CHAPTER III

…

...

Before the Chiba Outfit's expansion into the Tokyo metropolitan area, they already had toeholds in certain places. Shinbashi district was one, and the mob had just finished securing the whole strip along Daiichikeihin avenue. It was a noisy, bustling area with large malls and pachinko parlors by the streets. Most students would go around to blow time at the cafés, arcades and see the movies with their dates after school let out. This was the kind of city life most of their peers loved. But Hikigaya Hachiman and Kawasaki Saki had other things in mind at the moment. They didn't exactly go along with the notion of hanging around and merrymaking, and entertaining romantic relationships with their peers. Not the idea of taking your girlfriend out on Fridays, or sleeping over at your boyfriend's place. Most of their friends did, but not them.

They were standing in an alley beside the mall, which opened up right along the trafficked street. They observed as some of the mall workers unloaded packages from a truck, before it left. Hachiman explained patiently to Kawasaki. "You'll be overseeing the transactions with the joints and malls along the avenue. Hanzo's operation down at the bayside in Chiba takes the stuff right up from the pier and gets it fenced hot. That's how we're undercutting every other supplier and making profits. We have trucks drive the stuff, clothes and appliances and liquor all the way to here, where we're laying down new lines."

Kawasaki asked after listening. "I mean, all of this stuff is nicked right off the unloading bay? I don't seem to get how nobody hasn't noticed nothin' missing yet."

"Well it's not always hijacked right off the unloading bay."

"Some of them are give-ups?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Most of them actually. As opposed to stickups, which were usually more… Let's say, fussy. The dock hands and the truckers were usually in on it and they just give up the cargo, and we hand them a tip. Most of the stuff is sold even before it gets shipped, so in the end the insurance companies pay for it."

"I understand. So, these are our buyers?" She perused a clipboard in her hands. "You boys work fast. You've got Shinbashi, and almost the whole Ginza district down on paper."

"It's still a contested area, and there are setbacks but yes. I currently have my retinue checked in one of our friend's hotels."

"The lion's share, I see."

"Is it a deal?"

Kawasaki crossed her arms. "I get thirty percent," she said.

Hachiman chuckled, surprised. "No, ten percent."

"Eighteen. And I'm the one catching the bullets for the distribution, bribes and customer support," she smiled curtly.

Hachiman was silent for a moment, impressed. Kawasaki Saki awaited his answer confidently. He smirked. "You clever girl." He promptly wrote down a manifest and tore the page out of his notebook to hand over. His phone rang, and he listened quietly for a second. "Yumiko. What do you want now?" Hachiman asked. He continued, "yeah, alright. Let's see… I'm at the side of the mall, right down Daiichikeihin-dori."

Kawasaki furrowed her eyebrows upon hearing that name. "You're in touch with Miura-san, huh? Close."

"She stuck around, and I'm looking out for her along the way," he replied.

It wasn't a minute later when Hachiman spotted the blonde-haired girl crossing the pedestrian line. Her necktie was loosely hanging from the collars of her white shirt. She had on a fit, denim short and white sneakers. "There you are, Hachi," she said. Her voice had a more flirty quality than usual. She sauntered up to him with a foxy look, then noticed the other woman with him. "What's up, guys?"

"She's normally not this nice," Hachiman whispered.

"No, no. I get it. You two are dating," Kawasaki muttered.

"Not at all, you've got it all wrong."

Yumiko pouted, staring at the two. "Y'know, I can hear you Hachi. I'm right here." She slid right up beside him and took his arm. "I don't mind if you ask me out though."

Kawasaki gave a narrow, envious look at him. Her purple eyes gave off a frightening aura, and Hachiman inwardly shuddered. "Yes," Kawasaki spoke gently, "I don't mind that either. Well now excuse me, I have more important things to do than to frolic around."

She spun around and disappeared behind the door of the mall's side building. Before she left, she did shoot him one more icy glare, jealous of his relationship with Miura. The two were not exactly on good terms, or the best of friends for that matter.

