Chapter 56: Mr. Qingshan Has Fallen—And So Should You

Kanagawa Prefecture, Ninomiya Town.

The salty sea breeze swept ashore, waves surging in and crashing against the rocks with a resounding splash. Not far away, three cars were parked along the road. Seven or eight men stood around, smoking and chatting idly.

Yamakawa Kazuki, dressed in a brown kimono and without a helmet, sat atop a massive rock, fishing rod in hand. The waves occasionally splashed against the stone beneath him, soaking his wooden clogs and the socks on his feet.

No one knew how much time had passed when a van pulled up, causing the group by the roadside to cease their conversation and stub out their cigarettes. The van halted; a middle-aged man kicked Matsushita Yukiyuki—his hands and feet bound—out of the passenger seat, then jumped out himself and called to the fisherman atop the rocks, “Yamakawa-kun, I’ve brought you the man.”

“Yamakawa? You’re with the Yamakawa family!” Matsushita Yukiyuki, lying on the ground, was both shocked and furious. He could never have imagined that his kidnappers were people from the Yamakawa family. Fear did not cross his mind—only indignation. “You’re courting death! You’d better let me go immediately!”

He could not fathom how such a provincial power dared to lay hands on him; the humiliation outweighed any pain. How dare the Yamakawa family! How dare they!

“Damn it, Matsushita-kun, you’ve scared all my fish away.” After a fruitless night, Yamakawa Kazuki shifted the blame onto Matsushita Yukiyuki, then stood, reeled in his hook from the sea, and turned to cast it toward Yukiyuki. The hook and line traced a graceful arc through the air, landing precisely before him.

As Matsushita Yukiyuki continued to hurl threats, unaware of what was about to happen, the middle-aged kidnapper stepped forward, pressed his foot onto Yukiyuki’s face to pin his head to the ground, and bent down to thread the sea fishing hook through his mouth.

A sickening sound: the sharp hook pierced through the inside of his cheek, emerging visibly outside.

“Aaaaaah!”

A heartrending scream escaped Matsushita Yukiyuki, tears streaming as pain wracked his face, blood quickly flooding his mouth.

On Yamakawa Kazuki’s harmless-looking face, a gentle smile appeared as he began to reel in the line slowly.

The fishing rod bent into an arc as Matsushita Yukiyuki’s body was dragged forward.

“Stop! Please, stop! Aaah!”

He screamed in hysteria, crawling and rolling toward Yamakawa Kazuki to ease the pain, rising quickly after each fall, a trail of blood dripping from his mouth.

Everyone present was a trusted confidant of Yamakawa Kazuki, well aware of the cruelty hidden beneath his innocent facade, and none were surprised.

Watching Matsushita Yukiyuki crawl through the seawater, now within arm’s reach, Yamakawa Kazuki sighed in regret. “If only fishing were this easy—how wonderful it would be. Unfortunately, fish don’t chase after the line.”

“Nohara Financial Corporation’s cooperation—I don’t want it anymore. Just let me go,” Matsushita Yukiyuki pleaded, his arrogance crushed in this brief moment. The hook threatened to tear off his cheek. Terror filled his eyes as he looked at Yamakawa Kazuki, begging incoherently.

Idiot! Madman! This man is insane!

“Matsushita-kun, do you know your greatest mistake?” Yamakawa Kazuki asked, then gave the answer without waiting, “You disturbed Mr. Aoyama. That makes me look useless—not only can I not solve his problems, I bring him more.”

With a splash, Matsushita Yukiyuki fell to his knees, soaking his upper body in the sea, begging desperately.

“I was wrong! I’ll apologize to Mr. Aoyama when I return. Yamakawa-kun, please spare me. If I die, the Noguchi Association will wage all-out war against the Yamakawa family, but if I live, you lose nothing and gain what you want.”

These damned country folk were truly ruthless!

“Things gained too easily are often lost just as easily,” Yamakawa Kazuki smiled serenely and shook his head, pointing at himself. “Only what is won through blood can be kept from others’ covetous eyes.”

With that, he picked up the phone nearby and dialed.

At that moment, Aoyama Hideyuki, just off his late shift, had returned home and was having dinner with his sister-in-law.

“Ring, ring~ ring, ring~”

The phone rang. Aoyama Hideyuki was about to answer when his sister-in-law got up first, picked up the receiver, and handed it to him with a smile, “Hideyuki, you work so hard already—let me handle these little things, or I’ll feel useless.”

“Thank you, sis.” Smiling, Aoyama took the phone and answered, “Hello?”

“Mr. Aoyama, it’s Yamakawa Kazuki.”

Aoyama Hideyuki said nothing, holding the phone to his ear with one hand and continuing to eat with the other.

“Matsushita Yukiyuki will not trouble you anymore,” Yamakawa Kazuki said respectfully.

“Aoyama-kun! Aoyama-kun! Please forgive my rudeness last night! I was wrong—I’ll pay any price for your forgiveness… ah!”

Yamakawa Kazuki lifted the fishing rod to silence Matsushita Yukiyuki’s interruption, then continued, “Tonight, the Yamakawa family will officially launch an all-out war against the Noguchi Association.”

Aoyama Hideyuki hung up and set the phone aside, resuming his meal as if nothing had happened.

“Hideyuki, who was it?” Aoyama Haruko, seeing his silence, feared something bad.

