Wrapped in Screams by Amy Tasukada

Author:Amy Tasukada
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: The Yakuza Path
Publisher: Amy Tasukada
Published: 2021-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Nao had always loved the historic district. He knew all the store owners, and everyone had been happy to see him and Aki as they strolled along the stone street. Even the tourists were unusually well mannered.

After a stop at a stationery shop for origami paper for Aki, they headed out of the historic district and down the familiar road.

“This is the street, isn’t it?” Aki asked.

Nao could only nod. His tearoom had been a cut he’d allowed to scab over, but Aki wanted him to scratch it off and show the scar.

They stopped at the yellow-plastered storefront with dark, painted latticework. It looked like it had been plucked from the historic district, even though it stood beside more modern buildings. The cloth sign had been removed and tucked inside the building once the cleanup crew had finished. The tea store had been everything Nao had needed after Shinya’s death. A quiet place where his biggest worry was making sure the water boilers were set to the correct temperatures.

“Can you still get inside?” Aki asked.

Nao swallowed. “There should be a spare key in the back.”

The front of the building had been used for standard business with civilians. They strolled to the back alley. Nao punched in a code on the shop’s back door, and they entered.

Dust lingered in the air. A half dozen tables stood with a set of mahjongg tiles at each. He’d never bothered to deal with the aftermath of the massacre. Sure, people had been sent in to clean up the mess, but the finer details of closing the shop and cutting the power had never happened.

“This is nice,” Aki said.

Nao grabbed one of the mahjongg tiles from a table and sighed. It couldn’t be so easy to simply come back, but looking around, he could almost forget the year that had passed.

“Have you thought about opening it up again?” Aki asked.

“Once Miko is released.”

“So you want a full retirement?”

“If I can. I only agreed to be interim godfather because the city needed me.” Nao sighed and rubbed the scarred over cigarette burn on his wrist. “I know running the family when things are quiet isn’t my thing.”

“Come on. Everyone will love the party,” Aki said. “And I’ll help you out and remind you to be social.”

“Let me show you the front.”

They walked down the hallway that connected the two spaces and also led to the bathroom and a tiny office. Wooden floors and a quiet atmosphere helped each customer enjoy a wonderful cup of tea and some dumplings in peace. Along the back was a wall of large tea tins and a bar. Nao had spent his days behind that bar, talking about the finer points of tea to whoever wanted a sample.

Aki worked his way around the front and sat at one of the bar stools, a wide smile across his face.

“It’s like the tea cabinet at home, but bigger and with more variety,” Aki said. “Can you make me a cup?”

Nao filled the water boiler, setting the temperature for a nice pot of green tea.

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