I Became a Yakuza's Daughter

Chapter 10: Disciplinary Committee (4)

A Westerner with an Eastern touch.  

With bright blonde hair and a great physique, it was easy to tell that he was mixed-race.  

Normally, such a look would be welcomed anywhere.  

However, in this world, the East held the dominant power.  

Was that why?  

I wasn’t sure about Korea since I had never been there, but at least in Japan, racism was a significant social issue.  

The target of discrimination was Westerners.  

People generally associated them with poverty, and most assumed that any Westerner they saw was an illegal immigrant.  

Well, considering that the majority of crimes in this version of Japan were committed by Westerners, I couldn’t say I didn’t understand the reasoning.  

“The arrogant gingers don’t know their place at all. I deeply apologize for showing you such an unpleasant sight. From now on, I will ensure they are not allowed entry.”  

Typically, "ginger" referred to people with red hair.  

But here, it was used to describe blondes.  

That was because Japanese people in this world had hair of all different colors, including red.  

However, blonde hair simply didn’t exist.  

In any case, "ginger" was a derogatory term.  

It had been in my past life as well, but here, it carried an even stronger insult.  

It was on the same level as calling someone a "Chosunjing."(Half-breed)  

Noa didn’t think much of it.  

If five people gathered, at least one of them was bound to be trash.  

Judging an entire group based on that one person was foolish.  

Besides, due to the nature of her job in her past life, Noa had been deployed overseas many times and had experienced more than enough racism.  

Of course, anyone who dared to spew such nonsense in front of her never walked properly the next day.  

That was about as much as she cared about it.  

If someone directed such words at her, she would punch them without hesitation.  

But she had never interfered in someone else’s misfortunes.  

The same applied here.  

Adversity was unfortunate, but many used it as a stepping stone to grow into stronger individuals.  

However.  

The kid who had just run out was wearing a middle school uniform.  

She didn’t care about racism as a whole across society, but at the very least, such things shouldn’t be directed at children.  

That was… not what a man should do.  

“Hey, employee.”  

“Are you talking to me…?”  

“You’re fired.”  

After saying so quietly, Noa continued eating the rest of her cake.  

**  

“Maybe Noa-chan is actually kind.”  

“Not a tsundere, but a megadere!”  

Noa glared at Chise.  

“If you talk in that weird way again, I’m going home.”  

“…That’s the latest trendy way high school girls talk. You didn’t like it?”  

Chise drooped her shoulders in disappointment.  

She had studied hard online to learn that way of speaking.  

But, as expected, it didn’t work on Noa.  

Chise quickly returned to her usual tone and smiled brightly.  

“You got mad on that kid’s behalf, didn’t you?”  

Noa shook her head.  

“That employee knew you were from the Fujiwara family.”  

“Well, yeah.”  

“The Fujiwara family told him to apologize properly because it didn’t look good.”  

“Yeah.”  

“But the moment that kid ran out, he immediately started mocking him.”  

“T-That’s true.”  

“A server who can’t even read a customer’s intentions is incompetent. And I hate incompetent people.”  

Chise made an awkward expression.  

‘…It’d be nice if she were a little more honest.’  

But that was also part of Noa’s charm, so Chise just smiled softly.  

After a brief silence, Chise spoke with a sense of emptiness.  

“Hey, Noa.”  

“What?”

“……Wouldn’t a room with only a sofa feel a bit lonely?”  

The sofa Noa had bought arrived quickly.  

Since it cost ten million yen, the texture was nice.  

As soon as the sofa was placed in the room, Noa lay down on it without hesitation.  

Chise was offering her lap as a pillow.  

At first, it was nice…  

Chirp— chirp— chirp—.  

Hearing the sparrows chirping made her feel sluggish.  

This was… way too different from what she had imagined.  

Chise stroked Noa’s hair and spoke.  

“How about accepting some members now?”  

“You do it, Chise.”  

Noa responded sullenly.  

But Chise had spent ten years with Noa.  

She wasn’t someone who would back down so easily.  

“Noa, you’re the president, so you should be the one to pick them!”  

“Hah, since when did I care about that? It’s a hassle. You handle it, Chise.”  

“……Kako-san.”  

Noa’s body flinched and trembled.  

Chise smiled brightly.  

“Wouldn’t she be disappointed?”  

Noa’s pupils shook.  

‘Is there any way out of this?’  

No.  

‘Maybe I can somehow dump this onto Chise…’  

That wouldn’t work either.  

Chise wouldn’t go out of her way to tattle, but if by any chance this got to Kako’s ears?  

She would die.  

She would seriously die.  

Noa felt a threat to her life.  

“H-How do you even do it?”  

‘Got her.’  

For a brief moment, Chise’s gaze sharpened.  

