(***Zero POV***)
Of course, Zero already knew what was going on as he had read Hikaru’s memories of the last 5 minutes. He knew what the problem was but he still asked because he knew that this was the polite thing to do. Hikaru silently looked at Zero who also said nothing for a few minutes before finally nodding her head agreeing to answer the question.
Hikaru went through the details of the incident and informed Zero that she would need to head out tomorrow to settle the issue. Zero nodded as she explained and then asked, “I thought you were the major crime boss of Japan. Why are you so nervous about dealing with a small gang?”
“The international summit elected me to the position but that doesn’t mean I rule over all the gangs in Japan. My gang is 1 of the larger gangs in Japan and we have plenty of influence so it made sense for them to pick me. The situation in Japan is different though because I’m a woman and I haven’t been in charge for long the other leaders who are old men don’t respect me. I also believe they hold a grudge over not being nominated for the summit.” explained Hikaru
“That sound tough being the only female yakuza boss.” said Zero
“I’m not the only female yakuza boss. There are approximately 3,000 families in Japan but they all adhere to 3 major groups the Yamaguchi-Gumi, Sumiyoshi-Kai, and Inagawa-Kai. My Edo gang is the leader of the Sumiyoshi-Kai which means all the lesser families while having some autonomy still have to decide all major issues such as turf wars through me. There are a few female bosses but I’m the only female at the top.” said Hikaru correcting Zero
“I understand what you mean. If that is the case all you need to do is make them submit to you. You said you’ll meet them tomorrow then I’ll go with you.” said Zero with a wicked smile
“No kids shouldn’t be involved with gangsters.” retorted Hikaru
“You do remember that I just dealt with demons and gods just yesterday right.” said Zero
Hikaru was silent and couldn’t think of anything to retort with. Zero then walked over to her side and placed his hand on her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry I have a perfect way to settle this. It’ll be quick and easy with no bloodshed.”
Hearing Zero words Hikaru gave up and sighed saying, “Okay you can accompany me but just don’t do anything too outrageous.”
“When have I ever done anything outrageous?” asked Zero
“When haven’t you?” retorted Hikaru
Zero was now the silent party so he decide to change the subject and say, “Well I need to go buy some new clothes most of mine were set on fire. I’ll also buy a suit while I’m at it.”
“Do you have enough money for that? Should I go with you? You’ve always hated shopping so do you know what to buy?” Hikaru started to bombard Zero with multiple questions worried about what Zero might buy.
“Oh, come on you’re making me sound like a little kid. I’ll just go with something black you can never go wrong with the color black.” answered Zero
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“Okay, it’s decided I’ll go with you. Go eat breakfast and get dressed we’ll leave in 40 minutes.” said Hikaru
Zero went to grab some food and notice Soma and Mina enjoying a lovey-dovey moment so he called a staff member and order his breakfast to be brought to his room. He then went to take a shower and got changed. Zero’s meal was already delivered and placed on the table when he came out of the shower so he got dressed and ate. When 40 minutes had passed Zero went to the front entrance and meet with Hikaru and they left for the clothing shop.
Zero suffered in agony for the next 4 hours as he was dragged to multiple clothing stores by Hikaru. He had expected to only go for an hour but he’s never experienced going shopping with a woman personally. His memories told him that some women tend to shop for hours but for some reason he never expected Hikaru to be like those women. AT the end of the 4 hours Zero wished to never see another clothing shop for the next 3 months and he vowed never to go shopping with Hikaru again.
After that then they spent another 2 hours looking for shoes and accessories to match the clothes. At this point, Zero was wishing to be doing anything besides this hell he would even wish to fight Sophia again if he could escape this torture. When they finally finished it was already getting late in the evening so they drove back to the hotel. When they arrived Zero found out that everybody was now awake with the exception of Valna and Nova. He ran into Yoko alone at the dining area ordering food.
“How are you feeling?” asked Zero
“I’m good it been a while since I slept so I may have indulged a bit much this time.” answered Yoko
“So where are Dahlia and Azalea?” asked Zero
“They said they still hadn’t finished processing all the new souls so they went back to their realm.” answered Yoko
“So, what will you be doing in the meanwhile heading back to your realm?” asked Zero
“No, I’ll stay out here. I’ll look after Nova until she wakes up then head over to my place to collect my stuff.” answered Yoko
“Your books on magic you mean.” said Zero
“Is there anything else I need? I bet you forgot but remember that next semester starts in a few days. Hakuba Shrine is now ashes along with everything inside so you’ll need new school supplies.” said Yoko
“So, you plan to finish teaching the semester? Will you be okay in your current state?” asked Zero
“What do you mean?” asked Yoko
“I’m mean you’ve gotten so used to your new form. Will you be okay disguising as a human all day?” asked Zero
Yoko transform into her human form and said, “It’s a bit uncomfortable not hiding my wings and tail but I think I’ll be able to manage. You’ll also be attending I won’t have my child's father be a high school dropout.”
“Got it teach. I’ll be heading out with Hikaru early tomorrow so I’ll be heading to bed now.” said Zero
“Got it don’t cause too much trouble for her since she was nice enough to let us stay here. Enjoy your rest I’ll go grab a bite to eat.” said Yoko
Zero then returned to his room and went to bed. Early next morning he dressed in a suit with a white dress shirt and went down to the main lobby to wait for Hikaru. He waited a few minutes before Hikaru arrived wearing a red kimono with a golden phoenix embroidered on the selves. She wore light makeup that covered her scar and had an imposing aura.
“You look very beautiful sister.” said Zero admiring her new look
“Enough with the flattery lets go.” said Hikaru as she walked to the entrance
“No need to be embarrassed.” said Zero as he followed behind her
They were met by the chauffeur at the front wait with a black Benz. The chauffeur then drove them to a large building an hour away from the hotel. They were met by a bunch of men in suits who all bowed their heads and said, “We welcome the boss of the Sumiyoshi-Kai.”
They walked through many corridors and walkways until they arrived at the door leading to where the other bosses were. When they entered there were about 100 men and 10 women standing and only the 10 women and 15 of the men bowed their heads while saying, “Good day to you Sumiyoshi-Kai boss. You summoned us, and we here awaiting your orders.”
The remaining men looked at Hikaru with a look of contempt and just sat down. Zero noticed that the 25 who bowed their head to Hikaru waited until she was seated before sitting themselves meaning that this was also a sign of respect.
‘Looks like they don’t respect her at all. I wonder what the best way to deal with this is?’
Zero sat behind Hikaru on her right side and saw that all the other bosses were gazing at him wondering who he was. Wasting no time Zero added mana to his voice and loudly said, “Whatever grudge or contempt you have against Hikaru Ito forget it and solely judge her based on her actions and merit. You will also forget you heard my voice.”
Zero voice echoed throughout the entire complex affecting everyone who was present at the meeting. Zero could have simply ordered them to be absolutely loyal to Hikaru but he knew based on her personality she wouldn't like that. Hikaru was the type of woman to earn rather than demand the respect of others so Zero gave her a chance to do so without an unfair bias. From scanning the room Zero noticed that most of the look of contempt was now gone from most of the men’s eyes and now they were simply observing Hikaru seeing if she was worthy of their loyalty and submission.