The word “kaicho” evoked an image in YF’s mind of Hayashi Reina seated at the end of the manor’s main hall, donning a dark purple or other equally cold colored kimono worth more than the manor itself.

What he didn’t expect to see was Reina wearing the same grey one piece construction suit as Erika, sitting cross-legged next to a low table with coffee cups scattered all over the surface. Below the table, more cups were knocked over and laying on the tatami as well. She was wearing glasses and had her hair done in a hasty bun at the top of her head. Her hard hat was upside down under the table, and she seemed to be focusing very hard on whatever was on the monitor screen she was holding. Multiple teams of men were moving about carrying stacks of wood, buckets of cement, and other materials. There was dust from all sorts of sources flying everywhere. Reina reached up to tap her hair bun a few times, then continued to read her documents.

“Kaicho,” said Maeda, bowing low.

“Oh!” Reina exclaimed. She dropped the monitor on the tatami and stood up. “Good job Maeda. Come on Sakai-san, we’re going for a walk.”

YF followed Reina through a side door through a narrow walled path until they reached a gate. She pushed the iron doors open to reveal a recently blazed trail through a bamboo forest. As soon as YF stepped onto the path, Reina shut the door.

“So?” she asked as she walked past him. “What did you learn?”

“I feel fine, thanks,” said YF.

Reina stopped walking. “Sakai-san,” she said, her tone filled with frustration. “I’m not your mother and I don’t have time for this. The stakes are far too high.”

“I’m not your driver nor bodyguard either, but I carried you across National Road Five with half the Nishida Ward Police on my tail.”

Reina tried as hard as she could to suppress her anger, breathing in deeply. “I’m sorry,” she said. “There’s just been a lot going on.”

“You and me both,” said YF. “Hayashi-san,” he added.

She continued walking. “It seems like Hiro-kun is alive and I’m sure you discovered the unfortunate secretary is dead.”

“She had a name. It’s Fujii Kaori.”

“Fujii-san’s death is tragic,” said Reina. “Did you meet with Hiro-kun personally? Did you record your conversation?”

“Yes to the first, no to the second,” said YF.

Reina thought for a moment, then waved her hand in the air. “A recording wouldn’t have helped anyway. I’m sure Hiro-kun gave your friend as a blood sacrifice to some heiress on the verge of frenzy. With such low supply and high demand, he’s virtually immune.”

“Hayashi-san.”

“What?”

“How do you prevent yourself from going into a frenzy?”

“That’s none of your concern.” Reina suddenly had a sad expression in her eyes. “None of my subordinates go missing, though, if that’s what you were wondering.”

“Is that possible?”

“I’d rather not get into it.”

Reina grew quiet for the next few minutes as they continued their walk. The air of melancholy surrounding her was such that YF felt he should just start giving the information he had learned to break the silence.

“He has Naka Ai,” said YF.

Reina smiled as if someone had given her a fine piece of jewelry, nodded slowly. “Do you know a man named Higashi Ryoji?” she asked.

“No,” YF lied.

“The guy talks too much and has an overinflated idea of himself,” she said. “But he has a good heart. I pulled him aside a few times to tell him Naka wasn’t good for him. He thought I was just being nosy.”

“So what happened to the two after?”

“Naka likes to shop.” Reina paused. “For a lot of different things. Hiro-kun and I were going through a period where we weren’t talking. He’s actually very charming, unfortunately, and I suppose he made his move.”

“So now this Ryoji doesn’t like my brother?”

“That’s putting it rather lightly,” said Reina. “But I think he’s in denial on Naka’s role in all this. She was always into fast living, having a good time. Somehow kept a good figure, good skin, the works, even though she was higher than a stratobomber half the time I saw her. There was never a more functional addict than her.”

“An addict?”

“Well the addict aspect came later. But she was always a user,” said Reina. She stopped walking. “I’m telling you all this for two reasons,” said Reina. “First is we need to pry Naka’s powder stained claws away from Hiro-kun to disrupt whatever it is he’s doing. I’m sure she’s a part of his ongoing work. Second, I plan on attending some events back on the main island to find more info on where she is. These are the sort of events that Higashi Ryoji-san will show up to. You should not mention anything about Naka to him, and we should do everything we can to not get him involved. His emotions are too raw.”

“I see,” said YF. “Duly noted.”

YF’s receiver buzzed with a message.

“Go ahead and read it,” said Reina.

YF looked down to see a reminder from Kuroda about turning in his Tanaka R1, which was at this point, long overdue. “Shit.”

“What?” asked Reina.

