Episode 16: "Information Exchange"

The air in the business side of town was rather chilly and the neon lights reflected off of all the glass planes.

It took some time, but they finally arrived in front of a slightly worn down office building.
Despite clearly being polished, the metal frame around the entrance was showing its age.
Minami guided them to the elevator, and the doors opened with a robotic ding.

"G&O Co." was listed on the floorplan.
Unlike the decaying outside, the inside was practically brand new. The air even had that freshly moved in smell.

Yutaka Gotanda
"Thank you all for going through the trouble of coming all the way here. My name is Yutaka Gotanda, I'm the president of G&O Co."

The moment the group entered the floor, a soft voice welcomed them.

The source of this voice was a man with slicked down hair wearing squared glasses. His name was Yutaka Gotanda.
He emanated a rather bold presence and wore a simple yet perfectly tailored suit.
Even at a quick glance, it was obvious he was the head of the company.

Yo Kuronaka
"Nice to meet you, we're—"

Yutaka Gotanda
"Yo Kuronaka, Tsuki Iroha, Tsuruko Semba, Q, and then we have Hyakuchitaro Senju and Eiji Todoroki. Do I have that right?"

The moment their names left his mouth, the group perked up.
Yo and the others exchanged glances as their names were called out despite this being their first meeting with him.

Tsuki Iroha
"Huh? Wait a sec, how do you know our names? Have we met before or something?"

Eiji Todoroki
"Well, of course he knows me. I'm world renowned after all! But to think he also knows the names of you commoners..."

Yutaka Gotanda
"Ah, it's not that big of a deal. Oi shared with me videos of when you were introducing yourselves."

Q
"I see. Your smart glasses can not only just record video, but send the recordings as well."

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"That's beyond awesome! It's like they can do anything!"

Yutaka Gotanda
"I appreciate the kind words and hope you'll look forward to their release."

Yo Kuronaka
"Still, though, you managed to memorize all our names in such a short amount of time. If it was me, I'd have mixed up a name or two."

Minami Oi
"I understand what you mean. I might make such a mistake as well if my mind wandered."

Yo had gotten used to it, but Minami who'd they only just recently met, would sometimes get people's names confused.

Yutaka Gotanda
"It was only six names or so. Not very difficult in the grand scheme of things, especially if you have Face Flash Memory like I do. I consider it my special skill."

Yutaka pushed up his glasses and the corner of his mouth slightly curved upward into a smile.

Yo Kuronaka
"Face Flash Memory? I can't say I've ever heard of that."

Tsuruko Semba
"Ha! Poor Yo. This sounds like a golden opportunity for Tsuruko Explains! Just leave it to me!"

As if she'd been anticipating this opportunity, Tsuruko took a step forward as her eyes gleamed.
Then everyone prompted her to continue with their hands, she cleared her throat and began her explanation.

Tsuruko Semba
"You see, Face Flash Memory refers to perfectly memorizing someone's name and face in an instant.
I recall Mr. Gotanda giving that as an answer in an interview for a business magazine I flipped through a while back."

Yutaka Gotanda
"Oh, you read my interview? Thank you very much."

Tsuruko Semba
"No need to thank me! It was an article describing the former leader of the Shinagawa Tribe, so I found it to be quite an interesting read."

Yutaka Gotanda
"Haha, just hearing that brings back a flood of memories.
But I think it's time we cut the small talk. I'd appreciate it if everyone could take a seat on that sofa there.
I'm sure you've all worked up a thirst, so I'll get some coffee ready."

Everyone took a seat on the leather sofa.
Considering the amount of walking they had done today, their feet were glad to get a bit of a break.
Soon the sounds of cups being placed down, and the aroma of ground coffee filled the air.

With a tray in hand, Minami handed everyone a cup of coffee.
A pleasant aroma and billowing steam piped out from each cup, Minami's nervousness slowly evaporated with each cup she gave out.
As she placed down the last cup, she began to speak.

Minami Oi
"Um, for those of you who wanted extra milk and sugar, here you go. Ms. Tsuru Semba and Mr. Hyakaka Senda."

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"C'mon, lady! It's Hyakuichitaro Senju not Hyakaka Senda!"

Tsuruko Semba
"My name isn't Tsuru either, it's Tsuruko..."

Minami Oi
"Gah! My apologies! Unlike Mr. Gotanda, I still haven't managed to fully memorize everyone's names!"

Yutaka Gotanda
"Ms. Semba, Mr. Senju. I would like to apologize on behalf of my subordinate. A superior must take responsibility for their subordinate's mistakes, after all. If you must blame anyone, please blame me."

As if it were second nature, Yutaka gave them a bow.
Seeing how serious he was about it all, the irritation on Hyakuichitaro and Tsuruko's faces disappeared and was instead replaced with an awkward look.

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"Look, man, it's not that big of a deal..."

Tsuruko Semba
"Yeah, I mean, it happens all the time! No biggie!"

Yutaka Gotanda
"Thank you. Well then, may I proceed to the heart of the matter?"

Q
"Before we do, how about we make sure everyone's on the same page? There's some things we'd like to communicate to you."

Yutaka Gotanda
"That's a wonderful suggestion.
Well then, Trash Tribe. You have my full attention. Could you please tell me why you have all come to Shinagawa?
I had asked Mr. Aoyama the same question, but our communication was cut before I could hear the specifics."

Yo Kuronaka
"It's a bit of a long story, but..."

They explained how the Trash Tribe lost to Zero in a match of XB, and as a result were forced to participate in XG, which was a competition against the Numbers that was being conducted with the governing rules.
They finished recounting how Kazuki and a number of their members were taken to another city. By the time they had finished, the atmosphere of the room had grown colder, despite the warmth of their cups.

Yutaka Gotanda
"...I see. You've all been through a fair share of tough battles."

Yo Kuronaka
"If you wouldn't mind, could you tell us more about yourself?
We heard a bit about the Shinagawa Tribe from Minami earlier, but we don't really know much outside of that."

Yutaka Gotanda
"I wouldn't mind at all. Simply put, the current state of affairs here is rather dire."

Yutaka walked over and sat down at his desk in the back. Naturally, Minami walked over to his side. Their expressions were tense.

Yutaka Gotanda
"For starters, the CEO is being manipulated by Kazuma. It's no different than a dummy company.
Targets for the layoffs are supposed to be decided by the CEO, but Kazuma's the one calling the shots now."

Yo Kuronaka
"Yeah, we've witnessed that first hand..."

Yutaka Gotanda
"And because of that, there aren't many people in this city who dare to defy him.
The worst of the bunch offer bribes to try to get on his good side. And as a result, Kazuma's popularity with the CEO has skyrocketed."

Q
"The more we hear, the more hopeless this is sounding."

Tsuruko Semba
"Don't be a downer! We must not give up! As they say, constant dripping wears away the stone. If we throw in the towel now, nothing will ever change!"

Yo Kuronaka
"I get where you're coming from, Tsuruko, but we're at a huge disadvantage here. What can we even do?"

Yutaka Gotanda
"Well, about that."

As the mood in the room took a turn for the worse, Yutaka's smile disappeared from his face. The atmosphere in the room completely changed.
He put his elbows on his desk and put his index fingers over his mouth, his gaze dropped quietly.

Yutaka Gotanda
"I'm planning on ousting Kazuma from the Director's seat. And to do so, I'd like to ask for your cooperation."

The room went abuzz upon hearing those words.