But she quickly put on a cheerful expression and answered.  

“You just pick whoever you want! You can set the standards—grades, wealth, anything…”  

‘If we recruit members, we can furnish the room with more things. That’ll make it even better.’  

This was Chise’s plan.  

The student council rules prohibited personal spending.  

However, using the money of ‘external members’ was tacitly accepted.  

It was hard to track the funds, and they could just say the items were gifts.  

For that reason, Chise enthusiastically explained.  

“Do you know what external members are? If a student from a sister school has outstanding grades, they can join our school’s disciplinary committee…”  

Clatter!  

Before Chise could finish, the door swung open.  

A girl in a middle school uniform confidently strode into the room.  

“You certainly look comfortable. The early days of the disciplinary committee should be busy, yet here you are, lazily lounging around. Hah, what’s with the sofa? You’re students!”  

“A middle schooler?”  

Chise blinked in confusion.  

Who was she?  

“H-Have you already forgotten me?”  

“Hmm…”  

Chise honestly had no idea, so she turned to Noa.  

Seeing her munching on a piece of candy, a certain scene overlapped in her mind.  

“Ah, yesterday, that…”  

“You finally remember! That’s right. My name is—”  

“The person who pressed the button at the crosswalk!”  

“That’s not it!”  

Yuria shrieked as if she were having a seizure.  

**  

“You. Do you really think it’s right for someone without qualifications to hold that position?”  

“Why isn’t the great Fujiwara the president instead? Answer me!”  

“Of course, I already know the answer even if you don’t say it. You cowardly put a Minamoto puppet at the forefront so you could withdraw at any time.”  

“Hah! You do look the part, at least. Were you trying to evoke sympathy with that cute face? Unfortunately, that won’t work on me!”  

‘Shouldn’t she at least give me a chance to respond…?’

Chise was at a loss.  

This girl had suddenly barged in and was bombarding them with accusations, yet she didn’t even give them a chance to respond, just rambling on by herself.  

“If the Fujiwara family are true nobles, shouldn’t they step up at times like this? Instead of hiding like cowards?”  

On top of that, Chise had no idea how to react.  

If she had been alone, she wouldn’t have hesitated to kick her out.  

After all, she was the heir of the Fujiwara family.  

Chise was a rather cold person.  

However, the problem was Noa, who was lying quietly on her lap.  

What if she took a stance opposite to Noa’s?  

She might end up making Noa dislike her.  

‘In times like this…’  

Chise decided to read Noa’s expression and judge accordingly.  

She lowered her gaze.  

Noa was chewing on her candy, watching the scene unfold.  

It was just like a spectator enjoying a movie with popcorn in hand.  

‘…Her posture hasn’t changed in the slightest. What does that mean?’  

Chise activated her sharp mind at full capacity.  

What stance should she take to earn the most points?  

- Noa hates noisy people.  

- But she’s eating candy right now—her favorite chocolate flavor at that.  

- She’s in a rather generous mood. Whether it’s because she likes that girl or just because she’s enjoying her candy, it’s too early to tell.  

- No, if she didn’t like her, she would’ve bitten down on the candy. She did that before.  

- But it’s only been two days since Noa’s candy ban was lifted. I can’t assume she’ll react the same way as usual.  

‘I have no clue which it is!’  

Chise took a deep breath.  

‘Calm down, Chise. You’re the heir of the Fujiwara family. If you can’t even read Minamoto’s intentions, what are you doing?’  

To get more reliable information, Chise started observing even the smallest details about Noa.  

Her skirt, slightly lifted due to her lying down.  

The fair skin peeking out from underneath.  

Her small feet, clad in white socks.  

‘Ehehehe.’  

DANGER…!  

Chise bit the inside of her cheek to regain her composure.  

She had almost embarrassed herself.  

And at that moment, Chise had a revelation.  

Noa’s expression was blank.  

Yet, her gaze had been fixed on Yuria the entire time.  

Most importantly, despite the audacity of this underclassman’s words, Noa wasn’t angry!  

In any other situation, she would’ve thrown a punch by now.  

That meant…  

‘She’s interested!’  

It only took Chise two seconds to reach her conclusion.  

With a benevolent smile, Chise spoke.  

“What brings you here?”  

“W-What? Did you not listen to anything I just said?!”  

Chise was born with superior Fujiwara genes.  

However, 90% of her brilliant mind was dedicated to Noa.  

She lived her daily life with the remaining 10%.  

As a result, Chise, who was already indifferent to others, had barely paid attention to what Yuria had been saying.  

To be precise, she had let it go in one ear and out the other.  

But Yuria was not one to back down.  

“Fine. I’ll say it as many times as necessary. Minamoto! You are not qualified to be president, so step down immediately!”  

