Atreus, barely hearing Daisuke's words, reels his head back and shuts his eyes, “Am I seriously about to wander into Blue Star territory for this shit? Please tell me you know who sells VF+ rounds and where they are so I can keep this search short.”

“Sorry, but I don't know that much,” the gunrunner concedes. “You know how shaky the Sanada-gumi's relationship is with those Korean jerk-offs since the incident. But that's all the more reason to not stir up anymore bad blood than you need to just because you're investigating a murder.”

“I can't wander around Jeonju all damn week looking for these assholes. I need to come up with some way to cut this search down.”

“Look on the bright side,” Devin interjects, “if the killer is close enough to the Blue Star to get special ammo from them, then it's unlikely the Sanada-gumi was involved with the murder.”

“Possibly,” Atreus responds with a lukewarm shrug. “But it could just as well mean there's a traitor in the clan or someone deliberately trying to frame us. With the autopsy report showing some crucial details of Camlin's death, we can also rule out the likelihood of this being just a badly timed coincidence.”

“The chances of a random mugger or drunk shithead having VF+ rounds are indeed pretty low,” Daisuke remarks. “Especially here in Kyoba, where even we don't carry it around often, nor even sell it ourselves.”

“Alright, well, I guess that's all we need to know,” Atreus says before heaving another sigh and standing. Devin and Daisuke follow suit. “Give me a call if you find out anything that might help. Or give Ryuji a call and he'll call me afterward. Whichever.”

“No problem. I'll keep my eyes peeled and my ears open,” Daisuke reassuringly states and puts his right hand out.

“Thanks, Daisuke. I appreciate it,” the yakuza detective expresses his gratitude as he shakes his host's hand. “You did help us out a lot with your ammunition knowledge. Talking to the Blue Star isn't a step I personally want to take, but it's a step forward regardless. Hopefully.”

“I sympathize. I really do. Good luck on the remainder of your investigation.”

Content with their newly acquired and helpful information on the caliber of ammo used to Camlin, Atreus and Devin depart the warehouse and return to their silver taxi, which is still in the spot they left it at.

“Where do you want to head now?” Devin asks.

“Let's head back to the office and let Ryuji know what we found,” Atreus responds, still feeling annoyed at the recent revelation. “I need to think about how the hell I'm supposed to find the Blue Star arms dealer that sells VF+ rounds. The less time I spend in Jeonju, the better.” He inputs the address for the Asano office building into the panel against the back of the front passenger seat, and the vehicle begins moving.

“Yeah, you'd stick out like a sore thumb over there. Even if you wear normal street clothes and ditch your pin, there's still a good chance you'd get recognized. Have any ideas in mind right now?”

“Honestly, I think the only way I'll be able to cut through the bullshit of doing a hard search is to somehow get info directly from a high-ranking Blue Star official.”

“How the hell are you going to do that?”

“I'm going to call Okada and see if he can put some sort of meeting together.”

“I don't know, man,” Devin gives a deeply apprehensive response. “What if Blue Star really is behind this murder and asking for this is only going to clue them in to the fact you're closing in on them? You'd be walking directly into the lion's den. Hell, probably even its mouth.”

“Okada has been on good terms with some Blue Star officers ever since the incident had been resolved. I think it's within his reach to simply ask for some receipts,” Atreus resolutely maintains his stance on the matter, desperate to keep the search as short as possible. He takes his phone out of his pocket and begins to dial someone, “I'm gonna give him a call right now.” He can't help put slowly let out a yawn as he brings the phone to his ear, already beginning to feel the effects of his shorter-than-usual night of sleep.

“Hello?” A familiar voice on the other end of the call is heard.

“Oyaji, it's me.”

“Watanabe-kun?” Okada asks. “How's your job going?”

“I've hit a bit of a snag,” Atreus responds, purposely staying vague. “I think I might need your help for something important – it could be necessary in order to get any progress.”

“Sounds like a big deal. I think we should talk about this in person; it's safer that way. Unfortunately, I'm not in my office right now. Do you think you can stop by headquarters later?”

“I have a shift at Crown tonight, but I think I can get out of it a couple hours early. Is a quarter past midnight or so okay? If not, I try to get out sooner.”

“No, midnight is perfectly fine. I'll be there.”

“Okay. Thanks, oyaji. I'll see you later.”

“See you tonight, Watanabe-kun.”

