Akatora gazed down at Kanashis swollen face with a stern expression, he quickly analyzed the damage before shaking his head with a sigh. “If you used magic you would have won, so why didn’t you?” He asked.

  “I can't.” Kanashi grunted his swollen lips muffling his words.

  “You can’t use magic at all or you can’t right now?”

  “Now.”

  “...” Akatora put his hand to his chin in thought and looked back and forward from Kanashi the bloody lump of a man next to him.

  “They shot me with a bullet that locked up my Mana circuits and Aura nodes.” Kanashi coughed.

  “?!”

  At that statement Akatoras composed expression momentarily faltered, his brow wrinkled and lips curled into a frown. A bullet that locked up his mana circuits and aura nodes!? The realization made a chill run up his spine. Sosaki! He must have given Domushi the [Kamifuku No Tan: Majutsubi] (Blessing Infused Bullet: Magic Negation) Early! They’re not even supposed to be past the prototype stages yet they're already using them! He thought in a silent panic.

  Kanashis consciousness faded in and out as he watched the calm and collected looking Akatora think deeply. His whole body hurt and he struggled to breathe through his broken nose. Who the hell is this guy? He shows up, melts two people and then says he wants the Venator Society to team up with him against the Toumeikan? Is he insane? And how did he “invest” in me? If I tell him I’m not a part of the Venator Society anymore will he burn me to ashes too? Kanashi wondered.

  “Well, before we can talk about how things got to this point and where they’ll go from here we need to go somewhere safe.” Akatora sighed.

  Great round three is it? Kanashi joked to himself as his vision turned black.

  # # #

  “Taishi-Danshou!” Minamoto laughed upon seeing the mountain of a man enter his office. “What honor do I owe you for this visit?” He asked with a bow. His swollen face had been greatly reduced to just a few bruises and his blood soaked clothes replaced with a freshly ironed clean one.

  “I’m just here for a routine check in.” Akatora said, locking the door behind him as he closed it.

  “Oh?” Minamoto hummed nervously. “Did you speak to Domushi-Sama beforehand?” He asked.

  “Why would I?” Akatora asked as he took a seat in the chair opposite of Minamoto. His nearly four hundred pound mass made the chair threaten the shatter as he reclined in it. His torso pushing on the arm rests.

  “Ah, I mean no insult! I just wasn’t informed of this visit so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to get in trouble for forgetting!” Minamoto laughed nervously. “Let me order you a chair more appropriate.” He said reaching for the phone on his desk.

  ‘It’s fine, I won't be here for long.” Akatora cut in.

  “Is that so…” Minamoto nodded, pulling his hand back under his desk where he gripped his pistol. The pistol with three bullets in it, each made from the grafted bones of his boss. Capable of negating the activation of one's aura nodes and mana circuits upon entrance

  “I was just in the area and felt like coming by.” Akatora said, waving his hand through the air.

  “Oh~ enjoying the party are you?” Minamoto asked with a dry laugh.

  “No, I came to speak to an employee of mine.” Akatora answered.

  The air grew cold and Minamoto felt a bead of sweat drip down his temple, clenching the gun under his desk tighter as he contemplated his next choice of words. “Is that so? Was he here at the airport? If that's the case I was unaware.”

  “So that’s how it is then…” Akatora sighed.

  “So that’s how what is Taishi-Danshou? If you need any assistance I’ll be more than happy to lend my full hand-”

  “I’m sure you know why I’m here.” Akatora said before Minamoto could speak more.

  “To be quite honest I’m not sure why you’re here in my office, Taishi-Danshou.” Minamoto answered, his hand trembling as he readied the gun in his hand. "I've not any interaction with your employee nor do I intend to have conflict with you."

  “Then why are you holding a gun?” Akatora asked.

  "!"

  What happened next occurred in exactly two seconds, Minamoto pushed his chair back and jumped to his feet, gun in hand and raised at Akatora ready to fill him with all three bullets. However before he had the chance to pull the trigger he was already an inferno.

  “!?”

  Feeling the pain of his flesh being scorched, Minamoto tried to scream but found it impossible, his throat had been melted shut, his entire body had begun to melt. Flesh fell from his bones like a cascade of water. In just two seconds was nothing but ash which was also incinerated leaving not a single trace behind.

  “Hm.” Akatora sighed as he grabbed the dropped gun off the desk.. It looked to be the standard smuggled pistol given to mid ranked Toumeikan members, those with a similar authority to what Chujou Ugoki had. Unloading the magazine and emptying the bullets into his hand they were exactly what he expected. Bone white bullets covered in layers of nearly microscopic runes.

  “So I was right in my assumption then. It was you Sosaki!” He growled, crushing the bullets in his hand.

  # # #

  Kanashi opened his eyes slowly. The sound of people laughing and glass bottles clacking waking him. With a grunt he sat up and saw the room he was in. It was a small yet well furnished bar. Tiger and other large feline skins hung from the walls and golden poles held up dark oak shelving which was overflowing with the most extravagantly designed alcohol bottles.

