kscans

Chapter 152 - It's Tough Being a Big Shot

"So, yeah, it looks like those guys from the west are plotting something."

"...Why didn't you inform me yesterday?"

The next day after work, I dropped by the Mutual Aid Society and reported the previous day's incident to the Chairman. He held his head in his hands, as if to say I should have shared the information sooner.

"Well, I mean, Kawasaki kept saying let's hang out, let's hang out."

"You sound exactly like a doting idiot of a parent spoiling their child..."

"Can't be helped. She's just so cute."

It was new territory for me, too. I've spent a fair amount of time around kids before, but every single one of them was just too mature. Even the tomboyish Rika-chan had a strangely grown-up side to her, a result of her temporarily complicated family situation. The same went for Ai-chan and Midori-chan. Thanks to Yuri-san and Hikaru-kun's thorough parenting, they're both quite mature for their age. They might seem like they're making selfish demands, but they're still properly considerate of my circumstances.

Kawasaki, on the other hand, who is in her early twenties, is different.

She fawns on me relentlessly. She doesn't know the meaning of the word restraint, something even an elementary schooler would understand. While I find it annoying, it also stimulates my paternal instincts to no end. It's no joke how perfectly a "Wa-i!!" reaction suits a woman her age. I can't help but feel the urge to buy her all sorts of things.

"Haa... so, what about the honey trap agent?"

"For now, I'm having her act according to her mission. She's probably eating a meal with my double right about now."

The Mutual Aid Society might want to ask Ichijo a few things.

"But I think it'd be better if I personally keep her running my errands, you know?"

"....You're right. We'll leave it to you, Satou-san."

"Yeah."

She might only be behaving because she's under the thumb of my overwhelming violence. It would be a pain if we handed her over to the Mutual Aid Society only for the seeds of rebellion to sprout again.

"So, Chairman, what's the Mutual Aid Society's move?"

"...We'll wait and see, I suppose."

"Hmm."

"The Mutual Aid Society is an organization that expanded its influence precisely because of its lax nature, you see."

If they make a rash move and it leads to a war between east and west, how many would actually mobilize? In that case, the Chairman says their official stance will be to avoid provocation and watch from the sidelines, entrusting the investigation to reliable people. I think that's a reasonable decision.

"And by investigation, you mean?"

"To see if they've set up anything on our side. We do have people in the west, though."

He says their exclusivity makes it difficult to get close to the inner circle. Thinking about it that way, Kawasaki pulled off something amazing. Not that she's a member of the Mutual Aid Society.

"And what about you, Satou-san?"

"I've placed protective wards on the kids without telling them."

I set them to activate only when someone from the underworld approaches with malicious intent. When one activates, that malicious person will be automatically transported to a punishment space I prepared in advance. As for what happens to them once they're transported... fufufu.

"I'll just give Chika-san and the others a heads-up."

Chika-san, Takahashi, and Suzuki should be fine unless something extreme happens.

"And I've already spoken to Yanagi and Onisaki."

"Those two?"

"They're my private soldiers, my gofers. Times like these are when they need to work."

"Did they, or rather, did Yanagi have anything to say?"

"He's going to try and track down some of his old connections."

Apparently, he had sympathizers in Kyoto. He said he had them regularly feeding him information. The connection was severed when he lost to me and temporarily left the public stage, so he told me not to get my hopes up.

He'll figure something out, I'm sure of it.

Come to think of it, the Kyoto people never got involved in that battle. I wonder what they would have done if Yanagi or Onisaki had won.

"...He had connections in Kyoto, too."

"I was surprised myself. Anyway, that's my plan for now."

I don't intend to do anything more at the moment, but...

"...Depending on the situation, that could change."

"Yeah. Depending on how things go, I'm prepared to consider crushing Kyoto."

"I pray it doesn't come to that."

"That depends on their next move. I can't say one way or the other."

Hey, I'm not the one at fault here. The ones at fault are the guys in Kyoto. We've got our own territories, they should just behave themselves. Why do they have to get so greedy? If they're complaining about the Mutual Aid Society throwing its weight around, they should've just done the same thing.

"Why didn't they become a refuge for former normies?"

"A sense of privilege, you could call it. People in the underworld have it to some degree, but that place..."

"It's particularly strong there?"

"Yes. All because of its strange sense of history."

So their pride got in the way. Then how is using a woman to entrap a man okay, I'd like to know.

"Perhaps because honey traps have been used since ancient times?"

"I can't tell if they're stubborn or flexible."

I took a sip of my tea. It had gone completely cold while we were talking, but... this is good.

"By the way, Chairman, is there anything you'd like me to do?"

Whether I'd actually do it is another question, but I wanted to know. Was he planning to throw me at Kyoto if a war broke out?

"If I'm being honest... I'd rather you just stay out of it, Satou-san."

"Even if a war starts?"

"Yes."

"And the reason for that is?"

"If it were a crisis for the world or for humanity, we would have no choice but to ask you to step in."

But this time, the Chairman said with a deep sigh, is a mere power struggle.

"Satou-san, for better or for worse, you have always maintained a dry attitude toward us and the government."

"That's true."

"The negotiations to bring Yanagi back to the public stage were a perfect example. The moment they showed the slightest hesitation, you were ready to lick America's boots."

"Not just ready to lick them, I did lick them. I wonder how many other people there are who have physically licked an ambassador's shoes."

"Why do you sound so proud? And please don't get sidetracked."

My apologies.

"In any case. Your dry attitude could also be taken as a sign that you occupy a neutral position."

"I feel like it's a bit different from neutral."

"It's about how a third party perceives it, in this case."

"Hmm... and so?"

"It gave the other powers a sense of security."

Even if they have a connection to Satou Hideo, his power will not be wielded to expand the interests of the Mutual Aid Society or the Japanese government. That understanding, the Chairman explained, is what kept the peace.

"If you were to intervene in a conflict with the west, it could be interpreted as you fighting to protect the interests of the Mutual Aid Society. Should that happen, it would spur unnecessary movements in the underworld, not just in Japan but across the globe. An arms race, contact with mythologies we've kept our distance from, and as Kyoto has just attempted, many more would likely try to ensnare you."

Now that... sounds like a pain.

"It is a pain, isn't it? You could solve everything with violence if you so chose, Satou-san, but we cannot."

"Tough for you."

"...You say that like it has nothing to do with you. Then again, it's precisely because you are that way that the current balance is maintained."

Anyway, what was it again?

"Hang in there, Chairman."

"May I punch you just once?".