Some time later, Blast’s phone lit up with a text message. The look on her face seemed disturbed or maybe… sadistic? I did not like the way she was looking at me after she read it and I really didn’t like it when she left the room on her own. An odd pang of anxiety ripped through my stomach and my whole body tensed. What happened next proved what a complete fool I was to have trusted Nana. When she returned, she was carrying an folded ensemble which she tossed to me. I unfolded the surprisingly weighty cloth to try and figure out what I was in for, because I was not liking where this was going. It was a heavy white apron and a puffy white hat with a red ball on the top. Blast had turned her back to me and stared at the wall. Was she trying to mock me?

“Get changed.” she prodded. I gritted my teeth and decided to play along.

When I signaled her to turn back around she looked disappointed.

“You weren’t supposed to keep your other clothes on...”

She complained, seeing that I’d simply thrown the apron and hat on top of my existing outfit. My reply was a not terribly polite hand gesture. She cackled and waved me toward the door. “C’mon there’s a car waiting.”

In the parking lot of the love hotel, idled a bright pink ice cream truck. Blasts put her hand between my shoulder blades and pushed me toward it.

“This... will be your home for the next month...”

The look I gave her left her cackling and holding her sides. Have I mentioned recently that she is an asshole? The driver side window rolled down and someone in a similar hat waved at me. On closer inspection, it was actually Makoto. The hat finally started to make sense. It was supposed to look like the top of a vanilla ice cream cone and the red ball was supposed to be a cherry.

“Climb in back and we’ll be off.” Makoto spoke in that oddly androgynous voice. Blast gave me a wave before backing away toward her bike. Before I had time to say anything, she keyed the engine and peeled out of the parking lot. I made my way to the back of the truck and climbed up into the serving area. The truck began moving the moment I closed the back door, thankfully, there was a seat along the back wall I was able to get into quickly. I could hear the large freezer in front of me humming loudly until the truck’s musical chime kicked on. I started looking around the cabin since there was little else to do. Posted on the wall was a reference sheet listing all the available flavors and the prices for each. There was a dispenser for cones and a soft serve machine with neatly labeled buttons. The truck was very well organized and intuitively laid out. Something I was immensely grateful for, as the truck pulled over and Makoto slid open the service panel. Mako had barely climbed into the back beside me when a man in a brown suit sauntered up.

Mako elbowed me in the ribs and I handed over a cone from the dispenser. Mako took his order and I watched her fill it. He plonked a few coins on the counter and Mako tabbed at them with a finger. We repeated this process a few times before I got jabbed in the ribs again and Mako stepped out the back. The next customer walked up and I froze. Thankfully I’d been paying attention and I was used to quickly counting change from my days at the store. Something about the customers bothered me though, and that’s when I noticed the pattern. They all had pins on their lapels… not the family crest of a Yakuza, but the cherry blossom crest used by the police force. We’d parked right in front of the freakin’ local precinct.

I did my best to keep my expression friendly as a pair of uniformed officers approached. I mean... what did I have to worry about? I hadn’t actually broken any laws yet. I bit my tongue at the word “yet” like I already considered it to be inevitable. I wasn’t the one extorting local businesses, at absolute worst, I was a knowing accessory.

Makoto Kanno’s arms crossed. The detective leaning up against the ice cream van fiddled with her lighter. She dropped it back into her pocket in frustration and looked Mako in the eye “The raid didn’t come from the organized crime division, It came out of narcotics.” Mako listened quietly, holding a strawberry ice cream cone close. That made sense, Mako had enough contacts in the organized crime unit that they couldn’t have moved without the Dragon knowing. If there is one thing the Dragon excelled at beyond the other three branches, it was counter intelligence. One of the major advantages of the Dragon being small and it’s members predominantly female was it made the organization incredibly hard in infiltrate.

The Dragon’s strength was not its size, but its discipline and cunning. It's why the job of intelligence gathering was Mako’s primary role. It was vital to the survival of the Dragon that they knew every movement of the police and other clans well before it happened. The officer continued to spell out details, but very little of it was relevant to the clan’s immediate concerns. When the officer stopped, Mako handed her the strawberry cone. She grinned and took a lick as she headed back to work. The treat concealed a plastic cap inside the cone that protected a series of tightly rolled bills hidden beneath. It was a shockingly simple trick that left nothing but a fairly inconspicuous plastic disc behind.

We packed up the truck after about half an hour. This place got busy in the afternoons. Mako was making bank out here even in the current nippy weather. I wondered if my mom would let me carve out a corner of the bookstore for a soft serve machine.

We made a few brief stops, passing through a neighborhood. Mako pulled off and parked in front of a small one story home. We left our hats and aprons in the back of the truck and Mako knocked on the front door. The place was an old style Japanese affair, the front being a sliding panel door. To my surprise, it was Xianying who answered. She lead us inside and we kicked off our shoes at the entrance. The front hall lead to a cozy living room with a TV and a kotatsu. Sitting at the head was the blonde foreigner they all called “boss.” She was even larger up close. She was attempting to peel a clementine that looked absolutely miniscule in her giant hands. Veins pulsed as she attempted the delicate task. I stood ready to shield my face should she accidentally crush it. I needn’t have worried, she managed it just fine and we- that is myself, Mako and Xianying- joined her. For those not from around here, I should explain that a kotatsu is a small table with a blanket skirt and a heater underneath. Maybe not the most efficient way of keeping someone warm, but I was more than grateful for it under the circumstances.

Mako was the first to speak. “As we thought, the raid was from the narcotics division.” Xianying nodded and she continued.

“Aoi is still in custody. They discovered enough cocaine in the club to put her away for a long time.” I knocked the table as I nearly jumped out of my seat.

“You were dealing drugs out of the club?!” Xianying motioned for me to sit.

“We were not. The Dragon does not deal in drugs. They were planted to justify the raid. They must have known going through the organized crime division would have given us time to prepare.”

Xianying shook her head. “Their real goal was to capture Tsubasa.”

I bit my lip.

“They failed. Tsubasa was moved to a secure location yesterday.” Mako cut her off.

“The real question now is why are they going after her. They know the assault charge against Kairi’s mother is a complete fiction.” Xianying sipped her tea.

“The real target is the Dragon. It's the only thing that fits. Someone wants us out of the way. I fear as of now we do not know why, but it's obviously linked to the odd behaviour of the Tigers and Cranes lately.”

The Boss spoke in a low, yet confident tone. “The Tortoise remains still. I’m not certain what to make of it.”

Xianying put down her cup and glared at me. “One thing is certain. Things are only going to get worse. Kairi...” Her gaze was piercing it sent a chill down my spine. “You’ll need to decide soon if this path is the one you really want to take.”

I didn’t really have any other options. If there was a way to protect my mom and our home, this had to be it. I still wanted to fly more than anything but I couldn’t do that knowing my mother had sacrificed everything for it. I’d protect her and our home even if it meant getting my hands dirty. I’d been prepared to accept that the moment I entered the hostess club.

The boss stood, followed by Xianying and Makoto. They bowed as the Boss got up to leave. I did my best to mimic them when my brain kicked in. Xiangying raised her head first and pointed at me.

“We can’t afford to let operations slip. You and Blast are going on collection and cleanup detail while we figure this out? Understood?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” I nodded and bowed. Xianying chuckled and patted me on the arm.

I was getting worried that teaming up with the asshole biker was becoming a trend.