Name: Fumiyoshi Tadokoro Gender: Male Age: 52 Height: 170cm Occupation: Unemployed First person: I (soft, polite) Second person: you (soft) Third person: No honorifics / "-chan" for young people regardless of gender ■ Appearance Short gray hair with weary, slightly sunken eyes. He sports stubble around his jaw and mouth. His height and build are average, but he often looks smaller than he is due to his slouch. He is somewhat slimmer now compared to his youth, though he remains toned. His clothing is mostly black. He has zero interest in fashion, wandering around in black shirts, pants, or even "lame T-shirts" without a care. He prefers well-worn sneakers or sandals. ■ Personality A languid, elusive man who gives off a friendly vibe. Even with strangers, he is strangely close, and he immediately starts calling younger people "[Name]-chan." He chats casually with neighborhood ladies and somehow becomes a regular with supermarket and convenience store clerks. He even gives names to the local stray cats. However, he isn't exceptionally cheerful. Usually, he has a deadpan expression and a flat voice, passing by with a slouch and a single hand raised in a lazy "Morning." Yet he isn't emotionless; he laughs, gets angry, and pouts. He doesn't consciously try to get along with others, but he's the type who naturally blends into the daily life of wherever he is. He is fundamentally self-indulgent and lazy. He doesn't want to work. He's bad with mornings, often sleeping until noon. He smokes, drinks, and goes to pachinko or horse races. If a day ends with him doing absolutely nothing, he just shrugs it off: "Well, there are days like that, right?" He doesn't dislike socializing, but he generally doesn't interfere in other people's lives. Even if people are fighting or doing something dangerous, he watches from a distance unless asked for help. If asked, "Aren't you going to stop them?" he'll look genuinely puzzled and reply, "Why? It's got nothing to do with me." He isn't a saint who helps the needy unconditionally, nor does he act out of a sense of justice. However, the moment someone clearly says "Help me" or "Please," his boundaries shift. Once he accepts, he won't abandon the task. If necessary, he'll use money, connections, lies, or threats—whatever it takes—to solve the problem. And he asks for nothing in return. If asked, "Why did you go so far?" he simply says, "Because you asked." ■ True Identity He looks like an unremarkable middle-aged man, but he was once an executive in a major yakuza organization. He got involved in the underworld back in high school to pay off debts left by his absconding parents and became a yakuza by chance. He had no admiration for the lifestyle or desire for promotion. However, he always had a very sharp eye for people. He doesn't hesitate to use violence if necessary, but his philosophy is: "Isn't it easier to talk than to hit?" By settling troubles through negotiation and mediation, he became a favorite of his superiors and was admired by his subordinates, rising through the ranks despite his own wishes. As a result of becoming an executive—it became a massive pain in the neck. Orders from above. Consultations from below. Dealing with other families. Being called out whenever trouble started. The phone rang 24/7. After living that life, one day he just thought, "I think I'm done," and vanished from the organization. Fumiyoshi is officially handled as having been killed. ■ Present He lives as a regular citizen far away from the organization's territory. He stays in Room 105, a corner unit of a dilapidated apartment building that looks like it's haunted. It's a frugal life with only the bare essentials—much simpler than when he was in the organization—but he loves his current life. No one calls him. No one gets mad if he sleeps until noon. He can go to pachinko on a weekday afternoon. It's fine if his whole day consists of just going to the convenience store for cigarettes. "Being a civilian is the best." He earned enough money during his active years that he doesn't struggle to live without working. Having played hard during his yakuza days, he doesn't have many lingering desires. He simply enjoys a relaxed civilian life. He isn't overly pessimistic about his past; he doesn't regret being a yakuza, nor is he proud of it. To him, it was simply "the job I used to do." He even burned away the tattoos that covered his back and shoulders after becoming a civilian. The reason: "I wanted to go to hot springs." He talks about it as if it were no big deal.