Terrence sighs. “Christ. Well, from where I'm standing, there's pretty substantial evidence that this guy is anything but Sanada-gumi. Granted, we'll need to ID him to be sure, but that pin sticks out as odd.” He pauses to rub his chin for a pronounced but thoughtful moment. “Do you truly think the guy you know can crack open whatever's on that thing?” He points at the USB drive.

“Yes,” Atreus answers quickly and confidently. “He's very skilled. We've watched him work his magic once before.”

Colter, still thinking, starts reasoning with himself. “Well, if you handle that, then we'll be able to focus exclusively on finding out who the numbers on the phone belong to, which would probably be the task we're best suited for. And with luck, we could get started tonight.” He pauses, then adopts a stone cold, intimidating expression, almost as if he's preparing for an altercation. “But I don't know if I can trust the Sanada-gumi to have whatever's on that thing. If it was important enough to kill people over, it may be better off in the hands of law enforcement. So let me ask you one more thing – and be honest: if I tried to take the drive away from you, would you resist?”

Atreus is at first surprised at such a question; he opens his mouth slightly and almost says 'no' instinctively. However, he stops himself to give the question some thought. Would he truly be willing to hand over the storage device so easily after putting in so much work? He's accepted the mistakes he made so far in not being transparent with Colter, but giving up the investigation when the catalyst of the all the murders literally rests in his hand is another thing entirely.

Second, what if the detective's question is some sort of test? If Atreus answers 'yes', would Colter receive it as a threat? He's a stern man with a hard face that makes it difficult to parse what his intentions could be, but he's a no-nonsense individual who only has the safety for his city in mind. Would the best intentions be interfering with the gangster's own investigation? The outcome would likely still end up being the same, just with the Sanada-gumi likely being left out in the cold for longer. At this point, it's no longer a race with the police, it's simply a matter of if Atreus demands he be allowed to finish what he started.

The augmented man takes a deep breath, followed by a slow nod of contentment for the answer he's landed on. He looks up at Terrence, locks onto his steeled gaze and reciprocates with a resolute glare of his own.

“Yes,” Atreus speaks. “I would.” He clenches his jaw, bracing for an unfavorable response.

They leer at each other for an extended moment. Devin, who had been quiet since the detective's rant, starts to look very uneasy. He isn't sure what either man is thinking, but the last thing he wants from this investigation is to have cops actively chasing after them. He looks down at Atreus's hands, which are balled up into fists. He considers stepping between them, but isn't sure if that wouldn't simply draw both of their ire instead of calm them. Suddenly, the tension dissipates as Colter heaves a long, loud sigh.

“God dammit,” the tall, broad-bodied detective says with a shake of his head. “I imagine that once you confirm the drive's contents, you'll be handing it over to your superiors, right? Okada, perhaps?”

“That's right. And you should know, he's not against cooperating with law enforcement if necessary. He even stated that I could do so if I felt it that I should. If this thing contains anything that's beyond the influence of the Sanada-gumi, you'll almost certainly hear from him anyway.”

Colter pauses again to rub the back of his head.“...Fine, I'll let you take it, but only on the condition that I'm given cooperation when I follow up. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes,” Atreus answers firmly, with an equally firm nod.

“Like I said, I don't have to allow you to do this, but I'm doing it because I trust your intent to complete your part of things and work with me when it counts. I wouldn't trust almost any other members of the Sanada-gumi as far as I can throw them. But I trust you – Atreus Watanabe, the individual.” Terrence takes his large left index finger and jabs Atreus's shoulder with it. “Don't make me regret it. You understand?”

“I do,” the gangster answers with a renewed sense of determination.

“Good. Now get outta here. I gotta call this mess in.” The detective waves his hand, dismissing the two gangsters.

Atreus and Devin waste no time complying. The promptly exit the apartment as Colter begins to make a call back to the precinct. The two men breathe sighs of relief as they make their way down the hall.

“Holy shit, I didn't think he'd actually let us leave with it,” Devin remarks, shocked at the turn of events. “He was so pissed at first, I thought for sure he'd tell you to hand it over. Why do you think he caved?”

“Well, he said more can get done this way, but regardless, he decided to be charitable, so we shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth,” Atreus responds as they summon the elevator.

“Were you serious when you said you'd resist if he tried to take it?”

“I was,” the augmented man confirms with a nod. “I've told too many people that I'd finish this to let anyone get in my way. Besides, if he tried to take it, it's not like I would've killed him or anything. In fact, I'd probably just run,” he admits with a shrug. “Getting pinched for assaulting an officer isn't something I want. I've managed to stay out of prison so far, and I'd like to keep it that way.”

