Chapter 91: Negotiations, Mourning, and Casting Choices

The conversation between Seiko and Takada Toru went on for a long time without concluding.

As the time neared twelve noon, Otake Shinobu had no choice but to arrange lunch for the guests first.

“Little Shinobu,” Mrs. Hattori approached carefully during a break when Otake Shinobu stopped to drink some water and rest, asking tentatively, “Who are those people?”

Otake Shinobu knew perfectly well who Mrs. Hattori was asking about, but she deliberately answered, “The Takada-gumi. Didn’t you hear what they said earlier?”

Mrs. Hattori immediately shook her head. “How could I not know about the Takada-gumi? I’m asking about the other group.”

“That is the Yamagami-gumi, the Yakuza from Urawa.”

“What is the relationship between the Yamagami-gumi and Seiji? Why would they come to attend the funeral?”

Otake Shinobu looked in Aiko’s direction.

Aiko was gesturing and communicating with Kitano Mikiko, Kitano Takeshi’s wife.

Kitano Mikiko, a middle-aged woman in her thirties, was chatting with the elementary schooler Aiko with great relish.

“They have no relationship with Seiji,” Otake Shinobu said. “That child is my disciple; my disciple simply came to attend my husband’s funeral, that’s all.”

“Is that so… Hahaha…”

Mrs. Hattori laughed somewhat awkwardly.

Some matters are often easily understood when looked at from a different angle.

For example: compared to Yakuza who would draw guns and shoot at the slightest disagreement, Otake Shinobu using legal weapons to protect her own interests was clearly already being very considerate of the family’s face, so one couldn’t demand anything more.

After experiencing this small disturbance, Mrs. Hattori, Kikuchi-ji’s mother, and her own restless parents and relatives no longer tried to persuade Otake Shinobu to back down.

However, Otake Shinobu did not feel much happiness about this; instead, she only felt sorrow.

She had devoted so much time, money, and energy to this family, yet when she was betrayed, her relatives all stood on the opposing side.

If not for the violent deterrence brought by the Yamagami-gumi causing these people to retreat, the final outcome would likely have been her succumbing to the pressure from all sides and choosing to drop the lawsuit.

Why did it turn out like this?

Why was everyone blaming her?

Was the one in the wrong really herself?

It wasn’t until past one o’clock that the secret discussion between Takada Toru and Seiko finally ended.

Having finished conveying the most important matters, Takada Toru immediately moved to take his leave; he truly had no idle chatter to share with anyone from the Yamagami-gumi, and staying even a minute longer felt unbearable to him.

“Since you’ve already come to the funeral site, you should at least pay your respects before leaving,” Seiko reminded him abruptly as they passed the mourning hall.

“Otherwise, wouldn’t it be bad luck to be held in contempt by the host of the funeral?”

Takada Toru’s striding movements suddenly paused.

Standing in the courtyard, the cold autumn wind and rain passed through the hall, seemingly chilling him a little.

In the end, Takada Toru turned back and offered a stick of incense to Hattori Seiji.

Other guests had already finished eating, and Otake Shinobu had set aside a separate meal for Seiko—a rather decent Sukiyaki with Wagyu beef.

‘Using food of this grade for a large banquet… Otake Shinobu still has money, huh…’

Seiko criticized inwardly while eating.

“What were you talking about for so long?” Otake Shinobu asked Seiko curiously.

“Of course, we were discussing confidential matters; how could I tell you? Are you planning to join the Yamagami-gumi?” Seiko replied casually while eating.

Takada Toru had conveyed Takada Yamakiyo’s wish: the Takada-gumi wanted to join forces with the Yamagami-gumi to repel Kwon Se-hoon and the Changxing Society, which seemed poised for a comeback.

Even if they returned to Saitama Prefecture, it wouldn’t necessarily allow the Changxing Society to rise from the dead, because the times were different now.

The reason the Zainichi Korean gangs could be so arrogant back then was largely due to the chaos of the post-war Japanese order and the clannish unity of the Zainichi Koreans.

However, decades had passed since the war ended, and Japanese social order had fully recovered.

Conversely, Zainichi Koreans had on one hand gradually integrated into mainstream Japanese society, and on the other hand, become gradually divided and even antagonistic due to the long-standing opposition between North and South Korea.

A gang’s destiny certainly depends on the Yakuza’s own struggles, but one must also consider the course of history…

However, saying these words would be in vain.

The Takada-gumi held a deep grudge against the Changxing Society, and vice versa.

