Hasegawa wasted no time and got straight to business. He laid out Ryunosuke's situation in full, leaving nothing out.
At the same time, he handed the 400,000 yen Ryunosuke had given him directly to Gintoki, without keeping a single yen for himself.
"I'll personally deliver the letter to the girl. You're responsible for keeping her safe from any trouble. Four hundred thousand yen as your commission. Do we have a deal?"
Gintoki snatched the money and started counting the bills. "Deal, absolutely a deal! My household is nearly starving. If I pass on this job, we might literally be eating dirt."
He stuffed the money into his pocket, sealing the agreement. Hasegawa let out a quiet breath of relief.
(Even if Gin-san looks like a complete mess most of the time, when it actually matters, he comes through. I don't need to worry about that girl Mahiru anymore.)
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Elsewhere. Ryunosuke's father had called in the debt collectors, and they had successfully cornered Ryunosuke.
Ryunosuke looked almost unsurprised. After all, it wasn't the first time.
His father grinned at the lead collector. "Take a look at my son here. Smooth skin, good build. What's he worth toward clearing my debt?"
The gang's leader, Kirishima, looked at the man with undisguised contempt. For a parent to sink this low was truly something else.
He didn't even bother looking at him directly, just spoke in a flat voice.
"Take him back to work off the debt. How much he can actually pay off? That's none of your concern anymore. For the next three years, I won't come after you for anything."
What that meant was: the debt itself wouldn't shrink by a single yen, but collection would be suspended for three years.
Ryunosuke's father managed an awkward but polite smile. He had hoped to wipe out tens of millions in debt, which was clearly wishful thinking, but three years of breathing room was enough to make him happy.
"Fine! Then take the kid." He agreed without a flicker of hesitation.
Kirishima gave a silent signal with his eyes. Five or six large men immediately closed in around Ryunosuke.
Ryunosuke wasn't ready to be taken. Mahiru was still waiting for him at home. He swung the school bag he had prepared earlier, which was packed full of gravel, and brought it around with full force. It connected squarely with two men. He bolted.
This wasn't the time for a straight fight. There were far too many of them, at least several dozen. He needed to draw them into a narrow alley and pick them off one by one. The two men he had caught with the bag were already covered in blood and unconscious; packed gravel was no joke.
Kirishima glanced at Ryunosuke's father with a look that said clearly: "You're not off the hook. Don't even think about running."
Ryunosuke's father, deeply uncomfortable, had no choice but to give chase along with the rest.
They chased him into an alley. Ryunosuke's figure vanished for a moment. They pushed in after him, searching.
He was directly above them. Both arms braced against the alley walls, holding himself up with considerable effort.
The alley was roughly 1.2 meters wide, just enough for two people to pass through at once. A perfect chokepoint. He let go, dropped down, and knocked one man out with a single strike.
His body was in far better shape now, thanks to Mahiru's cooking, so he didn't have to worry about rationing his strength. He let himself go all out. His strength, several times that of an ordinary adult, let him work through them without needing any sophisticated technique.
Before long, over a dozen men were on the ground. Ryunosuke stood breathing hard, eyes fixed warily on the boss, Kirishima.
Kirishima's expression was almost admiring. "Your son is decent. He can fight."
Ryunosuke's father wiped the sweat from his forehead, assuming he was being blamed for something, and kept his mouth shut.
Kirishima glanced at him once and said nothing. He had already decided: he was bringing this boy back as one of his fighters. But first, he had to put him down.
Kirishima cracked his knuckles, making his intentions clear enough.
After fighting off more than a dozen men, Ryunosuke's body was wearing down fast, and Kirishima's strikes started pushing him back.
Then a brick connected with the back of Ryunosuke's head. The blow dropped him instantly. The brick shattered on impact. Blood poured from his head as he hit the ground and went still.
His own father had done it. The man set down what was left of the brick and began kicking his unconscious son.
Kirishima's eyes went very cold. He despised nothing more than someone interfering with his business. He grabbed Ryunosuke's father by the collar, his face thunderous.
"You! Are you looking to die? How dare you cut into our duel?!" He pressed his face close, radiating pure menace.
Ryunosuke's father nearly lost control of his bladder. He waved his hands frantically. "I, I was just trying to help a little."
"Get him out of my sight." Kirishima shoved him away and turned to his men. "Send this one to Africa to plant potatoes. He doesn't come back until he's planted fifty tons."
It was a death sentence in all but name. The task was impossible. Kirishima simply wanted the man gone from the world.
Worthless scum like this, especially the kind who wouldn't even spare their own child, were the type Kirishima hated most. Even the underworld had its own code. Ryunosuke's father had crossed a line that even a crime boss found unacceptable.
Without delay, several of his men dragged Ryunosuke's father toward a van and shipped him off to the airport. No matter how desperately the man pleaded, Kirishima didn't hear a word of it. He lit a cigarette and turned his gaze to the unconscious boy lying on the ground.
One of his men approached. "Boss, what do we do with the kid? Leave him here?"
Kirishima stubbed out his cigarette, dropped it, and ground it underfoot to make sure it was out. Even men of the underworld had to be disciplined. Without it, you didn't survive long on these streets.
He looked down at Ryunosuke. "Take him to the hospital. We wait until he wakes up."
His men moved immediately.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Meanwhile. Mahiru came home to an empty apartment. She turned to go back out and look for him, and opened the door to find Hasegawa standing right there.
"Hey, Mahiru-san. Where are you headed?"
"How do you know my name?" Mahiru stepped back into the apartment, hand moving quietly to the fruit knife on the table and hiding it behind her back.
Hasegawa sighed and held out Ryunosuke's letter without any preamble. "This is from Akasaka. I don't know exactly what's happened, but it seems urgent."
She didn't lower her guard. Both hands wrapped around the fruit knife, she told the man to set the letter on the floor and leave.
Hasegawa placed it down and went. His job had been to deliver the letter, and he had done that. Whatever came next was beyond him.
When the strange old man was gone, Mahiru sank to the floor. She picked up the letter with trembling hands and began to read.
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