With an impromptu meeting set in stone for later tonight, Atreus ends the call, and the two men continue their ride back to the Asano family office. During the ride, the augmented gangster considers the possible ties Blue Star may have with the crime. Would they really rock the boat with the Sanada-gumi again so soon after the attempt on the chairman's life – the incident that took Atreus's arms? The Korean gang claimed it was the work of a rogue subgroup, and not a hit that was sanctioned by higher-ups, but the attack still caused major unsteadiness in the relationship between the two entities. The Blue Star is also only a fraction the size of the Sanada-gumi; would they truly want to risk a war they almost certainly wouldn't win? Part of Atreus still feels contempt for them, but the more he thinks about it, the more it seems unreasonable that they would pull such a stunt. Trying to hurt the Sanada-gumi by going after their income is less of way to cripple them, and more of a way to just anger them.

Later, Atreus and Devin return to the Asano family complex, and make a straight approach to Ryuji's office, where he's sitting on the couch in the middle of the room, watching television, which is somewhat rare of him unless it's a particularly slow day.

“So, how'd everything go?” Ryuji nonchalantly asks when they enter, already expectant of a favorable reply. “Did you get the autopsy report?”

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“That and more,” Atreus replies as he sits on the chair adjacent to the couch. “We got the report from Dr. Hess, and of course it gave a detailed description of the condition Camlin's body. We figured we could extrapolate some details on the weapon the killer used by reading about the bullet wounds, so we went to the Oyamada family warehouse at the port.”

“You talked to Daisuke about that, huh? Smart,” the family leader gives an approving nod. “He's like a living encyclopedia of everything related to guns. So what did he say?”

“Basically, just by reading about Camlin's injuries, he was able to specify the type of ammunition used: a 9mm Parabellum variant called the VF+. Unfortunately, it seems the Oyamada family barely ever comes across that stuff.”

Ryuji leans forward, intrigued by where the new discoveries might lead, “So if the killer didn't get that type of ammo from the Oyamada family, then where'd they get it?”

“Daisuke says the Blue Star probably deals it.”

“Figures,” the patriarch immediately becomes deflated and leans back again. “Part of me isn't surprised that they're linked to this in some manner, but another part of me believes they aren't directly responsible for the murder, either.”

“That's basically what Daisuke said,” Devin interjects, recalling the gunrunner's insistence that a seller isn't responsible for how a bullet is used after it's sold.

“On the way over here, I called Okada to talk about how to progress,” Atreus continues, “and I'm going to meet him in person later tonight to discuss it. I know he's still on speaking terms with some Blue Star officers, so maybe he can get some information from them about their recent sales.”

“Sounds like you two covered a decent amount of ground,” Ryuji praises his subordinates. “But if you do end up having to go into Jeonju for whatever reason, try not to stir up any trouble or stand out too much. The Blue Star doesn't run a particularly tight ship, so some member might give you a hard time, as you already know.”

“By the way,” Devin speaks up again, “that Dr. Hess chick is pretty fuckin' odd. How did she end up getting connections with the Sanada-gumi in the first place?”

“She's just Bessho's ex-girlfriend.”

“Say what?” Devin asks as a gobsmacked expression washes over his face. Atreus seems equally surprised, too. “Are you serious? That's how she got involved with clan stuff? Was that planned on Bessho's part?”

Ryuji shakes his head, “No, it was planned by her. She wanted an in so she could make some money on the side. They broke up amicably, as far as I know. This was a few years ago, so I doubt he would care if I told you this.”

“Well, shit. You learn something new everyday.”

“Since we don't have much else to do, I'm gonna head back to my place,” Atreus stands and lets go of another small yawn. “I want to catch a nap for an hour or so before heading to Crown.”

“I'll probably hit up Tetsuya later and check up on his progress with the phone,” Devin comments as Atreus makes his way towards the door.

“Sounds good. I'll see you guys later,” the augmented man gives a lackluster wave as he exits the room and proceeds back down towards the lobby and outside.

Once he orders yet another ride and enters the first silver, logo-emblazoned vehicle to approach him, he hears a short, pleasant tune and subtle vibration in his pocket. He pulls out his phone to discover another text sent by Max.

[Hey, I just woke up,] she eagerly announces. [What are you up to?]

[I just finished running around town and doing errands,] Atreus answers with a vague, but technically true reply. [One place to another, non-stop, for the last few hours. I just got into an Automa to head home and take a nap before my shift starts.]

