“Murdering someone is usually bad,” Tanaka said in a light, matter-of-fact tone. “It’s like the quickest way to get in deep trouble, so you really wanna avoid that as long as possible, unless it’s oyabun’s exact order for you personally.”
“Stay away from drugs,” Kyomoto advised with a finger raised, ”the oyabun hates them, considers them beneath us. Also we don’t disturb common civilians’ everyday life. So no theft or robbery, no scaring kids, and definitely not any kind of indecent acts towards women,” he continued, raising more fingers as he listed the rules.
“Imagine we’re like Robin Hood,” Lewis said with an encouraging smile. “You know, the guy who takes from the rich and gives to the poor.”
Kochi nodded, trying to look eager to learn rather than queasy with nerves. He had been happy to take the job, but now he wondered if the plan was quite as well-thought as it had originally seemed. An undercover policeman pretending to be a jobless delinquent and joining the yakuza in order to gather information on a huge case? What could go wrong?
“Here,” Matsumura said, smiling warmly as he placed a full tray of onigiri and dry snacks on the table in front everyone. “Eat. You must be hungry. The food at the center for the homeless is scarce, if I remember correctly.”
“Thanks,” Kochi said, putting up his best face of touched relief. “Um, yes, it…it wasn’t great. I mean, it was tasty, but the portions were rather small.” Apparently it was the correct way to answer, because Matsumura only nodded solemnly and nudged the tray closer towards him. He reached for an onigiri, careful to only touch the seaweed so his fingers wouldn’t get sticky, and was surprised to find it was handmade, the rice still slightly warmer than the room temperature.
“Did you make this?” he asked, eyes round. He wasn’t sure what he had expected from his first hours in this Big Ancient Boarding House of Five Young Yakuzas, but certainly not fresh, homemade comfort food.
“We have a system!” Lewis rushed to explain. “We share all the household chores, with rotating turns. But Hokuto’s cooking days are the best! And just wait until you get to taste Shintaro’s special pasta! It’s like the next best thing down from nirvana.”
Kochi nodded slowly, munching down his onigiri and watching with growing confusion how the yukata-clad men around him dug into the offered food, chatting and laughing like they were old high school besties on an onsen holiday instead of a bunch of criminals in their lair.
Criminals, Kochi firmly repeated in his mind. Liars, traitors, unlawful thugs. Members of a criminal organization.
Lewis threw his head back with a loud, bellowing laughter. Tanaka collapsed against Morimoto’s shoulder, laughing with all his teeth showing, and wiping off tears of mirth. Morimoto answered by grinning and patting Tanaka’s back. Matsumura was beaming at them while Kyomoto, scrunching up his nose and pursing his lips, looked very pleased with himself. Kochi had no idea what Kyomoto had said while he wasn’t listening, but it was obviously the joke of the year.
He swallowed. Criminals, liars, traitors, thugs.
-
Mild evening wind blew through the sitting area, bringing in fresh air after the warmth of the mid-spring day. Kyomoto had just opened one of the sliding paper doors, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful view into the backyard garden surrounded by high walls of the House. Somewhere a wind chime clinked brightly.
The House itself was a traditional style mansion with two floors. Kochi hadn’t yet seen the bedrooms but apparently he was to share a room with someone. He guessed he’d find his meager luggage at bedtime at latest; the ugly, old ziptie-mended backpack and a shabby track jacket. In his backpack he had a change of t-shirt and briefs, a spoiled can of vending machine coffee, a half-eaten bag of chips and a cigarette lighter. No weapons of any kind, and nothing that could connect him to his real identity.
Kochi startled when Lewis appeared by his side on the living room sofa, almost wriggling with anticipation.
“To the business!” Lewis enthused. “This is my favorite part - you get to decide your first tattoo! It’s an important one, so make it a good, too!”
Gripping the cup of green tea that Matsumura had just served him, Kochi couldn’t stop his eyes from widening. “Now?” he stammered. “I thought…doesn’t one have to earn them or something?”
