Chapter 531: Meeting (1)

In a back street in Tokyo, a small and rather old looking car pulled up abruptly. A man wearing a black tank top stepped out of the vehicle with a menacing look on his face.

Tetsu slammed his door shut, his eyes falling upon a bar with two large men out the front dressed in suits. Without any fanfare, he walked up to the doors and was about to go in.

“The place is closed.” One of the men said, placing his hand on Tetsu’s chest.

“Ya got 2 seconds to let me in before I break yer fingers.” Tetsu said, his voice barely containing his anger.

Those words were all it took for the guards vigilance to reach the peak. Just before the violence was about to occur, the door opened, showing a balding man with colorful tattoos down both his arms.

“Let him in, we don’t have enough men to send you to the hospital.” He said dismissively.

“Y—Yes sir!” The guard stammered quickly moving out of the way.

Instead of being thankful, Tetsu glared at his friend, “Where is she?”

Tsukasa didn’t seem to mind his attitude, motioning for him to come inside.

“Daddy!”

The sound of his daughter’s voice seemed to melt away all the anxiety within Tetsu.

“Ai!”

Ai ran into his arms, gripping him tightly. He could feel her body shivering, causing him to tense up.

“It’s okay darlin’ Daddy’s here.” He said softly, patting her on the back and trying to calm her down.

The two stayed like this for a while, as if there was nobody else in the room. To him, nothing mattered as long as his daughter was safe.

Only when he felt his daughter’s body relax did Tetsu release his tight hold on her. He held her at arm’s length and inspected her, making sure there were no injuries.

Yet when he saw the large bruise on her cheek, his gaze hardened.

“Who laid hands on you?” He said, his tone as icy as the depths of hell.

Ai’s face morphed, looking as if she was going to start crying.

“Those thugs… The ones that took Ken.” Her eye’s began to tear up, but it looked like she was trying her best to stay composed.

“Who gives a damn about that kid, they got my son!” A voice yelled from across the room, his fury palpable.

Tetsu turned his head to the direction of the voice for a moment before ignoring him. He turned back to Ai and began to comfort her some more.

To him, his number one priority was in his embrace.

“Dad… You’re gonna save him right?” Ai asked, her teary and pleading eyes looking at him expectantly.

To a father, there was nothing more powerful than such a request from their daughter. Even with a heart of stone, who could refuse such a heartfelt and earnest request?

“Mmm, don’t worry darlin’, Daddy’s gonna find those bastards who did this to you.” He said, patting her on the head.

“Alright that’s enough of your reunion, can we start the damn search already?” Tomoya’s voice sounded out once more. He had been pacing back and forth, his anxiety palpable.

Tetsu turned his gaze, an obvious dislike apparent in his eyes, however he didn’t snap back. What kind of hypocrite would he be to chastise another father for their reaction to losing their son.

“Be patient Tomo, everyone should be here in a few minutes.” Tsukasa said, though his face also showed some signs of worry.

As if waiting for his words, the door opened.

Tetsu turned his attention to the 3 figures who came in. Two were dressed in traditional Kimono’s while the other was in a pinstripe suit.

He recognized them all, though it had been a long time since they’d last met.

“Boss.”

Everybody in the room besides Tetsu and Ai bowed, welcoming the arrival of their boss.

“Enough, let’s go to the back room. We have little time to waste.” He said, waving his hand.

With that, the four Lieutenants and Tetsu entered the back room and headed towards the table.

Tetsu walked through the threshold with Ai in tow, but was suddenly stopped.

“You may enter, but the little girl stays behind.” The guard said, placing his hand on Ai’s shoulder.

BANG

In the flash of an eye, the guard was slammed against the wall, his throat held securely by Tetsu’s large fingers. With a slight tug, the life of the guard would be over.

SHIIIING

Tetsu felt the cold steel of the Katana pressed up against his throat, yet he didn’t budge. His eyes were filled with fury, ready to take down the man who had just touched his daughter.

“Shin, sheathe your sword.” The boss said, his voice sounding weary.

Without a word, the sword was returned to its sheath, yet Tetsu did not pull his hand back.

“Let her in as well. We don’t have time for such posturing.”

At these words, Tetsu pushed the guard before relinquishing his grip on the guy’s throat. He would not let anyone touch his daughter, not after all that had happened.

With that, the two entered and found a seat next to each other.

The boss let out a sigh, his weariness evident. It was clear that things had gotten out of control and they needed a plan.

“Get the map.” He said softly.

His eyes lingered on Tetsu for a few moments, a mysterious emotion painted on his wrinkled expression.

Despite feeling his gaze, Tetsu ignored the guy.

Tomoya returned with a big map of Tokyo, with markings all over. At first glance, it wasn’t obvious to Tetsu what those markings were, but he kept his mouth shut.

The boss sent a nod towards Naoki, as if telling him to go over things.

Naoki stood up, adjusting his pinstripe suit before pointing to a spot on the map.

“All of these places we’ve marked are our territory. We have already had our men begin searching any places of interest in those areas.”