Wherever Ryu went, "Shima" followed.
The people of the territory had come to accept this as a fact of life. In the village where Shima grew up, he was famous for being an overly rambunctious kid, so the locals kept a sharp eye on whatever trouble the boy was stirring up now.
While Sugo was usually present for debt collections, Ryu and Shima were becoming a package deal.
"Shima-kun. You used to give the villagers a lot of grief, didn't you?"
"Who, me? I mean, I got into some scraps with the other kids, but that's about it-ssu."
"You've got the 'Physical Arts' ¹ skill. You can't be going sutegoro ² with the katagi ³."
"Scrapping with the... katagi-ssu?"
"Oh-I mean, you can't be getting into bare-knuckle brawls with honest civilians."
"Ah! If that's what you mean, I've turned over a new leaf! I won't do that anymore-ssu!"
"Well, as long as you've actually 'washed your feet'—gone straight—I suppose it's fine," Ryu replied.
"Washed my feet?"
"Never mind. Just quitting."
"Ryu-bocchan, you sure use some weird words sometimes," Shima noted with a tilt of his head.
"Don't mind me. It's just... industry lingo."
"Industry lingo?"
"If you use words that only 'the family' understands, no one can eavesdrop on your business, right?"
"I get it! That's brilliant-ssu!"
No, actually, I just can't shake my habits from my previous life...
Since he couldn't exactly say that, Ryu just let Shima run with his own interpretation.
Within the territory, between the town and the two villages, there was a place called Daichi Village. It was where the butler, Sebastian, and Shima's family lived. Since both Sebastian and Shima lived on-site at the Landmark Knight Family estate, Shima hadn't been home for a full month.
Ryu asked him, "Do you want to stop by your house?" but Shima flatly refused. Apparently, he intended to endure the loneliness until he became a "full-fledged man."
"I mean, sure, but it's really close, you know? My place to yours..."
During that exchange, Ryu had arrived at Daichi Village with Shima to collect interest on the local debts.
"Very well. I have received this month's interest in full."
As Ryu was accepting the coins from a villager, the Village Head appeared.
"Ryu-bocchan, might I have a word with you after this?"
"?"
Following the man's lead, Ryu and Shima were guided into the Village Head's home.
"To get straight to the point, it's about Nidai Village. I intended to petition the Lord directly, but I heard that Ryu-bocchan is the one calling the shots there."
"?"
Ryu and Shima exchanged confused glances.
"According to what my villagers have heard, under the Landmark Knight Family's special sponsorship, certain farmers over there are growing a new crop. I heard you're even providing them with capital and support. There's been no such talk for our Daichi Village, and some of my people are starting to grumble about it."
I see. So that's how it is...!
He was likely talking about the Kohin bean ⁴ cultivation. To an outsider, it certainly looked like blatant favoritism.
"Um. If I've caused a misunderstanding, I'm sorry. But... originally, I only asked those specific farmers to do it because they couldn't pay their debts. I wanted to give them a way to work off what they owed."
"To... work off the debt?" the Head asked.
"Right. It's still experimental; I don't even know if it'll be successful yet. That's why I'm testing it with them. If the harvest works out, there's a chance we can sell it, but we're still just feeling our way through the dark."
"So there is a chance of profit?"
The Village Head latched onto that specific detail.
"Well, yes. But it'll take several years to grow them from scratch to harvest. It really is just an experiment for now."
Ryu tried to emphasize the risk, sensing that the Village Head was about to volunteer.
"Please let us grow it in our village's fields too!"
The Village Head leaned in, having already decided this was a lucrative deal.
"Whoa, hold on. The Landmark Knight Family doesn't have the spare capital to fund any more support right now. Wait a bit."
"A portion of my own fields is currently lying fallow, so that's not a problem!"
"No, that's not what I mean. I'm saying we don't have the money to back you!"
"It's fine! Just let us grow it! We'll use the idle land, so we won't be a burden to the Lord!"
When pushed that hard, Ryu had no reason left to refuse. The overall crop yield of the fief wouldn't go down, so it wasn't a bad thing. He'd have to clear it with his father, Faza, first, though...
"...I understand. I'll talk to my father about it."
"Thank you so much!"
Well, I was planning on expanding the 'turf'—the production base—once we saw results anyway, Ryu thought. I guess this saves me the trouble of persuading them later.
Summary:
Ryu continues his debt collection duties alongside his new 'underling' Shima, while accidentally teaching the boy yakuza slang. They visit Daichi Village, where the village head confronts Ryu about perceived favoritism regarding the new crop project in Nidai Village. Ryu unintentionally maneuvers the village head into volunteering his own land for the Kohin bean experiment without requiring further financial investment from Ryu's family.
Trivia:
- Shima and Sebastian are actually from Daichi Village.
- Ryu's 'Physical Arts' skill is a latent threat he must manage around civilians.
- The 'industry lingo' Ryu uses is a direct carry-over from his previous life as a Yakuza.
- The new crop (Kohin beans) was originally a debt-relief measure, not a profit-sharing scheme.
- The village head is so eager that he is bypassing the need for a subsidy, effectively saving Ryu's family money
Character Insight:
Ryu's natural leadership and underworld negotiation tactics are functioning on autopilot; he successfully 'expanded his turf' without effort. Shima is showing deep loyalty, adopting Ryu's mannerisms and rejecting the comforts of home to prove his worth.
Behind the Scenes:
The term 'Shima' in the title is a deliberate pun between the character's name and the Yakuza term for territory/turf.
TL Notes:
1 ↩ Physical Arts: A combat-oriented skill in this fantasy world's system.
2 ↩ Sutegoro: Yakuza slang for a bare-knuckle street fight without weapons.
3 ↩ Katagi: A term used by yakuza to refer to 'civilians' or law-abiding citizens outside the underworld.
4 ↩ Kohin beans: A fantasy world equivalent or precursor to coffee beans.
Notes:
• Shima - Ten-year-old boy with brown hair and brown eyes. Grandson of the butler Sebastian. Hired as a servant and training to be a future butler.
• Ryu - Formerly Yokohama Ryusei, a yakuza. Reincarnated as the third son of the Landmark family. Has red hair and blue eyes. Possesses memories of his previous life and the ability to see names of objects.
• Sugo - Captain of the territorial guards. Responsible for teaching martial arts. Large, grim-faced, and protective of Ryu.
• Sebastian - The family's elderly, white-haired butler who has served since the grandfather's generation. Highly knowledgeable.
• Faza - The Lord of the Landmark Domain. A slender but sturdily built man with red hair and brown eyes.