Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

"...Your industry is really messy."

Isaac himself couldn't interfere in other people's family affairs, and since this guy was unwilling to take his daughter back, he could only ask about something more important.

“Things haven’t been peaceful at Shirasaki Middle School lately. Besides your illegitimate child, five other students have died. If you don’t want to take care of Ayana anymore, then I’ll arrange for her to transfer schools.”

"Whatever." Soichiro simply uttered this word.

This man really doesn't care about his daughter at all.

"Alright, stop being so upset. I haven't even told you about the trouble your son caused at school yet."

Isaac got up to leave.

"and many more."

"Ok?"

"Is Yuya's death related to you?" Soichiro asked, staring at Isaac.

Isaac looked at his expression and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"I wish it had something to do with me, but it doesn't. You can try to investigate, but if you die, it's none of my business."

"Because this is no longer something you can interfere with."

After saying this, Isaac left his study, leaving Fujisawa Soichiro alone inside.

Chapter 687: A tap with a frying pan and they'll behave.

Because of his exceptional abilities, Yuya Yamase has always been regarded by Soichiro Fujisawa as his successor—the kind of successor who will take over the entire Fujisawa Group.

This is also why he is indifferent to Ayana. In his expectations, Yuya Yamase is the child he is worth nurturing, while Ayana only needs to do her job of not embarrassing him.

Being bullied at school only serves to tarnish his reputation, so even though he knew about Ayana's experiences at school, he ignored them and even continued to insist that she go to school.

However, Yuya Yamase is already dead, and the Fujisawa Group has been acquired by Isaac, so he has truly lost everything.

It seems that there is little chance of repairing the relationship between the father and daughter.

"Although he is Ayana's father, he is worthless to me. You can be sad in your room all you want."

When Isaac came out of the study, he ran into Mrs. Fujisawa outside the door.

"Satomi-kun, my husband..."

"It looks like it's about to rot; I don't think it's salvageable."

"Is that so..."

All of this was within Mrs. Fujisawa's expectations. She lowered her head, her sorrow evident.

Are you aware of his situation?

“Yes, it was indeed some disgraceful matter,” Mrs. Fujisawa said. “To ensure he could take care of the family, I made concessions in every way, even after learning that his ex-lover was still in contact with him, I…”

"You also know about his illegitimate child."

"I knew a little about it, but I've been pretending not to know all these years."

"...Awesome."

“Now that he’s become like this… I don’t know what to do…” Mrs. Fujisawa was very sad.

For the past few years, she has kept her grievances to herself.

Her husband's indifference towards the family had broken her heart. She thought that as long as she did well enough, Soichiro would definitely change his mind, and even if he couldn't, she could at least ensure the integrity of the family.

Now, their daughter has run away from home, and the husband is behaving like this after the death of their illegitimate child.

"...To be honest, it's not my place to interfere in your family affairs, but I have to mention my father here."

"Huh?"

Mrs. Fujisawa looked at Isaac blankly, wondering what he wanted to say.

"Actually, my father was a very philanderer when he was young, but he has always been very family-oriented after getting married."

"That's a truly outstanding person."

"This is also thanks to some measures taken by my mother."

"Oh? Can you tell me what it is?"

Mrs. Fujisawa was eager to know how Isaac's mother managed to keep Isaac's father under control.

She was desperate and would try anything.

"It's very simple, just pound it with a frying pan."

"Huh?"

“A good beating will definitely make him behave; if he doesn’t behave, it means you didn’t beat him hard enough,” Isaac said. “Given Soichiro’s current condition, you have to give him a real beating.”

"Does this... count as domestic violence?"

“Of course it counts, but this is also to prevent future troubles,” Isaac said with a smile. “His condition is quite serious, and a regular frying pan might not be enough. You might have to heat it up on a gas stove.”

"..."

"That's all for now. Ayana will be staying with me for the time being, so you don't need to worry about her." Isaac added a few more words at the end, "By the way, because of some things that happened at school recently, I might have to transfer schools with her. I wanted to let you know in advance."

Seeing that Mrs. Fujisawa was still in a daze, he politely said goodbye and left the Fujisawa house.

--------

Isaac's actions in Shirasaki didn't cause much of a stir, but the organization in Shinjuku, Tokyo, was already starting to make moves.

Bando from the Washimine Group, wearing a trench coat, walked out alone and sat down next to a sunglasses-wearing man who had set up a toy stall. The stall was very deserted, with hardly any customers.

