed box and dropped it in front of his guest. Harima stared at the box and wondered what was inside. He looked up at Senji and saw that he was signaling him to open the box. Harima frowned as he ripped the tape off and opened the box.
"These will help with any love problem!" Senji laughed as Harima picked up one of the magazine's in the box. His eye's narrowed when he saw the half-naked woman on the cover.
Harima threw the magazine at Senji's face. "Not those kinds of love problems!"
"Oh, I know!" Atsuko yelled. She smiled suspiciously as she pointed at Harima. "Lemme guess, the girl you like just rejected you in the most painful way possible?"
Atsuko leaned closer to Harima. "Tell me what she did," she said eager to hear. "Did she pour her drink on your head or did she get her better-looking-than-you boyfriend to beat you up? Oh wait, I know! She was the one who beat the crap out of you and told you to grow a pair?"
"None!" Harima yelled. "What is wrong with you two? My only problem is that I can't ask the girl I like out on a date!"
The effect was instantaneous. "Is that all?" They both said frowning. Harima watched as the two both walked over to the closest wall and started banging their heads against it.
"That's so boring!" Atsuko complained.
"How many times have we done that one, Atsuko?" Senji asked.
"I lost count," Atsuko answered. "And each one was so easy and boring."
"What happened to the enthusiasm, guys?" Harima yelled.
The two didn't move their heads from the wall but Senji held out his hand. "Alright, show a picture of the girl," Senji said.
Harima got up, took out his wallet, and gave Senji a picture of the girl. Senji placed the picture low enough for Atsuko to look at but they only took one glance...
Before they started laughing.
"Hey, she isn't that out of my league!" Harima said over their laughing.
"Are you kidding?" Atsuko asked while trying not to laugh. Senj, standing next to her, was on his knees laughing while he banged his fist against the wall. "I'll be surprised if she doesn't have any boyfriends, seeing how cute she is."
"Aiko goes to the same school as me," Harima told her. "I would know if she had any boyfriends."
"Well, what would you like us to do?" Senji asked after he stopped laughing.
"I don't know; I'm the one with the problem," Harima answered.
Senji and Atsuko looked at each other and walked into the back of the store. Harima heard the two speaking with each other until they came back. Senji walked past them while Atsuko grabbed his collar and dragged him behind her.
"Hey, where are we going?" Harima asked as he was being dragged.
…...
After an hour of walking and Harima telling the two the location of the library Aiko volunteered to work at, the three had finally reached their destination. Harima and the others looked around the library until they found Aiko Tsura placing books on a shelf. Harima couldn't help himself but watch the cute raven-haired girl in casual clothing working. It took a pinch on his cheek from Atsuko to snap him out of it long enough for her to tell him the plan.
"Okay, listen, for this plan to work, you'll have to do it all alone," Atsuko told him.
"Alone?" Harima repeated.
"Of course alone, idiot," Atsuko snapped back. "The emotions needed for this to work all hinge on whether you can do it alone or not."
"What is she talking about?" Harima asked Senji.
"Don't ask questions," Atsuko told him.
"It's Atsuko's ability," Senji explained ignoring Atsuko. "She can feel the emotions all around her and can predict future emotions based on those."
"How is that possible?" Harima asked not understanding Senji's explanation.
"What did I say? Don't ask questions and listen," Atsuko said stomping on Harima's foot. While Harima silently held his throbbing foot, Atsuko continued. "Just go over there and strike up some conversation, doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's not something embarrassing. When it feels like you two are having a conversation, end it by asking her out on a simple date."
"Is that all?" Harima asked.
"Yes, that's all! Now, hurry up and do it!" Atsuko yelled kicking Harima forward.
Harima stumbled but regained his balance quickly. He walked over to Aiko and had actually begun talking with her, much to Senji and Atsuko's surprise. From their point of view, the two were enjoying talking with each other.
"Is it possible that it's working?" Senji wondered.
"We tell that to everyone with the same problem," Atsuko told him. "I'm more surprised that it's actually working this time."
Senji chuckled as he remembered the other times they were solving the same problem Harima had. "It was funny to watch those pathetic guys sob until they got over it," Senji said. "And we taught them a lesson at the same time. Don't go after women that are clearly above your league."
"Maybe this guys isn't as pathetic as the others," Atsuko replied.
Harima came back to the two with a silly grin on his face. The plan obviously worked and he was overjoyed.
"We're going out this Sunday," Harima told them.
"Good job, your problem is solved," Atsuko said giving him a short clapping.
Senji, however, didn't congratulate Harima. Instead, he looked as if he was worried. Harima didn't notice his worried expression and continued talking to Atsuko.
"Um, should I pay right now?" Harima asked Atsuko.
"We'll send the bill later," Atsuko answered. "Just enjoy your date until then…"
Harima said his good-byes to the two and left the library.
Atsuko looked up at Senji. "You can feel it too?" She asked him.