  Pachinko and slot machines lined the walls as well as a few other gambling focused arcade games. Though the bar wasn’t just filled with inanimate objects as there were about a dozen and a half men inside the room drinking and laughing. Each of them wearing a large black leather coat with a red tiger paw emblem on the middle of their back.

  “You’re awake now, are you punk?” A rough voice asked from behind Kanashi.

  “?”

  “Yeah you boy, are you deaf too?” The rough voices owner growled, grabbing Kanashi by the shoulder and forcing him to turn around.

  He came face to face with a man who looked to be in his late 40s, he had small slant eyes with thick eyebrows and atop his head was a rounded mohawk which grew into a mullet as it moved further down.

  “K-konichiwa!” Kanashi yelped out.

  “...”

  “...”

  “...”

  Hearing Kanashis cry the bar grew silent and all turned to look at Kanashi who felt like he was ready to cry from the awkwardness.

  “Pffft, bwahaha!” The rough voiced man erupted into laughter and the others in the bar soon followed. “Is that how you introduce yourself?” He asked, smacking Kanashi on the shoulder firmly.

  “I guess…” Kanashi grunted in pain.

  “Since you’re a funny guy I’ll let it pass this time, but there won't be a next.” The rough voiced man laughed.

  What the hell did I even do? Kanashi wondered, his face twisting into an annoyed confusion.

  “Don’t look so tense man, no one here wants to hurt you. I mean your face is all fixed up now isn't it?” A new voice asked, its owner putting their heavily tattooed arm around Kanashi's shoulder.

  Kanashi looked over to this new voice's owner and was greeted by a much more approachable looking man. He was probably only a few years older than Kanashi with dark brownish red hair and a large lizard Kaiju tattoo across his neck and cheek.

  “Hmm? Is my Shinkai that bad? I got pretty good grades in school…” The tattooed man asked with a frown.

  “No, I understand you perfectly!” Kanashi said, shaking his head, “I’m just a bit dazed, that's all.” he muttered rubbing the sweat off his forehead.

  “!?”

  Rubbing his forehead he found it perfectly smooth, the same could be said for the rest of his face which he too rubbed in confirmation. His nose was straight and round like it's always been and his lips were no more plump than the day he’d been born. “I’m healed!?” He questioned aloud. Not only that but I can feel my aura and mana once again so they must have removed that bullet!

  “You’re pretty slow, aren't ya kid, I almost feel like it wasn’t worth paying for.” The rough voiced man from before sighed before taking a swig of beer.

  “I’m sorry! Thank you!” Kanashi yelped out with a deep bow.

  “Wow, don't worry about it that much!” The rough voiced man coughed, nearly spitting out his beer.

  “...” Kanashi turned his head in confusion as to what exactly the man wanted him to do. I don’t get this at all… He frowned.

  “You’re probably confused aren’t ya?” The tattooed man asked. “Don’t worry about it too much for now, the boss will be back soon and he’ll answer any questions you have. Until then relax and have a few drinks. He said you’re a real monster with alcohol.” He joked handing a cold beer bottle to Kanashi.

  “Sorry, I don’t wanna drink right now… or ever again for that matter.” Kanashi said bowing his head.

  “Don’t bow your head over such small stuff!” The rough voiced man yelled, smacking Kanashi on the back. “And while you’re at it stop saying [Boku] (First person polite) ! You’re a man aren’t you so use [Ore] (First Person masculine) !”

  “Sorry…” Kanashi grunted, rubbing his back.

  “Oi! What’d I just say!?” The rough voiced man yelled angrily. “Are you mocking me or something!?”

  “B-but you said don’t bow my head! I’m apologizing, it’s different!” Kanashi cried, throwing his hands up to protect himself.

  “Hmph, smart guys like you know how to weasel your way out of everything don’t you? Fine I’ll let it slip this time!”

  “Thank you.” Kanashi muttered with a forced smile.

  “Alright now you’re really asking for it!” The man yelled, jumping at Kanashi with the bottle in his hand overhead and ready to crack a skull.

  “Oi! Yoshin calm down, he’s just a kid!” The other men in the room yelled, restraining the rough voiced man Yoshin quickly.

  “He’s asking for it! He’s mocking me on purpose, the little bastard!” Yoshin argued, spilling his beer all over himself as he waved the bottle in the air above him.

  “Where’s Beniise when you need him?” The tattooed man sighed. “Well I’m Sekihara, Kokofude Sekihara.” He said, reaching his hand out to shake Kanashis.

  “Kanashi, Kanashi Sarumalder.” Kanashi muttered nervously shaking his hand.

  “Well Kanashi, that's Ohi Yoshin, don’t worry about him too much. He’s a real ass when he’s drunk but he won’t remember a single thing in the morning. Not even a debt so make sure you get your money out of him before the nights over.” Sekihara laughed dryly.

  “W-where am I?” Whimpered Kanashi with doe like eyes full of fear.

