Chapter 60: Courses and Dead Men

Seiko wanted the Katakura Danchi project not just for the relatively more lucrative pay from a government contract, but for three other, more important reasons.

One was that the Katakura Danchi project was one of Kiuchi Shigezawa’s pressure points; he had previously run around frantically, pulling strings from the Yamagami-gumi all the way up to the prefectural governor, just to get the project started as soon as possible.

By taking this project, Seiko would gain a more potent piece of leverage over Kiuchi Shigezawa, ensuring he would cause less trouble in the future.

Another was that a labor-intensive industry like construction could provide jobs for more yakuza.
A rental store like Oshin-ya would seem overstaffed with even ten yakuza working as guides, movers, and deliverymen.
But a large-scale construction project could easily absorb a hundred yakuza.

The final reason was the special location of Katakura Danchi.

Last time, after meeting Yoshida Shoichi in Omiya City and learning about the Diet’s “Capital Region Redevelopment Plan,” Seiko had pulled out a map of Saitama Prefecture and, combining it with memories from her past life, had roughly reconstructed the future “Saitama City” that would be created by merging the three cities.

The future “Saitama City” would have a massive new commercial district developed at the intersection of the original Omiya, Urawa, and Yono cities, named “Shintoshin.”
Katakura Danchi was located right next to this future “Shintoshin.”

“The first factor that determines the value of real estate is location, the second is location, and the third is still location!”

A certain superman, Li Cucumber, Li the Runner,¹ was a detestable person from various standpoints, but this statement of his was not wrong.

In the future, after the completion of Shintoshin’s integrated commercial complex, new subway lines, and the Shintoshin stadium, it wouldn’t be surprising if the housing prices in Katakura Danchi, a low-density residential area right next to Shintoshin, were to increase fifty-fold.

Even if the bubble economy of the future were to burst, this piece of real estate would not depreciate much, and it might even appreciate again in the future.

Seiko wanted not only the government contract for Katakura Danchi but also the future real estate of Katakura Danchi.
For this, she even began to consider boosting Yoshida Shoichi into power to give the Yamagami-gumi a more obedient partner.

In the days that followed, the final exams arrived as scheduled.

Seiko and Saori passed without any surprises; Saori even maintained her rank as first in the year.
Miyazaki, however, unfortunately failed a course and would have to retake her math exam during the summer vacation.

This was nothing unusual for Miyazaki, so neither Seiko nor Saori was surprised.

“I told her to study properly, but her head was full of dating.”

“You really have to blame yourself for that. Love makes people stupid, and Miyazaki was already a fool to begin with.”

At a farm in the Urawa countryside, inside a shooting range that Seiko and Saori had set up in advance, they chatted while inspecting their handguns.

This farm was a property of the Yamagami-gumi headquarters, but it wasn’t a legitimate agricultural business.
Rather, it was a place used by headquarters to interrogate and confine criminals of the organization, and also to train enforcers—the gang’s law enforcers responsible for purging traitors and maintaining organizational discipline.

However, this place had been mostly idle ever since the Yamagami-gumi replaced the Shoko-kai to become the top yakuza organization in Urawa, because the bloodiest, life-or-death era had ended.
Afterward, it had been managed by Murakami Eishi and was mostly used as a temporary warehouse for stolen goods.

Summer vacation had begun, and as promised, Seiko started teaching Saori how to shoot.

“Let me demonstrate for you first. We’ll start with disassembling and reassembling the handgun.”

Seiko confirmed the chamber was empty and was about to demonstrate for Saori.

“Wait a minute. There’s someone else you should teach as well.”

Saori suddenly raised a hand to stop her.

“Who?” Seiko asked, puzzled.

“Sakura-chan, come over here.”
Saori waved towards a corner of the hallway.

A slender girl, also wearing the Urawa High School uniform, with a bob haircut, walked over from the end of the hallway.

“Let me introduce you. This is my younger sister, Murakami Sakura.”
Saori smiled and explained to Seiko, pulling the girl closer.

“Your sister…”

Seiko was slightly stunned.
She then looked the girl named “Murakami Sakura” up and down, and soon noticed her pale complexion and the bandages that were yet to be removed under her collar.
She quickly guessed the girl’s origin.

“Now, Sakura, say hello.”

At Saori’s urging, Sakura lowered her head and said in a small voice, with still-unskilled Japanese, “Master.”

Seiko’s mouth opened.
She turned to look at Saori and asked, “Shouldn’t there be two other girls? Where are the other two?”

“Their injuries haven’t fully healed yet. Let them continue to recuperate for now,” Saori explained.
“Sakura will learn with me first. Once we’ve learned, we can teach them.”

“If you want to learn how to shoot, I’ll teach you. Why do they all have to learn?” Seiko asked.

“Because you probably need bodyguards and assassins.”

“Who said I need bodyguards and assassins?”

“You do.”

The same gentle smile remained on Saori’s face, but her words were indisputable.

Seiko looked into Saori’s eyes and sighed helplessly.
Whenever Saori had that expression, she knew that Saori had made up her mind, and no matter who objected, she would not change it.

However, could it be said that these girls had a better option than staying with the Yamagami-gumi?

Seiko couldn’t think of one for the moment.

They were undocumented individuals with unknown origins, had suffered severe abuse, had serious psychological trauma, and besides being pretty, currently had no skills whatsoever.
They couldn’t even speak Japanese very well.
Under these unfavorable circumstances, being pretty had actually become one of the unfavorable factors.

Moreover, they might be connected to the human trafficking network behind the Takada-gumi.

In comparison, Saori was even willing to give her own school uniform to her “sister” to wear.
At least materially, she didn’t seem to be mistreating these girls…

Seiko managed to make a weak defense for Saori, then turned to Sakura and said, “Hello, Sakura-chan. You don’t have to call me Master. Just call me Seiko.”

Sakura looked up, glanced hesitantly at Seiko, then at Saori.

Saori thought for a moment and replied to Sakura, “In public, you should still call her Miss Seiko. In private, you can call her Master.”

“Yes,” Sakura nodded emphatically, looked at Seiko, and said solemnly, “Miss Seiko.”

In that instant, Seiko even saw a hint of fanaticism on Sakura’s beautiful face.

‘This isn’t training bodyguards and assassins. This is training death soldiers.’

Seiko suspected that the reason the other two girls hadn’t been brought out was not at all because their injuries hadn’t healed, but because Saori hadn’t finished “training” them.

“Don’t let Miyazaki know.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll never let her know.”

Saori said with a beaming smile.

Footnotes:

1. Derogatory nicknames for Li Ka-shing, a famous Hong Kong business magnate known for his real estate investments.