If the Changxing Society showed even a hint of resurrection, it had to be snuffed out decisively.

Especially for the older generation of the Yamagami-gumi, headed by Yamagami Nobuo, their stance would likely be no different.

‘Joining the Yamagami-gumi seems not bad…’

Hearing Seiko’s words suddenly, Otake Shinobu couldn’t help but have such a thought pop up, but she quickly woke up, hurriedly shaking her head to throw away such an absurd notion.

She was a successful female artist with a boundless future; why on earth would she join the Yakuza for no reason!

“Oh, if you won’t say, then don’t,” Otake Shinobu pouted. “What confidential matters could two groups of Yakuza have?”

Seiko couldn’t be bothered to explain. After eating a slice of beef, she asked about something else instead.

“Have you read a manga called Bunny Drop (Usagi Drop)?”

“Bunny Drop?” Otake Shinobu recalled for a moment and couldn’t help laughing. “I usually don’t read manga, but I do know Bunny Drop, and I know a lot of its plot. When filming Mother, Omori Ryo bought every issue, brought it to the set to read, and after finishing, he would loudly praise the Boss in front of everyone.”

That sycophant would loudly praise how brilliant and talented the Boss’s scriptwriting skills were, to have written even a manga script so well!

Did he not know at all how unsightly it was for a greasy, middle-aged fat man to be holding a shoujo manga and reading it all day long?

Seiko thought about that scene and couldn’t help laughing either; it felt like something Omori Ryo would definitely do.

“Then do you have an opening in your schedule for the next two months? Bubble Witch plans to film a movie adaptation of Bunny Drop,” Seiko asked. “There is a supporting role in Bunny Drop—a single mother in her thirties raising a boy. Do you have time to play it?”

Otake Shinobu looked at Seiko, opening her mouth for a long time before she could speak.

“Is… is this a question of schedule? You want me to play a single mother raising a boy alone? Do you want to take a look at the mourning hall over there?”

Seiko glanced in the direction of the mourning hall and said indifferently, “Don’t worry. This movie will complete preparation in September and start filming in October. By the time filming is done, the 49 days of mourning will have passed. When the movie is released, the media will have forgotten about your husband’s death.”

“Besides, raising a child alone is a very expensive thing, you know…”

Seiko continued to persuade, “You can’t just take a vacation because your husband died. Isn’t it better to use a relatively inconspicuous supporting role to show you are still active in the film industry?”

Otake Shinobu was somewhat moved by the argument; she indeed needed money quite badly.

Her angry insistence on suing to reclaim the property her husband gave to his mistress was also because, although she earned a lot, she hadn’t saved much over the years, and her days were financially tight.

“I need to think about it a bit more,” Otake Shinobu hesitated.

Seiko nodded, assuming in her heart that Otake Shinobu had already agreed.

“By the way, the male lead for this film hasn’t been decided yet. The character setting is a company employee who has just started working. Do you have any recommendations?”

The drama Mother had almost no major male roles; the only adult male role with lines was played by a cameo from a relatively decent-looking Yakuza in the group.

Bunny Drop, however, couldn’t operate that way; Yakuza acting skills couldn’t handle the male lead.

Otake Shinobu thought for a moment and recommended, “How about Miura Tomokazu? His age fits, and his temperament is quite like a company employee.”

“Miura Tomokazu?” Seiko shook her head without thinking. “No, no, too expensive. He is a candidate for Best Supporting Actor this year; how could we afford him?”

“Miura Tomokazu? Am I cheap then?” Otake Shinobu rolled her eyes. “He is Best Supporting Actor; I am Best Actress.”

“But his fame is higher than yours, so the fee he asks for will naturally be higher.”

Otake Shinobu couldn’t refute this point. Her main field of activity was art films, while Miura Tomokazu started with TV dramas and romance movies.

Even if Otake Shinobu’s artistic achievements were higher and her acting better, her fame and fee could still not catch up to Miura Tomokazu.

“Any other recommendations?” Seiko asked again.

Otake Shinobu frowned and thought for a long time before she had another idea.

“There is an idol from Johnny’s who started filming movies just last year. Although the box office for his debut work was average, I feel his acting is passable. His name is Tahara Toshihiko.”

“Johnny’s, huh…”

“Yes, he debuted as an idol so he has popularity. He just entered the film industry, so his asking fee isn’t high, and his acting is considered qualified. Doesn’t that perfectly meet your needs?”