  “This is the Tigers Den, or at least that’s what we call it. The boss gets annoyed when we call it that but it’s better than what he named it.”

  “What’s that?”

  “[Toenshya Official Collaboration Estate].” Sekihara laughed.

  “I think that’s kinda cool…” Kanashi muttered.

  “Really? Man, talk about bad taste, No wonder he cares about you so much. He might try to make you his second son if you keep saying stuff like that.”

  “Your boss… he's Taishi-San right?” Kanashi asked.

  “...” Sekihara grew silent, his joyful face turning stern. “Don’t call him that, he prefers Akatora, no honorifics.” He whispered.

  “Oh… alright then…” Kanashi nodded. “So I’m assuming Akatora and… well you guys are a part of the Yakuza?” He asked, clenching his fist nervously.

  “You didn’t know?” Sekihara questioned, cocking his head back. “Interesting…” He hummed.

  “So that’s a yes then…” Sighed Kanashi , pulling his hands behind him.

  “What’re ya worried we’re gonna cut your fingers off? We don’t do anything like that, that’s movie shit.”

  “No, that’s not it… I guess it’s because-” Kanashi was going to say that they were supposed to be enemies but he was interrupted by the sound of the bar door swinging open with a bang. Everyone grew silent and looked at the three men who entered the room.

  Leading the charge was the man of the hour Taishi Akatora himself. He was wearing his usual red Hawiian shirt with yellow floral patterning and below that black leather pants with black leather dress shoes. To his side was a large young man who was nearly even with Akatora in height with a large scar across the front of his face. His black hair was slicked back and to the side and he dressed in a much more refined fashion then his assumed father. Wearing a collared black shirt and slacks.

  The final and most bizarre of the trio by far was also the one furthest back. It was a peculiar creature, one which had the body of a man yet the face of a feline. No, it was a human face but with feline characteristics. Almost like something made in the lab of a horror movie.

  “Meow.” The creature said, looking at Kanashi.

  “What the hell is that thing?” Kanashi muttered with a grimace.

  “That’s Gyokou Nejimaru, he has a physical mutation blessing which gives him a feline face.” Sekihara whispered.

  “That can happen!?”

  “With magic anything is possible, you just need to know how to use it. The strongest are the ones who’ve figured out how to cheat the system.”

  The room was nearly silent except for the loud snoring of Yoshin who was slumped up against the back wall completely unconscious and with an empty beer bottle in hand.

  “Ohi, wake up!” Akatora yelled.

  “Eeeeeh, you’re too loud boss! I’m just resting my eyes.” Yoshin sighed, standing up shakily.

  “Yeah right! I told you not to drink too much because you always end up like this! You’re one of my Joushin so act like one!”

  “You should know what to expect of me Akatora, we’ve known each other for forty years.” Yoshin laughed dryly with a stretch and yawn.

  “Do you mind if I take a seat dad?” The large young man asked, looking at Akatora with a frown.

  “Go ahead.” Akatora nodded his own face turning turning into an annoyed frown.

  “Dad?” Kanashi repeated aloud.

  “That’s Taishi Bennise, Akatoras son. Would you believe he’s only 19?” Sekihara awsnered with a whisper.

  “What's with the scar?”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  “Which one?” Sekihara asked turning to Kanashi.

  It was a fair question, there were multiple scars on the little bit of Beniises visible skin, though the ones which brought the most attention from Kanashi were the two on his face. One was small and like a bullet hole while the other a large deep slash that went from his temple to jaw.

  “I guess both…”

  “The big one was an assassination attempt when he was in 5th grade. The dude came at him with a Katana and sliced his face open but Bennise popped his skull with a single punch. The round one was another assassination attempt. This time it was sniper who underestimated the distance he shot from. The bullet bounced right off Bennises skull with no major injuries.”

  No major injuries!? Kanashi thought, his jaw dropping somewhat. How the hell is getting shot in the head not a major injury!?

  “Looks like you’ve been fixed up nicely, Kanashi.” Akatora yelled out.

  “Oh, yeah thank you!” Kanashi said, bowing his head.

  “No problem, it’s the least I could do after you saved one of us.” Akatora nodded.

  “I did?”

  “Remember that bloody lump of a man? That was one of my men who I sent to watch you. But it looks like Domushis goons got to him pretty quickly.”

  “Domushi?” The men whispered amongst each other in confusion.

  “Domushi?” Kanashi repeated. I feel like I’ve heard that name before but I can't remember where…　”I assume Domushi is a boss like you?” he asked.

  “Domushi is the border control Hachibuto, if you were ever going to caught by anyone it was him and his men which would have been the worst case scenario. They’d do anything to you until you squealed.

  “...” Kanashi shuddered at that thought. Going off how strong Ugoki was, I can only imagine how bad it would have been if Domushi caught me, Rebecca and Jason off the shore of Edoland. Rebecca and Jason were plenty powerful but I don’t know if they could have done any better than me in such a situation…

  “But I can guarantee your safety for the moment. And I can guarantee it for the rest of your stay in Edoland if you decide to work with me.”

