Chapter 85 The Connecting Thread A Yakuza Thriller of Broken Normality and Escalating Violence
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Summary:
Pummeling Akuzawa, the Protagonist fights a desperate internal battle to preserve his ‘normal’ high school life, but a darker voice whispers for blood. As he attempts to manipulate the Rindou Group and maintain his ‘victim’ status using recorded evidence, Akuzawa’s wounded pride—and a hidden gun—ignites a brutal escalation, shattering the Protagonist’s fragile resolve and forcing him to confront the unstoppable cycle of his own criminal nature. The chapter ends on a shocking, visceral act of mutilation.
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I kept on straddling him, just relentlessly pounding my fist into Akuzawa’s face. In the back of my head, something felt like it was whispering at me all the damn time, Just finish him off. But, for all that noise, the last bit of my sanity was putting on the brakes, tellin’ me that was a bad idea.
That was just a nightmare, right? In reality, I haven’t soiled my hands with blood. I ain’t no killer, I’m just a normal high school kid you’d find anywhere. A part of me, that weak, whiny part, was lining up those excuses like they were Gospel.
Thing is, that ain’t the only reason. Killing Akuzawa here could antagonize the Rindou Group. Sure, Akuzawa started it, so he brought a counter-attack on himself—but expecting the Rindou Group to see it that way is a bit of a sweet thought, wouldn’t you say? To those guys, who was wrong hardly even matters. Since this fool was already betraying the Rindou Group, they might just say it’s their job to ‘settle the score’ (ケジメ/Kezhime). For them, that whole thing about face (面子/Menstsu) and making amends is crucial, so even if I gotta get rid of this guy, doin’ it before the Rindou Group excommunicates him—that’s a bad move. I was gritting my teeth, desperately trying to hold back the violence surging inside me.
That’s why I went and used the voice recorder to catch the whole conversation, right? I gotta rough Akuzawa up a bit more, and then let him go for now. Roughin’ him up just a little—the Rindou Group won’t make a big fuss outta that, I reckon.
”How about this, then? Surely you’ve figured out just how out of your league you are. There are some folks in this world that even you Yakuza just don’t touch.” I sneered down at him.
Akuzawa just glared back up at me, his lip bloody and twisted into a frightening mask. Lookin’ at him, seems like he still ain’t broken. Guess when you’ve relied on violence your whole life, a little bit of it ain’t gonna make you flinch.
Should I beat him some more? I’ve seen this show a hundred times: the tough guy who starts off all cocky eventually ends up crying and beggin’ for his life. Akuzawa’s gonna get there, I can see it. How long could Akuzawa last if I started snappin’ his fingers off one by one, chopped off his limbs, sliced off his nose, and dug out his eyes?
Nah. Maybe I oughta just use that vengeful streak of his instead? If I tell the Rindou Group that the next time he tries anything, I’ll kill him, then I’ve made my ‘case’—whether they excommunicate him or not, I’ll have done what’s right by the code. Maybe I oughta smash Akuzawa up right here, right now, but I still gotta play the part of the victim. It’s a complicated way to go about things, but there’s no gain in making an enemy out of Yasunaga-san and the Rindou Group.
”Phuh, remenber this, yew! Whut’s gonna happen t’yew after yew do somethin’ like this t’me…” Akuzawa snarled, spitting a mix of blood and words.
”Hmph. Seems like you still haven’t figured it out.” I sighed, bored.
”I-I’ll kill yew. I’m definitely gonna kill yew!” he promised, voice hoarse.
”That’s just pathetic. The howling of a whipped dog. Oh, well. Doesn’t matter. I’ll be reporting this whole mess to Yasunaga-san anyway. Since you decided to make the first move, don’t blame anyone but yourself for what happens.”
I climbed off Akuzawa’s body and reached for the Aikuchi ¹ that had tumbled nearby, snatching it up.
”Oh, and here. You dropped something. Gotta give this back to you, Akuzawa-san. It’s important to you, ain’t it?”
Then, I drove the dagger deep into Akuzawa’s thigh with all my strength.
”Gwaaaaah!” Akuzawa screamed—a raw, agonized sound.
