The Job

© Steven Diggs JR.

    

“If you do this, a year's pay will be provided to you.” Boss Chono had said pointing to a briefcase lying on the table.

Boss Chono was the leader of the yakuza, the most brutal and well-known gang in Japan. A bulky man standing at six feet five inches tall, Boss Chono stood out amongst his minions and was considered a giant in Tokyo. He owned Chono Sushi, a traditional sushi shop located in the Ginza district of Tokyo which he ran as a means of being legitimate in the eyes of the police.

Boss Chono handed his most trusted assassin, Kenji, a photograph of a young girl of about eight years of age.

“Kill her and this briefcase is yours.” Boss Chono said with a big grin coming over his face.

“She's just a girl, a young girl at that!” Kenji said pointing to the picture. “What did she do?”

 “She saw an accomplice of mine and I kill a business partner of mine. I mean a former business partner of mine.” Boss Chono said chuckling as if he just heard a great joke.

“The girl has a mole just below the left side of her lip. This will make it easy to identify her, she looks like Hiroko!” Kenji thought to himself.

“Could I kill Hiroko? I know it is not her but it really looks like her? No way! Is this a classmate of Hiroko's then? She is the same age. None of this matters dammit! I'm getting paid good money for this job.”

“I'll do it, not because she's a child, but because of the pay I'll receive for doing the job.” Kenji said as he got up out of his chair.

“The address of the location of the girl is on the back, we've been keeping tabs on her. Her parents are out all weekend. They do not take care of her well. That little bitch is going to get what's coming to her, a big plate of death.”

“Otoosan* , you have to get it for me!” eight year old Hiroko said pointing to the doll in the television commercial.

Pulling back his long, straight black hair into a ponytail, Kenji glanced up at the doll in the commercial. The doll's name was Cutey Pie Goddess, the main character of a new anime show of the same name. It had a big round head with massive eyes and a small body. Kenji didn't know why Hiroko wanted such an ugly doll, but he'd get it for her anyway.

“If you be good tonight for the babysitter while I'm at work, then I'll get it for you tomorrow.” Kenji said with a big smile on his face.

Kenji then turned away from Hiroko and made his way back down a narrow hallway that connected both of their bedrooms and another room that always had the door closed. Kenji was the only person allowed in that room. Hiroko was given an allowance for doing simple chores but it was mainly for not going into this secret room.

Kenji opened the door to the room. It was very drab. White walls covered the small room with only one window which overlooked the busy Tokyo streets below. A small, wooden table with a matching chair that looked like they came from a flea market were beside the window. On the opposite side of the room was an old dresser. There were scratches and chunks of the dresser missing out of the dresser. It looks like it was probably bought at a flea market as well. This was the room where Kenji got ready for his jobs and today was very special due to the amount of money that was on the line for this job. He spent a lot of time in this room thinking about his jobs.

Kenji opened up the top drawer. In it, there was a case made of bamboo. He reached his hand inward and pulled out a 9MM handgun with a matching silencer. With a metallic silver coat, the gun and silencer glistened in the sunlight. On the left side of the chamber was an engraving of Kenji's name. The gun was a gift to him by his commander, Boss Chono for becoming a hitman for him. Kenji then put a round of ammunition that was also in the case into the gun. The second drawer opened by Kenji was a standard police-issue holster which he then puts the gun into. He then set the gun and holster on top of the dresser to be put on right before he left, so no one would see it one him beforehand.

“Otoosan, can I come in?” Hiroko said from down the hall.

“What have I told you about coming into this room? This is only Daddy's room honey.”

“Ah, ok then”

“You would not want to come in here, there's nothing for little girls to do in here.”

“Are ya sure?”

“Yeah, I'm sure. If you stay out of this room and you're god for the babysitter, then the doll will be yours, remember?”

“Ok, I'll be good.”

Kenji came out of his secret room, patted Hiroko on the head, and went straight into his bedroom. He then pulled out a case full of cufflinks for his suit that he'd wear for his job. A set of cufflinks in the shape of the Japanese wartime “Rising Sun” flag (his favorite) was what he decided to wear. The flag was a symbol to the yakuza of the Japanese Imperialism and how much they loved it. After he took off his khaki pants and polo shirt, Kenji then put on his black and white suit. The material was of the finest quality silk and was custom fit to his body. It was another gift given to Kenji by Boss Chono for killing a witness in a trial of one of Boss Chono's second in command, Taka Akiyama.

