What Is A Real Family Anyway?

Xianshi stroked the stubble on his chin, his mind seemingly trying to find the right words to share his tragic past. Once he opened his mouth, he spoke in a gravelly tone.
"When I was eighteen, I took a plane from Hong Kong to Japan, deciding to spend the rest of my life here. I was part of an arranged marriage, and the girl my parents wanted me to marry was only fourteen. Pretty disgusting, right?"

Mika nodded, imagining what it would be like to marry an adult man at her current age.
"So, you came to Japan? How did you end up as a gambler?"

"Patience, Princess. It all started when I arrived in Tokyo. Somehow, my father got hold of my flight information. He followed me with that fourteen-year-old girl a few weeks later. Once they arrived, they tracked me down, inevitably forcing me to marry her here in the country. Well, not before forging her a fake identification. On paper, Qing Lian was suddenly eighteen, making it legal for us to marry. My father flew back to China, thinking my phase of rebellion would come to an end once I saw how much money I would be making through marrying such a rich girl."
Xianshi took another puff of his vaporizer, blowing the smoke away from Mika and the baby boy, resting in his cradle.

"So, why didn't you return to China? You had a whole life of wealth and easy living ahead of you. I would kill to have that kind of normal life."
Mika's gaze landed on the baby. She gently waved at him, offering a sweet smile.

Xianshi clenched his fist, following her gaze to the infant.
"That kind of life isn't for me! I wanted to be free! You don't know what it's like to live your parents dreams, having every little detail written out for you like a puppet!"

Mika frowned. She stood up, looming over Xianshi with hatred in her eyes.
"At least you have parents. I wish I had someone like that in my life!"

Xianshi scoffed, looking away from Mika's unforgiving eyes.
"You don't get it, do you, Princess? I can sense that rebellious spark in you. I'm sure if your circumstances were different, you would have done the same thing that I did."

Mika stopped herself, realizing that Xianshi was making a valid point. Had she actually met her parents, perhaps she would have turned out completely differently.
"Sorry... continue."

Xianshi nodded, returning his gaze to the window curtains.
"Luckily for Qing Lian, her father had multiple branch offices in Japan. She spent most of her time in the office, learning how to speak the language and manage her family's business. I, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with her. I spent my days at the pachinko parlors, using my paychecks from my convenience store job to gamble. It was so thrilling. That was the exact kind of life I wanted to live. That's when I met them... the Bara-gumi."

Mika shuddered, imagining what events could have transpired during the early days of the Bara-gumi.
"Was Charlotte the boss, back then?"

"Yeah, she and I are the same age. Even back then, Charlotte was ruthless. I bumped into her after a night of drinking. She noticed me leaving the pachinko parlor and offered me a loan. I thought, why the hell not? So, I took it. Apparently, Charlotte got her fortune from killing Kawaguchi Harumi's father, so she had plenty of money to toss around."
Xianshi's eyes held a reminiscent trance as he spoke.

"Harumi's father?! Why did Charlotte kill him?!"
Mika nearly choked on her bubblegum at the mention of Harumi.

"I don't know the details, Princess. But Harumi supposedly owes Charlotte her life... Anyway, I found myself down on my luck every day, asking Charlotte for more loans almost every week. Sometimes, I would win... sometimes, I would lose. I kept a pretty decent streak of paying back what I owed on time, so I was something of a loyal customer to the Bara-gumi. Over the past twenty years, I've been on a pretty steep losing streak, resorting to more intense gambles through richi mahjong and underground blackjack. I'd say my debt is something around... two and a half billion yen."
Despite revealing such intense circumstances, Xianshi let out a small chuckle. He watched as Mika's jaw dropped, her gum slipping onto the floor.

"Two and a half billion?! Xianshi... that's unacceptable!"

"I'm aware, Princess. You don't need to scold me."
Xianshi stood up, walking over to the baby in his cradle. He scooped the infant into his arms, making soft cooing sounds as he played with child's nose.
"This is my son, Otomo Kai. He's the child of the lady you held at gunpoint downstairs, and myself. I met her after a night of drinking. She stitched my coat back together and... well I'm sure you can guess what happened next."

"I see... so the rumors are true. You're sleeping around, despite having that rich, Chinese wife. Why don't you just ask her to pay off your debt?"
Mika pulled out her tanto blade, fidgeting with the handle as she spoke. She had a burning question in her mind, why not divorce Qing Lian? But she didn't want to know the answer.

"Are you crazy? She wants nothing to do with me. Even if I showed up after all these years, do you think she would just willingly lend her deadbeat husband two billion yen? It's a miracle I haven't received any divorce papers in the mail."
Xianshi slung the messenger bag full of cash that he had stolen around his shoulder.

"You do realize if I return without at least some of that money and a proof of the other gamblers loans, Charlotte is going to want to kill me, right?"
Mika unsheathed her tanto blade, yet she had no malice in her eyes.

Xianshi's gaze followed her blade. He extended his hand for a formal handshake.
"Let's make a deal, Princess. You let me take this cash to buy my girl and son plane tickets and a house outside the country, and I promise I will return to the Bara-gumi... I'll join them and pay off my debt through work. Please, just let me save my family."

Mika gulped. She strongly considered his words, and desperately wanted to trust him. Her conflict hinged on the one piece of information that Xianshi wasn't providing.
"Why do you need to send the Otomo family away from Japan? Can't you just join the Bara-gumi now?"

"Are you stupid? If the Bara-gumi knows where my family is and I end up doing something they don't like, who would stop Charlotte from harming them?! I don't know if you've seen her methods, but they're terrifying."
Xianshi shivered, recalling the times he had gotten in deep trouble with the Bara-gumi's boss.

Mika nodded, clutching her elbow as she averted her gaze. Her hand extended, and she shook his.
"Trust me... I'm aware. Okay, Xianshi. Go save your family. I'll have Kazuya help me convince Charlotte to let you join... Will I see you soon?"

"You will... I promise. What's your name anyway, Princess?"
He smiled down at Mika, admiring her delicate features.

"Umeda Mika... though, I kind of like it when you call me Princess."
Her cheeks turned faintly pink.

"Princess Mika. I'll see you soon. Thank you for everything."
Xianshi rushed down the stairs, leaving the Otomo Stitching clothing shop frozen in time forever.