Chapter 205 – Conflict With the Yakuza

Kuzuhara and I stepped out of the mansion for a short break.

Sayuri and the followers were in the conference room right now, discussing whether or not to join forces with Kuzuhara and the others.

“Geez, I can’t believe you ended up in the care of a cult full of women. How in the world did that happen?” (Kuzuhara)
Kuzuhara took a puff of his cigarette.

“Well, to put it simply… I was abducted, I suppose?” (Torimoto)
“Hah?” (Kuzuhara)
“That being said, I could have escaped if I wanted to. Well, you did the same thing to me once, didn’t you?” (Torimoto)
“…? …Ah, so that’s what you mean by ‘abducted’.” (Kuzuhara)
Kuzuhara had once sent his subordinates out to look for me… Torimoto. And when they found me, they half-forced me into going with them to meet Kuzuhara.

“I’m guessing you intentionally made your way in here so you could see if you could earn a profit off them, right?” (Kuzuhara)
“Spot on.” (Torimoto)
“Cheapskate.” (Kuzuhara)
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” (Torimoto)
Kuzuhara smacked his lips and exhaled deeply as he looked up at the clear sky.

“How do you think they’ll respond?” (Kuzuhara)
“Who knows? If they value their lives, they’ll join hands with you. If not, they’ll refuse.” (Torimoto)
“How about you try to persuade them too? As a Restorer, you can’t just sit by and watch as someone you know dies a tragic death, can you?” (Kuzuhara)
“I wouldn’t try to save someone who was eager to die.” (Torimoto)
“You…” (Kuzuhara)
“Besides, it’s not like she’s reaching a decision alone. Sayuri said she would discuss it with everyone and come up with an answer. And if their answer ends up being reckless, then that was just the kind of organization they were in the first place. In this world, you don’t need to prick your conscience over those who are willing to throw away their lives like that.” (Torimoto)
“…..You’re right. Right now, everyone is desperately trying to survive. There are people who are in dire straits because they don’t have enough to eat each day. Not too long ago, that was unthinkable. But there are people who are struggling hand in hand in order to work out a living and survive. If those women are the kind of people who take their own lives for granted, then maybe they aren’t worth the trouble.” (Kuzuhara)
Moreover, I was only moving for my own benefit. If Sayuri and the followers made the wrong choice, that wasn’t any of my business. In that case, I would just go home.

But if they wanted to join forces with Kuzuhara, there was room for me to make a profit. If they were going to war, they would have to be prepared.

In other words, I could expect some business as the arms dealer of death, Enjou Yuri. And if there were any wounded people, I could make some money from healing them as Torimoto.

I had gone out of my way to act as a mediator in this because I thought this could turn out to be a big business opportunity.

“Anyway, are you okay with going to war with the yakuza, Kuzuhara-san?” (Torimoto)
“Of course not. Who wants to fight a war with the yakuza? But I can’t just turn a blind eye if there’s going to be a war in this city.” (Kuzuhara)
“Do you know any details regarding the Higuchi Group?” (Torimoto)
“Hm? Not really. Just that Ryudou was associated with those dudes, so I did a bit of looking into it myself. Besides, when I founded the Inochi-shirazu, I ended up getting tangled up with them a bit. With the boss, too.” (Kuzuhara)
“Hoh, so you’re acquainted.” (Torimoto)
It sounded a bit unusual, for the boss to directly show his face to a newcomer who wasn’t even a member of the organization yet.

“The head of the Hosen Group, who was attacked by the religious order, was a relatively mild person. He himself said that he wasn’t very good at fighting. Well, that was just a rumor.” (Kuzuhara)
“Doesn’t seem like the kind of person that Ryudou, someone who committed all kinds of inhuman atrocities, would easily associate with.” (Torimoto)
“Ah… The one that Ryudou was involved with was the son of the boss. The young master of the group. But now that the boss is dead, he should be succeeding him as head of the group.” (Kuzuhara)
“Do you know that boss’s son?” (Torimoto)
“Nah. Well, I’ve had a few skirmishes with some of the subordinates that he sent out. He was probably being used as a pawn in Ryudou’s schemes.” (Kuzuhara)
“Then when you and Torakado-san were fighting with Ryudou to conquer that dungeon, were there any members of the Hosen Group there?” (Torimoto)
“Nope. A short time before then, it seemed that Ryudou and the young master had cut ties. Well, to the yakuza, Ryudou wasn’t part of them. He was just a thug. With the world becoming like this, they probably couldn’t see the benefit of working with Ryudou anymore, I suppose?” (Kuzuhara)
The reason that they were working with him in the first place was most likely because he was a potential source of money. According to Kuzuhara, Ryudou also had some business acumen. Rather, he was versatile, and the young master of the Hosen Group might have had his eye on him as a potential avenue for profit.

However, the value of money in this world became moot. The prices of everything that had been considered valuable drastically plummeted. Therefore, there was no longer any reason to keep Ryudou close, and he severed his ties with Ryudou.

“Unlike the moderate boss, the young master was a guy who liked violent disputes. The two of them often clashed over their differing perspectives.” (Kuzuhara)
“Even between father and son, huh?” (Torimoto)
“That was why the Hosen Group was divided into two factions, headed by the boss and the young master. Although this couldn’t be seen from the outside.” (Kuzuhara)
In other words, even though they were one organization, they weren’t completely united.

“Perhaps the person who’s happiest about the death of the boss is the young master.” (Kuzuhara)
As he said that, he pressed the cigarette into the ashtray, snuffing it out.

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