Chapter 10:
Sure enough, Kyouhei got better and his boss told him that if he didn't respond to the chemo, Kyouhei would be in charge, permanently.
When Kyouhei returned to the base, most of the men who worked under him left too frightened to approach him now. New members arrived and Kyouhei took charge. No one who were once in a rank higher than he wanted anything to do with him. He made himself known to the elite in just about a month after he came to power, two days after the boss died.
The women, as usual, were drawn to his god-like beauty, but the scars were able to make him more menacing than before, so if he didn't want anyone to approach him, he glared and they'd run away faster than the wind.
He came to Takenaga and Noi's house after he came into power to tell them he was thinking of seeing Sunako again.
He never told us why, Takenaga said. I figured he wanted fried shrimp and Noi was certain that he decided to finally ask you out.
In a way, he did, Sunako told him. But not in a way I'd like. So he's not been in power too long…
Yeah, but his boys are too scared to stand up to him.
It's turned into some sort of American Yakuza story!
They called that the Mafia, Noi, Sunako explained. Yakuza are strictly Japanese, but they're essentially the same thing.
Kyouhei never told us what he was planning exactly and we're sort of scared for him…and you, of course. But Kyouhei isn't who he was all those years ago back in high school. He's a bit more observant and, sometimes, eccentric. Very eccentric.
Sunako held her tea in her hands. It had grown cold and the sky was darkening outside. "Are you going to be alright?" Noi asked.
"I have a feeling that I'll be fine," Sunako said, setting the cup of untouched tea back onto the table. "Thanks, Takenaga, Noi. I better get going."
She bade goodbye to her friends and left, the guards right behind her. The drive home felt slow and filled with thought. She never would have imagined that Kyouhei would have gone through such trouble in a year without having to get backup from his friends. In that way, Sunako felt sorry for him.
The mansion loomed over her as they pulled up into the driveway, Kyouhei was waiting outside, pacing.
"What took you so long?"
"I wanted answers and I doubted I was going to get any from you quickly."
The corner of Kyouhei's mouth twitched. "So you decided to get them from Takenaga."
"Well, who else was I going to get them out of? Ranmaru? Will you relax? I'm going to bed."
Kyouhei grabbed Sunako's arm. She spun around, glaring at him, but all he did was stare at her. "I really need to know what you talked to him about," he said. "Please."
Sunako knew he was begging. It was a strange sight, but she knew from what Takenaga said that this really wasn't the Kyouhei she knew from school. "I wanted to know what happened to you. Why you weren't acting like how I remembered. I know for a fact that you never would have really threatened to kill my family unless something bad had to have happened to you. Now I know."
"And what are you going to do about it," he said, letting go.
Sunako shrugged. "I don't know yet. I'll know when I know. Now can I go to bed?"
He nodded. "Sweet dreams."
"Night."