3 Days Later
I flashed the wooden token Ryota had given me to the burly doorman at the door and he waved me into the warehouse. Inside was extremely rowdy as a crowd of people gathered around multiple fenced up arenas.
One large arena in the middle had a topless and scruffy looking man exchanging blows with what looked like a sumo wrestler inside. The scruffy man was throwing punches at the sumo wrestler while trying to dodge his charges.
In the smaller arenas, there were other contests, including arm wrestling, a drinking contest, and cockfighting.
I made my way around the warehouse, to the backdoor and flashed my token to the doorman there. Walking through the backdoor led to the storage area of the warehouse, which was mostly empty, save for a wagon with canopy covering it. Ryota was waiting by the wagon with another man.
"Your here." He said when he saw me. "Get in, he'll take us to our destination."
"Have you figured out why he wanted to see me?" i asked.
"No, he hasn't mention anything."
We entered the wagon through the back and sat down as Ryota adjusted the canopy to make sure no one could see inside while the man opened the warehouse door and then took his seat as he steered the horses.
Peeking through the front, I watched as we were taken on a roundabout route and eventually arrived at a guarded mansion. Men in regular clothing with batons patrolled the premises and they waved us through the gate when they spotted us. The coachman parked in the back and Ryota led the way as we exited the wagon and entered the mansion.
There were no guards to be seen as Ryota led me through the place and into basement. We soon reached a room, this one was guarded by a single swordsman.
"They're expecting you." He said once he spotted us and then knocked on door to a room.
"Come in." A voice on the other side said.
"No weapons." The swordsman said to me.
"It's just a bokken." I said.
The swordsman stared at me until I finally handed him my training sword. He then nodded us through and Ryota opened the door to show a large and luxurious looking sitting room.
I was a little nervous as I stepped inside, not knowing what to expect. Kurata was already inside sitting next to three middle-aged men in fine clothing with a swordsman standing on the side.
"I pay my respects to the lieutenants." Ryota suddenly stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the three men when he spotted them.
The three nodded in response. There was also another unexpected guest in the room who nervously sat facing the four.
"Shohei?" I exclaimed in surprise at the teenage boy who I had went on the trip to Shimamaki City with before.
"How's it going, Zai?" He chuckled guiltily.
"This is one of the witnesses you've tracked down, Kurata?" A bald man asked.
"Yes, third lieutenant." Kurata answered.
"And the others?" A man with the goatee asked.
"One of them is currently away on a business trip while the other is also away on a trip but working as a caravan guard."
"Mhmm, I guess these two should be enough...and this one happens to Ryota's partner?" The man with the goatee said as he examined me.
"Yes, second lieutenant."
"I must admit, that casino of yours is impressive. I have a few important business associates who have told me how much of a great time they've had there."
"Thank you, second lieutenant." Ryota bowed politely.
"Thank you." I said.
The second lieutenant gestured for us to sit. I sat next to Shohei, while Ryota sat on the side.
"I had my doubts when I first heard you wanted to do things differently with your gambling den. You've proven me wrong, Ryota."
"I had a lot of time to think while I was in prison and I realized that unless you're lucky, you can't get out from the bottom if you keep acting and thinking like someone from the bottom."
"Well said. A winner has a winner's mentality." The second lieutenant nodded in approval. "I expect good things from your expansion."
"First it was Headquarters Chief Kurata, now we have this up and coming youngster." The third lieutenant chuckled to the second lieutenant. "Your juniors have been doing well for themselves, Brother Satoru. You must teach me the secret to bringing up your men."
"I was merely lucky, Brother Yu." Second Lieutenant Satoru humbly said with a smile. "Now on to business. Go ahead and explain the situation, Kurata."
"While keeping tabs on the Matsumoto-gumi, we've incidentally discovered a hideout of theirs outside of town because Goro has been stirring the nest."
"Heh, they must have panicked." Third Lieutenant Yu snickered. "They just can't catch a break."
