Chapter 50

All the occupants in the ballroom froze in their tracks as the door opened to reveal the newly installed Kumichou of the Oedo clan. For an instant, it was almost like the control over their bodies had been stolen from them. There was nothing they could do except to stop and stare at Kuroda Shin. And what a sight he was, too. His golden kimono was made out of the finest silk they had ever seen, with the black Oedo family crest splayed brazenly across his chest. Hanging innocently against his black obi was a tiny inrō, its bright golden shimmer drawing every single pair of eyes to it. Those who were close enough gave an involuntary gasp when they realized the material that it was made of.

Despite the heavy silence, Shin smiled at the attendees good-naturedly. Unbeknownst to them, Shin and Ren were counting down internally. They were used to such responses towards Shin, after all. Shin had wagered that it would last for 10 seconds, whereas Ren had wagered that it would last for 20 seconds or more. He had, after all, seen how powerful Shin looked in his kimono. Shin, of course, had no mirrors to examine himself and had to settle for a wild guess.

'6, 7, 8, 9, 10.' Shin groaned internally. '11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,' Ren smirked triumphantly in his head. '21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 – this is getting ridiculous.' Shin thought. '29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 3–'

A soft applause started from the back of the room. Then, as if snapped out of their trances, everyone began to clap enthusiastically.

Shin scanned the room cordially, attempting to locate the brave soul who had broken the silence. 'I should have known,' He thought amusedly when he found the person. 'Bless you, Lucien Rinna.'

Shin nodded and smiled politely as he made his way through the crowd of well-wishers towards the stage. Ren, on the other hand, kept one hand on his katana at all times; glaring warningly at anyone who dared to come too close to Shin. The installation ceremony was the perfect opportunity for an ambush by an enemy clan. If an assassination attempt was successful, it would leave the Oedo clan without a proper leader or an established rank. They would be ripe for the taking.

Shin ascended the stage for the second time that day and cleared his throat softly. The noise in the room ceased immediately. "Gentlemen, thank you for coming. As of 6.15 p.m. this evening, I, Kuroda Shin, have accepted the mantle of leadership of the Oedo clan from my esteemed grandfather, Kuroda Ryuichiro." He gave a slight nod of acknowledgement to the Oedo Family members and the Division Leaders who had remained for the second part of the ceremony. "I hereby declare, as Kumichou of the Oedo clan, with the authority bestowed upon me, all previous feuds of the Oedo clan, whether resolved or unresolved, null and void from this moment onwards. I promise to hold no ill-will or prejudice to any particular clan or individual by reason of past enmity alone. In the same manner, I hereby dissolve all previous undertakings or promises made by the Oedo clan. For the next few days, I will be granting audiences to potential allies and will be open to negotiations. As for old allies, I will be happy to restore our alliance on the same terms provided I don't find any of them too onerous. Likewise, I will not demand any more out of you than previously agreed by my predecessors." Shin looked at all their ally Kumichous. Most of them nodded understandingly. Some looked pensive, probably realizing their golden opportunity to vary the terms of the alliance. Uncle Tenkai just grinned goofily and gave him a thumbs up.

That was the end of the official declaration, but Shin went on and added his own missive. "Regardless of your previous relationship with the Oedo clan, I would like to extend the hand of friendship to all clan representatives in this room. I look forward to working with all of you. Thank you."

There was another pregnant pause among the audience, before they descended into a thunderous applause, complete with cheering and whistles. Kuroda Ryuichiro watched the proceedings from a corner, almost bursting with pride and joy at his grandson. A distance away, dressed as a waitress, was Yankumi, who simply admired her boyfriend from afar. He looked absolutely dashing, as always.

Shin took his place on the stage and sat down, followed by the attendees at their respective tables. The floor layout was banquet style, with ten guests to a table.

Ren stepped up. "If there be any that oppose the ascension of Kuroda Shin to his position, speak now or forever hold your peace." Of course, everyone knew that wasn't true. The accurate phrase would be 'speak now and we will spare you mercy, but if you try anything funny later we will disembowel your guts and put them on display'; but then that would be way too morbid. Even the Yakuza enjoyed the pretense of civility sometimes.

