9:15 P.M HONKY TONK.

"Want some cream in your coffee, sir?" with a smile, Natsumi Mizuki, asked the customer by the counter.

"No thanks." He simply replied. He looked tired, his eyes were droopy yet his head would spring up every time the door chimes ring. He had been waiting for someone.

"Quite a chilly weather we have today, I think it would snow soon! Wouldn't it be fun, would it mister?" she said, trying to lighten up the mood of the room.

"No thanks." He automatically answered without even grasping what was said to him. Natsumi figured out that her efforts to cheer him up were pointless.

"They'll be here." said Paul Wan, the coffee shop owner while flipping through his magazine.

"No tha--.What-uh-I- I mean who? Who'll be here?" He asked.

"The Getbackers; Ban Mido, Ginji Amano… I suppose you're waiting for them, right? You must've lost something very important." Paul said, and then gave a suggestion. "See that man over that table? He's Shido Fuyuki He's a Getbacker too."

"No thanks." He simply replied again.

"You'd take the job, wouldn't you Shido?" asked Paul

"Save it Paul," said Shido. "He was particularly looking for the man with the Evil eye. I was the one who told him he'd catch him in this shop."

The customer fell silent, and then looked at his reflection in his cup of coffee. "Incompetent…You couldn't even do the task yourself." He said to himself. Then a lively voice cracked him open from his self-blame contemplations.

"Don't worry mister! Whatever you lost, the Getbackers will get it back for you. They have a 100 success rate!" exclaimed Natsumi.

"False publicity… Not a 100. And I'm not in the business anymore, so stop accepting clients for me." Said Ban Mido, who they did not notice was already standing by the door.

"Ban, you're here!" she exclaimed

"I'm here too Natsumi-chan!" Ginji said popping behind Ban.

"Ginji!" she said waving her hand.

"Don't mind Ban-chan… he's just bushed from his previous jobs, right Ban-chan?" He explained.

Ban just walked pass them to the other end of the counter, put on his apron and started washing the dishes "I'll just finish this job and I'm done for the day". .

"Natsumi-chan! I thought of a new catchphrase! 'Getbackers! 99 success rate' or better yet, 'Getbackers: we get it back or get your money back' or…" Ginji continued talking gibberish.

"Ban Mido?" said the customer approaching Ban; his energy kicked up. Finally, He's here. "Mr. Mido, I really need your help."

"No." Ban bluntly replied.

"Mr. Mido, please. I need her back." but Ban just gave him a 'you-annoy-me' look, and then continued washing the dishes. "You're the only one capable of taking her back." He continued, not minding that Ban was paid no attention to him. He went on, begging until Ban reached his boiling point.

"NO!" He sternly shouted. But it takes a stubborn man to stand a stubborn man.

"I can't take NO for an answer. I need to have her back" Said the customer.

"Then go to the POLICE!" Ban said in a voice tainted with irritation and hostility. "If you badly need a Getbacker to do the job, there are others. I'm not the only Getbacker in town. I'M NOT EVEN A GETBACKER ANYMORE!" But the customer could not just give up. He bowed down in humility to beg. His chest began to feel tight, his throat felt dry and choked as he tried to hold back his tears.

"Please…She's my wife… I need her back." For a while, both of them were silent and then Ban gave his answer… "No."

"Don't be too insensitive." said Shido.

"It seems like you want the job, take it!" Ban told Shido.

"The proud GetBacker Ban Mido humbled into a janitor and errand boy by day dishwasher and waiter by night. You're a GetBacker, how do you stand to live that kind of life?" Shido added

"Back-off, womanizer. That's the least I want to hear from a man who lives in his blind girlfriend's apartment. Now, how do you stand to live that kind of life?" Ban retaliated. Such words propelled Shido to get up from his seat and face Ban who has just vandalized his ego.

"Foolish man! You're just projecting your anguish and frustrations! I know this was never about us failing the mission or your pride!"

"Look out the window! A flying dog!" Ginji foolishly cut in the argument before an inconceivable mayhem would occur if it would go on…but it was stupid… so he started bracing himself. He presumed a punch or two would hit him any moment now. He had known better than to stand in the middle of two angry men. Ban would definitely blow up!

"Moron, who would believe that?" Paul told Ginji. Then he saw Ban and Shido aimlessly checking out every inch of the sky visible through the window for the 'flying dog'. "…then again, I stand corrected." He said. Failing to see the 'flying dog', Ban noticed that the stubborn customer again.

"Shido, take the job." Ban said.

"Stop pushing the job to me. Can't you do it? Or maybe you've accepted the fact that I'm better. Then again, why am I wasting my time on someone who's got serious issues?" Said Shido.

"Shut up! Keep your tongue to yourself if all you have to say is nonsense. I'm offering you the job so your poor blind girlfriend wouldn't have to spend for you!"

"That's it Ban! You're going to be one dead snake!"

"Good. Let's fight to prove who is better!"

Then Ginji interrupted again. "Look! A flying—"

"SHUT UP!" Ban yelled to Ginji. Then two flying rolled up magazinesfrom Paul hit Ban and Shido's head.

"I meant to warn you of those flying magazines, Ban-chan." Said Ginji

"Take it outside. I don't want you trashing out my coffee shop again." Paul warned.

"No need to boss. Can't fight visually challenged man." Said Ban.

"Visually challenged? I could have a hawk's eyesight with my animal imitation technique!" defended Shido.

"Oh yeah? How about now?" Ban said as he splashed soap suds on Shido's eyes. He screamed as the soap burned his eyes. "Hahaha.." Ban gave his sinister laugh at his victory, or so he thought. Shido slowly recovered and is up for a boiling retaliation, revenge within his reach.

"Warm up! You cold hearted snake! HOT COFFEE!" he spilled the whole cup on Ban's face.

"Aaaah! Its—" then Ban shivered. "It's cold?"

"Iced coffee? New flavor in your menu? I'd like to try!" said Ginji

"No, it got cold. That's your client's coffee…by the way, where is he?" Natsumi asked. The client had left the shop and they were too preoccupied to notice. "Poor guy. He was waiting for Ban for--" Natsumi paused to count the hours finger by finger. "6 hours! But—he was here even before I came for my part time job."

"He was here even before I opened the shop this morning" Paul said. "Persistent, Patient and Stubborn."

"Still, he left. Not that persistent or patient or stubborn as you think. He should've thought twice before he wasted his time waiting for me and end up in nothing." Ban said.

"He has not given up yet. Apparently, the client, Mr. Yusuke Sonyu, left his calling card and his wife's picture." Paul stretched out his hand to give them to Ban, but he shunned him.

"You think you're stubborn? He's as stubborn as you are; only that, he is stubborn because he's desperate while you are stubborn because you are selfish. He was counting on your help. He probably left to look for her, and left this so you could think about it." Paul said

"Why me?" asked Ban.

"Ask him yourself." Paul said, but Ban still just gave it a glance. Paul extended his arms closer to Ban to give him the calling card and picture. "I can be stubborn too you know."