Summary for those who opted to skip through chapter 22 for personal reasons – Takku was sexually harassed by a man named Ueda whom his father owed money to. Ren paid the debt for him and made him work at the Red Lion Group until the debt is repaid. Takku is later attacked by Ueda and rescued by Ren and the rest of the gang. Due to Takku's emotional trauma, Ryu becomes his mentor.
Shin was sitting the living room alone sipping some saké when Yankumi got home. There were no signs of any of the other family members around.
"Tadaima." Yankumi said softly.
Shin did not respond. He slowly set the sakazuki down on the table and stood up. Finally, he turned his attention on Yankumi. "What have you learnt today, Kumiko?"
"To never hide things from you." She murmured contritely.
"Good. Okaeri." He opened his arms to welcome her into a hug.
"I'm sorry, Shin." She whispered as he held her. "It's just that I didn't want you to feel bad about it…"
He kissed her lovingly. "Kumiko, do you really think that I haven't been expecting this? I, who was the first student to find out about your family background? I, who defied all societal expectations and joined the same Yakuza family? I, who asked you to marry the 4th generation Kumichou of the Oedo clan?"
"I… was treating you as my student again, wasn't I?" Yankumi smiled guiltily.
"Yes." Shin nodded. "But I forgive you. Just remember, Kumiko, I live every single day as a testimony of the decisions that I have made. I will never regret marrying you or taking over the Oedo clan. Both you and the clan are the best things that have ever happened to me in my entire life."
Yankumi blushed shyly at the heartfelt confession. "Thank you, Shin. I don't regret marrying you either."
"That's to be expected. I'm the perfect lover after all." Shin grinned cheekily.
Yankumi reached out to elbow him, but this time he did not move away. He didn't wince either when it dug him in the ribs. He just looked straight at her. "See, Kumiko, I can take anything you can ever throw at me in stride. I will never shy away from you, no matter how big the problem may be."
She smiled and nodded. His teasing earlier was reminiscent of the boy she once knew as Sawada Shin, but she knew that he was no longer that boy. The man before her, the man she married, and the man she loved was Kuroda Shin; inside and out. And she wouldn't have it any other way.
"So, what's up with Minami and the director, Ren?" Yamato asked when they finally got home.
Ren busied himself running the bath. "Hmm? Oh, he got caught stealing the drug you used on Uncle Tenkai. Apparently you need to use your ID to enter the room or something. His ID was recorded, so he was called in for questioning."
Yamato gasped in horror. "Oh my god, it's all my fault! I forgot that it was a highly controlled substance! I'll come with you on Friday to see the director."
"Don't be silly." Ren said sternly. "It's no one's fault. Even if it was, it would have been our collective fault. And Yamato, haven't you learnt anything from today's events?"
Yamato looked at him confusedly.
Ren sighed. "The lesson Aniki and I want all of you to know is that; no matter what happens, we'll protect every single one of you till the very end. Yamato, you once told me that it didn't matter how good of a surgeon you are if you cannot help the ones you love. Well, to Aniki and I, it doesn't matter how much influence we wield if we cannot help the ones we love. So allow us to take care of the messy stuff, alright?"
"Alright, Ren." Yamato conceded. "The director is in need of research funds by the way, because no one wants to support his research about using HIV to treat leukaemia. And he wants to set up a new hospital in his hometown in rural Hokkaido."
Ren smiled. "Thank you, Yamato. Now come on, the bath is ready."
The following Tuesday, Takku found himself at the entrance of the Red Lion Group of Companies building. He sighed and walked in. There was no point delaying the inevitable.
To his surprise, despite his rugged uniform and unkempt hair, no one batted an eyelash at his appearance. The security guard in the lobby just told him to put his schoolbag through the scanner and to walk through the metal detector. When he set off the metal detector, the guard simply told him to double-check his pockets and to try again. In the past, Takku would have immediately been interrogated and accused of 'being up to no good'.
He wondered if it was Ren that told them to lay off him, but it seemed unlikely as the receptionist at the counter had to ask him who he was looking for. She even had to call Ren's personal secretary to check if Takku was scheduled to meet the CEO. And when the fact was confirmed by the secretary, Takku was sent on his way – oddly unsupervised – with a visitor pass.
He knocked on Ren's office door.
"Enter."
"Umm. I'm here, Ren-senpai."
"Indeed. You're punctual; I'm quite pleased with that. Take a sit, Takuya." Takku complied dutifully, sneaking a look at the large office. It was slightly larger than 3-D's classroom. All the walls were made of one-way glass; so Ren could see everything that was going on outside his office, but no one could look in. Rows of mahogany shelves on the right side of the office displayed all the numerous trophies and certificates and whatnots that had been presented to him and the company. Takku estimated that there must be at least 50 awards on the shelf. The office, however, was strangely bereft of personal memorabilia; such as family photos and travel souvenirs.
Ren smiled at him. "So, Takuya, tell me what you're good at."
"Uhh." Takku hesitated. He doubted that fighting counted. "I'm not very good at anything academic-related." He admitted in embarrassment.
"Okay. In that case, is there anything in particular that you want to be good at?"
"Er, no. Not really."
To his credit, Ren did not seem to be fazed by his answer; and did not deem it necessary to lecture him about it either. He simply nodded understandingly. "Alright, in that case, you'll be rotating among all the different departments. We'll start with the finance department for the first month, shall we? That way, Hayato will be there to help you get settled. And Takuya, remember that this is a job; not a punishment. Feel free to tell me or any of your supervisors if you can't cope with the workload, or if you would like to stay at a particular department or switch departments."
Takku was startled. That sounded surprisingly… acceptable. And Ren had not been the slightest bit condescending, despite being in a much more superior position than he was. "Umm. Okay."
Ren nodded and pressed on his intercom. "Saki, please get CFO Yabuki to come to my office."