"Wait a moment, Kawasaki-san- " Hachiman sighed. It would really take some time before he could make it up to Kawasaki Saki. He turned around, only to face Yumiko. She was now staring at him without emotion, except her emerald orbs were menacing.

"Ne… you're moonlighting with her after school lets out, huh?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Hachiman retorted.

"Oh, nothing~." Her demeanor changed, and she chuckled. "Anyway, I was thinking if you could come with me to the mall. Y'know, maybe go out. Just the two of us."

"You sly witch, you want something from me. Spit it out."

Yumiko pouted, blushing upon getting her ruse called out. "I just wanted to check out the new places that opened in Ginza. I wanna see if I can buy myself a new bag, or some actually decent shoes."

"By decent… you mean expensive." He scoffed. "Fine. Let's go."

Hachiman took her hand and led her further down the open alley. Yumiko was initially puzzled and wondered where he was going. They stopped at an unloading park behind the mall, where the personnel met the supply trucks and picked up the arriving cargo to be sold inside. As it was well past morning already, most of the deliveries were done and a few of the mall workers sat in front of the storage room doors, smoking and taking breaks. Hachiman took Yumiko inside, and they were before a room full of boxes, arrayed in ceiling-high racks. It was like a warehouse, and she felt as if she was privy to some sort of secret facility. This was where the goods were kept before being displayed inside the mall. There were orders of all sorts of appliances; refrigerators, television sets, sound systems, chandeliers and decorative carpets.

Aside from that, there was the more important stuff, retained in a separate rack of boxes. Sealed in plastic stretch wraps were packages with expensive labels; the boxes were from exotic producers such as Prada, Dior, Hermès, and Dolce & Gabbana, all flown into the country from abroad. Yumiko was in awe. Her mind was full of questions, but it didn't immediately occur to her how Hachiman even had the audacity - or the connections for that matter - to take her here, a strictly off-limits place. The guard and the personnel let him as if he was a regular worker here. She knew that buying items straight from the outlet, or striking a deal with the staff itself, meant you could get stuff for cheaper - but it was almost unheard of. Besides these were luxury brands, not so easily brokered around. But Hachiman took care of it without her knowing.

It was insane, she thought. She followed him to one of the aisles, and they were completely alone. She was even more unnerved when he took a box cutter and started opening the packages like presents. "W-What are you doing?" She asked.

Hachiman glanced at her and made a gesture. "Pick out what you like."

She laughed. "Are you crazy? How... why... could I even? Is it okay?" She said skeptically.

"Don't worry about it. Would I bring you here if it wasn't?"

"I don't know, I feel a bit nervous now. I don't want to give you anything to put over, like, you're always so complacent with buying me things."

Hachiman smirked. "Since when did you learn to be so timid?" He sneered.

Yumiko protested. "Hey, I'm not so shameless! I'm not like those other girls."

"That's what they all say," he chuckled. "OK. Let's try this one. Put this on, this kinda looks good on you."

Hachiman gave her a pair of dark, delicately stitched sandals. It was D&G, and she was immediately certain it was authentic. Yumiko smiled, admiring his good taste. "Really, you think?" She gingerly accepted.

"Well, if I'm buying you stuff, it might as well be stuff I'd want to see you wear."

She was suddenly flustered. "You're being sarcastic!" She muttered.

"Not at all. I know I'm a bit of a cynic, but I actually think men should buy women anything they want, diamonds or whatever. They deserve it." He smiled preposterously.

Yumiko sighed. There was no use arguing with him. He never ceased to guilt-trip her when given the chance. After she took off her sneakers and socks, she tried out the sandals. It was perfectly her size, and felt good on her soles. When she stood up, Hachiman was directly in front of her.

He pushed a pretty, marble-print turquoise blouse to her gently. He said, "put this on. I want to see you in it."

She turned a deep shade of red, like a rose. "Y-You do?" She stuttered shyly.

Hachiman blinked. "What's with the reaction?"

"Baka! You were flirting with me just now!"

"Oh no, no."

She took the dress from him begrudgingly. "We might as well date together if you keep this up."

