A Singer & A Fan - audrey_xo_

Genres: Yuri, Romance, Drama, Historical

Chapter 4

Through the mirror I saw a familiar woman enter the bathroom, and close the door behind her.

Kazuko had straight brown hair that went down to her chin, black eyes, and grey skin. She was wearing a long black and red slip dress with a layered skirt, black flats, a black and red cloche hat with gold embroidery on it, and a black and gold Nordamu Purse.

"Seiko." She stated in her raspy voice.

"...Yes?" I said after turning around slowly to face her.

She tilted her head slightly to the right. "We needa talk."

The Azzura underboss moved her right arm and hand towards the wall as she turned the gold light switch off all while keeping eye contact with me. "You know how much I like the dark." She murmured as a small smile crept on her face.

I leaned on the sink behind me and nodded.

She obviously wants something from me and I can't let her leave this bathroom before me and get Annie involved in anything Azzura related. Or worse...hold her hostage to get me to do something for them.

The energy in the room shifted as Kohaku gave me a toothy grin and boomed at her usual volume. "You must be wonderin' what I'm doing here at this swanky party in this swanky dress that you couldn't catch me dead in on any normal Friday."

"I can guess. The Doctor has you spying on some Boucher property nearby in a way you can have a little fun while doing it." I asserted.

"And what if that's the truth?" She asked as she took a couple steps towards me.

I crossed my arms. "I'd say aren't Esme and Kiyo enough of a reason to back out of anything close to double crossing that family."

"We're tired of the piker's life. The Doctor has been toiling away at a foolproof plan to get us lots of rubes and revenge for both Kiyo and Esme."

Annie might start looking for me if I dally here for too long. I just need to reach the door.

"Oh, shoot me. What's her plan?" I asked as I started lightly tapping the tile with my foot.

Kohaku stepped back and leaned her back on the bathroom wall. "Months back we started a mining front with all the stolen gems from the Hilliveri job. This mining front was sellin' gems to jewelers all around the Jubilee and Hampsur until Rubis came into play."

I complained. "Are you writing a book? The fast version of this plan, please."

Kazuko sighed. "Impatient as ever. We've been exclusively sellin' real gems' to Rubis Jewelers, owned by Jiliane Boucher since spring and The Doctor's plan has us scammin' them with a boatload of fake diamonds."

I stopped tapping my foot and scoffed. "Even jewelers in Hampsur have those diamond testers from Dubois. There's no way that'll work."

She got up from the wall and wagged her finger. "We have a counter to that but there's a foil to our counter and that foil is a dame named Virginia Alarie."

"Pretty name."

"I know."

The underboss took a couple steps towards me and continued on. "Virginia's a sheba but has been a real stick in the mud since we've started working together. Now usually that wouldn't be a problem but she's the co-owner of Rubis, lives in an apartment attached to the store, and has no life of her own."

I have no life but at least I live in a residential area. I couldn't imagine living in the heart of the Jubilee, the neighborhood where everyone wants to be when the clock strikes 9.

"Go on..." I murmured as I started pacing slower, inching towards the door every walk around.

Kazuko slowly walked towards me and said, "Livin' only for your job is a boring life so just the other day Virginia submitted her profile for that Lookin' for Love column of...Le petit vêtement."

I can tell she tried real hard to say that magazine's name.

We met in the middle of the bathroom a blue tile in between us as we stared at each other for a couple of seconds.

"Butt me." She said.

I scoffed at her and looked away. "In the five years you've known me I never once smoked. You think when I finally get away from you thugs I suddenly pick up cigs'."

The underboss grunted. "Always been a wet blanket."

She walked to my left and looked out the rectangular window.

I finally have a clear shot at the door...

I slowly crept towards the gaudy gold and white door as Kazuko continued on. "Anyways, that Lookin' for Love profile said Virginia's only interested in a certain type of Raiment."

I carefully reached for the knob to make sure my silver bracelets didn't jingle. I felt the coldness of the gold knob through my glove when a warm hand swiftly grabbed my left arm. I turned my head to see Kazuko grinning at me. "She want's a moody Hampsur Raiment whose a lil' awkward and mysterious."

"Shit." I muttered as I shook my arm so she'd remove her hand.

She didn't budge and instead moved her head right by my left ear and whispered. "I saw you waltz in with a blonde dame on ya arm. I wonder how she'll react to my compatriot's company."

Annie!!!

I shook my arm in a fast, erratic way that surprised the underboss enough to let my arm go. I swiped my arm through the air in between us and yelled. "Don't even think about it!"

Surprised, Kazuko took a couple steps back and opened her mouth. A slow second passed and a smirk returned to her face. "We won't do anything to her but only if a certain Raiment comes back our merry band of...thugs."

I pondered the thought for a moment.

Will Annie truly be safe if I go back and if I go back, what would I be doing? The usual conning, racketeering, and threatening? No...The Doctor said I had "Potential" so she'd most likely give me more of her personal jobs.

Horrors I tried to forget flashed before my eyes and I felt an urge to cry but I held it in since I couldn't appear weak at this pivotal moment. I stood straight up and let my head droop.

Wait...that reminds me. There's one thing I can still do that can probably allow me and Annie to escape this situation mostly unscathed.

I laughed at myself for a moment and Kazuko reacted, sounding confused. "Have you decided?"

"I know what you really want, Kazuko." I murmured as I slowly approached the brunette.

I continued on. "You hate the Jubilee so you would've been in and out of this party if you were still on the job. Also I know The Doctor only ever sends one rag-a-muffin for spying, unless she's changed her ways all of a sudden."

"W-what do ya mean?" She asked as she averted her eyes.

Kazuko is ok at lying but she's never been good at keeping up the lie when women start to catch on.

I stopped inches away from the underboss and murmured. "You might've come for the job but you stayed because of me."

She glanced up at me for a moment and then looked back at the wall, her face now red.

I grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me. "I've missed you too, you know."

Kazuko frowned. "But, what about the dumb looking gold digger you walked in with?"

She's probably richer than both of us combined and she's definitely more educated. If we weren't in this kind of situation I would give her an earful.

My lip slightly twitched as I smiled at the underboss. "That...dame is just someone I'm messing around with."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's always been you, Kazuko." I whispered and kissed her.

Author's Note: heyhey...sorry for the light cliffhanger (￣▽￣*)ゞ hope u enjoyed these chapters ! this isn't the end of annie and seiko's story as the remaining three chapters (i have yet to write 😭 but i do have completely planned out!) and these four chapters u just read will be adapted into a webcomic drawn by me :D i plan on studying and practicing art these next three months to prepare ! expect the "A Singer & A Fan" webcomic to release in fall or winter 2025 ☆ ̫  ☆

read more of audrey_xo_'s light novels on tapas, scribblehub, and wattpad ! if u want to stay updated or like her art that's featured in "A Singer & A Fan" follow audrey_xo_ on bluesky (@audreyxo77), twitter (@audrey_xo_), and tiktok (@audrey_xo_) :)