Chapter 147: The Dust Settles (1/4)

On the very night Tao Chuming was having his eyes opened to a brand-new world, his name had not yet reached the desks of the various power brokers.

Within a single day, the tides had turned.

"Starting from today, you must forget your former name," Suzuki Daiki said, looking at Irie Yuta standing before him. "I have chosen a new name for you, and your new identity is currently being processed. From now on, you will walk in the light."

Irie Yuta knelt in *dogeza* before him and said, "Thank you, Boss."

"Do not thank me. This was the condition Tao-kun requested of Chairman Inagawa," Suzuki Daiki said. "Sit up. I know that although you yearned for a righteous life, you remained willingly in the yakuza because of your deep gratitude toward me. Now, you have another way to repay that debt."

Irie Yuta remained silent.

"Tao-kun has decided to establish his dance hall on the land owned by Takeda Manufacturing. You will be appointed as the general manager to run it. My Suzuki Syndicate will be responsible for its security, and the liaison between us will be Yuma." A smile touched Suzuki Daiki's lips.

"I understand."

"Please take good care of me, Big Brother," Nara Yuma said with a grin from the side.

Irie Yuta shook his head with an amused smile and then said, "Boss..."

"From now on, you must call me Suzuki-san!" Suzuki Daiki cut off his old form of address. "Remember to conceal the tattoos on your body. As for your manner of speaking, you should learn more from Tao-kun."

"...I understand, Suzuki-san," Irie Yuta said, filled with emotion. "But is it truly over just like this?"

"As for the matter concerning the Shindo Syndicate, it can only end this way," Suzuki Daiki said, looking at the two men. "The past Shindo Syndicate no longer exists. Kurata Shinsuke and his core members have taken the blame for it. The rest has been shouldered by the chairman himself. The Inagawa-gai, in the name of chivalry and justice, assumed the task of bringing the true culprits to justice and protecting President Takeda, which is why the newly reborn Suzuki Syndicate is able to exist today. As for my remaining subordinates, a portion of their future is entrusted to you, Kube-kun!"

Even Nara Yuma turned serious, bowing his head alongside Suzuki Daiki.

Irie Yuta hurriedly bowed his head as well. "I will do my absolute best!"

"You have always been clever," Suzuki Daiki said, raising his head and looking at him solemnly. "Then you must possess the appropriate resolve. Before someone far more clever like Tao-kun, you must view yourself as his subordinate, not mine. Just faithfully execute the cooperation between Tao-kun and myself. Otherwise, you will never truly win his complete trust."

Suzuki Daiki sighed with emotion. "In four steps, the shockwaves brought by the Wataru Takeda case were neutralized. Making the Shindo boss step out to apologize and initiate a yakuza manhunt, having that Obata Yusuke surrender himself as a tainted witness, getting Takeda Takanao to step forward and retract his definitive accusations while releasing a hint that there were clues to the case, and finally waiting for a panicked Omi Hiroshi to seek out Heijiji Ichiro in person to verify the situation. To think Tao-kun was confident that Omi Hiroshi would look into where he went wrong and question Obata Yusuke face-to-face. Kube-kun, Tao-kun is no ordinary man. Having you remain by his side for the long term is the best possible outcome for me."

He looked at Irie Yuta gently. "I brought you into the yakuza, but now I no longer need to feel guilt over it. That you have a bright future is what I truly desired."

Irie Yuta's eyes turned red, and he nodded heavily. "I understand... Suzuki-san!"

Suzuki Daiki smiled and nodded, then reached over to pick up a briefcase from the floor.

Nara Yuma opened the case and presented it before Irie Yuta as Suzuki Daiki spoke, "This is our Suzuki Syndicate's capital contribution toward that Wonder Dance project—a total of thirty million yen. Please inspect it, Kube-kun!"

Irie Yuta took a deep breath, gazing at the thirty neat bundles of ten-thousand-yen banknotes inside the case. "On behalf of... the chairman, I accept these funds!"

Suzuki Daiki bowed once more. "When the day of the grand opening arrives, we shall certainly send a celebratory gift!"

***

The next morning, when Takeda Takanao saw Tao Chuming, all the questions that had previously filled his mind crystallized into a single expression of concern: "Did you... work through the night?"

"Indeed..." Tao Chuming sighed. "I toiled through the night, it was rather exhausting."

Takeda Takanao remained silent for a moment before speaking. "I saw the news on television last night. Thank you."

"I promised you, so I naturally fulfilled it," Tao Chuming said with absolute certainty. "Rest assured, the faction from the Hokusei-kai that carried out the deed, along with Omi Hiroshi behind the scenes, has already been formally detained. The ones who helped strike against them are those major financial cliques that previously targeted you, and the case is being handled personally by a Senior Superintendent of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Criminal Investigation Bureau. The prosecutors involved are also highly seasoned veterans."

"...Thank you for your hard work." After Takeda Takanao filed his police report, efficiency had also been high, though for entirely different reasons.

Back then, Wataru's case was merely a tool; apart from the party under suspicion, no one cared about the truth.

"In any case, this matter will soon reach a conclusion," Tao Chuming said, leading him further inside. "Although the true mastermind behind the attack still needs to be dug out from the mouth of Heijiji Ichiro, they will be found sooner or later. I have fulfilled my promise to you. Please turn your grief into strength, and the remaining funds will be transferred to you in full. Sumitomo will no longer restrict you, and Tsunewa Trading will be able to seek compensation from Yuwa, which will also present you with new terms for cooperation. From now on, revive Takeda Manufacturing to its former glory."

Takeda Takanao looked into the interior of the bank and remarked, "To think your money is not even deposited in Sumitomo Bank."

