Tokyoites don't have martial virtue

"Um...it was my fault before, I wasn't very polite to Chuncheon-ge..." The woman rolled her eyes and quickly began to flatter him:

"I never expected Chunchuan to be so talented. I am completely convinced this time!"

"There's a reason why the manager values ​​Chunchuan so much." Another woman flattered with a smile, "Chunchuan is truly a dragon among men; even the thugs of Kamurocho were scared away by you!"

Faced with his colleagues' playful flattery, Kyushu Makoto humbly waved his hand and said:

“I can’t accept the title of ‘Dragon Among Men’. Just call me Xiaochun, please don’t be so formal.”

"Oh, not at all, Chuncheon-hyung is too modest..."

"I already told you, call me Xiaochun. From now on, let's all get along well, understand?"

"Okay, okay! Brother Xiaochun, please give me your guidance!"

As everyone was chatting, the shop door was pushed open.

Manager Saito stormed in, looking extremely agitated. Seeing the bar that looked like it had been ransacked by a husky, he immediately burst into a tirade: "What happened to my bar?!"

Several thugs immediately stepped forward, offering their explanations all at once. They mentioned Kyushu Makoto's achievements again, describing with great enthusiasm how he was so valiant and brave, defeating the thugs and leaving them utterly defeated and fleeing in disarray, leaving Manager Saito completely bewildered.

In Saito's memory, Kyushu Makoto was a poor and frail student. How could he have such power?

"So, someone hired someone to attack our store?" After listening to the police officers' explanation, Manager Saito leaned wearily against the bar counter and sighed, "Who did it?"

“It’s the Kazama Group.” At this moment, Makoto Kyushu interjected, “I asked one of the attackers, and he said that the Kazama Group hired them.”

Upon hearing this, Manager Saito clenched his fists tightly, and his breathing became rapid.

"The Kazama Group... Damn it, I knew it was them!" Manager Saito slammed his fist on the table and cursed angrily.

"Manager, do you know about the Kazama Group?" Kyushu Makoto couldn't help but ask, noticing the manager's strong reaction.

Manager Saito found a chair, poured himself a glass of sake, took a small sip, and then spoke:

"The Kazama Group is a yakuza group in Kamurocho, formerly a second-tier group under the Yamaryūkai."

At the end of the last century, the underworld in Wano Country was at its peak. They were tyrannical, lawless, and even colluded with officials and businessmen, so the police had to give them some face.

In Tokyo, everyone knows the name of the "Sanryukai".

The "Sanryu-kai" was once the largest yakuza organization in Tokyo, with more than one hundred subordinate groups at its peak. People in Tokyo's underworld considered it an honor to join the Sanryu-kai.

However, with the Wano Country government's "Anti-Organized Crime Law" and the large-scale purge against illegal forces in its early years, the Shanlong Society finally announced its disbandment three years ago, and its affiliated groups also fell apart and scattered.

With the decline of an era, organized crime has gradually become an aging, sunset industry. It is said that when organized crime groups are attacked, their first reaction is not to resist but to call the police for help.

After the tide turned against them, some groups continued to operate with difficulty, relying on their past achievements; some tried to transform and enter the legal industry; and some chose to disband and retire...

However, some groups, after losing the constraints of "underworld rules," simply transformed themselves into "gangster organizations" and began to engage in illegal activities with even greater fervor.

The Kazama group is probably the last type of case.

Of course, since they were a gang of thugs, they didn't dare to show themselves openly in the sunlight and could only do things sneakily like rats.

“It’s an unwritten rule in Kamurocho that shops are all protected by the yakuza. Our shop used to be protected by the Kinki-gumi, but they haven’t been doing well lately, and there are rumors that they’re going to disband,” said Manager Saito with a worried look.

"The Kazama Group originally made money by operating several brothels in Kamurocho, so they set their sights on our shop."

"So, the Kazama group is intimidating the store manager?" Kyushu Makoto stroked his chin, analyzing calmly.

“Sei is our shop’s top-earning host, and the attack was probably orchestrated by the Kazama Group.” Shop manager Saito took another sip of his drink. “They want me to cancel my contract with the Kinki Group and join the Kazama Group.”

"Can't we just talk this out properly?" Kyushu Makoto slammed his fist on the table in annoyance. "Why do you have to resort to such radical methods?"

"Of course the Kazama group came to the shop and talked to me, but they were asking for an exorbitant amount. To put it bluntly, they wanted me to give the shop to them. How could I possibly agree to that?" Manager Saito downed his drink in one gulp and began to curse.

"They're a bunch of unruly scoundrels, even more shameless than the underworld. The underworld used to engage in forced sales, but at least they'd consider saving face and offer a price that barely met market rates."

"Sigh..." Kyushu Makoto sighed, arms crossed, unsure how to comfort the shopkeeper.

"Speaking of which, Makoto," Manager Saito asked seriously, "you were the one who chased away those thugs?"

Kyushu Makoto nodded, not intending to deny it: "After all, the store manager has treated me well, so I stepped forward."

"Hmph, stop flattering me with your smooth talk. I'm not going to give you a raise." Manager Saito pinched Kyushu Makoto's arm, but only felt a skinny bamboo pole.

"Wow, you're so small, yet you managed to take down some thugs. I didn't realize you were so capable."

"Just lucky, I'm just a weak man." Kyushu Makoto scratched his head shyly, then asked:

"Manager, what are your plans for the future? Is there any way to stop the Kazama group from harassing our store anymore?"

"Anyway, Kamurocho is a concentration camp of rotten people, everyone's rotten together. You can't count on the police either, so do you expect this old man to dismantle the whole thing by himself?" Manager Saito gave a self-deprecating bitter laugh and gave the order:

"But I'll figure something out. You, as a lowly waiter, don't worry about it. And don't lay a hand on me again, lest you get retaliated against."

