Kanashi had managed to talk the talk but now it was time for him to walk the walk as one would say. He’d told Mitou he had a plan to make Raizen abdicate his title of clan head to Sosuke and while he wasn’t exactly lying he wasn’t being fully transparent either.

  In truth his plan to talk to Raizen was just as simple and stupid as it sounded. However he wasn’t going to charge in blind, he already prepared a mass of phrases and questions to lead the conversation to the path he desired. The only hard part for that was choosing the correct phrase for each fork in the conversation. Unlike a video game where he could do a soft reset every time he made the wrong choice he only had one shot here. Maybe two if he got lucky and managed to salvage the conversation. But that was it, he had to convince Raizen through dialogue to hand Sosuke the title of clan head. At times like this he wished had the power to return by death. If he had an ability like that he could just abuse it until he got a [good ending]. If he had a power like that, so many of his issues could be solved so easily. It was the ability he wanted to have the most, however he technically hadn’t yet tested if he had the ability or not. That’s not a power you realize you have until you end up using it, but of course if he did die and didn’t have to return by death he wouldn't come back.

  Pushing that train of thought aside, Kanashi turned his attention to the voice in the back of his mind which screamed for him to just kill Raizen and let it be over with. While that was the overall easiest option it also wasn't something Kanashi was willing to do for multiple reasons. The most important being he didn’t want to kill someone for the sake of convenience. That in his mind would only open a dark path which he could fall down again and again. To the point where taking someone's life would end up the default option for any situation that arose, the easiest way to clear the path. That’s not who he wanted to be and that wasn't the road he wanted to go down so refused that option and opted for another.

  A conversation, a one on one talk between the two men about the current state of Edoland and the pros and cons of the situation they were in. Maybe Raizen would prove more compatible with the Hojo in the end and join both of them with no need for him to surrender the title of clan head. Kanashi was after all only going off the Hojos biased second hand view of Raizen. Though that was technically not the agreement he’d made with the Hojo it should have proved that the Soutou weren’t a threat and the fear of being outnumbered would crumble when the Sosaki followed suit. That should have been good enough for the Hojo right?

  Well worrying about those possibilities was useless at the moment because Kanashi had yet to do anything other than wake and do his morning routine. Putting on his shoes and walking out the door he was greeted by the hotel's empty hallways. He crept out into the hallway and was cautious as to make no noise. Since he’d managed to fall asleep somewhat early the night before he’d woken up around the same time the sun rose. Now he had a full day's worth of time to complete his mission. The first step to the mission was the easiest, convincing Kenji to come with him as back up. Not just for the threat of being spotted by the Toumeikan but also the possibility of Raizen trying to kill him. Kenji would act as his bodyguard and general companion. This was the first because it was also the easiest. And though he’d only met Kenji two days they’d quickly fallen into eachothers rhythm and got along rather well all things considered. As such, if Kanashi asked for his help there’s no reason for Kenji to reject him.

  Making his way down the hotel to Kenji's room he passed by only a few people, mostly those who had pulled all-nighters and were drunkenly trying to creep to their bed.

  Ignoring them Kanashi successfully reached Kenji's door which he knocked against softly.

  “...’

  After a moment of wait the door opened and Kenji stood there with his blood shot eyes looking down at Kanashi.

  “...” Kanashi, seeing the bloodied bandages wrapped around the swordsman, felt guilt creep up into his heart. He’d forgotten just how severe the injuries he’d suffered were and didn’t account Kenji's current state into his own plans.

  “I’m in.” Kenji said suddenly

  “Huh!?” Kanashi asked, whipping his head up to look at Kenji who grinned mischievously.

  “I said I’m in, I don’t know what you’re planning but I’m sick of sitting around in here.” Kenji replied, cracking his neck and rotating his joints. “I’m good enough to fight again, at least as long as they’re not too strong.”

  “N-no fighting! We’re just going on a trip to have a meeting.” Kanashi argued.