With that leg messed up, he won’t be chasing me anytime soon, that’s for sure. I don’t think this will teach Akuzawa a lesson, but he won’t be able to do anything until he can move properly. All that’s left is to see how the Rindou Group handles him after I report this. Even if he ain’t excommunicated, it’s a sure thing that Akuzawa’s standing in the clan is gonna take a huge hit. Is that enough? It’s kinda doubtful, but right now, it’s the best hand I’ve got to play. I was just thinking that in my head.
”Well, then. I guess that wraps up our little chat. My apologies. Shame I couldn’t give you what you wanted.”
…That thought lasted until I was made to realize just how peacefully-naive I truly was.
I left Akuzawa there on the floor and hurried toward the warehouse exit, just as my hand reached for the shutter—
RAT-A-TAT-TAT.
A series of dry, rapid sounds hit my ears. And at the same time, I felt a dull, shocking pain in my left leg.
”Kch!”
My knee hit the concrete. I tumbled, rolling over, changing my direction, and saw Akuzawa, propped up against a nearby workbench, pointing a small handgun at me. The workbench drawer was slightly ajar. Nobody leaves a gun lying around, even in an abandoned warehouse like this. Since there was a bit of a delay after the car stopped before they dragged me out of the trunk, he must’ve tucked the gun away then.
Akuzawa staggered to his feet, panting ragged, gasping breaths. He was dragging his left leg, still with the Aikuchi ² stuck in it, and lurching toward me.
”Peck! Peck! Y-you piece of trash! Takin’ me for a fool like that! Die, you damn idiot!” Akuzawa spat out a mouthful of blood and curses, arriving right next to me.
The next sound was just one shot. A hot shock slammed into my lower left abdomen. It was probably a small-caliber bullet. There was a little hole in my suit; I knew I’d been shot, but the pain hadn’t quite set in yet.
But in place of the pain, something else surfaced in my mind.
”Hahaha. Yes. That’s right. That’s what it was. I just remembered it. I remembered it just now.” I chuckle, the sound hollow.
”Huh? Rememb’red what? The money? Ain’t no use talkin’ about where the cash is now. You humiliated me this bad. You ain’t walkin’ outta here alive.” Akuzawa growled, his voice raw with hatred.
”No, that’s not it. That’s not it at all. Thanks to you, Akuzawa-san, I was able to recall something that concerns you.”
”What’s that? Somethin’ concerns me? What the hell did you rememb’r about me? Don’t go talkin’ crazy to try and distract me, ’cause it won’t work!” Akuzawa shouted, suspicious.
”Ugh… hah, hah… W-well, let’s see. What year was that? I don’t think I was even twenty yet, but my memory’s a bit fuzzy. I saw your face on a TV news report. No, wait—it was a headless corpse, so I only heard the name on the news. Maybe I saw the picture somewhere else…”
”Huh? What the hell are you ramblin’ about? Shut the hell up already!” Akuzawa demanded, his patience thinning.
”Hold on, hold on. Just think of it as my farewell words, and bear with me for a minute. It’s not a long story. And you know what? I think it’s a very important story for you, Akuzawa-san.”
”Keh. Fine. The bullet must’a missed any vitals, but you’re still gonna die here anyway. And you’re gonna spill where the cash is, too. So, what the hell is it?” Akuzawa’s rage cooled a little, apparently having regained the upper hand. He’d been all fire and fury about killing me right off the bat, but now his tone had softened. Maybe he was just cocky, thinking he could kill me whenever he wanted now that he had the gun.
”Hah, hah… It was a news report about a headless Yakuza body that floated up in Tokyo Bay. See, this guy was a moron; he got pulled off a job because of his own mistake, but then he threw a massive tantrum, claiming his business had been stolen, and went nuts on a couple of members of the Fourth Generation Shoryu-ikka ³.”
”What? A grudge attack? What a damned idiot. He screwed up, didn’t he? And to pick a fight with the Shoryu-ikka, of all people? They’re fierce… Huh? Wait a minute. I ain’t never heard no stories about some punk messin’ with the Shoryu-ikka.” Akuzawa frowned, confused.