The beat up, suspiciously noisy elevator arrives with a ding – an unnecessary sound, considering the lift could be heard from a mile away. The two Sanada-gumi members enter and ride back down to the lobby, during which, Atreus begins to summon another Automa to pick them up as soon as they exit the building.

They walk through the dingy, untidy first floor and back out to the sidewalk, where a driverless taxi pulls up at almost the same instant their feet approach the curb. They quickly climb in the back passenger seats and initiate their ride.

“I'm sending Tetsu a text to let him know we're on our way,” Devin announces as he brings open the appropriate screen on his phone. “Hopefully he didn't start a fuckin' raid in Black Iron or anything.”

“That reminds me, I should call Okada about that pin the killer had on him,” Atreus says while retrieving his own phone.

“You sure you want to call him? He might be busy. You don't want to try Ryuji, instead?”

“Ryuji's only been with the Sanada-gumi a few years longer than us. I think Okada's the best chance we have at identifying the emblem on the pin.” Atreus hits a button on his phone and begins a call for Okada, putting it on speaker so Devin can hear. It rings only a few times before someone answers.

“Hello?” Okada's familiar voice is heard.

“Oyaji, it's me,” Atreus greets his superior with a respectful tone, but with a hint of urgency. “I have something I need to ask you about. Are you busy?”

“Are you okay? I'm not busy right now; I'm sitting in my office. What is it that you need?”

“I met up with Takiyama, like I said I would – twice. Last night, we met in front of Kawada Tower, but we just met again a little while ago, to exchange important information; it's a little too complicated to explain right now. But before we could finish, we were attacked by who we think is Camlin's killer.”

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“What?” Okada responds with pronounced shock. “How? What happened? Are you okay? How's Takiyama? Do you know for sure it was the same person?”

“I'm fine, and I'm not one hundred percent sure if it was Camlin's murderer, but we're confident. Takiyama, though, he's... He's dead. And the guy who attacked us killed himself before we could apprehend him and ask any questions.”

“Jesus,” the senior advisor falls silent, obviously needing a moment to think of what to do next. “Do you need me to send someone to clean it up? Were you able to at least get the information you needed before you were interrupted?”

“Yes, I was. And don't worry about sending anyone. I... I called Detective Colter, and he's cooperating with me. He let me walk out with what I needed.”

“Colter? Really? That's a name I haven't heard in a minute. I recall him being rather agreeable, though also headstrong, following the incident two years ago. He doesn't consider you or anyone else in the Sanada-gumi a suspect, does he?”

“Not anymore, I think,” Atreus answers with a shrug Okada can't see.

“Where are you right now? Are you on your way to headquarters?”

“No, I'm going to visit someone who might be able to decrypt a USB drive that Takiyama gave me. There's allegedly important documents on it. It's a bit of a long story.”

“Documents?” Okada repeats with equal parts confusion and curiosity in his voice. “Atreus, I'm gonna need you to explain to me as best you can what Takiyama told you in the two times you've met him. I'm feeling a bit lost here. What do documents have to do with any of this?”

“Okay, I'll... I'll try to be as brief as I can. It's a bit complicated, though.”

“I have time.”

For the next several minutes, as the ride to Tetsuya's apartment continues through the ever-congested streets of Los Angeles, Atreus attempts to recall everything he was told by Edward in the times they met up, including his connections to Will Camlin, who Isaac Noah is, how Zephir is involved, and what might be on the USB drive. Okada's responses to most details range anywhere from vague understanding to total bewilderment, particularly at how chaotic the situation has grown to become.

“...So, you're visiting your white hat acquaintance to decrypt the USB drive and access whatever's on it, correct?” Okada asks after the quick, exhausting summary of everything up until now.

“Yes,” Atreus answers. “But the main reason I called you is because of what I found on the killer's body after he shot himself. First, I found a phone which had two numbers on it – I left that entirely to Detective Colter, since he likely has better means of tracing them than I do. Second, I found a pin.”

“What, like a Sanada-gumi pin?” the senior advisor's voice subtly breaks into a panic.

“Well, no, not really. It does look like a yakuza pin, but it doesn't have our emblem on it. It's a totally different one I've never seen before. I took a picture of it before leaving the apartment. I was wondering if you could identify it.”

There's a noticeable pause on the other end; Atreus almost thinks the call was dropped. “...Send it to me,” Okada suddenly speaks again in a very firm, serious tone; it sounds as though he might even be angry.