"I'm seeing some real anger and jealousy," Senji answered. "Someone's furious at Harima; maybe we should keep an eye on him."
…...
Harima couldn't remember what happened after he left the library. One second, he was practically skipping back home, the next he was lying inside the trunk of someone's car. He laid there in the trunk, tied up and in pain. It felt like someone had bashed him in the back of his head. The head injury had left him disoriented and nauseous. Every time the car turned, Harima felt like throwing up. And he did once.
The car stopped and someone opened the trunk, blinding Harima with the sudden flash of sunlight. His kidnapper placed a bag over his head and dragged him into where Harima guessed was a building from the sound of a door opening.
His kidnapper chained his wrists and hung him up from the ceiling, taking off the bag on his head.
"Hello, thief," his kidnapper said giving him a grin. His kidnapper was a teen a year older than him and wore torn clothing with a dirty vest that used to have sleeves. His blonde hair was spiked and he wore black sunglasses but he lifted them so Harima could look him in the eyes.
Harima, however, didn't look him in the eyes. Instead, he studied the room he was in. The room didn't have much in it other than a few men wearing clothing that made it hard to see their faces. The place also looked run-down and the windows were boarded up, telling Harima he was in an abandoned building.
"Who are you?" Harima managed to whisper. He was still a bit disoriented from his head injury and couldn't concentrate.
"He doesn't know who I am!" the man laughed, turning to the several men with him in the empty room.
"Doesn't know who our boss Gin is?' one of his subordinates laughed.
"The boss of one of the largest gangs in the city? Does he seriously not know him?" Another one laughed.
The men in the room continued to laugh, confusing Harima further. The laughing continued… until the kidnapper Gin swung his fist at Harima's gut.
"And you dare to steal my girl!" Gin yelled while Harima coughed violently.
"I don't… know what you're talking about," Harima answered.
Gin slammed his fist into Harima's gut again. "Of course you know! That librarian girl has been mine for over three months!"
Harima figured out he was talking about Aiko. "She didn't mention already having a boyfriend," He whispered.
"Well, it was more like stalking," One subordinate whispered to another.
"Following her behind her back for the last three months," another underling whispered. "I bet she doesn't even know who he is…"
"Shut up! You're making the situation less serious!" Gin yelled at his underlings.
The whispering among them stopped instantly and Gin turned back to Harima.
"Thanks to my idiotic subordinates, I'm feeling a feel embarrassed to continue but I got an idea for you," Gin sighed. He grabbed Harima's face and forced him to look him in the eyes. "You are not going to go out with her. While she feels like she's been stood up, I'll come in and make it my date. The plan's simple but incredibly easy to complete. Do this and I'm going to let you go with only a few injuries."
"No," Harima answered in less than a second.
Gin chuckled when he heard Harima's answer. "I don't think you really get it," he chuckled.
"I'm not going to do what you say," Harima told him.
His chuckling stopped as he punched Harima in the gut again. "I'm not giving you a choice! You are not going to be at the date! Cause it won't matter if you're dead before then!"
Gin took out a knife from within his vest and got ready to plunge it into Harima's stomach. However, he stopped once he saw one of his subordinates rushing into the room. Everyone in the room turned to see the scared man breathing heavily at the door.
"What's wrong?" Gin asked.
"Boss! Our men are being beaten up left and right!" He answered.
"Are we being attacked by a rival gang?" Gin asked.
"No, it's only one man and a little girl," he answered.
"My men are being beaten by one man!" Gin yelled surprised.
"It's the little girl beating us up!" The subordinate cried.
…...
Atsuko laughed as loud as she could as she swung her black umbrella like a baseball bat at the incoming men. The umbrella struck the men and sent them flying into several more groups. Atsuko continued to laugh as she chased after the ones who tried running away from her. Senji whistled while Atsuko was throwing men everywhere in the wide alley. He walked casually through the fighting, only moving slightly when objects flew by him.
"This job is a lot more exciting than we thought!" Atsuko laughed throwing a dumpster at the running men.
"That's for sure," Senji agreed stepping out of the way of a bat swung by a man who tried to attack him instead of Atsuko. The man with the bat was soon beaten into the ground by the little girl.
"This is impossible!" One of the gang members yelled. "How are we losing to a child!"
The gang member was soon kicked in the cheek by Atsuko and was sent crashing into a pile of cardboard boxes.
"Where's Harima?" Atsuko asked Senji while she stomped on the face of one gang member.
"He's in this building," Senji answered opening one of the doors in the alley.
Atsuko laughed, continuing to throw the gang members around while Senji left her to rescue Harima. Senji walked until he reached the room where Harima was hung up in. The men in the room stood up and picked their chains or knifes but Gin raised his arm to stop them.
"How did you find us?" Gin asked.
"Easy, I simply followed Harima's aura and it led me here," Senji answered.