  “Work with you?” Kanashi repeated nervously.

  “How about we move to a more confidential space for this discussion?” Akatora asked with a wide grin.

  # # #

  “Going off what you said before, you want me (Venator Society) to team up with you and help fight against the Toumeikan right?” Kanashi asked.

  “That’s the short version.” Akatora answered.

  “...” Kanashi took a deep breath and let his head fall back. The room they were in was a small office with similar decorations to the bar from before. Assumedly Akatoras personal office.

  “After your run in with both Ugoki and Minamoto I’m sure you've realized how dangerous the Toumeikan are capable of being. As long as they know who you are it's only going to be worse from here on out.

  “Yeah, They're dangerous because not only pure power but their underhandedness.” Kanashi frowned.

  “Well your second point is a nice Segway into one of the reasons I'm unhappy with the current and want to form this partner ship."

  "..."

  "The leaders of the Toumeikan (Susanori) have bowed their heads to the Orochi Kingdom and allowed them to have full control without even so much as a fight. Such an cowardly act not only reflects poorly on our company but those who are apart of it. I can't accept that such a stain on not just my pride but my employees as well. It's disgusting and cowardly!"

  “So that’s what this is about?” Kanashi frowned.

  “No, that’s only one of the reasons, however before I tell you the second I need to confirm that you understand the severity of this conversation.” At this question the room's atmosphere grew boiling hot and the air became thick enough to suffocate you.

  “....” Kanashi bit his lip at the question and thought deeply before answering. I wanna be up front and honest that I’m no longer with the Venator Society but I’m afraid he’ll just kill me if I tell him. If I tell him now there might be a chance of him letting me live but If I tell him after our conversation that change will certainly be gone... so the choice should be obvious. So Why am I struggling here!?

  “Well?” Akatora asked.

  “Yeah, I understand.” Kanashi smiled awkwardly, digging his nails into his palm.

  “Then Let us continue. The second reason for my disapproval of the current Toumeikan is the general direction of the company. While things like Murder, Poaching, Drug and human trafficking are highly profitable they’re also no longer a viable long term option. The world of technology is rapidly changing and with that so is society. While the 2nd dark age has helped the Toumeikan continue these operations for the past 250 years now that technology is progressing one more such business will be nearly impossible in a few years. With the internet alone we’ve taken a massive blow to our company. Nearly instant communication means quicker return times and quicker police investigations. It won't be long before every single street corner and building has a camera. At that point they’ll be able to track every single little move we make from one end of the country to the other. The world is changing as so must the Toumeikan. However the Susanori clan doesn’t think the same, they’re too focused on their own affairs to truly remodel the Toumeikan for the future!"

  So you want to stop doing those things because they're unprofitable, not because they’re evil? Kanashi thought with a frown. And not only that but I didn’t hear him mention anything about the [Spear Of Longinus] or Horseman once. Does he not know about them? How can you be worrying about the future of the Toumeikan when that future potential does not exist? But I doubt the Venator Society and Randolph are just running around telling everyone that the world is about to end in the next year so he probably doesn't know. “So you wanna take control of the Toumeikan as the new big boss?” He asked.

  “That’s the idea, though the structure of the Toumeikan isn’t lacking the current people in power are. The Susanori, District Lords and at least half of the other Hachibuto need to be removed.” Akatora said sternly.

  “Wait, can you explain Toumeikan to me more? Like the general history and who’s currently in those positions of power?” Kanashi asked. “Just so I have a better idea of how the company works.”

  “Shouldn’t you already know this?” Akatora questioned, his eyes narrowing.

  “I probably should, but my teacher tends to leave a lot out of his lessons.” Kanashi answered with one eye squinted and sweat dripping down his cheek.

  “Sigh, Well It’s only fair for you to know as much as me if we’re talking about the Toumeikan so I’ll begin from the start. The Toumeikan was founded one thousand years ago during the Hanatei era. When the Dokura Clan hired the Kageki Clan to assassinate the Touda dynasty resulting in the Kujoki incident. After this the country was split into two halves being the North and South during the Hokunan War. When the war ended and the country was reunited a new imperial family was needed so the Iwagura clan was put into the role. One of their first actions was to banish the [Kokushi] those enlisted by the Touda dynasty to do the Empires dirty work like torture and executions from the capital The leader of the Kokushi [Koroki No Senjurou] would change his name to [Susanori No Youtsune] and form the Toumeikan from the Kokushis remnants.”

  “So the Susanori have ruled the Toumeikan for the past thousand years without any break in the lineage?” Kanashi asked.

  “Correct, the current head of the Susanori and by extension the Toumeikan is Susanori Kobe, the 44th head of both organizations.

  “And the issues you have with the Toumeikan all stem from Kobe?”

  “Yes, his lack of both pride and a spine are frankly disgusting. Because he bowed his head to the Orochi Kingdom like a coward, those damn Vipers can tell us what we can and can’t do. Something not even the Emperor was able to dictate for the past thousand years.”