"You're the one flirting with me," he said pointedly.

"Stop fooling me around!"

Hachiman grinned. "Are you going to be nice to me for the whole week?"

"Hoh, in your dreams," Yumiko spat petulantly. But she was looking away, still a pink blush on her nose. She complied eventually. Nevermind the fact that she literally just changed her shirt in front of him and he watched, she wore the blouse he'd picked out for her when they left the place. Besides, she inwardly reasoned, it did look good on her. Not that she was actually taking his compliments seriously.

…

Hachiman was back in Chiba, having arrived in the afternoon. He found himself in the lobby of a municipal banking hall, with the purposes of securing another business transaction. The Fujinaga Bank was one of the many private firms owned and managed by the wealthier people in the city. It was these kinds of things that solidified a particular family's status within their mysterious social circles. These kinds of people have their names engraved in gold, atop buildings and bridges, to instill their influence in society - supposedly under the pretext of being patrons of development and the finer arts. Hachiman found such ideas laughable. But he would not argue that Miura Miyako's interests in taking over one of these ostentatious properties were purely tactical. The shrewd matriarch always seemed to have plans of her own up her old-fashioned sleeves.

The last time he saw Hayama Hayato, the two did not exactly leave on a good note. Hachiman spotted him in the hall as well. He decided to walk up to him. Hachiman had an air of friendliness when he greeted him. "Hayama-san. It's nice seeing you here."

Hayato grimaced a bit. "What do you want, Hikigaya-san?"

"Seems like you've finally dropped the silly nicknames," Hachiman said, grinning. "I know we've gotten off the wrong foot. I admit, sometimes I can be quite offensive. And the last time we spoke, it didn't sit well with me so I wanted to make amends."

Hayato was unfazed. "Cut to the chase, Hikigaya-san. What are you trying to do now?"

"All I wanted from the start was to change myself," he said. "I know you don't believe me. Most people don't, and I don't expect you to. But not everything I do is some secretive self-centered scheme. I am not that clever, my friend."

"Would you care to explain why you're at a rivaling position to us then? Something tells me you went all this way with a grudge."

"That I did, yes."

The air-conditioned, furnished conference room was still empty, save for the two of them. This was to be a discreet meeting, as they were dealing with the purchase of a significant asset in the city. The few other people they were expecting had not yet arrived, so Hayato felt he could converse with Hachiman more freely. Admittedly, Hachiman was not on the same page as him, or the Hayamas for that matter. After all, it was because of him that the Miuras now had influence over his parent's law firm. Now he had a different question in mind.

"Does Miura-san know this?" He asked.

Hachiman did not answer immediately. Hayato gave a grim look. He muttered, "does she even know you at all?"

"Of course she does. Yumiko is my friend."

"But you lie to her."

Hachiman was thoughtful. "Well, yes… I suppose sometimes I do betray her trust. But betrayal is an inherent part of relationships, don't you think? Lies are for when the truth is too difficult to believe."

Hayato scoffed. "There you go. Now we both confirm you're a sociopath."

"Excuse me! At least call me a refined sociopath. Put some taste into it. I might be a bit off-putting, but I'm not a maniac."

Hayato said warily, "I haven't the slightest idea how you could live with those kinds of principles in your head. I bet you sleep like a baby at night, don't you? Walking up to Miura-san with the same plastic smile masked over your face, which you so hated all those years ago. It turns out, you turned into the very thing you despised."

Hachiman furrowed his eyebrows a bit. The smile that followed next had a sinister impression on Hayato, though Hachiman seemed sincere. He said, "I genuinely do appreciate Yumiko-chan. More so than anyone else, but… well, I suppose sometimes I am a bit disingenuous to her." He relaxed into his seat at the table.

"Anyways, betrayal is what makes a relationship. I'm sure you know that, Hayama-san. While we're on the subject, let's talk about Haruno-san. I'm convinced that you truly love her, and you'd give the world to her if she asks. You would never think of betraying her, would you? No, not at all. But you see… you will. We always hurt the ones we love, and when it happens, it's subliminal. It's in our nature. Right now, you're betraying her as we speak. And I could ask you the same question."

