One Room with the Female Boss I Hate

The wail of sirens cut through the air as police cars swarmed the scene. Before long, Nagumo Sian—president of Taira Food—along with the vice-director of the Kita-Tohoku Support Division and other senior executives from both Taira Food and the support division had gathered at the site of the incident. Still dressed in her kimono, Nagumo Sian approached me.

“Are you all right?”

“Nagumo Big Sister.”

Nagumo Sian didn’t look particularly shocked. She had already warned me that something like this might happen. The orange-haired assassin left me somewhat rattled, but Matsuhira Ginichiro’s death itself wasn’t all that surprising. After all, she had given me advance notice, and it wasn’t as if I’d only seen a person die once or twice before.

“Why was Mr. Matsuhira killed?”

Still, I was curious. Why him? The Taira Group usually preferred to make people simply disappear. I had never heard of them handling matters this violently. Even Nadachi Tojo—the former HR manager tied to the Minamoto Group—had only received the disappearing treatment.

“He was connected to the Chinese yakuza syndicate known as Kurotsukidoo. To send those Kurotsuki bastards a proper warning, we needed to make a little noise.”

Ah. So the Black Moon Hall I knew from the game existed here in Japan as well. Kurotsukidoo—Black Moon Hall—had grown into a massive criminal organization, corporate entity, and secret society by exploiting the chaos after World War III, when China fractured into three separate states. Having seen them appear as villains countless times in Mega Corp: Youngest Son and its predecessor TMC, the name was far from unfamiliar.

Kurotsukidoo’s standard playbook was to seize control of the back alleys first, then establish legitimate local corporations. Violence, drugs, and dirty money were, of course, the primary tools they used to make that happen.

Matsuhira Ginichiro had almost certainly been bought with their cash. Or perhaps his incessant chatter had been the result of drug addiction. Either way, when dealing with an outfit like Kurotsukidoo, a public display like this was far more effective than simply making someone vanish.

“Retaliation from their Akita branch will come soon, I suppose.”

“There have already been rumors of those Kurotsuki thugs showing up in the quieter rural areas. We might as well take this chance to wipe them out in one sweep.”

“If a situation arises where my strength could be of use, please contact me. I’ll help in any way I can.”

“Hohoho! How admirable. You’re offering to help your big sister?”

Nagumo Sian laughed boldly and pulled me into a hug. My face sank deep into her soft, motherly breasts, and an unexpected sense of comfort washed over me.

“You should be able to handle something of this scale if you want to become president of the Taira Group. Still, if it ever gets too difficult, I’ll reach out.”

Releasing the embrace, Nagumo Sian looked at me with warm, approving eyes. A moment later, a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠policeman approached to take my statement. He had thick eyebrows and a distinctly masculine face. Nearby, Suzuki Chisami was giving her own account to another officer.

“Officer, this young man is my guest. I trust you’ll treat him with proper respect.”

“Of course, Matriarch! I’ll be very courteous!”

Matriarch… Now I understood why Nagumo Sian had been so pleased when I called her Big Sister. If even an ordinary policeman addressed her that way, she must command that level of reverence across the entire region. Personally, I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy being called something like Godfather in my own territory.

“Mr. Taira Ryuta? I’ll only ask a few simple questions.”

“Of course. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

This statement was purely a formality. The Taira Group already ruled this local community; the police were hardly going to behave any differently. If anything, the deceased Matsuhira Ginichiro would likely be recorded as a victim of Kurotsukidoo. The police would then focus their efforts on pursuing the syndicate.

“Did you see the killer?”

“It was too far away to see clearly, but the person was wearing black techwear and carrying a gun.”

The officer scribbled “black techwear…” in his notebook. It was oddly charming that someone still used old-fashioned analog notebooks. Then again, this was Japan—plenty of people still carried them, though most would probably use their phones to type notes or record audio these days.

“On the black techwear, did you happen to notice a symbol like this?”

He showed me a black circle. Naturally, it was the emblem of Kurotsukidoo, but against black clothing, a black circle would be nearly invisible.

“The clothes were black, so I couldn’t tell if the symbol was there. It’s possible it wasn’t.”

“Hmm… I see. Thank you for your cooperation.”

I shook the officer’s hand and concluded my statement. Nagumo Sian’s influence in Akita Prefecture really was extraordinary. For a witness to a shooting murder—not just any homicide—to be released after only two questions was remarkable.

“I’ll be getting busy as well. It’s already late, so stay at the hotel you reserved for tonight. With the branch manager dead, there’s no need to work tomorrow. Get some rest and head straight back to Chiba in the morning.”

“Yes, Big Sister.”

“Hmm…! I do quite like being called Big Sister, but your uncles and aunts might not approve. It would be safer to call me Matriarch like everyone else.”

Nagumo Sian was looking out for me by pointing out the issue with titles. The three main successors were desperate for her support. If I casually called her Big Sister, it could paint a target on my back with all three of them.

“But I like Big Sister more.”

“It is not yet time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to reveal yourself.”

She seemed to have sensed the ambition I kept hidden in my heart. Her tone grew serious.

“Once you have secured the complete support of the presidents of the three core subsidiaries, that will be the moment to declare your intentions.”

“Three places…?”

Three was both a large and small number at the same time. Seeing my expression, Nagumo Sian gave me an approving smile and leaned in to whisper softly in my ear.

