Inside the car, Asakura’s voice sounded low and mellow. His tone was calm, but his eyes betrayed a small tremor.
“My great-grandfather, Ikemoto Teinosuke, was a very well-known Yakuza Boss. He owned a lot of nightclubs and bars, as well as dozens of gambling dens. He also owned several small companies. There was a lot of money laundering involved in his business. When he died, he left everything to my grandfather, who took the business even further. Financial consultancy companies, entertainment agencies and even clubs… In short, he had power and wealth and was a very respected Boss in the underworld. He never dabbled in stuff like drugs or weapons, though. His main focus was gambling and the entertainment industry; singers, actors, models and the like. Also, the financial companies he owned were actually loan shark companies under disguise, so there was a lot of money coming from that side as well.
However, when he got older, my grandfather made a drastic decision; one that shook the entire family to the core. He woke up one day and suddenly decided to legitimize the family business. Despite all opposition from every member of the family, he unilaterally decided to stop dealing with the underworld. Of course, that wasn’t something that could be done overnight. It was a long-term project. Furthermore, creating a breach with his partners would eventually affect his entire business. So, he needed to do things smartly. Consequently, he first began with selling some of the casinos and clubs, and shut down a few of the companies that acted as screen for loan sharks. At first he didn’t touch the other assets. He merely waited to see the effect those changes had over the income and the rest of the businesses.
My father was his eldest son. He surprised everyone when he declared his support for my grandfather’s decision. ‘It will be tough.’ He had said. ‘But it will be much better for the future of our family if we can finally step into the light, instead of always lurking in the shadows.’ He always had an artistic side to him, my father.”
Asakura paused. He kept his eyes trained on Sato’s face, careful to see any change in his expression. To his surprise, Sato’s mouth formed a smile as he took Asakura’s hand in his.
“You resemble him a bit, then. I think you also have a little of that artistic aura in you, Ryuu.”
Sato’s voice was soft and radiated love and acceptance.
A second later, he shifted his position, moving closer and placing a hand on Asakura’s shoulder.
That simple gesture made Asakura start, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he stared openly at the young man, taking in his beautiful appearance. He was momentarily mesmerized by those gleaming eyes that looked like two pools of clear water. That affectionate smile that seemed to speak of his ardent feelings caused Asakua’s breath to hitch. He could also feel the warmth radiating from those slender fingers, causing his body temperature to rise.
Asakura’s senses registered everything, and he felt his heart blooming with something warm and soft. His gaze became gentle and a tad melancholic, as he stared back into Sato’s eyes.
“Hm, indeed. Both me and my father can be very dramatic when we want to catch the attention of the person we like.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Ktja’r ktja wjxfr sbe rqfmlji.”
“Cr ibcu jr la mjeuta sbeg jaafcalbc, P vbc’a wlcv yflcu j yla vgjwjalm.”
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“What my grandfather and father wanted was something that could benefit the next generations. Inheriting a clean business could mean financial security, as well as more opportunities to grow unhindered. In short, it was supposed to bring the family a stable future. At least that’s what they believed. My uncle, however, didn’t agree. He refused to support my father, and opposed him every step of the way. Even though he was almost ten years younger, he still managed to fight quite a tough war.”
“What about you, Ryuu?”
“Fifteen years ago, after getting into an accident, I eventually decided to leave the family. I didn’t want to be a part of that world anymore. I wanted to do something more with my life and prove myself in front of the older generation. So, I took the clean inheritance my grandfather had left me, sold the companies and built my own business. Since then, I have never looked back. My father never tried to stop me either. He even tried to support me by suggesting that I change my surname.”
Hearing this, Sato showed a trace of surprise.
“So, Asakura is…” He opened his mouth, speaking in a soft voice.
“Mh, it’s my mother’s name. Heading my father’s advice, I took on my mother’s name. My father, on the other hand, remained in the family, and continued to fulfill my grandfather’s wish. After an arduous struggle, he finally managed to bring into legality more than half of the businesses. However, two years after I left, he died. The cause of death was a heart attack, but the circumstances were too suspicious. It made everyone in the family incline to think it was murder. They all suspected the Omura family. They’ve been our rivals since the time my grandfather was alive, so it didn’t seem too farfetched to suspect them. But, in spite of all our efforts, we couldn’t find a single proof of foul play. Thus, the case was closed just like that.”
“What about your family? After your father died, didn’t they want you to return home?”
