Chapter 3:
Breakfast at Ma's
A short Japanese man in a chef's garb appeared at the door, opening it to the two younger men slowly. His features were mostly unremarkable, weathering lines under his eyes, straight hair tucked into the back, and a pale pink mark across his face obviously as a result of some burn, likely from kitchen work. As the door slid open, Akira and Ryuji were able to clearly make out the man's face, seeing his eyes riddled with both fear and anger. Akira's stomach twitched at the implications of what he was about to do, but he noticed Ryuji wore a completely neutral expression on his face. His hands were in his pockets and his eyes slightly lowered as he addressed the shop owner.
"Good morning, Nishikiyama-san," Ryuji said surprisingly pleasantly with a bow of the head. "We appreciate you meeting with us so early before your shop opened. I hope you will allow us to come in."
The man apparently named Nishikiyama met Ryuji's politeness with a glare and a nod, motioning for the two men to enter the café. Ryuji thanked the shop owner and entered confidently, with Akira tailing behind far more awkwardly. He looked around the restaurant, eyeing the small room up and down. Nothing out of the ordinary compared to any cafes he had been in in his lifetime. Tables and booths made up the floor area, and there was bar seating to the right where patrons could watch their food be made in front of them. Akira and Ryuji sat down with Nishikiyama at one of the tables nearest to the entrance. The owner obviously did not intend for the to take long.
"I hope we can resolve this matter quickly," Nishikiyama uttered flatly as he sat down, as if reading Akira's thoughts on the situation.
"So do I," Ryuji replied, folding his arms in front of him, betraying his calm and pleasant demeanor. "As you can tell, I'm gonna be followed by this guy for the rest of the day," he pointed to Akira, who had just sat down without a word, "and I've got plenty that needs to be shown to him for his orientation, so I do hope we can get all out business done fast and be out of your hair, sir."
"Ah," Nishikiyama smirked at Akira, who only raised an eyebrow he tried to come off more confident than he felt, "a new recruit into the shadows, are you? You're messing with a dangerous business, boy. This line of work will make it difficult to keep friends." Nishikiyama accentuated those last words as his gaze turned back to Ryuji. The blond young man chuckled and leaned back in his seat.
"We're here to talk shop, remember, Nishikiyama-san?" Ryuji responded. "The guy doesn't have jack to do with us, he's just here to watch. Now," Ryuji leaned forward in his chair, his pleasant grin fading back to a neutral expression, "have you considered our business proposition, sir?"
"I have yet to receive any kind of proposition," Nishikiyama replied sternly. "All I have been made aware of is a thinly veiled threat by yourself and your co-workers, if that is how you can actually refer to yourselves."
"Your restaurant is a hot spot for business, sir, and we just wanted to make sure we made the best offer. It's nothing personal, I promise."
"It's just business, right?"
"Exactly." Ryuji sat back in his chair again. "If you don't come through with our proposal, then there will be nothing we can do to guarantee your financial and personal well-being from here on. We're already partnered with the majority of establishments in the area, even likely with some of your personal friends, and let me tell you, they have nothing but great things to say about our services."
"Because if they speak out, you'll bring the hammer down on them."
"Hell no, not at all." Even with it being Akira's first day on the job, he could tell that Nishikiyama's resolve was waning quickly while Ryuji appeared to be in complete control of the situation with hardly any effort. "If they offer up any scathing reviews of our services, then all we do is offer a change in the arrangement, or just leave them to their devices, and that's the end of it. What happens from then on is on them, sir. It's how we've done it forever."
Nishikiyama looked like he was about to flip the table over on Ryuji, but then sighed and hanged his head low, folding his hands in his lap. Akira looked to Ryuji, who smirked when he knew that the shop owner was not looking at him. "I wanted to stand my ground this morning," Nishikiyama began. "I wanted to tell you yakuza what we all really think of you. I wanted to stand up for everyone you've abused and extorted… but I guess my spine is as fleeting as the breeze."
Ryuji nodded, trying not to laugh. "You know how many times I've heard those same lines, man? Don't beat yourself up about it, there's no shame in making the right call, even if it is the hard one."
"Just know that I would prefer anything else on this good Earth to partnering with you." Nishikiyama got up from the table with a scowl and made his way to the back of the room, seemingly into an office.
"Trust me, man," Ryuji turned to Akira, "he'll be singing our praises in two weeks flat, or less."
"Forgive me if I don't exactly believe you right now, after what I just saw."
"That's the same shit just about everyone gives us, man. Better get used to it quick too, 'cuz you'll be the one making these transactions someday."
"I wouldn't count on it," Akira replied flatly.