Hayato said, "I do not know if any of your words are credible at all. You talk a whole lot about genuine and relationships, but if there's one person I've never seen show his true self, it's you."

"Hey, don't judge someone who's already paying for their mistakes." Hachiman muttered, suddenly downcast, "listen a bit. I know that I hardly showed it, but I truly cared for Yuigahama-san and Yukinoshita-san. I couldn't remember anyone else before them who befriended me. Back in elementary, I had no friends because I didn't fit in. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I wasn't always like this. Anyhow, whatever made me so terrible also caused a divide between us. I liked Yukinoshita. Liked her too much. Along the way I'd hurt Yuigahama-san. Because I simply didn't feel the same way with her as I did with Yukinoshita. I'm not trying to make a point. But you see me now, and I think you wouldn't want to end up like me."

Hayato turned his eyes down, becoming solemn. He looked directly at him and said, "you're one of the few people Haruno-san opens up to. It would seem that she trusts you."

Hachiman shook his head. "No. It's not trust at all."

"I figured you'd say that. No, it's something else alright."

"She spoke to me before." Hachiman did not need to wait for Hayama to pose his question. He brought up the impending marriage between the two, and perused the truth. "She doesn't like any of this, business deals veiled as a marriage proposal, does she?" Hachiman asked.

Hayama's face darkened, but strangely, he still kept a faint smile. "She feels the same way as I do."

Hachiman shrugged, turning away. "This is none of my business at all. I don't think it was right of me for telling you about this, but then again, Haruno-san didn't say not to. I figured you ought to know. But I suppose you already did from the start."

After a while, Hayato answered. "We are instruments. That's all we are at this point."

Hachiman cut him off. "Hayama-san, being cynical is not your suit."

Hayato chuckled. "I don't even know if there's a silver lining to this all at all."

Hachiman shrugged. "If you marry her… it's not an objectively wrong choice. There's no right or wrong answer to this. That's my two bits for all it's worth. Don't get me wrong, marriage is kind of a nice idea," Hachiman said, forcing himself not to be pessimistic for once. He smiled dubiously. "Nice idea, often terrible execution. Maybe you and Haruno-san don't love each other now, but you both will, eventually. She's hardly the worst woman you could marry. But you know what, you may be making the biggest mistake of your life as well. Well, what do I know?"

Hachiman relaxed. He did not intend on preaching ostentatiously towards Hayato over what he should do. This was a personal, private matter between two people and Hachiman understood that it was none of his concerns. The fact that Hachiman agreed to do Haruno Yukinoshita a favor did not change this. Haruno was actually daring enough to ask him to help her dissolve the marriage agreement between her and Hayama Hayato. Hachiman mused at the thought. If it was strictly business that was discussed, he could understand her, but given that it also involved Hayato, it becomes another matter.

In any case, Hachiman did not worry. It wouldn't affect him in the slightest. Even more so, Miura Miyako now couldn't care less about the relationship between the two. The old woman had obtained the leverage she sought over the Hayamas, and she was content. She was certain that the Yukinoshitas couldn't challenge her corporation anytime soon. And Hachiman was only interested in the compromises between him and the Funabori Corporation, which he needed for his own designs. But because Haruno was too hesitant and indecisive to actually deal vis-a-vis with Hayato herself, Hachiman thought, he decided to have a few words with Hayato himself. He didn't concern himself whether the two got together or not, though it was another story if the affair ended badly. It would pose quite an inconvenience in the future for the families involved.

His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Another woman walked in the room. Hachiman smirked. "Speak of the devil, Haruno-san."

"Hi, Hachiman." Haruno returned with an assertive smile. "Have you two been waiting long?" She asked.

Hayato spoke to answer. "Not too long," he said promptly.

"Very well. Should we discuss the matter of importance to us today?" She said smoothly.

