#kyokou suiri

In/Spectre | OFFICIAL TRAILER

It’s been a while since watching some anime series. I’ve got to get back into it. And this title seemed interesting enough for me to engage with it.

In/Spectre is mystery / supernatural / action series based on the manga with the same name.

Might start doing reviews again after completing the series.

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Kyokou Suiri (In/Spectre)|Sakuragawa Kuro, Iwanaga Kotoko|AO3
Summary: In the span of a month, Sakuragawa Kuro has been dumped by his girlfriend, lost his job, and lost his home. Things can’t get much worse from here, right? (In which Kuro joins the mafia, for better or worse.)
Notes:Inspired by atutsie’s tweet! A rapidly written & loose mafia AU i wrote a few weeks back; loose bc i don’t have real knowledge about how organized crime truly works haha. 

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Sakuragawa Kuro does not consider himself a particularly unlucky man. He has a place of his own, a steady job (if not a high paying one), and attends a fairly prestigious law school. He has a little savings, hardly ever gets sick, has a girlfriend of two years, and overall leads a very, very normal and uneventful life. He likes it that way. 

It changes, one day, when Saki breaks up with him. She wants to focus on her career, she says, and thinks that they would have probably been better off as friends, anyway. He looks bored, she tells him, when they go out, and even after two years she doesn’t think she really knows or understands him. 

(Kuro startles a bit at those last words, so like his own during one of his last conversations with Rikka. Unfortunately, that means he knows exactly how Saki feels.)

He’s not bored, Kuro insists, but Saki smiles a little sadly at him, and says that he’s probably being genuine, but she can’t bring herself to actually believe him. Kuro is quiet, after that, unable to fault her. He’s not sure if he’s telling the truth, himself. 

Saki shakes her head when he pulls out his wallet to pay for the two of them one last time and splits the bill with him when they leave the restaurant. They shake hands outside the door, and stare at each other for a moment longer. 

“I’d like to stay friends,” she says, her voice almost wistful, “But I have a feeling that I might not see you again.”

“That’s ominous,” Kuro says. She laughs, though it’s a little strained. 

“Well, say hi if you see me, and I’ll do the same,” she responds. “Don’t be a stranger, if you can help it.”

He raises an eyebrow at the wording, but nods. Saki smiles faintly, leaves first, and Kuro watches her go, until her back is out of sight. 

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Things go downhill, after that, like the universe has decided to cash in whatever misfortune it’s been withholding. 

Kuro is suddenly out of a job, when the store he’s been working at is irreparably damaged; the store owner promises him a job if he can rebuild, but with the investigation under way, the possibility of the money he can collect via insurance and using it to rebuild is extremely questionable. 

About two weeks later, as Kuro is still job hunting, the apartment complex he lives in sends a notice out to its residents that the building has been sold and everyone must move out within one month. The building manager is unreachable for the first week, and when he finally does pick up the phone, his voice is high and distressed and can only repeat it’s out of my hands, my apologies, there’s nothing I can do over and over. The whole thing sits oddly in Kuro’s stomach. He doesn’t think that he’s specifically being targeted, despite this chain of consecutive severe downfalls, but he feels like there’s something else at work here.

In any case. Kuro sits on a park bench, a flyer for another apartment complex in his hands, and stares at the yellowing grass. It’s late summer, and in the span of a month, he's been dumped by his girlfriend, lost his job, and lost his home. His savings will tide him over for a short while, but the lack of place to have and to move his things to weighs heavily on him. 

Kuro puts his head in his hands and breathes deep. He could probably sleep in the school library for a while if it comes down to it, but he still needs a long term solution. He’s still young. He can figure this out. 

A breeze picks up and lifts the loose flyer out of Kuro’s hands. He watches it fly away, hitting the ground before being carried a few more feet and hitting the ground again with loud, papery smacks.

Sakuragawa Kuro has a short term solution: to sleep in the school library once he’s officially kicked out of his apartment. He has a second short term solution as well, the favorite of any college student his age when times are tough: get drunk.

Verydrunk.

How much worse can things get, anyway?

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Gunshots make everything exponentially worse, he decides, as he rests his head against a lamp post. He’s not entirely sure where he is—he’d wanted fresh air and wandered, but a brief glance around reveals that he’s on an empty street that he thinks leads up to a park. Wow, maybe he’ll die here tonight, after everything that’s happened. He’s had too much to drink, but at least everything is numb, so he takes in the increasing noise around him with an incredible sense of calm. 

“Sir? Sir, I think you should evacuate the scene,” a feminine voice says, and he peels himself away from the lamp post to see a young girl standing next to him, her left hand resting on a cane. 

She’s wearing a frilly black dress with intricate white embroidery that stands out underneath the light. Kuro stares, and she shifts after his gaze has lingered a little too long, shooting him a suspicious look.