"You keep telling yourself that," Ryuji smirked again.
The office door opened behind them, producing Nishikiyama who was carrying a small leather bag in his hands. Looking downright despondent, he sat in his seat again in front of the younger man and placed the bag on the table. "The deposit," he said with a sigh. "I hope your Boss will be appreciative, Sakamoto. I was barely able to scrounge this up this month for you. I even had to reduce the amount of coupons that went into circulation."
"The Boss will be jumping for joy, sir," Ryuji replied without looking at Nishikiyama, only eyeing the bag as he picked it up. "I'll get this over to my people and then they'll be in touch by the end of the week." Ryuji's eyes found Nishikiyama's again. "Congratulations, Nishikiyama! You've got nothing else to worry about for the entire lifetime of your business! You need anything taken care of that's a bit out of your budget, just contact us and we'll have it taken dealt with, guaranteed."
"Just get out," Nishikiyama grunted, pointing to the door behind him with his thumb. "That's something you can take care of for me."
Ryuji paused and then shrugged. "You got it, chief. I'm sure you've got plenty of stuff on the to-do list anyway." He got up and patted down his sport coat, with Akira mimicking him, with far less grace and confidence. "Thank you for your time, sir. Have a good day," Ryuji grinned. Nishikiyama huffed in response and looked to the floor.
Ryuji whistled awkwardly and strutted to the door, with Akira in tow step for step. The second he heard the door close behind them, indicating they were at least mostly out of earshot, Akira butted in, "What the hell was all that?"
"A business transaction," Ryuji replied nonchalantly, taking out his cigarette pack and lighter from his jacket pocket. "Pretty simple and routine, honestly. Yeah, you were there with about as much energy as a dead fish on the riverbank, but at least you followed orders and didn't fuck anything up, which is more than I can say about most recruits." He lit his cigarette and took a long breath of it before breathing the cloud out into the air.
"But what were we doing in there, huh? What did that old guy have to do with anything? The way he acted, I swear he thought you were gonna shoot him or something."
"Do you even know what a yakuza does, man?" Ryuji asked, growing more perturbed by the second. "We get a good deal of our money from protecting local businesses."
"You mean extorting them?"
"Yeah, the hell did you think we were doing? Putting in a new landline?" Ryuji took another puff of his cigarette, seemingly calming himself. "We shouldn't be talking about this here, anyway. Follow me, it's time for the rest of your orientation."
"Where are we going now?" Akira walked at his side as Ryuji started strolling off down the crowded sidewalk. "Got another business to extort?"
"Hell no, dude. And drop that self-righteous act. I'm just taking you out for brunch, but if you keep up that attitude then we may end up with some problems that won't look good on my report."
For five minutes, after that gut wrenchingly awkward exchange between the two young men, Akira and Ryuji walked on in silence. The blond young man led Akira on without looking back to see if he was even following him, as if after their conversation he no longer cared about his assignment. Akira's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and feelings that mad it difficult to focus on navigating the crowds to follow Ryuji to… wherever it was they were headed.
Mentally, Akira recapped the events of the day thus far. He had woken up from that recurring memory stroke nightmare, received a concerning but heartfelt call from his mother, and watched a man who was now his new coworker extort a local small business for most of their savings, and now had pissed off the man that had done the extorting. Brilliant, Akira. Just brilliant. You went and pissed of a yakuza muscle. You're a real dumbass, you know that? Definitely not how he was used to spending his mornings, but at least it was interesting. Next on the to-do list would be to get back into Ryuji's good graces. By the looks of it, Akira could potentially take him in a fight, but if he were able to win, who knows what kind of goons they would send after him? And if he lost, well, being admitted to the hospital would not be great for his current situation, assuming he would get off that easily.
A moment later, Ryuji stopped in front of another small restaurant, though this was obviously not some family-oriented café. "We're here," he remarked coldly. The sign read "Serenity" in off-white color and sophisticated font surrounded in a gold border. Akira only became more confused at the sight.
"This is a bar," Akira spoke up. "Aren't they closed this early in the day?"
"Not for guys in our line of work," Ryuji replied with another of his smirks as he took a small, copper collored key from one his pockets and fiddled with the door lock. "Just be respectful and mind your manners, this is a classy little joint."
"Right, sure."
Stepping through the doorway, Akira was greeted with the sight of a cozy, atmospherically, almost romantically lit little lounge. Much like the marquee out front, the lounge was illuminated in a soft golden hue that would be easy on the eyes after a long day at work. No one else was present, save for the standout, downright remarkably beautiful woman of about thirty wiping down the bar. She tilted her head up at the sound of the door opening, taking Akira aback by her striking face, long dark locks and round, piercing eyes. She wore a tight red sequin dress that hugged her lean but not at all conservative curves, with a neckline that came dangerously close to reaching her cleavage. She smiled a stunning, sunny smile, but not at him.
