Tokyo: From Lawless Madpolice to Minister
Chapter 80 - 76: Seeing Yamakawa Ichiro Again, The Sister-in-Law’s Palpitations

Chapter 80: Chapter 76: Seeing Yamakawa Ichiro Again, The Sister-in-Law’s Palpitations

Kabukicho buzzed with activity at night, its neon signs blazing in brilliance, a colorful dance of light. Shops of every variety stood shoulder to shoulder, but the most common were the countless bars, nightclubs, karaoke joints, seafood stalls, and grilled chicken eateries.

Tattooed Yakuza would come here to vent their desires and conduct business, while exhausted office workers, drained by their employers by day, would seek further exploitation...

But Xiu Xin Aoyama didn’t favor the women from such places—disreputable as he was, he preferred the women of high society.

Occasionally, he would reflect on himself, well aware that his mindset was inappropriate. After all, women from high society weren’t lacking in money, nor did they need him; on the contrary, it was the women from society’s lower echelons, bearing the chill of the night with their chests and legs exposed, dressed in clothes that hardly covered them, who needed him more. Yet he refused to lend a helping hand. How cold and merciless that was.

He wished for a society with more kind-hearted, sympathetic people and fewer cold-hearted souls like him who scorned the poor and adored the rich, just as the song proclaimed: "If everyone contributes a little love, the world will become a beautiful tomorrow."

Xiu Xin Aoyama shook off his sentimental musings as he entered the family nightclub.

This nightclub now belonged to the Yamakawa Family.

Concerned about the potential negative impact on Xiu Xin Aoyama if seen by others, Ichiro Yamakawa did not meet him outside, instead waiting quietly in a private room.

The moment the door to the private room slid open, Ichiro Yamakawa stood up immediately and bowed deeply, "Mr. Aoyama."

With his plump belly, bending over at a ninety-degree angle proved slightly challenging for him.

"Mr. Yamaoka, you seem to have grown more prosperous since I last saw you!" joked Xiu Xin Aoyama as he sat down on the sofa before casually picking up a Heiwa brand cigarette from the table and placing it in his mouth.

These were premium cigarettes in the Japanese market.

It was said to be the old boy Heavenly Locust’s favorite.

Ichiro Yamakawa, with his rotund body, deftly snatched the lighter from the table and swiftly bent forward to light the cigarette for Xiu Xin Aoyama. Only after performing the service did he respond to the tease, harmlessly patting his belly and laughing, "Thanks to your blessings, sir. A country bumpkin like me gets dazzled by the city, and I’ve overindulged in all sorts of good food recently, which unsurprisingly led to some weight gain."

"You know, you should take better care of yourself," Aoyama shook his head, suspecting that the man must already have hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia.

Moreover, being part of the Black Society, it was better to be lean; in case your enemies come after you with a knife, you might not even be able to run.

"Hey! Thanks for your concern," Ichiro Yamakawa responded with a simple laugh, then took up a file folder, lowered his head, and presented it with both hands, "This is the transfer agreement for the Yamamoto family’s flower shop. It just needs your seal to take effect."

If Aoyama had not requested his presence this evening, he would have had to seek him out proactively to deliver the agreement.

In Japan, the "seal" is crucial; everyone has a personal seal that is used to verify identity and sign various agreements, capable of producing legal effects.

"Place it over there; I’ll take it with me in a bit," Xiu Xin Aoyama said offhandedly, without inquiring how the other party had obtained the flower shop. He didn’t care.

"Hey!" Ichiro Yamakawa set down the file folder.

Xiu Xin Aoyama flicked away some ash and said, looking at the respectful and obsequious figure in front of him, "I’ve come today because there’s something I need help with, Mr. Yamaoka."

"Please, instruct me," said Ichiro Yamakawa.

Although they were alone, Xiu Xin Aoyama still subconsciously gestured for him to come closer, then whispered, "If you do it like this... and then like this..."

Heiji Jin Cheng was not only a police inspector but also had Police Chief Hattori as a backer and was well-connected with friends—so dealing with him had to be sly, like playing a game with a young lady!

After relaying the plan, Aoyama leaned back into the sofa again and asked, "Did you understand?"