“Remember the bike?”

“Yes…?”

“They put out a notice collecting every single one in the capital.”

“Let me guess, you didn’t do it yet.”

“I was a bit preoccupied.”

“I can ask Toa to do it,” said Reina. “But you will owe me a big favor and owe her an even bigger one.”

“Will it be worse than them figuring out I ‘kidnapped’ you?”

“I doubt it.”

“Could you do it then?”

Reina smiled a sly smile. “Sure. Then the first favor: you’ll have to accompany me to a meeting with the Mori clan. They’re further inland, in the mountains. I will also retrieve Naka and any of the other ARC Subjects I can find. You should plan on joining us.”

“And Erika?”

“She’ll be busy with her duties.”

YF frowned. “Why are we meeting this Mori? Why are we going back to the main island?”

Reina about faced and power walked back toward the gate. “No time to explain, come on, it’ll all fall into place as we figure it out.”

***

When Reina’s driver came by to pick him up at Erika’s office hours later, Maeda emerged from the backseat and waited for YF to get in. The sectarian then entered himself, sitting next to Reina opposite another large sectarian man.

“Kawabuchi,” said the other man. No “please take care of me” as was custom.

“Sakai,” said YF.

The car went off at a slow pace, taking only twenty or thirty minutes to clear the town and arrive onto the country highway.

“I’m going to need to go back once first,” said YF.

“For what?”

“Bachelor party.”

Reina smiled. “What are you all doing?”

“I...I’m in charge of it. Haven’t decided yet.”

“Isn’t that stuff very standard? Black Hat Bar? Something like that.”

“We’re getting a bit too old for that,” said YF.

“I see,” said Reina, giving him the side-eye. “You look like you’re about to ask me for advice.”

“Any ideas?” asked YF.

“Do you actually like each other?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Reina shrugged. “Events with lots of noise and heavy drinking are best when you’re all just acquaintances. Music and such fills in for the silence. Even if you move in circles where people are socially adept, turning the people-interaction side on requires energy and commitment. Easier to use noise. If everyone is decently fit, high-movement activities work for this purpose as well. Dye-guns, vehicles, etc.”

“I don’t think we’re like that,” said YF.”

“Then you’ll want to maximize the time you’ll talk together. Drive to a cabin in the mountains. Hiking and camping are a hybrid of both avoiding and having conversation, but if you actually want to catch up it’s a waste of time. Most of the time you can’t even walk shoulder to shoulder with one other person let alone more than that.”

“You know a lot about this stuff.”

“It can seem like a massive pain in the ass because it is,” said Reina. “But more deals and money move during those meetings than you would like to know.”

When they arrived at the Mori Clan manor, Maeda and Kawabuchi got out first. YF was unsure of what to do, but Reina sat there poised as if waiting for him to leave. He then promptly left and waited by the side until Reina alighted. Moving across the stone path and then up the steps was slow as Reina’s kimono limited her stride.

At the top of the stairs, a man in a suit directed the four of them into the building. “Mori-san is waiting in the reception hall. Please come this way.”

As they passed through the corridors, YF admired the color of the paper sliding doors and the feel of the tatami below his feet; as they neared their destination, he examined the wood carved interior arch made with forest motifs. Inside the reception hall, YF could see a middle aged man with a very standard salary-man sort of haircut seated at the very end. He was wearing ceremonial dress and kneeling in a perfect seiza. Reina stepped quickly to his left, prompting the man to stand.

“Hayashi Reina, please take care of me,” she said, bowing low.

“Mori Masaki, please take care of me,” he said, bowing back.

The rest of Reina’s entourage including YF introduced themselves to the Mori Clan patriarch. Then Reina took the guest of honor seat, with YF sitting closest to the sliding door.

“Tea will be out shortly,” said Mori.

Reina smiled a very traditional Reo woman’s sort of smile. “It’s still humid these days, I hope that the summer breezes blow this way frequently.”

“Not so much as I would like,” said Mori. “Though I’m sure they visit your new residence east of the mountain.”

YF felt like he was watching some sort of period drama, with Reina acting very differently from anything he had seen before, and Mori and her continually talking in metaphoric circles. As the conversation went on in this manner, YF had to fight to keep his eyelids from shutting.

“There may be a way to save the pillar of the Mori Clan,” said Reina. She turned slightly to face YF, causing him to jolt awake. Mori’s eyes followed her gaze.

At this point the tea arrived, though Mori did not avert his gaze from YF.

