Chapter 40: The Yakuza POV - The Rats in the Walls

The Bokumuchi-kai compound is operating on a war footing. The silence is still there, but it is not the silence of peace; it is the silence of a predator coiled to strike.

In the golden dragon room, Ryouji Katsumi sips his green tea. The steam rises. He is perfectly calm. Across from him, his three Region Leaders are not.

Jiro, the Entertainment boss, is sweating. "Kaichou," he says, his voice rough, "the correction at the Oasis was effective. But it was temporary. The Hitsune-kai... they are not rats. They are termites."

Ryouji raises an eyebrow. "Explain."

"They are in the walls," Jiro says, his voice low. "The leader Ayako-ojou handled was sacrificed. We learned nothing from him."

Kenichi, kneeling by the door, speaks. "The Hitsune-kai is disciplined. Their soldiers do not talk. This is new."

"And worse," the Finance boss says, his voice shaking. "The clients... they are listening. The Hitsune-kai are not low-balling us. They are offering better rates. They are backed by real money. This is not a street gang."

Ryouji Katsumi places his tea cup down. The click is the only sound in the room. "So," he says, "they are not stealing our scraps. They are attacking our foundation." He is silent, analyzing. "This is messy. Inefficient. We must know who they are."

He looks at Kenichi. "Kenichi."

"Kaichou."

"It is time," Ryouji says. "My daughter has handled the flowers. She must inspect the roots."

"The ports?" Kenichi asks, his voice tight.

"And the logistics," Ryouji says. "The Oasis is our face. The ports are our blood. She must understand our true business. She is ready."

The scene shifts. The Port of Tokyo. Midnight. It is a world of shadows, cranes, and the smell of salt and diesel. Ayako Katsumi is not in her dress; she is in her dojo gear. Black pants, black top, her hair tied back. She is with Jiro. They are in a security room, high above the loading docks, watching monitors.

"Ojou-sama," Jiro says, his scarred face illuminated by the green glow. "This is our real Oasis. This is where our real power comes from." He points to a monitor showing a cargo container being loaded. "This is our client. And this..." He points to a different monitor, a different loading dock. "This is the problem."

A different container is being loaded by different men.

"They are using our routes," Jiro hisses. "They are moving their own product through our territory. They are not poaching clients. They are poaching our business."

Ayako's eyes are black. "This is unacceptable."

"They are here. Now," Jiro says. "In our VIP Lounge." He gestures to a warehouse below.

"Jiro," Ayako commands. "Lock it down. I will handle this correction personally. I need to know who their master is."

The warehouse is vast, dark, and smells of metal and seawater. The Hitsune-kai are there. Not three, but a dozen. And they are not low-level. They are armed professionals. Ayako glides out of the shadows.

"This party is over," she says.

The Hitsune-kai smirk. They were waiting for her.

"Katsumi-ojou," the leader says. He is older, calm. "An honor. We were just competing."

"You are trespassing," Ayako hisses.

"We are expanding," the man corrects her. "This is business."

"This," Ayako says, "is my business."

She moves. The fight is not a fight. It is a war. These men are good. Ayako is better. She is not just a student; she is a weapon. She disarms a man with a pipe, breaks the arm of another. She is a blur of black fury. She is winning.

Until the leader moves. He is fast. As fast as her. He is waiting for her. He catches her punch, just like she caught Shoujo's. Ayako freezes.

"You are good, Ojou-sama," the leader smirks. "Your father trained you well." He twists her wrist. Ayako gasps. "But you are still just a child," he hisses. He slams her into a container.

CRASH.

Ayako slumps. She is hurt.

"Tell your father," the leader says, straightening his suit, "that the Region Leader of the Hitsune-kai says hello." He laughs. "This war is just beginning."

The Hitsune-kai vanish. Ayako is alone, clutching her wrist, furious.

At the compound, Ayako is kneeling before her father. "Father," she says, her voice shaking with rage.

"Ayako. Your report?"

"They are deep," she hisses. "They are professionals. They are brazen. They were waiting for me."

"And?" Ryouji asks.

"They are better than I calculated," she admits. "Their Region Leader was there. He bested me."

Ryouji is silent.

"This is an invasion," Ayako says. "They are Hitsune-kai. And they are not afraid."

"Good," Ryouji says, his eyes cold. "Then we will teach them fear."