  Well it’s not like the Emperor actually has any power anymore… Kanashi thought. “So after Kobe are the district lords?”

  “The three district lords are mainly the middle men between the Susanori and Hachibuto. They mainly handle the paperwork and legal troubles as well as the planning of future endeavors. It’s their duty to uphold the balance of the Susanori, Hachibuto and the Government relations within the Toumeikan.”

  “Who are they exactly?”

  “Well if you must know the oldest of the lot is Hisakuni Sougen, in the past he was one of the Susanori Clans [Kurokishika: Black Spider Lily Squad].

  “Kurokishika?” Kanashi repeated.

  “The Kurokishika and Susanori were what the Kokushi were to the Touda. The Kurokishika were the personal guards of the Susanori as well as carrying out their more personal and nefarious affairs.”

  “They sound pretty dangerous, should we be worried about them?”

  “Thankfully not, the Kurokishika were annihilated over 60 years ago, with only Sougen and two others remaining. If they were still around this whole situation would be much worse.”

  “But Sougen is still strong right? If he was one of these guys that is.”

  “No, at this point Sougen is nothing more then a rotting corpse. The nasty bastard can’t even piss or eat himself. He needs a feeding tube and catheter to do it for him.”

  “Oh… well if he’s that bad off why doesn’t somebody just you know… put a pillow over his head while he’s asleep or something…” Kanashi asked, looking at the ground in shame.

  “Hahaha, while that’s certainly possible he has a personal squad of guards, nurses and doctors around him at all times. I can handle them all myself but if we strike prematurely the entire Toumeikan would be after us.”

  “So we need to wait until the rest of the tower is ready to fall before we pull that block?”

  “Correct.” Akatora nodded. “After Sougen is the youngest of the three district lords Jounichike Koutarou, he was previously the Hachibuto of the division which Domushi now controls. He was promoted a little over a decade ago after his successful massacre of the Kageki clan.”

  At the mention of the Kageki clan Kanashi shuddered, the image of Satoshi appeared in his mind and the still open wound on his side throbbed in a dull pain.

  “So he's the tough one?” Kanashi asked.

  “He’s definitely the strongest of the three and also the most dangerous. Me or someone equal in power to me will need to fight him and even then it’s not a guaranteed victory.”

  “...”

  “The last District Lord is Masunaga Mako, the blood queen. Much like Koutarou, she was also a Hachibuto in the past and will need someone's full attention.”

  "..."

  I doubt Akatora would be able to fight both Koutarou and Mako back to back if what he’s saying is true, so we’d need somebody at least equal in strength to him to fight one of the other district lords. But how strong are Hachibuto anyways? If their equal in strength to a Venator Society captain we’d need at least nine Captain tier fighters for both the District Lords and Hachibuto right? That’s excluding the Joushin Elite four… so this is going to need a lot more man power then I originally thought…

  “I don't mean any disrespect when I ask this but I’ve gotta know, How strong are you exactly? I can tell you're extremely powerful but if compared to a captain of the Venator Society how would you rank?” Kanashi asked as politely as he could.

  “Well, I’ve never compared myself to a captain of the Venator Society before so I wouldn’t know exactly . But I could have burned Chujou Ugoki to ashes with a single touch.” Akatora answered, his voice confident and face stern.

  “...” Kanashi swallowed that statement with a nod.

  So the Hachibuto are probably between a vice captain and captain in strength then… In that case I wonder how many of the Hachibuto, Jin himself could handle? If he could take multiple on at once that'd certainly clear the path for more mobility amongst the able fighters. But even then that’s only if they’re in one place, the Hachibuto, Susanori and District Lords are most likely spread across the country so there’s no telling if Jin could actually fight multiple of them at once. In that case numbers rely more than individual strength…

  “And since I already know you’re gonna ask the five current Hachibuto you should know about are as follows, Hyogo Kuroyama, Amagasaki Aotori, Chiba Iwainu, Asago Yamikawa and Sumiyoshi Domushi. Each having their own Joshin Elite four as well.”

  “And how would you compare me to a member of the Joshin?” Kanashi asked.

  “... If you were working under me and I had an opening, I wouldn't even consider you as an option.”

  “...” While Kanashi expected that answer, it was certainly a hard pill to swallow. Even after all he’d been through and how hard he’d worked he was still nothing compared to even the lowest ranking of the important Toumeikan members. “While I appreciate your in depth explanation of the Toumeikan I have to ask what makes you think that the Venator Society would be willing to work with you?” Kanashi asked, trying to force as stern a face as possible. “As far as I know their goal is to wipe the Toumeikan out completely while you just want to remodel it. I’m not sure how well those goals really align.”

  “Wiping out the Toumeikan won’t fix anything. We’ll just be replaced by another company a few years from now who might be worse than we are. However, under my control I aim to not only change the Toumeikan for the better for our own profit but also for the country of Edoland. I’m willing to work in tandem with both the Government of Edoland and the Venator Society for this.”