Aoyama Hideyuki smiled slightly, “Just a subordinate reporting work—nothing important. Let’s eat.”

Yamakawa Kazuki’s decisiveness and ruthlessness surprised him; he hadn’t expected that seemingly harmless fat man to act so swiftly. Indeed, as Yamakawa Kazuki had said, his judgment in people remained sharp.

Tonight, it seemed, there would be quite a spectacle.

“Matsushita-kun, Mr. Aoyama has hung up; it’s time for you to do the same. Please bid farewell to this world,” Yamakawa Kazuki said after replacing the phone.

Kneeling in the seawater, Matsushita Yukiyuki shook his head in terror, “No! I don’t want to die! You can’t kill me! Please let me make a call, I beg you, Yamakawa-kun! Yamakawa-kun! Yamakawa-kun!!!”

Yamakawa Kazuki ignored his pleas, rolled up his sleeves, and with a splash, jumped into the sea.

Matsushita Yukiyuki instinctively tried to flee, but after only two steps, Yamakawa Kazuki seized the fishing line and yanked it back, causing Yukiyuki to collapse in agony.

After choking on seawater, he tried to get up, only for Yamakawa Kazuki, smiling, to raise a stone and smash it down onto his head.

Bang!

Matsushita Yukiyuki collapsed again into the water.

Under the night sky, Yamakawa Kazuki stood knee-deep in seawater, expressionless, repeatedly lifting and dropping the stone onto the struggling Matsushita Yukiyuki, crimson blood and salty seawater splattering everywhere.

His pale, plump face was streaked with blood.

Finally, Matsushita Yukiyuki ceased struggling, his body limp, the surrounding water tinged red and gradually fading.

Splash.

Yamakawa Kazuki discarded the stone, gasping for breath, sweat beading on his forehead, his pallid face flushed with a sick, manic exhilaration.

He wiped his brow, turned, and waded ashore, waving a hand without looking back, “Dump him far out—don’t pollute the coastal waters.”

He did seem to have an environmental consciousness.

His men bowed and moved to dispose of the body.

Arriving at the cars, Yamakawa Kazuki stripped off his wet clothes without a care, exposing his pale rolls of flesh, accepted the dry clothes handed to him, changed, and climbed into the back seat.

The convoy set off toward the city.

When he returned home, his father, Yamakawa Jo, and elder brother, Yamakawa Yosuke, sat expressionless at the dining table. The dishes had gone cold.

“Kazuki, where have you been causing trouble again? Father’s been waiting for you to eat,” Yamakawa Yosuke slammed the table in anger.

“Father!” Yamakawa Kazuki bowed to Yamakawa Jo, then nonchalantly sat at the table, picked up a cold bowl of rice, and began to eat, lightly explaining his tardiness, “I just killed Matsushita Yukiyuki, so I’m late.”

Yamakawa Yosuke, about to continue scolding his brother’s lack of manners, was struck dumb, then leapt up and shouted, “Idiot! What did you say?”

Yamakawa Jo fixed a piercing gaze on his youngest son.

“I killed Matsushita Yukiyuki and attacked many of the Noguchi Association’s assets. By now, they probably know who did it and are discussing retaliation,” Yamakawa Kazuki spoke calmly about his deeds, then smiled at the two, “Will father and brother just wait to die?”

“You bastard!” Yamakawa Yosuke kicked him down, climbed atop him, and landed two heavy punches, grabbing his collar and growling, “You’ll be the death of our family!”

“You’re wrong. I will cause many deaths—but their deaths will pave the way for the Yamakawa family’s ascent.” Yamakawa Kazuki wiped blood from his mouth, smiled, pushed his brother off, and knelt before Yamakawa Jo, bowing deeply, “Father, please convene the senior members immediately. Decide whether to hand me over to appease the Noguchi Association’s wrath, or to go to war.”

“Whatever you choose, please decide swiftly.”

Yamakawa Jo’s temples bulged with anger; his face was so dark it seemed about to drip, and he slapped Yamakawa Kazuki fiercely, then strode out, roaring, “Meeting! War!”

Some gangs, to avoid conflict, do hand over the troublemaker to their rivals—but how could Yamakawa Jo surrender his own son?

“Yes!” As heir to the Yamakawa family, Yamakawa Yosuke, however unwilling, could only obey his father’s decision. He shot his brother a vicious glare and hurried out to contact the senior members.

“Ha! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!” Behind them, in the brightly lit room, Yamakawa Kazuki rolled onto his back and laughed uncontrollably.

As Yamakawa Kazuki anticipated, the Noguchi Association had already identified their attackers, gathering men to prepare for revenge in Kanagawa Prefecture.

As for President Matsushita Yukiyuki’s life or death—it no longer mattered. He’d just taken office, hadn’t fully consolidated his control, and few cared about his fate.

The next president would be decided in this vengeance campaign, so all the leaders were eager. Whoever led the retaliation against the Yamakawa family and recovered the losses would be the strongest contender for the next presidency.

Yamakawa Kazuki killed Matsushita Yukiyuki first, not only to give Aoyama Hideyuki an answer, but to leave the Noguchi Association leaderless and divided.

The Yamakawa family would then wait in readiness, with much greater odds.

Of course, the Inagawa-kai would not stand by and let the Noguchi Association be destroyed, nor did the Yamakawa family have the strength to do so. In the end, matters would have to be settled through negotiation.

But before the talks, a battle was inevitable.