"Today's stew doesn't taste right."
In the slightly empty living room, the two siblings ate their meal as if nothing had happened. Akiyoshi Kaoru put down her chopsticks and commented on tonight's dinner.
"Hmm, it seems a little..."
Even with a wealth of cooking knowledge in his mind, Akiyoshi Yuu still needed some time to get used to it before he could cook meals that tasted like they used to.
However, in Akiyoshi Kaoru's eyes, there was another reason.
"Brother, are you... alright?"
In her memory, the girl usually didn't call him 'Onii-chan'.
Because the two were as familiar as could be, and there was no third person at home.
But today... if Akiyoshi Yuu hadn't suddenly 'unleashed his divine might', there would undoubtedly have been some kind of 'R-rated' scene. Their future would have been completely ruined!
"What could be wrong?"
"Don't worry, I'll handle it."
Putting down his chopsticks, Akiyoshi Yuu calmly stood up.
"Next, I need to go out for a while."
Those four pieces of scum had been buried alive tens of meters underground.
Even if Sherlock Holmes, Kudo Shinichi, and Kindaichi all gathered together, they would be at a complete loss, let alone ordinary police.
But Akiyoshi Yuu wasn't the type to sit around and wait for trouble to come to him, so he decided to take the initiative.
"Kaoru, you... want to go play at Nao's house?"
The class president, Iai Nao's house, was less than fifty meters in a straight line from the Akiyoshi home.
The three of them used to be childhood playmates, but... for some reason, Nao and Kaoru had a falling out.
"I don't want to!"
As expected, the girl shook her head and refused without a second thought.
"I'm not going anywhere. If brother is going to deal with... those guys..."
Akiyoshi Kaoru was no child. As a top student at 'Kouou Girls' Academy', she had already guessed what her brother was planning to do.
Dispose of the bodies!
The girl was unaware of the existence of 'ninjutsu'. In Akiyoshi Kaoru's mind, her brother had temporarily hidden those guys in the yard and would definitely have to destroy them.
Never mind that guy Yamamoto and the thug who held her brother hostage, but the bald man whose lower body was stomped to a pulp, and the thug with a dagger in his brain were most likely dead.
As for why her brother could go on a killing spree... did a brother need a reason to explode for his sister?
"I can help too—"
Suddenly standing up, Akiyoshi Kaoru looked at Akiyoshi Yuu with a serious expression.
"We are accomplices."
...
"The thought is nice,"
"But with those skinny arms and legs of yours, you should leave the manual labor to me."
Akiyoshi Yuu waved his hand. Not to mention that he had already disposed of the bodies; what came next was completely 'not for children'.
"Well then, I'm heading out."
"Be careful."
With his sister's reminder, Akiyoshi Yuu walked out of the house.
"Next,"
As he stepped out, his figure suddenly shrank out of thin air. As his whole body crouched down, black fur spread out, replacing his clothes.
"Meow~~"
He shook his neck, revealing small, sharp fangs.
Although it's a bit inconvenient, let's go in this form.
Having made up his mind, Akiyoshi Yuu, transformed into a small black cat, nimbly leaped onto the wall and sped off towards the south.
E-rank Ninjutsu: Transformation Jutsu
As one of the most basic 'Three Basic Jutsu',
although this jutsu was only E-rank, it was a powerful tool in countless classic reversals and tactical battles!
It was an important ninjutsu for combat, espionage, or luring enemies.
The Prince himself once transformed into a 'Fuuma Shuriken' and used his opponent's carelessness to break Zabuza's Water Prison Jutsu.
Akiyoshi Yuu transformed himself into a black cat, speeding along rooftops and walls while carefully avoiding the omnipresent cameras. It was precisely because he knew the power of modern technology that he had to act with more caution.
Killing in a fit of rage was satisfying, but if the police came knocking, it would be a hassle no matter what, so Akiyoshi Yuu—
Was preparing to give the Tokyo police something to do!