"Ryuji!" the woman said with a voice as pleasant as her smile. "I wasn't expecting you!"
"'Sup, ma!" Ryuji replied with a wave of his hand and a smirk that was less cocky and more genuinely friendly. "Hope we're not intruding so early."
"Not at all. I'm not exactly at standing room only yet, after all. Come, have a seat."
"Thanks, ma. Come on, man," he addressed Akira, "she don't bite."
"I'm just not that kind of lady," she giggled, flashing her bright, large eyes at Akira, whose heart seemed to swim up his throat at the sight. Before he even realized what was happening, his mind still thoroughly addled by the woman before them, he was seated at the bar, inches away from this "Ma". "So," she began as the boys sat down, "what bring you in today, Ryuji-kun? And who is this strapping young man you've brought to me?"
I think my stomach is melting, along with my brain, Akira thought.
"This guy? Newbie, green as that other dress you've got. It's his first day on the job and I'm showing him the ropes."
"And does this guy have a name?" Ma looked to Akira with a sweet, but somehow not sweet at all grin.
Akira's tongue felt like it was dissolving in his mouth and his face as if the muscles in it were lighting themselves on fire. He did not notice Ryuji trying not to laugh at the sight. "It's Kurusu Akira," he finally spoke up. "I'm, uh, the newbie."
"You can say that again," Ryuji muttered.
Ma giggled a girlish laugh again. "Oh, don't be so rough on him, Ryuji. It takes time for everyone to get used to me. You are definitely no exception, after all."
"Ma, we really don't need to talk about that—"
"He looked ready to pass out when he first met me," Ma addressed Akira, completely ignoring Ryuji's embarrassed plea. "Granted, that's not uncommon, but that image of poor Ryuji-kun is burned into my memory."
"Ma, please—"
"No, no!" Akira interjected enthusiastically. "Keep going, I'm interested now!"
"Ah shit," Ryuji leaned back in his chair, folding his arms and looking to everything in the room except the two people beside him.
Ma leaned on the counter toward Akira, making her sizable bust only more pronounced. "When Ryuji first walked in here about a year ago, he looked like all the blood in his poor little body rushed right into his face. I swear, I thought it was all gonna come pouring out his nose! I had so much fun keeping him flustered the whole night. They say we live in a man's world, but even the strongest bodybuilder isn't immune to a woman giving him a bit of attention." Akira could not help but snicker at the rousing tale being weaved by this gorgeous tease of a woman. "But of course, it wasn't to be mean or rude. I treated him like family, gave him half off the majority of the menu, and he's been a faithful customer ever since."
"Is all that true?" Akira asked Ryuji.
He rubbed his eyes and groaned before he replied. "Yup," he said curtly. "It's all true."
Akira could not help but laugh, clutching his gut as he did. Even Ma let out a little laugh with him, though not nearly as heartily as the young man. "You know what, Ryuji?" Akira said while trying to calm himself down. "I'm glad you took me out here after all."
"This isn't at all what I brought you here for though!" Ryuji glowered at him, causing both Akira and Ma to laugh even more so.
"Okay, okay," Ma butted in, "I think that's enough humor at Ryuji-kun's expense for the day. Don't wanna go scaring off one of my best customers after all."
"Aw, c'mon, you don't have anything else to tell? No more fun stories at all?"
"No, she doesn't," Ryuji answered for her as quickly as he could. "Ma, we done?"
"Indeed, Ryuji, I think we are," she replied sweetly. Akira sucked in his breath to force himself to stop laughing. "Now, Ryuji-kun, you say this boy is new? I assume you're not here for drinks and hostesses before noon, after all."
Ryuji cleared his throat as the thorough mockery he had endured finally ended. "Yeah, he's the new guy. First day on the job and I'm the one that was told to show him around town. Something about me being his age and under a year of employment myself."
"Well, look at you, being all responsible," Ma smiled at him, though neither man could tell how genuine her smile was. "Akira, right? What do you think of Ryuji so far?"
"He's, uh, much more knowledgeable about this stuff than I am. I've spent the last hour just shadowing him, mainly. Didn't event tell me we were going before we arrived here. He didn't even tell me about you."
"And for good reason, man," Ryuji answered for Ma. "You noticed that this place was closed when we arrived here, right?"
"Well, yeah. I also noticed you had a key to get us in."
