Dangerous Lines | Yuzuru Hanyu

3. Meeting

The encounter with the mysterious man made her focus a bit wobbly but the ruthlessness that the business had taught her through the years was still very much present.

Yaeko was very sure that being in the business had a lot of this and truth be told, she had definitely gotten used to it through the years.

It didn't really mean that she enjoyed it but at the same time, she didn't really have much of a choice by now. At least when dealing with this, she didn't really have to watch horrific things on a daily.

Despite being a woman, there was no doubt that most of these men who dealt with her were still more than afraid of the consequences.

On times like these, when she felt the power that the name held, Yaeko almost felt guilty for somewhat enjoying those moments. It was the only time in her life that she felt respected, even if purely due to fear.

The director told her to sit respectfully and within seconds, excuses were being thrown out.

You see, more often than not, this was exactly how things went. They half expected her to accept it every time but Yaeko had been trained by one of the highest-ranking members of the Yakuza, aka, her husband. She had been told more often than not that she could be way too kind towards these men but in a way, maybe that was the true reason behind her assignment to this in the first place.

She could do things in a way that most people in the organization couldn't. The female touch could be valuable enough in most situations and she had plenty of proof for them to acknowledge that.

So now, as this idiot of a man threw his excuses, she knew very well what the endgame would be.

"Please save your excuses, director. Just make sure our payments come through and that the deal is fulfilled. You know how things work, we don't like delays and we certainly don't like excuses so do me a favor and stop wasting my time with useless conversation.

Just as those words left her, the man straightened up in his chair.

"I will... I will need some time to fulfill those obligations."

"One week. That's all we're willing to give."

As innocent as she looked, Yaeko had taught these men well for all of those years in business with them. They knew that once she turned serious, there was no reason to fight it. She saw the man nod quickly and agree with the terms. He straightened his hand for her to shake it.

"Pleasure doing business with you, as always."

"No reason to lie to me, but I still appreciate it."

The director seemed to be in deep thought before he finally spoke. For some kind of reason, she knew it was bad from the very first moment. It turned out that he just decided to ask something that had probably been in his mind for a while.

"How does a woman like you end up in the Yakuza?" he asked suddenly, making her eyes rise right away.

"What is that even supposed to mean?"

"You don't seem like the type of girl to end up in the middle of trouble."

He wasn't necessarily wrong, but she had long learned that she shouldn't talk about it to those out of her trustworthy circle.

"Well, none of that matters, does it? Whatever my reasons, they're mine to care about and I don't see how it's any of your concern."

The director raised his hands in defense right away and she knew he would drop the subject right away. Minutes later she was standing and getting ready to leave.

Like on most occasions and meetings she had, all this was about was sending the message and leaving right away. In no way did she see her job as anything more than being a warning. They either accepted that or there would be another visit. Except that this time it wasn't by the nice and attractive wife.

Knowing better than anyone what the reality really was, Yaeko wanted to avoid it as much as they did. No matter how long she had been in the business, the last thing she wanted was something bad to happen to anyone, no matter how surrounded by crime she constantly was.

Leaving that place had this bittersweet feeling. In a way she kind of wanted to delay her return home but at the same time, being there and listening to the curious remarks of a man on how wrong she was for following this path wasn't something she particularly enjoyed either.

It was none of his business.

So she said her polite goodbyes and walked out of the building with the same proud look that she entered with. No one could mess with her pride in being herself, no matter how much of her life was decided through others.

As she walked, Yaeko noted the presence of her bodyguards almost right away. They tried to be invisible but she had been surrounded by them for way too long. No matter how good they were, these Yakuza guys were anything but subtle.

They followed her around almost everywhere and if it wasn't for the obvious fact that she was a bit concerned with her safety as well, Yaeko would've probably attempt to leave them behind everytime. It certainly wouldn't be the first time...

But now she couldn't care less.

Yaeko took her sweet time to arrive home and more than anything else, she just wanted the freedom of walking around without a single person connecting her to the man she married. That was the big thing about being in Tokyo, most people were compeltely clueless until they saw the tattoos and well, she hid those very well. Yaeko never showed a glimpse of them in public, not because of embarassment but purely because from the moment people saw them, they thought they knew her, which wasn't exactly the truth.

The tattoos, even if mandatory when she started doing official negotiations for the Yakuza, were all chosen by herself and she had plenty of pride in the drawings and shapes that covered most of her body.

As fun as it was walking around and pretending to be an ordinary person, Yaeko had to eventually return to the family home and go back to being the obedient wife. All of the thoughts she might have had about a certain young man had to be wiped from her memory.

Because in no way was she supposed to be lusting after another man.

The real question was if she could resist it.