A man stepped forward. "I demand prove of your competence, Kuroda!"

Shin raised an eyebrow condescendingly. "And pray tell, who are you and why should I indulge you?" Many of the attendees were impressed – most young men they knew were rash and impulsive, always ready to charge headlong into a fight to prove their strengths. Others who did not know him remained skeptical, however – was Kuroda Shin trying to avoid the challenge because he couldn't fight?

The man sneered at Shin. "Wuss."

Ren immediately leaped forward. "You dare show such disrespect to the Kumichou!"

"It's okay, Ren." Shin called out softly, gesturing his Shatei to get back into position. "Mr...?" He asked genially.

"Tarou Masakura." The man replied arrogantly.

Shin shot Ren an amused look. "Any relation to Tarou Daiki from the Kakita clan?" Tarou Daiki was the man who had kidnapped Ichi and pointed a gun to Ren's head. Shin scanned the crowd keenly and established eye contact with Kakita-san. The man grimaced slightly, remembering the last run-in he had with the Oedo clan three years ago. He shook his head subtly.

"None." Tarou Masakura answered. "I am the de facto leader of the Makai clan."

'Ah, Makai clan.' Shin mused. Their leader had been imprisoned 2 months ago, causing the leadership to fall to his second-in-command. They were heavily involved in drug trafficking, an activity that the Oedo clan had long-since refrained from. The man was probably unhappy that Oedo did not support the drug rings, as that made it more difficult for them to escape detection. The Oedo clan had very good relations with the authorities, so they usually turned a blind eye wherever the Oedo clan was involved. The authorities trusted the Oedo clan to act in moderation and to not cause too much trouble. After all, the Oedo clan helped them to keep the streets crime-free in return. As long as they didn't do anything too conspicuous, the authorities would leave them alone. However, not all other clans enjoyed the same amount of leniency.

"And what do you seek to achieve from this challenge, Tarou-san?" Shin questioned. "Do you intend to merge the two clans? Or are you going to desert your clan in order to take over the Oedo clan?"

"Never!" Tarou Masakura growled. "I will not desert my clan, even if you offer me the whole Yakuza! But if I win, I want the Oedo clan to work towards freeing our Oyasan from prison."

Shin heard a small snort from the back of the crowd that sounded suspiciously Italian, but he ignored it. His eyes were fixed on Tarou Masakura. 'An immoral man, but very chivalrous – a true Yakuza.' He found himself respecting the man for that. "Well then, I accept your challenge. Tanukibara-kaichou," He called out, looking for the old man. "There you are. Thank you for coming, by the way. What do you think is the best way to prove my competence?"

The crowd murmured quietly. 'The Kaichou himself is here?' They wondered among themselves. If that was true, then it seemed like there was a lot more to this young man than met the eye. Tarou Masakura, too, was looking around doubtfully, uncertain if Shin was serious or just calling a bluff.

Tanukibara-kaichou stepped in front, effectively putting an end to all the gossiping in the room. "Perhaps a test of justice and duty, gentlemen?" He paced for a while before continuing. "Let's try a hypothetical question. You are involved in a violent gang-fight. Your men – 10 of them – are heavily injured and require immediate medical attention. There is a bunch of katagi, all women and children, whose houses were accidentally destroyed due to the scuffle. They are unharmed, but in need of food and shelter. Your Oyasan is also unharmed but is currently on parole. If he is caught, he is likely to never see the light of day again. The police are breaking through the front door. You only have time to save one of these three groups of people. Who do you save?"

Both men pondered the question silently. Tarou Masakura spoke up first. "I will save my Oyasan. I owe him a pledge of duty and loyalty."

Shin's turn was next. "I will save the katagi." He said simply, not caring to elaborate.

