Chapter 548: Chapter 364: What is the Purpose?
Shinjuku District, Tonchu Public Tavern.
Although the name suggests a tavern, it’s actually the name of an izakaya.
Uesugi Sakura stood at the entrance, peering through the curtain hanging at the door to observe the scene inside the izakaya.
Though it was the afternoon, there were quite a few customers drinking in the establishment.
A man wearing a white headscarf was busy fanning the fire for the barbecue.
Seeing Uesugi Sakura enter, the shopkeeper shouted loudly, "Welcome!"
"What would you like to eat?" a cheerful-looking waitress approached him.
"No, I’m here to meet someone."
After dismissing the waitress, Uesugi Sakura scanned the room, following the instructions given over the phone, and located table number 5.
A young man was sitting there.
He should be the lawyer.
Uesugi Sakura sized up the man.
Gray casual clothes, his hair was neatly groomed, not the typical suit and tie one would expect from a lawyer.
Uesugi Sakura walked over, pulled a chair, and sat down in front of him.
"Mr. Uesugi," the young man noticed him and smiled, "Hello, I’m Sasahara Gen’i."
Uesugi Sakura didn’t want to waste words and went straight to the point:
"Tell me, what are your terms?"
Sasahara Gen’i smiled, and the cup in front of him steamed as he picked it up: "Would you like a drink? Kubota, a very old brand known for its lightness and dry taste, mellow, quite famous in sake."
Uesugi Sakura gave it a glance: "I’m underage."
"Mr. Uesugi, my client hopes, of course, that you will give up the guardianship of those two children."
Uesugi Sakura paused for a moment, then said: "Why does your client want this?"
Sasahara Gen’i simply smiled without answering.
"To put it another way, what does he want?"
"The client only wants custody of the children."
"Impossible."
Uesugi Sakura didn’t say this without reason.
If it was just the mother of Aei and Chiaei hiring this lawyer, merely demanding custody might be plausible.
But clearly, this matter involves the Yakuza.
Once the Yakuza is involved, it’s not that simple anymore.
Sasahara Gen’i shook his head, straightened up, and said:
"Mr. Uesugi, Ms. Iwashita will always be their mother, even if you hire a lawyer from Hamada Matsumoto Law Firm, the odds are not in your favor. Mr. Uesugi, if you are willing to give up, my client is willing to offer you five million yen."
Offering money too?
Uesugi Sakura was even more puzzled, wasn’t Aei and Chiaei’s mother supposed to be broke, where did she get the money?
As for the lawyer from Hamada Matsumoto Law Firm.
It must have been arranged with the help of an uncle.
After finishing the sake in front of him, Sasahara Gen’i smiled again:
"Mr. Uesugi can take a few days to think about it, my client will wait for your response, letting the children return to their mother is always the right choice."
After saying this, Sasahara Gen’i stood up, bowed to Uesugi Sakura, and left the izakaya first.
Uesugi Sakura pondered for a while, unable to make sense of the situation, and then left as well.
The sky was exceptionally clear today, a rarity for Tokyo’s blue sky.
Instead of taking the train, Uesugi Sakura randomly hailed a taxi by the roadside to return home.
The taxi driver, wearing white gloves, got out to open the door for him personally.
The driver appeared to be a middle-aged man, and at a glance, one could see his face was full of concessions to life.
Such a respectful demeanor was in stark contrast to the exuberant greetings from the izakaya owner.
Uesugi Sakura got into the taxi, the driver kindly asked if he needed any further help, and after saying he didn’t, the driver closed the door for him and returned to the driver’s seat.
The vehicle slowly made its way through the bustling streets of Tokyo.
In Japanese taxis, there is a small white board on the dashboard displaying the driver’s name, number, and company.
This driver’s name was Ichikawa Takao, and while on the journey, Uesugi Sakura struck up a conversation with him.
"Mr. Ichikawa, how many years have you been driving a taxi?"
The driver nodded and replied while steering: "By this September, it will be the eleventh year."
"How long do you work each day?"
Mr. Ichikawa responded in a very polite tone: "Well...the hours aren’t really fixed, but nighttime fares are about twenty percent higher, usually, I work from 3 PM to 5 AM the next day, which is roughly fourteen hours."
"That long!? Do you get weekends off?"
"Yes, we can choose to rest."
Mr. Ichikawa seemed eager to talk, and seeing Uesugi Sakura initiate a conversation, he went on talking.
"I earn about over a million yen a month, but the company takes a forty percent cut from the fares, so what I actually get is just over six hundred thousand yen."
Uesugi Sakura listened and nodded.
A university professor’s monthly salary doesn’t even reach five hundred thousand yen.
This means that taxi driving in Tokyo is considered a high-paying job, although it’s quite exhausting.
"Sigh, if not for the law that says you can’t drive over 365 kilometers a day, I would want to drive more each day to earn more money."
The driver sighed, and Uesugi Sakura listened, reflecting on how this is just ordinary life.
Reaching middle age, facing rent, a family with a wife and children to support, various bills, living expenses, medical costs, children’s tuition, and financial support for parents, there are expenses everywhere.