underground fights.

He found himself lost in the back of an armored van right next to the giant guy who measured at least two meters. He tried to calm himself down. He told himself, "My brother wouldn't bother bringing me if he was going to sell me." He would pick up some random street kid and hand them over.

-Alright, kid, we've arrived, - said the driver, another creepy guy with an orange hat with blue patterns, a large scar crossing his nose, and his left ear missing. They called him Acupuncture because of the needles he hid in his sleeves, which he used to stab unsuspecting enemies.

-Are you Hiroshi Kazama's brother? - asked Hiyo Kure, wanting to confirm Hiroshi's words from earlier in the night.

-I am, - said Kei, as firmly as possible, but his voice faltered at the end, almost like a squeak. But Hiyo didn't flinch at the last bit; he just smiled like a madman. What could one expect from a Kure?

-I see. Well, for our sake, I hope you come out of this alive, - said Hiyo. Kei felt the heavy hand of the bald man on his head, as heavy as a sack of potatoes.

-If you're discovered and open your mouth, I'll kill your entire family, kid. This is very important for everyone involved. The distant house you see is just the corporation house of some rich guy. You'll enter through the sewers into the basement of the mansion. There you'll find a guy in a black suit; you'll give him the suitcase. You'll wait until they bring you the money, then retrace your steps and bring the money back to the car, - said Hiyo, showing him the map of the aqueduct, along with a flashlight and the backpack full of some things that he could only assume were drugs.

The mansion was very far away. How long would he have to walk to reach the darn basement? The sewer was a fairly small circle; he could only crawl on his knees for the entry stretch, but beyond, there was a bit more space. It smelled awful, so disgustingly that his nostrils burned, and his eyes itched.

Darkness began to flood his vision. He tried to turn on the flashlight on his head, but couldn't. He kept walking straight, raising his hands to help him detect the tunnel's edge. He would have to turn right, where he would find a fluorescent light guiding the way. He crawled and groped until he hit a metal wall, then turned right, but saw no fluorescent light, so he just followed the instructions to turn right. He saw the faint blue light and knew he wasn't entirely wrong.

The atmosphere was murky in every sense. He groped around, barely able to pass. It wasn't a job for an adult.

He saw a grate, which he began to push until he emerged in a gray basement, with a guy in a suit sitting in a chair, reading a magazine. They were only illuminated by a light hanging from the ceiling as if it were a horror movie.

Kei could only take off his backpack and hand it to the guy. The second rule still resonated: don't ask questions or you'll regret it.

Almost thirty minutes passed, and he was completely bored. But they returned the backpack to him, now heavier. He retraced his steps through the sewer without paying much attention, taking the left at the metal plate, and would return to the van, and the matter would be settled.

-Finally, you're here, kid, - said Hiyo Kure.

Kei could only take a deep breath; the unbearable smell still lingered in his nostrils.

-Come on, kid, we still have deliveries to make, - said Hiyo Kure.

-Yes, - said Kei.

-Alright, I like you. The next task you have to do is cross the mansion's forest. Be careful; the smell of crap will help you go unnoticed by the dogs. They've been ordered not to attack as long as you don't run. You'll pass through the forest and arrive at a wooden shack; there, a ranger will be waiting for you. You'll deliver the backpack and wait until they bring the goods, - said Hiyo.

Kei just nodded and followed the path, instructions were clear: follow the path and don't run when the dogs approach. Unfortunately, he wasn't very friendly with dogs; those darn animals were quite dangerous if they buried their jaws.

The journey through the forest was so perilous. The big dogs approached with their growls; he could feel their drool dripping onto his shirt, breathing close to his neck. He just walked slowly, his eyes fixed on the path, paying no attention to anything else.

He arrived at the small shack; outside, he saw the ranger dressed in military gear, peeling an apple with a long knife. Upon seeing him, the ranger just kept peeling his apple.

-So, you're the delivery boy. Give me a moment; I'll bring the stuff, - said the man, jumping over the nearly two-meter fence. He at least reflected a bit of his feelings that he would be a fighter; Kei could even see that he wasn't just a simple guard; there was a dangerous freshness about him.

It took him 10 minutes; he returned the backpack and continued on his course until he found the van parked in the open with the lights off and the doors open, while the three gangsters drank beer.

He handed the package to Hiyo and felt the fatigue of the journey; he had been awake for a long time. Sleep began to invade him; he dreamed of his previous life. He woke up falling into a pit, shaken awake by a shoulder shake.

-This is the last delivery spot. Come on, you need to clean up. You'll enter the Chinese food restaurant, and order a miso soup at the bar. The menu guy will yell at you and give you a beating, not too hard, kid. They'll throw you into the alley, throw the backpack back to you when it's full, - said Hiyo, turning to look at him. - Don't disappoint me. -

Once again, he followed all the instructions they gave him, thinking he had survived everything until the guy at the bar punched him, leaving him dazed. Everything was spinning; the world moved in circles, fading in and out. He didn't know when he woke up, and the backpack wasn't in his hands, so he decided to wait until the headache subsided.

A man opened the door and threw the backpack at him forcefully; this time, it was very heavy. He managed to carry it on his back and walked until the end of the street; the van was there with the parking lights on. He delivered the goods, and his eye began to burn with pain. It hurt a lot.

He fell asleep again on the way; the blow he received left him defenseless.

-Come on, boys, it's time to go home, - said Hiyo. His brother was at the front under a streetlight smoking cigarettes; he received an envelope with money. But he didn't care about his brother's face; he just nodded and took him home, handing him 200 yen, and went home. He felt violated.

The morning came into view; it dawned. He entered carefully, saw his mother asleep on the couch, and just went upstairs to his room, slept until his mother knocked on his door; he had to go to class.

...