Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

"band?"

Kimura's eyebrows rose slightly. This information was completely different from what he expected:

"Tell me more about it."

"The band is called Ave mujica, a new band consisting of five masked girls."

Miyamoto took out a few photos from his briefcase and pushed them in front of Kimura:

“They recently had a show in Tokyo and the response was quite enthusiastic.”

Kimura picked up the photo and carefully examined the girls wearing various artistic masks. On the surface, this seemed like just another new group in the entertainment industry striving for uniqueness. But if Ishikawa Shun also got involved...

"What resources did Vortex provide for this band?"

“It’s almost all-around support.”

Miyamoto replied, "Venues, publicity, media exposure, even some underground channels were used. As far as I know, Ishikawa personally ordered to fully support this band."

Kimura's eyes suddenly narrowed and he put down the wine glass in his hand.

"Ishikawa isn't the type to pay attention to such trivial matters."

As the most loyal old dog in the Blue Dragon Society, Ishikawa has always been more willing to regard his power as a "gift" from Kujo Renji. Now that Kujo Renji has become a vegetable, how could Ishikawa possibly use Vortex to support a band?

Kimura stood up and walked to the window, overlooking the night view of Chiba. Countless possibilities flashed through his mind, but each one made him feel uneasy.

"This old dog..."

He muttered to himself, then turned to Miyamoto, "Find out all the connections behind this Ave mujica, especially their true identities. I want to know why Ishikawa values ​​them so much."

"We've already started investigating," Miyamoto nodded. "We've discovered that, in addition to Vortex's resources, this band has another force supporting them: Ryuichi Yamamoto."

"Yamamoto Ryuichi?" Kimura raised an eyebrow. "Yamamoto Ryuichi of the Yamaguchi-gumi?"

"Exactly."

Kimura fell into deep thought.

Although Ryuichi Yamamoto is the second son of Yamaguchi-gumi's Wakato Yamamoto Shinji, he has always maintained a relatively independent status.

Ishikawa Shunya and Yamamoto Ryuichi, two people who originally had almost no chance of having any intersection, are now supporting the same band at the same time?

"Is it possible..."

Kimura's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a bold hypothesis, "Is this band related to the boss?"

Miyamoto's eyes flickered, and he was obviously shocked by this idea: "You mean...?"

"Find someone to meet with Yamamoto Ryuichi."

Kimura decisively ordered, "Just say I'm very interested in his latest project and want to discuss a possible collaboration."

"Understood." Miyamoto nodded. "Through normal channels or...?"

“Normal channels.”

Three days later, Yamamoto Ryuichi received an exquisite invitation to attend a private art auction in Chiba two days later. Attached to the invitation was a handwritten note:

"Mr. Yamamoto, I've long heard of your name. I've heard you're quite knowledgeable about music and art. I'd like to take this opportunity to chat with you after the auction. Sincerely, Kimura Seiichiro."

Seeing this name, Yamamoto Ryuichi's hands trembled slightly.

——Damn it, trouble has finally come.

Unlike Ishikawa Shunya of the Soryukai, Kimura Seiichiro is an extremely ambitious person. After the incident with Kujo Renji, he was regarded as one of the new forces most likely to rise.

Yamamoto Ryuichi took out his phone, hesitated for a moment, and finally called his father, Shinji Yamamoto. As the young leader of the Yamaguchi-gumi, his father's information network in the underground world was far more complete than his.

The call was quickly connected, and my father's steady voice came: "What's the matter?"

"Father, I want to ask you something..."

Yamamoto Ryuichi organized his words. "Regarding the Soryukai and the Toyokawa family, is there some kind of... connection between them?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds: "Why do you suddenly ask this?"

"I've been facing some...complicated situations lately," Yamamoto Ryuichi replied cautiously. "It involves the eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family, Ishikawa Shunya, and...Kimura Seiichiro."

"Kimura Seiichiro also got involved?"

My father's voice became noticeably more serious:

"Ryuichi, listen to me and withdraw from any matters related to this immediately."

"But Father..."

"No buts!"

His father interrupted him, his tone becoming extremely stern:

"Don't cause me any trouble."

Yamamoto Ryuichi's heart sank.

"what do you mean..."

“Don’t favor anyone.”

Yamamoto Shinji's tone became cold and stern:

"This water is not for you to wade in."

After hanging up the phone, Yamamoto Ryuichi's expression became complicated.

.......

The next day, Chiba.

The private exhibition hall of the Chiba Art Center was brightly lit, and the exquisite champagne tower shimmered with golden light under the lights.

The auction had been going on for more than an hour, but Yamamoto Ryuichi still couldn't concentrate.

From time to time, he glanced at the figure surrounded by people at the other end of the hall - Seiichiro Kimura.

He still had some understanding of the person he was going to face next.

Because of this, it is difficult for Ryuichi Yamamoto to completely calm his inner anxiety.

Seiichiro Kimura, the head of the Soryukai in Chiba District.

According to rumors, Kimura came from a prominent family and was a top student in the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo. He could have risen rapidly in politics or business, but for some reason he joined the Soryukai. He is one of the very few people who can handle both the black and white worlds with ease.

Of course, what Mr. Kimura relies on is not just the "label" of being a top student and having academic qualifications, but also his daunting methods.

For example, the incident three years ago that shocked the entire Kanto region - Kimura successfully acquired one of the five largest construction companies in Chiba through a series of precisely calculated financial operations in less than two months.

Under Kimura's meticulously crafted legal traps and capital manipulation, Chiba Kaisho Construction's defensive strategies collapsed like dominoes. Even more chilling, the entire process was conducted entirely within the legal framework, without any use of violence. This is a textbook example of "legal plunder."

And this is just one of Kimura's many "masterpieces".