  Kenji frowned at this but looking back into this room which consisted of only a toilet and bed he sighed and nodded his head.

  “Perfect!” Kanashi muttered with a fist pump. “I’ll tell you what the plan is along the way to our next stop.”

  “And what’s that?” Kenji asked.

  “Escaping here.”

  “Escaping?”

  “Well, not really escaping as much as avoiding suspicion, I’m sure if Akatora knew our plans he would object so we need to clear bases with him. Of course not completely but letting him know we’ll be out so he doesn’t think anything bad happened to us.” Kanashi explained as they began to walk.

  I also need to find out where exactly the Soutou clan estate is…

  ? ? ? ? ? ?

  “We’re gonna go for a walk.” Kanashi said after opening the door to Akatoras office.

  “A walk?” Akatora asked, putting down his massive mug of literal boiling hot coffee.

  “Yeah, just around the area, Kenjis tired of sitting around and to be honest I wanted to touch base with a few things beforehand.”

  “Such as?” Akatora asked, raising his brow.

  “I want to see if I can contact the Venator Society in a safe and secure way. All of our phone calls and messages are being tracked and monitored, so is our movement so I need to find a new way to contact Nordon.” Kanashi explained.

  “...” Hearing this Akatora seemed to consider it whilst rubbing his chin. “While you raise a good point I’m not sure if it will be safe to go poking around.” He said.

  In response Kanashi pointed to Kenji who flexed his bandaged arm, the result being the bandages leaking blood onto the floor which Kanashi yelped at.

  “I’m not speaking about a direct attack, but the fact you’re relying on him to protect you at all is pretty sad.” Akatora sighed.

  Kanashi fornwed at the hurtful yet true assessment and Kenji seemed to not care either way. Sitting back in his chair Akatora pondered his options before finally coming to a conclusion.

  “Alright, I’ll let you out on one condition.”

  “That being?” Kanashi asked.

  “You contact me every hour through your phone, a simple text will be fine.”

  “Oh, okay, I got it.” Kanashi sighed in relief expecting the worst.

  “But don’t get carried away out there, Kanashi, and Kenji please try to keep yourself in top shape. We need you the most.” Akatora sighed.

  Once again Kanashi felt as if Akatora was attacking him personally by the blatant lack of respect he showed to him yet gave to Kenji. “I feel like now that I’ve served my purpose I’m being thrown out…” Kanashi muttered with a frown. “Ah actually before we leave, do you know where the Soutou clans estate is? I want to try and avoid any contact with them if possible.”

  “They’re at the place where the Shibuchu, Kamine and Ouji wards connect.” Akatora answered, waving him off and returning to the stack of paperwork on his desk.

  “Got it, thank you!” Kanashi yelled out with a light bow as both he and Kenji left the room, closing the door quietly.

  “...”

  “...”

  “...”

  “Wait the Soutou?” Akatora asked, cocking his head up from the paperwork a few minutes after the pair had left his office.

  ? ? ? ? ? ?

  Quickly leaving Akatoras office Kenji and Kanahsi walked back up the stairs into the back hall of the Casino where the general workers were. These were normal people hired to do things like run machines, stands and referee for wagers so there was no need to hide from them.

  Though they did give strange glances at Kanashi and Kenji who not only looked weird but also went into the forbidden basement hidden behind a closet door.

  Putting those glances aside, the real parts of the Casino they had to avoid was the main game area, where the actual Yakuza were.

  According to Akatora, under him he had roughly 2,500 men which could be considered his. The Toumeikan, while boasting 300,000 members internationally, didn't have much of a quality check. As such a vast majority of those members were considered “grunts” or “下人: Geto” meaning low ranking. These members are considered disposable and have no real power to their name. Mostly being street punks and the like who can’t even use magic nor know of it. After Geto there are the actual ranks of the true Toumeikan, those who know how to use magic at least to some extent. The ranks are as follows: Kasu < Tanzaku < Tane < Hikari < Joshin < Hachibuto < Sanjougou < Kobe. However it’s important to note that rank doesn’t always equal power, Ugoki while only being ranked Hikari was nearly on par with Hachibuto.

