Chp. 9: The Godfather of Ikebukuro
"Hey…"
Natsuyo glanced at her client out of the corner of her right eye hesitantly. He was still here, and the sooner he was gone, the better.
"Yes, Samurai-san?..." she asked.
Ryu bit his lip for a minute. He knew he'd tripped a wire with noticing her scar, but not why that was tripping a wire? Did she think it made her ugly? He was hoping to resolve it by pointing out something he liked about her.
"You have a really pretty voice." He blurted out before he was really ready to say it. She flinched at the slight excess of volume and blinked.
"Uhm…Uh…thank you?" she replied. He sighed.
"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable by staring." He added. She blinked again. He tapped his forehead, just above his left eye.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Samurai-san." She said. Her eyes seemed to be pushing him towards the door.
Ryu took her silent advice and moved to leave. He stopped one last time, one hand on the door handle.
"I guess I'll see you next time I'm here." He said. She didn't respond as she kept her back turned to him.
Ryu left and closed the door behind him. He was surprised to see a familiar face in the hall.
"Taking a liking to Natsuyo-san?" Mitsuki asked. He shrugged.
"What can I say, I fancy the mysterious kind."
The young man looked at the…acquaintance. Could he call this woman a friend? They knew each other in a professional sense, as co-workers. She was the woman Daisuke seemed to have an infatuation with. Whether they had any actual relationship was a mystery to him. The subject of mystery brought him back to Natsuyo.
"Hey, Inori-san." Ryu spoke up, running a hand through his hair. She looked at him expectantly.
"Natsuyo-san…do you know anything about her?" He asked. She chewed on the question a minute, inspecting her colored fingernails.
"Besides her "name", why every guy likes her and what she looks like, no. Why?" the older woman asked. Ryu had never considered Natsuyo might not even be her real name. Mitsuki looked back at him with arched eyebrows, which surprised him.
"Don't tell me Dai-kun's thing for hookers rubbed off on you." She said, sounding almost disappointed. Ryu tilted his head.
"Is there a problem with getting lots of business from him?"
"Trust me, Itogara-san, you might want to consider not getting involved with her. She's too mysterious to me." She simply said before turning and disappearing into one of the rooms.
Ryu watched her for a moment before shaking his head and walking on. He walked into the open air and felt silent relief the smells of intoxication and lust weren't in the air anymore. He was sure he needed to shower the contingents of those off of him. His bike was still about a block or two away, and he quickly crossed at an intersection to begin towards the machine. It was still there, as he'd expected; no one really wanted the old bike. He donned his helmet and revved the engine. He felt his pocket vibrating and turned off the engine. It was none other than his employer.
"What's up, Sabunari-san?" He intoned.
"Good, you're awake. Listen, we've got a meeting with…well, sort of my boss." Daisuke informed him. He sounded a tad uneasy.
"Boss?" Ryu repeated with a blink.
"In a way…he's an officer of the Awakusu-Kai, local Yakuza-type group. Apparently our little scuffle last night has him concerned." He explained.
Ryu felt two reasons to be nervous. The first was the mention of them being Yakuza-esque folk, which could explain itself…the second was Daisuke's voice. It seemed a cocktail of uneasiness and familiarity to the group.
"Why is it any concern to them?" Ryu asked slowly.
"Shiki-san's rep didn't explain anything to me. They aren't pissed with us; otherwise they would've visited me in person. Don't worry though, he's a good guy." Daisuke replied, though it sounded more like speculation.
"How soon until we meet? I need to take a shower." The young man asked.
"Few hours, we'll meet at my place and go from there." He explained.
"Okay, I'll hurry it up. See yah then."
"Yeah."
Before he hung up, Ryu dropped a mention of his Glock.
