You lit up a cigar as you look over at the clock on the wall. Your boss had called ahead to tell you he'd be dropping by to collect his cut of the resort money early this month. You knew this wasn't about money though, since your boss was usually patient when it came time to pay the rent. No, there was something else your boss wanted to discuss with you face to face, otherwise he would have just waited until the next meeting to bring it up.
You lean back in your chair and blow a ring of smoke as you finish counting the stack of bills on your desk. This had been a productive month, if nothing else Ryu wouldn't be able to complain about his employees work ethic. A knock then came from the door and distracted you from your thoughts of profits. "Sorry for the interruption. May I come in, sir?" came the voice of a yakuza guard through a two-way speaker near the door. You sigh and buzz him in.
"The boss here?" you ask as you put away most of the cash on the desk and lock everything up. "Yes, sir. He arrived just a minute ago and headed to the onsen, the private indoor one. He requests your presence immediately." the guard says with a bow as you put out your cigar and get up from the desk. "Sure thing, its not polite to keep the boss man waiting." you smile as you pick up the money you had left out on the desk.
"Stay here and lock the place up for me. I won't be coming back to the office tonight." you say cheerfully as you begin heading down the stairs. The man nodded and headed back to secure everything for the night. "Thanks." you call back as you step off the last step and head out the front door of your luxury manor home. "The big man usually saves personal visits for special occasions, I'm kinda excited to see what's up."
It only took you a few minutes to walk down the narrow stone pathway from the front of your home though the garden next to the main resort. Once you arrived at the onsen you find a young woman in a formal kimono waiting for you outside the front door. "Good evening, sir. The boss is waiting for you in the private bath." she greeted as she opened the door for you and followed you inside. Before heading off to the locker room you hand the woman this months take and tell her to deliver it straight to the boss.
"Of course, sir. Have a good evening." she replies as you thank her and close the door. After storing your clothes in your private locker you head through the door to the hallway leading to the private indoor bath. The room wasn't particularly small, but it paled in comparison to the grand outdoor bath and hot springs that drew most of the Sakura Resort's business. Still, it couldn't be beat for privacy with its soundproof walls and expertly decorated interior.
Waiting inside the large bath pool were three people, two women and a man along with two other men in suits standing near the door. The man sitting in the water was covered in tattoos from his neck to his feet and was wearing a pair of thin gold-rimmed pitch black sunglasses. Both of the two women bathing next to him were buxom and slender, one had almost as many tattoos as the man she was leaning on while the other was fair skinned without so much as a beauty mark. Each woman was attractive and young though the woman with tattoos was a bit older than her counterpart, looking to be in her late twenties or early thirties while the other looked to be barely eighteen.
"Ah, Micheal my friend. So good of you to join us on such short notice. Please have a seat, we've much business to discuss." Ryu said as he leaned back and put his arms around the women beside him. You flashed them both a smile. "Isn't it against the rules to wear sunglasses in the onsen? Also, you sure you want me to join you in there? Your company might get... distracted..." you reply slyly as you gently tug your bath towel loose. The two women giggled in admiration as Ryu let out a chuckle.
"You can break a few of the rules when you own the place." Ryu said as he gestured for one of his men to bring refreshments. "Now quit worrying about modesty and get in here already so we can talk." The women began laughing as you walked over and threw the towel off, which caused them to start laughing in a more awkward tone as you dipped into the water while they both blushed slightly. "You ladies feel free to join me over here if you get cold."
The women smile as Ryu hugged them closer and lowered his glasses a little. "Alright, playboy. If you're done joking around I need you to listen, or should I be trusting Dai with this job?" The mention of your rival's name almost made you frown, but you managed to keep your cool and merely crossed your arms. "Alright alright, boss man. Fun's over. I'm listening." you reply as you did your best to look serious.
"Good." Ryu replied as he took two highball glasses off a tray his guard had sat down near the edge of the bath. "Truth be told, I doubt Daisuke could find his own ass if he fell in a toilet. The man has brawn and attitude... but no finesse or subtlety." Ryu laments as he pours some expensive imported rum into each glass and garnished them with a slice of lemon. "I need my best man on this job. No fuck ups, you understand?"
You could tell by the tone in his voice that this was something big you were about to discuss. "I'm all ears, sir. What do you need done?" you ask politely as a guard handed you a glass of rum. Ryu smiled and continued. "Just last week I met with a man working for one of the bigger triads in china, Golden Ocean. You heard of them?" You nodded your head and took a sip out of your glass. "Good. I don't have to tell you how much it would benefit us to work with them, especially after most of our rivals failed to impress."
You raised an eyebrow as you recalled the news you'd heard that Golden Ocean was expanding into japan. These guys didn't play around and were pretty ruthless... they could be a great ally or a deadly foe. "You've made contact with them?" you ask as you take another sip of your drink. "Yes." Ryu answered as he folded his fingers together and leaned forward. "This could be big, Micheal. We need the support right now, especially with how much expanding we've done in the past few months. We need to keep the pressure on the other yakuza."
You smile as you stretch your arms out and take a deep breath. "I take it they want to set up a get together? You want me to run security for a little meet and greet?" You take another long sip out of your drink as Ryu smiled back and nodded. "Indeed, I just received a call from a man named Mr. Hong, he is a red pole for the Golden Ocean and answers directly to their leader. His brother, a fellow red pole who goes by "Scarface" wants to bring his daughter as a last minute guest."
"I see." you reply with a smirk. "Poor guy couldn't find a sitter for his kid so I'm gonna be stuck on babysitting duty? What's the little brat's name?" Ryu let out a laugh as he relaxed in the warm water of the onsen. "Mei Hong, she isn't a brat though. She's well behaved if her father is to be believed. Look, I don't expect you to like her, just get along. Put your pride aside and indulge her, take her on a shopping spree if she wants, see a movie, whatever. Just keep her safe and content. Can you do this?"
You let out a big sigh and finish off your drink. "How can I say no boss? This is big, something that could put us on the map. I'm used to having more fun on the job, but screw it. If keeping the kid from taking a bullet puts us in her daddy's good graces I'll do it. Me and the guys won't let so much as a fly land on her."
Ryu smiled as he downed the last of his own drink and poured another. "Excellent, you haven't disappointed me yet... I know you can do this. Their plane will be arriving in at noon tomorrow at a secret location. I'll make sure you get the address, now go ahead and retire for the night. You'll need to get up early to be on time to pick them up." You nod to your boss and give the two women one last wink before climbing out of the water and putting your towel back on. After sharing one last drink you headed back into the locker room to get changed.
After getting dressed you then head back to your manor house and enjoy a modest supper before going to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a big day for sure... one way or another...
How should you prepare?