Returnee from Another World - Chapter 61: Negotiation

Chapter 61: Negotiation

Yasunaga’s skeptical gaze pierced through me. He was clearly trying to gauge my true intentions.

In the underworld, transferring debts wasn’t unheard of, but my request was too abrupt. It wouldn’t be surprising if he suspected an ulterior motive. His face betrayed confusion, his eyes probing me cautiously.

“You want to take that father and daughter?” Yasunaga said. “You’re not going to tell me it’s out of pity, are you?”

“Why not? I’m human too. Feeling sorry for a stranger isn’t that strange,” I replied.

“Even if you claim it’s sympathy, I can’t just nod and agree,” he said.

I chuckled. “Kidding, Yasunaga-san. Honestly, I’m in a bit of trouble. Remember I mentioned I had plans after this? It’s related. I saw that girl and thought she could be useful.”

I kept my tone calm, careful not to hint at any connection to Kyouka Amasawa. A scene here would be disastrous. If I caused trouble, Yasunaga’s group might target Kyouka or Sayaka Hojo to track me down. Killing everyone here wasn’t an option either. Or maybe I was just scared—scared that crossing the line into murder, like in that other world, would break something inside me, making restraint impossible. Violence was a last resort. For now, I needed to handle this diplomatically.

“What do you mean?” Yasunaga asked.

“It’s hard to explain without details, but it’s not something I can discuss openly here. Could we call Akuzawa-san to the back office first?” I suggested.

“Fine. It’s Akuzawa’s deal anyway. I can’t interfere much,” Yasunaga said, standing.

I had to act quickly. If I did nothing, I knew exactly how this would end—Kyouka’s fate from my memory was proof. Glancing covertly at Kyouka, I hurried to the back office.

◇

“Hey, Masuda-san. Heard you’ve got some important business with me?” Akuzawa Hitoshi said cheerfully as he entered the office with Yasunaga.

“Sorry to bother you during work, Akuzawa-san,” I said.

“Nah, it’s fine. Just wrapped up some business out there. Well, ‘wrapped up’ is a stretch—still work to do, but once the girl signs the loan agreement, it’s all mine,” he said.

I was a bit late. But not too late.

“So, what’s your deal? Want me in on a money trade? Or maybe some dirty work?” Akuzawa asked.

“No, it’s not that. I’ll be direct. I want you to hand over that father and daughter to me,” I said.

“Huh? You mean the Amasawa pair?” Akuzawa asked, puzzled.

Yasunaga hadn’t filled him in on the key details.

“Yes. I heard a bit about them from Yasunaga-san. In short, I’ll cover their debt, so I’d like you to transfer the loan agreement to me,” I explained.

“Masuda, that’s a tough ask. You don’t seem to get how taboo it is to mess with someone else’s deal in this world,” Akuzawa said.

“I understand, to an extent. So, I’ll add 2 million yen as compensation. A total of 10 million yen from me—how about that?” I offered.

“What? You think I put in all that work to trap Amasawa just for a measly 2 million extra?” he scoffed.

I didn’t expect him to agree easily. I anticipated he’d demand a higher price—50% or 60% more. I was even prepared to abandon the James Masuda identity if needed. Showing some vulnerability was fine, but I couldn’t let them suspect my true motives. Offering too much upfront would raise red flags, while offering too little would kill the deal. It was a delicate balance.

“Hold on. Why do you want them? You haven’t explained,” Yasunaga interjected.

I’d only just learned about Kyouka’s father. I’d have to fabricate a plausible reason, hoping they’d buy it.

“Well, it’s a bit embarrassing, but I messed up at work. I needed something to make up for it. Yasunaga-san, Akuzawa-san, you know I’m not pure Japanese, right?” I said.

“Yeah, sure,” Yasunaga replied.

“My mother’s from a Middle Eastern country. I mentioned being a freelancer, but I do have some backing—a national organization, you could say,” I continued.

“A nation, huh? That’s quite a claim,” Akuzawa said, smirking.

“Believe it or not, your call. I don’t care,” I said.

Yasunaga nodded. “I figured you were with some group, since smuggling gold solo is tough. But the Middle East isn’t known for gold.”

“True. Oil money’s bigger. And ‘affiliated’ isn’t quite right. To them, I’m just a Japanese guy, not one of their own. Still, through my mother’s connections, I do errands for someone—a close aide to a powerful figure,” I explained.

“That’s vague. ‘Some country,’ ‘some figure,’” Akuzawa said, annoyed.

“Sorry, I can’t say more. Talking this much is already risky. My head could roll,” I said.

“Fine. So, what’d you screw up?” Akuzawa asked.

“This guy’s son, a Japanophile, is studying here for a year. ‘Studying’ is generous—he’s mostly chasing women. He saw Mirai Yazaki, an up-and-coming idol, on TV or something and wanted her brought to a hotel,” I said.

“Sorry, I’m not up on idols,” Yasunaga said.

