Chapter 1
“Yui-chan, ohayou! Ohisashiburi!”
Yokoyama Yui heard the greeting many times before but in a way it felt old yet a renewed greeting of when she had returned to Kyoto from Tokyo. Being surrounded in the swarm of black, she squeezed through the groups of people as she hugged the many people she hadn’t seen or remembered for a long time. She would smile only to be questioning herself of the person she had just met before walking into the line to give her final greeting to someone she hadn’t seen since she had left.
The man, himself, was a prosperous human being with the stroke of luck. Everything he could design had become famous within Kyoto. He had developed himself as an entrepreneur before the word was even muttered in business circles. Yui had met him only during family events and he was the one who had proclaimed her as the person to follow him as he had failed to produce kids with her aunt. Her uncle boasted that the only thing that he would not be rich was to be dead. Being his funeral, he had given his money to his nieces and nephews except for Yui, which left her confused and her immediate return to her hometown.
“Yui-chan, sit here.” The woman pointed toward the seat with the heavy makeup and the loose fitting top.
“Mom! Where’s aunt Kimiko?” She asked the woman as she stood like a captain hunting for land in the sea of people as she pointed left of them.
“Yui-chan! Ohisashiburi.” She hugged the young woman. “Genki?”
“Unn. I have been hunting for a job.” Yui replied as the aunt’s eyes widened.
“I need to talk to you after the service. Uncle Takashi forgot about the money.” She smiled as she took her seat in the front as the priest stood in front of the group.
“Welcome to the funeral of Yokoyama Takashi!” He greeted everyone as a bracelet was passed to her. Yui held the bracelet in hand as the priest stepped up to the altar and picked up the thick cylindrical item and banged it against the metal bowl. Her mind became set on what his uncle had left her. There were many things she had considered but they were his possessions that probably her cousins had gotten to first. Yui closed her eyes throughout the ceremony only to open to the priest’s voice.
She glanced around the church with the strong of incense making her tear up as the image of her many cousins popped up from when they were younger. It wasn’t that long that she had left Kyoto for Tokyo in the belief that she would achieve a better education but that seemed to be going downhill after a flurry of incidents happening at the school before it closed down and transferring to a business school had given her much headaches. In the end, she was part of the thousands looking for a job.
Luckily, a roommate that didn’t seem to mind the job seeking type was with her. Yui thought that she was unusual with her skills as being a starving writer until a book got published by my mistake and sold the lot within the first month. Under the pseudonym, Unagi, Kitahara Rie had become an instant classic with the office ladies with a mystic adventure of woman discovering herself in the male dominated world of workplace hierarchy.
Yui had the invitation to look for better places but she declined when she heard about her uncle’s passing. Rie didn’t plan the move either so they stayed to go through the daily struggle in the cramped space. She considered it lucky that Rie decided to stay.
“Yui-chan, we can talk about what uncle left you.” Her aunt said as they rushed out of the church and into the common area outside in the parking lot. Her aunt took her to the tent farthest away from the church as she handed Yui a crumpled piece of paper. The script was extremely messy which she didn’t mind but not knowing how her uncle wrote brought few concerns.
“Please read it.”
Dear Yuihan,
If you received this letter, this means I have passed on. I know I was boasting about your abilities since you were young but I remembered the day that you decided to go off to Tokyo despite your parents’ disapproval but I heard about you graduating at the business school and making yourself accustomed in Tokyo.
However, I have a proposition for you…
No one wanted to take over the Izakaya Peanuts so I have decided to leave it you. Aunt Kimiko doesn’t know of this place because I gave it to my business partner to take of it but his greed got the best of him and died. The business itself isn’t hard but I know you have the mindset to get it off the ground. I don’t know about the staff in general but see what you can get from them. The rest of the information is in a box that your aunt Kimiko has on her bureau.
I wish you the best of luck,
Uncle Takashi.
P.S. My partner’s name is Shimazaki Haruo, if you wanted to know…
“I need you to show me the box.” Yui said to the elder woman as she nodded before walking to the car and grabbing the purple sash before carrying it to her.
