The Evil Stepmommy

Reiji was humming to himself as they toddled along towards the elevator, his previously downcast mood improving slightly at the thought of Beardy getting chewed out.

Baldy, not understanding why his Boss seemed to be so happy, simply assumed that his chat with the Big Boss went well. This made him happy as well, a wide smile on his face.

But because of his scary features, shiny head, and huge scar, it just seemed incredibly creepy.

"....Why are you smiling like that, you like you're about to enjoy torturing someone," Reiji winced when he noticed.

"Eh? No I'm just wondering if your meeting went well, because you seemed to be in a good mood! I haven't been given that task for a while now," Baldy rubbed his head sheepishly.

Reiji did his best to ignore the second half of that sentence, reaching towards the lift's button. But before he could do that, a loud ding reverberated through the narrow corridor, and the doors slid open on their own.

Inside the elevator were three people. Two tall women wearing suits and sunglasses carried batons, standing silently behind another woman in a tight kimono.

She had long pink hair tied back neatly and pinkish-red eyes with a beauty mark under her plump lips that gave her a charming and seductive look. Under her left eye was a red tattoo of a cherry blossom that only added to her appeal.

Her hourglass figure that was hugged in all the right places by the red kimono made it difficult for most people to look away.

'If fox spirits were real, this is what they would look like,' he thought to himself.

In front of him stood Yagami Sakura, the wife of Yagami Daichi, and his stepmother.

'What a shitty coincidence.'

He was not happy to see her, considering all that she had done to reduce his power within the syndicate so that her own son could have a chance for succession. He didn't care about her purpose so much so that it irked him that his own relative would take such drastic steps against a mere teenager.

One certain memory invaded his thoughts. When Daichi had decided to send Reiji away to live by himself a few weeks ago, he had been stopped at the door by Sakura when he was leaving. She looked at him with pity, but the joy and satisfaction on her arrogant face could not be hidden.

'Oh poor boy.... This is what happens when you cross the line repeatedly. You should stop grieving over that woman, it's only going to hold you back in life,' she had said as if she was imparting some sort of life-changing advice.

Reiji could not believe that someone would say something so horrible, and this was just the most recent memory he had!

There were tons of moments like that, making him lose all respect for this woman.

Sakura narrowed her eyes when she saw an unfamiliar boy at her husband's office, wondering if he had a meeting that she was unaware of. But then her eyes widened as a flicker of recognition crossed through them.

"R-Reiji?" She asked, more than a little stunned at his drastic transformation.

"Hello, it's been a while," Reiji nodded in greeting, maintaining a calm but distant demeanor.

Sakura looked him up and down, her mind racing through all the possibilities. She realized that she had lost her composure, straightening herself up and walking out of the elevator along with her guards.

"I didn't even recognize you for a second, what happened for you to change so much?" She asked with a seemingly happy smile, but Reiji knew she was just worrying about how it could affect her plans.

"Hmmm..... Nothing much, I just thought it was about time I stopped messing around. I just talked with Dad about getting more responsibilities on my shoulders, so hopefully I do pretty well," Reiji chuckled.

He felt like messing with her, wanting her to panic a little as a slight payback. Though the duties were forced on him, it didn't change the fact that it put a giant wrench in her ambitions, so Reiji wanted to see how far she would go to achieve those dreams.

Was he worried about her retaliation?

A little.

But it would be worth it, just for those moments where he could see an amusing expression. Precisely like the one she was wearing now.

Sakura's face twisted with nervousness and dismay as Reiji's words hit her like a thunderbolt, but she quickly controlled herself and smiled again.

"That's wonderful Reiji, we were really starting to worry about you! All those complaints from your school had kept us up all night lately, it's nice to see you trying to work on your flaws," she chuckled as if she was joking, but the mockery in her words was as clear to everyone.

Baldy's fists tightened and he was about to step forward.

But then Reiji laughed with her, which made him stop in confusion.

"That explains why you look so haggard! I apologize for the trouble I've caused. Beauty sleep is important at your age so I'll try not to cross your mind with my antics from now on," Reiji nodded, making sure to include a worried look for greater impact.

Sakura's expression hardened, and he could even see a vein throbbing on her forehead. He almost burst out laughing when he saw her so shocked, but he held it in.... just barely.

She was used to being the one handing out hidden insults, and since no one really dared to say anything back, Sakura had no idea how to respond.

"H-haha, that's very sweet of you Reiji. I have to meet your father for some urgent business, so we should catch up later," She finally hissed through her clenched teeth, choosing to avoid him.

She decided to assign some people to understand how exactly he had changed so much, a lot more information was needed to analyze the possible repercussions of his sudden growth in maturity and sharpness.

Her warning bells were ringing and she didn't like it one bit.

Reiji just nodded and said, "Of course, I don't want to keep you guys waiting. Until next time!"

Sakura and her guards strode off quickly, the kimono's long sleeves doing an excellent job of hiding her clenched fists. But just as she reached the office door, she heard Reiji call out from the elevator.

"By the way!"

She froze in place, and then slowly turned around to see the most annoying smirk on his face.

"I didn't know I was going to meet you today, I feel bad for coming empty-handed. I heard that Akorra Pharmaceuticals have recently developed an anti-wrinkling cream, I'll make sure to get some for you next time!"

Reiji waved playfully, pressing the close button on the elevator to prevent her from responding.

As the door shut with a ding, Sakura's breathing got heavier and heavier with each passing second. Her fury was palpable, and both of her guards, as well as Daichi's security, stepped back quietly, understanding that being next to her was not a wise decision.

But then, strangely, she let out an eerie laugh that made them look at each other in confusion.

'Haha, is that how you want to play this Little Reiji? You're going to regret it.'

***

Downstairs, Reiji and Baldy were walking towards the car that they had parked.

"Holy shit Boss! I knew your tongue was poisonous, but that was insane! It took all of my willpower to not break down!" Baldy panted with excitement, stars practically shining in his eyes.

"Calm down, don't move your head so much. The reflecting light hurts my eyes," Reiji snapped, shielding his face from the beam bouncing off of Baldy's head.

The bulky man just giggled and rubbed his head proudly.

As they were about to get into the car, they heard a loud shout behind them.

"WAAAAAIIIIIITTTT!!!! BOSSSSSSSSS!!!"

They both turned to the noise and saw Beardy jogging towards them from the building's entrance. He came to a stop a few steps away and took a second to catch his breath.

"What are you doing here?" Reiji asked with a sigh.

"Oh, the second Ma'am came to visit the Big Boss, so I was told to go back with you!"

They both nodded with understanding, getting into the car to return to Reiji's apartment.

"Also, Boss?.... That was mean," Beardy pouted as he sat in the passenger's seat, looking at him in betrayal.

"An eye for an eye," Reiji just shrugged and looked out the window.

"What are you guys talking about?" Baldy tilted his head in puzzlement.

"Nothing, just drive."

***

Reiji stepped out and looked at his watch. The meeting didn't take too long so he still had sufficient time to practice for the cooking test tomorrow, though his mood wasn't as good anymore.

"Ok Boss, we'll take our leave now," Beardy bowed and started walking back to the car.

A bulb lit up in Reiji's mind as he thought of an idea.

"Wait! Do you guys have anything important to do for the next two hours?"

Baldy and Beardy glanced at each other and then shook their heads.

"Well... we had some tasks but we can push them back for a bit. Did you need something Boss?"

"Yep! You two are going to be my guinea pigs!" Reiji grinned evilly, sending a shiver down their spines.