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  Those ranked Kasu to Joshin are placed under a Hachibuto and given general duties. The Sanjoujou three district lords also have their own army of Yakuza directly under them numbering about 5000 each. The District Lords were each Hachibuto in the past who were promoted to a higher rank by their achievement and abilities. They were the middle men between the Hachibuto and Kobe. Akatora himself had only spoken to Kobe enough times to count on a single hand and had only actually seen him in person once when he was given the title of Hachibuto.

  Basically all of this is to say that in total there were roughly 30,000 members of the Toumeikan in Edoland currently which were dangerous. The other 90% is filler for numbers. Though those 30,000 members were worth more than a million people due to their ability to use magic.

  Thankfully everyone which Kanashi and Kenji saw in the casino were a part of the “Geto” rank meaning they weren't worth shit. But their presence alone was enough to cause Kanashis skin to crawl. As such he chose it best to avoid them because there was also the reality that the Geto had no real loyalty to a Hachibuto or Sanjougou or anyone other than themselves. They were all loose cannons who followed vague orders. Of course if they acted out of line they'd be dealt with swiftly but if they saw Kanashi or Kenji they might just try to fight them or run away and tell a ranked member of what they saw. Which would lead to the worst case scenario. Their cover would be blown, though their cover was very thin as is.

  This was probably due to Akatoras consideration, he let them free roam due to both not being able to stop Kenji and also out of good will.

  To be honest a slight guilt did fill Kanashis stomach that he was going to take Akatoras trust and spit on it, throw it on the ground and grind it into the dirt. But in the end it would work out better for everyone. Though that thinking was what got him into this situation in the first place. Maybe he hadn't learned his lesson at all.

  But as a wise man once said it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission right? Well Kanashi didn’t really believe in such a saying but at this moment he chose to believe in it because that was the only thing to make him feel good about his current plans.

  “We should change out your bandages before we head out.” Kanshi said, turning to Kenji who frowned but didn’t voice his refusal.

  Returning back to Kenji's hotel room Kanashi quickly found the bundle of bandages that had been left for this exact purpose. Using medical scissors he carefully cut away at Kenji's blood soaked ones which were surprisingly difficult to cut through.

  “!?”

  However once Kanashi successfully peeled away those bandages he was hit with regret, disgust and guilt. Kenji's arm was to say the least in a horrific state. The skin was a dark blue and brown with bulging purple veins which wiggled along the skin's surface like worms in mud. Massive gashes filled with gauze were spread liberally across his forearm and bicep along with the clear visual of exposed muscle fibers. Just looking at it made Kanashi want to spew vomit but he kept his spirit strong and quickly helped Kenji clean and re-bandage the wounds. Pulling the blood soaked gauze from the gashes Kanashi put new chunks of gauze into them gently and applied the appropriate medication. Once done with the first arm he once again gently wrapped the bandages around it. Something he’d gotten good at due to his own black arm, one which he’d rather not be seen due to how foul it was in appearance. But Kenjis looked far worse so he could feel some kind of sick comfort in that.

  Moving on to the next arm Kanashi repeated the process quickly, the legs which were thankfully only destroyed halfway up the thigh were next. Strangely, Kanashi didn’t at all feel grossed out or strange about the act of helping Kenji itself. Of course the injuries were gross and Kenji helped him with the parts he couldn’t bring himself to do but overall it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle.

  We’ve only known each other for two days and we get along this well… maybe we’re just a good pair? We have the same color of aura afterall. Except his orange is lighter than mine. Kanashi thought with a sigh upon standing up and wiping his hands with a clean wet cloth. Maybe I’d be a good doctor or nurse? Well no, I can’t wipe someone's ass that’s for sure so maybe not.