Tanukibara-kaichou crossed him arms. "Why, Kuroda-kumichou? Your men may die and your Oyasan may be imprisoned forever. The katagi are neither hurt nor threatened, and will be taken care of by the authorities."

"You said that they lost their homes as a result of our scuffle, therefore it was our fault that they ended up in that predicament. The rest of the circumstances are regretful, of course; but the men went for the fight fully aware of the danger, and my Oyasan broke parole fully aware of the consequences. They were there by personal choice, as opposed to the katagi. As such, it would be my duty to protect them and my honor to compensate for their loss."

Tanukibara-kaichou leaned back placidly. "Kuroda-kumichou's answer and reasoning is correct, Tarou-san. If the situation had been different, for example, if the katagi had consciously come to watch the fight; then your answer would have been correct. But as the scenario stated that they were innocent bystanders, the just and honorable thing to do was to save them; notwithstanding the fact that they required the least assistance."

Tarou Masakura fidgeted slightly, as if to protest, but finally bowed his head at Tanukibara-kaichou and Shin in concede of defeat and took his seat.

"Any more objections?" Ren asked.

A middle-aged muscular man stepped out. "Is Tanukibara-kaichou here because you are trying to hide behind his skirt?" His voice boomed accusingly.

Tanukibara-kaichou looked insulted. A disapproving titter broke out amongst the crowd at the blatant display of insolence.

"A valid question." Shin commented undisturbedly. "Mr…?"

"Kobayashi Sho, from the Morimoto clan." Shin nodded. An old enemy clan. Seemed like Kobayashi Sho was not quite ready to bury the hatchet, despite Shin's earlier declaration.

"My apologies, Tanukibara-kaichou." Shin addressed the Kaichou. "I did not mean to insinuate that I was using your authority as a cover."

"Of course not, Kuroda-kumichou. I understood your intention and no apology is necessary." Tanukibara-kaichou answered, narrowing his eyes at Kobayashi Sho.

"Are there anyone else who are thinking along the same lines?" Shin spoke to the crowd.

A few people stepped forward reluctantly. However, there was no hint of anger or displeasure in Shin's eyes as he addressed them. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I was simply asking Tanukibara-kaichou for his expert opinion with regards to Tarou-san's challenge. He asked me to prove my competence, but did not ask for a fight, so I thought that such a weighty question should be deferred to someone more experienced than me, like the Kaichou." Shin explained. "Regardless of my intentions, it was clearly a mistake on my behalf and is in no way Tanukibara-kaichou's fault. I give my word that any further challenges will not involve Tanukibara-kaichou unless it is a matter that falls under his direct responsibility and jurisdiction."

All of them nodded and stepped back, satisfied with his answer. Now that Shin explained his reasoning, it made sense. The more matured Yakuza leaders even felt their respect for Kuroda Shin grew a notch. This was a wise young man who understood that fighting was a weapon of last resort, and not a quick fix. Kobayashi Sho, however refused to apologize. "In that case, Kuroda Shin, I challenge you to a bare-handed fight." A portion of attendees perked up visibly. They had been waiting for this kind of display of strength.

Shin did not bat an eyelid. "Would my Shatei suffice as representative?"

Kobayashi Sho gave a predatory leer. "Since it's your installation I am challenging, I believe you should be the one to defend your honor. Unless you're admitting that you're just a puppet Kumichou." He said mockingly. There was a growing disquiet in the room. Many people were beginning to doubt the new Kumichou's abilities, despite the powerful aura he presented earlier.

Shin heaved a long-suffering sigh. "Very well then." He stood up and made an obvious display of removing his katana, before stepping into the clearing where Kobayashi Sho was standing. "Stand back please." He told the crowd. Once everyone moved backwards, Shin gestured some of his henchmen to act as human barriers. He winked at the guests. "Since all of you are our guests, please allow us to keep you safe."

Shin turned around to face Kobayashi Sho. In a blink of an eye, the gentle and patient side of Kuroda Shin disappeared completely; replaced by a ferocious and intimidating persona. His aura flared to its maximum strength and flickered dangerously as he assumed a fighting pose. Those who were meeting him for the first time instantly understood why this man was nicknamed 'the Red Lion'. His fighting aura felt wild and predatory, like a lion waiting to pounce.

