Shosuko wakes up in the morning, claps her hands together, and jumps out of bed. She does a little hop, skip, and jumps into the shower. The hot water's out again but she doesn't mind. She takes an extra long shower, soaping herself down twice to make sure she smells just right.
What to wear, what to wear? It's not like Shosuko's ever been the really girly type so her closet's filled with punk attire and her one proper yakuza outfit. Oh right. She's rich now. Silly her, how could she have possibly forgotten? She smacks her head with her palm.
She hops into the first taxi that stops for her and drives over to the boutique that Oka brought her to yesterday. She walks in wearing a tank top with jeans and walks out wearing a long-sleeved button up shirt worn beneath a pinafore style dress and short pleated skirt. And the cherry on top, a little baker boy's cap that fits snugly onto her head. It's a little plain but she thinks it hides her musculature rather well.
Shosuko arrives in front of the cafe they agreed to meet at two hours early. She fusses with her outfit repeatedly using her reflection in the shop's window, which has the side effect of slightly discomforting the people sitting next to the glass. Does her hair look okay? Is her outfit too plain? Does Yuuji think she's too crass? All kinds of thoughts run through her head at the speed of light.
She tries to distract herself by focusing on her surroundings, but she gets a little more than she bargains for. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots a lick of brown hair ducking into an alleyway. Yuuji. Their eyes meet, but there's no recognition in his eyes. She's about to call out to him but she sees something else, Daisuko and Oka– they're both following him closely behind. It's not rare for Oka to frown, but for Daisuko to have an expression this stern… something's wrong. The sky begins to cloud.
Creeping as quietly as she can, Shosuko posts herself just around the corner of the alleyway and listens closely.
"I can't do this anymore." Shosuko's never heard Yuuji sound like this. "I don't care how much you pay me, this is wrong."
"Don't forget your place, Yuuji." Daisuko's voice is harsh and sharp. "Who was it who helped your dad settle into Japan? Who was it who gave you a home?"
"We're only asking you a small favor." Compared to Daisuko, Oka is calm, collected, but also infinitely more cruel for it. "Besides, you'll be compensated handsomely."
"Didn't I just say that you can't pay me anything to keep doing this?!"
"I don't mean that kind of compensation." Oka places her hand on Yuuji's shoulder. "We already know about Usami."
"H-how do you?"
Oka presses her advantage. "And we know that you look at her the way Shosuko looks at you."
"What did you do to her?!" Yuuji grabs Oka by the collar. "If you touch her I'll– I'll–!"
"Woah woah woah." Daisuko steps between Oka and Yuuji. "We might be giving off the wrong impression here. You see, we're not hurting anyone. Matter of fact, it's the opposite."
"Wha–?"
"All you have to do is play along, and no one gets hurt. Capiche?" Daisuko folds her arms behind her head. "We had to pull some strings to
"…"
Daisuko wraps her arm around Yuuji's shoulders. "We're on the same side here. I don't care who you're banging on the side so long as you keep up the act and just be Shosuko's arm candy. You got that?"
"But…" Yuuji starts. "But what about Shosuko's feelings?"
Since when were her feelings part of the equation? Enough. Just… enough. Shosuko walks away. Her head feels unbearably heavy, so she lets it hang. Her hat slips off of her head and falls to the ground. She doesn't pick it up. A drop of rain drips onto Shosuko's nape. Whatever. Let it rain. It's easier to hide her tears that way.
———————————————————————————————————————
"Sorry for the mess…" Shosuko, dripping wet, stains the carpet in the office a deeper shade of red.
"Come in." Kiara's sitting at her desk, at the far end of her office, next to the window. "Have a seat."
Shosuko is silent as she sits down. She rests her elbows on her knees and cradles her head in her hands.
"You're troubled."
"Yeah, no shit." Shosuko shakes her head. "Sorry… That was out of line."
"You don't have to watch your tongue when you're around me." Kiara smiles as she takes a sip of her tea. "What happened?"
