Chapter 63: Discharge from the Hospital, Old Friends and Romantic Minds

Are yakuza good people?

Even though Seiko had inexplicably become a yakuza herself, she didn’t think for a moment that yakuza were good people.

The assessment that yakuza are the scum of society, Seiko felt, was very pertinent.

But, there are also ranks among the scum of society.

Some societal scum are completely beyond saving.
They have utterly sunk into the gutter, lacking any will to change.
They even enjoy wallowing in the gutter, unwilling to work, unwilling to tire themselves out, unwilling to even be responsible for anything.
They only want to “earn” some quick cash, enjoying life one day at a time in the mud.

Other societal scum are slightly different.
They may not have fallen into the gutter voluntarily.
They may still have the ambition to change their current situation in their hearts, and they may be willing to make more effort to change the status quo…

When Seiko sent Masaki Yuki to those factions to recruit construction site workers, it was precisely to screen out the societal scum in those factions who could still be saved.

As for the rest, let them fend for themselves…

As Seiko had said, twenty-two chokusan was simply too many!

Seiko estimated that even the Yamaguchi-gumi didn’t have that many chokusan.

One could only say that Yamagami Nobuo was indeed a loyal big brother.
In the early days of building his enterprise, he had given the position of chokusan to basically everyone who had started with him or was willing to join him.

But Yamagami Nobuo was a muscle-headed simpleton who was completely unaware of the serious problems this created.

“Chokusan” was originally supposed to be an advisory body, similar to an emperor’s cabinet.
However, if everyone was an advisor, what was the point of having an advisory body?

Seiko had already made up her mind to cut down a portion of the chokusan and return the Yamagami-gumi’s management structure to a more reasonable model.

Since a cut had to be made, Seiko would of course pick those who were not of the same mind as her.

Although he hesitated, Masaki Yuki ultimately chose to carry out Seiko’s orders.

Ebe Hiroshi also demonstrated the professional expertise he had accumulated over many years in the construction industry.
Urawa Construction gradually got on the right track, and one by one, construction machines drove into Katakura Danchi and began to demolish the old buildings.

The three billion yen advance payment for the start of construction from the Urawa municipal government arrived.
It was clear that Kiuchi Shigezawa was truly very concerned about the Katakura Danchi project—anyone who had ever dealt with government projects knew what a luxury it was to receive payment on time.
The norm was to pay out of one’s own pocket or take out a bank loan with the contract to start work.

In front of Urawa Hospital.

A Toyota van pulled over.
Saori poked her head out from the back window and waved at Miyazaki Mika and Miyazaki Yū, the mother and daughter at the hospital entrance.
“Yu-chan, get in.”

After the mother and daughter got in the car, Miyazaki Yū grumbled in a low voice, “I told you not to come pick us up.”

“If we didn’t come, would you and your auntie have squeezed onto a bus to go home?” Seiko asked from the passenger seat.

“We could have taken a taxi!”

“You little miser, you’d never be willing to take a taxi.”

Miyazaki Yū puffed out her cheeks and muttered something like “I’m not a miser” without much conviction.

“You must be Yu-chan’s friends, right?” Miyazaki Mika, whose face was still pale, asked with a smile.
“Which one of you is Saori, and which one is Seiko?”

“I’m Saori.”

“I’m Seiko.”

“Thank you for coming all this way to pick me up,” Mika said sincerely after the introductions.
“This is too much trouble for you.”

“It’s no trouble at all, just a small effort,” Saori said with a smile.
“If Yu-chan wasn’t always so awkward, we would have been home long ago.”

“You’re bad-mouthing me again!”

Miyazaki reached out and poked Saori’s waist.

Saori, trying to hold back her laughter, defended herself, “Is it bad-mouthing if I’m just telling the truth?”

Miyazaki watched the playful banter between her daughter and her friends with a smile, suddenly feeling a long-lost sense of ease.
Her daughter at this moment was what a high school girl should be like, not the one who carried a heavy burden yet still forced a smile.

The Toyota drove for about half an hour, stopping briefly at a supermarket to buy some groceries, and finally arrived at a somewhat old neighborhood.

This was near the outskirts of the city, where housing prices were cheaper.
Although the houses were a bit old, they looked well-maintained from the outside.

Getting out of the car, they entered an apartment building, went up to the third floor, and Miyazaki took out her key and opened the door to an apartment.

“Come in, this is my home.”

Miyazaki welcomed her two friends in with a cheerful tone.

In fact, Seiko had long known where Miyazaki lived, but this was her first time visiting.

It was a small apartment with one living room and one bedroom, probably only about forty square meters in total, but it was clean and warmly decorated.
There were casually placed cute little trinkets in corners like the tablecloth, refrigerator, and wardrobe.
There were some paintings hanging on the walls; some had skilled, mature brushstrokes, while others were clearly the practice works of a novice.
They were obviously the respective works of the mother and daughter.

Seiko looked around and, as expected, found no signs of a man’s life.

Miyazaki didn’t have a father, but not because he was dead.
It was because Mika had never married.
Seiko had heard Miyazaki complain that her mother was a hopeless romantic who had eloped with her high school senior before graduating from junior high.
In the end, the senior had a change of heart and left her to raise their daughter alone.
She was incredibly foolish.

To this, Seiko could only comment… like mother, like daughter.

‘I’m really envious of you, Saori.’

‘Foolishness truly runs in the family.’

“Yu-chan, you sit with your friends for a while. I’ll go prepare lunch for you.”

“Okay, sure.”

Mika put on an apron, went into the slightly cramped kitchen, took out the groceries they had just bought, and began to prepare lunch.

“Auntie, let me help.”

Seiko also walked in.

“No need, I can do it myself…”

Mika tried to refuse, but Seiko had already picked up the vegetables and started washing them.

“Well then… put on an apron so you don’t get your clothes dirty.”

“Okay.”

Mika brought over an apron with a cute little bear on the chest, which was most likely Miyazaki’s, and put it on Seiko.

“I’m really so grateful to you both. Yu-chan is so lucky to have friends like you,” Mika said again as she cooked.

“It’s nothing, we’re friends,” Seiko said, not minding.

“No, I know you’ve helped Yu-chan a lot,” Mika shook her head.
“Even the manga she’s currently serializing, Usagi Drop, you wrote the script for her.
If it weren’t for Usagi Drop, I don’t know where I would have gotten the money for my hospital bills.
It’s rare to find such good friends who would do so much.”

“Well…” Seiko thought for a moment and said, “Just consider it my way of repaying your help back then.”

“Repaying?” Mika didn’t quite understand what Seiko meant.

Seiko raised her hand, swept her long hair back, tilted her head, did something, and smiled.
“Don’t you remember me, Teacher Mika?”