Shuya left Daichi tied up and hanging all night, going back to his word and not giving him any clothes. Shuya did not order Suzuno and Tetsu to release Daichi until the next morning.
Suzuno threw a tattered cloth over Daichi's body, disgusted. "Get up and use this as a cover for your body. Hurry, your task is not finished yet."
Daichi's thin hands gripped the cloth tightly. He took a long time just to get up from the floor.
"What exactly did I do wrong to you, Sonoda? Why did you do this to me...?" Daichi asked, his voice trembling.
"Rather than torturing me like this, it's better if you just kill me." Daichi coughed as he forced himself to speak, while his throat was dry and sore.
Suzuno had no sympathy for the frail man in front of her. Daichi's sluggishness irritated her.
"Tetsu, just drag him and quickly take him to the car. We must hurry. An important event for Shuya-sama is about to begin." Suzuno rushed out the door.
Tetsu, of course, followed the young woman's instructions. He wrapped Daichi in a cloth and placed his hips on his shoulders. Tetsu treated Daichi like a sack of rice.
Daichi was also out of energy to fight. Because of the torture and harassment by Tetsu and the others, every part of his body ached.
Daichi is taken somewhere unknown.
——
Shuya was dressed in his favorite white suit. He couldn't help but smile when he looked in the mirror. He was clearly in a good mood because he was about to become Chairman of Kiryu.
Shuhei, on the other hand, left his condo without any preparation. His expression remained expressionless toward Kiryu's principal base.
——
Upon arriving at the gate, Shuhei was greeted by the leaders of the other groups, who had gathered to welcome him.
"Welcome, Master."
"May you live a long and prosperous life."
"Perhaps the Chairman will have more success."
Those people bowed in reverence to Shuhei while lavishing him with praise. But none of that mattered to Shuhei. His gaze was only on one person, Shuya, who was also in line.
"I hope you honor the deal," Shuhei said quietly as he passed in front of Shuya.
"Don't worry, I can always be trusted," Shuya responded with a fox smile on his lips.
Shuhei despised seeing Shuya's cheerful face, but he couldn't help it. He made his way into Kiryu's headquarters' main hall.
The meeting has officially begun. They discuss developments in each group's territory or potential problems to find a solution.
The meeting lasted about two hours. Shuhei stated after the meeting;
"I have an important announcement for you." Shuhei gave Shuya a sharp look before continuing, "I want to resign from the position of chairman, and I will hand this position over to Shuya Yoshimoto, my older brother."
The audience fell silent and looked at each other. Eventually, one of the leaders of the groups got up from his seat.
"Do you think the position of Chairman of Kiryu can be taken and given away at will? Do you consider the Kiryu Group to be your family's legacy?"
Shuhei just stared at him, saying nothing. He was also unconcerned about the other leaders who stood up.
The leader of the group smiled sarcastically. "I know that. The previous Chairman Kiryu truly believed that the position of Chairman belonged to the Yoshimoto family; it's only fitting that he relinquished the Chairman's seat to his even more incompetent son!"
"I don't care. I resign now." Shuhei's voice was monotone.
Shuya cut in at this point. He pushed Shuhei out of the way and assumed a haughty demeanor in front of everyone.
"All right, gentlemen. As you are all aware, my younger brother is incompetent, and he is tired of handling all the responsibilities. So, please allow me to take his place as the new Chairman—"
"Do you believe you are more capable?" It was the distinct sound of someone else's voice.
Hearing those words made Shuya's ears itch. Which group leader had dared to question him? He wondered. But when he saw that it was Matsumoto who spoke, the man with the most power among the group leaders, Shuya became a little disheartened.
The elderly Matsumoto sat quietly in his chair. He even closed his eyes, as if he didn't mind offending others with his words.
Shuya chuckled, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. "What do you mean, Matsumoto-San? Aren't you supporting me?"
"Support you?" Matsumoto laughed out loud as if he were hearing funny words from a comedian. He looked at Shuya with sharp, scary eyes as soon as his laughter subsided, making Shuya flinch.
"How naive! Who supports you? If you are curious, I despise the entire Yoshimoto family, without exception," Matsumoto said. The elderly man removed an old medal from his black kimono sleeve and placed it on the table for all to see.
Everyone was stunned, including Shuya and Shuhei.
"Wait, Matsumoto-San, what does this mean?" Shuya inquired haltingly.
However, Matsumoto didn't answer but asked back. "You don't know, or pretend you don't know?"
"So, you were the mastermind behind the attack against the Yoshimoto family?" Shuhei's voice sounded more like a request for approval than an inquiry.
Matsumoto proudly nodded. "Exactly. And you just found out about it now? Hahaha. By the way, how old were you at the time? If I am not mistaken, you were ten years old at the time."
Shuhei didn't respond.
"Shuya played several tricks on you while you were fleeing. He separated you from the group, intending to have you captured by the pursuers and disappear forever, but you could return safely to be with the Yoshimoto family."
Shuhei reacted slightly to Matsumoto's revelations. When he got lost that day, he met Daichi, who took him out of a rainy alley and fed him.
Shuya was concerned by Shuhei's silence. Shuya assumed that everyone else had tissue-thin patience like him, and he panicked, fearful that Shuhei would retaliate against him for what he had done.
Shuya was the first to act, reaching into his pocket for a gun and pointing at Shuhei's head.
"You'll never get the chance to exact revenge on me! Let it go; after all, the main thing is that you are still alive! Keep acting that way and give me the chairmanship!"
Matsumoto smiled quietly at his wrinkled face. The other group leaders also calmed down, sitting back in their seats and watching the drama of the Yoshimoto family's sons.
Would they kill each other right here, right now? They were looking forward to it.
"Big brother." Shuhei's voice was still as flat as before. The call 'big brother' from his mouth, on the other hand, was extremely rare, and it stunned Shuya.
"I don't want to be Chairman, and I am not going to take revenge on you. But please return that person to me."