  “...” Kanashi was stunned at this unexpected answer and took a moment to compose himself. “While I like everything you have to say I can’t just forge this relationship. I’m only a middleman who was sent here to set things up for the liberation. I’ve already stepped quite a ways out of my lane to end up here so you’d have been better off speaking to Nordon about this.”

  “Nordon? You mean Tatematsumi? That man’s too straight edged, he’d try to arrest me if I came to him with this proposal.”

  “So you’re betting everything on me because I’m seemingly important enough to create this relationship but also weak enough that you don’t need to worry about the repercussions of it?”

  “...”

  Kanashi took Akatoras silence as confirmation and sighed. “How would this relationship work?” He asked.

  “It’s simple, you’ll form a contract with me and take my mark upon your skin. From now until the liberation effort you’ll be a part of my company.”

  “Wait! You want me to join the Toumeikan!? Do you understand how ridiculous of a contract that is? I can barely imagine the Venator Society forming a contract with you as equals but for me to work under you directly!?”

  “You won’t actually be working under me, this is simply a contract to bind us together, one which ensures both the Venator Society (You) and I have a formal agreement between us to work together.”

  Kanashi grit his teeth at Akatoras rebuttal and mulled over his option.

  I’m in too deep, I’m not even a member of the Venator Society anymore yet here I am acting like one and trying to form contracts with the Toumeikan of all people! I’m doing too much once again! I have no business doing this! But if I tell him now he’ll probably just straight up kill me and besides can I really leave him and his employees hanging? We both have the same goal, just like I told Hojo Mitou, I don’t want to destroy the Toumeikan but rebuild it! Now I have that chance before me shouldn’t I take it!?

  “Well… before we get any further I have something to tell you…” Kanashi muttered, his lips curved up and eyes squinted.

  “?”

  With a deep breath Kanashi spoke. “I’m not a member of the Venator Society anymore.”

  Akatora didn’t speak, move or blink. He simply stared at Kanashi dead panned before letting out a sigh. “My my…” He sighed pushing his hand into his forehead. “I suspected it to be possible but to think it was actually true… hahaha what an unfortunate situation.”

  “But I think I can still help!” Kanashi said.

  “What do you mean?” Akatora asked, looking up with narrowed eyes and a vein popping on his forehead.

  “I want to help you and the Venator Society in this. I made the choice to stay in this country because I regretted leaving the Venator Society when things got tough, I was a coward who ran away instead of facing the consequences of my actions. But I’ve realized that was a mistake! I want to be a part of this world! If you don’t trust me that’s fine I don’t blame you but as you said I’m the best shot at working with the Venator Society that you have!”

  “If you quit the Venator Society when things got tough, how can I trust you won’t do the same during our collaboration?”

  “I understand your doubts and I have them myself… I can’t ask you to trust me on my merit but I can ask you to trust me as a man.”

  “As a man? Boy, this isn’t a game. This is a matter of life and death for me and the millions of people inside this country. Do you think I can truly trust you as a man after what you just told me?”

  “...”

  "..."

  "..."

  “Sigh, But, if what you’re saying is true then I’m assuming you were at the airport planning to leave the country but stayed in order to save my employee who was being attacked by Minamoto?”

  “I was actually about to board the plane when he sent off a signal with his aura…”

  Akatora sighed and rubbed his forehead slowly. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt because I owe you for what you did. You’re certain you can find a way to forge this relationship between the Toumeikan and Venator Society?”

  “As certain as I can be!” Kanashi nodded.

  “Don’t make me regret it.” Akatora sighed rubbing his temples

  “Thank you!” Kanashi said, bowing his head.

  “Well then, let’s get to one of the things I want you to do exactly. As you’ve probably realized this is a large-scale effort which requires many powerful fighters to accomplish. Currently I have only myself, my Joshin Elite Four and about two dozen other lower ranking men capable of pulling their weight in this battle. So we’re extremely under armed, however there’s somebody in Sumori prefecture said to rival a Hachibuto in strength. If you can convince him to join our side it would prove a tremendous help.”

  “Sumori prefecture? Isn’t that across the country?” Kanashi frowned.

  “It will take you five and a half hours to reach Sumori and from there you’ll travel another hour on foot to the Shimona waterfall basin where he was last spotted.”

  “Who is this guy capable of rivaling a Hachibuto in strength then?” Kanahis asked.

  “He goes by the name Tatakayaiba Kenji, though another name given to him is the Last Samurai.”

  “Wait, if he’s called the last Samurai doesn’t that mean he’s already working under somebody? Like a Shogun if those still exist?”

  “No, the title refers to his lifestyle, he chooses to live like a swordsman would 250 years ago.”

  “I see, that explains the name then… How long ago was he spotted in Sumori?”

  “The last report I was able to find was four days old.”

  “So he could already have moved across the prefecture by the time I get there…” Kanashi sighed.

