Shark

2

Atsuo had followed Tegami to the boss' room, which was upstairs. Once they were at the doorway to his room, Tegami tapped him on the shoulder.

"Good luck in there, kid." He said.

Then, he bolted away. Atsuo looked at the door anxiously.

"What would Boss want with me?" He thought nervously, "He usually only summons people when they're in trouble. Did I do something wrong?"

Then, he swallowed the lump in his throat and opened the door. The Boss' office was a small room, minimally furnished with only a desk and a chair, and some weapons lined along the wall, ready to grab in any scenario. Once Atsuo walked inside, he saw the boss sitting behind his desk, twirling a pen between his fingers. In the dim lighting, Atsuo could see the ink-black tattoos covering his hands and extending up his arms under the sleeves of his jacket. He gulped.

"Uh, h-hello Boss." Atsuo stuttered, "T-Tegami said you wanted to see me?"

Boss shifted in his chair a bit.

"Close the door." He said.

Atsuo felt his deep voice pierce through his heart. He closed the door behind him and stepped forward a bit.

"Wh-what do you need from me, Boss?" Atsuo asked, sweat dripping down the sides of his head.

Boss raised an eyebrow at him, looking at him pitifully.

"...I want you to stop sweating." He said, "You're not in trouble."

Atsuo let out a breath of relief, not knowing he was holding his breath in the first place.

"S-Sorry." He said, still stuttering, "What do you need from me?"

"...I've been watching you for some time now, Atsuo." Boss said, "You've been doing good with helping around the warehouse."

"Th-thank you, Boss."

"You've been here for about two years now, yes?"

"Yes, Boss."

"I was thinking of giving you a bit of a promotion."

Atsuo's heart jumped a bit.

"A promotion?" He echoed, "Like, a better job around here?"

"Yes." Boss said, smirking a bit, "We've been thinking about sending you out on missions."

"Missions? Like, collecting debts?"

"Yes. We're called 'loan sharks' for a reason. This gang of ours, the Red Sea, has been feared countrywide for years, and it's all thanks to the people we send out to collect money. There's power in numbers, after all."

"So you want to start sending me out to do that?"

"Yes. After careful consideration, we've decided that you're ready to be sent out. You definitely have a lot of potential."

Atsuo smiled a bit.

"Finally!" He thought.

"Thank you, Boss." He said, smiling, "When will I start?"

"We were thinking of sending you out tomorrow." Boss said, "But I will warn you: this side of the business is not for the faint of heart, but we're sure it won't take long to adjust to the new sights."

Atsuo hesitated before nodding his head.

"I'm ready to make myself useful."

Boss smiled a bit.

"That's good to hear." He said, "Come back here tomorrow morning, and I'll follow up with you on this. Now go, get some rest. You're gonna need it."

"Yes, Boss. And thank you."

Then, Atsuo walked out of the room.

"He's gonna send me out on missions!" He thought, excited, "I've been waiting for something exciting, and now something's finally happening! But...what did he mean by 'adjust to the new sights?' Hm, I guess I'll find out tomorrow."

Then, he walked toward his dorm room, eager, but anxious for tomorrow.