Free Web NovelYamamoto stood there with a blank face, his mouth hanging open.
Watching him, I raised one corner of my lips and said,
“Do you not understand what I’m saying?”
“W-wait a moment.”
Yamamoto grabbed the bottle of mineral water in front of him and gulped it down.
After emptying the entire bottle in one go, he spoke in disbelief.
“Are you saying we should kill Hiroyuki? A Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker... and not just that, the head of an entire faction?”
He had not questioned the idea of killing Takayama.
It was Hiroyuki’s death—and only that—that he asked about.
“Yes. Let’s kill them both.”
“Killing Takayama isn’t difficult. One or two yakuza dying isn’t exactly headline news anymore. But Hiroyuki is an entirely different matter. The current Chief Cabinet Secretary. More than that, the head of a faction that splits the Liberal Democratic Party in two. That isn’t something easy to do. No matter how much larger Prime Minister Koizumi’s faction may be, Hiroyuki’s power base cannot be ignored. If we lay a hand on him and something goes wrong, yakuza like us will be stripped bare. And if they decide to do it, it won’t even be that difficult.”
I knew very well what Yamamoto was worried about.
Koizumi had already crushed the yakuza who sided with the coup faction once before.
And now another politician dies at the hands of yakuza?
No matter how much Prime Minister Koizumi might privately rejoice, he could never cover for it publicly.
At the very least, he would be forced to order a thorough investigation into Hiroyuki’s death.
“I understand your position, Yamamoto. But he must die.”
When I spoke firmly, Yamamoto’s eyes darted uneasily.
“This is Takayama’s mistake. No—your mistake. And you must take responsibility for what you did to me. So? Can you do it?”
Yamamoto said nothing. He simply stared into my eyes.
Perhaps he saw the sincerity within them. After a long, deep sigh, he asked,
“Is there a reason it absolutely must come to that?”
“Of course. I didn’t like what Hiroyuki did to me.”
“...I’ve heard the circumstances. But isn’t that something a devout believer might reasonably request?”
Yes. If Hiroyuki had truly been a fanatic acting out of blind loyalty, I wouldn’t have gone as far as killing him.
But he had dared to try to use me to swallow up the Japanese branch of Heaven’s Church.
Even thinking about it again irritated me. The image of his glittering eyes made my expression harden naturally.
With a stiff face, I shook my head.
“As you said, if he had truly been a fervent believer loyal to the Supreme Pastor, I wouldn’t have considered killing him. But that was only a pretext. They already knew I would never grant that request. In the end, this entire scheme was a filthy trick to separate the Japanese branch from the Korean headquarters and operate it independently.”
“What do you mean?”
I summarized what Black Bear had uncovered.
The more Yamamoto listened, the paler his face became.
“So what you’re saying, President Kim Muhyuk, is that demanding the release of the founder was only a pretext. Their real goal is to split the Japanese branch of Heaven’s Church from Korea and run it independently?”
He summarizes well.
I smirked slightly, lifting one corner of my mouth. ƒгeewёbnovel.com
Though I was smiling, Yamamoto must have seen the killing intent in my eyes, because he flinched.
“That’s right. It’s infuriating. To dare try to use me. At first I only intended to warn Hiroyuki. But the moment I realized he intended to use me, I abandoned that idea. Killing him felt far more satisfying.”
If he truly wanted control of Heaven’s Church, he could have brought me something enticing and proposed a deal.
But to hide his true intentions and attempt to manipulate me?
Hiroyuki crossed the line.
This had to be punished thoroughly. If I let this pass once, others would think they could do the same.
I intended to use Hiroyuki’s death as a warning—to show everyone what happens when they try to use me.
“Mm... President Kim Muhyuk, does he truly have to die? Perhaps we could issue a warning within reasonable limits...”
Now that he understood the full story, Yamamoto seemed frightened. He tried to retreat.
I smiled gently at him.
“You don’t want to do it? Very well. Then I’ll handle it myself. But understand one thing. If I do this personally, it proves I have no need for you. If I must move my own hands on Japanese soil, then you are no longer necessary to me. And the mistake you made toward me will have to be repaid in another way.”
Though I was smiling, the warning beneath it was icy. Yamamoto waved his hands hurriedly. Then he forced a fake smile.
“No, no. I will handle it. I only spoke out of concern that Hiroyuki’s death might harm you, President.”
In the world of yakuza, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) one must constantly prove one’s usefulness.
If you are no longer useful, you are discarded.
Yamamoto knew this well. He had handed rival or unfriendly faction members over to the police before.
More than anyone, he understood what it meant to be deemed unnecessary.
Right now, he needed more than anything to prove his worth to me.
“How do you plan to proceed? And what must I do?”
“Before that, let me ask one thing. How far do you think Takayama will go?”
“If it’s an order from me, he’ll do anything.”
“Loyal subordinate. Can you still kill him?”
“You must take responsibility for what you’ve done. That’s what makes us Yamaguchi-gumi samurai.”
Samurai?
It was laughable watching street thugs grasp at anything that made them look dignified.
And given Takayama’s previous blunder, I wasn’t inclined to trust him entirely—but I nodded.
“Then let’s do this.”
I began explaining my plan to Yamamoto.
