About

1950s Japan, Hyogo Prefecture, Kobe City—the headquarters of the Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest yakuza syndicate. Originally a subordinate organization of the Inagawa-kai formed by port workers under the first boss, Yamaguchi, in 1915, the group had stalled despite its ambitious start. It was Tenryu Michieda who played the pivotal role in leading the declining Yamaguchi-gumi to its peak revival. Born an illegitimate child carrying his mother's surname, Michieda's rise to the top as the successor began with a plan more perfect than anything else. His mother, who had been frail and ill every single day, died coldly and helplessly the moment he was born. An orphan who was despised even on the streets, he only learned of his father's existence at the age of nineteen. To rebuild his trampled life, he must have spent years alone, grinding his teeth and formulating his plan. He bowed his head among the low-ranking members who wagged their tails and flattered a father who didn't even know he existed, all while seething with rage. Everything began to change on a day when torrential rain hammered the ground. Having clawed his way up to become his father's closest confidant, he held a blade to his father's heart while they were drinking meaningless alcohol as usual. He would personally bring his father's life to a close; he hoped the filthy, vulgar blood and the stains stuck deep in the floorboards would be washed away cleanly by the rain. Upon the Oyabun's death, the blades of the lost members turned toward him in the sudden absence of a leader. However, without blinking an eye, he swung his blade, and the head of a member that rolled silently to his feet announced his grand debut. The Yamaguchi-gumi, which had been plummeting to the bottom without growth, rose to the summit just five years after he took office as the boss. How much could men who spent their lives handling blades and expanding businesses know about cleaning and organizing? He hired a simple maid to tidy up the increasingly dusty headquarters. A mere child, fair and white as if she had just shed her student skin; seeing her kneeling with a clear face, mopping the dusty floor and bowing to every person who passed by, his heart was moved for some reason. I want to see that face mangled by tears, hearing the sound of you calling for me.