Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 323: Ghost of Black Swan Bay (8)

Dragon Raja 3

“Every tourist spot has brochures, and she took all the ones for Tokyo’s attractions. Then she threw out places like Asakusa Temple, the Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine—any place with taste—and kept all the brochures for shopping streets, amusement parks… and even some of Kabukicho’s, uh, adult flyers. In short, she likes flashy, colorful places, not those classy, tasteful ones.”

“Isn’t that exactly what a runaway girl should do? Experience the boredom and indulgence of adult society! A runaway girl visiting Asakusa Temple to get a fortune reading has zero personality.” Caesar seemed to admire Erii’s choice.

“Indulging in adult society? So you want me to take her to a strip club? Night tours of the red-light district? Boss, if you say the word, I’m game!” Lu Mingfei felt more confident, given his contributions to the mission, and spoke with more boldness to Caesar.

“Strip clubs and the red-light district are for the three of us. If you’re with a girl, take her to a fancy restaurant, my friend—champagne, wine, truffle risotto, caviar, and whispered conversations by candlelight. That’s the kind of atmosphere you need. Remember that reservation I made for you at Aspasia?”

“What? There’s a branch in Tokyo too?”

“There’s an even classier one, Chateau Joel Robuchon, near Ebisu. It’s housed in a Western-style building from 1936. Tomorrow, the head chef from the original French restaurant, Joel Robuchon himself, will be arriving in Japan and hosting there for a month. I’ve booked a table for you and the Uesugi Clan head.” Caesar tossed a small card to Lu Mingfei. “Saturday dinner, chef’s special menu. Formal attire required.”

“Are you kidding me?” Lu Mingfei stopped chewing, utterly dumbfounded. “I’m not seriously trying to court the Yakuza princess! Do I really need to take her to such an intimate place? I think the strip club and red-light district would be perfect! Both the princess and I would love it!”

“Caesar and I have discussed this,” Chu Zihang placed his hands on Lu Mingfei’s shoulders. “We want you to establish a more… friendly bilateral relationship with the Uesugi Clan head.”

“Bilateral relationship, my foot! Using diplomatic jargon doesn’t hide your sleazy intentions! You want me to win her over? What’s in it for you if I do?”

“We need to find a way to get her out of Japan,” Caesar said. “We can’t return her to the Yamata no Orochi. Whether she’s an Oni or not, she’s the strongest Hybrid we’ve encountered so far. She’s an extremely rare research subject and a potential threat. If she loses control, it’ll be a crisis on a sub-dragon level. The College taking custody of her is the best option. But to do that, we need to get past the Yamata no Orochi and get her personal consent. If she’s unwilling, no one can take her. That’s why… we need to improve the bilateral relationship.”

“Come on! I can’t do it!”

“We don’t need her to fall in love with you, just to increase the trust between you two, to develop some kind of… vague emotional connection,” Caesar tried to sound as dignified as possible.

“So basically, flirt with her, right?”

“Alright, alright! She’s an adult now, right? If she likes you and is willing to go to the U.S. with you, it wouldn’t count as us trafficking a minor, would it?” Caesar finally gave up on diplomatic phrasing. “We’re not forcing you two to get married, so what’s there to worry about? Your job is just to get her to lower her guard and board the plane to the U.S. with you. Once the plane lands, you’re free. If she were interested in me, I would’ve taken care of this myself. After all, our Gattuso family’s ‘Sicilian Stallion’ reputation isn’t just for show!”

“Aren’t you worried that once you’re back at the College, your fiancée will chop you up and feed you to Finger?”

“Someone has to make sacrifices for the greater good.”

“It looks like after the Vice Principal, you’re showing signs of becoming a useless senior yourself, Boss…”

“Enough, that’s how it is. I’m the team leader, so I make the decisions! Meeting adjourned!” Caesar snapped his fingers. “Chu Zihang, give him the stuff.”