  “Thank you…” Kenji muttered out to Kanashi as he stood up, his face slightly tinged with red.

  “No problem, It’s the least I can do since I brought you here in the first place.” Kanashi laughed dryly.

  ? ? ? ? ? ?

  “So we’re going to the Soutou clan estate to get rid of Raizen then?” Asked Kenji.

  “Don’t put it like that! You’re making it sound like we’re gonna kill him!” Kanashi argued as they left through the Casinos front door. “I simply want to talk to him. That's all.”

  “Talk to him…” Kenji frowned, scratching the back of his head.

  “Yeah, and stop flexing, I just changed your bandages!”

  “Sorry sorry.” Kenji sighed, throwing his hands up. The two of them already stook out like sore thumbs and Kenji leaving a trail of fresh blood everywhere he went didn’t help either.

  Honestly this was a horrible plan from the outside looking in but from the inside looking out Kanashi knew he could make it work. At least he hoped he did.

  “According to this map I grabbed from the Casinos pamphlet it looks like we’re in the middle of Shibuchu ward.”

  “How far away is the place we need to go?”

  “If we walk probably four hours being conservative, 2 being liberal.” Kanashi answered with a frown doing the math in his head. Rushing would do no good but the longer they were out the higher the chance of something going wrong there was.

  “I thought you were gonna forget about the Hojo clan, why’d ya change your mind?” Kenji asked.

  “Well, I had an idea, and I think that getting the Soutou Clan to our side isn’t a bad idea either. At least this way I can make up for the mess I’ve caused beforehand.” Kanashi said with downcast eyes. Once again I’m doing what wasn’t asked of me but… I can’t help it this time. I’m just cleaning up the mess I made. He rationalized his plan once more like he’d done so many times in the past hour, the irony not being lost.

  “What if he doesn’t do what you want him to do, then what?” Kenji asked.

  “... then I’ll need your help.” Kanashi sighed. “But not for anything violent! And let’s hope it doesn’t get that far.”

  “If you say so.” Kenji whistled, rolling his eyes.

  As the two walked down the street they had to bear witness to the absolute destruction levied upon the city from the day prior. Buildings were toppled and roads were completely shut off, some having massive gaping holes growing in their center exposing the sewers below. The sirens of Ambulances and fire trucks rang out like the closing chorus of a natural calamity.

  Some people were still being dug out from under rubble with pained cries, others were corpses who their family members wept upon seeing. Howls of loss, anger, rage, sadness and so on. That was a noise all too painfully familiar to Kanashi, a noise he’d made himself just recently all things considered. A cry like the weeping of your soul over a loss so great it left a scar.

  Clenching his fist he took a deep breath as he continued to walk down the streets. The remnants of the destruction did not stop no matter how many streets they walked and corners they took. The Tsunami and Earthquake damage to the country and its people continued.

  It felt like someone had planted a curved knife into Kanashis chest and carved his heart out as he was forced to see this tragedy everywhere he looked. The pain in his heart is far too real to just be emotional. His stomach churned and blood boiled, the open gash on his side began to burn. That hot searing pain which made his knees nearly crumble beneath him. People died, homes were ruined, families were severed, memories lost and lives ruined. All those negative emotions, all that aura burning with hatred and despair emitted mana which congealed together into one massive ball, a ball of depression which reseted of the Country of Edoland, no not just Edoland but the entire world. The entire world surely had similar chaos erupt across it as well.

  The realization only made Kanashi feel even more sick and his heart hurt more, the pain progressing from his heart to his stomach then to his legs and arms, from his arms to his neck and finally to his head and brain. The worst pain however was still the burning in his side, the unhealing wound where he’d been sliced open by the blade of Satoshi. But even that pain and feeling of sickness quickly transformed into rage and hatred. Hatred for the one who’d caused this.

  Unlike Azhar's destruction which was supposed to have been caused by a natural disaster an act of nature, this calamity here in Edoland and across the rest of the world was caused by the actions of one person, someone who could pay for the suffering they’ve caused.