Hachiman still expected for Hanzo Ieyori, his partner and head of the family to arrive any minute now. He might've been held in traffic for a bit. Hanzo was important in the transaction as he was the front boss of the Outfit, while Hachiman often posed merely as his confidant in this business.

It was a befitting coincidence that the Fujinagas have one son currently enrolled in the Minato Lyceum, and Hachiman was able to inquire more about the family. The student was in First Class, and already an esteemed individual at the campus. He saw that the guy was popular with his peers, straight, a clean resumé. He was studying to become a banker like his father. It would be a shame if however he ended up a foul kleptocrat, which was a defining trait of most businessmen. Importantly, they would meet the eldest daughter of the Fujinagas. Hiyono Fujinaga was currently the CEO of the private Fujinaga Bank, having inherited the position at a young age from his father. Out of merit or otherwise, when Fujinaga Sr. died she was the only chosen heir to the firm.

A banking firm such as the Fujinagas held powerful influence over many of the industries in the city. They ran the movie production, kept the entertainment business funded, and also were associated with the unions. In an election, it was automatic that a politician had to curry favor with the bankers if they wanted their campaigns to succeed. Hiyono Fujinaga knew her value in respect to these people she was meeting. The Fujinagas weren't keen on allowing another group to take down their name from the municipal bank and replace it. Hachiman expected Hiyono Fujinaga to keep them waiting, and she did. She correctly believed that she was at the liberty of receiving her guests at her desired time. Typical, Hachiman thought, for these people to be so vain. Hanzo Ieyori arrived, and the four of them were in the conference room for half an hour.

Hachiman said to Haruno, "I understand that you were friends with this woman once."

Haruno nodded slightly. "I was. But… that's not very important, is it?" She smiled.

"Indeed." Hachiman did not doubt Haruno's answer. She, unlike her sister, completed her university studies in Japan, and happened to be a colleague of the Fujinaga daughter. Haruno and Hiyono were in the same elite class. However, sharing time in the same class did not equal a sense of friendship, and the two were subtle rivals throughout.

Hachiman was seated near the corner of the rectangular table. Hanzo Ieyori was next to him, at the high end. Hanzo spoke up. "Since you two are standing in for Mr. Hayama and Mrs. Yukinoshita, I have no choice but to trust their delegates. I've already talked with the bank director regarding the purchase of the building's debt. There's another thing I'd like to add, Hayama-san."

Hayato furrowed his eyebrows, interested. "Whose interest is it? You, sir?" He asked.

Hachiman spoke to answer. "Ieyori-san finds this a promising investment of his."

"Which Ieyori-san… the racket boss, or the racket boss?" Hayato pursued lightly.

At this, Hanzo simply cleared his throat and chuckled. A lot of people have heard of the news, and word of mouth goes by fast. Hachiman smiled curtly. "As I was saying, the director hangs the price at 60 billion. However, he needs to somehow extract that money from us without giving us what we want."

Hanzo said cleverly, "Miura-sama is the one who intends to acquire the rights to the building. I think she wants to conclude the Fujinagas' legacy. She simply asked Hachiman to conduct the transaction by proxy, and so I also want in on what she's planning. I want the rights to rename this place."

Hachiman said, "Now I've been informed by my connections that the Fujinaga family is in quite a financial impasse, and I intend to take advantage of that."

Hachiman started to explain to the two. Haruno was impressed by his intentions, but Hayato reacted otherwise. He stared at Hachiman, astonished. He said, "you want me to purposefully allow you to literally rip them off of the original deal? Essentially betray their trust? In case you've forgotten, I'm the one mediating for them." He gave a long hard look at him.

Hachiman pursed his lips. He nonchalantly said, "what would Mr. Hayama have done? Hayama-san, in politics and business, if you want to succeed you must learn to keep your conscience under control."

Hayato inwardly grimaced. When he turned to Haruno, she looked unperturbed. As the witness to the deal, she didn't have a problem with it. In fact, she had a pleased look. "It's okay, Hayato-kun," she said gently. "This is nothing personal. You shouldn't worry so much."

