In a particularly isolated part of the Sabita district in Mitakihara, the afternoon sun begins to approach the horizon, casting an amber glow on an isolated alleyway. Three men are gathered, tossing dice and lamenting their misfortunes while a fourth person, a blonde woman in a long, black coat joins in relative silence. A small pile of crumpled bills and rusty coins sit in the middle. After a few tosses, the newcomer takes a turn, tossing the dice without much care. A moment later, three voices curse the heavens and the youth as the money is collected.

???: Hey, you knew the deal when you set up this game. All I did was watch, wait, figure out your rules and throw some dice around. You can’t get mad at me for winning, right?

Man 1: Bullshit, kid! You must’ve cheated, somehow!

Man 2: Yeah! Lemme see those dice o’ yours!

???: (The young person hands over their dice) Whatever, old man. Not like you could tell if they were weighted or not, anyway. But knock yourself out. I grabbed ‘em from your table, anyway.

Man 3: Oi, Tanaka, what the fuck? You been usin’ weighted dice on us the whole time?

Man 1, Tanaka: Hey! If I was usin’ weighted dice, wouldn’t I have won enough to get outta this dump by now?

Man 3: Sure, that’s what you want us to think! 

(The two men continue to bicker, one throwing a punch after a few minutes.  The stranger stands up, collecting their winnings as well as the dice they brought, stuffing all into the pockets of their long, black coat. Stuffing their hands in afterwards, they turn to walk away. They get a couple feet away from the alleyway when a hand comes down upon their shoulder.)

Man 2: That was some bullshit, lady.

???: (She turns her head, just enough to glance at the man) Huh. Someone was paying attention. Good job, buddy.

Man: Don’t fuck with me! You swapped your dice with Tanaka’s so that he would carry the blame, and you’d walk away with our money! 

???: Man, and here I was thinking that no one appreciated the classics anymore. Sleight of hand might be an ancient trick, but I’ll be damned if it doesn’t still work on the simple-minded. (The man sputters as he raises his fist, but the woman spins around to the side, dodging his punch and forcing him off balance, stumbling in front of her.) Look. If you want the cash you put in back, then fine. ~You caught me~. Good job. (Pulling some bills out, she briefly licks the tip of her thumb before starting to count) I’ll even take you at your word. How much didja put in? And don’t say all of it, ‘cause neither of us are gonna buy that.

Man: (He turns to face her, pure bewildered rage on his face) Cheeky fuckin’ brat. I’m takin’ all of it, alright. Right off your fuckin’ corpse—

(A metallic clang echoes quietly on the broken street beneath the man, his eyes wide. He looks down at the knife he dropped, the weapon he intended to brandish on the hustler. In addition to the knife, he caught sight of a bright red stain, expanding on the front of his grey shirt, covering the center of his chest. Feeling the spot, he pulls a blood-covered hand away. The last thing he consciously notices is the woman’s bored expression, along with a sigh. At no point did he see, hear or even feel what attacked him.)

???: For the love of— I was actually gonna cut you in, like for real. (Grabbing the man by the scruff of his collar, the woman pushes him against the brick wall of an abandoned building) Now look what you did. Went and got your stupid ass killed over a few lousy yen and some stupid fucking pride. (A fist lands on the man’s bleeding wound, causing him to cough a few drops onto the woman’s golden blonde hair) All I wanted was a cheap thrill. That’s all. (Another punch) God… go to Mitakihara, they said. (Punch) It’s a great place, they said. (Punch) Shit goes down all the fucking time, they said! (Three hard punches; her hair, fist and cheek are stained with fresh blood, and the man’s eyes roll in the back of his head) Haa… whatever. Maybe the next homeless camp won’t throw such a bitch fit over a simple goddamned hustle. “Do whatever the fuck you want,” she said. But goddamn am I bored out of my fucking mind here. (The woman drops the man onto the ground, letting him collapse against the wall. She takes a few steps away, only to stop, turn around and kneel before him) Oh. And when you get to Hell? You can give them my name. (She speaks in perfect American English) <It’s Diana Caelum. Not that you’d be able to pronounce it anyway, fucking drug-addled trash.>

(The man’s body went completely still after she said that, and she got up once more, adjusting her coat and looking off into the distance. The sun over Mitakihara was setting, and Diana began walking down various other alleyways, seemingly going nowhere in particular.) 

Diana: Man… they won’t even blink over this one. It was just some homeless guy. No way they think of this as anything other than just an ordinary street crime. What was the fucking point? …Oh well. Nothing left but to wait out this shitstorm and find something that’ll actually fill the void. (Diana pulls out a cigarette and a silver lighter with an Eastern-style dragon engraved on the front. Lighting the cigarette, she takes a drag, sighing as she exhales.) C’mon… gimme something good. Something -actually- worth betting my soul on for once.