"I do, and that's 'cause this place is a bit of a haven for ourselves and the other Sakura guys." Ryuji's embarrassed scowl softened as he looked back to Ma, who still wore a bright, caring smile on her face, this time appearing completely genuine. "Ma here has been an associate of the Boss for god knows how long, and the first thing newbies like you are taught is where to go in case things get hairy. If you get yourself in a bad situation, Akira, and there's no gunshots involved yet, this will probably be the best place to go to lay low while things blow over."
"Really?"
Ma answered for Ryuji this time. "Indeed, Akira-kun. My family has had a trusted friendship with the Sakura clan for generations. Even Boss himself likes to come down here about once a week. He knows just as well as everyone that I'm the woman of the house, and nothing bad happens to those in my care in my place."
"Ah, that why Ryuji calls you 'Ma'?"
"That's right. And if you're a new member of the Sakura family, I expect the exact same from you as well. Even Boss calls me Ma, you know."
"Ain't no club or bar in Kamurocho will treat one of us as well as this little joint, man," Ryuji said almost whimsically. "I'll bet you and I are gonna spend a lot of time here not long from now."
"But why is this place a haven? Can't anyone come in here, at least during operating hours?"
"That's true," Ma said, "but Boss and his clan have almost complete control over this part of town. Every yakuza and even most common street thugs and goons know that there are some places here you just don't cause trouble in, and my little club is that paramount of them all."
"Good to know. I'll try to stay out of trouble, but just in case, I'll remember your club, uh, Ma." Gonna need some time to get used to that.
"Uh, yeah, about that…" Ryuji trailed off.
"Huh, what?"
"We, uh, might be in some trouble, man."
"Ryuji!" Ma put her hands on her hips and looked down at the blond man disapprovingly. "You went and got yourself in trouble and didn't even tell your student?"
"It was before I met up with him, Ma!" Ryuji protested. Akira's eyes widened at the implication, and he waited on baited breath for an explanation. Ryuji's gaze shifted between Ma and Akira as he spoke. "Look, I was on my way to meet up with Akira this morning when some low-life thugs stopped me on the street and tried to mug me. I gave 'em a light thrashing 'cause that was enough to get 'em to lay off, then I went and met up with Akira. But as we were walking around," he looked Akira dead in the eyes, "and you stared off into space the whole way here rather than keeping track of the situation, I noticed the same guys start following us about half-way here, with a couple reinforcements just to add to the mess. I was gonna take you to get some more business done, but I didn't wanna throw a newbie like you into a fight in your first hour on the job, so I decided now would be as good a time as any to take you by Ma's."
"And that's why we were walking around so long, huh?"
Ryuji nodded. "At least you noticed that."
"Why didn't you tell me though?"
"I figured you being stuck in your own little world would make it look a little less suspicious and maybe keep them off our trail. You're new, so you haven't learned how to hide in plain sight yet when someone is scoping you out, so I let you daydream the whole way here 'cuz if I told you what was up, you'd probably look like you were trying to go unnoticed at best."
For a brief moment, Akira felt slightly insulted by that statement, but that offense quickly faded as he thought about the situation. "You were probably right," he conceded.
"I may not be the smartest guy in the family, but I've got my moments."
"More than you give yourself credit for, Ryuji-kun," Ma said gently. "That was good thinking."
"Just don't go daydreaming on the job again, man," Ryuji added in a stern voice. "You're a yakuza, you gotta be on top of your game all the time."
"I hear you." Though you shouldn't call me a yakuza. I'm not some punk they lifted off the streets. This is temporary arrangement, at best. "So, what do we do now?"
Ma replied before Ryuji got a chance. "You can wait here for a while, if you need to. I won't be opening for hours and don't have any appointments or meetings for a while."
"Thanks, Ma, that might be best, at least for Akira here."
"The hell? Why me?" Akira asked, growing more concerned the more the conversation went on. "You really think they've been stalking us this long?"
"It's definitely possible. These kinds of goons ain't got anything better to do with their time, mostly just being dumb high school dropouts trying to nab some money without getting a real job. And when you piss these guys off like I did, they'll sometimes spend days hunting down the guy that kicked 'em to the curb, mainly if they're around their age like we are. Look man, I'm not gonna throw you to the trash of this city on your first day, so why don't you stay here and get some food in you while I go out and take care of these dumbasses? This ain't even your fight, after all."
"Maybe, but I can handle myself in a fight, Ryuji," Akira said in a serious, determined tone. "Trust me. I'm no high school dropout but that doesn't mean I spent my whole life on my ass. You said it yourself they brought friends with them, right? Let me go and I'll help you out."