Kobayashi Sho, however, was undeterred. He was one of the strongest fighters in the Yakuza. The new Kumichou might have proven that he was not as big of a wimp as everyone thought, but Kobayashi Sho believed that he could still easily trash the kid. He started his attack with a series of strong punches. He knew that there was no use blocking his punches, because they were too damn strong to block. Anyone who tried blocking his punches would only end up injuring themselves.

Needless to say, he was quite surprised when his fists failed to hit the target he was aiming for. He blinked confusedly. Kuroda Shin was no longer where he was standing just a second ago. Kobayashi Sho spun around in bewilderment, and was astonished to find Kuroda Shin standing behind him. Growling fiercely, he threw a kick, intending to trip Shin and lock him down on the floor. Again, his feet encountered thin air where it was supposed to meet flesh and bones. Kobayashi Sho snarled in anger and frustration. 'Where did Kuroda Shin go?'

Shin, on the other hand, was getting bored. Kobayashi Sho was very strong, he could tell, but the man was so freaking slow! Shin knew that he moved a little faster than an average person, but gods, this man was practically moving at the rate of a snail! Even Minoru, who was about as fast as a slowpoke in hibernation, was faster than Kobayashi Sho. Shin dodged a few more attacks before deciding to end it once and for all.

Kobayashi Sho did not even see Shin approaching him. He was in the midst of throwing another potentially bone-breaking punch when a hand unexpectedly closed around his neck. The grip wasn't strong enough to crush his larynx, but enough to temporarily cut off his air supply. His body halted mid-attack.

"Do you yield?" Shin asked sternly. Kobayashi Sho struggled and tried to claw at Shin, but the pressure on his neck increased painfully.

"DO. YOU. YIELD?" Shin repeated, this time with a tint of warning in his voice.

Kobayashi Sho closed his eyes and tried to nod. The hand disappeared and a burst of fresh air rushed into his lungs. He massaged his throat warily. Shin was already walking halfway back to the stage to take his seat. Kobayashi Sho's eyes hardened in fury and embarrassment. He was quite sure that Kuroda Shin had cheated. Otherwise, how could Kuroda Shin get so close to him without getting hit? As to how it was done, he didn't know. Witchcraft, maybe. Perhaps Kuroda Shin had messed with his head, by making him see things that were not there. Regardless, he concluded that Kuroda Shin had cheated. He was not going to let that slide. Kobayashi Sho unsheathed his katana and rushed forward, fully intending to plunge it into the cheater's retreating back.

Kobayashi Sho almost felt some weird kind of relief when his katana clanged against something, instead of the thin air that he had been attacking for the past 10 minutes. He focused his vision on the obstruction. It was a katana that was entirely midnight black in color. Had Kobayashi Sho not been in such a dire situation, he would have stopped to admire its beauty. As it was, he looked up at the owner of the katana and found himself face to face with the Shatei, whose eyes were blazing in righteous anger.

"You fucking coward!" Ren yelled at him. "Attacking when a man's back is turned? Drawing a weapon in a bare-handed fight? Where in fucking hell is your honor?"

The truth in Ren's accusations hit a cord, but it only made Kobayashi Masakura recoil even harder. His blood reached its boiling point as he lashed out. "That asshole cheated first!" He swung his katana to attack Ren.

Ren met every slash and parry effortlessly. "He was simply moving too fast for you to see, you dishonorable scoundrel!" The black katana advanced forcefully against Kobayashi Sho, causing him to stumble backwards. "If you have the guts to issue a challenge, then have the fucking grace to accept a defeat!" Ren gritted his teeth furiously.

Now Kobayashi Sho might had been a very strong bare-handed fighter, but he was no swordsman. Mastery of a katana was built on swordsmanship, not brute strength. Kobayashi Sho could have gripped the hilt as strongly as he wanted, but it would have no impact whatsoever on his sparring skills. That was how, two strikes later, he found himself flat on his back, his katana halfway across the floor, with a jet-black katana pointed straight at his throat.

