Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 106: Every Tortoise longs for its puddle (10)

Dragon Raja 3

“What I’m trying to say is that although we’re different and didn’t get along before, maybe there’s still something we have in common. For example, I didn’t have a childhood either, though for different reasons,” Chu Zihang said.

“So, you want to work together, at least for this mission?” Caesar raised an eyebrow.

Chu Zihang nodded slightly. “If you don’t mind.”

Caesar was silent for a while. “It’s impossible for us to be friends.”

“But we can be partners,” he stared into Chu Zihang’s eyes, “at least until this team disbands.”

Chu Zihang didn’t speak, but extended his hand. They clasped hands, their eyes meeting, each exerting just the right amount of strength—enough to show sincerity, without causing pain. If Cassell College’s female students had seen this scene, they might have swooned and said, “I believe in love again!”

At the counter, Noda Shou was apologizing to Makoto Asou, speaking earnestly, though mixed with some strong and confident language, which made it sound more like a confession. Makoto blushed and mumbled something about her father being overseas, and needing to ask him first, adding that her grandmother was old and might be scared of the yakuza, so Noda didn’t need to trouble himself to visit. Everyone in the store was eavesdropping—Caesar fiddling with the Abel model, Lu Mingfei and Chu Zihang flipping through manga, and Chisei drinking coffee. The ceiling fan slowly turned, and the sound of rain was clearly audible outside.

“Is this Japanese yakuza-style romance?” Caesar said in a low voice.

“More like Japanese manga-style romance. See a girl, and then do everything you can to get her attention,” Chisei said. “In the yakuza, many of these uneducated young people learn how to pursue girls from manga.”

“Did you ever chase a girl like that?” Caesar asked.

“I got rejected.”

“You look good. How did you get rejected?”

“She said I looked too much like a woman, and she preferred someone more masculine.”

Caesar and Chisei both laughed quietly. Caesar gestured that it was time to go, then slipped some bills under the coffee cup and took the Abel model. To avoid disturbing Makoto and Noda, Sakura removed the bronze bell from the door and placed it on the umbrella stand. For a kunoichi, this was a trivial task.

Caesar walked in the rain with a cigar in his mouth, the others following behind, each carrying a black umbrella.

“I think I’m starting to feel old,” the 21-year-old student council president said, exhaling smoke. “Watching young people work so hard for love.”

“It’s natural for a man about to get married to have such thoughts,” Chisei said.

Lu Mingfei and Chu Zihang remained silent.

Turning a street corner, they saw several hundred people standing silently in the heavy rain, divided into two groups, each holding steel pipes or bats. It was like two armies facing off, ready to charge forward at a command, swinging their weapons indiscriminately. In the middle of the street was a Japanese sword, Chisei’s Kumogiri. It stood there unmovable, forcefully halting the fight between the Katō Group and the Numa Crow Society. Chisei walked to the middle of the street, pulled the Kumogiri out of the ground, and sheathed it. The hundreds of men from the Katō Group and Numa Crow Society all bowed simultaneously.

“Let’s go,” Chisei said calmly.

Lu Mingfei cautiously kept close to Chisei. “Will they really fight?”

“They will. It’s unavoidable. These two gangs rely on logistics to make a living, but the territory for logistics is limited—someone’s bound to go hungry. When necessary, they resolve problems with violence. Although the stakes might seem insignificant to people like you, who live high above it all, it’s not a small matter for them—it’s worth fighting for. Violence is something that can’t be eradicated from the yakuza. Compared to that, everyone would rather see stories like Asou Makoto and Noda Shou’s. But if Noda keeps mixing with the Noda Group, maybe one day he’ll also be leading people into the streets with a knife. I once asked Masamune, ‘Doesn’t the main family have another way to manage the yakuza? Maybe there’s a more efficient method.’ But Masamune said he’s already very old, and maintaining the organization is hard enough—he doesn’t have the strength to reform it. If I truly want to reform it, I should try to inherit this family.”

“So this tortoise can’t crawl back to its own pond and wallow yet?” Caesar said.

“Yeah,” Chisei said softly. “What the family truly expects is probably something like a dragon—majestic and powerful. But I’m just a tortoise. Asking a tortoise to bear a dragon’s responsibility—it’s really exhausting.”

A deafening roar erupted, countless feet pounding the street until it shook. The conflict between the Katō Group and the Numa Crow Society, which had been restrained for over an hour, finally broke out. Sirens blared from the distance.

Caesar held out an aluminum cigar tube to Chisei. “Thanks.”

“Why thank me?” Chisei was a bit surprised.

“For the hospitality. The food was good, the shopping went well, the post-dinner entertainment was interesting. It’s been a long time since I had the chance to relax like this, to do nothing. And I even got Abel. I saw the Japanese yakuza up close—it was a pretty good day… Honestly, before today, I thought you were just as annoying as Chu Zihang.”

“Hey, boss, don’t start swinging the verbal bat at people just after saying a few nice words! And you’re also hitting another person while you’re at it!” Lu Mingfei muttered to himself.

“That annoying?” Chisei wasn’t angry.

“I don’t like those who keep a cold expression, thinking they’re above it all. But now, it turns out you’re an exception,” Caesar said, patting Chisei on the shoulder. “You can hold your liquor, you’ve got a pretty assistant, you have good taste in cars, and you have a sense of responsibility. Men like us, we bear the weight of mountains on our shoulders but still speak lightly. Carrying responsibility is a man’s duty.”

“Boss, you’re starting to use ‘strongman language’ too! Don’t get infected by yakuza culture so quickly!” Lu Mingfei thought.

“I think we can call ourselves friends from now on. After the mission, I’ll invite you for drinks and to my wedding,” Caesar said.

“Suddenly, I can be considered a distinguished guest of the Gattuso family,” Chisei said calmly.

“More than just a distinguished guest. A man’s friendship is as solid as diamond, Gen-san!” Caesar said.
Chisei felt a slight stir in his heart—so, this was how to win the friendship of these crazy people. Their friendship seemed really cheap.

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