Daichi's gaze caught the woman's attention, and she secretly smiled at the edge of her teacup.
"Are you still standing there without bowing to Lady Hojo?"
Daichi was taken aback by being yelled at like that. He was so focused on the elegant woman sitting on the sofa that he didn't notice the two girls standing to her right and left. One of them yelled at Daichi, becoming even more enraged when he didn't respond.
"Still not bowing?!"
"Calm down, Yukari." Lady Hojo, the woman in a black kimono, rebuked. Her stunning pair of eyes met Daichi's.
She muttered, "So, this is what my beloved son's toy looks like."
She lifted her teacup back up and sipped it elegantly.
"How come you insist on approaching Shu-chan?" Lady Hojo inquired.
Daichi was perplexed as to how to respond.
"That... I didn't do..."
"You don't want to tell me?"
"No, no. That's not it, ma'am. Actually I..."
Lady Hojo made a gesture when she noticed Daichi hesitating. "Just say it."
"I don't like Yoshimoto and don't want to have any relationship with him, but I can't get away from him..."
"Ah, so that is how it is. I get it now." Lady Hojo gave a nod. "Shu-chan forced you?"
Daichi nodded. "That's right, that's right."
Lady Hojo cast another glance at Daichi. "Would you like to leave here, away from Shu-chan?"
Daichi nodded repeatedly after hearing Lady Hojo's words. "Y-yes."
"Very well. Leave now, while Shu-chan is not here."
Daichi turned to face the door after bowing sincerely to Mrs. Hojo as though she had given him a priceless gift. Daichi was shocked to see Hiroki's lifeless body lying outside the door. Since Mrs. Hojo had previously stated that the Yoshimoto family was in fact a Yakuza group, Daichi assumed right away that it had to be the work of her men.
With the thought that Mrs. Hojo telling him to leave would definitely protect him and create a smooth escape route for him, Daichi immediately ran, limping, not caring whether Hiroki, who was lying on the floor, was still alive or not.
Lady Hojo gave orders to one of the girls standing next to her after Daichi had left.
"Do as usual, Yukari."
"Leave it to me, Hojo-sama."
Yukari dashed towards the front door. His young face was adorned with a wild smile.
---
Shuhei arrives at a traditional mansion adorned with dragon symbols. The "Kiryu" carving is quite large, as is the dragon carving that was purposefully placed above the entrance.
Shuhei dashed towards the main building. However, the large door was tightly shut. Shuhei looked around for a while, and then someone approached him.
That person was Asakura, the Chairman's right-hand man.
"The chairman is in the middle of a meeting now. Please be patient for a moment," he said.
Shuhei nodded, clearly understanding. He had no choice but to wait for the people inside to complete their tasks.
The door didn't open for another two hours. The people who came out were the leaders of the other groups, who had all joined forces in the mighty "Kiryu" group. Chairman of Kiryu, the person Shuhei will meet, holds the highest position among them.
Asakura entered after the leaders of the other groups had left to announce Shuhei's arrival.
"The chairman is expecting you; please enter."
Shuhei gave a nod.
The Chairman asked abruptly, just as Shuhei was about to say hello.
"Why have not the affairs in the Nameless Road area that I handed over to you been resolved yet?"
Shuhei was overcome with emotion. "That ...,"
"As your first official assignment, I gave you this small task, but you couldn't complete it well!"
"Please forgive me."
"Does this have anything to do with the little toy you found at your school?" The well-built man in his early 50s smiled wryly, disappointed. "I didn't send you to school to play around. You should be aware of this."
The man tapped the table with his finger.
"It is completely unrelated," Shuhei denied.
The chairman frowned. "Really? But that's not what I saw."
Shuhei was silent.
"Well, now there is no need to worry because I have asked your mother to clean up the broken little toy," the chairman said again.
Shuhei tensed up this time. "My mother?"
"She should have finished by now."
"I promise to resolve the situation on Nameless Road as soon as possible. Please excuse me."
"Presumptuous! You are the Yoshimoto clan's young master. You are my son as well. If you are incompetent, the Yoshimoto clan will lose the position of Chairman Kiryu!"
"I promise I will do my best to resolve it as soon as possible."
Shuhei was aware that his demeanor was impolite, but he didn't have much time. He needed to get home right away or something bad would happen.
The chairman looked coldly at Shuhei's retreating back. He snorted in annoyance as the young man vanished behind the door.
Someone entered the room quietly through another door. It was a tall young man with similar facial features to Shuhei.
"My younger brother would rather rebel than obey your commands, Master. I am afraid he will not be able to succeed Chairman Kiryu."
The young man spoke with a smile. "Could you please hand over the affairs of the Nameless Road area to me? I guarantee I will be more capable than Shuhei."
The Chairman sighed and said, "Shuya. It's not necessary for you to step in right now. Allow Shuhei to complete his tasks without interfering."
Shuya's smile became frozen. "Understood."
As he excused himself, his face was bitter.
Shuya punched the pillar because his rage was too much for him. "Shuhei again and again! Why is it always Shuhei! Despite the fact that I am his eldest son, he never acknowledges my abilities."
Shuya's eyes were filled with hatred. "Shuhei, just wait; I will destroy you in a variety of ways."
