GANGSTA.: Death of Anosmic Stray Dogs

This novel's events take place 1 year before Gangsta's main storyline (the manga).

Synopsis
Nicolas and Worick run a handy shop that handles everything from deliveries to killing in the Mafia-controlled city of Ergastulum. One day, a dying girl named Sophia appears at their door with a mysterious request: "Hide me for three years".

Prologue
The chapter starts off with an unnamed character in first person stating that they were living with 'him' lasted for 2 weeks and 1 day. They state that their body's condition was in grave condition, and with that dwindling time of theirs, they decide to place a request.

The scene skips to a description of the back alleys, with unnamed stating that it wouldn't be so bad to die an unknown in some back alley. They laid to rest, only to be interrupted by someone stating that she would catch a cold sleeping out there. She opens her eyes to see a man in an eyepatch and is suspicious, attempting to crawl away in a less than optimal body, causing the man to state that he isn't dangerous. He states himself to be Worick, and she laments, possibilities in her head stating that if the Family requested this person to capture her alive, and wants to avoid that. Time passes and she falls asleep, cursing her own childishness. When she wakes up to a clean bed and a splitting headache, she notices her body's condition improved. She has thoughts of escaping, but instead stares at the ceiling, hearing voices from downstairs stating that the use of Celebrer was used with a illegally high concentration and how despite her appearance, her organs were decayed. Worick comes up, stating that she's in a clinic and how Theo's not one to rat out when he brings a pretty girl to a clinic. She protests, stating that she looks 30 in the mirror, but Worick states that her face looks like someone who's barely reached adulthood, and her voice sounding like a young girl's. She attempts to get up but is stopped with pain. Worick asks to know her name, in which she replies 'Sophia'.

The time skips, and Sophia states that there was nothing to gain being 2 weeks in his presence, and how she's noticed Woricks other partner, Nicolas, who barely exchanged words with her. She comes to accept dying and requests Worick to hide her for 3 years. As payment she offers a necklace from her inner coat's pocket. He accepts, and with other details she states that if she were to be cremated her clothes stay on to prevent others from seeing her ugly body. Worick nudges her to sleep, the chapter ends here.

Chapter 1
The chapter starts out with Worick having intercourse with an unnamed woman, and it ends with her wanting to touch his hair more, in which Worick replies that if she throws in something extra for his services, he'll allow her, but she replies that her husband is coming back today. Worick leaves, pocketing her payment as he makes his way to another job to attend to for Benriya, a handyman. His mind wanders on the differences between a gigolo and a handyman was, and comes with the comparison of both to provide a temporary satisfaction to a client's desires, both were splendid occupations you could be proud of and were absolutely indispensable in the city. And precisely because these professions were so indispensable that the labor market was saturated with offers, and if you failed to perform, a replacement was found with ease. Even in that respect, both were identical. He finds himself thinking about Sophia, thinking on how she's not as much of the person herself as of her circumstances and how she among with many others were similar to those of another woman. Sophia’s tragedy, too, was but one of many, saturating the city. He realizes that he has already forgotten about her, her image sinking into his mind. He advances on, still having work to do, because it's been a month since Sophia was cremated.

As the sun was beginning to set, Worick finally meets Nicolas, walking along the alley to find what seems like a landfill with large clearings, the environment suspicious. A man appeared, walking unsteadily to collapse to a couch nearby. More members appeared, stating to leave the property. Nicolas brawled with some members, leaving them injured and only the young man on the couch remained. They assisted the injured younger man, leaving Nicolas to escort him to the clinic, since they've never seen him before. They both arrive at the clinic, with Nina greeting Worick as she asks what the insured's name was, and he replies with 'Johann'. He is then taken in for treatment, and time passes.

Worick takes position of temporary reception, where a man walks in with a gaudy striped suit was paired with camel-colored leather shoes, the outfit expensive but lacking in taste. He was also described to seem younger than Benriya, probably in his 30's, sporting shoulder length wavy hair, thin brows above light gray eyes. He introduces himself as Dario and walks up holding a revolver, in which Worick counters with his own. The other demands to know where his 'kid brother' was and Worick states that Johann was being treated.

