"Right now? The Tanaka Family?"
Nissho Taro was still trying to process Fujiwara Shunsui's words.
"Lord Shunsui, do you mean we're heading straight to the Tanaka Family now?"
Kojou Yuna, standing nearby, was equally stunned. She opened her mouth and said,
"We don't have solid evidence yet, and barging in to negotiate with the Tanaka Family is a bit abrupt—shouldn't we report to Headquarters first?"
Kojou Yuna frowned.
While she'd anticipated something like this and even issued some early warnings, showing up at their door felt too provocative.
Although it fit the Sankou-gumi style,
still—
this wasn't Chuo Ward!
Fujiwara Shunsui glanced at Ogawa Shun, still gasping at his feet, then at the silent Miya Harukiko in the back seat, and seemed to make up his mind.
"Just notify Headquarters. We settle this tonight or I won't sleep."
Kojou Yuna and Nissho Taro saw his resolve; once Shunsui decided, all they could do was follow.
Their only option was to cooperate!
"I-is it because of me?"
Miya Harukiko finally spoke, voice trembling; she still hadn't processed Shunsui-kun's earlier actions—he'd felt like a stranger.
Now that they knew where the problem lay,
she only wanted to help fix it, not drag everyone into fresh trouble.
But kidneys… she truly had no idea what to do.
Fujiwara Shunsui reassured her: Kiko-chan was part of the reason—he couldn't stomach anyone coveting his girlfriend's kidneys.
Another key reason:
the enemy had walked straight into his crosshairs.
In matters like this, suspicion equals guilt.
He refused to believe the Tanaka Family knew nothing; Ogawa Shun's backer might well be them—
it was simply that Ogawa would never bite the hand that fed him.
Therefore,
Fujiwara Shunsui had to visit the Tanaka Family personally,
to see what game they were playing.
Even if no evidence surfaced,
he'd still have a cordial "chat" with them.
Kojou Yuna's fingers never stopped moving.
Since Shunsui had decided, she had to smooth the way—contacting people in advance,
even discreetly stationing some Sankou-gumi members, which was essential.
At the same time,
the matter had to be reported to Headquarters—
framing it as covert investigations, even assassination attempts on Sankou-gumi core members.
Whatever the charge, pin it on them first;
a righteous pretext had to be arranged.
Nissho Taro stuck his head out the window and shouted to the Sankou-gumi men outside,
"Hey! One of you wait for the Ambulance—the rest follow our car. Move it!"
Superior numbers were their greatest confidence.
In a Syndicate that prized true duels,
unless you ran into a "freak" like Fujiwara Shunsui, head-count still mattered.
"Got it, Lord Taro!"
Of the reinforcements, Kojima Bin was the keenest; he answered from outside the car before the echo of Taro's shout had faded.
He craved advancement.
Especially after Shunsui had bluntly pointed out his flaws last time,
he felt one step closer to a leap in power.
He wanted to be sitting inside this very car.
Nissho Taro nodded in satisfaction, secretly delighted.
Promising lad.
He didn't know exactly what the phrase meant,
but he often heard Lord Shunsui say it to him;
it had to be praise.
So mentally praising Kojima Bin should be fine.
"Do you know where the Tanaka Family lives?"
Fujiwara Shunsui suddenly hit on the key question.
These big crime families usually occupy whole villa blocks,
buying several adjoining villas.
The Tanaka Family, born from Real-Estate, would own land worth a fortune.
Ogawa Shun stared at Shunsui in disbelief—
such behavior was outside his comprehension; it didn't match anyone he usually dealt with.
"What's that look? Care to give us directions?"
Ogawa glared, then everything went black as he fainted clean away.
"Hey, hey hey!"
Shunsui patted Ogawa's cheek—no response—then wiggled the man's broken finger.
"Looks like he's really out—no reaction at all."
Nissho Taro felt a chill but dared not speak;
the man was a living devil.
Breaking fingers wasn't enough—he still tested whether the guy was truly unconscious.
Who does that!
With Ogawa useless, Shunsui turned to Yuna-chan.
"Yuna-chan, you know where the Tanaka Family's compound is, right?"
It was tacitly understood:
Yuna-chan was their walking encyclopedia—especially for this sort of intel.
Without her pinpoint information every time,
Shunsui couldn't imagine the headache.
Syndicate clashes nowadays were all about information gaps.
Whoever had the better relationship with the Police Station and first-hand news—
that was why he and Taro had won every battle back in the day.
"I know—but are you really going?"
Kojou Yuna was uncharacteristically verbose;
she herself didn't know what she feared.
"Yes. This isn't just about Kiko-chan. You, me, Taro—we need answers."
"I don't want a repeat of what happened before."
Seeing Shunsui's firm attitude,
Kojou Yuna could only abandon her reservations.
In the end she quietly tapped her phone and sent one crucial text.
[Sankou-gumi will visit the Tanaka Family tonight—please handle with care.]
Honestly,
even for the Sankou-gumi, storming in like this would likely earn them a closed-door reception.
A mere Ogawa Shun already looked down on the group;
an old, entrenched clan like the Tanaka Family would care even less.
So,
out of courtesy,
Kojou Yuna had messaged the Tanaka contact she knew in advance.
Whether the other side actually received it
was no longer her concern.
She'd learned that trick from Fujiwara Shunsui—
she'd fulfilled the courtesy of notification;
how they chose to deal with the troublesome man later
would be their own problem.
Thinking this,
Kojou Yuna could only hope the Tanaka Family could look out for themselves;
Fujiwara Shunsui certainly wouldn't worry about them,
and neither would she.
Judging from what happened on the scene tonight, Shunsui-kun seems to have undergone some unknown changes,
On the surface,
Shunsui-kun's ability to beat people up has improved again.