* * *
The Japanese headquarters of Heaven’s Church in Kyoto.
The leadership stood lined up at the entrance, waiting to receive someone.
Soon, a Mercedes with heavily tinted windows stopped in front of the main gate.
As the car halted, a man stepped out of the passenger seat and opened the rear door.
When the man inside extended his foot from the open door, all the Heaven’s Church leaders bowed their heads.
The man who stepped out was Hiroyuki.
“Ha ha! So all the pastors of Heaven’s Church were waiting for me? You needn’t trouble yourselves so, busy as you are.”
Hiroyuki barely suppressed the twitching of his lips and spoke with feigned solemnity.
“Not at all. It is only proper to welcome the Chief Cabinet Secretary in person when you visit our church. Welcome.”
The man who appeared to hold the highest position spoke, and Hiroyuki smiled in satisfaction.
“Good. Let’s go inside. We have much to discuss today.”
“Yes. This way.”
As they walked in, Hiroyuki turned to the man.
“Kitamura. It’s been a while.”
“Yes, Chief Cabinet Secretary.”
“Come now, no need to be so formal between us. Speak comfortably.”
“That would not be appropriate.”
Kitamura declined politely.
Hiroyuki patted his shoulder in an overly friendly manner.
Believers of Heaven’s Church watched nearby.
Conscious of their gaze, Hiroyuki praised Kitamura excessively.
“Congratulations on taking responsibility for the Japanese branch. There’s no one more suited to lead Heaven’s Church than you.”
“Thank you.”
Hiroyuki glanced around once more, smiling.
“Let’s go in.”
The Japanese branch occupied an entire building.
Kitamura nodded and led him to the top floor office.
Hiroyuki naturally took the seat of honor, and the leadership took their places on both sides.
Discarding his public façade, Hiroyuki asked,
“What’s the reaction from the Korean headquarters?”
“They say we’re talking nonsense. Ah, don’t even ask. They’re threatening to replace the entire leadership of the Japanese branch...”
Kitamura’s polite demeanor vanished.
“Now that Han Sungjin has been arrested, we must separate the Japanese branch from Korea. You know that. I never understood why Heaven’s Church is considered a Korean religion. It should belong to the Great Japanese Empire.”
“Exactly.”
“Come to think of it, Han Sungjin himself was born of Japan. He founded Heaven’s Church after Japan withdrew from Korea, did he not?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Kitamura echoed Hiroyuki like a parrot.
Hiroyuki watched him with satisfaction.
“I told Kim Muhyuk to release Han Sungjin.”
“Yes. We’ve been spreading that among the believers. That the Chief Cabinet Secretary personally stepped forward to secure Han Sungjin’s release. The believers were moved to tears.”
“Good. But Kim Muhyuk will never release him. I know that man. He never forgives those who raise a blade against him.”
Hiroyuki stroked his chin.
Kitamura, however, knew little about Kim Muhyuk beyond the fact that he had imprisoned Han Sungjin and backed Han Hyunsoo as the current leader. And that he was close to Prime Minister Koizumi.
Concern showed on Kitamura’s face.
“Will you be all right, Chief Cabinet Secretary?”
Hiroyuki laughed loudly.
“My dear fellow. Who am I? I am Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary. Do you think he would dare kill me? This isn’t Korea—it’s Japan. If anyone lays a hand on the Chief Cabinet Secretary in Japan, no matter who he is, he won’t walk away unscathed.”
Only then did Kitamura nod in relief.
The Hiroyuki he knew was persistent and ambitious.
When every politician connected to Heaven’s Church had fallen, he alone had survived.
That was why Kitamura had joined hands with him to separate the Japanese branch from Korea.
“And that man has no idea what I’m really thinking. When I met him, I pretended to be a fanatic. He likely believes I’m merely a loyal believer willing to lay down my life for Han Sungjin.”
“Is that so?”
“I too would be pleased if Han Sungjin were released. If he came to the Japanese branch, everything would be resolved.” frёewebηovel.cѳm
“Indeed. Wherever he is becomes the true headquarters.”
Hiroyuki shook his head.
“That’s correct, but unrealistic. So we must carve our own independent path. Don’t you agree?”
“Absolutely. It’s time we stopped being dragged around by Korea. The Japanese branch has the largest number of believers. How long must we remain subordinate to Korea?”
“Exactly. Haven’t I said so? We can grow Heaven’s Church far larger than Korea can. I’ve argued that for years. Back then it fell on deaf ears because Han Sungjin was there. But now he isn’t. We must step forward. Who understands his doctrine better than we do?”
After Hiroyuki’s confident speech, Kitamura asked cautiously,
“However... the Korean headquarters is asking for a meeting. What should we do?”
Hiroyuki’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“Is Han Hyunsoo moving personally?”
“It appears so.”
After brief thought, Hiroyuki answered,
“If he wishes to speak, tell Han Hyunsoo to come to the Japanese branch himself.”
“Will he? I think he’ll demand we go to him.”
“The one who needs something will come. We have nothing to lose. If we separate, do you think the other international branches will remain silent? They will come.”
The two men began laying plans for their bright future after separation.
Unaware that Kim Muhyuk was already sharpening a blade for them.