  “From what I’ve gathered he tends to stay in one place for quite some time so he shouldnt have moved too far from where he was spotted, apparently he prefers quiet and rural places to large cities so even if he’s not by the Shimona waterfall basin you should have a list of places to search.”

  “Well that sounds like a pain but if he’s truly equal to a Hachibuto in strength then it’s worth the hassle”

  “Now that your curiosity has been fulfilled and we’ve reached an agreement we’ll move onto the final and most important part of this meeting.” Akatora said, holding his calloused palm out towards Kanashi. A tiger palm shaped branding in the center of it.

  “This is the mark that forms the contract?” Kanashi asked nervously.

  “Yes, this is the Mark of my company, those who wear it on their skin belong to me.”

  Kanashi scrunched his face up as he looked at the tattoo. I’m doing this… I’ll recruit Kenji and then find Nordon and explain everything to him. At the very least even if he refuses to work with me again I can get him to acknowledge Akatora… wait, but If I’m not a member of the Venator Society and Kenji isn't either then we’re not bound by the laws of the Venator Society! We can force Soutou Raizen to step down and win both the Hojo and part of the Toumeikan to our side in a single sweep! A wicked smile slipped past Kanashis lips. They’ll have no choice but to let me back in after I helped out so much right!?

  “Alright, but before I accept it completely I wanna hear the fine print.” Kanashi said shaking his head to remove his grin.

  “Haha.” Akatora chuckled softly, “I put all of my trust into you and you can’t do the same to me? But I guess that’s a fair enough request. This mark not only affirms that I’m honest and faithful in our contract but also that you will be accepted by a majority of the Toumeikan.”

  “What do you get out of it?”

  “First, I know where you are at all times, second you cannot leave the country without my permission and third your end of the agreement is honest and faithful.”

  I’m not too big a fan of those first two, there’s a lot of potential danger with them… but if we’re both upheld to our end of the agreement through the contract it’s not something I should need to worry about right? That is if he’s telling the truth… but this contract requires him to be doing so in which case everything he said is the full and complete contract information. But do I really have no say so in this contract? It’s not a bad set of terms but I feel like I’m being held at gunpoint here to sign it either way…

  “Alright I accept this contract on the condition that it only lasts until the Liberation of Edoland on the 1st of August 2498.” Kanashi said sticking his hand out.

  “I agree.” Akatora nodded, grabbing Kanashis hand. His large palm could easily wrap around Kanashis arm and snap it like a twig, in fact he could probably do so with only half of his fingers if wanted to.

  [Sakazuki!] Akatora said aloud.

  A sudden burning sensation spread across Kanashis bicep, one which had no pain but tickled him uncomfortably. After a few seconds Akatora released Kanashis hand and Kanashi lifted his shirts sleeve to inspect the new mark. It was a bright red tattoo on the side of his arm which looked like the paw print of a tiger.

  “That settles it…” Kanashi sighed. This was probably the best case scenario for his situation but it still felt like he’d just signed a deal with the devil himself.

  This is going to be a long one so be warned

  # # #

  [透明感] Toumeikan

  [荒則] Susanori

  [八部頭] Hachibuto - 8 Division Heads

  [三所侯] Sanjogou - Three District Lords

  [上四ん] Joshin - Upper Four

  [賭圓社] Toenshiya - Gamble Money Company

  [紅竜] Beniise - Crimson Dragon. In East Asian folk lore the Tiger is only rivaled by the Dragon so I think this is a nice contrast to both the animal and color motif.

  [雄日用進] Ohi Yoshin - The first Kanji means “Male” or “Masculine” the second means “day.” The last two don’t really have any intended meaning just being “Business” and “Advance, progress.”

  [楰好捻丸] Gyokou Nejimaru - Gyo is spelled with a Kanji for “tree” but the word fish can also be read as Gyo and the second Kanji is to like or love something. So to Love Fish. The 3rd Kanji mean to “wist, twirl, play with while the 4th means ball. Like how cat’s play with balls of yarn. Also the ball reading of "ball" Maru is also just a generic suffix to male names.

  [黒筆蜥腹] Kokufude Sekihara - The first Kanji is black while the second is for paint / writing brush. The third Kanji is for Lizard. The fourth is just “stomach” which has no real meaning behind it on my part I like like the way it looks.

  [久国踪玄] Hisakuni Sougen - Hisakuni is written with the Kanji for Old Story and Country so like an Old Country Story. The name Sougen was recommended to me by a friend.

  [条日家続太郎] Jounichike Koutarou - The first name doesn’t have much meaning to it I just think it's sounds sort of Yankish. The fourth Kanji “kou” means series or continue while Tarou is just a generic male name suffix like Maru.

  [益永真后] Masunaga Makou - The first Kanji means “profit” or “gain” and the second “eternity” or “lengthy”. The third means “Truth” or “Reality” and the fourth and final is for “Queen” or “Empress.”

  [花悌] Hanatei - The first Kanji means “flower” and the second “serving or respecting elders” similar to the real life Heian era of Japan.