When it comes to Tokyo's adult entertainment industry,
almost everyone thinks of 'Shinjuku's Kabukicho'.
Especially the 'Tokyo Kabukicho Tower', which was completed just a year ago. The 225-meter-high commercial complex encompassed hotels, cinemas, and dining and entertainment facilities, welcoming tourists from all over the world, and would not let you leave until your wallet and body were empty.
However, not everyone was willing to spend money in such a place. Naturally, Adachi Ward also had its own 'Kabukicho'.
Takenotsuka Town
This district was located in the northern part of Adachi Ward, a truly 'remote place'.
It was closer to Saitama, the 'big brother of the suburbs', than to Tokyo proper.
There was no neon city scenery here, no mouth-watering culinary temptations, and no so-called historical depth... but on both sides of the pedestrian street were love hotels filled with suggestive colors, a place where countless Tokyo men released their desires.
Adult entertainment establishments?
No, no, no, we just provide a place for customers to 'fall in love'.
Since they are lovers, doing that kind of thing is legal and reasonable; as for how long this 'love' lasts, who cares after pulling up their pants?
Compared to the hostesses in Ginza's high-end clubs, who were elegantly dressed and well-spoken, there weren't as many twists and turns here. After meeting and paying, it was just one word:
Fuck!
But that's not to say there were no 'high-rise buildings' here. A brand new building on 2-chome was quite impressive.
Zanshi Finance Company—a huge sign was plastered on the fifth-floor window. Besides the phone number, there was a logo of an elite in a suit and glasses.
Although it looked very legitimate and grand, the people who 'worked' here were not your typical office workers.
"I heard you collected Watanabe's debt the day before yesterday?"
"Yeah, it took some effort. One was sent onto a ship, and the other sold their house to barely pay it off."
At the entrance of the building, two men in open suits, revealing their patterned shirts, walked into the building while talking about work. But the content of their work made passersby take a detour. If this building wasn't located on a major thoroughfare, the local residents wouldn't even be willing to pass by here.
What?
A yakuza organization helping with disaster relief?
Don't be ridiculous, nobody takes a show seriously, right?
The first reason the Zanshi-gumi didn't target the ordinary people in this area was that they were poor.
As for the second reason:
"This month, the Metropolitan Police Department has caused us trouble three times."
In an office on the eighth floor of the building, a man in a pinstriped suit put down his coffee cup.
Judging solely from the simple yet grand furnishings of the office and the man's attire and appearance, it was hard to believe that this gentle-looking middle-aged man was the 'kumicho' of the Zanshi-gumi: Inoue Sugaya.
"I have repeatedly emphasized that violence is the last resort."
The man who had put down his coffee extended his index finger and pushed his exquisite gold-rimmed glasses.
"Don't use it lightly."
"Yes!"
In front of the kumicho sitting behind the desk, a terrified organization executive bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
Behind the executive, two underlings were also sweating profusely, wishing they could also bow ninety degrees to look down and see nothing.
The reason the two underlings were still standing was that they were still holding up a young man.
"Young man, why must you do this?"
Inoue Sugaya, behind the desk, looked at the bruised and swollen young man and asked in a calm tone.
"We are a legal 'designated violent group'. Your repeated calls to the police, causing us trouble, makes things very difficult for us."
"Bastard..."
The young man, held between the two underlings, struggled to open his swollen eyelids, his teeth grinding together.
"You... you all... killed Akemi. I... I won't let you off!"
"Hey, young man."
Leaning back in his boss's chair, Inoue Sugaya, in his pinstriped suit, red tie, and gold-rimmed glasses, clasped his ten fingers together.
"Speaking recklessly can get you charged with 'slander'."
"I'm also very sorry about the death of your sister Akemi. As her boss, I'm also heartbroken that such a 'diligent' employee has passed away."
"Bast—"
Pow!
The Zanshi-gumi executive turned and slammed his fist into the young man's face, cutting off his words and sending blood splattering.
"Young man, it seems you've misunderstood."