“Your dress,” he manages thickly, as he meets her eyes. They are startlingly clear and a bright indigo, and his head pounds a harder. He winces as the increase in pressure, holding a hand up to his head.

“Oh my, you have a good eye for quality,” the girl says, flouncing her skirt with pride. She blinks when he winces, then looks a little closer at him, and her eyes widen just a little. He’s not sure what is happening, but the glare of the street light is also starting to hurt his head, so he walks a little ways away from it. The girl follows, her shoes and cane tapping on the concrete.

“Are you drunk?” she asks, her voice innocent and curious.

“A bit, yeah,” he says, leaning against the stone wall this time. Dimly, he registers more gunshots, and he looks at the girl next to him, delayed panic setting in. There’s a young girl here. “Wait—you—run, those are gunshots—”

“Yes, I’ve been trying to tell you to evacuate, but you seem to be incapable of doing so,” she says, businesslike, perfectly at ease as she pulls out a cell phone and taps a message out. “It’s your lucky night that I’m here, then." 

His lucky night, is it? It doesn’t feel lucky at all. 

"Have a seat,” the girl suggests, and he obeys, sinking onto the ground, even though he really should be running. He leans his head back against the wall, and the girl leans in a little and scrutinizes him a bit more. “You have very nice collarbones,” she says suddenly, and he blinks at her.

“What?”

“Your collarbones. I like them,” she repeats, slower this time. He looks down to the top couple buttons of his shirt undone. 

“Oh,” he says, for lack of anything else to say. 

“A man should have nice collarbones,” the girl says, decisively. 

“Okay,” he says. 

“Anyway, what your name?” she asks.

“Sakuragawa Kuro,” he says, and she hums. 

“Iwanaga Kotoko,” she says, watching his face. He bobs his head in acknowledgement, and she smiles a little at this. 

“Iwanaga-san,” Kuro begins, squinting at her. “Gunshots notwithstanding, isn’t it dangerous for middle school girls to be out this late at night to begin with?”

“How rude!” Iwanaga says, her cheeks puffing up childishly. “I am twenty years old, thank you. I’m ashamed to say my face hasn’t changed very much since middle school, but—! It has changed some, thank you very much! You could have at least said high school student!”

Kuro laughs, and she looks startled at the sound, and were he a little more sober he would notice the dusting of red across her face. 

“My bad,” he says, still chuckling, “Then, a young lady like you shouldn’t be out so late at night anyway.”

“It matters not,” she shrugs, taking a seat next to him and looking very dignified as she does so. “I’m not afraid.”

It’s not a matter of being afraid, he thinks, or says, he’s not sure. At that moment, someone rounds the corner, spots them, and raises a gun—and drunk as he is, Kuro’s body moves before his mind can catch up. He throws himself in front of the Iwanaga girl, her eyes widen, and he hears the crack of a gunshot before he blacks out.

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“I rather like him in my lap,” he hears a voice say, as a hand runs through his hair. “Up close, I really do like his face. Is this what they call love at first sight?”

“My lady, please…he’s a civilian.”

“Foolish and unnecessary as it was, he jumped in to save me. I think that merits something, don’t you think? Bring him back with us. I’ll have Sanshiro treat that bullet wound.”

“…Yes, my lady.”

He hears a laugh. 

“A lucky night for both of us, then,” she says, and the darkness drags him back under.

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When he wakes, his shoulder hurts, and there are two strange creatures in the room. They’re probably dogs, one black and one white, but they’re very long and leggy and certainly not a breed he’s used to seeing. They look a little nervous, and they walk over and circle the bed he’s lying on before sniffing him hesitantly. He tries to reach a hand out to pet one of them, but they shy away, blinking at him with their large, wary eyes. 

“Oh, you’re awake,” a voice says, and he looks over at the door to see the young girl from last night. He wracks his brain for her name, as the dogs trot over to her and circle around her. She pets both them before walking closer to his bed, and the dogs lie down by her feet. 

“Iwanaga-san,” he says, voice hoarse.

“You remember my name,” she says, pleased, then considers. “I suppose you would, if you got shot on my account.”

It comes back to him then, the full events of their previous encounter, though the details of the conversation they shared are lost. 

“On your account?” he asks, putting one hand over his eyes. “Whoever they were…were they after you?”

“Yes and no,” Iwanaga says, sitting on the side of his bed. “It would be more accurate to say that I was after them, and unfortunately things got messy. But they caused a mess on my turf in the first place, so I could say they were after me, as well.”

“That’s…confusing." 

"Well, you are a civilian.”

A civilian, she says. He vaguely remembers a man’s voice pleading—my lady, please, he’s a civilian—and suddenly he’s not sure if he wants to ask what he was going to ask.  