“If you win the support of two, I will become the third.”

I didn’t reply with words. Instead, I simply bowed my head to her. It seemed her willingness to help stemmed from her old connection to Taira Saburo. I was grateful she still remembered the previous generation’s ties.

“Now go rest with your superior. I must prepare to fight Kurotsukidoo, so I’ll be quite busy.”

“Take care, Matriarch. I’ll make sure the next time I can call you Big Sister without causing trouble.”

“Fufu. I’d like that very much.”

Once Nagumo Sian confirmed that Suzuki Chisami had finished giving her statement, she sent her off. I said my goodbyes and walked over to Suzuki Chisami. She still looked deeply shaken, as if seeing someone die right beside her had been a first.

“Assistant Team Leader, let’s go.”

“Y-yes…! Let’s leave this place first.”

Although the police had removed Matsuhira Ginichiro’s body, the bloodstains and the golf cart still standing there were vivid reminders of what had happened. Suzuki Chisami clearly wanted to get away as quickly as possible. After exchanging farewells with Nagumo Sian and the PR manager, we headed toward the Taira Food headquarters where our car was parked. As if she had arranged it beforehand, another golf cart arrived to take us there.

Once we reached the parking lot at Taira Food headquarters, I had Suzuki Chisami get in and began driving in silence. Come to think of it, I needed to report this to Yukiko. If I tried to gloss over it, she would be furious.

“Ah, I should report the situation to the Director…”

I dialed Yukiko’s number.

I explained everything that had happened. Since Suzuki Chisami was sitting right beside me, I didn’t mention that the Taira Group had orchestrated the hit. I simply said it appeared to be connected to Kurotsukidoo. The moment Yukiko heard that name, she seemed to understand and told me she’d handle it.

"Rest for today. There’s no need to work tomorrow—just come straight back. I’ll book your flight."

"Thank you, Mother."

"Put Assistant Team Leader Suzuki on the line."

"Yes."

Since I was driving, I had the call on speakerphone. Suzuki Chisami had heard the entire conversation. When Yukiko finished speaking, Suzuki Chisami immediately took the phone, exchanged a few words, and hung up. From the length of the call, it didn’t seem like anything important was discussed.

“What did Mother say?”

Now that we were alone, I spoke to Suzuki Chisami casually. She no longer seemed bothered by my informal tone.

“She said I worked hard. She also told me that once this business ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trip is over, I can take about three days of vacation.”

Hmm. I wonder if she’ll give me any time off too. That would basically make it a month of vacation.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes. Thank you for your concern, Ryuta-sama.”

Good. She had recovered. Time to ask what I really wanted to know.

“By the way, what was your relationship with Mimata Chieri back at the Taira Donation Foundation? You two didn’t seem particularly close.”

“There were some work-related conflicts with Ms. Mimata. She wasn’t aligned with Ichiro or Jiro’s factions. As far as I could tell, she wasn’t part of Kokoro’s faction either.”

“Did she have any other notable habits?”

“Hmm… Oh, one thing. She frequently took two- or three-day vacations. Now that I think about it, I once scolded her for using vacation time when we had an important schedule. Our relationship probably soured after that.”

Vacation…! Even the day before the business trip, Mimata Chieri had been absent on leave. Could she really have come all the way here during her time off? Was it too much of a leap to suspect her just because of her orange hair?

“Why are you suddenly asking about Ms. Mimata?”

“Just something that came to mind while driving. What are you planning to do during your vacation?”

I smoothly changed the subject. When the topic turned to her time off, Suzuki Chisami said she would probably just rest at home. When I asked if I could visit her after finishing work, her lightly tanned cheeks flushed red as she nodded. It was incredibly cute.

“We’re here. I’m feeling a bit hungry, so I’m thinking of grabbing something to eat before heading in. What about you, Ms. Suzuki?”

“I still haven’t digested all the food I ate during the factory tour. I’ll head to the hotel first.”

True, we had eaten quite a bit while touring the factory. For an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠average woman, that would have been more than enough. Of course, with the enormous calories I needed, it barely made a dent, but Suzuki Chisami decided to go to the hotel ahead of me. We parted ways in the parking lot.

“Akita Prefecture’s famous dish…”

When visiting another region, it was only proper to try the local specialty at least once.

After a quick search, I learned that Akita’s signature dish was kiritanpo—rice mashed onto a stick, shaped into a cylinder, and grilled. It looked like something between rice cakes and scorched rice. Usually it was grilled and dipped in soy sauce or added to hot pots. Since I was slightly hungry, I chose the hot pot version and found a restaurant.

The broth was made from chicken stock and contained shirataki noodles, burdock root, green onions, chicken, and of course, slices of the famous kiritanpo. The warm soy-sauce-based chicken soup paired with the kiritanpo was delicious. If I had to compare it to Korean food, it was like grilled garaetteok, only softer in texture.

After thoroughly enjoying the kiritanpo hot pot, I picked up some beer and snacks at a convenience store and returned to the hotel. There I found Suzuki Chisami lying seductively on the bed in nothing but her underwear, looking straight at me.

“Would you like some post-meal exercise, Ryuta-sama?”

“Sounds good~!”

I was already kicking off my pants before the words had fully left my mouth. Starting tonight and continuing until tomorrow morning, I was going to thoroughly imprint myself onto this once-detestable woman’s body.