Dragon Raja 3; Chapter 407: Road of Demons (6)

Dragon Raja 3

That pampered girl bossed everyone around. The foster father even treated Chisei as the girl’s servant, ordering him to buy various things she wanted, accompany her to and from school, and carry her school bag. Chisei frowned and said, “I can work, but I’m not anyone’s servant.” The foster father sneered, “Oh, of course you’re not a servant; you’re the son of the yakuza emperor! But you’re eating food from someone else’s family! Everyone under this roof is eating food provided by the girl’s family! If you’re so capable, have your yakuza daddy rise from the grave and pay your upkeep!”

That very night, Chisei moved out of the house. He slept on mats in the school gymnasium, with only a military blanket to cover himself. Every night, he sat on the pommel horse, gazing out the window at the vast mountains under the night sky. Occasionally, he would think of the times when Tachibana was still around.

Chime wanted to move into the gymnasium to live with him, but Chisei coldly refused his brother. Chime was such an obedient child and could at least get a warm bed at the foster father’s house. Chisei couldn’t bear to let him suffer alongside him.

The day before the graduation ceremony, Chisei returned home and packed his belongings under the supervision of the foster father. They had agreed that from tomorrow onwards, Chisei would officially leave that home.

“What a man you are! Becoming independent tomorrow, Master Chisei!” the foster father mocked loudly at his back.

Chisei ironed his uniform. Although it was destined to be a graduation ceremony without any applause, he still wanted to go on stage and receive his diploma from the principal. His grades were unmatched; from academics to sports, he was undeniably the top student in the school. Even if no one applauded him, he was still number one. Before dawn, he put on his uniform in the gymnasium, like a samurai from the Sengoku era donning armor before heading to the battlefield.

He was the first among all the graduates to go on stage and receive his diploma from the principal. He stubbornly lifted his head and looked at the parents below the stage. He wanted to tell them with his gaze that a yakuza’s child could defeat their children—not with violence, but with achievement.

Sure enough, the hall was silent; no one applauded.

“Chisei, don’t waste time; many other students are waiting to receive their diplomas,” the principal whispered to Chisei. At this moment, a teacher hurried onto the stage and handed over a note.

After reading it, the principal’s expression changed. In a slightly trembling voice, he said, “As the parent of this year’s outstanding graduate, let’s welcome Mr. Tachibana with applause.”

A dozen black Mercedes drove into the academy, neatly parking in front of the auditorium. Men in black suits entered the venue, surrounding a middle-aged man wearing a dark blue kimono.

The yakuza members stood against the back wall in the last row. Tachibana slowly stepped onto the stage, politely bowing to the principal and then to the parents below.

“My name is Tachibana. I don’t dare to call myself Chisei-sama’s guardian; I’m merely his family member. I’m honored to attend his graduation ceremony, representing his late father to express gratitude to this school and to donate a school bus to the academy. Thank you all.” After speaking, Tachibana turned to Chisei. “Chisei-sama, is this decision acceptable?”

“It’s acceptable,” Chisei said. Their conversation was still as straightforward as ever, never dragging on—each sentence was like a nail driven into wood.

As Chisei walked down from the podium, yakuza members lined up on both sides to greet him, bowing uniformly as if welcoming a prince. Tachibana followed behind him. The hall was dead silent; Chisei did not look back or around.

“Please bear with staying in the town a bit longer. The situation in Tokyo is still unstable; returning now might not be safe,” Tachibana said on the way home.

Just like before, the two of them walked along the small paths beside the terraced fields. Those Mercedes cars and yakuza members remained at the school’s entrance.

“Didn’t you already go abroad?” Chisei asked.

“After talking with you, I thought for a long time and realized that some things can’t be avoided just by wanting to. Chisei-sama, you don’t like cowardly men, do you? I could see it in your eyes,” Tachibana said. “Now, I am one of the most powerful people in the yakuza, the head of the Tachibana family among the Eight Families of Sheqi.”

“Suddenly promoted from middle management to a big shot?”

“I couldn’t make up my mind before, always thinking of escaping far away. Once I made up my mind, it became easy. Those who stood in my way were made to step aside one by one, and then I became the head of the Tachibana family.” Tachibana smiled.

“Still want to adopt me?”

“You’ve grown up; you don’t need to be adopted anymore, right? Let’s do some men’s work together, since we can’t shake off the identity of yakuza children.”

“Putting on such a grand display at my graduation ceremony—is that to intimidate me?”

“Not at all. Actually, there was a conflict last night. I purged the opposition and then drove here overnight, so I brought a few more people than usual. In other words, I only truly secured my position as the Tachibana family head last night,” Tachibana said. “I didn’t intentionally choose this time. In fact, I came a bit late, but the one who should come will always come. I think I am the person who should appear in your life, Chisei, so I came.”

“Alright.”

Along the way, Chisei didn’t speak to Tachibana again. The two appreciated the mountain scenery and breathed the fresh air. Tachibana handed him a can of cola, while he himself still drank mountain spring water. When they arrived home, the foster father was sending off that princess-like girl; her pink bedroom had already been redecorated in a boyish style. That night, Tachibana still drank with the foster father, except the foster father was so nervous that he didn’t dare raise his glass. Chisei ate a couple of bites and then left, not speaking to Tachibana during the meal. Everything that needed to be said had already been said. Tachibana had proposed doing men’s work together, Chisei had agreed, and they both knew what that agreement meant.

Conversations between men should be this simple—definitive and straightforward.

Ten years later, they both stood at the pinnacle of Japan’s underworld. They could have enjoyed power and glory, but ultimately, the family’s fate caught up with them, along with that evil spirit that escaped from Siberia.

Perhaps if he had accepted Tachibana’s adoption proposal many years ago, they would still be living peacefully in a small foreign city. Tachibana might have opened a small Japanese pub, or perhaps a Russian-style one. After work, he would come to the foster father’s house, have a drink together, and chat about recent events.

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