"I'll give it to you when we meet up, though Shiki-san might have us disarmed before we meet him. But congrats, you've earned the privilege to carry it." He said. Ryu smiled as the line went dead…
Ryu stuck to his usual street garb when he left his apartment. He didn't know if the Awakusu-Kai had any kind of dress code or standards, but at the same time he didn't want to seem like he was trying to be an ass-kisser. Furthermore, he didn't really own any nice clothes anyways…The young man took his bike to Daisuke's apartment, forcing himself to move faster through the nice, sunny day. Daisuke was waiting outside his own apartment for the young man.
"Morning, Sabunari-san, how's the injury?" Ryu said, jerking his head at the man.
"Better, thanks to my friend Kishitani-san." Daisuke replied. He held out a plastic grocery bag with a towel in it.
"This is yours, go ahead and put it on inside my place." He added.
Ryu nodded and walked up the steps to Daisuke's apartment. Inside the bag he found a spare key. He slipped in and set the bag on the sofa. He took off his t-shirt and took out the holstered Glock. He slid in on and then but his shirt on as well. He still wasn't used to the object resting against his left side of ribs. It did feel nice to have the weapon now, especially if the Yellow Scarves were the type to "get even", whether or not those two punks had actually gotten put six feet under. The young man locked the apartment and rejoined his boss.
"So what happened?" He said as he handed the key over.
"With the Scarves?" Daisuke replied as they set off. Ryu nodded.
"I doubt you shot first, unless you shot yourself." He added.
"One of em started getting all pissy and drew his little squirt-gun of a firearm, trying to scare me. I let them know I was armed and ready to escalate unless they calmed down, and for them that was all they needed." He said, his voice dripped with frustration as he talked.
"Fucking punk kids." He grumbled at the end.
Ryu was only half-listening. The other half of his mind was still slightly troubled with the mix of Natsuyo's behavior and Mitsuki's words. Innate curiosity kept him thinking about Natsuyo's scar, and the fact that she was apparently to herself more than not. Then again that was just Mitsuki. One person out of however many had seen her, slept with her. Maybe she'd had a rough client once? He guessed it wouldn't hurt to ask politely, all she could say was no.
He shook his head. It was already dangerous enough, he reckoned, to become this interested in a prostitute. Not to mention hard to act on. She dealt with guys who were hot between the legs for a living…He shook his head again. Why was he acting like he had a thing for her? Now wasn't the time to deal with this.
They walked a minute in silence before Ryu asked a more relevant question out loud.
"So who's this "boss" of yours and why is he connected to a crime syndicate?"
Daisuke looked at him and shrugged.
"I don't know why Shiki-san is, he's never told me. But apparently when it comes to running big orders, I'm the one he trusts. And that trust comes with a smattering of benefits, believe you me. He's a nice guy, makes sure there is mutual respect between you and him. Just let me and occasionally Thach-san do the talking and you'll be okay." He said. Ryu blinked.
"What's Thach-san got to do with this?"
"You and he are gonna be my escort in. Extra insurance, like last night." The brunette shrugged.
"Yeah but last night was with an unknown group of people." The teen pointed out as they crossed the street. Daisuke wagged a finger.
"Never get to comfortable around anyone, Itogara-san, especially not Yakuza types." He intoned with the voice of a teacher.
They saw the smuggler's lieutenant reading a paper. He spotted them and discarded the periodical.
"Good morning, Thatch-san." Daisuke said as they exchanged bows. Ryu and the man did the same.
"Good morning to both of you." He said in a stoic tone. The man cast a glance at Ryu.
"For your first fight, your performance was…acceptable." He added. It was the first sign of respect Nyugen had shown him, but he could tell it had been forced. Nyugen looked at his boss.
"I have an update on the possible deal with the Papashvili group that I can give you after we meet with Shiki-san." He said. Daisuke nodded.
"Gotta love them Russian mafia types." He commented.
Their destination was a nondescript four-story building, painted a very light gray. It had only an address; No signs or indication of its purpose. Daisuke walked up to a call box and reached for it.
"State your business." a voice said before he could reach the button.
"I have an appointment with Shiki-san regarding delivery." He said to the intercom. There was a brief pause, probably while whoever was manning the device, checked to make sure Daisuke was telling the truth.
