Later that day, Kai returned to his house first to change his clothes before going to Ayaka's house.
And as expected, he got a warm reception from Kudo Yoshihiro, her father. He had fun during the dinner, and it seemed when they built this place again, they had emphasized the family even more.
Maybe it was due to the loss of their grandfather that the family must spare time to have dinner together. The dinner also had nothing like a cold and silent atmosphere, but they still joked around, paying attention to their manner.
Kai smiled at this. Although it looked unsightly, he just liked this type of family more because it was the only thing that united the family.
After dinner, Kudo Yoshihiro stared at him with a mysterious gaze. It looked like he had trouble, but he also tried to look through Kai.
"Is there anything wrong, Uncle?" Kai asked.
"Nothing. I just realized that you are calling me Uncle, not sir like a certain someone. It means I win, right?" He slyly looked away.
"…" Kai was dumbfounded when he talked about it. He never put a thought into this, so he didn't know what to say regarding this matter.
Because of the hardship they endured in the past, Kai had grown accustomed to call him uncle. And just like him, Nathan had been a strict grandfather in the past, so he became comfortable in calling him Sir. Of course, he called Michael with Uncle, but if Yoshihiro bragged about this to Nathan, there might be some frictions. It was a joke fight, but if the occasion wasn't right, the situation might turn ugly.
"There is nothing wrong with that, right?" Kai decided to play it safe. "Besides, there is something that I want to tell you."
"What is it?" Yoshihiro narrowed his eyes.
"I have gotten news that there is a possibility that Sir Kudo Taro is still alive."
Clank.
Clank.
Cough Cough.
Ayaka and her mother dropped the glasses in their hands while Yoshihiro choked because of the news.
"I haven't confirmed the news yet, but due to the scale of the previous Kudo Group, there is a chance that they are trying to control it to fight against the Southern Family. If I am not wrong, the one that attacked him was that Ikeda Kenzo, right? I once clashed with him, and he let me go easily."
"Is that true?" Ayaka slammed the table and rose from her seat. Kudo Chiyo also looked at him with disbelief.
"Ikeda Kenzo is the current second-in-command in their operation, so I can't see why he is letting my father go. I mean, I am happy that my father is still alive, but why?" Kudo Yoshihiro stuttered. He could give a better response to this, but his mind became a mess.
"I am not sure about that. There is a chance that he is staying inside the Ikeda Family. If that is the case, his current treatment shouldn't be too bad, and we will be able to rescue him easier in the future. If he is in the Katsuragi Family, we need to rescue him first before solving that family. Either way, I can't do anything until I graduate." Kai let out a long sigh.
Kudo Yoshihiro felt bad and moved at the same time. Kai's consideration and help would be much appreciated, but he also didn't know whether he was qualified to receive his help. Since the past, he had been burdening him with many problems to the point he almost died.
He never expected that the guy in front of him that once he looked down actually became the national boyfriend. Well, it was only a rumor inside the base, saying that Kai's prestige and skills were enough to shake any family.
It wasn't exaggerating because Kai had the help of the entire base itself and the president. The president already ordered that whoever touched him would be chased by the entire base. And even a position such as minister wouldn't be enough to escape from this.
Yoshihiro stared at Kai for a minute before nodding his head. "Thank you for everything you have done for us."
"It's nothing." Kai waved his hand as if it was not a big deal.
"Since you have brought good news for us, I shall share all the information I have got from our spies that have been staying there this whole time." He took a deep breath and began his explanation. "As you already know, we have recalled the people we have left during that perilous situation.
"Some of them decided to stay and kept sending information about what happened in United Asia. Due to this, we have gotten some useful information.
"The first will be the current strength of each family. The leader of the entire Kyushu is the Southern Family. This has been known for at least a decade, so let's not argue about this. However, Hokkaido is a bit special.