"Any last words?" Ren growled.

Kobayashi Sho shook his head slowly, fully aware of the sharp blade tickling at his throat. Well, at least he would die under the most beautiful katana he had ever seen in his life, he reflected.

To his surprise and utmost relief, Ren withdrew the katana and sheathed it. "Remove him." He ordered in a disgusted voice. Tetsu and Minoru stepped forward instantly, sporting similar looks of loathing on their faces.

Ren stalked back to assume his position by Shin's side. "Anyone else?" He asked dryly, no longer bothering to hide his impatience.

All the attendees, who had just witnessed the powerful display by both brothers, shook their heads. Even people who knew them personally, such as Lucien Rinna and Taiyo Wataru, appeared to be thoroughly awed.

Tanukibara-kaichou smirked smugly to himself. This was exactly why he wanted to attend this ceremony. The veteran Yakuza knew that with those two Kuroda brethren around, there would not be a dull moment. Both of them looked deceptively docile to an unacquainted bystander, but held true prowess and aptitude.

The next part of the ceremony allowed the various clan representatives to greet both Kuroda Ryuichiro and Kuroda Shin.

"Otsukaresama deshita." Most of the attendees said to Kuroda Ryuichiro, thanking him for his hard work and commending him for a job well done. Indeed, under his leadership, the Oedo clan had grown bountifully. He was a wise leader whom guided his men with strength and compassion. For example, even though he knew from the very beginning that Tetsu and Minoru would not become strong fighters, he still took them under his wing because he valued the strong sense of loyalty in them.

After a short exchange with Kuroda Ryuichiro, the guests then moved on to congratulate the new Kumichou. "Omedetou gozaimasu." They said to Shin. Some of them added their own brand of blessing, while others presented gifts to mark the special occasion. Shin thanked all of them wholeheartedly. Of course, not everyone was genuinely happy for him. So far, Ren had already stepped in three times; once to deflect a poisoned dart, and twice to fend off outright attacks.

"Shin, my dear boy!" Uncle Tenkai exclaimed exuberantly. "My, how much you've grown!" Shin bit back a wince at the mention of his sore spot. If only he could actually grow taller. But Shin knew that Uncle Tenkai had meant no harm with his comment.

"Uncle Tenkai, thank you for coming." Shin greeted him kindly.

"Nonsense! I wouldn't miss this for the world! Ryuichiro, my dear cousin, how are you?" Uncle Tenkai asked Kuroda jovially.

Kuroda smiled at Uncle Tenkai. The man seemed to never grow old, mentally at least. "I'm good, Isida."

"Shoulders feeling light without the burden?" Uncle Tenkai teased.

Kuroda chuckled. "You're right." He pretended to flex his shoulder muscles showily. "So how long more are you going to hog the position, Isida? It's time to give way to the young ones!" He winked at Uncle Tenkai's eldest son, Kenichi, who was standing beside him.

Uncle Tenkai huffed at Kuroda. "You've set the bar too high with this one, Ryuichiro." He pouted his lips towards Shin. "None of our heirs will look suitable now."

Kuroda looked torn between laughter and admonishment, while Shin looked a little horrified and abashed at Uncle Tenkai's public-shaming of his son. The young man had a pained expression on his face, but did not say anything.

"Kenichi, how are you doing?" Shin asked brightly, trying to salvage the situation and to preserve what little was left of the young man's ego.

"I'm doing well, Shin. Congratulations on your ascension." Kenichi said quietly.

"Ah, thank you. I look forward to yours as well, Kenichi. With you and I leading our respective clans, I believe that our alliance will be stronger than ever. After all, as the saying goes, great minds think alike, right?"

"Of course, Shin. Thank you." Kenichi deeply appreciated Shin's effort to save his dignity. "Come, father, let's not hold up the line." He led Uncle Tenkai away gently.