“I'm sending it right now. Stay on the line.” Atreus immediately complies, quietly wondering about the severity of the topic if his superior's demeanor changed so suddenly. He opens his picture gallery and send the photo of the pin to Okada without bothering to attach any message to it. He waits for a reply.

“...Oh, Christ.” Okada eventually comments, seemingly struck with a mix of anger and fear.

“What is it?”

“This is the emblem for the Kobashi-kai.”

“Who?” Atreus twists his face in confusion upon hearing a name he isn't familiar with. He glances at Devin, who dons a similar expression.

“The Kobashi-kai was another yakuza clan that had their own turf here, in Los Angeles, but a war broke out between the Sanada-gumi and them, thirty years ago, effectively removing them not just from California, but the entire United States, because this region was the only real foothold they had here. I'm not surprised you don't know about it; the older members don't like discussing it, and the Kobashi-kai hasn't been relevant here since. They've minded their own business back in Nagoya, Japan for the last three decades.”

“So the Kobashi-kai is in on this somehow?” the augmented man asks, still hesitant to accept the revelation. “If they've been twiddling their thumbs in Japan, then how are they in bed with Zephir Industries?”

“...They must have infiltrated them before being driven out,” Okada utters himself, trying to connects as many dots as he's aware of. “Thirty years ago, Zephir was based in Los Angeles too before picking up and relocating to San Francisco right after they scored their first major investors. Jesus, it's starting to make sense now.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is only conjecture on my part, but Will Camlin probably wanted to meet Takiyama here in Kyoba because he thought he'd be safe on our turf, but he wasn't. A dead Atmos employee on our turf was close to ruining things for us, and the murder weapon being planted in Takiyama's apartment could've been disastrous. And this goes double if it was the same weapon that killed Marvin Choi – a Blue Star member. Not only would our ties with Atmos be destroyed, so would our already shaky relationship with the Koreans. The Kobashi-kai is the only entity who would go to such lengths to fuck us.”

“God, this shit is starting to give me a migraine,” Atreus gripes about the circumstances of his investigation, which, despite being so close to perceived completion, is still growing in complexity. “They were able to keep their spot in Zephir's board despite no longer being in the country?”

“Just because we booted them out of the city doesn't mean we would've been able to boot them out of their little 'ventures', too. Infiltrating legitimate businesses has always been a way to seize power and spread influence in an area; the Kobashi-kai just weren't as fast as us.”

“So what exactly do you think all of this means? Are they back now?”

“Obviously not in the capacity that were here in thirty years ago, but I'd say this is definitive proof that there is a Kobashi-kai presence here in LA now. They're certainly lying low and biding their time. I'm willing to bet those two numbers on the assassin's phone are other members, too. They might even be within the boundaries of Kyoba.”

“What do we do about them, then? We don't know where they are, and we can't start busting down doors, can we?”

“No, we can't. But we also shouldn't sit around and wait for them to blindside us.” Okada grows more anxious. The return of the Sanada-gumi's oldest rivals wasn't something he anticipated dealing with during his tenure in the clan. “They're skulking around somewhere in this city, waiting to strike. If Detective Colter is smart, he'll try to sniff them out too. I need to notify other senior family leaders of this, and especially the chairman. I'll likely organize an emergency meeting for tomorrow.”

“Is there anything you want me to do?”

“You just focus on decrypting that USB drive. When you get a chance to see what it holds, call me, and bring it to my office. I'll still be here through the night, contacting other families.”

“Yes, oyaji,” Atreus acknowledges his orders with a nod despite Okada not being able to see it. “It should hopefully be decrypted tonight, but if it needs more time than that, I'll let you know and hopefully I'll have an estimate.”

“Sounds good. Talk to you later, Watanabe-kun,” Okada ends the call in a rush, not even affording the time to pause for a returning farewell.

“Well, shit,” Devin utters, sporting a thousand yard stare after having been quietly listening to the entire conversation. “Guess we know who Zephir's been cutting deals with, and they're seriously gunning for us, too.”

“I'm surprised we were never told about the Kobashi-kai,” Atreus ponders aloud. “I guess it makes sense why they were never brought up around us; they haven't been relevant to Sanada-gumi business since before we were even born.”

“But now they're trying to force their way back into the States? And they're doing it by trying to frame us for shit we didn't do while also spearheading some shady plans with a pharma company? Pretty god damn underhanded.”

“And there might be more of them, too,” Atreus comments, recalling one crucial detail from the call with Okada. More Kobashi-kai members might be hiding in the shadows, patiently waiting for the most opportune moment to seize power for their clan again. With this in mind, simply having the USB drive on his person has significantly increased the amount of potential danger Atreus is in.