Masato was waiting for his nephew to pick him up.
"You're here," he exclaimed when he saw his blond, pale-skinned nephew. With a confused look, he helped gather Arthur's luggage.
In the car, Masato noticed Arthur was deep in thought, unwilling to speak, until—
"Does Mom miss me?"
Masato answered firmly.
"Of course. She never stops talking about her beloved son."
But Arthur suddenly asked something that froze him.
"Did you join the Yakuza?"
Masato, instead of answering, showed him a photo of himself with the clan. After that, Arthur spoke more calmly—he didn't seem like a 15-year-old boy, but someone with the experience of an adult.
Later, Masato looked at his sister. Her eyes were swollen from crying. Yumi hugged her son with suspicion in her gaze and shouted at her brother in Japanese:
"I told you he still loves me!"
Masato shouted back:
"I never denied that! By helping my nephew, I stayed to guide him."
After that, he spoke briefly with his sister before leaving. Driving away, Masato realized that many of his assumptions were wrong. He had thought Arthur wouldn't like Japan, but instead, the boy seemed calm.
---
The next day, his nephew fastened his seatbelt. Masato admitted he hardly ever used it except on the highway. Arthur told him:
"If the car has a seatbelt, it's meant to be used. Otherwise, it's a waste."
From that moment, Masato decided he would always wear it.
Before parking, an old friend greeted him. It was Ryo Minobe, a retired Yakuza still in contact with the Sumiyoshi-kai clan.
"Masato," he said firmly, "this is my nephew. He's a calm boy. Please, help him if he ever gets into trouble."
He spoke in Japanese so Arthur wouldn't understand. Then he looked back at his nephew.
"Ryo, I hope you can do something if any unforeseen problems arise."
"Don't worry, Masato," Ryo replied. "I'll have one of my informants watching over him."
After teasing his nephew a little, Masato took him to explore Azabu High School. It was all part of his plan: Arthur needed to start experiencing life in Japan. With a pat on the shoulder, Masato left him in the hallway and quickly returned to his car.
He passed the time by watching a movie and eating, then returned when school was over to pick up his nephew.
Before arriving, Ryo contacted him, saying Arthur had been in an accident—but seemed fine. He added that he had already warned the other students not to pull a stunt like that again.
Back in the car, Arthur said something that surprised Masato.
"Do you want to be your own boss, Uncle?"
At that very moment, a man with a neatly trimmed beard and an elegant suit approached.
"Masato, it's been a while."
He wanted to speak with the aniki—the elder brother, the clan boss. The suited man gave a silent nod to another, who gestured for Masato to follow.
In an elegant building, Masato found himself surrounded by samurai armor and paintings with strange characters.
"Masato, the elder brother will see you now."
He entered a traditional room: white walls, a small garden, a pond with fish.
"Masato," said the elder brother, "your visit is unusual, but an old comrade is never turned away."
Masato bowed.
"Elder brother, I ask for your help. I want to build a video game company. A friend of mine has brilliant ideas but no place to bring them to life."
The elder's cold eyes fixed on him.
"And what makes you think we should support your friend's ideas? Why should he be under our protection?"
"Because you know the leader has already spoken of this. But since I gave much to the clan, I ask you, one last time, to help me."
The elder was silent, then finally said:
"I will help you."
Masato bowed respectfully and left.
The elder brother picked up the phone and dialed a number. On the other end, a calm voice answered. The man was smoking as he listened.
"What does he want?"
"Help with the creation of an entertainment company. He seeks our protection."
The elder looked at the garden.
"Perhaps he wants more than that. But as long as it doesn't harm our clan, there should be no problem."The voice on the phone was quiet for a moment before replying:
"Help him. He once saved my life. It would be shameful if word spread that I denied a man who nearly lost his life for mine."
The line went dead.
The elder stared at the fish in silence, then muttered to himself:
"So, Masato… what else will you bring to us this time?"