A/n: (L/N) is Last Name, (W/L/N) is Wrong Last Name. This story is inspired by my friend misreading my last name lol
Multiple copies of the same info were provided to every member of The Order. It was... questionable, to say the least. There was no picture, no proper name Kanji, not even gender. In fact, the only reason it even made it to The Order and not the trash can was the client's prominent name and cash reward.
Shishiba tossed the papers onto the desk, unimpressed.
sigh "This is why I don't like foreign clients. There's little to no info. And it's absolute gibberish too."
Hyo scoffed, as he tried making sense of what was written, before realising something;
"Wait a sec, did they use fuckin' Google Translate?!"
"Mr. Shishiba, I don't think you need to use Google Translate. It's already in Japanese." Osaragi chimed in, her eyes skimming over the document.
"But you did just now..."
"You misheard, Hyo said it's the client!"
"Ahaha! So, who wants to take this scavenger hunt?" Nagumo quipped, resting his head on his tattooed hands.
For some reason, all heads turned to him.
"Hm? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"The target was last sighted somewhere near Sakamoto's shop. You have a different mission there anyway, right? Might as well kill two birds with one stone." Oki explained, crossing his arms. It seemed that he already made a decision.
"My, my, The Order sure does love squeezing their members dry, ahaha!" Nagumo just cheerily laughed, getting up from his seat.
"I guess I don't really have a choice since the boss decided for me. Don't miss me, everyone!" He waved as he walked away.
"What should I get for lunch today...?" Humming to herself, [Name] leisurely entered the store, enjoying the cool air that blew gently from AC.
"Welcome! Oh, it's [Name]. How may I help you?" Shin greeted her.
"Hm? Oh, hello! Don't mind me. I haven't decided on what to have so I'll be looking around." Nodding back at him, she walked further down the snack aisle, browsing through her possible options.
"Oi, Shin! I'm out of flour, can you go get some more from storage?" Lu called out, her head peeking out the employees' door as her hands were busy kneading the dough for their pork buns.
"I'm manning the counter here! Can't you get it yourself? Sakamoto-san is upstairs having lunch, so I can't leave the register unattended." A frown made its way onto his face as his hands were placed on his hips.
"It's fineee. There's only [Name] and she's still looking around right? I'll tell her you'll be right back if you're not here yet. Pretty please?" She made her best pleading face, making the psychic sigh.
"If Sakamoto-san catches us, I'm blaming you." He huffed as he left, leaving her in shock.
"Wha— No fair, Shin!" Lu yelled after him, but he's already gone.
Before she could sulk, someone else entered the store. Panicking, she rushed to the counter with flour all over her, but was relieved upon seeing a familiar face.
"Nagumo? What are you doin' here?"
The man in question was looking around the store, before facing her upon hearing his name.
"This is a store, right? Why can't a customer come in?" He smiled innocently despite the blood on his cheek, before laughing at the sight of Lu.
"Rather, are you having a food fight in the kitchen? Can I join?"
"Nuh-uh! I'm making pork buns! I just came out because Shin is getting flour, so no one's at the register." She looked down at herself before grimacing, wiping her face on her arm.
"I don't think I can do the register like this..."
"He'll be back soon, right? I don't mind standing in for a bit." Nagumo offered with a glint in his eyes that Lu unfortunately missed.
"Really?! It'll take just a few minutes, promise! We only have one customer right now, so it should be fine. I need to proof the dough!" She escaped to the back, leaving Nagumo alone with their customer.
"Now then..." Making his way down the snack aisle, he came face-to-face with [Name], who was trying to choose between the rice ball and the sandwich. Her face was scrunched in contemplation, unaware of the tall man approaching her.
"It's not done yet, but I personally recommend the pork buns. They're authentic!" He watched in amusement as she jumped, dropping her items.
"You scared me! Gosh..." She knelt down to pick up the items, missing the way he's eyeing her name tag pinned on her coat.
"Target acquired. Now then, missy. Would it trouble you to follow me?" Squatting down, he placed a hand over hers that was reaching for a sandwich. To others it seemed like a romcom coincidence, but [Name] noted that his hand was gripping hers quite firmly.
