A/N: Once again thanks for all of the reviews. Some of you complained that the story is rushed, and I can assure you it's not – there has nothing been said about Shiznat liking each other… yet. Sure, they flirted a bit at the pool scene, but remember that Shizuru was still unmarried, she had the right to be playful with someone else. Besides, they didn't do anything too outrageous, if I recall it right.
Anyway, here is chapter 4
Disclaimer: see chapter 1, 2, 3. It's the same.
"Natsuki-sama!" A maid knocked Natsuki's door. "Dinner is ready!"
"I'll be down in a minute." The gang boss replied.
In the dining room, almost everyone had gathered and dishes had been served. Obviously Mr. Kanzaki had trained the servants well not to respect Natsuki – the disgraceful black sheep of such a prestigious family. But from experience she had learned imperviousness – the key to success in several fields including shady businesses, and ignored such insolence. She knew better than to exact vengeance on such small things; besides she got a hundred or more people at her feet spending their days worshipping her. Like wota worshipping idols.
Natsuki could not help but notice that the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. The table was filled with uneasy silence as both men of the Kanzaki household were focused on their plates, or so they seemed. Mr. Kanzaki was a little bit pale, which was weird considering the fact that he was usually as fit as a fiddle; his hands were shaking a little bit. Grandpa Kanzaki emitted a really cold aura on the other hand, and the gang boss knew that the elder was extremely angry. Everybody else too was silent. Nobody spoke a word.
"Ah, Fujino-san, what do you think of the food?" Natsuki said to break the awkward silence.
"It tastes really good." Shizuru said. "Especially the steak."
The conversation ended there, as Natsuki could not talk comfortably with her father glaring at her like some disgusting virus that could corrupt his precious daughter-in-law. The blue-haired girl kept herself calm by imagining her father being trapped to one of her electric chairs (yes, some of her yakuza friends gave those chairs to her as a sick joke) with the voltage being turned up max.
"Natsuki-chan, since Reito may have to stay in Hong Kong for a while more, why don't you take Shizuru-chan out on a tour to some nice places." Grandpa Kanzaki suggested. "You've been here and there, haven't you?"
"Father…" Mr. Kanzaki spoke up, but decided against it. The relationship between him and his father was hanging on a thread, so he thought that backing off might be the wisest choice. Furthermore, he strongly believed that Shizuru would know enough not to enrage the gang boss. From what he knew, Natsuki at least would never kill or even harm an innocent outsider, unless she was maddened to a certain extent.
"It's okay, Tetsujin-san." Shizuru said. "I believe that it would be no problem to me."
"What do you think, Natsuki-chan?" Grandpa Kanzaki asked.
"It's fine, I guess." Natsuki said, taking a gulp of her wine. "I'm taking a break from my job."
"It's settled then." The oldest man of the house said and stood up. "If there's anything else you need to ask, I'll be in my study."
After making sure that his father had gone out of sight, Mr. Kanzaki growled at Natsuki: "You'd better do nothing crazy, or else…"
"Else what, Father?" Natsuki sounded nonchalantly. "I'm not a bloodthirsty big bad wolf as you think I am. Besides, you're not a match to me. I've got some useful… connections."
"Tetsujin-san, I've talked to her." The bride-to-be interrupted the "family talk" before a bloodshed between father and daughter happened. "I believe that Natsuki is a reasonable person."
Mr. Kanzaki only huffed, and he too, left the table for his own room.
"Geez, what's wrong with him?" Nao said as she attacked her dessert mercilessly. "He's preoccupied with Miss Fiancée so much I began to wonder…"
"Don't you dare say it Nao!" Chie warned, refilling her glass of wine. "Natsuki's going to rip you apart if you say it."
"Hey, it's not like I'm going to say any bullshit." The redhead protested. "I swear!"
"As if! Most of the things you said were bullshit." Natsuki retorted. "Come on, we have known each other for far too long."
"Oi, Kuga, I'm you second-in-command. Can't you trust me a little bit more than that tactician?" Nao frowned. Chie only smirked, pointing to her head: "The difference lies in here, my friend."
"Ara, Natsuki's friend are quite interesting. Oh, how rude of me, I'm Fujino Shizuru, nice to meet you."
"Yuuki Nao." The redhead said curtly, a little bit crossed that her friends teamed up against her.
"Chie, Harada Chie. It's a pleasure to meet such beauty, Fujino-san." The boyish girl took Shizuru's hand and kissed it. This action promptly earned her a smack on the head from Natsuki.
"Stop with that cheesy act. She is engaged you know." Natsuki scolded her flirty friend. Somehow, Shizuru found it funny and smiled. Not a social-relation-only one, but a genuine one. For the second time, Natsuki thought she lost her soul there for a moment.
"She had such a beautiful smile." That was the only thought available in the yakuza's mind.
After the dinner episode, it took several efforts to shut Nao and Chie up. They kept talking about how Natsuki was totally "hooked and reeled in" by the Kyoto woman and how Natsuki's face looked stupid with a even more stupid grin plastered on it and whatnot.