Shin leaned over to whisper to Ojiisan. "How Uncle Tenkai managed to raise such a mild-mannered son, I'll never know."

Kuroda's eyes were filled with laughter as he responded. "Neither do I, Shin. Neither do I."

Kakita Kumichou was next in line. He approached slowly, holding out the opened box in his hands to let them see the gift inside. As soon as the gift came into view, Ren scowled and stepped forward.

Kakita immediately stopped advancing. "I bear this as a gift to the new Kumichou, Shatei-san." He said softly. "Would you prefer me to leave it on the floor and take a step back?" He asked Ren.

Ren's demeanor softened slightly at the explanation, but proceeded cautiously all the same. Kakita did as he promised and took a step back. Ren picked up the gift gingerly, cursing inwardly at Kakita the entire time. 'Who the hell brings a gun as a congratulatory gift?' He examined it thoroughly, taking care to check that it was locked and unloaded. Finally, he stepped back and nodded at Kakita.

Kakita picked the box back up and presented it to Shin. "Congratulations on your ascension, Kumichou Kuroda. Can I hold on to your word that all past wrongs are forgiven? If that is true, I hope to gain an audience with you within the next few days."

Shin smiled warmly. 'Hmm, the Kakita clan is hoping for an alliance, huh?' He was pleasantly surprised. Their clans had been at odds for many years. "Of course, Kakita-san; but on the condition that you dispense of the formality, and tell me about this wonderful gift."

Kakita returned the smile. "Thank you, Kuroda-san. This is a Type B Nambu, also commonly referred to as a Baby Nambu. Its popularity was notoriously short-lived due to its high production cost. These guns never made it into the commercial market. It was only ever sold by the Japanese Army's Kaikosha." He spoke in a hushed tone.

Shin's eyes glinted interestedly. If it was only sold by the Kaikosha, then it must only be owned by military veterans. Which also meant that any traces left by the gun would likely be swept under the carpet by the authorities. "And today, Kakita-san? Who else owns this type of gun?" Shin asked, equally as quiet.

"A few avid collectors here and there, but more than 90% of them are still owned by military men or their descendants."

Shin was pleased with the answer. "Thank you very much for the heartfelt gift, Kakita-san." His voice returned to normal volume. "I look forward to make your acquaintance soon."

The last person to approach was Lucien Rinna. He dismissed his translator summarily.

"Congratulations, Signore Sawada. Or as I heard, it is now Signore Kuroda?" Lucien Rinna greeted him like an old friend. They have exchanged a few gifts and greeting cards over the years, and had formed a comfortable friendship.

Shin smiled. It seemed like just yesterday that they had met as strangers in the Kurogawa market square. "Ah yes." Shin slipped into Italian effortlessly, unwittingly drawing even more admiration from the people around him. "But considering the fact that no one else can understand us, please feel free to call me whatever you prefer, as long as you're comfortable with it. I know that Japanese surnames can be quite hard to remember."

"Whatever I prefer? Does that include sweetie-pie and dumb-shit?" Lucien joked mischievously.

"Oh yes." Shin replied in the same vein. "But don't complain if I call you Lucy."

Lucien shuddered at the thought. "I guess Signore Kuroda is not too difficult to remember." He quickly added.

"I thought so." Shin said cheerfully. "Jokes aside, Signore Rinna, I really must thank you for flying all the way to Japan just to attend this ceremony."

"Don't mention it, Signore Kuroda. I am long overdue for a visit anyway." He replied. "You know, Signore Kuroda, friends should visit each other more often." He glared at Shin accusingly.

Shin at least had the decency to look ashamed. "I'll get my assistant to book me a plane ticket to Italy as soon as possible."

"You better." Lucien chided. "That assistant of yours – I heard he's your brother. But he wasn't with you when we met?" He commented off-handedly.

"He was in the hospital at that time." Shin said. There was no need to mention that he and Ren had not even met yet back then. As far as the rest of the Yakuza was concerned, Shin and Ren were biological brothers who had been raised by the Kuroda family.

