Interlude.
“That vigilante, was it you?”
Giran tuts, “What? You think I’d send someone onto you like that? I’m hurt.” He shakes his head, though the other man can’t see. “That guy was a total free spirit.”
“And the ‘G’ carved into my desk?!”
“Woah there,” He holds up his hand. “Well aren’t you jumping the gun a little? Plenty of names that start with ‘G’ in the world.”
Silence. Giran could almost imagine Okada’s entire face scrunching up in doubt.
“... Then who the hell was he? And why– no, how did he get past my security? I have quirk-sensors everywhere!” Giran did wonder about that, too, actually.
“Keep your calm, old friend.” Giran says, adjusting the burner-phone in his hand and the cigarette in the other.
“That’s a little hard right now, considering–” a sharp, frustrated intake of air. “The state of my business, of my reputation… ”
Giran scoffs. “What, everyone in the limelight has faced a scandal or two. You really think this is the end? The one thing you should be doing instead of whining in my ear is having your PR team on speed-dial.”
“Who even spread the rumors?” Okada hisses into the phone. “Was it that little pest too?”
“Now, I don’t know anything about that either.”
“You don’t know a lot of things.” the businessman accuses.
“I can do some digging,” Giran offers with a sarcastic lilt to his voice. “That’s what friends are for, yeah, Daichi?”
Silence.
“You bastard.” the man jeers. “You really did this, you two-faced street rat.”
Giran rolls his eyes, puffing out a small cloud of smoke. Took him long enough.
“You’re the one who ruined everything!” Okada screams, and Giran winces as he moves the phone away from his ear. “Sending me your crazy white-eyed freak, wrecking my building, sabotaging my reputation!”
Giran throws his hands in the air. “Ah, I don’t know anything about sabotaging.”
“Yes? You’re gonna tell me you’re not the one who spread those rumors online now?”
“Are they really just rumors, though?” Giran slights, grinning widely as it sets the man off into another fit of rage.
The man whistles, sure that the sound carried horribly over the line. “What a bad temper.”
“You–you…!” Okada screams his frustration. “You’re the one who got me into this entire mess! Everything!”
Giran’s smile slips off. “And you’re lucky you only get away with that,” he relishes into the ensuing silence, “You’ve seen him, haven’t you? One touch of his fingers and entire walls crumble. Imagine what that’d do to a human body, to a human heart.”
“So you did send him.” Okada grips, his voice sounding more distant.
Giran lets out a coarse laugh. “See, maybe you should’ve thought ahead before sabotaging me, selling my info to the heroes, to the Comissions– whoever else. I’d say we’re pretty even now, you’ve wronged me, I’ve wronged you.”
“You…” Words didn’t seem enough to convey just exactly what the man thought of Giran at the moment. Surely some very unflattering terms.
“Well, you shouldn’t get your pants in a twist for that, though.” he continues, that lazy tone back in his voice. “It’s like what they say– if I can undo things, I can do them too, yeah?” he pauses, grins. “Ah, not to take out of its context there.”
“Well, yes, of course. So, you can, what, use my company, huh? Is that what this is?” Okada babbles, hysteric tremors entering his voice. “Against popular opinion, I am far from dumb, Giran.”
Giran hums. “But what’s intelligence, against such raw strength?” He lets out a lazy puff of smoke. “And I’ve seen my fair share of raw strength. See, the underground isn’t like the limelight– monsters lurk in every shadow. And that’s exactly what you need, friend.”
“What, monsters?” Okada repeats, annoyed.
“A change of air.” Giran supplies, killing the flickers of a flame dancing on the bud of his cigarette.
“What are you saying?” There’s skepticism there, coupled with something else.
“See, one of my most important clients has just been dying to meet you.” Giran closes his eyes, “And he can get you just about anything you want, though not without a price.”
Giran disposes of the burner phone.