Kurata continued. "The problem is that it is heavily fortified. We were in the middle of planning a way in when we heard some interesting information from our friend Shohei here."
'Shohei, you didn't...'
All eyes turned to look at Shohei who bowed his head and looked down.
"You see, the hideout they had set themselves into has some interesting architecture...something we would describe as ancient ruins. And Shohei here has stated that he had seen some ruins being dug up during his trip to Shimamaki City."
'Damn it, I think I know where this is going..."
"Shohei informed us that there were three other people from this town who had seen those ruins before they had to leave and the Daimyo's people were sent to secure it."
'Shit.'
"And one of those three happens to be Ryota's partner right here."
"I see. You want to take these two outsiders to the hideout and consult them on the design and any possible weaknesses in the structure." Third Lieutenant Yu said.
Kurata and Satoru nodded.
"What do you think about this, Brother Tatewaki?"
"Brother Satoru has been keeping me apprised of the situation and I agree that it doesn't hurt to explore our options, even if it's a shot in the dark." The third man, a man with greying hair said.
"Well, if Brother Tatewaki approves then I can't really decline now, can I?"
The second lieutenant turned to me and Shohei.
"We've heard about all the witnesses being sworn into secrecy, the contract you've signed, and how interested the Daimyo is in these ruins. Therefore we are prepared to compensate the two of you for your troubles.
10 ryo now, another 40 for whoever finds any weak spots in these ruins, and another 150 if that weak spot leads to us gaining entry and taking out the occupants of the ruins. Plus a generous bonus depending on what we find inside. And when I say generous, I mean much more generous than the Town Lord has been."
"Hehe, I've heard the rumors about how greedy that Town Lord is." Third Lieutenant Yu chuckled. "I bet that bastard didn't even shell out a single mon as a reward and just handed out some junk he had lying around."
"You're right, he gave away the Matsumoto-gumi's old property."
"Hahahahahahaha." The third lieutenant gave a deep hearty laugh. "What gall."
"But he was really generous with his rewards" Shohei said quietly.
"Of course he was, it didn't cost him anything, and he can go and report to the Daimyo that he rewarded you all very well to shut your mouths, currying the Daimyo's favor in the process." The third lieutenant said, still laughing.
The man called Tatewaki, who I assumed was the first lieutenant from how they addressed him, spoke up. "We'll have to deal with Kamitani Tomonobu and his people more often as our organization grows, be careful when dealing with that man in the future. He's just as shrewd as he is greedy, and the Matsumoto-gumi is an example of what happens to those who cross him."
All the Yamaguchi-gumi members nodded before he turned to me and Shohei.
"The same goes for the two of you. No one other than those in this room, the enforcer outside, and the man who drove you here, knows about this meeting and I'd like to keep it that way. If you go and yap about any of this, don't be surprised when people show up at your home in the middle of the night and spirit you away. This is not a threat from us either." He said as he turned to look Shohei in the eyes. "You should be cautious, especially after you broke an official order from the Daimyo. He has people in his employ who are very good at finding out if you've fucked him or not."
Shohei gulped as he nodded his head like a chicken.
"Now, have the two of you thought about our offer?" The second lieutenant questioned.
'They're asking us and offering very nice terms but I know we probably don't have a choice. If it's these high-ranking members I might as well try to get what I want out of this...plus the pay is very attractive.'
"I'll do it." Shohei nodded.
"I'll do it too, but..." My palms turned sweaty when all eyes turned to me. I steeled myself as I offered my condition. "I've been trying to get an appointment with the Yamainu Medical Institute's Head Court Physician but he's been really hard to reach..."
"The Town Lord's private physician is a busy man. You're asking for a lot, kid." The third lieutenant said.
"I don't need the bonus if I can get the appointment..." I said.
"if you do well, I can pull a few strings to get you a private appointment with the Head Court Physician." Tatewaki said. "If you do well that is."
"Alright, I'll do my best to get you into those ruins." I declared.
"Good."