“Yazaki Mirai? That newbie idol group girl, right? I get it. You boasted you’d handle it, didn’t you?” Akuzawa said, grinning.

“Exactly. Idols are just kids, and virgins are rare these days. I figured money would do the trick, so I took it on. Big mistake,” I said.

“Didn’t work out? How much did you offer?” Akuzawa asked.

“About 20 million yen for a year of weekly ‘companionship,’” I said.

“Hmm. About 400,000 yen per session? That’s a decent offer,” Akuzawa said.

I wasn’t sure if 20 million was realistic for pillow sales, but I used it to cap Kyouka’s price below that, signaling I’d go up to 20 million if needed.

“The agency agreed, but the girl refused. Said it wasn’t about money. I couldn’t push further—you can’t just kidnap a celebrity. The son was furious when I told him. Then I saw that girl and thought she could work,” I said.

“As a substitute for Yazaki Mirai?” Yasunaga asked.

“Yeah. Don’t they look alike?” I said.

“Hmm, maybe,” Akuzawa said, tilting his head.

“Well, yeah, kinda. Yazaki Mirai and Amasawa’s daughter do have a similar vibe,” he admitted.

Of course they did—I’d picked an idol resembling Kyouka on purpose. Even if pillow sales were declined, it’s not something people admit openly. Even if Yasunaga or Akuzawa knew someone connected to Yazaki, they wouldn’t confirm it. I was confident they wouldn’t dig.

It was a spur-of-the-moment excuse, and whether they fully believed it was questionable. Still, it was plausible enough. The reason itself wasn’t the issue—Akuzawa cared about profit. If the price was right, he’d agree.

“Figured I’d try her as a substitute for Yazaki. I need to appease the son, or it’ll hurt my gold deals. So, how about it? You called 2 million ‘measly,’ but from what I heard, even the principal might not come back from the father,” I said.

“That’s why I’ll make the girl earn. She’s young and decent-looking. In the sex trade, she could pull in nearly 10 million a year. Why give her up for just 2 million?” Akuzawa countered.

“Will it go that smoothly? She’s under 18—a risk. Customers fear police, even if ignorance of age protects them. They’ll avoid an underage sex worker. Plus, you can’t take all her earnings. After expenses, you’d pocket maybe 3 million at best,” I argued.

“Hmph. Even so, that’s better than selling for 2 million now,” he said.

“Fine. I’ll add another 2 million, making it 12 million total. You’ve got no reason to cling to her, right? With your skills, Akuzawa-san, you can find another target,” I said.

Akuzawa fell silent, thinking. His expression suggested he wasn’t entirely against transferring the debt—likely calculating how much he could squeeze out.

“Hmm, fine. For our relationship, how about 20 million? Pay that, and I’ll consider it,” he said.

“Akuzawa, don’t get greedy. Realistically, Masuda could just slip the family 8 million behind your back. He’s doing this properly, so respect that,” Yasunaga warned.

“What? If he wants to mess with my deal, I’ll take him on,” Akuzawa snapped.

“No, I don’t want to anger you, Akuzawa-san. But 20 million? Even Yazaki Mirai was settled at 20 million, and she’s a celebrity. For an ordinary girl…” I trailed off.

“That’s not my problem. Didn’t you screw up once? Need a girl fast to appease the son, right?” Akuzawa pressed.

“True, but…” I said.

“I don’t care either way. That girl will earn big. I’m offering you a deal because I want to keep things friendly,” he said.

I wasn’t sure if they believed my story. Yasunaga’s sharp instincts might’ve caught something off, but they didn’t seem to suspect deceit outright. That was enough for now. I had no intention of letting Akuzawa walk free anyway.

“Alright, let’s settle at 20 million. But you must promise not to approach the family again. If the son keeps her as a mistress and you interfere, it’ll fall on me,” I said.

“No worries. I keep my word,” Akuzawa said.

“Sorry, but I’d like Yasunaga-san to guarantee it too. This needs to be a Hayashi-do agreement, not just your word,” I added.

“That’s fine, but is that necessary?” Yasunaga asked.

“Once, someone tried to mess with the son’s mistress. I dealt with them. Even a small misunderstanding could spark a conflict with our organization,” I explained.

“Got it. You good with that, Akuzawa?” Yasunaga asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Akuzawa replied.

“For payment, can I offset today’s gold deal and pay the rest tomorrow? If it must be today, I’ll arrange it,” I said.

“No rush. Tomorrow or later is fine. I trust you, Masuda-san. I’ll cover Akuzawa for now,” Yasunaga said.

“Thank you. I’ll take you up on that,” I said.

“I’m taking a loss here, Masuda. Remember that,” Akuzawa said.

“Of course. I won’t forget you helped me out. I’ll repay this favor… in my own way,” I said, flashing a sly smile.

Akuzawa, mistaking it for friendliness, clapped a hand on my shoulder familiarly.