  All of this suffering was caused by the actions of Randolph Sisyphus Freyr, a name which Kanashi could only loosely assign a face to. He’d surely seen a picture or two of him on the internet at some point but it wasn’t something he could recall expressly well. All he could remember was that he was above average height, dressed in all black and pale, very pale and gaunt. It wasn’t just h9s appearance that Kanashi knew little about either, he’d only heard bits and pieces about the Vulracious Emperor by the Venator Society. Like how he was the one who held the Philosopher's stone which was needed to defeat the horseman of the end. Or how he was a member of the Holy race like El-Saber who’s lived over 250 years. How he’s the 2nd strongest being on the planet inferior only to Jin yet still capable of destroying the world if he so wished. That it was Randolph who’d ordered the slaughter of the Phoneicia clan and whispered temptations into the ear of Bjorn, telling him to kill Julius’s family. How he’d been the one to send Titan to Albur where Julius and Kanashi had fought him, where Julius could have been killed.

  All of that was already enough for Kanashi to be both wary of and stand against Randolph. But he didn’t hate him yet, he hated what he’d done and how he’d hurt Julius but that was Julius grudge to bear, Julius had that clear to Kanashi. So until then he’d really not had much of a reason to truly hate Randolph himself, but now he did. Seeing the destruction, the death, the suffering and loss Randolph had caused he felt that darkness within him known as hatred grew within his heart, sowing its seeds into his soul.

  Maybe it wasn’t a noble reason like trying to save the world like the Venator Society had, maybe it wasn’t a grudge for being personally wronged like Julius had. But if felt just as visceral to him as it did the others in that moment, he could take all of those negative emotions, all of that rage, hatred and despair inside of him caused by the loss of Azhar and tie it to Randolph. Someone tangible who he could seek to take revenge on and pray for the downfall of.

  In the mind of Kanashi at that moment that was who Randolph had become, he might as well have been the devil himself.

  “Kanashi, are you okay?” Kenji asked, shaking Kanashi by the shoulder roughly.

  “W-what yeah why?” Kanashi hummed, snapping back to reality and nodding his head at Kenji.

  “Because you just looked like you wanted to kill someone.”

  “...” Kenji's words struck Kanashi over the head like a sledgehammer, his heart jumping out of his chest. If anyone knew what that emotion looked like It’d be Kenji who wore it liberally in battle. Kanashi tried to recall a time where he’d wanted to kill someone before but he couldn’t find a single time. Sure there’d been moments of anger where the thought had crossed his mind but never did he actually pray upon their downfall or feel as though he was going to strangle their neck with his own two hands. To take their life without a second thought.

  “I’m fine really.” Kanahi said with a weak smile. He felt disgust at his own thoughts and behavior being to grow in his heart alongside his newfound hatred of Randolph. The two fed on each other slowly until only one was left even bigger than before. “I was just thinking about who did this, that’s all.” Kanashi sighed with a shrug.

  “...” Kenji, seemingly not understanding nor wanting to push the point, looked back towards the fork in the road which they were quickly approaching “Which way?” He asked.

  “Hmmm.” Kanashi hummed, opening up the map he’d tucked into his pocket and tracing their path with his finger. “They both lead to the same place so it’s just personal preference.” He said, looking at Kenji.

  “Then we’ll take the left.” Kenji said adamantly.

  “Any reason?” Kanashi asked, tilting his head.

  “The right has a nasty vibe to it.” He answered with a scowl as he stared at the right path.

  “...Okay well good enough for me.” Kanashi laughed awkwardly, if it was a nasty enough vibe for Kenji to be put off by and not want to challenge it then something seriously bad must have been that way. So Kanashi was more than happy to begin walking down the left path, a safe path which they would cross through with no harm coming to them.

  If they had taken the right path then it surely would have led to their quick and brutal demise.