The man in sunglasses is Ginji Matsuzaki, who had met Isaac once before.

"It's been a while, Gin-chan," Bando greeted him. "How's business lately?"

"Boss, what brings you here?"

Ginji remained seated, without turning to look at Bando.

Seemingly familiar with his attitude, Bando said to himself, "I just came to see you. Don't always have such a cold face; you'll scare away all the customers."

Both of them belonged to the Eagle Peak Group and had worked for the same group leader before; they were old acquaintances.

"Kids these days all love playing video games, so it's normal that business isn't good," Bando said, lighting a cigarette. "Gin-chan, how long do you plan to keep doing this job?"

"As people of the martial arts world, isn't this the kind of work we're supposed to do?"

"You should know that your business volume is the lowest in the group."

"Yeah, but it's still better than selling illegal drugs and women, right?" Ginji said casually.

Bando exhaled a smoke ring and slowly said, "Gin-chan, you don't think I like my current job, do you? Ever since the team leader passed away, we haven't even been able to pay our dues. This is all the despicable thing that the Sunako Group did."

He paused, then continued, "You and I are both people who have received favors from the team leader. No matter what happens, I will protect this team, whether it's drugs, women, or even guns. Only by selling what we can sell can we have a foothold."

"If the team leader were alive, he wouldn't agree to you doing this."

“But he did say that not doing one’s proper job is a disgrace to the yakuza. He did say that.” Bando patted Ginji on the shoulder. “This was something we only brought up after we had the group name. If the Washine Group is gone, everything we say is just empty talk. This is all for survival.”

"What exactly do you want to say this time?" Ginji asked.

“I have a big plan,” Bando said, leaning closer to Ginji. “To join forces with those Russians to eliminate the leader of the Sand Fragrance Society.”

Ginji frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"Boss, are you serious when you say that?" he asked. "The Sand Fragrance Society is our superior now. Are you trying to rebel against them?"

“Of course, it’s a case of underworld insubordination,” Bando said. “It’s also because they want to destroy us first.”

"...You came here just to tell me this?"

"Of course not."

Bando stood up and looked intently at Ginji, who was sitting in the chair.

"I hope that the 'Evil Slayer Ginji,' who once struck fear into the hearts of other groups, can pick up his sword again and fight for the Washimine Group. Will I be able to see that heroic figure once more?"

Chapter 688: The End of the Evil

Ginji fell silent upon hearing Bando's words, and Bando, without rushing, waited quietly for his reply.

“Boss, I understand what you’re saying, and I’m very grateful for your support of the young lady over the years,” Ginji said. “But… I didn’t hear a single trace of ‘benevolence’ in what you just said. The reason I’m willing to take up a knife and obey the boss is because there is benevolence involved.”

Ginji was wearing sunglasses, making it impossible to see his expression, but Bando knew he must be disgusted with his actions.

"'Benevolence and righteousness'... When we first joined the gang, that was definitely what we had in our minds, but now that the organization is almost gone, we can only talk about 'benevolence and righteousness' if the Washi-mine group is still around."

Bando chuckled involuntarily as he said this.

What are you laughing at?

"It's a bit ridiculous that a bunch of gangsters would use 'benevolence and righteousness' to package themselves, but the things we've done over the years have almost completely deviated from it."

After Bando finished speaking, he stood up and prepared to leave.

I've already said everything I needed to to Ginji this time, and since he's unwilling to join, I can't force him.

"Boss."

Ginji called out to Bando, who was about to leave.

"Ok?"

Do you remember the person I told you about before?

"You mean Mr. Satomi?"

“It’s him.” Ginji looked up, this was the first time he had looked Bando directly in the eye all day. “Cooperating with those Russians is like asking a tiger for its skin, but they are not the most dangerous people.”

"Are you saying that Mr. Satomi is dangerous?"

"That's without a doubt. When I first met him, I could smell the blood on him that he couldn't hide, and I could feel it when I talked to him."

Ginji's hand slowly clenched.

“He is an extremely dangerous person. If you are cooperating with Russia, you must be extremely careful, or you could die without a burial place.”

“Is that so… I was quite surprised last time. This is the first time you’ve ever commented on someone like this, especially someone who looks like a student.” Bando laughed, but then his expression turned serious. “You’re right. I’ve witnessed his terror firsthand. He shattered what I’ve always held onto with just a few words.”

"He knows you very well."