Chu Zihang handed Lu Mingfei a plastic bag from the bedside table. “Cold milk, canned orange juice, and a salmon rice ball. Go back quickly, don’t let her get suspicious. There are also a few sets of women’s underwear, some socks, facial cleanser, and sanitary pads. I don’t really understand the brands in Japanese drugstores, so I just grabbed whatever. If she doesn’t like it, let me know.”

“If my life were a novel, I think ever since we arrived in Japan, the publisher must’ve switched authors…” Lu Mingfei’s face twitched.

“Use the skills you learned from your special training at Aspasia, and on Saturday night, have a romantic candlelit dinner with the Uesugi Clan head at Chateau Joel Robuchon. Suggest that she take a long vacation in the U.S. with you.” Caesar patted Lu Mingfei on the shoulder as he saw him off. “You’ve got this! She’s an innocent girl with no romantic experience, and you’ve got plenty of cash, plus Chu Zihang and me backing you up. You’re sure to shine in her eyes! Believe in yourself—show her your most dazzling side…”

As Lu Mingfei’s footsteps disappeared down the hallway, the scheming look on Caesar’s face faded. He returned to the window, picked up his half-finished beer, and downed it.

“You’re planning to get Lu Mingfei and the Uesugi Clan head out of Japan first?” Chu Zihang asked, drinking his beer as he stared at the endless downpour outside.

“We need to consider both the best and worst-case scenarios. Right now, we have no leads on the gods, and our only ally is a neurotic Kabukicho enthusiast who also happens to be a genius host. If everything Ruri says is true, and we resolve the crisis in Japan as planned, we’ll spend a few weeks having fun here before heading back to the College to report. But if things go wrong, at best, you and I might not make it out of Japan alive; at worst, Tokyo will be destroyed,” Caesar said slowly. “In that situation, Lu Mingfei being in Tokyo won’t help us at all. As for that girl, I don’t know what she is, but Tachibana raised her for all those years and kept her out of the public eye. There must be a hidden reason. If Ruri is right and Tachibana and Osho are both trying to resurrect a god, Uesugi Erii is likely an indispensable piece in Tachibana’s plan. Getting her out of Japan might disrupt his plans.”

“You want to get Lu Mingfei and the Uesugi Clan head out of the storm’s center, while we stay behind to resolve this?”

“Yes. In a team, someone has to do different things. The entire group can’t be wiped out in Japan.” Caesar, too, gazed out the window.

“How are you planning to get them out?”

“We can’t go to the airport. We don’t have passports, and neither does the Uesugi Clan head. But human smuggling ships don’t require passports. As long as you give them enough money, they’ll take you to the coast of Fujian.” Caesar pulled out a business card and handed it to Chu Zihang.

“The captain is actually a human smuggler. For 700,000 yen, he’ll smuggle one person out of Japan. I made a deal with him to rent an entire shipping container to get Uesugi Erii and Lu Mingfei out. It cost me 3 million yen, and the money’s already been paid.”

“How did you find this smuggler?” Chu Zihang asked in surprise.

“Someone at the club came to Japan through human smuggling. She doesn’t have legal status, just a pretty face, which is why she works at the host club.” Caesar shrugged. “Chatting with them long enough, and you pick up useful information.”

“If we have an entire shipping container, we could leave Japan with them.”

“Whether it’s Osho, Tachibana, or anyone else, someone’s made mistakes, and they have to pay the price. I’m not leaving Japan until that happens.” Caesar blew out a cloud of blue cigar smoke. “Otherwise, I’d consider it an escape, not a withdrawal. It would be a stain I’d carry for the rest of my life. Besides, aren’t you known at the College as the madman? You should be thrilled to stay in Japan and fight alongside me—at least, that’s what I thought.”

“You’re not wrong, Leader,” Chu Zihang said after a long silence. The two clinked their beer cans together and drank the last of the beer.

The world outside was a deep blue, with torrential rain pouring down.