"...And who might you be? I may not be a child, but I don't follow strangers." She warily glanced at him, snatching her hand back.
"Well, we got a request regarding a [W/L/N], but we're severely lacking info. It'd be best if you're conscious for that matter." She felt a shiver run down her spine when she saw the blood on his face, clearly belonging to someone else.
"You have the wrong person." She clutched the food to her chest, and tried to make her way to the counter. The aisle suddenly felt too cramped, too dark, especially with Nagumo's imposing figure.
But before she could slip past, he grabbed onto her arm. Not strong to the point of pain, but firm enough to prevent her from leaving.
"I don't like lies, you see? So it's best if we just cut to the chase and end things the easy way." His voice was soft, almost gentle, but she trembled at the underlying bloodlust.
Deciding that he won't listen, [Name] chose to strike first. From within her coat, she grabbed a box cutter and swiftly thrusted.
Nagumo easily dodged, and she used the opening to rush to the exit. Before she could get past the register, he appeared in front of her, blocking her path.
"Now, now! Stealing isn't nice. You should pay first, don't you think?" He pointed at the food she was still clutching, gesturing towards the register.
"I... I don't know who you're looking for, but it's not me. You said it yourself; you lack info. So why are you so sure it's me?" [Name] didn't move from her spot, not daring to approach the dangerous man.
"Well, your surname isn't common, and our intel did say you were recently spotted around this area." He shrugged, and gingerly picked the items out of her grasp. Ignoring the way she flinched, he went on to scan the items.
"You assassins should really go back to a real school and learn how to read." She muttered under her breath.
"Wow, harsh! Where did that come from?" Nagumo laughed, the register dinging as her total was displayed; ¥412.
"You read my surname totally wrong." She glared at him. [Name] could've sworn she saw a twitch in his expression, his smile faltering for a fraction of a second.
"... I hate lies—" "As you can probably already tell, I'm too unskilled in battle to lie to an assassin. I'm just a normal office worker."
"Hm... Can you show me?" He asked as he sat down on a stool behind the counter.
"You're basically saying I read your surname wrong, no? Tell me how to read it right then."
Cue explanation of Kanji(s)...
"So my surname is (L/N), not (W/L/N). Even Shin and Lu kept misreading it, so I told them to just call me by my name."
"... You know those two?" A foreign feeling started climbing up his neck. One that made him feel like removing himself from his current predicament. It's further amplified by her reply.
Am I actually embarrassed?
"I come here every day to get lunch since I started working nearby a few months ago." An eyebrow of her rose as she looked him in the eye, further confused by his reaction.
"So! Either our intel is wrong, or I just got the wrong person. The latter is likely since we lack info to begin with." He clapped, a grin still plastered onto his handsome face.
"That's what I've been telling you..." [Name] sighed, her shoulders lightly sagging in relief.
"Are you sure you're a normal civilian though? The girls I've met definitely don't swing around a cutter that well, let alone carry one on their body for a lunch run." He leaned onto a hand, watching the way she retracted the blade and stored it away in her coat.
"I learned a few things for self-defense. Now I'm gonna need it even more since assassins are targeting me just because they can't read." She fixed her coat as she shifted uncomfortably.
Will this guy ever pack my stuff? I prefer a bag to carry my food with.
"Haha! You have a point, but I have a better idea!" He chirped, piquing her interest.
"...And what might that be?"
"Do you have a piece of paper? I'll write it down for you." She dug around her coat, and grabbed onto the leather casing of her memo book.
"Sure! And I'll need you to write down your last name for me." He smiled cheekily as he handed her a pen.
"So you see here, your last name is this, and while this is how you read it, it can sometimes be misread like this... And here, is my last name! It's written like this, and the way to read it is straightforward!"
"...Your point being?" She was genuinely confused. Where is he trying to go with this? Lunch hour is almost over, too. She'll need to make her way back to her workplace soon.
"You should have my last name instead! It's easy to understand and won't get misread. Here, you see?" He said it with such casual confidence one could've mistaken him as offering her to buy a random item from the store.
"... What the hell are you talking about?"
"Aw. Did I just get rejected?"
first fic bc there's so little of em for this gremlin :c
