Just for reference, Kiyoru's full name is Kiyoru Hisao, and his sister's name is Kiyoru Aiko.
The apartment buildings were stacked like egg cartons, and the walls were about as thick. Kumiko passed down the streets, recognizing the buildings a bit more until Kiyoru's came into view. He was standing outside on the second flight, a lit cigarette in his hand, and he looked fairly gaunt. Kumiko waved at him, and he looked toward her, but gave no response. It didn't look like a day to visit. He flipped the cigarette into the street before she started up the steps.
"Hi." It was a flat greeting. He was seated on the stairs, arms resting on his knees. Kumiko nudged him over and sat down beside him, studying his expression. "Is everything alright?" Hisao stared straight ahead for a few minutes, thinking about the past few hours. He pulled another cigarette out of his pocket and lit it, knowing that Yankumi desperately wanted to smack it out of his hand. But she restrained herself.
He rested his forehead on his smoking hand, and glanced toward Yankumi again. "Thank you for not accosting me." She nodded, and looked slightly more concerned. Two cigarettes in two minutes was a lot, even for Kiyoru. Either he was purposely ignoring the question, or he was even more distracted than he was acting.
"Really, Kiyoru. Why aren't you answering me?" Kumiko set her bag on the step below, and tried to catch his eyes. He avoided the contact, instead looking at the grey concrete wall. In an attempt to put them on neutral ground, Kumiko decided to share her reason for visiting. From her bag, she pulled a few papers and handed them to Kiyoru. One was his, and the other two were his closest friends from school. "Well, since you won't answer, I'll just share why I dropped by. Aren't those your two best friends? Why such a different response to the same question?"
He glanced over the papers and nodded. "Well… which question do you want answered first, what's causing me to act like a chimney, or about this paper." He was tempted to ball it up and throw it over the back of the stairs. Instead, he folded it up neatly, and returned it to her, inhaling another puff of cigarette. "It's easier to explain why I don't think we should visit other schools. All of the students in my class come from different areas, and up until this year, we all hated each other. It's a miracle you've changed anything at all. Maybe next year, but this year, it'll just make the situations more dangerous. All the warehouse fights… that's just boredom. But you're not gonna be able to stop it if something actually happens."
The stubborn block in Kumiko's head was deflecting his words. "But everyone has become such good friends, why wouldn't you all want to expand those rings of friendship?" Not to mention he didn't know things about her that others did; like she could break someone's leg with her pinky. She looked over another one of her papers.
"Right Yankumi, but that doesn't mean we don't fight. You don't know some of the hate that goes back years." He finished his cigarette and launched the remnants down the stairs in front of him. "They're just excited at the idea because it's a day off from school." In a fluid motion he stood up, and looked down at Yankumi. "You're asking for trouble."
Kumiko looked up at him, considering his words. Some part of her was saying something about trusting Kiyoru, but a much louder voice was telling her to trust the majority of the class. "Well, Kiyoru, I will consider your input. What about the other question?" Her curiosity was piquing about his solemn behavior.
A silence hung between them for a few minutes, Hisao walking up and down the steps, hands deep in his pockets, and Kumiko following him with her eyes. "Well… Yankumi." He mustered part of the will to explain, forcing himself since she wasn't going away until he shared. "Not that I really want to tell you." He was facing the street again, scanning the horizon. "But Aiko ran away yesterday. She and my dad got in a horrible fight, and she stormed out with a back pack before the snow started last night. They're out looking for her. I'm here in case she comes back."
"Why aren't you talking to the police?" She had seen aversion to the police force before, but never so much as Kiyoru had toward them. "They would be the best people to help you find your sister."
Hisao looked back at Yankumi, and sighed very slightly. "Look around you Yankumi. How legal do these houses look?" Kumiko thought about it for a moment, this was a fairly Yakuza dominant neighborhood. She'd known that from her grandfather. "My dad tries to hide it from you, but you never hear his language slip? You never think his clothes are strange? You never wonder why past a certain street, the police aren't around much?" Hisao opened his arms, and in a haunted yet prideful matter he stated, "I'm from a Yakuza family, Yankumi. I somehow doubt my dad would use the police to find his daughter."