Yui pulled open the sash to a polished mahogany box seeing his uncle’s initials on it. She opened the box to a black book and a silver key to the side of the book. The woman turned to the other and saw her shrug as she grabbed the key in her hand.
“Your uncle wanted to make a restaurant but things happened and regretfully for both of us, the guy lost money on the venture before owing to the yakuza.” Kimiko explained as Yui opened the book to a list of names, mainly female, as she took out the book and gave back the empty box to her aunt.
“Is it paid off?” Yui asked with the decision looming on her mind.
“Your uncle made sure of that and it was the reason why you never received money from us.” Kimiko sighed as Yui gave her hug.
“You and uncle worked hard.” Yui smiled, slipped the book and key into her purse. “There is one question.”
“It isn’t far from here and the key is actually to the whole building.” She disclosed before returning back to the rest of the family congregating under the other tent.
“Yui! Did aunt Kimiko give you the letter?” Her mother asked as the rest of the people slowly passed them.
“Yes. He left me an izakaya.” Yui answered with her mother’s eyes widening.
“Izakaya? I didn’t know he had one.”
“Me neither… But I feel interested in looking into it.” Yui showed her the book and key. “Also, I heard the building is also owned by him.”
“I see… Maybe spend a night over there.” She suggested as Yui wasn’t sure about the conditions and began her walk to the place her uncle had co-owned.
She began her walk down the narrow streets to a gray building where the book had explained the location being between other bars in the areas. Yui saw the few signs outside ready for business as an old man saw the woman walking through.
“What are you looking for?” He asked with a firm smile on his face.
“Izakaya Peanuts.” She answered seeing his face turn to a sour expression as he pointed down the way.
“That place was for yakuza.” He explained his expression.
“I’m sorry for asking. My uncle co-owned the place.” Yui explained as the man confirmed his direction with Yui continuing to a building with a metal door in front. The door was marked up with graffiti and then she saw the glass door where she dug into the purse for the key and opened up to the establishment. The place itself was well-kept but the smell of a swamp had filled her nose. She weaved through the tables before seeing a staircase to the right.
Yui turned left to a small area surrounded by metal as she saw the two big items in the corner and saw the handle to open it up. The thick perfume of mold and rotten food caught up to her as she waved it away before closing the door. She walked further into the establishment to see the traps filled with vermin as she returned back to the staircase.
She walked up the winding stairs to the next floor lined with a wooden floor. Yui walked further to see two doors on either side of her and grasped the handle on the left one to a dark room with a lamp. Yui jumped onto the bed feeling her body sink into the bedding with a cloud of dust coming up. She brushed off the dust before opening the next door to the same concept except she saw the foil on the window.
Yui closed the door and walked down the hall to the next set of doors with the one on the right ajar. She opened it further, seeing the lump under a blanket. Yui crept up to the bed with the small beam of light catching the auburn-colored hair of the person as she extended her hand out when the body turned to see the fair skin of the person. Yui assured herself it wasn’t a man by staying calm in the situation and placing her hand on the body confirming the body being a woman. The woman pulled off the sheets to a white t-shirt showing the midriff of her body and the white underwear with various colors of polka dots.
“Excuse me, who are you?” She asked in the softest voice she could despite her alert status being at an eight.
“Hello!” She said as her eyes fluttered a bit before fixing them toward the woman. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m Yokoyama Yui! I own this building.” She explained as the woman returned to her bed.
“I’m just staying here for my sleep.” She said as Yui shook her again. “Please don’t disturb me.”
“I own the building and you would be considered as a trespasser. I would have to kick you out.” Yui threatened as the woman sat up.
“I know! You don’t have to be a bitch about it.” She growled before grabbing the blanket and headed to the room across.
“I’m not but you are here illegally.”
“Takashi said I could stay here.”
She heard the name and shook her head. “What is your relationship with him?”
“I’m his partner’s daughter.” She grunted before closing the door in front of her. Yui felt her blood boil but she didn’t want to get angry over evicting her before realizing she had to examine the last of the place before making a decision on the building.