What happened next was an entirely new experience for Kiryu Kazuma.
In his previous life, he had been a completely law-abiding citizen. He'd never even set foot in a police station—heck, most of his interactions with law enforcement had been with traffic cops.
And now? Two weeks after crossing over, he'd already beaten up both yakuza and unscrupulous capitalists, and ended up in the station. His life experience had certainly expanded.
At the station, Kiryu Chiyoko had tearfully recounted everything, then signed her statement.
Kazuma also completed his statement and was politely escorted to the entrance by a patrol chief named Satō.
Chiyoko asked anxiously, "Will those two be charged?"
"Well... attempted assault should stick, but..." Patrol Chief Satō trailed off.
Before Chiyoko could press further, Itō Yūsaku and his underling Yamada emerged from the station.
Ahead of them walked a sharply dressed salaryman with something pinned to his suit lapel that looked suspiciously like a yakuza crest.
—Yakuza coming to bail someone out?!
Kazuma's heart jumped.
At that moment, Patrol Chief Satō greeted the man. "Yanaka-san, thank you for coming."
Kazuma frowned. If this guy were yakuza, the police wouldn't be acting so deferential...
Yanaka-san nodded to Patrol Chief Satō, then turned to Kazuma and offered his business card. "Kiryu-san. A pleasure to meet you."
Kazuma accepted it. It read: Yanaka Daisaku, Director, Yanaka Law Office.
Ah, so he's a lawyer. That explains the deference.
Behind him, Itō Yūsaku was glaring at Kazuma, all pretense of refinement gone.
In contrast, this lawyer looked far more like a polished scoundrel.
Chiyoko burst out, "He can't just leave! He assaulted me!"
Yanaka kept smiling. "Yes, the evidence for attempted assault is solid. But until the court convicts, they are only suspects—and they have the right to post bail."
Chiyoko bit her lip. "Aren't lawyers supposed to be champions of justice?"
"Indeed, we are," Yanaka said with an unwavering smile. "But, young lady, justice depends on perspective. Prosecutors and judges uphold judicial justice. Police serve public justice. We lawyers uphold the justice of our clients."
Chiyoko was so furious she couldn't speak.
Yanaka turned to Kazuma. "Young master Kiryu, I hear you and Sumitomo Construction have a dispute over a land contract. Would you consider hiring us? We specialize in contract negotiations and can help ensure your dojo is sold at no less than market value."
"Yanaka-san! What are you saying?!" Yamada burst out. "You're supposed to be with our company—"
"I am not your company's legal counsel," Yanaka said smoothly. "We're business partners. Who I take on as a client is none of your concern."
"You—"
Before Yamada could argue further, Itō Yūsaku snapped, "Shut up, Yamada! If it weren't for your screw-up, we wouldn't need Yanaka-san here in the first place!"
Yanaka ignored their bickering and bowed slightly to Kazuma again. "Well then, Kiryu-san. I'll take my leave."
Without another glance at them, he strode briskly toward the car waiting in the parking lot.
Itō Yūsaku gave a subtle nod to his underlings, ready to depart—but then seemed to remember something. He turned back to Kazuma. "My card has my office number. If you change your mind, feel free to call anytime."
"I won't. Now get lost!" Kazuma shot back bluntly.
He watched the three of them leave.
Chiyoko whispered, "That lawyer… could we maybe ask for his help?"
"Don't be silly," Kazuma replied, scowling. "He knows we can't afford his fees. He only offered to look good."
Patrol Chief Satō nodded in agreement. "That's exactly it. Lawyers..." He sighed. "Well then, take care, you two. I've got other matters to attend to."
Kazuma and Chiyoko bid him farewell and left the police station.
**
Out on the street, Chiyoko asked, "What do we do now?"
Kazuma took a deep breath. "If I sell the dojo for seven million yen, not only would Mom and Dad's spirits curse me from the afterlife, I'd never forgive myself."
Chiyoko's face lit up. "So we're not selling?"
But her joy quickly gave way to worry. "But... what about our daily expenses? Like you said, if we get sick, we're done for..."
Kazuma fell silent. He couldn't think of any solution other than taking a part-time job.
But hadn't he just told Chiyoko yesterday that taking a job meant quitting the kendo club—and he'd made such a big show of saying he'd never give up kendo?
Working part-time now would be a slap in his own face.
Working? Impossible. I'll never work a part-time job.
But without working and without selling the dojo... the money problem remained unsolved.
Kazuma frowned deeply, thinking hard. Then, suddenly, an idea struck him. It wasn't guaranteed to work, but it was something.
He turned to Chiyoko. "Let's skip school today."
"What?!" Chiyoko gasped. "Skip class? Why?"
"We're going to Sumitomo Construction headquarters. To find Ogawara-san. We'll try to get him to agree to a contract price closer to what we originally discussed."
Chiyoko stared at him. "You're serious?"
Kazuma nodded. "Dead serious. We're settling this today."
In truth, Kazuma wasn't confident it would work. But now wasn't the time to show weakness.
Chiyoko bit her lip. "Alright. We'll go see Ogawara-san together."
Kazuma gave a firm nod.
Then Chiyoko said, "Shouldn't we call ahead first?"
Kazuma thought about it. That made sense—Ogawara-san might not be at headquarters.
But this was 1980. No cell phones. Not even pagers yet.
The only option was a public phone.
Kazuma glanced around and spotted a phone booth nearby.
He fished Ogawara-san's business card from his pocket—he'd kept it there since yesterday, and he was still wearing the same pants.
The call connected quickly.
"Moshi moshi, this is Ogawara. Who's speaking?"
"Ogawara-san, we'd like to discuss the contract. I've convinced my sister—"
"Then just sign with the relocation department. I believe Itō is handling your case. He should be visiting you today."
"He already did. The contract he brought said five million."
Silence on the other end.
After a pause, Ogawara spoke. "I thought they'd offer at least thirty million... But this is no longer under my authority. In fact, it's out of our entire department's hands. I can't help you."
"Ogawara-san!" Kazuma's voice rose. After all, convincing Chiyoko had been hard enough.
If they couldn't get a reasonable price for the dojo, their lives would be tight—and forget about any dreams of success.
Ogawara sighed. "Alright. Come to headquarters. I'll take you to see Executive Director Ōhara. Maybe you can convince him."
(End of Chapter)