At last, two figures entered the conference room, none other than Hiyono Fujinaga. Alongside her was a younger man, who Hachiman immediately recognized as her brother. He wore a sharp suit to the occasion. Hachiman looked at her directly. Hiyono-san was a tall, delicate woman. She was very proper, dressed in a formal white shirt and matching black tie. She wore a formal skirt as well. She had long, dark hair and intelligent eyes. It was easy to ascertain that Hiyono-san was truly a rival of Haruno Yukinoshita. The latter gave an acknowledging smile towards them.

Hiyono Fujinaga spoke in an eloquent voice. "We are honored to share this privilege with you, Ieyori-san. And with you too, Hikigaya-san."

Hanzo got up from his seat to offer his hand to Hiyono-san. He smiled back. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, miss." He said curtly, "but, ah. There's no sharing this, Fujinaga-san. This is not the Fujinaga Bank anymore."

Everyone slowly settled at the table and began the meeting. Hanzo Ieyori began, discussing the purchase of the rights to the bank. He said enthusiastically, "we've decided to rename this place something that I think is quite special. Well, at least more so than some rich people's surnames. I can see it becoming the 'Saint Lorenzo' building. Now I grew up here, but here's the thing: back in the country where I was born, they used to name streets after holy saints. I thought it was peculiar. Then my uncle told me I was born in a place called St. Lorenzo street, and somehow it stuck. It occurred to me, it's actually a pretty symbolic thing. I suppose you can see it as me looking back at my roots and paying respects. My folks could look up to this place and remember where they're from. And of course, we're going to loosen the loan restrictions once we take over. You see, we people don't forget."

Hiyono Fujinaga listened patiently. She easily detected the subtle disdain from Hanzo Ieyori. People despised bankers because they held all the money, all the power. She understood this. She brushed off the light insults, and glanced with a tinge of condescension. "No. Of course, we understand," she said politely.

Hanzo chuckled softly, and sat back crossing his arms. "No, you think you do." He turned and said, "Hikio, tell 'em about it."

Hachiman spoke up. He looked at the woman, and she faced him. "Fujinaga-san, when I walked in here, I saw that you don't remember me, miss."

Hiyono-san raised her eyebrows a bit and smiled warmly. "You're Hikigaya-san's son. I knew your father."

Hachiman shook his head. "But you don't actually remember. We've met before. I served as a waiter in one of the cafés under your father's group when I was in middle school. I was not a very good worker then, to admit. Your father frequented the place often, and occasionally you'd come along. I'd bring up a hot cup of americano without him even needing to ask. It was a routine. It's funny how we all ended up here. Now here's the thing. A lot of numbers have been thrown around; sixty billion for the banking hall, two billion for your names to come down.

"We're talking about big money, but I'm more interested with four hundred yen. That was the pay for a part-time waiter - not even a full job at that. It wasn't much, but it was okay. I knew how to stretch my allowances. 400 yen is what I got paid for putting up with insulting customers, who never fail to yell at you to bring their orders faster, for washing the filthy dishes in the kitchen, and having to sweep the floor of the house up until before dark. I knew I deserved a raise, but I wasn't a real employee. I was just an eighth-grader kid. Nobody cared. Still, it was fine until one day, Fujinaga-san, you came along with your father to the café. As always, Fujinaga-sama would complain that his coffee is too cold. I'd take it back to the kitchen, then I'd bring a new cup over to the table. He'd say it's still too cold. Normally, this would continue up to two times, but when your father finally settled down, that's when you intruded.

"You asked to drink a cup of coffee as well. Of course, I knew you never liked the stuff. You had no taste for that. That was the first time you asked that - to this day, I don't know what devil took over you. Naturally your father obliged. I poured you a cup, and you immediately took a sip. That day you burnt your mouth and spilled the hot drink all over yourself. Fujinaga-sama of course had to blame someone, and it had to be me. On the spot, I was fired - not just from the café, but Fujinaga-sama put in a bad word with the other managers, such that I'd never be allowed to work anyplace around again. Now I needed that 400 yen, but he didn't give a shit. The manager was nice enough to give me half-pay, but for the rest of my days, up until high school, I had no choice but to eat soba bread, the only thing I could afford. It was a hellish spiral. All that, because Fujinaga-sama's daughter was too fucking stupid to understand that coffee is hot."

