Lady Joker, Volume 1 by Kaoru Takamura (lightest ebook reader .txt) 📕

most shock upon hearing the news of the president’s kidnapping. It had been readily apparent—from the expression on Kurata’s face at the Fujiyoshida Police Department—that he was feeling nothing but regret for devoting so much of his life to dealing with the underworld. When push came to shove, all the company did was place blame rather than show any appreciation for Kurata’s years of hard work.

There was nothing strange about a certain disenchantment toward the company taking root in Kurata’s mind—even when Shiroyama had seen the photo of his niece handed over by the criminals, he had not wasted any time thinking about why he should die for the sake of the company. Nevertheless, as Shiroyama beheld this transformation in the man who had been his partner for thirty years, he experienced the fleeting sensation that the ground was giving way beneath his feet. He was filled with a sense of private defeat, one that was wholly new and unexpected to him. Since being abducted, he had spent time contemplating all manner of things, but his mind could never have fathomed such a change in Kurata. And yet, recalling the vexation evident in Kurata’s profile that long-ago summer day as he drove off in his truck with his two small children, Shiroyama wondered if this unfamiliar side of Kurata had existed since then.

As Shiroyama felt the foundation that had supported him at Hinode for thirty years beginning to shift under him, his thoughts returned to the ripple effect of this incident, which could not simply be resolved with backroom deals. Shiroyama had no choice but to believe that Kurata would not betray him. As he tucked away the premonition that he might not be able to trust the man in the future, a fresh sense of isolation came over him.

Shiroyama put down his fork, picked up the glass he had left untouched, and took a sip of Hinode Meister. A third of the board members had expressed concern that development of the Meister would only hasten their lager’s sinking sales. Since he had ultimately overruled them and decided to forge ahead with the new product, he reminded himself that it behooved him to drink it—no matter the circumstances. He faced the two vice presidents sitting before him.

“The chairman already went over the difficulty of the situation, so I’m prepared. I’m going to tell you two what really happened before anyone else, so please, I need to ask you to take the lead at the board meeting,” Shiroyama began.

“Kurata-kun and I are both ready for that—it’s why we’re here now. By the way, Shiroyama-san, the evening paper said something about six hundred million . . .” Shirai said, getting straight to the heart of the matter.

“Six hundred million is incorrect. That’s not the amount—the sum that the crime group demanded is two billion.” Shiroyama watched both pairs of eyes grow large as the two men took in this number, then continued before he himself had a chance to hesitate. “I don’t know why, but the crime group gave me the preemptive instruction to tell the police that their demand was for six hundred million.”

“We were thinking six hundred million wasn’t so bad, but two billion is a lot,” Shirai muttered.

“I didn’t tell the police this, but the reason the crime group let me go was so that I could accurately convey their demand and to take preparations to make the payment. The criminals said that their hostage is the beer. Three-and-a-half million kiloliters of it.”

“Our beer . . . ?” Shirai and Kurata simultaneously cried out in shock, and they both glanced at the small bottle of Hinode Meister on Shiroyama’s side desk. Shirai shrugged, as if he had no words to express how he felt. Kurata, meanwhile, frowned deeply, his furious expression much easier to read than his previous mien.

“Shiroyama-san,” Shirai said. “I’ll ask you point-blank: Is the criminals’ demand for money directed at you personally or at Hinode Beer—which is it?”

“Hinode Beer. That is beyond a doubt.”

“Did they say why they’ve targeted Hinode?”

“No. Aside from their demand for two billion, and that they would make contact before Golden Week, they said nothing else, nor did they answer any of my questions. They were completely unyielding. Truly.”

“So, are you saying they did not mention the matter with that student named Hatano and your niece?”

“No.”

“What about the land in Gunma prefecture?”

“Nothing of the sort was mentioned.”

“I see . . . Kurata-kun also claims that Okada and the Seiwakai are not involved, so that means at this point, we really don’t know why Hinode has been targeted.”

“It appears so.”

“Well then, if the beer is the hostage, then there’s only one thing the board has to decide,” Kurata began. “We’ll prepare the necessary materials for the board members to determine whether or not we should negotiate.”

“That’s no good, Kurata-kun,” Shirai immediately objected. “The executives have different crisis mentalities, so if you mention negotiating straightaway it will only trigger a negative reaction. Our first priority is to make sure that every member recognizes—definitively and without any misunderstanding—that the beer has been taken hostage. Shiroyama-san, if possible it would be best for you to explain this yourself. If the beer is the hostage, then obviously we must assume there will be attacks on our products.”

“I agree with you. All I can do is explain the situation to the best of my ability and ask for everyone to understand.”

“Even so, it’ll get complicated, so as Kurata-kun suggested, we’ll prepare the materials they need to examine the pros and cons of whether or not to negotiate. How does that sound?” Shirai turned to Kurata.

“We’ve entered the high-demand season for beer, and we also have the just-launched Meister to worry about. If there were to be an incident and we needed to recall our products, in the worst-case scenario we would need to prepare for a decrease in sales by half. I’ll run up some rough estimates—it’ll be quickest way for everyone to recognize the gravity of the