It was raining. Not the gentle drizzle like in a painting, but a torrential downpour, pounding straight down on every eaves of Tokyo as if to wash everything away. The deep alleys became cold and dirty, reflecting the pale red and yellow lights. In the middle of the bustling city, there was a man walking unhurriedly, his black shirt soaked in the rain, his eyes empty as if he didn't exist in this world.
Kurokawa Izana - the boss of Tenjiku, a name that people in the industry only dared to whisper about. He had just finished dealing with a group of traitors, blood still stained the tips of his shoes. For Izana, the feeling of guilt had long since died. The only thing he cared about was power... until the sky made him step into a small alley and saw that girl.
She was sitting huddled under the eaves of a closed flower shop, her white dress soaked in the rain, her eyes red. The cream-colored umbrella fell beside her, half broken. No one stopped. Only him. His footsteps stopped, and he didn't understand why.
"What are you doing here?" Izana's voice was dry.
She raised her head, her eyes glistening with tears, looking at him, confused and trying to smile.
"I... I'm lost. My phone got wet, and I don't remember the way home."
He should leave. This had nothing to do with him. But those eyes - wet and gentle - made his heart skip a beat.
Claribel was the daughter of a prestigious family in the financial world, but she was nothing like the cold shadow people gave her. She was smart, sensitive, emotional, and... sweetly clumsy. Even getting lost in a dangerous neighborhood was because she was chasing a stray cat in the rain.
She didn't know who the man in front of her was. He only had sad eyes, and a lonely voice.
“Can you… show me the way home?” she asked hesitantly.
Izana smiled faintly. It had been a long time since someone had spoken to him in a voice that was not afraid. Nodding, he took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders and led her out of the alley.
On the way, Claribel rambled on about all sorts of things. That she liked violet macarons, that she often hid poetry books under her pillow because she liked to read at night, that rain made her sad but also made flowers bloom more beautifully.
Izana did not say much. But his eyes gradually became alive, like someone who had just heard a sound for the first time after many years of silence.
When he brought her to her house – a peaceful European-style villa in the heart of the city – Claribel turned to him:
“What’s your name?”
Izana hesitated. That name was something that scared many people, was she afraid?
“Izana.”
Claribel smiled, her cheeks flushed:
“What a beautiful name. Like a character in a fairy tale.”
For the first time in many years… Kurokawa Izana laughed. Not mockingly, not coldly. A real laugh, soft and almost trembling.
And so, the story began. A gangster boss with a cold heart… and a rich muse who cried, laughed, and said things that no one cared about.
He used to have the whole world at his feet, but no one called him by his name with such eyes. As for her, the first time she saw someone with such sad eyes, her heart beat so fast.
The rain that day did not wash everything away. It left a stain… named Claribel.