"A lot of bullshit." Shosuko reclines into her chair and rests her arm on Kiara's desk. "Well, there's this boy I like…"
"A yakuza in love?" Kiara smiles to herself, clearly amused.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, nothing. It's just that I was the same way with your uncle, once upon a time. Anywho…" Kiara stands from her seat, walks over to a nearby cupboard, and begins brewing some tea. "Please, continue."
"For a while… I thought a miracle happened." Shosuko has to stop to keep herself from breaking out into sobs. Even at her lowest, she still has to at least protect her pride. "But it was all just a sham Oka and Daisuko made up. His heart belongs to another girl."
"I see." Kiara sets down two cups before pouring tea into them from an ornate black teapot. The fragrance of rice mixes with the wisps of steam rising from the tea's surface. "I'm sorry. I'll be sure to scold them both. I understand that their intentions were good, but that doesn't excuse their actions."
"It's just… it's just so frustrating." Shosuko clenches her fists. "It's not fair! Why… why do I always end up alone?"
"But you're not alone." Kiara places a gentle hand on Shosuko's arm. "You're a part of the family now. Me, Oka, Daisuko, and everyone else in the clan, we all support one another. Both in the mountains and the valleys that life brings. If no one else, you will always have us."
"What do you know about me?" Shosuko spits out the words like they're poison. "You think you can just break into my life after years of abandonment and pretend like we're one big happy family?"
"We never abandoned you. Not even for a moment. We were always there, always just out of sight."
"So then why? Why didn't you ever show yourselves to me?"
"To protect you." Kiara shows the smallest hint of desperation in her voice. "The yakuza is no place for children. I… I learned that the hard way with my own daughters. "
Shosuko suddenly feels herself defanged. "What happened?"
"They lost their father, I lost my husband. Both Oka and Daisuko lost friends and family through all the conflict." Kiara's demeanor darkens. "Daisuko grew up too quickly. And Oka… never grew up at all."
"I see… I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be. It's all in the past now." Kiara shakes her head before sipping her tea. "Please forgive my girls. They're more immature than they seem."
Shosuko nods as she swallows her anger. "I'll try my best."
Kiara smiles. "Of course, if that's not enough, you have my blessing to beat a little sense into them."
"I might take you up on that offer." Shosuko somehow manages to smile.
"How are you feeling now?" Kiara asks.
"Better." Shosuko nods. "Thank you, auntie. For everything."
"Anytime." Kiara sighs as she puts down her tea. "Anywho, I didn't call you here just to pry into your personal life. We have business to discuss."
"Right, right." Shosuko sits up straight.
"As I've heard, you were the one who made peace with the Umi Alliance. I must ask, why? You could have done nothing, go with Oka's plan, and crushed them on the spot "
"I just didn't want to see anyone else die."
"A woman with principles. I can respect that." Kiara nods. "But it's also important for you to understand that the integration of the Umi Alliance into the Kuze Clan has brought its own bout of issues. First and foremost, our girls don't trust them. And they don't trust us."
"But I thought I made peace with Yuki."
"You and Yuki may trust each other. But you have to understand that you're telling girls to make friends with the same people who were trying to kill them just a day prior."
"I see… I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Shosuko bows her head. "Do you have a solution in mind?"
"It's simple enough. I'm placing you in charge of the former Umi Alliance."
"How does that work?"
"You're one of the Kuze Clan's top brass now. Normally, that means you inherit a contingent of Kuze Clan gangsters to command. But in this case, I think simply placing you in charge of the former Umi Alliance should be just fine."
「Shosuko Kuze」- Kuze Clan Lieutenant.
"Hmm… that also solves the problem of integrating the former Umi Alliance with the Kuze Clan. By keeping interference to a minimum, we ensure a smooth transition on their part."
"Good to see we think alike." Kiara reclines in her seat.
"Right…"
"Hm?" Kiara looks Shosuko in the eye. "You still seem doubtful."
"No, it's a good plan and I'm eager to take on a bigger role, but I'm still hung up on some personal stuff."
"Closure is hard to earn." Kiara cups Shosuko's chin in her hand and lifts her eyes to hers. "Go do what you must, my child."
"Thank you… auntie." Shosuko gently places her hand under Kiara's.