Kyushu Makoto could tell that Manager Saito wanted him to stay out of the yakuza disputes, so he nodded in agreement.

"In that case, I won't ask any more questions. But if the store manager encounters any problems in the future, feel free to consult me. Consider it my way of repaying the store manager in any way I can."

"When did you become so good at flattery? What do I have that you should repay me for?" Manager Saito's lips twitched, and he sighed and sneered, "Fine, say whatever you want."

Store Manager Saito seems to be an awkward person. But Makoto Kyushu could tell that the store manager's tone had softened considerably, indicating that he was actually somewhat touched.

Since the store was destroyed, today's business was canceled. The store manager gave everyone a small consolation payment and let them leave early.

After a busy day and a life-or-death battle, Kyushu Makoto felt utterly exhausted and wanted to have a big meal before going home to rest.

On his way home, he passed through a bustling street in Kamurocho. Just then, he heard a woman's voice calling to him:

"Over here~ Over here~"

17. The Tarot Cards of Destiny and the Fortune Teller

"Over here~ Over here~"

Kyushu Makoto looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young woman waving at him from a fortune-telling stall.

The woman appeared to be in her early twenties, with long hair styled in a side-swept fringe. Her pale face gave her a somewhat sickly appearance, yet her smile was elegant. She wore a long black dress with batwing sleeves adorned with delicate starlight patterns, and matte dark gloves. Her attire and demeanor exuded a profound mystery, like being lost in the deep sea, making one want to hold their breath.

"Young man, would you like to have your fortune told?" The young woman's voice was as gentle as water. She touched the crystal ball on the stall with one hand and played with a few tarot cards with the other.

"Is he a fortune teller?" Kyushu wondered sincerely.

In his previous life, he knew a fellow apprentice who was a fortune teller and had even learned some mind-reading techniques, so he was quite familiar with the tricks of the trade.

Out of politeness, Kyushu Makoto didn't ignore her and stepped forward to ask, "How much do you charge per session?"

Makoto Kyushu has always enjoyed trying new things. Since he received a decent paycheck today, he wouldn't mind giving it a try if the price wasn't too high, and seeing how fortune tellers in Wano Country swindle people.

"Six hundred yuan per session~" As if she had spotted a fat sheep, the female fortune teller stared intently at Kyushu Makoto, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"You're our first customer today, so I can make an exception and let you experience a fortune-telling package worth two thousand yuan!"

Hey... this is way too obvious, isn't it? What the hell is this fortune-telling package? Do you even have packages for fortune-telling?

Kyushu Makoto inwardly complained, but then asked, "What does this package include?"

"I can give you a fortune reading about your recent life and answer any questions you may have, as long as I can answer them," the female fortune teller explained eagerly.

"Give it a try, my divination is always very accurate!"

"Alright, let's give it a try then." Since the other party said so, Kyushu Makoto simply slapped a 500 yen coin and a 100 yen coin on the table.

Six hundred yen could buy a simple meal at a cheap restaurant, but it wasn't a very high price, so Makoto Kyushu was willing to go out with her for a bit.

However, he was always on guard. If the female fortune teller said he was in danger of bloodshed and tried to sell him things like "disaster prevention charms" or "life-saving gems," he would immediately get up and leave.

After Kyushu Makoto was seated, the female fortune teller took out a stack of tarot cards and began shuffling them with her ten fingers, which were covered in dark gloves. Her speed in cutting the cards varied, and her technique was incredibly nimble, indicating that she was a seasoned pro.

"By the way, what is the guest's name?" the female fortune teller asked casually as she cut the cards.

Kyushu Makoto smirked and jokingly retorted, "You're a fortune teller, can't you guess my name?"

The female fortune teller's eyes widened for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.

"You're really making things difficult for me, guest~" She slowly closed her eyes, seemingly lost in thought:

"Um... I'm sorry to have made you laugh, I'm not good at guessing people's names... Um... Jiu... JiuJo... Kyu... KuZhou?"

The female fortune teller mumbled a bunch of strange sounds, then finally shook her head and gave up: "I'm sorry, I can't guess. Please just tell me, sir."

Kyushu Makoto stopped teasing her and gave her his name and some basic personal information.

After all, those so-called "fortune telling and divination" largely rely on "hot reading techniques," which means using prior knowledge of the client's basic information to deceive them.

If we don't give her any information at all, it's equivalent to limiting all her room for maneuver.

“Kyushu Makoto…what a strange name. This is the first time I’ve heard of someone with the surname Kyushu. Is he from Kyushu Island?” The female fortune teller sighed softly, pausing her shuffling of the cards.

She picked out six cards from the top of the deck, arranged them in a circle on the table, and then drew another card and placed it in the center.

"Is this a tarot reading?" Makoto Kyushu asked curiously.

“Yes, this is the divination method I’m best at.” The female diviner nodded confidently and smiled. “Although I also know a little about Yin and Yang, I still prefer using Tarot cards.”

In his previous life, Kyushu Makoto didn't know much about Tarot cards, but he did know some basics. For example, there are twenty-two Major Arcana cards in Tarot, each with a unique interpretation of a person's destiny, and they are also divided into "upright" and "reversed" positions.

“The six Major Arcana cards around the perimeter of the spread represent the client’s recent fate,” the female diviner explained. “The Major Arcana card in the center of the spread represents the client’s current state, that is, your soul’s essence.”

Kyushu Makoto found it a bit complicated and didn't quite understand, so he simply ordered, "Let's begin."

The female fortune teller nodded gently and turned over the first card on the outer edge.

"This is 'The Fool.'" The female fortune teller revealed a card depicting a young boy carrying a bag walking alone.