The scene skips to Worick seated in Dario's car, taken for a drive around Ergastulum, apologizing for his rudeness earlier. Dario shares his taste in gambling and asks where a casino is located in which he is lead to a smoke shop. Joel unleashed a fit of crassness and Dario doubled the money he owed. When he sat at the baccarat table, he analyzed it for 10 minutes, sat down for 2 games and earned his keep. They then dined for a bit at a bar, with Nicolas tagging along. Worick mentioned that Dario was not from the area, in which the other states that he was from North Gate. He also states that him and Johann were stray dogs and came into the city for their own reasons. Worick mentioned how strange it was for Johann to be attacked in the back alleys, and why he would do so in the first place, he then realized it was for a reason. The two make a deal to work together, and in the next few days a certain piece of news travelled across the city.

Chapter 2
The chapter starts off with a short message stating that for the story to make sense, first the events that took place 2 days after the aforementioned night out need to be retold.

At dusk, Worick and Nicolas were attacked by a group in black suits. Although the Benriya had already had a similar experience just the other day, it had to be said that in this city, the specialization of men in black wasn’t business but violence. They were armed with guns, and were dangerous. They fought for 5 minutes and 2 minutes after killing them, Chad Atkins rolled up in his police cruiser, cussing them out for not being clean when eliminating others. He also states that the enemies were from the Lombardi Family, and that killing them was a bad call. He stated that their method of selling arms were that they sold dying Tags with particularly hideous cases of poisoning in a set with Celebrer of abnormal concentration — only uppers, at that. The way to use that package is simple: they overdose a Tag on the drug and send that suicide present to the enemy. That’s the ‘dynamite’. More explanations were given on the Lombardi family being destroyed, along with various raids and information about the 4 godfathers.

Time skips, and apparently on the next day, Chad's predictions and info was correct. Worick and Nicolas dined with Daniel Monroe at an Italian restaurant discussing about the murder of the Lombardi family, along with other details. After the meeting, Worick met Dario at a bar, chatting. They then drank a bit more and Dario got thoroughly intoxicated in an hour, and continued to drink for 2 more. Because of this, Worick offered to escort Dario outside to his car. Another car arrived, with 5 others inside, all donning black suits. They exit, drawing their guns. Worick defended, crossing distance between the shots. Dario stumbled towards another shooter, who hesitates. The fight then starts, with a battle between Worick and Dario vs the 5 others in black. The fight then ends with the suits dead, and the two men sharing cigarettes.

Chapter 3
Worick and Dario take 2 hours to make it back to the Benriya office, where he meets Johann in front of the garage. They all drop to Theo's clinic, where they are treated of their wounds. Nicolas expresses slight annoyance to Woricks actions, in which he states that he should be more careful. Worick falls asleep, and the chapter's time skips to the morning, in which he wakes up to a dull headache. He then meets up with Chad, discussing about the encounter of the 5 people in suits, and Chad states that they were from the Bandera family, which was a part of the Cap Regime, which there were multiple families in conflict with the Monroe family keeping things together, temporarily. They discussed on how the 5 killings didn't make sense, on how Worick killed 2 while drunk, and Dario 1. He wonders if Dario was putting up an act as more info was presented. Worick exited the station and visited Dario in the clinic, expressing his distaste and other feelings on hospitals, occasionally bringing up Johann's feelings about it too. Dario brings up a photo, stating that he came into the town to look for his little sister, stating that she is the reason to living to him. He also explains that living free also has its limitations, and that everyone has a chain hanging around their neck. He also says that if you can choose where the limitations trap you, that's also freedom. Worick asks Dario if he thinks he can find the girl and he replies that he can. Dario falls asleep and Theo comes in, stating that his wounds weren't serious despite the conflict earlier, wondering if it was insanity or luck. Theo also mentioned Johann, on his use of Celebrer, and how the boy's different parts of his body age.

