I felt bad for Azu and the former Zai. Usually, in the stories I have seen, the main character would solve all the relationship problems and bring everyone together. The best I could do was alienate Azu from her only living family members.

'Other than me...or maybe I had done that ever since my first day here, maybe the real stranger was me...'

"It's alright, Zai. I'll always be your big sister." Azu said to try and cheer me up.

'I never even cared about Shigemi, so it doesn't matter to me.'

"Un." I just nodded.

We cleaned up first because Azu couldn't stand the mess. As we were cleaning, I noticed a palm-sized rectangle token on the ground. It was the one I had picked up a few years back, after our fight with Tatsuzo.

The wooden token had cracked open on its side, probably from Shigemi's rummaging. Prying it open a little, I found that the wood had been glued together. The inside was hollowed out a little and in that hollow was a grid with a few blocks in place. The blocks formed a pattern on the grid. It reminded me of the strange grid in our storage room.

'Wait a minute, our building was the former Matsumoto-gumi headquarters...'

"Are you done, Zai?" Azu asked.

'I'll check it out when we get back.'

"Yeah, let's go back." I tucked the token into my robes and grabbed our futons to bring back to the restaurant.

We stopped by the orphanage first to let Nobu know we would be staying at the shop overnight. We then headed back to the restaurant as the evening began to set in. When we arrived, it was dark and empty inside. Everyone had gone home already.

I brought Azu to one of the rooms on the second floor and laid out the futon.

"Cough cough."

"Just rest here for now. I'll make you some rice porridge." I said as I left the room and went downstairs.

Kin was at the bottom of the stairs growling towards the kitchen door.

"What's wrong?"

I arrived at the kitchen door and as I opened it, a cold chill swept passed me. After the feeling had passed, I found that the kitchen was in the same condition that we found our home in when we walked in on Shigemi earlier. All the cupboards and drawers were opened and some utensils and pots were strewn out on the floor.

'That son of a...'

I checked around the restaurant to see if there was anything missing. Nothing seemed to have been taken and the office was surprisingly untouched. Even the box with all our earnings was neatly stashed away inside the desk by one of our employees.

After cleaning up a little, I made the rice porridge in the big kitchen. Because of how spacious the building was, it was eerily quiet. There were no sounds of neighbours chatting through the walls or from across the street, that was common to an area with cramped row houses.

I watched over the pot as my shadow swayed on the wall due to the stove flame, looking like a large specter was looming over me. I subconsciously reached for my pocket watch and brought it out before realizing that I had forgotten to wind it up. Checking the time, I found that it had coincidentally stopped at exactly 12.

I couldn't help but remember how people called this place haunted. I decided to send out a quick detection pulse and suddenly felt a presence behind me. I immediately reached for my bokken, turned around, unsheathing my weapon, and swinging it at a pair of glowing yellow eyes, only to stop half way.

"Dammit, you scared me, Kin." I said as I let out a breath and my heart was beating like crazy.

"Meow."

I had dinner with Azu afterwards.

"Go to sleep, I'll clean up everything." I said after dinner.

After placing the dirty dishes into the wash basin filled with water, I grabbed my rain cloak and bamboo hat from the office. When I stepped out into the hallway, Kin was there again staring out into the darkness.

"Look after Azu for me buddy, I'm going to step out for a bit." I said as I reached down and rubbed his fur.

I quietly left the restaurant and walked down the street in the dark and rainy night. As I walked I couldn't help but think about what was said earlier.

'So Shigemi is not Zai's biological father? I wonder who is. Maybe I secretly have some samurai's bloodline? Never mind, if I did it I wouldn't have such a small amount of ki.'

I soon reached my destination and knocked on the door. It was answered by Kiku.

"Who is it?" Aunt Shion called out from inside.

Kiku stepped aside slightly and Aunt Shion caught sight of me.

"What are you doing here?" She spat out hostilely.

"Is Shigemi here?"

"Why would he be here?"

"Never mind, do you know where he would be staying?"

"You're not welcome here, leave! Kiku close the door!"

As Kiku was closing the door, she whispered. "Niwatori Inn in the Nukanobe district."

I nodded in thanks before holding out a hand. "Wait. If you still need a job, go to the Big Luck gambling den in the Ichou district. Ask for Ryota and tell him I sent you. You'll get the same training maids do."

"What are you doing, Kiku? I said shut the door!"

The door closed the rest of the way and I left for the Niwatori Inn. I arrived at a small two-storey inn and asked the old man at the counter if a Shigemi was staying there.

"Second floor, last room on the right." He said without looking up from the book he was reading.

I noticed the title of the book as I headed for the stairs, Icha Icha Rakuen. I went up the stairs and walked down the hallway. As I was approaching, I noticed the door was opened a little and heard talking coming from inside the room.

"Did ya think ya can just waltz into town without us finding out? We ain't just a bunch of small time gambling dens and bars no more." I heard a familiar rough sounding voice.

"Fuck you." Shigemi growled.

"Those should be my words, we've been looking all over for ya. Ya owed us a lot of money but instead push it onto yer children. Hehehe yer a real piece of work."

"I don't want to hear that from you scoundrel, you defiled my wife. Her blood is on your hands. You and that spawn of yours."

"I couldn't give a shit about any of that, how about ya come back with me, I bet Kurata would like to have a word with you."

'So I traded one piece of shit for another in terms of biological father.'

"The debt is already paid off."

"This ain't bout no debt, this is about sending a message, so trash like ya will think twice before they try to run on the Yamaguchi-gumi."

"You'll have to catch me first because if you don't I can promise you this will be the last you will see of me, scum."

"Oh, I will make sure ya be disappearing."

'I honestly don't care about any of this.' I thought as I turned around and walked away.

Someone had already come to teach Shigemi a lesson.

"And after this I'll pay a visit to yer daughter's place and have some fun with her, she should be about ripe for the pickings."

My steps suddenly stopped.

I generally considered myself a pretty calm and laid back person, but hearing him talk about Azu like that, really made my blood boil.

"I wouldn't mind losing another joint on my pinky here just to see the look on yer ugly mug when I-"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" Shigemi shouted.

*CRASH*

There was a loud crash followed by the sounds of slamming and grunting coming from the room. I turned back and went up to the door to peek inside.

I discovered Goro on top of Shigemi, holding him against the far wall. I slid the door open quietly as Goro began to whisper something to Shigemi. His back facing me as I crept forward.

Fury was circulating inside of me as well as in my right arm as I slowly unsheathed my bokken. Once it reached maximum velocity, I fully unleashed it while swinging down at an angle and connected with Goro's kneecap.

*SNAP*

"ARGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" He let out a miserable scream before falling to the floor.

I grabbed the back of his head as he attempted to scan his surroundings and held him down against the floor. Pinning him down with my knees on his back, I then looked up at Shigemi and put a finger to my lips to give the sign for silence as Goro was struggling beneath me.

In the deepest and hoarsest voice I could muster, I spoke. "The Matsumoto-gumi sends their regards."

I looked up again to see a complicated look on Shigemi's face. He seemed to have seen my face underneath the bamboo hat. It was like he was meeting me for the first time, like he was looking at someone he didn't know.

A stranger.

Like one stranger meeting another.

'At least this asshole can still get angry for his daughter.' I thought as I looked at him for what was most likely that last time.

I then jumped off Goro's back, slammed the window open, and jumped out the window, disappearing before he had a chance to catch sight of his assailant.