Gin laughed and so did his underlings. "You followed his aura?" Gin laughed pointing at Harima. "Do think I'm stupid or something? How did you really find him? Is there a transmitter in his clothes or something?"
"Transmitter? No, no, I really did find him by following his trail of aura," Senji replied. "You see, I have the ability to see the aura of any individual. Everything living has aura and by following the personal color of the individual, I can find anyone or anything they touched in the recent past."
"Think I'm stupid? This isn't some manga, dude, its real life," Gin argued. "It's impossible to see something like aura."
"Yeah, this is reality and I can see aura," Senji told him.
Gin raised his fists and took a boxer-like stance. "I'm going to have to beat it into your head," Gin said irritated.
"Watch out, Boss is the best underage boxer there is!" A subordinate yelled at Senji. "If he was a real boxer, he could easily defeat the country's champion in less than a round!"
"That's impressive," Senji said obviously not impressed.
Gin saw the sarcasm in his expression and jumped at him, sending a flurry of jabs at him. Senji, however, barely moved out of the way of each jab. Gin smiled as he started throwing feints into his punches but to his surprise, Senji didn't even bother to dodge the punches that were feints. Somehow, Senji knew which punches were real and which ones were feints.
"You're fast but you have no experience," Senji told him. "I can tell when you are throwing feints when your aura doesn't spike. If you had a little experience in fights, you might be able to hide your intentions in your aura."
"What are you talking about?" Gin yelled trying to punch Senji only to have him step out of the way.
Gin threw another punch at Senji but this time, Senji caught his fist before it hit him. Gin and his underlings stared at him with complete disbelief.
"And these punches are so weak," Senji told him.
"Weak!" Gin yelled. "My punches always hit the maximum force on the boxing machines in the arcade!"
"Is that it?" Senji asked clenching his other hand into a fist. He grinned at Gin as he continued. "My normal punches completely demolish those machines!"
Senji's fist slammed into Gin's face, shattering his teeth and jaws. Gin's whole body soared through the room until he crashed into the wall. The others in the room couldn't keep their eyes off his body as it fell to the floor, Gin knocked unconscious by Senji's punch.
Senji ignored the other gang members and walked over to Harima, unlatching the chains off his wrists and helping him down.
"You can see aura?" Harima asked.
"How many times must I say it? Yes, I can see aura," Senji answered.
"How is that…" Harima tried to finish his sentence but passed out due to the pain. Senji sighed as he picked him up and threw him onto his back.
Senji turned the others, who cowered under his stare. "Tell him that if he ever comes near him again, I'll be back and next time, I won't go easy," Senji threatened them.
"Yes sir!" The men yelled nodding their head back and forth.
Senji smiled and left them, Harima on his back. He exited the building and found Atsuko laughing haughtily on top of a mountain of the gang members and their weapons. One man moaned as Atsuko continued to stomp on his face with her shoes.
"Got him, Atsuko," Senji said looking up at the little girl.
Atsuko pouted. "But I want to keep on hitting them," she complained.
"They're all unconscious or moaning in pain, it's time to leave," Senji replied. "We got Harima back so we have no reason to stay."
…...
"Why did you rescue me?" Harima asked after he woke up in the Senji Works store, him lying on the wrapper-covered couch in the spacey waiting room.
"You're our client," Senji answered. He was sitting in one of the armchairs in the room.
"It wouldn't be good for business if one of our clients died right after the job was completed," Atsuko added keeping her eyes on the handheld game in her hands while leaning against the wall.
Harima laid there on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. "Thanks," he said after a silent minute.
"You can thanks us after you pay us," Atsuko said handing Harima a slip of paper.
Harima took the slip of paper and read the numbers on it. In an instant, he forgot all his pain and got up off the couch.
"One million yen!" He yelled not believing what he saw on the slip of paper. "How the hell does it cost this much!"
"Saving your life and beating up that gang added an extra fee," Senji explained. "It wouldn't have been that much if we didn't rescue you from that gang."
"But I can't pay this," Harima asked pointing at the fee on the paper.
To his surprise, Senji and Atsuko grinned.
"There is one way you can pay us back," Senji said holding up a finger.
"One way," Atsuko repeated.
A sinking feeling came upon Harima as he asked. "And what way would that be?"
Atsuko looked around the room. "We do need a maid around here," she answered grinning.
"Don't worry, a few years of part-time cleaning will clear this debt," Senji said also grinning.
The sinking feeling only got worse as Harima looked around the messy store. He certainly felt that he was going to be here for a very, very long time…
…...
Author's Note: Here it is! The new chapter one! For those of you who read the original first chapter, I hope that you find this one more humorous and better than the original. For those just started reading this series, please continue reading. The story gets better later on.
And here's something I should have done before.
The Ideas of Senji Works belong entirely to the user Tedi-Medoru and no one else has the rights to this story.
With that said, I hope anyone reading this enjoys Senji Works.