Chapter 92: The Scheming Granddaughter and the Aging Boss

Indeed, when speaking of Japanese idols, it was completely impossible to bypass Johnny’s & Associates.

Seiko had heard the name Tahara Toshihiko.

If the hottest female idols of the 1980s were Nakamori Akina and Matsuda Seiko, then the most fiery male idols were undoubtedly Tahara Toshihiko and Kondo Masahiko.

While the fans of Nakamori Akina and Matsuda Seiko belonged to two different companies, Tahara Toshihiko and Kondo Masahiko both belonged to Johnny’s.

However, unlike Kondo Masahiko, whose reputation as a scumbag was gradually spreading, Tahara Toshihiko maintained a very good reputation throughout the 80s, 90s, and even into the early 21st century.

It wasn’t until he was over sixty years old that his true nature was exposed when he openly sexually harassed a female host on a TV program.

Since she knew Tahara Toshihiko was that kind of scum, Seiko… still considered cooperating with him.

There was no helping it.

The Japanese entertainment industry was full of such characters.

Stars like Otake Shinobu and Yamaguchi Momoe, who had almost no black marks, were the minority.

If she insisted on being picky, Bubble Witch would truly find no suitable collaborators.

Moreover, Otake Shinobu was right; if Tahara Toshihiko could star in Bunny Drop, his fame would indeed be a great benefit to the movie.

However, while Seiko wanted to cooperate with Tahara Toshihiko, the problem was that Johnny’s might not be willing to cooperate with Bubble Witch.

Johnny’s was notoriously demanding of its partners: scrutinizing scripts word for word, only playing lead roles, signing no-scandal agreements, demanding high penalties for breach of contract, and so on. These were all standard tactics when dealing with collaborators.

But even if Seiko was willing to accept these harsh restrictions, she felt the other party might still look down on Bubble Witch.

Still, Seiko decided to give it a try, instructing Watanabe to send an audition invitation to Johnny’s for Tahara Toshihiko.

Upon returning to Urawa, Seiko conveyed the information Takada Toru had given her about the Seven Star Gang and Kwon Se-hoon to Yamagami Nobuo.

After listening, Yamagami Nobuo’s expression became very grave.

He pondered for a long time before asking Seiko, “What do you think of this matter?”

Seiko frowned and thought for a moment before saying, “I find Kwon Se-hoon’s behavior a bit strange.”

“Strange in what way?” Yamagami Nobuo was perplexed.

“If he wanted to seek revenge on Takada Yamakiyo, why did he first approach the Takada-gumi to discuss business? And only after the business deal failed did he have someone attack Boss Takada?” Seiko asked.

“That’s not hard to understand,” Yamagami Nobuo disagreed. “The Seven Star Gang is not the Changxing Society of the past, and Kwon Se-hoon is not the leader of the Seven Star Gang, merely the person in charge of its Japan branch.”

“Wanting revenge for the Changxing Society is Kwon Se-hoon’s own wish, not the wish of the Seven Star Gang. The Seven Star Gang likely just wants to expand its influence in Japan.”

“Therefore, Kwon Se-hoon pretended to bring business to cooperate with the Takada-gumi, but in reality, he wanted to create conflict between the Seven Star Gang and the Takada-gumi. That way, he could legitimately use the power of the Seven Star Gang to take revenge on the Takada-gumi.”

“The Takada-gumi couldn’t possibly accept trading precursors for Pachinko. The drug brand belongs to the Inagawa-kai’s business, while Pachinko is the Takada-gumi’s own voice. It’s impossible for Kwon Se-hoon not to know this, yet he still came to discuss it. Isn’t that clearly a provocation?”

Seiko nodded slightly, having to admit that Yamagami Nobuo’s words made some sense, but this didn’t completely dispel the doubts in her heart.

It was just that, for the moment, Seiko herself couldn’t articulate where her doubts stemmed from, so she could only set them aside for now.

“Then what do you think of Takada Yamakiyo’s proposal?” Yamagami Nobuo asked again.

“Takada Yamakiyo’s proposal? To join forces with the Takada-gumi to exterminate the Japan branch of the Seven Star Gang?” Seiko said.

“Mm.” Yamagami Nobuo nodded, lifting his teacup and gently blowing on the hot tea. “What—do you think?”

Seiko looked at the steaming teacup before her, pondered for a long time, and slowly said:

“I think we can agree to Takada Yamakiyo’s proposal and join forces with the Takada-gumi.”

“That’s right,” Yamagami Nobuo nodded in agreement. “I also think we can agree. This time, that old fogey Takada is likely genuinely enraged by Kwon Se-hoon. His invitation is ninety-nine percent genuine.”

However, before Yamagami Nobuo could finish his sentence, he heard Seiko continue:

“After lulling the Takada-gumi into a false sense of security, we take the opportunity to eliminate Takada Yamakiyo.”

“Pfft… Cough, cough, cough…”

Yamagami Nobuo coughed violently, taking quite a while to recover.

“Wh-what did you say?”

“I said,” Seiko repeated calmly, “We can use this to make the Takada-gumi lower their guard, and then find an opportunity to eliminate Takada Yamakiyo.”

“Wh-why do that?” Yamagami Nobuo asked, dumbfounded.

“During this detailed talk with Takada Toru, I discovered that the Takada-gumi is still effectively a dictatorship under Takada Yamakiyo alone. After he was injured and hospitalized, the entire Takada-gumi fell into chaos, even letting the assassin who attacked him escape,” Seiko explained.

“Takada Toru has some supporters and peers with good relations within the Takada-gumi, but his own seniority is shallow and his abilities are limited. It is said he is merely a ‘qualified’ heir, and at the same time, Takada Yamakiyo has always suppressed him.”

“Currently, there is no second-in-command or power figure within the group strong enough to suppress all dissenting opinions. Therefore, once Takada Yamakiyo encounters an ‘accident,’ the Takada-gumi is very likely to fracture or even collapse directly under the pressure of external forces.”

“This might be our good opportunity to destroy the Takada-gumi,” Seiko continued. “We could even assassinate Takada Yamakiyo and then dump the blame on the Seven Star Gang and Kwon Se-hoon, letting them bear the Takada-gumi’s wrath for us. We could even let them play the role of the ‘external pressure’ that finally crushes the Takada-gumi.”

Yamagami Nobuo was truly stunned this time.

He held his teacup without moving for a long while, until the heat of the tea penetrated the cup and scalded his fingers.

“Hiss!”

He hissed and put the teacup down.

“What are you thinking?” Yamagami Nobuo asked, unable to understand. “Then what about the Seven Star Gang and Kwon Se-hoon? If they hold a grudge against the Takada-gumi, wouldn’t they also hold a grudge against our Yamagami-gumi? Back then, the number of Changxing Society members our Yamagami-gumi killed wasn’t any fewer than the Takada-gumi.”

Seiko sighed lightly and said, “Look at how many Korean communities are left in Urawa now? The Korean communities have degraded, and most Zainichi Koreans now just want to live their lives peacefully. Even if Kwon Se-hoon comes back, the Changxing Society can’t come back. The times are different, Grandfather.”

“The times are different…”

Yamagami Nobuo was stunned.

For some reason, this sentence touched the depths of his soul.

He recalled the blood and storms of the past, and those old partners who had mostly departed, and was suddenly entangled by a sense of melancholy.

After a long time, Yamagami Nobuo finally let out a long breath.

“Alright, then let’s try it your way…”