Ryuji raised an eyebrow, but not quite in a way that would indicate he was opposed to the idea. "For real?"
Ma sighed and put her face in her hand. "You boys and your fights," she said. "But I guess that Boss will expect you to clean up your own mess, Ryuji. You're a big boy, after all." Ma suddenly leaned over the counter again, peering deep into Akira's dark eyes, which widened to the shape of plates at her forwardness.
"Uh, Ryuji? What's she doing?"
"Didn't expect her to do it so soon," he said, more curious than concerned, as if ignoring Akira's alarm.
Ma narrowed her gaze as she studied Akira, taking in his whole face but focusing intently on his eyes. "When you've been in this business as long as I have," she said slowly, her hot breath meeting Akira's lips, "you come to know how to see the real spirit in people. What makes them what they truly are."
Akira's shocked expression hardened into a glare, but not of anger. He did not feel threatened by the woman, but challenged, as if she was peering past his face and deep, deep inside him like digging for treasure. "What do you mean?" he asked just as slowly as she spoke.
"We are not just blood and bone, Akira. There is something in us all that defines what we are, who we are, and who and what we will become. I take pride and enjoyment from seeing the history and future of all our new yakuza just by looking into their eyes, a skill I received from my mother, and her from her mother. You are…" she trailed off for a moment, "very special, Kurusu Akira. Eyes like yours are rarely seen in these times." Ma stood upright and looked down at Ryuji. "Take him to fight with you, Ryuji. He'll be just fine."
"How do you know that?" Akira blurted out. "All you did was get in my space!"
"C'mon, man," Ryuji put a hand on his shoulder, "time to head out. If Ma thinks you'll make it out of this fight fine, I trust her."
Akira was now more confused than ever, barely able to formulate a thought about the past minute. He looked down to the floor, taking mental inventory of what had happened and what seemingly was about to happen. There's gonna be a fight. At least, I guess there will be. But hey, if it's my first morning on the job and they have that much faith in me, well, it's gotta count for something, right? He looked back up to Ryuji. "Let's get it done quick then," he said with confidence he did not intend, but felt right all the same.
"Just what I like to hear. I'm gonna need lunch soon." The two young men stood to their feet, backs straight and gazes steely. Ma only nodded at the boys.
"Be careful you two," she said. "And Akira?"
"Yeah, Ma?"
"Know that you are strong, boy," she said with uncharacteristic seriousness, "but do not think you are invincible. When you overestimate yourself, you have already lost the fight."
Akira paused at the dire nature of the warning, but nodded. This was all weird, very weird, but if he was really in for a fight, might as well make sure he was as mentally ready as he could be on top of his physical readiness. "Thanks, Ma," he said. "I'll remember that."
"Always remember that. And both you boys come back here when you're done! I want to see with my own eyes that you're both okay."
Ryuji smirked and waved his hand to her. "We'll be back before you know it, Ma. Keep the stoves hot and the drinks cold, could ya?" Ma smiled and nodded. Ryuji then turned to Akira with a confident grin. "Ready for your garbage cleanup, man?"
"I'll do everything I can," he nodded and could not help but smirk in turn.
"Good thing." Ryuji held out his fist to Akira. "I can't wait to see that fighting experience you were talking about. I expect to hear some bones cracking."
"You'll hear it," Akira bumped their fists together, "and same goes for you."
"Right on, now let's get moving. See you in a few, Ma."
Without another word, the two young yakuza stepped out onto the crowded streets. Almost reflexively, as he could feel the adrenaline start to pump through his veins, Akira cracked his knuckles as he and Ryuji walked out onto the mean streets of Kamurocho with heads held high and eyes glaring dead ahead. Passersby stepped out of their way as the two sharply dressed young men waded right through the center of the crowds like nobility among peasants. The feeling was completely alien to Akira; never before had he felt so empowered, so respected. Men stepped back out of their way, women watched them with cautious but fascinated stares. Ryuji seemed completely used to such things, but Akira was trying desperately hard not to call attention to himself by turning his walking into more of a strut or humming some film-like theme music.
Ryuji lit another cigarette and let out a puff of smoke, and Akira followed along, but this time at his side rather than lagging behind. Ma seemed completely confident that he was "strong" and "special", whatever those referred to, and Akira felt some strange internal obligation to see that reading through. Whatever lay in wait for him at the end of their path, he was not going to let them overpower him. Was this the mindset of a yakuza? Probably, and it both scared and fascinated him that the notion felt good. Damn good.
His first fight awaited him, and that knowledge felt damn good.