That's a bit too strong.
"Let's go, I've sent you the location."
Kojou Yuna said to Nissho Taro beside her,
then turned back and asked,
"Sister Kiko, should I come over and keep you company?"
Miya Harukiko shook her head, then fell into a long silence again.
Fujiwara Shunsui beside her sensed Miya Harukiko's low spirits,
and placed his hand on her leg,
trying to comfort her in this way.
Miya Harukiko felt Fujiwara Shunsui's rough, calloused hands,
and slowly covered his palm with her own,
If only it could stay like this forever.
Miya Harukiko couldn't understand
why her life had changed so drastically.
She looked at Fujiwara Shunsui's profile—was it because of him?
Miya Harukiko also remembered that someone had actually targeted her kidneys,
and that was the hardest thing for her to believe.
Thirty minutes later,
Shinjuku West Suburb Villa District.
"The Tanaka Family's Headquarters is in the West Suburb Villa District; all core members live here. Villa 001 at the very end belongs to the current clan head."
"All ten villas house core members of the Tanaka Family."
Outside the Villa District,
Kojou Yuna patiently explained to Fujiwara Shunsui,
although she could have let Nissho Taro drive straight to Villa 001,
she wanted Shunsui to calm down a bit.
Looking at the vast Villa District,
Fujiwara Shunsui thought,
These guys really steal everything—
they even learned the 'east-rich-west-noble' routine?
Clearly,
the Tanaka Family's status in Shinjuku Ward far exceeds that of the Nagasawa Family,
which is why they could secure such a large plot here and build villas for open sale.
"Let's head straight to Villa 001."
Right after Kojou Yuna told Nissho Taro,
the gate security stopped their car, forbidding entry.
At a Villa District of this level,
if a license plate hasn't been pre-registered,
or the resident hasn't notified security in advance,
not even a fly that flew in from outside would be allowed in.
Because the property-security system for the villa cluster is run by the Tanaka Family themselves.
"Excuse me, do you have an invitation or a call from a resident?"
The guard tapped on the driver's window and asked politely.
"We're here to see the Tanaka Family head; let us in."
Nissho Taro was about to answer when Fujiwara Shunsui stuck his big head out from the back seat and told the guard.
"Nutcase."
"Move it, don't block the gate!"
Sure enough,
in every era and place, people can't stop judging by appearances,
not to mention
Fujiwara Shunsui and company trying to drive a couple of small vans into the Villa District to find the Tanaka head—
what's the difference from a beggar walking into a bank saying he wants to deposit a hundred million with the branch manager?
The guard had first thought they were cleaners hired by some resident.
Kojou Yuna was about to speak up,
since she had sent a text message,
though whether the other party saw it was another matter.
Still, it was only a phone call away.
But just then—
"Swish"
the minivan's rear door was yanked open.
The guard was startled,
even thinking Shunsui was coming down to beat him up—
they hadn't encountered anyone "looking for trouble" in ages.
At the same time,
after Fujiwara Shunsui opened the door, he lifted Ogawa Shun's face with his hand,
and asked the guard,
"Do you recognize him?"
It was nighttime,
and although the guard booth had dim light, it wasn't enough to identify who was inside the car.
The guard had to turn on his flashlight,
its strong beam shining directly onto Ogawa Shun's face.
It had to be said,
this move really worked.
Shunsui knew
that if Ogawa Shun were a core figure of the Tanaka Family,
then the gate guard would definitely recognize him!
After all, coming and going every day,
a familiar face should be no problem.
Besides, unlike at night,
Fujiwara Shunsui hadn't aimed for the face—
he'd only twisted his fingers, so recognition was easy.
When the other party clearly saw the face Shunsui was holding up,
he instinctively stepped back in disbelief,
then grabbed the walkie-talkie beside him
and shouted to the other end:
"Troublemakers! Troublemakers! Mr. Ogawa Shun has been kidnapped!"
"Mr. Ogawa Shun has been kidnapped!"
As a core figure of the Tanaka Family,
everyone knew Ogawa Shun well; many even believed he would become the family's future Grand Steward,
since Ogawa Shun had been the Second Young Master's driver for over ten years,
and the Second Young Master himself was the top candidate for the next clan head.
Fujiwara Shunsui rubbed his forehead in exasperation, forcing a bitter smile,
"Sigh"
then let out a long breath and stepped out of the car.
"I told you, we're here to see the Tanaka head; how is that kidnapping? We're friends!"
Then Fujiwara Shunsui swung his right arm in a wide arc and slapped hard,
instantly knocking the guard unconscious,
who collapsed to the ground.
Looking at the guard's swollen right cheek,
Fujiwara Shunsui wondered, "Is my strength already at this level? He couldn't even take one slap."
Thinking this,
Shunsui used his skill to check the related info.
[Combat Value: 24]
[Favorability Rating:???]
[Charm Value:???]
No wonder one slap settled it—turns out his combat power was only 24.
Shunsui smoothly took the guard's walkie-talkie, got back into the car, closed the door, and told Nissho Taro,
"Let's go, to Villa 001. Let's see what's really up with the Tanaka Family."
The vehicle set off again,
with Kojima Bin's car following right behind.
Honestly, if you didn't know their purpose,
you'd think the Sankou-gumi had come out in force!
Kojou Yuna shot Fujiwara Shunsui an irritated glare,
"Next time can you leave this sort of thing to me? Why do you keep knocking people out?"
Fujiwara Shunsui shrugged helplessly,
"I don't want to either. Who knew these guys can't even take one of my slaps anymore?"
Kojou Yuna rolled her eyes at him,
choosing not to reply,
treating it as Shunsui-kun showing off.
A few minutes later,
the two cars stopped in front of Villa 001.