"Oh I see." Fortunately, Lucien did not pursue the subject. "He's really good with the samurai sword."

Shin beamed proudly. "You haven't seen half of it, Signore Rinna. The katana isn't even his best weapon."

"Really? Then I look forward to see more. Not that I wish any harm to befall you, of course, Signore Kuroda."

Shin chuckled. "I understand. Do feel free to drop by the Oedo household anytime during your stay in Japan, Signore Rinna. We have much to catch up."

Once all the greetings had been made and gifts put away, they proceeded to the third and final part of the ceremony – the affirmation and proclamation of Shin's new authority.

As Shin's right-hand man, Ren was the first to acknowledge his authority. He knelt before Shin, offering a cup of saké. "I, Kuroda Ren, wholly and unconditionally, acknowledge and accept you, Kuroda Shin, as my Leader and the fourth-generation Kumichou of the Oedo clan. May the gods and our ancestors, as well as all who are present today, bear witness to your power and authority, so mote it be."

Due to the large number of attendees, the proclamation were conducted in groups. The next group consisted of members of the Oedo Family. "I, Wakamatsu Hiro," "Asakura Tetsu," "Tatsukawa Minoru," "Sugawara Makoto," They intoned one by one, before continuing together, "wholly and unconditionally, acknowledge and accept Kuroda Shin as the Oyasan and Kumichou of the Oedo clan. May the gods and our ancestors, as well as all who are present today, bear witness to your power and authority, so mote it be." Shin nodded and briskly accepted the proffered saké.

Subsequently, the Division Leaders presented their proclamation, utilizing the same wording as members of the Oedo Family. It took some time to gulp down all 71 servings of saké, but Shin managed it all in good pace.

Usually, that was all the saké the new Kumichou had to consume and the end of the installation ceremony. In this case, because the ceremony was opened to outsiders, the guests will also be offering their respective affirmations (which wasn't a problem). This meant that, more than 150 guests would be offering Shin a cup of saké each (which was a bit of a problem). Even Shin felt a little apprehensive about that prospect, although he didn't show it.

The guests were to take turns according to the tables they were seated. Shin silently drew a deep breath to brace himself of what was to come. 'At least a 100 more cups of saké…'

Ren cleared his throat gently before the first table could stand up. "Ladies and gentlemen, for your convenience, we will serve Aniki the saké after your kind affirmations. Therefore, there is also no need to come up here and present the saké." Shin was startled with the unexpected announcement, but simply assumed that Ren might have become paranoid about his safety due to the several attacks earlier. From the corner of his eye, he saw the fake waitress, aka Yankumi, walk up to Ren with a few pitchers of sake.

The first table stood and offered their affirmation. Since the guests were outsiders, their affirmation was a lot simpler than the ones offered by the Oedo clan members. "Our congratulations to the new Kumichou of the Oedo clan. Kampai." That was the general gist of their declarations. Shin nodded gently and took a sakazuki from Ren. It was a good thing that Shin had such a tight control on his reactions that even a grizzly bear dancing in a tutu would not have fazed him, because the 'saké' turned out to be… lychee juice.

Shin shot his Shatei and ex-teacher a look of exasperation, amusement and appreciation all-in-one. Ren simply smiled at him innocently, while Yankumi gave him an evil smirk. For the first time that day, the newly installed Kumichou of the Oedo clan felt slightly nervous.

Despite his mental preparation, Shin almost choked on the second round. The previously delicious and sweet lychee juice was now replaced with a disgusting concoction of soy milk diluted with water. He mentally glared at his mischievous Shatei and girlfriend, but due to the presence of guests, he had no choice except to gulp it down.

On the third round, the diluted soy milk turned into a chalky mixture that was barely palatable. In a way, Shin was glad this was supposed to be his umpteenth serving of saké, because he failed to hide a grimace at the horrible taste. He gave Ren a sickly-sweet smile that clearly said 'no more of that, lest you die a painful death'. While Ren at least looked a little sheepish, Yankumi appeared clearly unrepentant.

