"That child is ruthless, I tell you," one man complained, rubbing his arm as the child in question ran around screaming and waving something Ogata doesn't care about. "You'll need a lot of patience to even last a day with him."
"Did the boss say anything about discipline?" he asked boredly, glancing at the child when he fell and cried, commanding the attention of everyone nearby. He watched them ask him where it hurts and what he wants them to do and raised his brows when the child only cried louder in their direction.
"So?" Ogata asked instead, ignoring the child and turning to the man who was still massaging his arm.
"Nothing, really. Only that it's our job to make sure the little brat is safe while he's away - which he always is,"
"Good. Then he can't blame me for not tolerating his bratty child," Ogata deadpanned.
"Do that if you have a death wish. If you want to live longer, you'd better act like the rest of us," the man snorted, finally standing up to attend to the child who hasn't stopped crying.
"Maybe that's why I'm here. I need a reason to die,"
Ogata Yuya, high school dropout, finds himself in increasingly dangerous situations that put his life at risk and does he care?
Not really.
He doesn't really know how he got where he is but joining a big yakuza like this - it's a baby sitting ad that's been going around his peers. He's a part of the local gang and when the gang disbanded, he found himself drifting with more connections than he could ask for. Someone passed him the ad and told him he should apply if he's so desperate to risk his life and he laughed until he was told which clan it was and well, he likes a challenge. Dying because he failed with babysitting is a funny way to go too. Not the best but funny. He'd settle for funny.
The clan doesn't really - they don't run the group traditionally like other families - this one feels more like a company that hires people. Difference though is once you're in, there's no getting out. Well, there is one way to get out. It involves ending in the nearby dump or a manhole somewhere if you're lucky. Ogata has always known he'd end up in a dumpster somewhere or hog feed. That's a funny way to go too.
"Oi, newbie! Better get here," the older man said, beckoning him. He went closer but ignored the child who kept staring at him. "Tiny boss said his foot hurts but won't let us touch it,"
"Then don't touch it. Let him cry with pain until his body shrivels up because he's got no more tears," Ogata deadpanned, staring boredly at the child who looked right back. "He knows he'll have to let you touch him if he wants the pain gone."
There was a specific kind of silence that told him that was the wrong thing to say. The kind of silence that would've let him know he fucked up and he should apologize if he wants to live another day. Well, tough luck. He doesn't. So shoot him.
However, as if the silence pitied him, the frowning child turned to him, putting his foot on his view.
"What? You want me to help you out?" Ogata asked, crouching. The child nodded. "Tough luck, kid. You have to use your words. I won't help you unless you ask me properly,"
It would be dramatic to say he heard gasps, but he heard gasps. The child glared at him, lips quivering as if about to cry but Ogata did not budge. He kept staring boredly at him, even raising a brow to urge him to cry because if he did, Ogata would walk away.
Instead, the child threw his shoe at him and as if on reflex, he threw the shoes just as strongly to the child. "I will do to you what you do to me," he simply said, raising his chin as if on challenge. The child continued to glare until he looked down and murmured.
"Huh? I can't hear you. You have to speak loudly," Ogata said, clicking his tongue.
"Feet hurt. Please help me," the child finally said, albeit still too softly but Ogata isn't too much of a sadist when a child asks. He stood up and looked at the older man who immediately had first aid ready.
"Alright, kid," Ogata said, softly now. "I will touch your foot and see why it hurts. If you hurt me, I will hurt you back, understood?" he asked softly this time and nodded when the child nodded at him.
He touched the child's foot as gently as he could and immediately found the culprit - a sliver that's small enough to be brushed off as dirt but big enough to hurt a child. He reached for the alcohol and sanitized his hand and whatever he thought he would need and told the child everything he was seeing.
"I will pull it out and it might hurt, so I want you to hit that guy over there instead of me," Ogata said, waiting for the child to smile before smirking, smirking the old man's way when he grunted.
A little memory flashed in his mind - of a mother who did this very same thing for him but he quickly crushed the memory down and focused on the child, as gently as he could - getting that sliver. When he was done, he put some alcohol while blowing on it and then took a bandaid and called it a day.
"Does it still hurt?" he asked gently, watching the child inspect the area before shaking his head in response to him. But then a hand flew to his face and he, without hesitation slapped the child right back who looked at him in shock.
"Remember I told you? I will do to you what you do to me," Ogata simply said and the hand flew to him again only this time, it was gentler and Ogata gently tapped him too until it was all too gentle that the child was laughing and reaching out to him.
"You're lucky the boss wasn't around when you did that," the old man said. "You would've been shot on the spot."
"It's not too late to report me. I bet someone who wants to get the boss' approval is on his way to report me now," Ogata smirked.
"We're all just glad to get that brat off our backs, Ogata-kun," the man sighed. "Someone will report you someday, maybe, when the novelty wears off, but you'll be better by then," the man smiled, "I hope."
"Let's all hope I get better for the sake of that child," Ogata chuckled.
This is luxury compared to what he came out of. He used to have no roof above his head but this time, they have a dormitory. Most of them - the ones with no family - stay here while the others go home to their families. He's also being paid like an actual worker - to be fair, this seems more like a big corporation more than anything. He was actually interviewed! He was asked about his background, his child caring experience - which he happens to have but those were babies. Not kids that can throw stuff at you - and even his educational background although he doubts it matters. Like the old man said - nobody was applying. Only a dumbass would and he happened to be one.
There's also a contract - he signed without reading because honestly, what's the worse they could do? Feed him to the sharks? As If Takaki isn't begging for that already - and a little orientation about the decorum expected of them around the boss and his son. Seems like he'll have a grand but short time in the group then.
He'll meet the boss next week but he was told he has already been alerted of his recruitment. The boss will meet him first thing, apparently. Well, let's see if he can make it until then. If he doesn't do anything stupid that forces someone to end him before the boss even gets home.