Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Male Prostitute
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"...What?"
"Ah, come on, now that everything's wrapped up, let's drop the formalities and talk comfortably."
This guy was clearly a sly, scheming wolf of a man, but at the same time, he was nothing more than a scavenger wandering around in search of corpses he could pick clean.
It wasn't like he'd targeted Supervisor Tachibana specifically to corrupt Harumi. No, he'd just worked Tachibana over to squeeze him for money, and then Kenji—this key player—had gone and screwed things up with Harumi on his own.
And looking back now, it didn't even seem like he'd killed Harumi's parents. Sure, it had ended up hurting her in the process, but flip that around, and it was precisely because of that I was able to step in and help her.
This is why causality matters so much.
"... "
Ryoma pondered the suggestion to loosen up for a moment, then gave a barely perceptible nod.
I shrugged my shoulders.
Ryoma stood there blankly for a bit before covering his mouth and chuckling.
"Heh heh heh."
Weird way to laugh.
Why was this old guy grinning at me like he was pleased with what he saw? Was this some cliché where the defeated enemy gets recruited to the winning side? I hope not. Recruiting from the enemy team instead of neutral parties just tanks your combat effectiveness to useless levels anyway.
"So, why'd you call back someone who was about to leave?"
Ryoma switched to casual speech right away.
"What were you planning to do with Kenji? Take his shares through some scheme and dispose of him?"
"Does that matter to you?"
I grinned.
"It does... and it doesn't."
Ryoma seemed oddly frustrated dealing with me. Even though he'd just smoked, he pulled out another cartridge and slotted it into his vape.
"What do you want? Get to the point."
Exactly what I'd been hoping for.
"Can you deal with Kenji exactly how I want? If so, whatever you do with his shares after that, I'll back off clean and simple."
He smirked with a strange look on his face at my words.
"'Back off clean and simple'? So if I refuse your proposal, you're saying you'll stand in my way? ...Fine, let's 'assume' I seize that crazy kid's shares. Even if you know about it, how exactly do you plan to stop me?"
He stared straight at me, one hand in his pocket, puffing on his vape with an intrigued expression—like he was waiting for my answer.
He's testing me.
Whether I'm just some punk who bulldozed the board with overwhelming funds from somewhere, or a brilliant strategist who'd waged an ultra-short-term battle with pure intellect... That's what he wants to know.
And this test was a breeze for me. I'd memorized the entire Japanese corporate law code, after all.
"File an injunction to block share disposal, then hit him with treasury share cancellation. How could you dump Kenji's shares on the market then? You know I have a fast track with the courts, right?"
"Heh heh heh. An injunction for blocking share disposal only flies if it's proven I'm seriously out to harm Kenji."
"Eh, who knows. Isn't the Kurogami family pretty famous? Even the judges would know the name~"
"...Fair point. Heh heh."
I didn't realize he was such a laugher.
Is he seriously gay? Why does he keep wagging his tail at me?
"Sorry to change the subject outta nowhere, but old man, you got a wife and kids?"
"What the... bullshit is this?"
A flash of displeasure crossed his face. Even a stone-cold guy like him has family as his reverse scale, huh. Anyway, if he's got a wife and kids, he's not gay. Relieved.
"Nah, you kept smiling at me, so I thought you might be."
"You... crazy bastard."
His throat bobbed as he grimaced—maybe from the sudden shift. Gay jabs trigger massive discomfort in straight guys.
"Anyway, if you block the injunction somehow, there's an even more fundamental, straightforward way."
He smoothed out the frown my nonsense had caused.
"What's that?"
"Just have me stash Kenji away somewhere and protect him. Me—with ties to multiple Tokyo district politicians, the Financial Services Agency, and the police—plus thirty yakuza with bats no match for a human weapon like me. If I decide to 'kidnap' him for protection, wouldn't that give you a real headache? You'd have to start a gunfight murder case right in the middle of Tokyo."
Ryoma started to chuckle unconsciously but caught himself, coughing dryly and hardening his expression as he recalled my words.
"Yeah... that'd be a pain. But not impossible."
"Ugh... I'm not here to stare you down, so cut the tough talk. Let's not make life harder for each other and just part ways easy. Yeah? The fight's over, so I'll concede what I have to—everyone grabs their spoils and bounces."