Sato looked even more troubled now after learning all this. He was mainly worried about Asakura’s state of mind. After all, having your father die in such suspicious circumstances must have been quite a blow. Even though he didn’t have a clear idea of how things worked in those types of families, Sato was sure that things were far more complicated than how Asakura made them appear.
Just as Sato was thinking this, Asakura’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and he listened carefully.
“They’ve tried all sorts of methods to make me come back, but I refused every time. In the end, they gave up, and eventually uncle Shibata took the lead. When it came to the inheritance, I didn’t take anything apart from one company. It was the first one my father managed to legalize, and he left it especially for me. I changed its name and enlisted it to the stock market. Now everyone knows and respects Nozomu Financial. The old man should be proud of me, right?” Asakura said, showing a prideful smirk.
Sato was stunned silly by those last few words. He blinked several times, trying to clear away the confusion that was embroiling his thoughts.
“You mean… Ryuu, you mean to say… Nozomu Financial… It’s your company?!” Sato finally managed to blurt out after stuttering for a while. His eyes kept widening in astonishment until they looked to be on the verge of popping out. “So… You’re not just an employee there?”
Asakura chuckled and leaned closer. He gave the befuddled young man a lingering kiss.
“Are you that surprised?” Asakura said, nipping at his lover’s lips teasingly.
“Mh.” Sato couldn’t find the words to reply, so he merely grunted in assent.
Seeing him like this, Asakura let out a series of chuckles. He eventually decided to stop teasing his lover, and gave one last peck before leaving some space between them.
“I’m no longer the President or the sole owner, but just a General Manager. The company is now public and has an elected CEO. However, perhaps due to the history of the company or the fact that most of the higher Directors are people who have been selected by me, I still get preferential treatment from time to time. Moreover, I still own enough stocks to count in the board of directors.”
“Is… is that so?” Sato stammered. He was still unable to shake the surprise this information had given him.
At the sight of his lover being rendered almost speechless, Asakura shook his head and laughed. More than being shocked by the news that Asakura was a member of an old Yakuza family, Sato was even more astonished because of one company’s ownership. This knowledge made Asakura have conflicting feelings. Should he be happy or sad about this?
But at the very least, this outcome meant that Sato was accepting him, as well as his past. So, in the end, Asakura decided to feel relieved. All that fear that had been fermenting in his heart was now beginning to dissipate in the face of Sato’s love and innocence.
After taking a short break, Asakura smiled and continued to speak calmly, giving Sato yet another shock.
“Apart from Nozomu Financial, I also own stocks in other companies from different domains. However, I never wanted to take the CEO position or become the President. To be perfectly honest, I really like working at Nozomu Financial. Being the General Manager gives me the freedom to invest my time and money in other areas or discover potential investments. My main focus in the past few years has been real estate. Luckily, Nozomu Financial’s current CEO is a great man. He is very capable, and also allows me a lot of autonomy in exchange for my support and expertise.”
Sato stared mystified at the man in front of him. It was clear from the way Asakura was speaking that he wasn’t just blowing his own trumpet, but was merely stating facts. However, this level of information went above anything Sato might have imagined before. First, he found out his lover was related to a former Yakuza family.
Shocking? Yes, but he trusted Asakura. He knew the man would never associate himself with anything illegal or dangerous, so his mind was put at ease almost the next moment he heard about Asakura’s past.
Nevertheless, his mind had barely had a chance to settle down, when it was shaken up once again. He not only found out that Asakura was rich, but that he almost owned several companies. The idea clouded his mind and his face turned ashen.
Witnessing the haze that suddenly settled over Sato’s eyes, Asakura began to worry. All that unease that had left him a minute ago returned even stronger than before.
‘Have I scared him silly? Is he now afraid of me or of what my family could do to him? Damn it! I knew I shouldn’t have said anything!’ Asakura berated himself inwardly, completely unaware of the thoughts that ran through Sato’s head.
Just as he was fretting about what to do or say next, Sato finally seemed to have regained a bit of spirit. His soul returned, but his speech was still impaired. He could only stutter.
“Ryuu, I… I… I can’t…”
I would also be shocked to suddenly find out that the man I love is rich rich xD
thanks for the chapter <3
For me it would be an interesting, and wonderful surprise, though xD
<333
Well, it’s normal to get uneasy…
Thank you for the chapter 💕
Yes, not many people would be able to accept it and be willing to associate with him. Or if they did it would usually be out of selfish interest.
❤️❤️❤️