Chapter 256 – Leader

“I need you to answer me. Who are you guys?” (Torimoto)
“……Hah? What is a man doing he—” (Man)
“Answer only what you are asked. Next time… you will lose your head, understand?” (Shiki)
Shiki threatened the man, holding a sickle to his neck.

“W-We’re the Hosen Group!” (Man)
…What?

“The Hosen Group? As in the branch organization under the Higuchi Group?” (Torimoto)
“T-That’s right! That Hosen Group!” (Man)
What is happening here? Why would the Hosen Group attack at this point?

It was true that they had clashed with the Maiden’s Rebirth Order before and almost gone to war with them. However, due to an internal betrayal, the head of the Hosen Group, Hosen Touya, was killed.

I thought the group had disbanded when they lost their head, but…

“Who is your leader?” (Torimoto)
“T-That…” (Man)
The man hesitated to speak, but after Shiki let loose a hint of killing intent, the man spoke up, unable to resist any longer.

“I-It’s Oshikura-san! Oshikura Ryoji! That person gave us an order!” (Man)
Oshikura? I’ve never heard of that name before.

“What kind of background does this person have?” (Torimoto)
“He used to be the head of a team called the Sakuraneri…” (Man)
The man continued to speak.

Apparently, this man called Oshikura Ryoji was only 19 years old, and he had been involved with a group of delinquents since junior high. In high school, he created a group called the Sakuraneri. To put it simply, he was a rascal and a thug.

He was noticed by Hosen Touya of the Hosen Group and joined the yakuza soon after the group had disbanded. Apparently, he was brought into the underworld by Touya, which was why he couldn’t forgive the Maiden’s Rebirth Order for killing Hosen Touya and came here to attack them.

The purpose of this attack was, of course, revenge. They wanted to kill not only the founder, Sayuri-san, but also everyone else too.

“”

“Wait. You said that the Maiden’s Rebirth Order killed Hosen Touya?” (Torimoto)
“Yeah, that’s what I was told by Oshikura-san.” (Man)
It seemed that the men gathered here, including this Oshikura-san, didn’t know the truth.

“…Who told him this?” (Torimoto)
“W-Well… I dunno, but a reliable source. Hey, I already talked, didn’t I? Please, let me go!” (Torimoto)
“…You’re a member of the yakuza, but you’re kind of a wuss, aren’t you?” (Torimoto)
“I-I’m not really part of the yakuza! I just came here because Oshikura-san would get mad if I didn’t!” (Torimoto)
Apparently, this Oshikura person didn’t mobilize any members of the yakuza. Instead, he seemed to have sent out mostly thugs and delinquents that he was acquainted with.

This man was rather young, about 20 years old. Like the other men gathered here, he wasn’t nearly as firm or resolute as the yakuza. He was more like a brat. As such, he was quick to beg for his life and gave out information easily.

“Let me ask you this. You came here with a gun. I’ll bet that if I was standing in your way, you would have shot me, wouldn’t you?” (Torimoto)

“T-That…” (Man)
“Plus, how many people did you kill on your way here?” (Torimoto)
“……” (Man)
“Was it fun? Killing people? Maybe you felt like it was a game of some kind?” (Torimoto)
I took the man’s gun and pressed it to his forehead.

“You took someone else’s life, and now you’re begging me to spare your own?” (Torimoto)
“P-P-Please…! I’m begging you, p-please let me live…!” (Man)
His face was filled with fear. His eyes were trembling and tears were flowing down from his frightened face. It seemed that he had also wet himself.

I spoke calmly as I looked down at the man begging for his life.

“….You don’t have the qualifications to beg for your own life.” (Torimoto)
With that, I put strength into my finger and pulled the trigger.

The dry sound of a gunshot echoed out. A trail of blood ran down from the man’s forehead as he breathed his last breath.

“Milord, what shall we do now?” (Shiki)
Really, what now…? The smartest thing to do now would be to leave without getting involved.

But I felt like that would be a waste.

I had just managed to get the Maiden’s Rebirth Order as a big customer. I had solved the problem with the jungle spreading, and I was planning to take my time making money off of them.

Although the religious order’s numbers had decreased by a lot, they still had a large reserve of jewelry and other valuables, and they were even collecting valuables through their own activities to make deals with me.

Just like that, I had lost a large force working towards my goals. Would it really be for the best for me to just stay silent and walk away from here?

This time, it had cost me a lot of money to fight Galafegorn and relocate Belzedor. Therefore, I didn’t want to lose any of my big customers if possible.

“…Shiki, can I entrust you with a task?” (Torimoto)
“Anything you wish, milord.” (Shiki)
Oshikura Ryoji… I will not tolerate you interfering with my business.