Chapter 18: The Part-Time Hitman

A small Toyota was parked on the side of the road.

The driver gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the hospital entrance not far away.
His hands, constantly releasing and clenching, and the sweat stains left on the wheel, revealed his inner turmoil.

This driver’s name was Hasegawa Gaku, an ordinary employee at a Tokyo sales company.
He came from a common fishing village in Hokkaido, passed his exams to get into a common university, and came to Tokyo after graduation to make his way in the world.

There were tens of thousands of ordinary young men like Hasegawa Gaku in Tokyo today.
Yearning for a better life, they came to Tokyo, stayed in Tokyo, and ultimately became an ordinary part of Tokyo.
Their actual income was often just enough to keep them above the poverty line in this metropolis—not too good, not too bad.

But sometimes, they would be dazzled by the city’s neon lights and temptations, seduced by material pleasures beyond their means, and gradually sink, unable to pull themselves out.

At times like these, consumer credit and high-interest loans became their most likely choices.

Hasegawa Gaku was one of these people.

Hasegawa Gaku was just a low-earning office worker, but he liked buying custom-made suits, liked vacationing in Hawaii, liked treating his colleagues to meals at high-end restaurants, liked frequenting dance halls, and he even bought himself a little car that he liked…

If one were to ask how a junior employee like him could afford so many expensive things?

His answer to his parents and family was that the company valued his abilities and had promoted him.
His answer to his colleagues was that his family was very wealthy and he was a rich heir.

In reality, however, he relied on credit cards, high-interest loans, and robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Hasegawa Gaku’s lifestyle of overspending began in his second year in Tokyo.
Now, in his fifth year of working in Tokyo, the debts and interest he had accumulated were beyond even his own ability to calculate.
The “performance art” of robbing Peter to pay Paul, taking on new debt to pay off old debt, could no longer continue.

Seeing that his promotion, salary increase, and fabricated identity as a rich heir were about to be shattered, Hasegawa Gaku even had the impulse to jump into Tokyo Bay and end it all.

Until recently, Hasegawa Gaku’s biggest creditor, the Urawa Yakuza’s Yamagami-gumi, found him.
They told him there was an opportunity to have all his debts to the Yamagami-gumi forgiven, and they would even give him another sum of money to pay off all his other debts, so long as he could stage a traffic accident and run someone over.

Hasegawa Gaku thought about it for a whole night and accepted the deal.

Because Hasegawa Gaku felt that if he fell from grace due to a traffic accident, then his lies to his family and colleagues would probably not be exposed.

For a young Japanese “kaishain” like Hasegawa Gaku, social death was perhaps even more unacceptable than actual death.

On the other side, Esumi Goro and several of his men swaggered out of the Urawa Hospital’s inpatient department.
The people they passed along the way carefully avoided the Yakuza to prevent any trouble.

The more afraid others were, the more satisfied and smug Esumi Goro and his men became.

“The Yamagami-gumi really is finished. Urawa will be our territory sooner or later,” Esumi Goro said with his chin held high.

The Esumi-gumi had been sent by the Takada-gumi as a scouting party.
The family in the Katakura Danchi was indeed Esumi Goro’s aunt and uncle, but they were very distant relatives. Esumi Goro only knew he had such relatives but had never had contact with them before.
This time, the couple was used to give the Esumi-gumi a pretext to deliberately create friction with the Yamagami-gumi.

Although the Takada-gumi’s leadership hadn’t said it outright, in Esumi Goro’s view, since they had sent them to test the Yamagami-gumi, it naturally meant they wanted to plant their flag in Urawa.

If you asked Esumi Goro, this test was completely unnecessary.
The Yamagami-gumi was already weaker than the Takada-gumi, and now it was even more feeble after its internal turmoil.
Wasn’t seizing the prosperous city of Urawa from the Yamagami-gumi an easy task? What was there to test?

The result of the test was just as Esumi Goro had predicted.
The Yamagami-gumi was no match for them at all.
The Esumi-gumi had routed those small fry with their blades, suffering almost no losses.

Last night, Esumi Goro and his men had stayed in the hospital entirely to give the Takada-gumi leadership enough time to question the Yamagami-gumi and demand an explanation.

Of course, sleeping on the Yamagami-gumi’s turf, Esumi Goro hadn’t slept well all night, fearing the Yamagami-gumi would become furious from the humiliation and send people to chop him up in the middle of the night.

But a whole night passed, and nothing happened.

‘It seems the Yamagami-gumi has admitted defeat,’ Esumi Goro thought. ‘As expected, not only has their strength been greatly damaged, but their spirit is gone too.’

“That’s right,” his underlings chimed in with flattery. “Boss, we’ve conquered territory for the gumi this time. When we take Urawa, you’ll definitely get the top credit! Maybe Urawa will be under your control from now on!”

“Hahaha…”

Amidst the constant praise from his underlings, Esumi Goro walked out of the Urawa Hospital entrance.
Looking at the office workers coming and going on the road before him, his mood improved even more.

‘What a fine city. It should have its flag planted by a hero like myself, not the Yamagami family with its old men and little kids.’

Look at these roadside trees, so green!
Mine!

Look at this sidewalk, so wide!
Mine!

Look at this traffic light, so bright!
Mine!

Look at this Toyota, such a…

What the f*ck, why is that Toyota running a red light?!

Not only did the Toyota run the red light, but it also drove straight onto the sidewalk, barreling toward Esumi Goro and his men.

‘The people of Urawa are such terrible drivers…’

This was Esumi Goro’s last thought, because the next second, he was sent flying by the Toyota.
He flew five or six meters before crashing heavily back onto the ground.

Flying along with Esumi Goro were two of his underlings who had been standing beside him.

“Boss, Boss!”

“Quick, save the Boss!”

“Call for an ambulance!”

“Idiot! The hospital is right behind us!”

“…”

Some of the Esumi-gumi Yakuza went to save their boss, while others ran over to bang on the Toyota’s windows, cursing and threatening the driver.

“Oi, you bastard! Get out of the car now!”

“You wanna die? How the hell are you driving!”

“Open the door! Get out!”

“…”

Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!

The traffic police officer on early morning duty at the intersection also noticed the accident over here and ran over, blowing his whistle.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, Hasegawa Gaku grabbed the liquor bottle beside him and took another swig, ignoring the noise outside the window.
His eyes were fixed on Esumi Goro, who the Yakuza were trying to carry into the hospital.
His brain, numbed by alcohol, was buzzing with only one thought—kill him, kill him, kill him…

‘If I kill this guy, I can keep living. If I don’t kill this guy, my only choice is suicide…’

Suddenly, Hasegawa Gaku noticed that Esumi Goro, being lifted by the Yakuza, coughed up a mouthful of blood.

He wasn’t dead yet!

Hasegawa Gaku, his nerves already stretched to the breaking point and having lost almost all ability to think, subconsciously stomped on the accelerator, yanked the steering wheel, and aimed straight for Esumi Goro.

Thump!

A group of Yakuza were knocked down like a set of bowling pins by the Toyota.
Esumi Goro had it the worst; the car’s wheel rolled directly over his body.

As if still not reassured, Hasegawa Gaku reversed and ran over him one more time, and only then, as if struck by a flash of inspiration, did he remember to drive away and flee.

“Whoa!”

Across the street, in front of a newspaper kiosk, Ishiwatari Takashi, who had witnessed the entire event, couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

“Esumi’s practically been ground into hamburger meat. Vicious enough. This guy’s a talent!”