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Knock, knock, knock.
If an office door was unlocked when he turned the doorknob, surely it didn't count as breaking and entering, right? Akiyama tried knocking again, shivering. Hana was going to have his head if he caught a cold from being out in the rain, seeing as he basically ran out of the Sky Finance office without an umbrella or his overcoat.
“Kanemura-san!” Akiyama pulled open the door and stuck his head in. "Is anyone home?"
He scanned around the room quickly for signs of life but was disappointed to only see a mess of papers on the desk in the corner, chairs strewn everywhere and duct tape on the middle seats of both old leather couches instead. At least the room only faintly smelled of smoke, like someone had recently aired it out. Did Kanemura entertain important guests here? Even by Akiyama's own relaxed standards, this was a poor first impression.
Where is Kanemura-san, anyway?
Led by Kanemura Hiroshi, Kanemura Enterprises was a group under the Shibata family of the Tojo Clan. The man himself was well past his golden years, seemingly content to rest on the few golden laurels he had left. From the information dossier Hana had given him, the group had been shrinking in the last few years with its most promising members quickly poached into its parent branch by Shibata himself.
Akiyama sighed. This really put a damper on his plan to find more about the incident in December 2005 — finding information about the night that gave him his second chance was trickier than he'd thought it would be.Newspapers and gossip rags had been useless, contradictory and while he'd heard whispers about an underground informant, his homeless friends stopped being so loose-lipped with their intel ever since he started up Sky Finance. He had so little to go with that that he’d intentionally taken this risky connection to Kanemura Enterprises as a jumping pad into the yakuza for potential further leads.
(The closest thing Akiyama had heard were praises about that yakuza who was truly kind, just, and had refused to accept any thanks for his help. Songs of praises had piled up to the point where a mysterious old man had even claimed that the yakuza had reminded him of a former Tojo patriarch, how he’d been waiting for a man like this to transform Kamurocho. Akiyama wasn’t even sure if this anecdote was to be believed but the man’s intense faith had continuously kept Akiyama curious during his search.)
Crossing his arms in thought, he considered abandoning Kanemura's plight and to just start completely anew on his search. In his mind's eye he could already hear Hana's approval to drop the yakuza as a potential client, reminding him about all the new anti-yakuza restrictions announced attempting to starve their ill-connections with the general population. Unfortunately for Hana, Akiyama couldn't share her opinion as he benefited from their antics both personally and as a moneylender.
After all, his entire work thrived in helping those who fell into this gray area.
As the rain continued and the wind howled against the windows, Akiyama eagerly looked for an excuse to stay dry and warm instead of going back into the downpour. An empty ashtray, some monthly comic magazines... A single door on the far corner of the room caught his eye. Perhaps someone was in there and didn't hear him? He walked over, opened the door and was surprised to encounter a spacious area almost the same size as the first room, with couches that still boasted their new leather smell complete with a polished executive desk and chair.
Maybe this is where they entertain VIP guests.
Akiyama froze as his eyes trailed over to the left and noticed a tall figure standing by the window. Suddenly, he felt two years younger and remembered the taste of bile in his throat from being beaten up by homeless hunters. The man in front of him, in his tidy gray-purple suit and navy shirt, looked almost exactly the same as the first time they met two years ago.
...Arai-san?
"—how did you? No, you're absolutely in the wrong area. Head back to Shichifuku East." Arai said sternly, his mouth a grim line while focused with the conversation on his phone. He then glanced over toward the door to see Akiyama, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Sorry, there's someone here. I’ll talk to you later." Arai flipped his phone shut, tucking it away into his suit jacket pocket before walking over to Akiyama. "My apologies, I didn't hear the front door buzzer ring. May I help you with something?"
"The last time I saw you, you wore a stuffy tie with that getup," thought Akiyama, and at the other man's confusion he realized that he had accidentally spoken aloud.
"Have we met before?"
"Let's start from the beginning," Akiyama reached into his jacket pocket, the metal card case making a satisfying click as he flipped it open. He politely bowed and held out a business card with both hands. "I'm Akiyama Shun from Sky Finance, a loan company. Nice to meet you."
"A moneylender...?" Arai murmured softly, looking over at him carefully. He accepted the card, and, after a moment, his eyes suddenly widened in recognition. "I remember now, we met under different circumstances in late 2005." He paused, smiling a little. "You look well, Akiyama-san."
Akiyama chuckled, rubbing one hand on the back of his head as his ears turned pink in embarrassment from the memory. What a polite way to skirt around his previous homelessness. "Are you surprised?"
"Not at all. I'm glad you were able to pick yourself up so quickly." Arai smiled lightly as he carefully put away the business card.
"Thank you."
"You already remember who I am, but," Arai bowed, his lapel pin catching the light as he straightened up. "I'm Arai Hiroaki, a member of Kanemura Enterprises under the Shibata family. On behalf of my boss, I'm sorry for today's inconvenience-- he had to leave the office suddenly."
