Lucky Mutual Aid Society (12)

"Kid~ Thanks for the protection money. I left a little for your bento. If I run out of cash in a few days, I'll come find you again. Keep working hard~ Hahahahaha~"

After watching the two thugs take the last few thousand yen from his wallet and leave, Inuyama Heita sighed as he looked at the few coins left. How could this little bit of money buy anything, let alone a bento? But he knew he would get the money back eventually—if Qian Xiaoyi's guess was correct.

So, he took out his phone and called Qian Xiaoyi, but the call was rejected. A moment later, Qian Xiaoyi sent him a message.

Qian Xiaoyi: [It's around the time you get out of school. It looks like they've already extorted you? But don't rush to contact me. Take the train to work first. Contact that guy when you get home tonight. This way, you can show your hatred and the inner turmoil of your struggle. Pay attention to your character, don't mess up the act.]

It wasn't surprising that Qian Xiaoyi could guess. Inuyama Heita replied: [...Got it. But what you said sounds just like making a movie.]

Qian Xiaoyi: [Haha, pretty much~ Don't blow your cover, or our plan will be ruined~ I can't chat anymore, I'm investigating something outside. I'll contact you later.]

Inuyama Heita put away his phone and took the train to Shanwai Lou for his part-time job. Although he had no money left, his train pass was still valid, so taking the train was not a problem.

He quietly endured until evening. Inuyama Heita returned home with freshly packed takeout food. After eating at a leisurely pace, he gathered his emotions before taking out his phone and dialing the contact number on the flyer Matsui had left.

The call was answered quickly by a gentle female voice. "Hello, this is the Lucky Mutual Aid Society. How may I help you?"

"Um..." Inuyama Heita carefully chose his words and then said, "My name is Inuyama Heita. Mr. Matsui said I could contact him if I needed anything."

"Mr. Inuyama Heita, is that correct?" the female voice said. "Mr. Matsui mentioned you. If you wish to contact him, please dial the number below..."

After noting down the number, Inuyama Heita hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and contacted Matsui.

"Hello, Matsui speaking. Who is this?"

"Mr. Matsui, I... I'm Inuyama Heita..."

Inuyama Heita tried his best to sound flustered as he asked Matsui if there were any part-time jobs available to make money, instead of directly telling him that he had been extorted and needed help dealing with those two thugs. This was also the result of his discussion with Qian Xiaoyi. Due to the unspoken social rule of "not wanting to trouble others," people here tended to be very... indirect in their actions and words. Therefore, according to Inuyama Heita's "character," he wouldn't directly ask Matsui for help. After all, an ordinary student would likely be hesitant and afraid of escalating the situation. Moreover, with no parental support behind Inuyama Heita, he had more concerns. If those two thugs were indeed sent by Matsui, then he would definitely not miss this opportunity.

"There are part-time jobs, but I'd prefer if you joined our organization... Also, Heita-kun, you seem to have something weighing on your mind?" As expected, Matsui had transformed into a sympathetic older brother and asked patiently, "Heita-kun, from my observation, you're not the type to proactively ask others for help, are you? You must have encountered something you can't solve on your own, right?"

"N-no, it's nothing. I'm just a bit short on cash lately. Nothing else..." Inuyama Heita hesitated. Matsui kept comforting and persuading him. Finally, after a few minutes of pushing and pulling the conversation to its limit, Inuyama Heita told Matsui about the extortion.

"I understand. Leave this matter to us, Heita-kun. Don't worry, focus on your studies." Matsui said and hung up.

Inuyama Heita's expression returned to its usual calm, and he even felt like laughing. He shook his head and went to wash up and sleep, looking forward to the drama that would unfold the next day. Through this phone call, he had confirmed that the incident was orchestrated by Matsui's side, and naturally, he no longer believed a word the man said.

The next day, the show finally began. After school, Inuyama Heita followed his usual route straight to the station and then to Shanwai Lou for his part-time job. As expected, he was stopped by the thugs who appeared out of nowhere.

"They're here." Inuyama Heita put on his nervous expression again, though he was filled with anticipation.

"Hey! Inuyama, you went to work yesterday, right?" the thug shouted. "Buy us a bottle of drink, aren't we friends?"

Although Inuyama Heita wondered when they had become friends, he still pretended to be scared and stammered, "I... I didn't go to work yesterday, so I don't have money for you."

"What did you say?!" Another thug grabbed Inuyama Heita's collar with his uninjured hand, holding out his bandaged one. He yelled, "You brat, have you forgotten who injured my hand? My hand hurts every night, and it's all your fault! Aren't you going to admit it? Do your classmates and teachers know what kind of person Inuyama Heita really is? If that's the case, I feel obligated to tell them your true nature, don't you think, Inuyama?"

"I... I..." Inuyama was still feigning timidity, but the next moment, he noticed many people suddenly emerging from all around, surrounding him and the thugs.

"Don't touch this child," a familiar voice said.

Inuyama Heita froze, then his expression turned to disbelief. "Mr. Matsui?!"

Matsui still had that smile on his face, accompanied by over a dozen people. Inuyama Heita vaguely recognized a few of them; they should be members of the Lucky Mutual Aid Society.

"It's Inuyama-kun, right?" A middle-aged man accompanying him said with a hearty laugh. "Mr. Matsui told us you were in trouble, so we all came." Inuyama Heita vaguely remembered this person was called Kuroda or Kuroki, who had spoken at a gathering.

"Hmph hmph hmph~ Bullying young boys like this, I absolutely won't allow it!" Another heavily made-up, bearded, and burly man, like a tomboy, placed his hand on the thug's shoulder and applied a little pressure...

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" The thug's face contorted in pain as he cried out, "No to violence! No to violence!"

Seeing this, the other thug shouted with a false show of bravado, "Hey, who are you guys! If you keep this up, I'm calling the police!"

"Extorting a high school student and then threatening to call the police?" Matsui found it somewhat amusing. He nodded at Inuyama Heita. "Wait a moment, Heita-kun. We'll have a chat with those two."

"Leave it to us," an uncle said, giving Inuyama Heita a thumbs-up.

The group surrounded the two thugs and led them into a nearby alley.