A knock at the front door came. Kenji walks to the front door and put his head forward into the looking hole in the door.

“Hello.” the voice of a young woman said as Kenji looked through the hole. It was Megumi; the babysitter that Kenji always had to baby-sit Hiroko. Kenji's fingers grabbed the bolt handle and unlocked the door. Megumi stepped in.

“How's it going Kenji?” Megumi said.

“Not bad, yourself?”

“I'm doing well.”

Hiroko ran into the room. Her little feet pattered across the ground sounding like a constant drum beat. Megumi bent down and stretched her arms out. Hiroko then jumped into her arms.

“Megumi, we're gonna have a fun time.” Hiroko said as she hugged Megumi.

“We'll watch a Sailor Moon movie tonight, sound good?” Megumi said holding a Sailor Moon DVD in her hand.

“Great!” Hiroko said.

“I'll be back in a while to say goodbye.” Kenji said.

Turning to the hallway, Kenji walked back to his secret room. Opening and closing the door very fast, Kenji made his way to the dresser where his holster and gun are. Taking off his sport coat, Kenji slid each arm into the holster. Then he put his coat back over his shirt and holster to conceal his weapon. His wife Maki never liked his occupation, but still tolerated it. As long as it brought in money, she did not care. That was until she passed away in car accident. She always wanted the best for Hiroko.
    

“I'm doing this for you, Maki” Kenji whispered to himself.

Kenji moved his arms in a circular motion to make sure the holster did not get stuck to his coat.

Kenji walked back out to the living room where Megumi and Hiroko are now sitting down on the couch watching Cutey Pie Goddess before watching the Sailor Moon movie.

“I got to go to work now, girls, give me a hug Hiroko” Kenji said.

Hiroko gave Kenji a hug and said, “See ya later.”

“Bye, I'll be home in a few hours. See you later also Megumi.” Kenji said.

He walked in a brisk pace. He grasped the knob on the door and swung the door open. The door closed behind him and Kenji reached his fingers into his left breast pocket. He pulled out a pair of sunglasses. Oval-shaped with black lenses and black stems, the sunglasses compliment Kenji's suit perfectly.

“Now where's that picture of the girl?” Kenji said to himself.

“There it is,” Kenji said as he reaches into the back pocket of his pants and feels the thin piece of paper the picture was on.

Kenji turns the picture over to look at the address. It was only one block over in an apartment complex. He decided to walk over the apartment as it was only a block away and he could not afford a taxi anyways. He made his way to the elevator. He pressed the button for the ground floor. Once on the ground floor, He made his way past the barren lobby. Once outside it was a different story.

“Excuse me” Kenji said to a crowd that congregated right outside the apartment lobby.

Car horns were a background noise out here in the streets as cars were bumper to bumper on the road in front of his house. Kenji did not take his time trying to cross the street. He just walked out on the road.

Kenji was greeted with on the other side of the road, “Sir, would you be interested in a new pair of sunglasses?”

“No, these are fine.” Kenji said as he pointed to the sunglasses he has on.

Kenji knew a shortcut to the apartment. He walked into the hotel parallel to his apartment complex. He walked with a purpose to the back on the hotel, where he got in the elevator. He pressed the third floor button. The elevator jerked a little then it's on its way. The elevator slowly jolted to a stop on the third floor, Kenji then stepped out. Kenji quickly turned right to find a walkway that led right to the apartment complex the little girl was in. The walkway was made because the owner of the hotel was the owner of the apartment complex and the owner could transport good between the two quickly. Kenji started his way across the walkway and took the picture out of his pocket again. He looked on the back for the room number:

Room 323.

Looking up at the room number that was across from the walkway, it read, “320.” Three more rooms to the left and he would be at the room.

Kenji went into “alert mode.” This was when Kenji would start trying to notice if anything was out of place. One time a man was casually walking past him before a job, but he was no ordinary man. Kenji noticed the man had on very expensive shoes, shoes only bought by the rich and powerful. He walked up behind the guy, and smacked him with the butt of his gun.

He wanted to walk by the room to see if he could see anything but he wanted a reason to walk down that way. A wooden door swung open that was right past the apartment 323 that had a logo of a stick figure of a man on it. Kenji started a medium stride walk to the bathroom. A medium stride made him blend in. Also, he could get a clear view into the apartment but not look like a stalker. He got closer and closer to the apartment.