"Katsuragi Family can control the situation at a certain level, but they are unable to control all families there, unlike Southern Family. This situation has changed when they have an S rank in their rank, Ikeda Kenzo.
"They take the rein right now, and from our source, they have most likely finished uniting the entire Hokkaido under their banner through might and medicine.
"Down to the south, they will arrive in the Tohoku region. And with the help of the Ikeda Family that is said to be the strongest family in the Tohoku region due to Ikeda Kenzo, they will most likely absorb them to wage war against Kyushu.
"This will certainly create a power that will seriously harm United Asia. I have no more intention in staying there, but this is certainly a problem for you."
Kai furrowed his eyebrows, thinking how it would trouble him. However, he couldn't come up with a single reason, so he asked. "What kind—"
Just as he was about to ask, he remembered a certain person he left in United Asia.
Yoshihiro looked at his shocked face and let out a long sigh. "It seems you have realized. That's right. After conquering Tohoku, the Katsuragi Family will surely move again, absorbing either Kanto or Hokuriku Region.
"Both are quite small in terms of area, but Kanto has a big population there. If I am the Katsuragi Family, I will certainly absorb the Kanto region first.
"And there is this little prefecture called Gunma. It's in the middle of three regions. In other words, it's the heart of the region. If I have settled down in Fukushima of Tohoku, I will surely go to Gunma since it will be closer to everywhere. I can go to Niigata, Tochigi, Saitama and so on.
"I am sure you already know this. Yeah, the strongest family in Gunma is none other than the Yajima Family. That's why the moment they conquer Tohoku, the Yajima Family will be in imminent danger.
"If they are able to sniff about your relationship with Yajima Haruko, I am afraid she will…"
Bang!
Kai slammed the table and gritted his teeth. "Are you crazy?"
This sentence was not directed to Yoshihiro. Instead, Kai was angry toward the Katsuragi Family. He had underestimated their ambition.
"Originally, they planned to handle the Southern Family first, but because you destroyed their plan, they changed their strategy and conquered other places first. If they managed to do that, they would surely replace the government.
"And with the strength of seven regions, the Southern Family won't stand a chance. Of course, the Southern Family is trying their best to persuade those in Chugoku and Shikoku Regions, upward their territory, but it's not as good as Katsuragi Family.
"After all, they are considered a mafia in that place. And unlike the Katsuragi Family, they have no extraordinary features such as medicine, weapons, and other things. They are known only for their strength.
"This is why the two regions distrust the Southern Family, playing hard to get. If the Southern Family uses force to control them, they will only be seen as tyrants, and sooner or later, they will be betrayed. In a war like this, getting stabbed from the back is the last thing you want to do.
"Hence, the Katsuragi Family is going to win this long battle." Yoshihiro finished with a sigh. The matter was too complicated.
Kai closed his eyes and calmed down. He glanced at Ayaka, who was smiling at him as if telling him that she would be on his side even if he wanted to join the war.
Because of that, he tried to look for a bigger picture and asked. "Suppose the plan continues smoothly, how long will the Katsuragi Family need to conquer Tohoku?"
"Two years. That is how massive Ikeda Kenzo's influence is in that region."
"I don't really care about United Asia, but it's different if they are aiming at the Yajima Family. And when the war breaks out, there is a chance that the protectors appear to create more chaos. United Asia is the one handling entire Asia, so losing them is a great loss for us. Hence, I plan to stop the war while fulfilling my revenge."
"In that case, we are happy to cooperate." Yoshihiro nodded.
"For now, I need more information about them. And before graduating, I will become a few stars general. Using that, I will conclude this matter." Kai nodded. "Of course, I will also try to rescue Sir Kudo Taro if the rumor about him is still alive is true."
"I understand. I will ask my teams to keep investigating the matter."
"Thanks." Kai nodded, thought for a moment and decided to leave after that.
Ayaka didn't stop him because she knew Kai had so many things to think about right now. She simply messaged him after he returned.