Getting Ready

"Really!"

A fevered voice rang out in the tea room. Sato Ken shot to his feet, completely unaware that scalding tea had spilled onto his robes.

"Of course. You're not worth tarnishing the Tanaka Clan's reputation over."

Tanaka Yoshikado raised a brow. Looking at the agitated figure who had stood up, he nodded with certainty.

"My apologies. I got a little carried away."

After taking several deep breaths, Sato Jian regained his composure and gave the two of them an apologetic smile. His expression flickered, but he ignored the tatami beneath him, now soaked through, and slowly sat back down.

"Please enlighten me, Clan Head Tanaka."

Having calmed himself, Sato Ken spoke in a low voice. He appeared perfectly composed, but beneath the tea table, where neither of the others could see, his hands were tightly clutching his damp robes.

"Enlighten you?" Tanaka Yoshikado grinned, casting a sidelong glance at Samu Kokaze. I'd like to know what this brat is up to myself!

Naturally, he did not voice those thoughts. Instead, he raised a hand and pointed at Samu Kokaze, who had been sitting to the side watching the show ever since entering the room. "Just do whatever he tells you."

"Him?"

His voice rose several pitches as he looked at the small figure being pointed at, his expression turning blank.

"You have a problem with that?"

Seeing Sato Ken's reaction, Tanaka Yoshikado's expression abruptly turned cold.

"No, no!" Sato Ken hurriedly waved his hands. He looked at Samu Kokaze across from him with a conflicted expression, then carefully asked after pondering for a long while, "And you are, young sir..." He paused over the form of address. "What can I do to assist you?"

"Just call me Feng."

Samu Kokaze replied casually, pulling a map he had drawn the previous night from his pocket. Seeing the water stains splashed across the tea table, he frowned.

Sato Ken, who had been watching Samu Kokaze closely, was quick to catch on. Seeing the sheet of paper, he hurriedly used his sleeve to wipe the table clean, moved the tea set onto the floor, and put on a fawning smile.

Samu Kokaze gave him a look of approval and spread the map across the tea table.

"This... is this a map of our Sato Clan?"

Sato Ken, who had not thought much of it at first, was now utterly stunned. He swallowed as he stared at the incredibly detailed map before him.

An ordinary map would have been nothing. Given the Tanaka Clan's influence, obtaining a rough terrain map of the Sato Clan would not have been difficult. But this map even detailed the layouts of the residences where the Sato Clan Head and Lord Sato Liandu lived. That was not something one could obtain casually. At the very least, only someone at the level of a clan elder could get their hands on it.

"Do you see the twenty-four red dots marked here?"

Samu Kokaze glanced at the stunned Sato Ken and pointed to the detailed map spread over the table.

Gulp...

Sato Ken swallowed hard and nodded repeatedly as the other two fixed their eyes on him.

"Your task is very simple."

Seeing him nod, Samu Kokaze could not be bothered to consider why he was so nervous. This map had been drawn based on the intelligence extracted from Genichi's mind, so there should not be any major omissions.

"Someone will bring you some things shortly. All you need to do is place them in the areas I marked, and your task will be complete. From then on, no one will ever come looking for you again."

"Any other questions?"

Samu Kokaze frowned as he looked at the dazed Sato Ken.

"It's that simple?!"

Upon hearing that, Sato Ken's face filled with disbelief. When he had heard this would be his final task, he had already formed a rough estimate of its difficulty.

But he had never expected it to be this. At this level, anyone in the Sato Clan with even a little status could accomplish it. After all, the red dots on the map marked ordinary places, not any secret locations that were difficult to access.

"Is simple not good enough? Or do you insist on a difficult task? If you can take out Sato Liandu, that can count as your final task too. How about it?"

Hearing Sato Ken's cry of surprise, Samu Kokaze looked at him with a serious expression.

"No, no! This task is fine, this task is fine!"

Sato Ken hurriedly shook his head, his square face piled with smiles.

Looking at the grinning figure across from him, a hint of mockery surfaced in Samu Kokaze's eyes. He rose to his feet, kicked Tanaka Yoshikado beside him, and headed toward the tea room door.

"Before seven tonight, I don't care how you do it, but you must complete the task I gave you. Otherwise..."

Standing at the entrance to the tea room, Samu Kokaze sneered twice before pushing open the door and walking out.

Sato Ken remained kneeling in the room, his expression blank as he stared at the map on the table. A struggle flashed through his eyes. In the end, he let out a long sigh, gathered up the map, and remained quietly in the tea room to wait.

Outside the tea house, after waiting at a street corner for half an hour and seeing that no one emerged from the tea room, Samu Kokaze chuckled and turned toward the Tanaka estate.

"You're that certain he won't go inform Sato Liandu? He isn't stupid. There's something deeply suspicious about this, and there's no way he wouldn't notice."

On the way back, Tanaka Yoshikado could not help lowering his head to speak.

Samu Kokaze looked up at him and said irritably, "Didn't you also trust that he wouldn't report us, which is why you felt comfortable leaving with me? Otherwise, would you be acting like this?"

"Tch."

A thoughtful smile hung on Tanaka Yoshikado's face. "I can rest easy because I understand him. He has a gambler's mentality. Since he didn't report us immediately, it's obvious he's placed his bet on us."

"And you? You don't know him. The only information you have came from me, and this was your first time meeting him. Why do you believe he'll do as you say?"

Without even raising his head, Samu Kokaze said faintly, "Isn't that what you're here for? As long as you think he's fine, that's enough. If something goes wrong, they'll come after you first anyway."

Tanaka Yoshikado rolled his eyes at that and said irritably, "I knew a black-hearted brat like you wouldn't have anything good to say!"

Samu Kokaze glanced up at him from the corner of his eye, giving him a look that said, You knew that, so why ask?

"Feng!"

As the two were heading back toward the Tanaka Clan, an incredibly piercing voice rang out ahead of them.

They looked up.

Guy, dressed in his ever-present green jumpsuit, appeared at the end of the street. Upon seeing the two of them, he pushed off hard and instantly appeared before them.

"Why did you come out without calling me? You know your situation is dangerous right now."

Looking at Samu Kokaze before him, Guy wore a worried expression. His thick brows furrowed as he reprimanded him in a low voice.

"Sorry, sorry! I made you worry, Brother Guy. It won't happen again."

Seeing Guy's concern, Samu Kokaze hurriedly put on a smile and promised him.

Standing beside them, Tanaka Yoshikado frowned slightly. He glanced at Guy and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Guy, within the Tanaka Clan's sphere of influence, his safety is assured."

Guy laughed awkwardly and said nothing more, though it was obvious he had not taken the words to heart.

Samu Kokaze glanced at Tanaka Yoshikado, who was frowning and about to speak again, then lightly kicked him. "Enough. Let's get back. After wandering around outside for so long, I'm hungry again."

Tanaka Yoshikado's cheek twitched. "I really don't know what your stomach is made of."