321…322

Kenji turned his head ever so slowly toward room 323. He neared the room with his head fully turned in the direction of the room. One more footstep and he would be there. His right foot slid down on the carpet that was on the floor.

“Cutey Pie, Cutey Pie, Cutey Pie Goddess!” the girl sang as she swung her Cutey Pie Goddess doll at the television.

Kenji pushed the bathroom door open and immediately went into the only stall there is.

“Damn doll! It's Hiroko! It's Hiroko!” Kenji said to himself in a small whisper as he was out of breath from the shock of the doll. His head back tilted back, Kenji started to slow his breathing down and calm himself. “Okay, okay. It's not Hiroko. She just looks like her. Could I still kill her though? She's so innocent looking and does bare a similar resemblance to Hiroko. Can I bring myself to kill a girl? The girl has the innocence of my daughter! Damn that doll! A year's pay is on the line though.”

Kenji took his left hand into the holster and grasps the gun. The gun slid out of the holster with ease and was put onto his lap. With his left hand again, he grabbed the silencer that was lying right under the gun, not connected. Kenji's right hand picked up the gun with the silencer in the left. His left hand pushed the gun into the holster just enough that it cannot be seen and that it would be quick access.

Kenji now moved with a purpose. His left hand gripped the stall door and he then came out. Kenji got to the bathroom door leading into the hallway. His hand steadily opened the door and his right foot steadily made its way first out into the hallway. The left foot came next.

“Here it goes, I can do this. No, I will do this!”

Kenji glanced into the room to find the girl watching the television attentively. She did not pay attention to anything else around her. Kenji moved very slowly into the little girl's room to make no noise. He placed his two feet in the door and smoothly shut the door to not make a sound and so no one could see him.

“This game is fun, Cutey Pie!” a boy said on the television show the little girl was watching.

Kenji's fingers slowly moved to his holster. He pulled the gun out very gently. He aimed the gun at the little girl's head. His arm started to tingle and then started trembling.

“You can do this! The last thought she'll have will be of the T.V. show, so it'll be a good memory.”

“Good Bye, I'm sorry” Kenji said just moving his lips without making a sound.

A small air puffing sound came from the gun. Instantaneously, the girl fell over on her right side. A pool of blood as thick as molasses was oozing out onto the floor. Pink pieces, which look like chewed bubble gum, laced the blood. He turned around, opened the door slowly, walked out, and closed the door behind him.

“A year's worth of pay. Hiroko's going to get more than that doll.” Kenji said as he took a sigh of relief.

“The job is upon you, Kenji,” a faint male voice echoed from behind Kenji. Kenji turned around and saw a porky man with a barrel at Kenji's face.

“Boss Chono!?” Kenji said. “I did the job.”

“Not exactly. She was just one of the accomplices. You wonder why she looks very similar to your daughter?”

“Sometimes people look alike.”

“True,” Boss Chono said after he made a smirk. “You know how good friends start to look like each other after they've been friends for a while?”

“Yeah.”

“They start sharing the same clothing styles, hairstyles, and such.”

“Her and Hiroko are friends?” Kenji said.

“Yeah, you didn't know, did you? Too busy in your secret room that Hiroko isn't allowed into. What do you do in there anyways?”

“I— ”

“Shut up Kenji! I know what you do. You sit there and contemplate your life. Your daughter, all alone, goes out with her friends and you never seem to care what she does because you're locked up in that room.”

“She's a good girl. She doesn't get into much trouble.”

“How'd you know being locked up in your room? Hiroko and this chunk of brain matter were actually both the accomplices.”

“Oh God. What have you done to Hiroko?”

“The same thing you did to this girl. We had you kill this girl so that you would not be at your house and she'd be there with the babysitter.”

“She's dead?”

“Yeah. Small chunks of her brain survived though.”

“I had guys trail you since you left my business. They waited for you to kill this girl and then called Hiroshi, my new number one hitman, to kill her and the babysitter.”

“H-Hiroko. D-dead,” Kenji said sobbing.

“Now to end this. See ‘ya in hell Kenji,” Boss Chono said as he pulled the trigger on his gun. A bullet fired through the blood soaked air and created a small crater in Kenji's temple. Kenji body swayed backward from the direct hit of the bullet. His head fell to the ground as his legs fell slightly after his head. Blood filled up around Kenji's long black hair like a kabuki face paint that smeared.

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*Japanese word for father.