YF bowed slightly in his seated position before speaking. “I have inherited the identity of my brother, Sakai Hiroyuki. I believe this gives us a better chance in disrupting his plans.”

Reina’s eyes grew wide, but she did not say anything. Mori had an incredulous expression worn in a bitter sort of way. “And why would he give a living inheritance to somebody who plans to undermine him? How do I know you aren’t his spy?”

“We were very close from a young age, and he has always acted as my caretaker when ...when the head of our family was absent.”

Mori made a short wave, indicating YF shouldn’t go further into that.

“I confronted him about the ARC Subjects and we had a dispute. I attempted to send him to the next life, but it appears he has some enhanced...abilities.”

“What sort of abilities?”

“It is hard for him to die.”

Mori remained silent for a while. He then grimaced. “You have to understand, Mr. Sakai, that it is not for lack of courage I am skeptical. I already attempted to bring my daughter back once. It cost me fifty men.”

YF recalled that an unidentified paramilitary organization had attacked the Aritomo building three years ago, which was why the megaconglomerate had its own mercenaries protecting them when YF, Uraga, and Ryoji had stormed through the entrance. Hiroyuki had mentioned making a deal for security services with a group who YF presumed were retainers to Hata Yui’s family. Whether Hiroyuki knew her before or not, it was probably the deal that increased their correspondence. Hiroyuki had described the attack on Aritomo in scathing terms — initiated by hooligans from an inconsequential old family, jealous of the success of commoners. It was awkward to be seated in front of that “hooligan” now, a rather respectable looking middle aged man.

“I see,” said YF.

“Did he ever mention that incident to you?” asked Mori.

“No, at least not in detail,” YF lied. “There was an incident and he informed me he was alive and well. Our family has some strained relations. Hiroyuki and I speak more to each other than I do to anybody else, but I think the overall atmosphere has diminished communication among all of us,” said YF.

Mori drained his tea. “So how will this proceed?” he asked after.

Reina interjected. “First I will need to announce I am alive and well but in an undisclosed location due to the incident with Double Phoenix. I will say that I was saved by my father’s men posed as sectarians. At that point my father will be looking for me but I can find a way to deal with that. The most important thing is for me to attend events again to ascertain Naka-san and Mori-san’s whereabouts,” said Reina.

“And who would possibly know where they are?”

“Hata-san, would be the most likely to have useful information.”

Mori sat pensively for a long period of time, smoke flowing out from his mouth as his pipe bobbed up and down slowly. “Forgive me Hayashi-san for prying into personal matters. But my understanding is that such a meeting is unwise.”

“Hata-san will grant an audience with Sakai-san.”

YF looked up, confused. “She will?”

“Yes, she will,” said Reina assuredly.

“How do you know that, Hayashi-san?”

“Those details are not important now, but she will. Does this plan seem reasonable to you, Mori-san?” asked Reina.

***

During the ride back to Ikusayama Reina looked visibly irritated such that YF passed the time reading the news on his receiver. When they arrived back at the manor, Reina immediately passed through the front entrance and then to the side gate as before, proceeding to the bamboo forest. YF followed instinctively, with Maeda and Kawabuchi waiting at the front of the manor.

“I’m using you so that I can talk to Yui-chan,” said Reina.

“Why do you think she’ll talk to me?”

Reina turned her head. “Yui-chan has this annoying need to be a mother to everyone. You fit the bill in terms of the types of people she would like to protect.”

“I did notice that.”

“I figured,” said Reina. “But I brought you here for a more important reason.” She stopped on the path. “When we go back to the capital, whatever I say or do at these gatherings is for the sole purpose of gathering information. That should be central in your mind. It should be obvious, then, where the lines are. Make sure you do not cross them. It would also be wise to forget whatever happens afterward.”

“Why would you need to warn me about this?” asked YF.

“I am saying that you can’t grow attached to me, whatever happens.”

“I don’t understand,” said YF.

“Good,” said Reina. Her expression then grew serious. “At the risk of being gravely offensive I want to let you know that you should not underestimate your wife. Step the wrong way and both of us will be dead. I would not doubt her ability to kill even me.”

YF was waiting for her to add some sort of light hearted remark to that statement but Reina never did, further unsettling him.

“It’s perhaps wise for everyone who crosses her to be more afraid of her than they are.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” said YF.

Reina’s continuously stern expression transformed her in his eyes from the bimbo socialite he had met in Itsugo to the oyabun of one of their country’s strongest sects. YF could not help but feel a mixture of admiration and fear.

“Do I make myself clear?” Reina asked. “On both accounts?”

“Yes ma’am.”