"Don't sweat it, it's not too far from my own office," Akiyama said as Arai gestured to the door to lead them back to the main room, stepping in line to follow the other man. This meeting was better than any lead he could ask for. "Do you know if he'll be back today?"
"Unfortunately not," Arai said. "I wouldn't expect him in the office again until tomorrow at the earliest. Thank you for the business card, I'll reach out to you myself to reschedule your appointment."
"Much appreciated." Sensing a great opportunity, Akiyama pulled out his phone from his pocket, flipping it open. "How about we exchange email addresses or phone numbers then?"
Arai paused for a moment before nodding. "Sure."
"Thanks!" Akiyama smiled. Once they were done, Akiyama decided to make himself home and took a seat, leaning back onto the couch cushions. He was surprised that the strips of duct tape messily plastered on didn't affect the cushion comfort at all. "What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon? Collections?"
"Already done, but I still need to finish tidying up before I leave the office," Arai said carefully, and frowned. "Shouldn't you be getting back soon?"
Akiyama shrugged. "It's still raining and I'm sure Hana-chan will be fine hanging tight at her desk for a while longer." At Arai's visible confusion, he clarified. "My secretary."
Arai shook his head. "There might be train delays later with the storm forecast. If you need an umbrella, the M Store downstairs sells them so please don’t keep her waiting." He walked over to the common area, grabbed all the stray cups and placed them into the kitchenette sink before starting to wipe down the desks.
He’d clearly overstayed his welcome. Akiyama had many questions but if Kanemura Hiroshi were to fail his test for a loan, Akiyama's one connection to the other man in this room would disappear as he would no longer have any reason to visit again. He had to think quickly. As he watched Arai walk into Kanemura's office holding a cleaning cloth, it slowly dawned on Akiyama that he'd been almost staring at the man for the last fifteen minutes.
What if Arai-san was Kanemura's guarantor?
Akiyama sighed internally. Arai would be absolutely insane to even agree and, well, it was one of Sky Finance's selling points not to need one.
…What if Arai Hiroaki was my client?
Arai wouldn't be exempt from his tests, of course, but it would be interesting to see whether the man was still just as upstanding as he was a few years ago. Armed with the name and job of his mysterious savior, Akiyama could already think of a few informants and friends he could pry for information from, but, his mind still burned with curiosity over the most important question that he didn’t know how to approach Arai directly with.
Do you still want to change this city?
It wasn’t a question he could ask of this near stranger at this moment, but strangers with an odd connection always had an opportunity for friendship in the future. There’d always be another time if he played his cards right. Something about the man told Akiyama that the man’s sudden exclamation from two years ago still lingered within and, as the owner of Sky Finance, it was his duty to give people a second chance.
Arai-san as a client– no, he’s better than a client. Arai-san is more like an investment.
Akiyama stood up, yawned loudly and stretched. He considered calling out to Arai to announce his departure and thank the man for his time and help, but thought better of it and walked over to the door. As he pushed the door open, he stopped and turned around at the sound of soft footsteps approaching.
"Akiyama-san," Arai walked briskly over with an olive umbrella in hand. He held it out handle first for Akiyama to take. "Please take this."
Akiyama was touched by the gesture and reached out for it but his hand stilled right before he grasped the handle. "Thanks, but what about you?"
"I'm sure there's a spare lying around somewhere," Arai replied, then he dipped his head in a short bow. "I apologize again that you weren't able to meet with Kanemura-oyaji today."
"Don't worry about it. Actually, I'd love to thank you properly for saving me back then so after I call up my secretary, how about dinner and drinks tonight? My treat."
"That's very kind of you, but it's not necessary," Arai said. He looked uncomfortable at the idea. "Knowing that you've thrived since then is more than enough for me."
His words surprised Akiyama. Dinner and drinks really wasn't anything special. From what little Akiyama knew of Arai he was already unlike any yakuza he had ever met. "I'm sure a guy like you could stand to relax a little."
"I'm not sure that I--"
Before Arai could properly respond, an unfamiliar message chime rang out. After Akiyama's wave to go-ahead, Arai pulled his phone out to read the message. A tight expression crossed his face for a moment before he snapped the phone shut, smoothing back to a neutral expression as he put it away.
Akiyama was curious but he had pushed enough today. It was time for a strategic retreat. He stepped out of the office and he turned to see that Arai followed him out. He smiled. "Thanks for the umbrella. I'll definitely see you around."
"I'm not so sure," Arai said, but his tone was more guarded than Akiyama had expected. It almost felt like a warning to stay away. "Kamurocho is a big city."
"That's true, but," Akiyama chuckled as he walked toward the staircase, turning around to give the other man one last look. If nothing else, he now held in his hand a new excuse to visit Arai. "Kamurocho is a city for dreamers like us. If there's something you want, you only need to chase after it."
Then without looking back, Akiyama descended the stairs with a bounce in his step, opened the umbrella to cover himself and slowly made his way back to Tenkaichi Street.