"Hey! Rest assured, sir, I will handle it flawlessly!" Ichiro Yamakawa assured.

"I trust your ability to get things done, Mr. Yamaoka," Aoyama nodded, flicked another string of ash, and advised, "With the Senate elections coming up in July, lay low for now and avoid causing any trouble. Otherwise, you might attract some serious crackdowns."

The Senate has a cycle of six years, and the current election was scheduled for July 26th. Before the dust settled, it was the most intense time for strife and dealings.

Causing trouble now could result in being used as fodder by some politician, and as the Yamakawa Family had only recently established a foothold in Tokyo, getting caught in political turmoil would leave them no option but to be sacrificed.

After all, unlike the immense entities like the Yamaguchi Group, Daokuan Association, and Sumiyoshi Association, which already had significant political clout and had to be involved in such matters, they were different.

"Hey!" Ichiro Yamakawa bowed his head in response.

"Bang!"

Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open violently from the outside, as Youji Yamakawa stormed in, fuming, "Idiots! Ichiro Yamakawa, you worthless guy, our entire family earned our place in Tokyo, not just you! Why should all the industries be staffed by your people?"

Aoyama’s brow furrowed slightly at the interruption.

Ichiro Yamakawa ignored Youji Yamakawa and coldly glared at the two subordinates standing by the door.

Knowing they had failed their duty, the two swiftly prostrated on the floor, sitting in seiza, and admitted their mistake.

"Big brother, let’s discuss this some other time..." Ichiro Yamakawa slightly bowed and said.

"Do you even recognize me as your brother?" Youji Yamakawa was clearly enraged and cut off Ichiro Yamakawa sharply, "Then you should know that I am the rightful heir of the Yamakawa Family! I demand an immediate explanation!"

"Mr. Yamaoka, I trust in your professional capabilities, but it seems your ability to handle family matters is quite worrying!" Aoyama chuckled, stubbed out his cigarette, picked up the file folder from the table, and left.

"I apologize for the embarrassment," Ichiro Yamakawa paled as he respectfully saw Aoyama out, bowing deeply, "Please take care, Mr. Aoyama!"

Hearing the term "Mr. Aoyama," Youji Yamakawa in the room finally realized who the young man seated there just moments ago was, and his face betrayed an awkward expression.

Maintaining his deep bow for close to half a minute, Ichiro Yamakawa finally raised his head, turned around, walked back into the private room, and faced Youji Yamakawa, "You’re wrong about one thing, big brother. It’s not my credit, nor the Yamakawa Family’s, that we’ve made it in Tokyo. It’s Mr. Aoyama’s. Your behavior today was quite impolite."

"What, are you trying to educate me?" Although Yamakawa Youji realized that he had been rude, he was unwilling to bow to his younger brother and said coldly, "If that’s the case, let father decide who is right and who is wrong!"

After he spoke, he turned with a cold face and left.

Yamakawa Ichiro stood still on the spot for a while.

Then suddenly he burst into rage, bent over and knocked all the drinks on the table to the ground. The breaking sound of glass shattering rang incessantly as he propped himself on the tabletop, panting heavily, his plump features contorting into something rather ferocious.

"Get in here!"

The two subordinates kneeling at the door crawled in.

"Can’t even watch the door, what use are you to me?" Yamakawa Ichiro twisted his head to stare at the two men.

Violence gleamed in his beady eyes.

"Sir!" Neither dared to argue, they both kowtowed to him, then drew out their short swords, placing a hand on the ground. The blade was aligned between the little finger and ring finger and, gritting their teeth, they sliced through.

Crack!

Two bloody fingers lay on the ground.

The two men who had severed their fingers turned pale, their foreheads beaded with sweat, and although they did not scream in agony, they gave a heavy grunt before bowing down again to apologize for their mistake.

"If there’s a next time, you two useless things can prepare to be expelled!" Yamakawa Ichiro left them with an expressionless face and swept out of the room.

Within the Violent Gang, there were many methods of punishment.

Severing fingers was the most common, with the number varying according to the seriousness of the error committed.