Pushing up his gold-rimmed glasses, the gentle-looking 'Zanshi-gumi' kumicho behind the desk spoke again.
"I really hate violence. And I'm very grateful to my old man for sending me to Kyoto University to study law."
"Your sister came to my shop to play on her own, and then decided to 'work' there. I've never skimped on her salary or benefits, I even paid for their health insurance..."
"Ptooey!"
A tooth, stained with blood, was spat onto the desk by the young man, leaving a long trail of blood, just like his sister's leap to her death.
"Shut up, you bastard!"
"It was you who lured Akemi to the bar, got her drunk, and then..."
Taking photos, recording videos, the familiar process followed. The girl, who didn't dare to face her family, endured the humiliation in silence, sinking deeper and deeper step by step, becoming an employee of the 'fuuzoku shop'.
"You even got her hooked on drugs!"
The young man, held on both sides, struggled violently, the veins on his neck bulging, wishing he could lunge forward and bite this guy to death!
In just two short years, the once youthful girl had transformed under indulgence into... a monster that the young man dared not recognize.
Even though his mother had severed their mother-daughter relationship in anger, Tanimura Wataru, who was studying away from home, still hadn't given up on his sister, seeking help from the police, forcing her into rehab... hoping that one day his sister could turn over a new leaf.
However—
He had still underestimated the power of drugs.
"Such a well-behaved Akemi, such a timid Akemi..."
In the end, she had walked down a dead-end path.
"It's a pity, but—"
Faced with the young man's tearful and bloody denunciation, the man behind the desk asked faintly.
"What does it have to do with me?"
?!
"What's wrong with working at my shop? You can earn money just by lying down."
"The stuff I provide is all high-purity. Earning money in the shop and spending it in the shop, isn't that great?"
"Bastard, you bastard!!"
Faced with the 'righteous' Inoue Sugaya, the young man Tanimura Wataru had no means left other than to curse angrily.
After Akemi's death, he had tried every means to expose the darkness of the 'Zanshi-gumi', but with little success. Now he had been directly captured by the impatient 'Zanshi-gumi'; otherwise, as a university dropout, he wouldn't even be able to step into this building.
Fight to the death?
What could he fight with?
Use a kitchen knife against a pistol?!
"I won't let you off even as a ghost—"
"A ghost?"
The kumicho Inoue seemed to have heard a joke.
"Sorry, this world believes in science. That kind of self-deceiving delusion of the weak has never appeared."
After speaking, the man named Inoue Sugaya's face darkened.
"The one who won't let you off is me!"
"Pour this guy into cement and throw him into Tokyo Bay."
When an ordinary person gets angry... they just get angry.
Could one really expect to single-handedly fight a yakuza organization that outnumbered, out-equipped, and out-powered them a hundred times over?
"Yes!" x3
The kumicho gave the order, and the three Zanshi-gumi members responded in unison, preparing to drag this clueless guy out and dispose of him.
As long as there was no body, the police could at most treat it as a missing person case. Besides—
Given the Tanimura family's situation, no one would report it, and a case wouldn't even be opened.
"Go."
Waving his hand, Inoue Sugaya no longer paid any attention to the whimpering of the defeated dog of a young man, burying his head in a document and thinking about where to replenish his 'shop staff'.
He was genuinely pained by 'Akemi's' death: she was a money-printing machine that could still be 'used' for several more years, yet because of her naive brother, she had tried to break free from the control of drugs?
What a joke. As the kumicho, Inoue Sugaya's hidden criterion for selecting executives was that they had never used drugs!
Inoue Sugaya knew better than anyone how much that stuff could destroy a person's mind.
"Hmm?"
The sound of returning footsteps interrupted Inoue Sugaya's thoughts.
"What are you—?!"
The Zanshi-gumi kumicho, who had looked up in displeasure, froze, because:
At the door of his office, women with their heads bowed, long hair covering their faces, and tattered clothes, were filing in one by one, causing the three group members to retreat repeatedly.
Am I seeing ghosts?