People Say Things

Hotel in Osaka

"They say this hotel will fall like the one in New York. The manager of this hotel is John's close friend, and that's publicly known, so I'll be moving out in the next few days." A man with small glasses looked at the people seated around him and couldn't help but share his thoughts.

"I can't guarantee we'll have time to get our things out of this place, but I wonder what the manager of this hotel's stance will be during an inspection."

A man of color looked around and said, "He will surely refuse; the manager of this hotel is a very proud man, so he won't abandon a friend if he decides to visit."

Everyone was talking about this issue because they were very aware that this hotel would get into trouble, so many were taking out their valuables to have time to escape if problems arose.

When the hotel in New York collapsed, everyone panicked. This made it very clear to everyone that things were not to be taken lightly, so the same thing could happen in this hotel, which is not beneficial at all.

"I heard that the concierge of this hotel is engaged. Many have seen her with a quite intimidating man of her age, and it's suspected that he will come in the next few days."

"How do you come to these conclusions?"

"Don't you take care of your wife if she's in trouble? This world is very irregular; things can change just like the rules."

Akira had been listening to all these rumors since morning, so in a way, she believes everyone is right. She had been worried about this same issue for a few months now, and all of this seems to be escalating more and more.

What worries her the most is that her father can do anything but never abandon a friend. So, if somehow John asked for help, her father would help him without any doubt.

"Damn it..."

...

Paris.

In a luxurious hotel.

The Marquis, who had been assigned the task of eliminating the organization's problems, was enjoying his afternoon meal. However, he knew that to eliminate one of the most problematic assassins of perhaps the era, he needed to be very clever, so he called an equally lethal assassin.

"I have a name for you." The Marquis savored a dessert while looking at Caine, the man he had called for the task.

Caine remained silent for a moment and said, "With all due respect, I'm retired... It's over; I can't do this job."

"I don't agree."

A man with a tray approached Caine. On the tray was a piece of hardened paper with some brief words on it for blind people to read, which was specially prepared for Caine, who couldn't see.

"I'm not useful to you, and even less at your command," said Caine without taking the paper. He could feel someone next to him, but still, he didn't move.

The Marquis just smiled, mocked Caine, and said, "It's not up to you to decide."

"I think I should find someone else," said Caine, still refusing to take on this task as he had retired long ago.

But the Marquis had no plans of letting him go, so he said, "You approached first, too much today, and put her at risk."

Caine knew who the Marquis was talking about, so knowing this, he reached out and took the hardened paper with the name of the person he had to assassinate.

"Know the deal I made," said Caine as he read the name and found out it was a close friend.

"He was a former associate, sir."

"Yes, he was, and he was a friend."

The Marquis stopped eating and said as he approached, "Your agreement with the order remains the same; we give you a name, and you give us a life; otherwise, we'll take a life."

Caine knew he had no escape, so he knelt down and said, "I have served, and I will always be of service."

"Excellent..."

"Do you have any idea where he might be?" The Marquis asked after everything was settled.

"He doesn't have many friends in the world, let alone someone he trusts with his life."

"Then it seems you have an idea; well, get ready, and we'll move as soon as possible."