Chapter 52: The Stage is Set, Wu the Dwarf Shows His Mighty Prowess!

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Chapter 52: The Stage Is Set, and Demon Takeshi Shows His Might!

Iwata Takeshi carefully drew out the film from the small cylinders on the editing machine.

Infernal Affairs had wrapped, and Takeshi immediately began work on the post-production editing.

This time, he was handling it himself.

Facing such an old-fashioned machine gave the process a powerful sense of ceremony.

Editing a film was, in essence, a matter of working with two reels.

At the beginning of a reel, there was a long stretch containing no footage at all. Eventually, a mark would appear:

an X inside a frame.

The marks on the two reels had to be aligned with absolute precision. Only then could the work begin.

The operation itself was not especially difficult. There were mainly three buttons, after which the various pieces of footage had to be assembled.

Takeshi operated the machine while the old man Shimazu watched from the side, occasionally lending a hand.

After editing for a while, they took a break.

“Young master, that fellow Fukasaku Kinji…”

“You mean he came with bad intentions?”

“It was probably that bastard Suoh stirring things up.”

“Hmm. But he isn’t one of Suoh’s people, is he?”

“Of course not. Though he could be considered an associate of the Yamamoto-gumi, he isn’t one of Suoh’s underlings. He should belong to the Goyu-kai.”

“He isn’t a yakuza himself, though.”

“That’s right. He isn’t. But Goto Koji is.”

“Then… perhaps this fellow simply wants to display the dignity of his seniority in front of me.”

“Young master, actually…”

It was obvious that Shimazu had much more to say. Takeshi nodded.

“Although the young master has been very successful so far, in terms of actual strength, we are still weak. Besides, while everyone currently respects Yamamoto Hiroshi as the group leader, things within the organization are far from stable. Yamamoto Hiroshi cannot even announce his choice for second-in-command. In short, young master, you must be especially careful.”

“Understood.”

Shimazu was not wrong. The situation really was turbulent and unsettled.

Takeshi had read some material concerning the Yamaguchi-gumi. In the original timeline, the internal struggle within the organization—known as the Yama-Ichi Conflict—continued until 1989.

It ended with Yamamoto Hiroshi dissolving the Ichiwa-kai.

At present, Yamamoto Hiroshi had won. Yet although his strength was formidable, he still could not completely bring the enormous Yamamoto-gumi under control.

Still, the man had shown a certain cleverness. He had changed the group’s name to his own surname first.

The reason Shimazu had brought all this up was that he hoped Takeshi would also strengthen the group’s forces. Otherwise, if someone came knocking one day, they might not be able to withstand the attack.

Takeshi, however, was thinking more about that woman Takenaka Kazuko.

Compared with Suoh and Moriyama, Takeshi felt that Takenaka Kazuko would be much harder to deal with.

Previously, the woman had even suggested that he, Iwata Takeshi, could be recommended for the position of second-in-command.

It was truly inconceivable.

What kind of strength did he and the Iwata-gumi possess?

How could he possibly become second-in-command?

And yet Kazuko had not sounded as though she were joking.

At the time, Takeshi could only stall her with a vague response. But now that he thought about it…

Could it be that his handsome appearance as Demon Takeshi had struck precisely at Takenaka Kazuko’s flirtatious heart?

Handsome.

The display on the editing machine was switched off at the moment. Its black screen could serve as a mirror. The reflection was not very clear, but—

After taking two glances, Takeshi stopped looking.

Shimazu’s suggestion that he strengthen the Iwata-gumi’s forces amounted, in plain terms, to buying guns.

But Takeshi truly did not want to do that.

Fortunately, he had his own solution.

Put simply, the greater his fame, the safer he would be.

Violent organizations rarely dared use violence against celebrities.

Besides, even in the original timeline, although the Yamaguchi-gumi’s peace faction led by Yamamoto Hiroshi had ultimately failed, the organization still underwent reform.

They became polite yakuza.

Had people from the old days heard such a phrase, it would have left them bewildered for at least a week.

In short, they began washing themselves clean. They could never become entirely legitimate, and there were certainly still plenty of illegal businesses, but their arrogance was no longer as blatant as it had once been.

Now that Yamamoto Hiroshi had risen to power, the organization’s violent character would gradually fade.

So he had to seize the time and become an even greater director.

Even more famous!

Takeshi nodded to Shimazu, and the two resumed editing the film.

…

Tokyo in early December seemed incapable of warming up, no matter what.

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Wearing thick socks, little Shinobu paced back and forth through the house. She was waiting for someone.

“I’m home.”

Nakayama Miho had finished a day’s work and was utterly exhausted.

Her parents hurried over with concern, busily attending to her.

But Shinobu was waiting for her opportunity. At last, her sister settled into the sofa and picked up a magazine.

“Sis.”

“What do you want now?”

“Please let me go with you to see Infernal Affairs.”

“No way!”

“How can you be so mean?”

“No way! No way!”

“That’s too cruel! Just take me with you, good sister~”

“No, no, no!”

Absolutely heartless!

No matter how much her little sister pestered her, Miho, as the elder sister, had only one answer: no.

She even immersed herself completely in the magazine, ignoring Shinobu altogether.

That left Shinobu frantic.

Of course, this was not the first time Shinobu had begged her sister, only to receive such a response.

This time, Shinobu was prepared to go all out. Her expression changed, and she adopted the posture of someone entering negotiations.

“If you don’t take me with you, I’ll tell everyone that you like that upperclassman.”

“What? You…”

The magazine fell from Miho’s hands.

In truth, Miho was only eighteen this year. That was right—she had really been born in 1970.

