Meet the guests of honor

Right behind her and unmistakable is Yoshinori Yoshida. Otherwise known as Fat Yoshi. He lives up to his name, being one of the largest Japanese men you’d ever seen. He is easily over two meters tall and likely a hundred and fifty kilos, if not more. He has small, very dark eyes, a bald head and impressive jowls. He is wearing a dark blue haori coat and grey hakama pants. Sewn into the right breast of the haori is the white diamond of the Sumitomo Group, one of the most powerful of the reformed zaibatsu. Yoshida was the director of human resources of Edogawa Biotechnologies, a subsidiary of the Sumitomo Group. Honestly, though, he was better known as the wakagashira of the Tokyo branch of the Yamaguchi-gumi.

With him were Kazuo Kamiya, Masahiro Hiyama and Noboru Inoue, three of his top lieutenants. It spoke to Yoshida’s power that he could be seen in public with the three who were all well known yakuza and none of whom worked at Edogawa Biotech. Behind those three were two bodyguards in dark suits. They each had a katana at their waist. Yoshida gloried in the past as much as any powerful man, after all. You were willing to bet that they were packing more than swords though.

“Ho, look at these beautiful ladies!” Yoshida exclaimed. “I can already tell that it is going to be a fine night.”

Chigusa bowed low. “You are far too kind. It is us who are blessed by your presence, Yoshida-sama.” She gestured at the table. “Please sit anywhere you like.”

Yoshida rumbled over and sat between you and Chiaki. You mentally pumped a fist. Chiaki was less engaging than Maria in your opinion, so now you felt even better about your odds at seducing the fat man. The only question was how best to go about that. The NPA briefings had suggested that he had a fondness for demure, modest women but you’d also read about a few highly publicized liaisons of his with starlets with ‘naughty girl’ reputations.