Outbound

Bring The Past

Ms. Fujiwara pauses for a brief moment, her face betraying a hint of hesitation. She seems to be contemplating whether she's ready to open up to them. But seeing the encouraging looks on Hayakawa and Naoya's faces, she eventually decides to respond. "I...," she begins, her voice barely above a whisper. "I come from a family that's involved in the underworld. I'm not ignorant to the dangers and realities of this business." 

"I had no idea," Naoya says, his voice filled with a mixture of surprise and admiration. "That explains a lot, though. You've been coping really well, dealing with all this. You're tougher than you let on." Jun, who had remained largely quiet until now, speaks, his voice filled with a touch of curiosity. "So you come from an underworld family, huh? That's pretty badass, not gonna lie. No wonder you're not scared shitless like most civilians are." Ms. Fujiwara chuckles softly at Jun's comment, her expression lightening a bit. "Well, it's not my proudest family heritage," she admits with a wry smile. "But yes, you could say I've been exposed to the underbelly of society more than the average person. It's not a glamorous or pleasant life, but the world is full of various realities, isn't it?"

 "Come to think of it, you don't have a last name even in the office worker list. Is that why?" Naoya asks. Ms. Fujiwara pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath before responding. "Yes. My family has tried very hard to maintain a low profile and avoid any sort of attention. That's why my last name was never listed anywhere. Using a false name or no last name at all was just a way to protect our identities and our family's reputation in the underworld." "And who is your family supposed to be?" Hayakawa asks. Ms. Fujiwara hesitates for a moment, her face betraying a flicker of unease. She glances at Naoya and finally speaks, her voice quiet but firm. "My family...we're affiliated with the Suzuki Family. My father, in particular, is the right-hand man to Don Suzuki, the patriarch of the clan." "Suzuki Family has been quiet for the past few years as I know. Probably still only doing the drug business?" Hayakawa says.

Ms. Fujiwara nods. "Yes, that's correct. They've been lying low, particularly after a major bust and some arrests. The focus has mainly been on the drug business, trying to stay under the radar while maintaining their operations." "And how did they let you work for an office job rather than helping the family?" Jun asks. Ms. Fujiwara lets out a soft sigh. "It wasn't without struggle, I can tell you that. My father initially wanted me to join the family business and take a more active role. But I was...rebellious, I suppose. I wanted to explore my own path, find a different life. After a lot of arguing and compromise, they finally allowed me to live on my own and take on a civilian job. It's just another way to keep the Suzuki family name out of the spotlight, I suppose."

"In short words your father doesn't accept you as his daughter anymore." Naoya bluntly says with a knowing look. Ms. Fujiwara's face darkens slightly at Naoya's blunt comment, a flicker of hurt passing through her eyes. But she quickly regains her composure, nodding slightly. "That's...one way to put it. We don't have a good relationship anymore, my father and I. It's complicated. He wants me to be someone I'm not, someone who can inherit his position and lead the family business someday. But that's not me." Not wanting to keep this subject going on, Hayakawa looks at Jun. "How about you? What were you affiliated with before joining Naoya?

Jun chuckles, a slightly sheepish expression on his face. "Well, I wasn't exactly a saint before all this, that's for sure. I had a stint in a local gang before meeting this guy," he grins, gesturing towards Naoya. "We had some...run-ins, shall we say. But then life took an interesting turn, and here we are, together again. Funny how things work out, isn't it?" Naoya raises an eyebrow, a smirk on his face. "Legendary, huh? You make me sound like some kind of folklore character. It's about time someone acknowledged my legendary status," he jokes, his tone lighthearted. "But yeah, that's when we first met. You tried to kill me and failed, miserably."

"I am not going to lie, what you said before knocking me the fuck out was pretty badass." "I said something before knocking you out?" Naoya asks. You said, "Allow me to demonstrate my dead self." I still think that was very cool. Naoya's eyes widen in surprise as the memory comes back to him. A small chuckle escapes his lips. "Ah, so I did say that. I remember now. I must've been feeling pretty cocky in that moment, huh?" He grins, a hint of smugness in his eyes. "But now that I think about it, I can't argue with my past self," Naoya continues, his voice filled with amusement. "It was a pretty killer line, if I do say so myself. And hey, it did the job, didn't it? It caught your attention, enough to make you remember it even now." Hayakawa speaks up. "That line was pretty badass actually. I would expect that from a movie." Naoya grins at Hayakawa's words, clearly enjoying the praise. "See? Even Hayakawa agrees that it was a badass line. I'm feeling pretty legendary now," he jokes, his ego boosted by their approval.

 Ms. Fujiwara sighs and speaks, "If you guys are done with joking around let's not forget we can get our heads popped any second. Are we getting your crew back together or what, Naoya?" Hayakawa nods, a small smile on his face. "Consider it done. I'll get in touch with each of them, one by one. Some may take more persuasion than others, but I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, you three should lay low. Keep your heads down and stay out of sight."