"You guys have to admit that she has a charismatic smile." Natsuki argued weakly. It was so different from arguing with other gang bosses about whose land was whose and who was pissing whom and all that territory-related problems. Maybe it was because they mostly talked with their guns, and when it comes to guns, Natsuki was one of the best.
Frustrated, Natsuki stormed off. Then she thought maybe she should visit her grandpa before shutting herself I her room. But in front of her grandpa's study, she heard two people talking.
"… but father, I really can't pay for that much money." Tetsujin said.
"It's your own problem. You can't expect me to help with every single time you get into trouble, Tetsujin."
"Father!"
"There's nothing more to say – my mind has already been set. You go and rest early, otherwise your performance at work will seriously affected." Grandpa said softly but sternly
"… yes, Father." Kanzaki Tetsujin sounded defeated.
Natsuki quickly hid herself in the shadow as the heavy footsteps of her father came near – she didn't really want to butt head with him this time right outside of Grandpa's room. She knew that it hurt him to see his son and granddaughter never getting along.
Only after Mr. Kanzaki had disappeared did Natsuki dare to knock on the door.
"Come in." came the ever calm voice of her deadest Grandpa.
"Good evening, Grandpa." Natsuki bowed to him like she always did.
"Ah, good evening Natsuki-chan." Grandpa looked up from his ocean of paper.
"Grandpa, why are you still working? You are not young anymore, you know." Natsuki said. Indeed, at the age of 70, one should be resting in the comfort of his hobbies, not burying himself in piles of paperwork.
"I know, but… unless you brother Reito comes home, I can't trust your father with the corporations."
This information alerted Natsuki: "Grandpa, did something happened that I don't know about?"
Grandpa hesitated, but then he said: "Tetsujin is having some overdue debts that he can't pay. Thanks to his endless gambling"
"That's it?" Natsuki said. "Impossible. There have to be something else."
"He's facing a huge loss, Natsuki-chan. That's why Tetsujin hurriedly rushed the wedding." Grandpa leaned back in his chair.
"Wait, don't you mean…"
"He is aiming to pay his debt with either the Fujino's money or the corporation's money, or at least that's what the Board of Directors think." Grandpa said. "Such underhanded methods should not be allowed in the way of the Kanzaki."
"Then why are you not taking action?" Natsuki got confused.
"We have no proofs, young one. The engagement had been made from years ago – I approved of it myself, and both sides' representatives are at suitable ages. That's why I sent Reito to Hong Kong – to see that without his presence, will Tetsujin embezzle the corporation's money. Either way he will get himself in hot water I'm afraid. Oh, this is all my fault for having spoiled him too much."
"Calm down Grandpa! Why didn't you tell me? I could've helped." Natsuki said, a little miffed because it seemed that even Grandpa did not trust her to solve this matter.
The man said nothing; he only threw on the table a white envelope which was meant for Mr. Kanzaki Tetsujin, Kanzaki Corporation Vice CEO. It did not specify the sender, but Natsuki could smell the danger from that envelope. Cautiously, she opened that envelope.
Inside there was a postcard, on which the sender wrote a haiku:
"Five billion yen,
Borrow one, pay back seven,
On the first of June."
Enclosed with it there were seven crimson sakura petals. This type of sakura was very rare, and it went along with one of the strongest yakuza family, if not Japan's strongest – the Akazakura*.
"Today is already May 30th. Not even I in my prime can make 35 billion yen in 2 days. Not to mention that he also owes some other people." Grandpa Kanzaki sighed. "And even though I don't participate the underworld, I do know the Akazakura. I don't want to trouble you with this."
"Actually, this is simple. I can do it, fortunately. I have useful connections." Natsuki said confidently.
"Really, Natsuki-chan, you don't have to of you don't want."
"I don't want to do it, but he is my father. I'll have to do my duty as his daughter. Sometimes. Besides, I really want to laugh at him in the face and prove him wrong. And this incident would damage your reputation a lot, so I can't just sit and watch." The gang boss stated firmly
"Why do you even care so much, Natsuki-chan?" Grandpa asked, his voive a bit shaky with emotions.
"I maybe a yakuza, but I'm not a bad person."
Some hours later, Natsuki stood at her balcony, holding her cell phone up to her ears – she had an important call to make but her old room did not allow any reception at all; and besides, the summer starry night outside would make a great distraction in case she dried up in the middle of the talk. The person she was about to call could be overwhelming in her speech sometimes.
After what seemed like forever with the annoying, stupid sound somebody invented as the default waiting tone for telephones, finally the other line picked up the damn thing.
"Moshi moshi?"
*Akazakura: meaning red cherry blossom. If you had read my other story "Death Race", you'd find a mention of this yakuza syndicate in its latest chapter. Can you guess who is the boss of this yakuza syndicate?
PS: So we'll have Shiznat "date" soon. Thanks you, again, for having supported me this far.