"It never has been. Otherwise, how could I have asked you to say those words to the reporters?" Tao Chuming said quietly. "In order to help Wataru reclaim his justice, you were willing to sacrifice greater interests, a breadth of mind that commands my admiration. You are well aware that I harbor no fondness for the financial cliques and would never willingly stand alongside them. Because of this affair, Sumitomo actually resorted to quite a few dirty tactics as well."

"...From now on, the pressure rests entirely upon your shoulders." Takeda Takanao gazed at him deeply.

Recalling the top-tier hospitality provided by Kinoshita Hidefaze the previous night, Tao Chuming smiled and said, "I believe my friends will only continue to multiply."

As his words faded, Maehara Kumina had already stepped forward to greet them, bowing her head. "Tao-kun!"

Tao Chuming nodded with a smile and gestured toward Takeda Takanao. "Kumina, please help Takeda-san open an account at your bank first. Shortly, I will be transferring a sum of money into it."

"Understood!" Maehara Kumina prepared to greet Takeda Takanao, but suddenly let out a gasp of surprise. "You are..."

She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, staring at Takeda Takanao with a mixture of shock and uncertainty.

"Takeda-san, you have become quite famous," Tao Chuming said with a chuckle.

Takeda Takanao offered a wry smile. Who would ever wish to achieve fame in such a manner?

Yet, the issue had been resolved. The suffocating pressure that had once weighed upon him receded like the tide, transforming instead into substantive support.

As Takeda Takanao went through the account-opening procedures, he thought for a moment and asked Tao Chuming, "In that initial proposal, was the latter portion suggested by Professor Yamamoto?"

"No, it was merely a suggestion of my own," Tao Chuming replied. "Labor costs in Nippon are growing increasingly high. Aside from existing new plants, shifting our future production focus to places like the Land of the Xia will make product costs far more attractive. At the same time, we should not focus solely on cassette tape manufacturing. Given Takeda Manufacturing's production management expertise, you could actually attempt the assembly of a wider range of consumer electronics. For instance, the personal computer industry, which is just beginning to rise."

"Personal computers..." Takeda Takanao shook his head. "Where would I find the technical capability for that?"

He glanced at Maehara Kumina and asked with a puzzled frown, "Is it appropriate to discuss such matters in front of this young lady?"

"There is nothing inappropriate about it," Tao Chuming asked with a smile. "Kumina, have you thought it over? Would you like to come work for me?"

"Eh?" Maehara Kumina looked back and forth between them in a conflicted manner, a trace of playful reproach in her tone. "Tao-kun!"

Takeda Takanao was dumbfounded. Were you attempting to poach talent right here, or did you harbor other intentions toward this young and attractive bank employee?

Tao Chuming let out a yawn; last night had indeed been somewhat too wild.

He then added, "In any case, because this matter was first exploited by others to create a trending news story to pressure Sumitomo, and was later utilized by us to engineer a turnaround, you have become a renowned manufacturing entrepreneur. Even those financial cliques are now forced to step forward and declare their support for your development in order to restore their own reputations. You can safely develop the cassette tape business now. As for the future directions of development, rest assured. Do you not still have me? Regarding personal computers, I might just be able to help you find a truly formidable person to collaborate with."

"Is that so?" Takeda Takanao asked with mild curiosity. "What kind of person?"

Tao Chuming smiled without answering. "He is currently recovering from an illness, but he should be well soon enough."

"President Takeda, your account has been successfully opened," Maehara Kumina said respectfully. "It is an absolute honor to have you open an account at our bank!"

"You have acquired an admirer, Takeda-san," Tao Chuming teased. "The soul of manufacturing standing stalwart against the financial syndicates—keep striving!"

Takeda Takanao gave a helpless, wry smile. Standing stalwart against whom? When all was said and done, it was because he had been unwilling to let go of his interests, which had ultimately cost his nephew his life.

Only then did Tao Chuming turn to Maehara Kumina. "I would like to transfer 3.15 billion yen into President Takeda's newly opened account."

Maehara Kumina's eyes widened abruptly, and she sought confirmation. "3.15 billion?"

Tao Chuming nodded. "Proceed with the transfer."

Having already read the news regarding Takeda Takanao, Maehara Kumina felt her heart begin to hammer against her ribs.

A massive sum of 3.15 billion yen, combined with a direct transaction with President Takeda, pointed to only one possibility.

Connecting this to the numerous checks he had previously cashed out at this very branch... Maehara Kumina was certain her guess was correct.

That piece of land belonging to Takeda Manufacturing—which was currently the subject of heated public debate and possessed a future value potentially reaching tens of billions of yen—President Takeda had chosen to cede it to Tao-kun!

Tens of billions of yen!

Had it been acquired at merely this cost?

Judging by the relationship between Tao-kun and President Takeda, it was abundantly clear they shared a deep mutual trust.

Could it be that Tao-kun had been the one assisting President Takeda in his struggle against the financial cliques all along? Including the truth behind his nephew's murder—a truth involving numerous yakuza syndicates and major corporate presidents—was it also Tao-kun who helped unearth it?

The imaginative young woman instantaneously constructed a series of thrilling, cinematic dramas in her mind, and the glances she cast toward Tao-kun grew subtly altered.

Tao-cnuming, who had been casually chatting with Takeda Takanao, happened to catch her gaze when he turned around, and he flashed a wide grin.

Maehara Kumina hurriedly lowered her head, suddenly feeling guilty.

Once all the procedures were completed, Tao Chuming turned back just before leaving and repeated, "Kumina, give it serious consideration. My new enterprise will soon have a great deal of financial matters that require management."

"..."

Maehara Kumina watched Tao-kun as he gradually walked out the door, her heart fluttering.

Why did she suddenly feel that a life connected to him would be vastly more brilliant and exciting than remaining trapped within this rigid bank?