”Well, it was about ten-something years ago, so my memory might be a bit fuzzy… Ugh. H-Hah… Later on, I found out that he had gotten drunk and almost beat an executive and one of the members of the Shoryu-ikka to death. They apparently killed him in retaliation.”
”Yeah, well, that happens in this line o’ work. But what the hell’s your point? What’s it got to do with me? Is that all you got? If so, just spill the money’s location already. Then I’ll give you a quick death, so you don’t suffer.” Akuzawa commanded, agitated again.
”T-That’s the crucial part, I’m tellin’ you! A dumb Yakuza gets into a fight outta spite and ends up a headless corpse. It would be wrong if that didn’t happen in reality. Absolutely wrong.”
”Huh? What the hell are you on about?” Akuzawa scoffed, completely baffled.
”The fact that I remembered this means it’s destined to happen. No, maybe the compelling force of fate is demanding that I make it look that way…”
”I see. I get it. You’re talkin’ crazy to try and buy time, ain’tcha? But listen up, Masuda-san. I think you’re bein’ a little cowardly. You’re a man, ain’tcha? Stop tryin’ to survive like a woman; talk about the money and die with honor.” Akuzawa pressed, his voice smug.
”I’m cowardly, you say… No. Yeah, you might be right, Akuzawa-san.” I agreed, the tone chilling.
”Told ya, didn’t I? Now hurry up and spill the beans about the money.” Akuzawa insisted.
”I’m not a murderer? Just a high school student who never hit anyone? Even though I’ve killed over a hundred people with these hands? It was all a bad dream? I want to enjoy my youth with Kyouka? Maybe that way I can get back some humanity? Hah! What a load of crap. Hahaha. Did I really think I could just undo everything like that?” I muttered to myself, my eyes distant.
”Tch. Did the shock of bein’ shot finally crack your skull? Just spit out where the money is, already! Wait, is that it? Did you fall for that little girl Kyouka, and that’s why you stole her from me?” Akuzawa demanded, his voice a sharp, cutting sound.
”A villain is always a villain. The crimes I committed won’t just disappear. Tryin’ to become a good person again was impossible from the start.” I whispered, the coldness settling in.
”Kukuku. Is that right? That’s kinda funny, ain’t it? After you croak, I’ll take real good care of that little girl. I’ll turn her into a junkie and make her scream with my big, thick penis.” Akuzawa cackled, his eyes glittering with vile intent.
”Huh?! Kyouka’s mine! You trash-heap ain’t ever gonna touch her!” Hearing those words from Akuzawa, the blood rushed to my head all at once.
SWISH.
Still slumped over, I slashed my arm left and right.
”Huh? Ahh… Ahh, Ahh…” Akuzawa stuttered, his eyes following the motion.
Both of Akuzawa’s wrists, still clutching the handgun, fell with a dull thud to the floor. Akuzawa watched the scene with a puzzled look, which slowly gave way to utter horror. Bright blood sprayed out of Akuzawa’s severed forearms. Firmly clutched in the hand I’d swung was the Lady Bug ⁴.
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T/N:
1 [Aikuchi is a type of Japanese dagger or tanto, traditionally carried concealed. It’s often used in stories to symbolize a quick, brutal, and personal act of violence, unlike the larger, more ceremonial katana. It’s a classic Yakuza/underworld weapon, so it fits the vibe perfectly, fam. ↩
2 The recurrence of the Aikuchi here, now a source of agony, highlights the theme that violence always comes back to you, which is deep for this kind of action story. ↩
3 The Shoryu-ikka (昇竜一家) is a fictional Yakuza clan name (like ‘Ascending Dragon Family’). Mentioning it grounds the conflict in a more detailed, interconnected criminal world, showing the stakes are higher than just one guy. Super important for world-building credibility! ↩
4 The ‘Lady Bug’ is the Protagonist’s unique, presumably super-sharp weapon—its name is an ironic contrast to the violence it inflicts, which makes it extra chilling. It’s kinda like naming a monster truck ‘Daisy.’ ↩
Notes:
• Kyouka – She is Kaburagi’s girlfriend, balancing exams and club activities, with a changing relationship dynamic.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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