15 minutes later, Nicolas came in, with Nina giving him 2 cases of Celebrer. He also gave flowers to her to give to Dario upstairs. Johann entered the clinic, asking Nina to deliver 2 bottles of orange juice upstairs. He then asked Nicolas if he spared some time to talk. He accepts and the two walk outside, with him explaining that he came to the town to find his little sister. Johann holds up a picture and asks Nicolas if he knows the girl, in which he shakes his head no. Johann grimaces, stating that he could smell his sister's scent on the other. Nicolas smelled himself, but nothing came up. Johann was getting serious, and stated that he is never wrong about smells, and scent alone is how he found Dario and Worick. He also mentions that the clinic has traces of his sister's scent, but the smell of chemicals overpowers it so he's not sure. They then part ways with a slight acrimony.

Worick meets Nicolas in the clinic, and states that Johann is gone, and Worick states that he had tags hidden by his coat. This causes Nicolas to grin, stating that they were so close to fighting. Worick realizes all the details he's been missing, and looks up at the sky.

Chapter 4
A target walked deserted back streets, on the way to their office. Worick along with Nicolas follow them, with Nicolas attempting to consume Celebrer but the case was sliced open by a knife attack. Bullets rained form above, in which Nicolas attempted to deflect the with his katana to defend Worick. The target closes in, with Worick in horror realizing that he is none other than Johann himself. He realizes that if he were the one behind the mafia killings then that means that he ignored the 3 rules and was actively destroying Ergastulum's balance. Worick's mind recalls to the photo, stating if Johann was looking for Sophia, in which the other's eyes diluted with fury. Johann states that even with all the perfumes on Worick's body he could still detect her scent. Nicolas and Johann tense up for a fight but Worick states that they stand down and not cut corners when fulfilling a client;'s request, Sophia's request, to hide her for 3 years. Initially Worick didn't understand her request on how she didn't wait for a miracle to let her live longer, but now he understands. Johann's body parts age differently, so if they look under his coat, his right arm is that of an old man, but his left is of a baby's. Sophia's compensation was the opposite, in which her face looked older than her actual age. He then remembers Theo's words on how her organs were decayed, and comes to the conclusion that Sophia aged from the inside.

Nicolas was getting fed up, so he stated that if they were mafia slayers or not, in which Worick concludes that they certainly were, starting with the Lombardi family, continuing on all for the sake of taking back Sophia.

The time skips to sunset, in which Worick picks up a phone, with Myles on the other side, an old member of the Monroe family. He states that he has orders to fulfill and Worick to give him a call if he finishes tomorrow. He paces around a room, looking at the necklace Sophia gave to him as payment, when Nicolas came in, asking what he should do. Worick answers that he bump off the mafia slayers and be done with it. They both left the office.

Johann returns to the clinic and meets Dario sleeping. He contemplates, his thoughts running anew to his past with Sophia and how he has changed Masters multiple times and ranking up. The first mafia family treated Twilights like livestock, feeding them tasteless swill and dishing out beatings depending on the members’ mood. That family got into a fight with another family, lost and dissolved as a result, with the winning family claiming Johann and Sophia as spoils of war. Johann believed he was about 8 at the time. The siblings’ second owners were of a more calm kind. They treated Twilights as merchandise and had the minimal management system in place. Johann learned to train and read under them. His first kill, too, was for a job entrusted to him by that family. No one made an attempt to strike up a conversation with Johann or Sophia, but as long as you had fulfilled your quota, food and a place to sleep was guaranteed. About 4 years later Johann and his sister were sold off to another family. Apparently, they sold for good money, so the woman that was in charge of taking care of them, even praised them for one last time at the end. Johann didn’t know the woman’s name. In any case, Johann was 12 and Sophia was 9 when they met a certain man. He was called Gummy, but obviously, that wasn’t his real name. Johann figured out from the conversations he happened to overhear that other members gave him that nickname for his long greasy hair. The siblings never learned his real name until the end. Gummy was young and held the position of a Capo Regime for a North Gate mafia organization. It looked like the organization wasn’t exactly small, so he probably was a decent go-getter. He was controlling and selfish. And he also knew that in order to get his way, what was necessary was effective utilization of violence. That’s why he bought Johann and his sister. As tools of violence for his beloved self.