Yet the two dramas that had brought her enormous attention had been these:

Last year, in My Mom Is an Idol, she had played the mother of three children. They were not her own children, of course, and the idol in question was none other than Miho herself, Nakayama Miho. Even so, she had played the role without the slightest sense of incongruity.

This year, in Young Wife’s Magic Is Boundless, she had successfully portrayed a wife—a mature, sophisticated woman whose character had become the subject of intense discussion.

At present, every commercial Miho accepted was for household-cleaning products. It was either mops or dishcloths.

So when it came to looking mature beyond her years, even Iwata Takeshi had to step aside.

More importantly, Miho had become beautiful beyond her years.

But she was truly only eighteen. How could anyone else be allowed to meddle in the secret feelings of a young girl?

“How could you possibly know?”

“Does he wear glasses? He looks all right when he isn’t smiling, but when he does smile, his teeth are a complete mess.”

“Ah, that… No way! No, no, no…”

It was the same refusal, but it felt completely different from before.

…

At the Takarazuka Building, Shimatani had not yet gone home.

“Teacher, thank you so much!”

“It’s nothing. I would like to see this Director Iwata’s work as well.”

“I promise it won’t disappoint you.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it too.”

“Only…”

“Haha… I understand. Fukasaku Kinji, right? He always has something of an overbearing air about him.”

“Then I’ll leave it in your hands.”

Shimatani hung up the phone, delight appearing on his face.

A renowned director like Fukasaku Kinji had effectively issued a challenge this time.

Not only to Iwata Takeshi, but to Toho as well.

Naturally, although Toho and Shochiku were constantly competing, they also cooperated in many areas.

Fuji Television was the result of cooperation between the two companies. Interestingly, Fuji Television produced films of its own as well.

The famous Antarctica Story had been a tremendous success.

But this time, Toho absolutely could not afford to lose when it came to the lineup.

Shimatani had invited a major celebrity to join the judging panel. In other words—

The stage has been set for you, Iwata Takeshi. Don’t disappoint me.

…

Early one morning.

Another small car appeared outside the Iwata-gumi headquarters, and this time there were more people inside.

“You’re not going.”

“No! In terms of fighting ability, I, Kiyoshi, am extremely strong!”

“Give it a rest. At most, you won’t run away before the fight begins.”

“What did you say?!”

Cat, Fish, and Kiyoshi—Matsushige Yutaka, Endo Kenichi, and Kagawa Teruyuki—had all come.

It was another mission to deliver “Hope.” The print sealed inside the large metal case weighed on everyone’s hearts.

After what had happened last time, they were even more cautious.

But it seemed the little car could not hold so many people.

What were they supposed to do?

While they were arguing, Iwata Takeshi appeared carrying the metal case.

“You lot don’t need to be so nervous.”

Once the boss had spoken, everyone quieted down.

“There shouldn’t be any trouble this time, right?”

“Sounds like Suoh and the others were scared off after the last time.”

“Talk less.”

They could not afford to relax their security preparations…

Just then, a luxurious sedan arrived, followed by a black van.

What was going on?

The Iwata-gumi instantly went on high alert. Cat, Fish, and Kiyoshi all entered combat readiness, while Matsushige Yutaka and the others stared blankly. Although they had come along, they possessed no real fighting strength.

Iwata Takeshi knitted his brows, thinking to himself:

Do we really have to fight every time we deliver a film print?

His suspicion was soon confirmed.

Several burly men climbed out of the van. They were all dressed in black suits, and both their appearance and bearing identified them unmistakably as yakuza.

They were carrying weapons as well.

“Boss!”

“Hold steady!”

Iwata Takeshi shoved the metal case into Kagawa’s arms. Kagawa felt as though he were reliving yesterday’s events.

The yakuza were already approaching, cursing under their breath. Takeshi’s name could be heard among their insults.

What else was there to say?

Cat, Fish, and Kiyoshi quickly formed up beside Iwata Takeshi, and the two groups collided head-on.

The man at the front came forward in great strides, a short blade in his hand.

Iwata Takeshi raised his fists, his right fist concealed behind his left. He swayed his upper body once, then—

“Ah!”

The knife-wielder had intended to block the incoming punch and counter with a slash. He never imagined that a sharp pain would suddenly explode between his legs.

He could not see when the kick had been launched. Before he knew it, he was lying on the ground, groaning.

The next man carried a baseball bat. He proceeded cautiously, holding it before his chest and fixing both eyes on his opponent.

Then, unexpectedly, he heard a strange cry.

“A-ta!”

What was he doing? The shout was strange enough, but why was his body positioned in such an odd, bizarre way?

“Ahhh!”

Not until the agonizing pain of shattered testicles reached him did the man with the baseball bat fall to the ground. Even then, he could not understand why his opponent had made that strange cry or adopted that peculiar posture.

The third man behind him was already stunned. He had never encountered an opponent like this.

Just as the rumors claimed—a man like a demon!

Fortunately, he wore a set of brass knuckles. Now prepared, he bent both legs inward to protect his vital region.

But suddenly, he saw the shadow of a foot flicker. He hurriedly raised both hands to shield himself below, never imagining that—

Bang!

A burst of pain erupted across his nose.

Wasn’t he kicking?

As he crashed to the ground, another heavy blow landed between his legs.

So he really had kicked after all.

Matsushige Yutaka and the others were utterly dumbfounded.

As expected of their boss. His fighting ability was first-rate!

But at that moment, the door of the luxurious sedan opened.

A middle-aged man stepped out, wearing a perfectly pressed suit and large-framed glasses.

“Excellent technique.”

Iwata Takeshi and Cat, Fish, and Kiyoshi all froze.

The man standing before them was none other than Yamamoto Hiroshi.

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End of Chapter.