At that same moment, in the Tsuda-gumi office.
The building was a modest three-story structure—one story taller than the shabby Nishiyama-gumi office.
Tsuda Masaaki was leisurely flipping through a freshly published ero magazine when his Wakagashira, Ōta Jūzō, suddenly pushed open the door and hurried to his side.
"Nishiyama Heita seems to have suffered a loss over at the Kiryu dojo."
Tsuda Masaaki looked up in surprise. "Seriously? Heita himself went?"
"Yes. One of our boys saw it. Nishiyama Heita took Bandō, Owada, and a couple of others—five in total—into the dojo. They came out battered and bruised. Heita's suit was in tatters."
Tsuda Masaaki gave Ōta a look that said: Are you messing with me?
But this wasn't some bottom-tier outfit like Nishiyama-gumi. Tsuda-gumi had been around for nearly five years, and Ōta Jūzō had been with him that entire time. He wasn't one to talk nonsense.
After a pause, Tsuda Masaaki stood and walked to the window, looking out over the street. "Heita went himself... and lost?"
He spun sharply. "You're sure it was the Kiryu siblings? No one else in the dojo?"
"Positive. The dojo was empty except for Kiryu Kazuma and Kiryu Chiyoko. After Kazuma beat some of our boys the other day, I had my brother keeping an eye on them."
Tsuda Masaaki fell silent for a long moment, then shook his head. "How the hell is that possible? If anyone else had told me this, I'd have had them cutting off a finger, you know?"
Ōta remained silent. With his years of experience handling the boss, he knew when to speak and when to stay quiet.
Tsuda Masaaki continued, "We're talking about Oni Heita here! And some kendo punk beat him? What is this, Musashi reborn?"
"...Actually, I heard something interesting." Ōta paused, waiting until he had Tsuda Masaaki's full attention, then continued. "Some of Nishiyama-gumi's boys, after seeing Heita lose, came running to us. They said Nishiyama Heita ordered Bandō to cut off both his pinky and ring finger. They plan to deliver them to the Kiryu siblings tomorrow."
"That's not something you fake," he added. "You'll know the moment you see Bandō's hand."
Tsuda Masaaki let out a low whistle.
"I see... This is getting interesting. Go fetch Shima Sanpei."
Shima Sanpei was the thug who'd led the failed negotiation at the dagashi shop—and gotten his ass kicked by Kazuma. As punishment, Tsuda Masaaki had forced him to cut off his pinky.
Ōta nodded and left.
Tsuda Masaaki returned to his seat beneath the calligraphy scroll reading Chivalry, his expression grave as he mulled things over.
A few minutes later, Shima Sanpei entered nervously. "Boss... you called?"
"Ah, there you are." Tsuda Masaaki opened a drawer, pulled out a roll of one million yen in crisp bills, and tossed it to him. "Here. Go treat yourself."
Shima caught the roll, stared at the portrait of Fukuzawa Yukichi on the notes, then looked up in shock. "Boss... this is...?"
"Didn't I have you cut off your pinky last time? Turns out it wasn't your fault. Not being able to beat Kiryu Kazuma is perfectly normal. The guy took down Oni Heita. The fact that you made it back in one piece means you've got plenty of guts. Go relax a bit."
With a wave, Tsuda Masaaki dismissed him. "Now get going. Don't just stand there."
Ōta came in just then and clapped Shima on the shoulder. "Come on! Go have a good night in Shinjuku. And don't embarrass the group—wear your group crest."
Shima finally snapped out of it and bowed repeatedly. "Y-yes, of course! I understand! Thank you, boss! Thank you, Wakagashira!"
Grinning ear to ear, he hurried out.
Once they were alone, Ōta asked, "So... are we still going after that dojo?"
"Of course we are. It's a deal worth tens of millions. Damn it, Kiryu Kazuma beating my guys is one thing, but now he's humiliated Oni Heita too. I just had to compensate that idiot Shima. I'm going to get every last yen of that money back from Kazuma."
His voice turned venomous. "I'm not just going to take the dojo and sell it to Sumitomo. I'm going to ship his sister off to Kabukichō."
Ōta reminded him, "He also has a girlfriend. Another beauty."
"Then we'll send her too," Tsuda Masaaki snarled. But then his tone shifted. "Still, we need to plan carefully. If Kazuma can beat Oni Heita, his combat strength isn't to be underestimated. We'll have to prepare."
Ōta nodded. "Right. And transferring Nishiyama's project to us will take time. At least until the next Kanto Union meeting."
Though Nishiyama-gumi and Tsuda-gumi didn't get along, both were third-generation groups under the Kanto Union.
That made things complicated. They couldn't openly steal business from a fellow Union group.
If Nishiyama-gumi were an affiliate of the Osaka Union or the Hiroshima Asuka-kai, they could've just grabbed the project—go to war if needed.
"Leave the Union politics to you," Tsuda Masaaki said.
"Understood."
As a third-generation boss, Tsuda Masaaki wasn't high-ranking enough to appear at Kanto Union meetings himself. He'd send Ōta as his representative to petition the higher-ups.
Technically, the boss should make such requests personally, but yakuza culture valued appearances. It wouldn't do for a boss—even a lower-ranked one—to be seen groveling. Better to send the Wakagashira.
The higher-ups understood this and wouldn't take offense.
Tsuda Masaaki eyed Ōta again. "Also, tell our boys to ask around with the local delinquents. I want to know everything about Kiryu Kazuma—his style, his fighting habits."
"I thought his family used Rishin-ryū?" Ōta asked.
"They don't even hold a menkyo kaiden in it. I don't believe he could've beaten Oni Heita with that alone. There's something fishy here."
"I'll look into it."
"And if you get the chance, have a drink with the Kitakatsushi High School kendo coach or someone. The kid couldn't have gotten this strong overnight. The school coaches must know something."
Ōta nodded. "Understood. I'll handle it."
Tsuda Masaaki waved him off. Then he picked up his ero magazine again and resumed reading, completely absorbed.
(End of Chapter)