Kuroda hung up the phone and flipped open the next target's file.
A clean-looking ID photo popped up on his screen.
"Megumi Kato… seventeen… parents deceased, currently living alone."
He stared at the serene face in the photo and let out a derisive laugh.
"Ha! A little orphan girl whose parents are both dead? That's not even a warm-up!"
"Let's go, boys!" He downed his beer in one gulp and smashed the bottle on the ground. "Five minutes to deal with her, then we're heading to Tobita Shinchi. My treat!"
"Yeahhh!" his men howled excitedly.
To them, a lonely underage girl was nothing more than a fragile lamb waiting to be crushed.
Two days later, on the weekend.
The shopping district was lively as ever.
Megumi walked along the bustling street, shopping bags in hand. The sunlight was warm, the air filled with the sounds of laughter and conversation... peaceful, ordinary, alive.
Then, near the entrance of the street, a small commotion began to ripple outward.
It was as if a drop of ink had fallen into clear water, spreading out a dark wave called silence.
A group of men in black suits strode in... slicked-back hair, dark sunglasses, the swaggering gait of people who knew they didn't belong among ordinary civilians.
At their head was a bald man with a face full of scars and fat. A toothpick hung from his mouth, his eyes cold and predatory.
They were members of the Black Dragon Syndicate... Kuroda and his crew.
The moment they appeared, fear swept through the crowd.
A mother buying cotton candy for her child froze mid-smile, face turning pale as she yanked her child into her arms and darted into a nearby store.
A group of high school boys joking loudly fell silent instantly, lowering their heads and hurrying off, backs hunched, afraid even to look up.
The crowd parted instinctively, like the Red Sea before Moses, leaving behind a wide, unnatural "exclusive path" for the gangsters to walk through.
Shop clerks retreated indoors without a word.
Within seconds, the entire street had fallen into a dead silence centered around the men in black.
Only the sharp click-clack of their polished shoes echoed off the stone pavement.
Kuroda and his men basked in it... this quiet born of fear.
This was the power that violence gave them: the ability to make ordinary people tremble.
Their gazes swept across the street like hyenas searching for prey... until they locked onto a lone girl with shopping bags, wearing a school uniform.
"There she is."
Kuroda's expression turned impatient.
He gestured for two men to follow and started toward her.
Megumi's heart leapt to her throat.
"Kato-san, right?"
They stopped five meters away... close enough to intimidate, but not enough to alarm the public.
Their faces wore the polite smiles of salesmen, but the feral aura beneath their suits made their nature obvious.
No one around noticed the danger.
"We're consultants from Daido Life Insurance Company Company," the bald man said, flashing a yellow-toothed grin. "About your parents' compensation. Our president's being generous... one million yen. Take the money, sign the papers, and the matter's settled. For a student like you, that's enough to live comfortably until you're of age."
His tone was calm, even friendly... but every word struck Megumi like a cold hammer.
Her stomach dropped.
An insurance company… using yakuza as messengers? And in public?
"I won't sign," Megumi said coldly. "By law, I'm entitled to twenty million."
"Law?" The bald man barked a laugh. "Little girl, the law protects smart people... not naive students like you. Don't be stupid. Be a good girl and take the offer."
He tilted his chin toward the crowd, voice dropping. "See all these people? Every day, accidents happen. A runaway bike… a flowerpot falling from a window… or maybe a fire breaking out in a lonely girl's apartment."
He smiled. "Accidents the police can't do anything about."
The threat was naked. No profanity, no shouting... just quiet malice that chilled her to the bone.
Megumi's hands went clammy. She realized then that these weren't street thugs... they were professionals. Violence was their business.
"We're patient people," the bald man said with a smirk. "But patience has limits. We'll come back soon. Hopefully by then, you'll make the right choice."
He spat out his toothpick and crushed it under his shoe.
Just as he turned to leave, a shiver ran down his spine.
It felt like a beast's eyes were fixed on him from somewhere unseen... a silent, merciless stare that made his skin crawl.
He whipped his head around.
Nothing but the usual crowd... housewives, couples, students. Normal.
"…Hallucination?" he muttered, shaking his head to clear it.
He glanced once more at Megumi, snorted, and swaggered off with his men, disappearing into the crowd.
Only then did Megumi's tense body finally relax, though her heart was still pounding wildly.
Those few minutes had felt like an eternity.
As the gangsters vanished, the oppressive air that had blanketed the street slowly lifted.
People began to drift back, cautiously resuming their activities.
But this time, every pair of eyes flicked toward the trembling girl standing alone in the middle of the street.
Whispers began to spread like ripples.
"Oh dear… poor child…" the mother from earlier murmured, still pale.
"Those guys were yakuza, right? I almost pissed myself," a young clerk whispered.
"Shh! You wanna get yourself noticed?" his coworker hissed.