"So Thach-san, random question, but what do you pack?" Ryu asked while they waited for a response. The man glanced at him and reached inside his jacket, pulling out a Berretta 92FS. Ryu noted that the only color was a small flag of red stripes against a yellow background.
"South Vietnam?" He guessed. The man nodded.
"My family fled here in 1975, when those wretches from the north enslaved the south." He said with a certain air of bitterness.
Ryu didn't push it any further once they were let inside. Waiting for them was a man in a white suit. The entrance was manned by two guards, one behind a desk near the call box and one standing near the wall opposite him. In the latter's possession was a MAC-11 SMG. Despite his sunglasses, Ryu could tell the guard was eyeing him cautiously.
"Shiki is expecting you, sir, please follow me." White suit said.
The visitors were taken to an elevator and then to the third floor. Ryu wasn't surprised at the luxurious manner of the establishment; Organizations like this were likely to draw in heavy profits which they could then use as they pleased. They walked across the carpeted hallway to yet another guarded entrance. One of the armed men pulled open the door, letting in white suit first before the trio of smugglers.
"Good morning Shiki-san." Daisuke bowed after he'd passed their guide.
Ryu did the same before looking over their host on a couch opposite them. As he did, he couldn't seem to gauge if the man was young or not. His face was a series of taut lines that made his expression an eternal scowl. At first he thought the man was mad, but the expression was softened. He wore a white suit with a few of the buttons for its black shirt undone and the collar popped, revealing a golden chain.
"Hello, Daisuke-san. Please, take a seat." He motioned.
Ryu and Nyugen stood behind their boss as he sat down on a couch. The two each lit a cigarette before talking. Ryu let his eyes dart around a few corners of the room. The white walls were mostly bare except for a group of pictures which were arranged in a hierarchal way, with Shiki in a lieutenant positions, much like Nyugen was to Daisuke. One of the pictures showed a man with a scar above his left eye, kind of like Natsuyo's…
Once again he was back to the mysterious young woman. His mind tried to think of other things that might've caused her scar, and why she was acting much differently than their first meeting. Maybe she thought he was going to start stalking her? Why would he do that?
"Oy, Itogara-san."
Ryu's eyes snapped towards Daisuke as the man motioned towards Shiki. Ryu looked at the man.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention…" He trailed off, unsure how to address the suited man.
"Shiki-san is fine. Anyways you were the one that shot most of Sabunari-san's attackers?" He assured. Ryu nodded.
"Yes."
The man sat back on his couch and considered the teen a minute. His gaze shifted to Daisuke.
"Hiring them young, are we?" He said with the flash of a wry smile. Daisuke seemed amused.
"The kid's got scary potential with a firearm, he's fast too." He added. Ryu wasn't sure if his smile would be best as a nervous one or a bit prideful.
"Very interesting…" Shiki mused.
"So know that we have all the details ironed out, what's this little incident to you, Shiki-san?" Daisuke asked. The gangster rested his chin on his hands and pondered the inquisition for a minute.
"One of my newer informants, Orihara-san, has given me a little info on them, but they're still very much an obscure group. I'm not too fond of having my organization's territory encroached on, as are my superiors. This city has enough gangs already that though nothing more than fleas by themselves compared to us, together may pose a threat." He explained. Ryu was slightly surprised to hear that Izaya character was involved with the yakuza. He seemed to be everywhere…
"If I may, Shiki-san, Sabunari-san?" Ryu said, getting back on track. One of the yakuza guards seemed ready to open his mouth, probably to tell Ryu to be quiet, but Shiki stopped him.
"You have something to add, Itogara-san?" He asked.
"These guys, at least the ones we faced, seem just a little above high school gang members. Their aim was poor and they apparently didn't know what it means to take cover." The teen replied.
Shiki seemed a tinge impressed, he looked at Daisuke again.
"So would you agree they aren't much of a threat?" He said to the brunette.
"Easily." Daisuke agreed.