The next two rounds he was given a very weak mint drink, in order to wash out the horrible aftertaste from earlier.

The next three rounds he was given a cloudy but tasteless water, this time to flush away the hints of mint in his breath.

In the following round he was given a very flat, non-carbonated version of Pocari Sweat. It was his favorite so far, and Shin was quite sad to find it gone. Nevertheless, he begun to understand the reasoning behind the constant change of beverage. Firstly, it prevented a particular taste from lingering in his mouth and in his breath; and secondly, it made him appear almost reluctant to accept the offered saké from time to time; creating an illusion of having too much to drink. Despite their mischief, Ren and Yankumi had planned it very well.

Next was Calpis, a yoghurt drink which Shin absolutely abhorred before today; but after the first few nightmarish combinations, he was more than happy with Calpis.

For the final rounds, he was reacquainted with the high-grade, full-flavored saké. Shin sipped each of them slowly to allow the strong whiff of alcohol to settle around him.

Once that was done, Shin rose from his seat. "Thank you everyone, for your declaration and well-wishes. I feel absolutely honored and even the slightest bit undeserving to see so many clan representatives in today's ceremony. On behalf of the Oedo clan, we thank you for the civility you have offered to us. Please know that my offer of friendship is open to every clan in the Yakuza." Shin pretended to falter slightly, supposedly for having too much saké.

Ren immediately stepped forward to support Shin. "Please excuse us, gentlemen. I'm afraid that it has been a long day for the Kumichou, and he is in dire need of rest." He said politely, which was code for 'he's drunk and I need to put him to bed'. But then that was also a lie because Shin was neither drunk nor tired – he just had to pretend to be drunk. Ren sighed. The number of overlapping lies and hidden codes was starting to make his head hurt.

Shin gave a parting bow and exited the room with Ren.

Once the door closed behind him, Shin straightened up and scowled at Ren. "What the hell was that drink thingy about?"

Ren snickered. He couldn't believe that after everything that happened today, that was the first thing on Shin's mind. "I had to make sure that your installation ceremony was memorable, right? In ten years' time, you probably won't remember a single thing about tonight except for all those weird drinks." Ren replied.

"I appreciate the gesture, Ren. But you will still need to be punished for attempting to poison your dear Leader." He reached out and gave a playful but hard tug on Ren's ear.

"Ouch! Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Ren cradled his abused ear delicately. "Anyway, Aniki, I'm going to go back into the ballroom now. As per discussed, I'll schedule your meetings with potential allies."

Shin nodded. "Yup, prioritize them as we've discussed before. Tell Uncle Tenkai to bring Kenichi along for the meeting, and fit Kakita-san in for an extra hour at the shooting range. Oh, and I told Lucien he's free to visit any time, so see to that as well."

"Kashikomarimashita, Aniki." Ren bowed and set off to begin his official duties as Shatei to Kuroda Shin, 4th generation Kumichou of the Oedo clan.

THE END

A/N: THIS IS IT! I hope you guys are satisfied with the ending. The reason I chose 'Transformation of a Red Lion' as the title is because the story details the transformation from Sawada Shin the delinquent to Kuroda Shin the Kumichou. I didn't want to dwell too much on the romance portion, as I intended the story to focus on the Yakuza. However, I will write one-shots of Shinkumi romance that exists in the same universe.

To those who might be interested, I have written a sequel to this story. It's called 'Transformation of a White Tiger'. As the title suggests, the sequel will be focusing on Ren's life. It is set 5 years after the ending of this story. It will explore the depth of his relationship with Shin and the Yakuza after the end of his service as Shatei; and for the YAOI fans, there will be lots of smut between Ren and Yamato (it will be an M-rated fiction heh).

And finally, a big thank you to all my readers, subscribers, favorites and especially reviewers. You're my inspiration and my muse. I hope to see you in the next part of my imaginary universe – Transformation of a White Tiger.