“Nah,” Tanaka said and threw himself to lounge by Kochi’s other side with a tattered scroll of paper in his hands. “Becoming yakuza is the merit you get it for. We’ve got lots of inspiration pictures, just choose whatever you like!”
Placing his tea cup to the low sofa table, Kochi took the scroll with two hands and started to slowly roll it open. It was probably for the best to show respect to the scroll, just in case.
There were small paintings of various animals and objects painted over people’s backs, chests and arms. The tattoos were so big, it must take dozens of hours to finish them. He had never in his life wished to sit down and be poked with a needle for one hour. Not even for one minute. In fact, he had hated to be stung with any kind of a needle even just once whenever he had had to have his blood drawn.
“Do…do all of you have tattoos like this already?” he asked, trying to sound curious rather than terrified.
“We do!” Tanaka said, grinning. So maybe Kochi wasn’t being so convincing. “Want to see?”
Without waiting for an answer, Tanaka pulled off the sleeves of his navy blue yukata and turned around, revealing a long, shiny green snake that covered his whole back. Its narrow tail curled at his waist on the right side while its head reached his left shoulder, and the whole snake was surrounded by intricate leaves and flowers. The snake’s eyes were half-closed narrow slits, like it was resting but ready to attack if needed.
“It’s for good health and strength,” Tanaka said, peeking over his own shoulder. “Isn’t it cool? Come on everybody, show him!”
All at once, everyone was pulling their sleeves off, except for Tanaka who pushed his hands back into the sleeves, fixed the fit of the garment, and threw himself to the sofa next to Kochi again.
On Kyomoto’s back there was a beautiful white tiger with big purple chrysanthemums around it. The tiger’s mouth was open in a roar and its claws were fully visible, like the animal was just about to attack.
“The tiger is for longevity and strength,” Tanaka explained like a radio announcer. “See how detailed the face is! The tattooist was one of the best in Tokyo! He’s passed now, but Taiga was lucky to get his tattoo before that! Now Jesse!”
Lewis turned around, proudly showing a dragon that stared sharply at the viewer.
“The dragon is meant to protect the person who carries it,” Tanaka explained. “And to give courage, too.”
The dragon's green scales had been painted so that they seemed to reflect the bright orange of the soaring flames around it. The tattoo also spread across Lewis' shoulders and down to his arms. Even his elbows were colored with shades of red, orange, and yellow.
“That looks painful,” Kochi said before he could stop himself.
“Hurt like the deepest levels of hell,” Lewis said proudly. (Proudly?!) “But it's alright - that’s kinda the whole point. You show your courage by enduring the pain!”
“Right…” Kochi muttered, turning to look up at Matsumura and Morimoto who turned around at the same time, showing him their backs. Matsumura’s back was also covered by bright flames and sparks, with a gorgeous red phoenix rising from the lower back and spreading its wings across the man’s wide shoulders. Morimoto’s back was the exact opposite in color and theme; three golden koi fish swimming in a splash of blue water, while cherry petals and blossoms floated around the fish.
“The phoenix is the sign of immortality and glory,” Tanaka said in a low voice near Kochi's ear. Kochi startled. He hadn’t realized Tanaka was leaning so close to him. “And the koi are for perseverance and luck.”
“So,” Kyomoto said as he pulled his sleeves back on. “What would you like? There are lots of options, and you can choose either by the picture or the symbolism, whichever feels more meaningful to you!”
Kochi looked at Kyomoto, down at the scroll still in his hands, and back at Kyomoto again.
“Well, I…I like hedgehogs?”
Hedgehogs, apparently, were not a Thing. Pity, really. However, he spotted a painting of a crane dancing in front of the red sphere of the rising sun, and the others were quick to inform him that the crane symbolized peace, happiness and protecting one’s family and those who were weak.
“It’s an excellent choice! A lucky one,” Morimoto said with feeling, patting Kochi’s shoulder with his hand. “It’s somewhat rare too. If you die, we’ll be sure to harvest the tattooed skin from your back, so its honor and value stay in our family. So don’t you worry at all!”