Unlike old-fashioned organizations like the Yamaguchi-gumi that rely on traditional violence and intimidation, Kimura represents the new generation of Soryu-kai's operating methods - proficient in modern finance, good at legal operations, focusing on intelligence gathering and psychological warfare, and perfectly combining the brutality of the underworld with the wisdom of business elites.

In comparison, although Yamamoto Ryuichi is the second son of the Yamaguchi-gumi's wakato, his status within the organization is far less than that of Kimura in the Soryu-kai.

Moreover, the Yamaguchi-gumi has gradually become conservative in recent years and is far less far-sighted than the Soryu-kai in developing emerging fields.

There is a huge gap between the two in terms of background and status.

"Mr. Yamamoto, sorry for the wait."

A gentle voice brought Yamamoto Ryuichi back to reality from his memories.

Kimura Seiichiro had stood in front of him without him noticing, smiling and extending his hand to him.

"Mr. Kimura, it's an honor."

Yamamoto Takashi's breath was slightly held, and then he quickly shook the other person's outstretched hand.

Seiichiro Kimura was wearing a tailor-made dark gray suit with a low-key blue tie around his neck. He exuded an elegant and dangerous aura. He had a young and handsome face with three-dimensional features and wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He looked more like an elite executive of a multinational company than a gang leader.

"Are you interested in tonight's collection? I see you've been looking at the 'Kakuchu Hundred Demons Double Screen'," Kimura asked softly, with an almost scholarly gentleness in his tone.

Yamamoto Ryuichi was shocked. He had indeed noticed the painting, but that was just to distract himself from his nervousness.

"It's indeed excellent, but I'm afraid it's beyond my budget." Yamamoto Takashi replied with a calm smile: "Mr. Kimura seems to be very knowledgeable about art?"

"I only know a little bit." Kimura answered modestly, then pointed to a small door on the side and said, "Can I have a moment to talk? It's a bit noisy in here."

Yamamoto Takashi nodded and followed Kimura into a more private side room.

This was a small, beautifully decorated reception room with a view of Chiba's night scene outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. There were only the two of them in the room.

"I've prepared some Chiba specialty sake. Would Mr. Yamamoto like to try it?"

After some pleasantries, the two of them each held up their wine glasses and got down to the real topic.

"I've heard of an interesting band recently," Kimura asked casually, taking a sip of sake. "Ave Mujica. I heard their performances are very... special. Mr. Yamamoto seems very interested in them?"

Yamamoto Ryuichi's heart trembled, but he remained calm.

He had anticipated that Kimura might ask this and had already thought of a response plan.

"Indeed. This band's concept is quite novel. They perform in masks, maintaining an air of mystery, which suits the tastes of today's young people very well." Yamamoto said thoughtfully, "Our company has recently been expanding into the music industry and has invested in several promising new groups. Ave Mujica is one of them."

"Really?" Kimura smiled slightly. "I heard Vortex is also strongly supporting this band?"

"That... I've heard of that," Yamamoto replied cautiously. "Resources in the entertainment industry are limited, so high-quality projects always attract a lot of attention. That's normal."

Kimura's eyes swept across Yamamoto's face, as if to see through all his disguises:

"Does Mr. Yamamoto know the true identities of the members of this band?"

Yamamoto felt a cold sweat run down his back. He knew Toyokawa Shoko was one of the organizers of Ave Mujica, but he wasn't sure if revealing this information now was wise. On the one hand, he didn't want to betray Toyokawa Shoko's trust; on the other, lying to Kimura would be tantamount to seeking his own death.

"As far as I know, they are all high school students and very talented musicians," Yamamoto said cautiously. "As for their specific identities...we respect the privacy of the artists, so we haven't delved too much into them."

"High school student..." Kimura narrowed his eyes slightly

Why is Shunya Ishikawa so interested in a band composed of high school students?

Yamamoto Ryuichi remained silent.

"You know the current situation of the Canglong Society, right?"

Kimura suddenly changed the subject, his tone carrying a hint of meaning.

Yamamoto realized that Kimura was testing his position and that this was an extremely dangerous conversation.

"I'm just an outsider," Yamamoto replied cautiously. "I have no right to comment on the internal affairs of the Soryukai."

"Of course, of course."

Kimura smiled and said, "I'm just curious, is your investment in Ave Mujica based on purely commercial considerations, or... are there other factors? Like the involvement of certain specific people?"

Yamamoto felt suffocated, and Kimura had obviously noticed something.

He had to answer carefully, neither telling a complete lie nor revealing Toyokawa Shoko's secret.

"It's primarily a business consideration," Yamamoto said. "Of course, some investments also consider personal connections. This is very common in our industry."

“Connections…”

Kimura repeated the word thoughtfully, and then asked in a playful tone:

"Can you tell me specifically what kind of connections they are?"

Yamamoto knew that he had reached the edge of a cliff, and one step further would be into the abyss.

"Some friends in the entertainment industry, and some... support from family backgrounds."

He was vague: "It's all normal business cooperation."

Yamamoto Ryuichi knew very well that it would be easy for the other party to investigate Shoko Toyokawa who was behind Ave mujica.

All he could do was to shift his "motive" onto the Toyokawa family.

Kimura was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Mr. Yamamoto is really cautious. Keeping secrets is a virtue, I understand."

He stood up and walked to the window. "However, I suggest that Mr. Yamamoto be more careful when choosing a partner."

Yamamoto knew the conversation was over and Kimura had gotten the information he wanted—or rather, confirmed his suspicions.

"Thank you, Mr. Kimura, for your reminder. I'll keep it in mind." Yamamoto stood up and bowed slightly. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

"Of course." Kimura walked over and shook hands with Yamamoto again. "It's a pleasure to talk to you, Mr. Yamamoto. I look forward to seeing you next time."