Excommunication meant issuing a notice of expulsion, declaring to the Black Society that someone has been cast out, although if the boss changes his mind, there might still be a chance to return to the organization.

The most severe was complete ostracization, where an ostracization notice is issued within the industry. Aside from being expelled, one might also face retaliation from organization members. When headquarters issues such a notice to lower branch organizations, it usually signals the start of a war. For instance, in 1984 the Yamaguchi Group widely issued an ostracization notice against the Iwakai, signaling the beginning of the Yamaguchi-Iwakai conflict.

...

Xiu Xin Aoyama arrived home at ten in the evening.

"Xiu Xin, you’re back. It must have been another tough day." Aoyama Haruko greeted him with a smile, squatting down to personally change his shoes. Since the incident where she had stabbed Yamamoto Shoya a few days earlier, she had become more psychologically reliant on Xiu Xin Aoyama and more meticulous in her care for him.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Aoyama Xiu Xin had grown accustomed to being served by others in changing his shoes, luckily he didn’t have athlete’s foot. He lowered his head and said, "Sister-in-law must be quite bored at home these days."

Because she no longer needed to work part-time jobs, Aoyama Haruko now often wore a kimono and was currently dressed in one with a pale aqua color embroidered with white flowers. Although the neckline was tightly fastened and showed no hints of skin, looking down revealed her full bosom, which was quite visually striking.

"It’s not too bad. Every day I just think about how to fatten up Xiu Xin." Aoyama Haruko looked up at Xiu Xin Aoyama, a bright and radiant smile on her face.

Xiu Xin Aoyama found his sister-in-law’s smile to be infectious; he couldn’t help but smile too, shaking the document bag he was holding, "Sister-in-law, I have a gift for you."

"I’ll just go wash my hands first." Although very curious, Aoyama Haruko didn’t reach out to receive it but got up and headed to the bathroom.

Xiu Xin Aoyama then sat down on the couch.

After a moment, Aoyama Haruko came out and took small, shuffling steps over to sit beside him, her face full of anticipation and curiosity she asked, "Xiu Xin, what is it?"

Aoyama Xiu Xin gestured for her to open it and see for herself.

"So mysterious." Aoyama Haruko pouted playfully, rolling her eyes at him before picking up the document bag to open it. After realizing what it was, she quickly put it down, "This... this gift is too valuable, I’m sorry Xiu Xin, I can’t accept it."

"Take it. This is compensation from Yamamoto Shoya’s family for you, and besides, don’t you love this job? I believe you can manage the flower shop even better." Aoyama Xiu Xin said earnestly.

"No, I still can’t take it." Aoyama Haruko shook her head, fell silent for a moment, and upon seeing Xiu Xin Aoyama’s firm attitude, she pursed her lips and said, "How about this, Xiu Xin, I’ll consider it helping you run the shop, working for you."

"Then I’m troubled to have my sister-in-law work for me." Aoyama Xiu Xin thought it was just a formality and didn’t really care.

Aoyama Haruko laughed, "Then as the boss, Xiu Xin, just don’t overwork this employee."

Looking at his sister-in-law’s gentle and graceful face, and feeling the weight of his conscience, Aoyama Xiu Xin actually found himself wishing to be ’exploited’ by her.

The experience would certainly be terrific.

Seeing him staring at her, Aoyama Haruko felt a panic she didn’t understand. A blush spread across her face as she lowered her head, biting her red lips, her dainty feet under her skirt tapping restlessly together.

"Sister-in-law."

"Mm?"

"You’re really beautiful." Aoyama Xiu Xin said sincerely.

"No, I’m not. Stop talking nonsense." Aoyama Haruko blushed with embarrassment and dared not meet Xiu Xin Aoyama’s eyes, and quickly ran upstairs, "I’m going to rest now. You should go to sleep early too."

She fled all the way back to the bedroom, slammed the door shut with a clang, leaned against it with labored breathing, her chest heaving violently. Looking at her wedding photo with her husband Aoyama Sosuke on the bedside, her emotions gradually calmed down.

The sister-in-law was destined to have a restless night.

And she wasn’t the only one kept awake because of Aoyama Xiu Xin; Jin Cheng Heiji was also unable to sleep.