Kumiko's eyes were wide, for more reasons than Hisao knew. Suddenly so many things made sense. Like why Hisao hadn't wanted her to see him outside of school, ever. Or why they lived in the area they did. All the dots were lighting up. Suddenly she felt very proud for hiding her identity to someone who knew the Yakuza, but also very stupid for not noticing earlier. How was that even possible? These were the sort of people she spent most of her life with.
Kiyoru was surprised with her complete lack of response to his statements. As far as he knew, any home room teacher should be at least slightly panicked. But then, Yankumi had never been the average home room teacher, and if anyone could let this roll off her shoulders, it was her.
"Well, I guess that's a reason." Her two sides were battling on exactly what to do. Kiyoru was right; she should've been acting at least a little concerned about the matter. But the side related to the Yakuza didn't feel like playing the part. Not to mention that she could actually help in this situation. "Do you really think your sister is in trouble?"
Hisao nodded and went back to looking at the horizon. Kumiko sat, looking at the same grey concrete. They sat in silence together for a few minutes while Kumiko began to consider what she should do. "Well… Kiyoru, just don't go down the same path as your father." She packed up her bag, and stood up, looking over the horizon with her student. "Is there anywhere your sister might have gone? Can you give me anything to help you along?"
"Not really, but it would probably be better if you didn't get involved, Yankumi. I know you help us with school things, but this could be anything from her holding out even if she wants to come home, to a rival of my dad holding her." He glanced over at her, the same determined look on her face.
"You certainly don't give me much to go with there Kiyoru. I'll see you tomorrow, better be happy you have a day off so close to winter break." Kumiko reached over and patted him on the shoulder. Picking up her bag, she disappeared down the few flights, and out onto the street. Kiyoru leaned over the stair case, looking down at her.
"Yankumi!" He called out, with an edge of frustration. "Don't do anything!" Her only response was to wave as she dashed toward the bus stop. A sense of desperation to stop her swept over Kiyoru. He was torn between staying for his sister, and the fact that his teacher, and quite possibly one of the most important people he had known, was walking into a situation she couldn't possibly understand.
Kumiko spent most of her ride home trying to think of places Hisao had mentioned in relation to his sister. Nothing stuck out, but she would search high and low until she found some trace. Upon arriving at her bus stop, she rushed home, hoping to find her grandpa. Her entry was loud, bursting through the front door and almost running through the house.
"Is everything okay Kumiko?" His reassuring voice sounded down the hall. He was seated in the living room, pouring over some paperwork from the takayoki shop and reports from a few of his higher ups. She sat down beside him, and organized her thoughts quickly.
"You know the area where Kiyoru lives?" Kuroda nodded, and set down the report from Wakamatsu. "The clan that controls that part of the city is the Toua Kai?" Again Kuroda nodded, confused as to why Kumiko had such an interest all of a sudden. "Well… Hisao just told me his father is a member of that clan. His sister ran away and they need to find her, especially because a rival could be holding her."
Her grandfather crossed his arms and thought about Kumiko's predicament. He did not know the Toua Kai well, though their clans had worked together a few times, he had never actually met more than one or two of their members. "Well, I will be happy to tell you who has worked with them, and release them from their business for the day." For about half an hour, Kuroda called all the henchmen he could think of, and Kumiko organized a strategy for the search. Out of her photo album she got the only picture she had of Kiyoru and his family. Aiko was in a small corner of the picture, but it would be enough to show her search parties.
The afternoon was swiftly turning to evening, and the henchmen filtered in one by one, coming from all over the city. Kumiko stood like a drill sergeant, preparing the teams and giving them instructions. Once everyone had arrived, the groups standing in columns, Kumiko began her address.
"Out there somewhere is a sister of one of my students. She is pretty, and young, and her father is a member of the Yakuza. I don't know if another clan is involved, or if it's just a stubborn teenager, but on your honor to my grandfather, and to the Toua Kai, you must find her." She crossed in front of them, performing inspection, and holding the picture up for everyone to see. "When you find her, you call me. If she is just avoiding going home, hold her there, and I will take her. If there is something more going on, then determine whether or not she is in real danger. Either way, I expect to hear from one of you before midnight." They all nodded, and bowed deeply to their would be Kumichou.