  [黒士] Kokushi - Literally “black worker.” These people served the emperor in doing those task generally looked down upon and though of as dirty such as torture, executions and the like. After the Hokunan war the new Iwagura dynasty banished them from the capital. They would later form the Toumeikan and create the Susanori clan.

  [荒則用恒] Susanori No Youtsune - A Lot of old Japanese names had “No” in them which basically means “of” so “Youstune of the Susanori Clan”. Youtsune has no real meaning behind the Kanji, the name just sounded like something from the Heian era.

  [刲木仙寿郎] Koroki No Senjurou - The first Kanji means to slice while the second is tree. In the feudal eras of Japan instead of cutting down logs of wood to test a sword to they’d use dead bodies. So that's where that idea came from. 仙 just looks and sounds cool meaning “hermit” or “wizard” with no real intent behind it. “Jurou” much like Tarou and Maru is just a suffix to male names.

  [駆除記] Kojki incident - The first Kanji “Kujo'' can mean exterminate, the second means ``abolish” and the third is “narrative”. The Dokura clan hosted a banquet with the Touda clan serving poisoned wine and food. Once the Touda clan fell asleep from the Poison the Kageki stormed the dinning hall and massacred them all starting the North Vs. South war.

  [東田] Touda - Literally Eastern rice patties, The Touda clan was the first dynasty of Edoland who rose to power in ancient times by creating a monopoly on rice paddies in what would be modern day Tousen.

  [岩倉] Iwagura - Stone storehouse, one of the real life Minamoto clans ancestors. (Who the Hojo are inspired by) The Iwagura are the second dynasty put into place by the Soutou after the Hokunan war. They were a family of peasant farmers who the Soutou hired to act as figure heads for a dynasty by claiming they were long lost descendants from a illegitimate child. So while the Iwagura got to live a life of Luxury the Soutou ran the country behind the scenes. Though eventually the Iwagura got frustrated by their lack of power and after a second civil war got their proper foot hold in politics.

  [毒螺] Dokura - Poisonous snail. The Dokura clan were a powerful noble family of similar ranking to both the Hojo and Soutou though their greed grew too great and they orchestrated the Kujoki incident. They hired the Kageki clan to murder the Touda dynasty in hopes of gaining the imperial title and becoming the complete rulers of the country. The Hojo and Soutou were of course not happy with this and the Hokunan war commenced. At the end of the war the Soutou and Hojo bought the Kageki clan's allegiance and had them purge the Dokura ending the war completely.

  [戦刃剣士] Tatakayabia Kenji - Literally [battle blade swordsman]

  [黒岸花] Kurokishika - Basically black spider lily. The Koruokishika were composed of male orphans that the Susanori had bought from poverty stricken orphanages and families. Much like Eunuchs the Kurokishika were castrated so they could not weasel their way into power. They were the acting forces of the Susanori clan until they were annihilated 80 years ago leaving only 3 survivors.

  [Sakazuki] - a sake cup usually used in initiation rituals between Yakuza in movies.

  # # #

  In the Japanese language there’s multiple ways to refer to yourself. The most common one you’ll hear is “Watashi” which is a gender neutral and polite way of referring to yourself. “Boku” is a little less polite and more male way of referring to yourself but it’s still appropriate in most occasions. Sometimes spunky girls will even use “Boku” to sound more tough and cool. But this is mostly played up in a lot of media and isn’t that common in real life.

  “Ore” is a very tough macho man way of referring to yourself. It’s very rude to use it with anyone not close to you, like friends or family. So when Ohi is telling Kanashi to talk like a man and use “Ore” he’s basically telling him he sounds like a girl or little boy referring to himself as “Boku.”

  During this scene they were talking in Shinkai what’s basically the equivalent of English in our world. However unlike English, Shinkai uses the Japanese pronoun conventions because I like it alot and think it can make subtle inferences about characters.

  While we’re at it here’s what some of the cast refers to themselves as.

  Kanashi - Boku, he’s just used it since he was a kid

  Hayai - Ore, because only a woman would use Watashi or Boku

  Jin - Onore, Onore is a very archaic and polite way of referring to yourself and also a very rude borderline curse when referring to others. He of course uses both forms. He also might use Ore-Sama when joking around which I’d translate as (The Magnificent Jin).

  Julius - Watashi, Julius is very straight edged and proper so Watashi felt like the correct choice

  Pompeii - Ore, unlike Julius Pompeii is a free spirit who says whatever he wants.

  Randolph- Wakutashi, another archaic pronoun normally used by royalty or nobility. It can sometimes be used in modern day during high level business and political meetings.

  El-Saber - Ware - Another older pronoun that's very polite to use

  Juno - Boku, she says it because it makes people angry so she likes it.

  Satoshi - Ore, as a child he referred to himself using Jibun, which means (Myself) and is a slightly more polite version of “Boku”. However he now uses Ore exclusively.

  Cao-Li - Jibun