Shiki pondered again, then looked at the three visitors.
"Very well, at the moment they don't seem much of a threat. I thank you for your assistance Sabunari-san, Itogara-san." He said. Daisuke nodded.
"Always a pleasure to help my primary customer." He smiled.
The two parties exchanged bows, but Shiki held up a hand before the trio of smugglers reached the door.
"I would like to speak to Itogara-san, alone." He said. Ryu felt his muscles tighten just a little.
"With all due respect, may I ask why, Shiki-san?" Ryu said. He gave an enigmatic smile.
"You shall see. I assure your safety."
"Nice knowin' yah, Itogara-san. If you aren't dead, I have another job lined up for you." Daisuke whispered with an all-to-apparent smile. Ryu frowned and stayed behind. Shiki motioned to the couch.
"Please, be seated."
The young man sat down and straightened up. Looking across at the man and his guards, both carrying their own menacing weight, he realized he was in a very new world. He was now in too deep to go back, too deep to pull out now. He was talking to the yakuza, hell in a way he worked for them! And Shiki had asked for him, personally, to stay behind.
"Do you smoke?" the gangster asked as he lit a second smoke. Ryu shook his head.
"Very rarely."
Shiki nodded and took a long draw, savoring the flavor of his stick, before considering the young man sitting across from him.
"Japan always seems to complain about how its youth are in trouble, how they might become criminals or form gangs. They want them all to grow up to be responsible, educated, successful people. They believe the next generation must always reach their bar of performance. No matter how much others critique it, like that one movie with those kids on the island, criminal youth will persist." He said at length. It seemed odd of him to have any ounce of the poetic type in him. At least he wasn't apparently pissed at the possible interruption.
"Sounds like something my overbearing father would yell at me when he was pissed." Ryu commented.
"Oh?"
"Yeah, me and him didn't see eye-to-eye. I wanted to be a musician; he wanted me to be a white-collar worker."
"Tell me, how did you come to be in the employment of Sabunari Daisuke with the want to be a musician?"
Ryu hesitated for a minute, pressing for a modified and shorter version of the truth.
"I needed money, and what Daisuke offered me is only illegal because the government wants its taxes and control. In reality, I'm not much more than a runner, a delivery boy. The potential for a music career wasn't moving fast enough." He replied, trying to sound casual. Shiki seemed amused.
"Not every day I meet someone who goes from one thing to something this different."
Ryu was half-tempted to ask what the point of him staying behind, but he didn't dare two interruption or any show of disrespect.
"Enough rambling though, I've asked you to stay behind because I would like to see if the potential Sabunari-san mentioned is true."
Ryu looked at him. The guy had to have just read his thoughts, but Ryu quickly made an assumption regarding his "skills".
"With all due respect, Shiki-san, I only used my Glock in self-defense. I'm not hitman or armed escort if that's what you're implying." He quickly said. Shiki nodded.
"Perhaps I should've been a bit more specific; I meant your speed in delivery." He corrected with a hint of a chuckle.
"What needs to be delivered? And where?" Ryu asked hesitantly. Shiki's face became stony.
"Some valuable electronics my superiors need. You need to run them from one of our own warehouses here in Ikebukuro to the docks down in the port. We'll give you all the details including the location should you decide to accept. You have one week, and you can come back here, or contact me through Sabunari-san." He briefed.
"What's the payout?" The smuggler asked, getting to one of the key parts of this possible deal. Shiki seemed to smile again.
"The payment is 300,000 Yen. If you accept you will be given 10,000 up front, as insurance for both of us." He announced. Ryu nearly fell out of his seat.
"That's a…large sum." Ryu observed.
"Yes, but that's for two good reasons." The Awakusu-kai lieutenant told him.
"Which are?"
"The first is the nature of the package. Since it's so valuable, the payout should be equal to persuade its courier to see it how we do. The second is a little less pleasant…If you fail us, you will have to repay us the damages, with money or your life. Whichever can be taken more readily."
Oh yes, he was definitely in very deep…