“Heh.”  

Just then, Noa smirked and suddenly shoved the candy she had been eating into Chise’s mouth.  

“!!”  

Chise froze as if struck by lightning.  

She blinked slowly and felt the sweetness spreading in her mouth.  

‘Wait. I just… Noa was eating this candy just now… So that means… This is an indirect… kiss?’  

Her heart pounded as she rolled Noa’s candy around on her tongue.  

She could hear nothing.  

Feel nothing.  

See nothing.  

All her senses were focused on that single sensation.  

While Chise was completely knocked out, Noa lazily scratched her messy hair and approached Yuria.  

“Have you heard of Sally’s Law?”  

“Hah, do you take me for a fool? I’ll have you know that I’m the top student in my grade at Asano Middle School. It refers to a series of fortunate coincidences happening consecutively, doesn’t it?”  

“In the Minamoto family, we use it a little differently.”  

Noa had been born into poverty in her past life.

Noa had grown up in a difficult household and had a rather gloomy childhood.  

So, as soon as she came of age, she enlisted in the military.  

She wanted to leave home as soon as possible, and besides, the army provided regular meals.  

However, in the military, where she had only gone to avoid starving, she unexpectedly discovered her talents.  

She had a talent for shooting, a talent for never giving up, and a superior physique.  

As a result, on the recommendation of her boot camp instructor, she was selected for the special forces.  

Even within the special forces, Noa stood out.  

She was chosen for South Korea’s top unit, the 707th Special Mission Battalion.  

From then on, she was deployed for counter-terrorism operations.  

Her primary missions involved hostage situations involving overseas residents, but she was also frequently dispatched to assist other countries and other military units.  

Iraq, Ukraine, various high-risk Middle Eastern regions, and more.  

She fought terrorists, battled pirates, and confronted gangs.  

Thanks to her insane achievements, she not only earned recognition but also became an elite soldier whose credentials spanned multiple pages.  

After that, she was discharged.  

She joined a private military company—better known as a PMC—and started working as a mercenary.  

In the 21st century, war mercenaries were expensive.  

Especially those with numerous medals and commendations—someone like her could earn hundreds of millions per mission.  

She could live a life without envy.  

Fellow soldiers looked at her with admiration.  

Money and honor—she was on par with high-ranking officials.  

And all of it had been earned by crushing every obstacle underfoot, one step at a time.  

She had never relied on anyone else’s help.  

That was why she liked people who were similar to her.  

A disadvantaged background—it was a penalty, yes, but those who persevered and achieved despite it always shone the brightest.  

Noa saw potential in Yuria.  

Yesterday, her pride had been wounded, yet she had returned in less than a day, standing tall and challenging them head-on.  

She was dirt poor, unable to afford even a slice of cake, yet she glared up at them without a hint of inferiority.  

She must have suffered countless instances of racial discrimination, yet her self-esteem seemed unshaken.  

How could she not be interesting?  

That was why Noa was curious.  

When faced with ‘overwhelming talent,’ would she crumble?  

It was clear that pride was the only thing she had.  

Even if that pride was ‘thoroughly’ shattered, would she still refuse to break?  

Noa wanted to find out.  

“If you want something, take it by force.”  

“What do you mean?”  

“This is what we call Sally’s Law in the Minamoto family. The winner takes everything. If you want something from me, steal it with your own strength.”  

“Strength…?”  

Yuria clicked her tongue in disbelief.  

“A noble lady? You shouldn’t say things like that so carelessly.”  

“Heh. You sound pretty confident. You’re younger than me, aren’t you?”  

At that moment, Yuria’s demeanor shifted.  

“……Don’t treat me the same as you.”  

“Hm?”  

“You and I carry different weights on our lives.”  

At Yuria’s response, Noa’s lips curled into a smirk.  

‘As expected, she’s interesting.’  

“The rules are simple. The one who says ‘I give up’ first loses.”  

Yuria didn’t even know what the competition was yet.  

But when she saw Noa stretching, she quickly realized what was about to happen.  

She let out an incredulous laugh.  

“Hah, are you serious? I have a black belt. Against a regular person like you…”  

“Don’t worry. I’m a trained martial artist too.”  

Yuria sighed and casually rotated her wrist.  

“…We’re not even in the same weight class. Let me warn you in advance—I don’t hold back.”  

“What a coincidence.”  

Noa grinned, her eyes glinting with madness.  

“Neither do I.”  

**  

Chise only snapped back to reality after she had finished the candy Noa had given her, leaving nothing but the stick.  

“Huweee… Hik, huuk.”  

Yuria was sitting on the floor, sobbing miserably.  

“Hwaaaang! Hhik, hngh.”  

…What was this?