Ryoma rubbed his neck—maybe his throat was irritated from chain-vaping—and pulled the spent cartridge from his device.
"Let's hear it. What do you want done with Kenji?"
I already had the perfect revenge plan in mind.
"Can you sell him off as a male prostitute in a brothel?"
Ryoma's face twisted like I'd said something disgusting again.
Thud.
He tossed the blackened cigarette butt into the trash and replied.
"Personal grudge over what he did to your girl... Harumi? You're more tenacious than I thought."
"Show me a guy who can forgive someone who touched his woman. You heard it yourself in the hospital room—that crap about her working in a whorehouse. So we give it right back. Revenge like this should be easy for a yakuza veteran like you to get, no?"
Some might pity him for his twisted life from birth, but I don't care. There are plenty of people born into way worse who still live righteously.
Screw up, pay the price.
"Can't argue with that. But..."
Ryoma looked reluctant to accept a request from the man he'd just been battling under the table.
Time to persuade him more.
Something told me this guy would make a useful contact down the line. I can't rely on Mesui forever—better to line up a neutral-evil schemer in my network.
"Old man, you called me a seriously dangerous guy earlier."
Nod.
"How about a promise that this dangerous guy won't antagonize you—not even once, no matter what?"
He laughed again, but this time it was more sneer than genuine amusement.
"Not 'I'll take any request once,' just 'I won't antagonize you'? Think I'll buy that?"
"Even knowing what kind of guy I am?"
Ryoma raised an eyebrow, lost in thought for a moment.
"...True, having someone like you nursing a grudge would be a massive headache. But still no dice. Doesn't balance the scales."
"Then you make an offer this time, old-timer."
"Adjust your proposal to something reasonable. Can you help with a favor I ask later? Not 'orders'—a favor. You get what I mean. You'd have veto power, of course, and I won't ask anything that harms you or your people. Timing we negotiate."
This was way too favorable to me.
What was his angle?
"Why take a loss like that and counter with something so out of left field?"
"Figure it out. So, take it or leave it?"
Looking into his emotionless eyes, I got the sense. Total strategist type.
A crime coordinator who puts people on his chessboard and maneuvers them at will.
He says I have veto power, but reality's different.
Veto power only kicks in if I have the will to refuse.
To have the will to refuse, I need prior info to judge if it's negative or positive for me.
In other words, if he frames it so I don't see it as a big deal, he can offload any dangerous job.
Classic "I never lie" tactic. Right now it's a mercenary contract from a neutral-friendly spot, but who knows about later.
Pass.
Seeing me hesitate, Ryoma sweetened the pot.
"Kenji? I'll handle him however you want. Any method, all accepted. You seem to hold a grudge like no other—this should satisfy you, right?"
Oh?
That changes things.
"Deal. Mind if I back this up?"
Ding!
"...Quick hands."
I flashed my smartphone proudly and hit stop on the recording. Ryoma shook his head.
"So, how do you want it done?"
I'd cooked up a killer plan for Kenji.
"Sell him as a male prostitute in a brothel, and make sure he never rises again."
"Got it."
Straightforward answer. He wasn't just gonna kill him after saying that, right?
I eyed him suspiciously, and Ryoma casually rattled off some horrific details.
"No worries about escape or resistance. Experts on that side will handle it. Tendons in his wrists and ankles get cut surgically, vocal cords too. All twenty fingerprints and toeprints removed. Then drug addiction for brainwashing. GPS chip in the nape of his neck... Anyway, leave it to the pros. It'll be crueler than you can imagine."
That works for me.
"Guy who sang 'brothel, brothel' all day every day? He'll be thrilled under a bunch of men. Might even think of his mom while getting railed—warm and fuzzy."
"That's a nauseating image."
Ryoma covered his mouth again and giggled.
This guy has a weird sense of humor.
Gangsters, tsk tsk.
Nothing like my refined mindset—way too violent.
"I'm off. Call when you're ready."
"Sure~."
Ryoma chuckled at my slouchy vibe, turned, raised a hand, and vanished.
People actually do the "strong man pose" in real life...
Japanese through and through.