At the time, Johann's rank was C/2, and Sophia's was D/1. At 12, Johann’s right arm was much bigger than his left. Since he was used to double wielding weapons, neither of his hands were soft, but his left arm still preserved youth appropriate for his age. In contrast, his right was rugged, with wrinkles and knots and joints big and jutting out, as if it was an arm of an adult man. With his childish left and his grown-up right hands, Johann killed many people, like he was ordered to. Speaking of kill count, Sophia’s wasn’t far behind either. Gummy used the siblings to kill his own traitors, his trade rivals and even loud stray dogs. Forced to make up for their still immature bodies with overdosing on Celebrer, the two never failed to accomplish the task given to them at the expense of their rapidly shortening life spans. Gummy was a vulgar man, but not without craftiness. He had a firm grasp on the limits of the two’s abilities and never made the blunder of choosing a target stronger than the siblings could handle. Before long, Johann started experiencing a pleasure of sorts when overdosing on Celebrer. On a certain day, after 2 years after Gummy's purchase, Johann changed a little. At the time, Johann was mastering various weapons, including knifes and guns. It was Gummy’s order so he could unleash violence even more overwhelming, and with his different-sized arms, different-sized knifes felt comfortable in his hands, so while he was searching for the most suitable weapons, he came to master quite a few kinds of them. Johann didn’t grow much, partly due to his peculiar compensation, so he centred his fighting style around his speed and mobility. He also managed to integrate use of many big weapons into his style minutely changing and adjusting as the need demanded.

He encountered Sophia tending to an injured dog, and Johann wonders on how she could even take care of something. A gunshot rang out and the dog was killed by Gummy, stating that he discipline her sister or face punishment. Johann promises to himself that he would get stronger so his sister would not have to kill again. As his combat technique improved, Gummy actually started using Johann more frequently. Additionally, Johann often volunteered for jobs himself. Clashes with other Twilights had become a more frequent occurrence, too. Another 7 years passed like that. Johann turned 21, and Sophia 19.

Gummy was in rage, having lost a gambling match and called the siblings over. Johann felt a shiver in fear as Gummy extended a cigar near him, ordering Sophia to kill him. Before she could do so a knocking came on the door, distracting them both. A man in his 30's in a gaudy suit requested his gambling winnings, and Gummy requested the other to kill him, but Johann requests the man to give him a new order. In rage, Johann took out a knife and killed Gummy, with the man named Dario taking Johann with him. With that, the two made an objective to take Sophia back.

After an investigation that had taken a year, the two had learned that the family had already sold Sophia. The buyer she was sold off to was the Lombardi family — a rather modest-sized mafia family based in Ergastulum. Following that information, the two came to the city of Ergastulum. They destroyed the Lombardi family, but didn’t find Sophia there, so having investigated the Lombardis’ clients, they followed that trail and dealt with them one by one.

In the present moment, Johann observed the sleeping Dario, the plans to kill Worick and Nicolas already set in his mind. He ponders, He was told by the doctor that his body would hold out for about 2 more years. He knew he didn’t have long even before hearing that, and his only regret was Sophia. If only he could ensure the well-being of that kind, tender-hearted girl, he would die happy and no end would make him more content.

Dario wakes up, and Johann states if he could kill them both, having permission to kill Nicolas but not Worick. Worick enters the room, giving the necklace to Dario in which he asks if the two are the mafia slayers. Dario responds 'probably' but doesn't know the specifics. He asks Worick if he bought Sophia in which he states yes he did, but arranges a bet on who fights.