[How do I always end up texting you before you're about to sleep?] Max jokingly gripes, but Atreus can imagine she's a tad bit irritated, too.

[Bad luck, I guess? I promise I'm not trying to avoid talking to you or anything,] Atreus tries to reassure her, as he does feel genuinely sorry for not being able to humor her due to unfortunate timing. [I didn't get a full night's sleep, so I started my day pretty tired as-is. Running around town exacerbated it.]

[Well, I still have you until you get back to your place, right?] Max finds a silver-lining. [What kind of errands have you been doing? Or are they the kind that I can't know about?]

[The kind you can't know about.]

[I gotta admit, that sounds like too easy of an excuse to abuse,] Max voices her half-joking suspicions, accompanied by a 'thinking' emoji. [You're a man with secrets, Mr. Watanabe, but I can't deny that it makes me curious.]

[I'm glad you can appreciate a mysterious man. Though I'm as transparent as possible when I can be, it's just beaten into our heads to not get civilians caught up in our business.]

[I like to consider myself at least a decent judge of character,] she replies with respectable confidence. [I feel like I don't have any reason to doubt you when you say you're generally honest.]

[Thanks,] Atreus offers his sincere gratitude for her trust, though he can't help but shake the sensation that this conversation feels like he's applying for a job or something. To make the discussion feel a bit more casual, he changes the topic, [So, what are you up to, besides waking up?]

[Making breakfast. Or a late lunch, however you want to view it.]

[Do you cook?]

[Well, barely,] Max admits, much to her chagrin. [Eggs, toast, sausage, bacon – the super basic stuff. I keep telling myself to start cooking real food, but I just get lazy. I have like five cookbooks in my tablet that I've barely looked at. I've become my mother.]

[I empathize. I used to eat ramen almost exclusively until an older friend of mine lectured me,] Atreus recalls the stern talking-to he received from Ryuji years ago about his bad diet; this was even before Ryuji broke off to start his own family. [I cook for myself when I can, but otherwise, I simply eat out at a variety of places. Although, I still eat desserts a lot; I visit Takahashi's place on a regular basis – almost every day.]

[Does the big yakuza man have a sweet tooth?] Max accurately speculates and begins to tease him. [Maybe we can go there together when the opportunity presents itself?]

[Yeah, I'd like that,] the gangster is quick to agree to the proposal. He wouldn't pass up and invitation to go eat more of Takahashi's donuts to begin with, but the idea of going with Max sparks an extra boost of eagerness in him.

For the remainder of Atreus's ride, the two coworkers continue to discuss their taste in food and their cooking skill – or lack thereof – exchanging their thoughts on dishes, desserts, and if the designation of a meal depends on the time of day or is dependent on when the eater woke up. Even after he finally sets foot in his apartment, his eyes are still glued to his phone as he takes off his shoes, belt, vest, tie, dress shirt, and undoes the button and zipper of his pants to become comfortable.

[So you've never had a twelve ounce squirrel sirloin before?] Atreus asks, after the conversation had evolved to find itself centered around the creation of obscure, esoteric meats via lab-grown methods.

[I've never really thought it, to be honest,] Max answers with some ambivalence. [Like, I know lab-grown meats allow for the creation of huge cuts like that, which aren't possible biologically. But it's never really entered my head that I could have a twelve ounce squirrel sirloin or eight ounce mouse brisket before. I guess even though we have ways to create such a thing, I've just felt like those animals are too far removed from humans on the food chain to really consider.]

[We've been content with poultry, beef, and pork for so long, I don't blame you for feeling that way. When I find the time, I'll take you out for a bite of “small” game. Is that okay?] Immediately after he hits send, Atreus finds himself surprised at how easy it was to ask her out to dinner. His fingers spelled out the question before he realized what he was typing.

[I'm totally down for that,] Max gives an expeditious reply, as if she didn't even need to think about it, either.

[Cool. I can't guarantee a specific day, but hopefully things clear up for me soon. I just got home now, so I'm gonna take my nap. I'll see you at Crown later.]

[Alright, see ya.]

With their conversation over, Atreus places his phone on his nightstand and throws himself back on his bed, his head hitting the pillow with enough force to make a soft thump sound. He heaves a sigh of relief as he shuts his eyes and gives a warm welcome to his highly anticipated nap while he drifts off in record time.