He might have looked suddenly wary, because Iwanaga smiles at him, and leans a little closer.

“Kuro-san, do you need a job?” she says cheerfully, and he freezes. “I’d say it’s a good deal, and it comes with a place to live, free of charge, with a full range of amenities, of course.”

“That sounds too good to be true,” he counters, after a brief pause, and she laughs.

“It’s not an easy job,” she says. “And there’s some risk involved. But I think the benefits will outweigh it.”

She leans over to whisper his anticipated pay in his ear, and he raises an eyebrow. It’s a very calculated amount—high pay, but not outrageously so. He wouldn’t have to worry about expenses, and could put a hefty amount into his savings, and could afford semi-frequent luxuries if he so chose. 

“What’s the job?” he asks, narrowing his eyes, and Iwanaga continues to smile. 

“My right hand,” she says. “It’s safe enough, by my side. But again, there is some risk involved. And I’ll need help when I need it.”

This is the first risk, Kuro realizes, that his job doesn’t have a specific description, nor specific hours.  

A minute passes, two. Kuro considers the recent events of the past month, and this sudden golden offer. 

“There is an alternative, too,” Iwanaga says, her eyes gleaming. “But it’s least two steps.”

“And what,” Kuro says, wearily, “Is that?”

“We could date,” she says, batting her eyelashes, “As a preamble to getting married.”

He chokes on his own saliva. 

“It was love at first sight,” she continues hotly, unperturbed by his reaction, “Of course, we could do both—that is, you could take the job and date me, and I come with quite a lot of assets if we get married.”

“I wouldn’t agree to it just for…whatever fortune it is you have,” Kuro manages to get out, between coughs. “And there has to be more than two steps involved in that.”

“Well, that’s silly,” Iwanaga sniffs, ignoring the last part. “But I suppose that’s sweet of you, too. In any case, it’s not a bad deal, is it? You’ve recently broken up with your girlfriend, you’re out of a job, and you’ll be evicted in less than three weeks. You don’t have any better options, here, Kuro-san.”

He frowns at her.

“How, exactly, do you know all that?”

“I have my ways, which you can learn a bit of if you accept my offer,” she says, continuing to smile. 

He comes to the realization, then, that the choice is—more illusory than it seems. He doesn’t feel in danger, and he could probably walk out of here if he wanted to. But. But. She’s used to getting what she wants, and so if he left, it wouldn’t be the last he would see of her. And he…well, she’s right, he doesn’t have any better options. There’s not a real choice, here.

“I’ll take the job,” he says, exhausted. 

“Wonderful! And about my other proposition…?”

Oh, she was serious, Kuro thinks, with mild surprise. 

“For that I’ll…have to think about it,” he demurs, as best he can.

She pouts, but seems satisfied enough with the fact that he’s taking the job offer. Iwanaga reaches out a hand, and it takes what little energy he has left to shake it. 

“That’s well enough, then,” Iwanaga smiles, and grips his hand firmly. “Welcome to the mafia, Sakuragawa Kuro-san.”

He doesn’t startle, merely lets out a deep sigh. It’s odd, to hear it confirmed out loud, though he had an inkling that this was where he was headed towards. You look bored, he remembers Saki saying, and closes his eyes briefly. Now, he’s just tired. 

“Waka, Momo, be nice to him, now,” Iwanaga says, and the dogs lift their heads. They sniff at him again, and this time when he reaches out to pet them, they allow it, though they still look at him a bit warily. 

“Is it too late to ask,” Kuro begins, as Iwanaga begins to walk away, the black dog, Waka, following her. Momo lingers behind, still curious, apparently, about Kuro. “Who you are, specifically?”

Her eyes widen, and then she laughs. 

“Well, no, I suppose,” she says. “They call me the Heiress. My parents run the Iwanaga Group as the heads, but—I do, as well.”

The Heiress, indeed. How literal.

“Wow,” he says, flatly. 

“You could stand to be a little more impressed,” she sniffs.

“Wow,amazing,” Kuro says, with only marginally more feeling.

She pouts at him.  

“In any case, take this time to recover; I’ll take care of your other affairs. I’ll also have someone come to take measurements for your suits in a day or so, if you’re well enough to stand.”

“Suits,” Kuro echoes. “Right.”

He’s still kind of winded from what she said first, that she’d take care of his other affairs. Kuro doesn’t have to do a thing, and all his problems are being solved in a heartbeat. 

“You needn’t sound so excited,” Iwanaga pouts, “Your daily life will be unimpeded for a while, and you’ll be able to attend school fairly normally. It’s more likely than not that I—and therefore you—will be warned in advance if we need to sortie. Just think of it like any other on-call job. In any case, I hope you aren’t squeamish, Kuro-san.”

He makes a noncommittal noise, and she smiles one more time before leaving the room, the two dogs trailing after her. 