Worick leaves the room, with Johann stating he would not lose against Nicolas.

Chapter 5
Dario's wounds have healed and requests and early discharge, with Worick, Nicolas and Johann following him. When he leaves the clinic he buys himself a bottle of whisky, and heads to a familiar back street garbage dump site, the stench dampened due to the rain and smells familiar. He finds a couch, the same one Johann collapsed on, and Worick checks it for cleanliness. They discuss the details on the fight, stating it would be easier here than in the clinic. Worick and Dario share shots of whisky as they watch Johann and Nicolas battle it out.

The scene makes its way to the battle, in which Nicolas raises his A/0 tags, and Johann raises his B/1 tags. They begin the battle, using various items, dirty tricks and distance to settle things.

While Worick and Dario watch, Worick contemplated if this is what Sophia wanted as the necklace dug into his skin, realizing that this couldn't be it- That this was one of the possibilities she foresaw, that she knew that Johann would come to this city in search for her. Dario states that Johann might not understand why he lives in this world, so he made his sister his one and only reason, for as long as he lives for her, he can really feel like he's alive. Sophia had to be aware of that, too, Worick was convinced. She had to know that to Johann, she was his everything. That’s why she had placed such a request to hide her for 3 years with them at the very end. It was for Johann that she went to the trouble to ask that. Her beloved big brother was the person that she desperately wanted to hide her tattered body and her death from. Just like her own flesh, Johann’s body wouldn’t hold out much longer. 3 years should be enough, she must have estimated. That’s how she probably lived all her life since being little, taking it upon herself to give her brother whatever meager hope she could, and going even as far as to hide her own compensation from him. Desperately trying to preserve her brother’s illusion and keep it pretty. And that’s why Johann was able to fight right now, throwing his life away for his little sister. That’s why he was able to shed blood with a smile on his face.

The two then lit up smokes, chatting further. The fight against Johann and Nicolas continues still and Johann glares at Worick, with the man feeling the youth's murderous intent that was intended at him. He gazed at the necklace and with an attempt to attack Nicolas unsuccessful, he resorted to fleeing, but Nicolas beat him down. Worick downed his drink and pressed a gun to Dario's temple, asking if he remembers his bets. He says he doesn't remember and tells he'll ask Johann on the other side. With that, he is shot by Worick, and with that the fight is over. Worick walks up to the deceased Johann and contemplated if that was all worth it to lose it all for a wing on a chain (the necklace).

With that, the two leave.

Epilogue
The city's cleaning crew arrives, and Worick downs a shot glass in a back alley. Chad hops out and tells him that the incident probably had something to do with the Monroe family. Worick prompts the other to deliver something but he refuses. He then returns to his vehicle, leaving. On the way back, Worick left Nicolas in Theo’s clinic and collected the two’s belongings, as well as the violets that were put into the flower vase. Nina’s expression turned troubled, but she didn’t ask anything. In exchange for the violets, Worick handed her some customary that he had bought on the way. He had a feeling that presenting her flowers sold in the middle of the night could drag her worth down, but Nina took them with a sincere smile on her face. Next day, Worick got a call from Chad, informing him that the wrapping of two presents had been over and that he was expected to enclose a card and send them to the addressee already. Worick added the two’s belongings and enclosed the violets he took from the sickroom, wrapping them as prettily as he could. Miles, who came to fetch the package as the Monroe family’s errand boy, threw a suspicious glance at the flowers but didn’t dig, only saying, “Good job.” Time passes and with the money he had received from Miles as a pay, Worick bought another bundle of flowers. After only a short agonizing while, he picked pink tulips. He laid those flowers at a public cemetery, with its murky puddles of still water here and there, just like in the back streets of this city. Closing his eyes, Worick recounted what became of the request, and with this, he was finally freed from this case. He returned to the office with resolute determination not to move another muscle.

The phone rang and a request comes from Granny Joel. With that, the two leave.