An elderly shop owner sighed. "That's the Kato girl, isn't it? Her parents… poor thing. Once the yakuza mark you, your life's as good as over."
"She's terrified… but what can we do? Even the police can't help…"
A short distance away, a woman in a tracksuit and baseball cap leaned casually against a wall. Her sharp, hawk-like gaze softened as she pulled it back.
She was a bodyguard from Aegis Security, assigned to protect Megumi from the shadows.
For a moment, she had almost acted... almost snapped those bastards' necks right then and there.
But she'd stopped herself.
Her boss's order was clear:
[Maintain surveillance. Do not act without my command. I want to observe the full "process."]
She exhaled quietly and melted back into the shadows... silent, unseen, ever watching.
Once she calmed down, Megumi immediately called the police.
Two officers arrived shortly after.
She recounted everything clearly. But when the officers finished taking notes, their faces turned uneasy.
"Kato-san, we sympathize," one said carefully. "But they kept their distance, and their words didn't constitute direct threats or violence. Legally speaking… there's not much we can do."
"We can increase patrols in the area," the other added. "If they show up again, call us right away... we'll drive them off."
Megumi's heart sank.
Drive them off? They'd be back tomorrow.
As the officers turned to leave, one of them... young, familiar... paused.
"Kato-san… I think I've seen you before. You're related to that previous case, right?"
She nodded.
He lowered his voice. "Some things are beyond what ordinary cops can handle. Since you've got powerful friends… maybe you should ask for help. A friend who even judges and commissioners are wary of."
Then he left.
The words struck like lightning.
Of course.
Seiji.
He had influence... and a powerful security company.
He'd even told her there was a bodyguard watching over her.
So why had those gangsters gotten close at all?
There was only one explanation.
He had allowed it.
He'd wanted this to happen.
But why…?
Then, realization hit her like a thunderbolt.
That man… that bastard…
He was waiting.
Waiting for her to come to him again... broken, desperate, humiliated... begging for his help.
So he could justify whatever twisted "training" he had in mind next.
A wave of helplessness washed over her.
Resist? Against yakuza and corrupt insurance companies? Even the police were useless.
She was like a butterfly trapped in a spider's web... a web spun by Seiji himself.
Understanding that, she suddenly felt calm.
There was no point in struggling anymore.
She pulled out her phone... not to call, but to send a single message.
Then she headed straight for Genesis Corporation.
At the top floor of Genesis Corporation, Seiji stood before a wall of glass, gazing down at the city below.
A knock came at the door.
The secretary ushered Megumi Kato in.
"Fujiwara-sensei," she said quietly, standing before him, head bowed.
Seiji turned, feigning surprise. "Oh? Megumi. You came sooner than I expected."
That tone... that cat-and-mouse amusement... confirmed everything she'd suspected.
She lifted her eyes, calm yet full of quiet resignation.
"I agree," she said softly. "To everything you mentioned before… all of it. So please... get rid of those pests."
"Oh?" Seiji stepped closer, a hint of surprise on his face. "So fast? I thought you'd hold out a little longer."
Megumi rolled her eyes faintly, her tone edged with bitter humor. "What's the point? I'm already caught in your hands. You'll find a reason sooner or later to make me… do whatever you want. If the result's the same, I might as well give up early. At least it'll hurt less, right?"
Seiji burst out laughing.
"Smart! Megumi, you really are the cleverest woman I've ever taken a liking to."
He reached out and tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"I like dealing with smart girls."
"Consider this your reward for being so… perceptive."
His smile darkened.
"The game begins now."
That night.
Megumi slept deeply in a quiet office suite.
Seiji lounged in his chair, scrolling through his phone.
On the screen was Aegis Security's encrypted network.
A file labeled Kato Megumi – Protection Assignment had just updated.
[Target: Black Dragon lieutenant Kuroda Ryuji – identity and address confirmed.]
[Target: Black Dragon "Negotiation Division" – main base and all members identified.]
[Intel: The group continues harassing other air crash victims' families with threats, stalking, and property damage.]
"Time to clean up some flies," Seiji murmured.
He typed several commands.
[Targets: Black Dragon Syndicate and all associates.]
[Directive: Eliminate from the physical level. Major offenders... dispose of in Tokyo Bay. No prisoners.]
[Operation rule: Covert.]
He pressed "Send" and tossed the phone aside without another glance.
To him, it was no different from asking his secretary for coffee.
In Osaka's Nishinari District, the Black Dragon hideout was as filthy as ever... empty bottles, cigarette butts, leftover bentos scattered everywhere.
Kuroda Ryuji and his men were throwing a "celebration."
"Ha! You should've seen that Kimura guy this afternoon!" one of them bragged. "I just yelled a few words at his door and the bastard pissed himself! Signed on the spot!"
Their laughter filled the room... unaware that the clock on their lives was already ticking down.