It’s only after that he realizes that even though he now knows who Iwanaga Kotoko is, he doesn’t actually know what it is that she, specifically, does. 

He sighs again. Well. He had more or less already hit rock bottom—now, the only way from here is up, right?

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(Some weeks later, he is formally introduced to the rest of the Family, walking into the dining hall in one of his new perfectly tailored black suits. He presumes this isn’t all of the Family, but an impressive number of them line the sides of the room, perfectly straight, their own suits just as crisp. Some are old, some are young, and there are men and women alike. The intensity of the stares unnerves him, but he keeps his eyes on Iwanaga, who is sitting at the head of the long table eating her breakfast with elegance. Waka and Momo pad over to circle him, and Waka returns immediately to Iwanaga’s side while Momo escorts Kuro the rest of the way. He stops when Momo stops, a few feet away from Iwanaga, though the white dog leaves him after a moment to stand next to Waka. Kuro feels a rush of gratitude for the dog, who has instructed him more than anyone else so far. 

“Good morning,” Iwanaga greets, wiping her mouth with a pristine white napkin. “You look very good in that suit.”

“Thank you,” Kuro says, and he supposes he’s meant to say something more, because a few of the others shift, or give him a measuring look. 

Iwanaga doesn’t seem to mind, either way.

“Everyone, this is Sakuragawa Kuro. He took a bullet for me a few weeks ago. Today, he starts his position as my right hand.”

Silence, though Kuro isn’t sure if it’s shock or simply decorum. The looks he gets are—honestly, less hostile than he’d expected. He thinks he sees pity on several faces. He’s not sure what that means. 

Iwanaga waves him over, and he crosses the remaining distance. He thinks he knows what he’s meant to do, now, though he hasn’t been given any particular instruction.

He kneels. Iwanaga blinks, surprised, but looks pleased. 

“Boss,” he says, then pauses. “My lady." 

"Either will do,” Iwanaga says, amused, holding out her hand. 

He takes it in his own and kisses the back of her hand. Iwanaga smiles, he stands, and moves just behind her, to her right. 

“You learn quick,” she says, resuming her breakfast. “In any case, this whole…ceremony is only for this morning's formalities. It would be absurd to do this every day.”

Kuro has to admit that he’s relieved to hear that. 

Iwanaga finishes her meal relatively quickly, and she rises, using her cane to help her up. He supposes he’ll learn the story behind that, soon enough. 

“So, what’s today’s agenda?” he asks, as he follows her out. 

“Nothing special for now, just familiarizing you. You’re still basically a civilian at this point, after all.”

Kuro has nothing to say to that. Iwanaga glances at him.

“To be honest, you’re remarkably calm for someone who’s just joined the mafia,” she says. “Or is it simply because you don’t know much about us?”

“If I’m just a regular civilian, what cause do I have to know about the details of the mafia?” he says, raising an eyebrow.

“Touché. In any case, if you’re concerned, no one here will mess with you, unless you provoke them first. But I doubt you will, and I don’t think me telling you this will go to your head, either.”

So, he’s under her protection, and it seems like it’s worth quite a lot even if she is the heiress to the group, if she can say this so surely.

“That’s quite the confident assumption for a random drunk college student you picked up off the street a few weeks ago,” he points out. 

She giggles, a suspicious sort of hee hee that has him narrowing his eyes. But she says nothing else, and Kuro lets it go. He follows after her in silence as they tour the place and meet other employees; they all greet him politely enough, but their gazes linger, and again he’s not sure if he sees pity amidst the curiosity.  

“Are you bored?” Iwanaga asks when they take a break for lunch, not looking at him as their food is served. They eat together, this time.

“No,” he says, watching Iwanaga cut into her food with beautifully precise moments. 

She looks up at him, tilts her head a little, and the corner of her lips quirk up.

“Oh?” she says, turning her attention back to her meal, evidently not expecting a response.

Oh, Kuro thinks to himself, as he turns to his own plate. This time, he might actually be telling the truth.)

the heiress & her companion has been posted to AO3! 

like the last post, making this post for some traction on the ao3 tag for this series. :’) some revisions & additions, I guess the most notable(?) being the Shimadas (side characters) with their name edits, haha. The Shimada father has a first name now (Masayoshi) to make differentiation and referring between him and his son easier. The son is also now Itsuki instead of Kou, so that his name isn’t so similar looking to Kuro’s. 

in for a penny, in for a pound has been posted to AO3! making a whole post for it bc i think the ao3 tag for the series gets like…no traction whatsoever LOL.

did some proper editing, so it’s a tad bit longer and hopefully a bit more polished. working on editing the heiress & her companion, so that’ll be up there eventually as well. (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ (maybe tomorrow, maybe next week? who knows!)