•~•
Shuhei coult calm down on the way home. He drove fast despite his nervousness.
"I can't be late."
Shuhei got out of the car as soon as he arrived at the yard. He gasped in shock upon seeing Hiroki's lifeless body on the terrace's floor.
"Well, it appears I am running late." Shuhei burst through the door.
Lady Hojo was still sipping her tea calmly inside.
"Where is he?"
"What's the rush? Please take a seat first."
Lady Hojo's calmness exacerbated Shuhei's feelings. Especially when he realized that one of Lady Hojo's bodyguards was not there.
"Where is your other bodyguard?" Shuhei inquired.
"Oh, Yukari? Why are you asking? Do you like her?" Lady Hojo responded with a question. Her red lips curved into a sweet smile.
Lady Hojo clearly twisted her words on purpose, making Shuhei lose patience. He should not have to ask this question again. Shuhei then turned around and threw himself violently at the door.
Lady Hojo's smile vanished instantly.
The remaining bodyguard girl on the side sensed her mistress's rage. She was about to catch up and return Shuhei when Lady Hojo stopped her.
"Yuriko, just leave him alone after all his efforts were futile, because Yukari would have finished it already."
Yuriko bowed her head.
•~•
Daichi had been waiting for a taxi for quite some time, and he could not even find a bus stop nearby.
"I am tired." Daichi walks with a limp, which makes him slower and less comfortable. He occasionally looked behind him, fearful that Shuhei would pursue him.
Shuhei didn't pursue him. However, Daichi was unaware that a girl was pursuing him and giving him a menacing glance.
The young woman is Yukari, a bodyguards of Lady Hojo.
From a distance, Yukari saw the disabled Daichi trying to run, occasionally turning around, and she couldn't stop smiling.
Yukari relished stroking the blade of the knife she had hidden beneath her wide sleeve. To be honest, she could not wait to "feed" her beloved knife right away. She was only holding back because Lady Hojo had rules against acting in public.
"When did that deformed rat go to a quiet place? I couldn't bear to finish it off."
"You won't have a chance to do anything."
The girl was startled when she heard a voice from behind her. She turned her head, but only got to see half of the other party's face before she was knocked down.
Yukari jumped to her feet right away. She stared intently at the person in front of her while wiping the blood from her lips.
"Apparently it's you, Sonoda."
Yukari chuckled in annoyance as she looked back, knowing Daichi was no longer visible.
"You would better move aside now. I have to finish an order that Lady Hojo gave me. I don't have time to go some fun with you." With a chilly tone, Yukari chastised Sonoda.
"You're the one who stepped aside. I was given the order of pursuing that person as well. He's my business now."
When Yukari heard Sonoda's haughty remarks, she laughed.
"Who gave you the order to come? If your master was the one who sent you, then it is your duty to kill Nishiyama as well."
"My master wants that person alive and let him return home."
Yukari laughed, perplexed. "What?"
"It's up to you to make a decision. My order is to make sure everything goes as planned." Sonoda gave Yukari a serious look. "You had better not get involved."
"What would you do if I did?"
"I am going to fight you,"
"Are you up for a fight? Just go ahead and do it. Even if you are the daughter of heaven, I will still kill you if you stand in my way!
They were both getting ready to attack each other.
•~•
Daichi didn't know what happened behind him. He finally found a taxi driver who wanted to take him home after a long walk.
Once inside the taxi, Daichi's tense nerves began to relax. Even though his heartbeat was still a little suffocating, he fell asleep due to exhaustion.
The taxi driver's voice jolted the young man awake.
"Hey boy, I am sorry but I can't keep driving because there are so many people in front of me and fire trucks are blocking the road. Can you just get off here?"
Daichi looks out the window and realizes he is in familiar territory.
"Okay." Daichi requested that the driver wait for him because he needed to take money home to pay. The driver nodded.
Daichi noticed how thick the fire smoke was clumping and spiraling into the sky as soon as he got out of the car. Daichi was curious as to whose house was on fire.
Locals gathered on the road to witness the incident. Not to mention the firefighters who were hard at work, making the scene appear chaotic, and Daichi having difficulty walking forward.
"Excuse me, excuse me,"
Daichi pushed his way through the crowd. The sound of fire burning things became clearer as he got closer to his house. The young man was still unaware that it was his house that was on fire.
His unfocused mind became clearer and more conscious when he was right in front of his house's gate, the house that had been left in ruins emitting smoke, as if taunting Daichi for being late.
"What happened? Why did it happen?"
Daichi's words were overheard by a firefighter who happened to be nearby. In response, he said, "The Nishiyama family's home caught fire first. When we got there, the Nishiyama family's home had been destroyed and nothing could be saved because the fire had spread to so many other houses."
"How about the residents?" Daichi inquired stiffly.
"We are still looking," the officer said, motioning to other officers who had begun searching through the building's rubble after the fire had been completely extinguished.
As far as Daichi knows, his parents rarely leave the house in the evenings after work.
"No way ..."
Daichi was just silent for a while, staring at his house, which had vanished. In his heart, he hoped to hear his father and mother's voices calling him from behind.
In reality, firefighters discovered two bodies crushed by building debris. The two blackened and unrecognizable bodies were carried on a stretcher past Daichi, who could no longer bear his emotions.
"No way …"
--