Hiyono Fujinaga was astonished. The truth was that she could not recall this young man. She remembered that time she hurt herself over a hot drink, and that stupid fool of a waiter who spilled it over her. That was how her memory played out, though she really couldn't remember the details. In any case, it was almost unbelievable. If so, then this Hikigaya-san was the same stupid fool. She then laughed, and covered her lips with her mouth. "Are you saying that we're here because of that historical nonsense?" She stared at him shrewdly.

Hachiman began to smile carnivorously. "That's right!" He exclaimed, his voice dripping with animosity. He stood up and walked over. "Coincidentally, when you took over the company, my father also lost his job there. Anyhow, it doesn't sit right with me. Now. The last wage I was handed was half-pay, so to subtract half of two billion… that leaves you with one."

Hiyono Fujinaga was silent. Her face contorted with indignation, all the eloquence and reserve disappearing. "That's preposterous!" She cried. She got up in a fury and faced him, though she flinched a bit. "This is unacceptable," she protested.

The boy beside her finally spoke. The younger Fujinaga had a worried and shocked expression, dumbfounded by the turn of events. "Hikigaya-san, this is not right," he said in a reasonable voice.

Hachiman glanced at Hanzo, then turned towards the boy again. He would surely remember Hachiman if the two crossed at the campus, and it would not be pleasant. Hachiman looked at Hiyono-san again. "Well, now you can be sure that we people don't forget."

"Hikigaya-san, you cheat!" Fujinaga-san snarled. She stared at Hanzo in a weak display of conviction. "Ieyori-san, we will walk out of here if you don't honor the full amount."

"No darling, you won't," Hanzo grinned. He also stood up and walked up to her. "You and your family need this one billion. Because none of you, not a single one, has done a day of work from the moment your goddamned papa kicked the bucket in Macau. Is that right, Hikio?"

Hachiman scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets. "And after reviewing your holdings, your business interests, your debts, I know that this cheque is the only thing standing between your family and bankruptcy." He looked at them with cruel eyes and pointed at the paper slip on the table. "So pick it up, Fujinaga-san, and get out of here. Or we will."

Hiyono Fujinaga was distraught and speechless. Her face was blanched. She looked like she was about to cry at any moment now. Finally she was no different from every other fragile woman in the face of despair, and stepped back. However, Hachiman had zero intention of sympathy. He was already beginning to turn around and walk to the end of the table.

Her younger brother pleaded to her. "Onee-san, let's just get out of here. We'll find a way to fix things, don't worry," he said, though he too was frightened. He ushered her out of the room.

There was a lull at the table. Haruno Yukinoshita and Hayama Hayato did not dare interrupt throughout the whole debacle. They watched him in silence, both of them surprised. They never expected Hikigaya Hachiman to act in such a rash and severe manner. It completely confused Haruno, who up until now only saw the calm, soft-spoken and reserved side of the young man; only in some instances did Hachiman act obstinately. It was why the sudden turn of demeanor into one of ruthlessness and controlled ferocity flabbergasted her. But at the same time, it seemed as if Hachiman intentionally meant to be so simply cruel, as if he replaced one mask with another according to the situation. He swiftly forced Hiyono Fujinaga, the proud heir of a banking family, to capitulate. It gave rise to his unpredictability, something Hayato also did not expect. Haruno watched him with a smile, though inwardly she was now a bit more unnerved.

Hachiman slowly lowered himself at the head of the table. Hanzo, also seated further down, began to smile with content, entertained by his partner's antics. Hachiman pulled out his pack of cigarettes from within his overcoat and struck a match. He began puffing a bit, before parting the cigarette from his lips and turning back to the people in the room. He laughed dryly, covering his outburst with humor. "I'm sorry you all had to see that. This temper of mine... you should see when I don't smoke. God, do I get tense."