>>5526866 >>5526907 >>5527124 >>5527189 >>5527254 >>5527438<span class="mu-i">Perhaps there is a way around the issue. Putting on a fake show instead of actually beating the man, or checking if there was any wrongdoing done with the debt behind the scenes. Not declining, but avoiding violent action while resolving the issue.</span>
Takigi seems to take note of this and begins composing a response. 「Sir, perhaps the issue warrants a bit more caution. What if there are issues behind the scene with the debt, such as with Mu Bou? It would put us in a bad light if we were to blow up the issue then. Not to mention my lack of fighting experience. Perhaps we can come to a more amiable...」
"Takigi." He stops talking. "Why do you think I hired you?"「...Um, well, to work for your money lending enterprise. To collect debts, manage balance sheets, take care of errands, and some other things besides.」 Kanekatsu stares at Takigi for several several seconds. Then he sighs. "Certainly, that is part of it. But does that warrant hiring a martial artist? Does it warrant the pay you receive, or the effort I put into recruiting you?"
The 'no' is left unspoken. "When someone steps out of line and threatens not to pay, you are the threat. If someone says - and they have - that perhaps you will pay them a visit if they refuse to pay... then the debtor stands down. Threats are usually enough. That is the prestige of a martial artist. And we make sure that they know that you are one. Given that neither us nor the debtors particularly <span class="mu-i">want</span> to fight, this works. But when the debtors pick a fight, then we cannot back off, lest we become a paper tiger and threats no longer work. Do you understand?"
「Er, uh... what about my debt then? Why was that cancelled instead of a... similar outcome?」 "There was verifiable misconduct. Loss of documents. Very importantly, the fact that you simply paid normally until then and did not chase off one of our debt collectors with a machete and then brag about it. It was much easier for everyone to make the issue disappear then. But now the cat is out of the bag, and it can't just be shoved back in."
After an awkward silence, Kanekatsu fishes something out of one of his desk drawers and places it on his desk. It's a very ornately made knife. "Have you ever heard of <span class="mu-i">yubitsume</span>?" 「No sir.」 "It's an ancient ritual to atone for one's mistakes. In order to show that one is sincerely apologetic, they use actions, instead of words." Kanekatsu stares at Takigi. "They cut off their finger, from the knuckle up."
Kanekatsu puts the knife away. "Do your job, or accept that we've had quite the misunderstanding and that you need to be demoted to a different position. The former, and we carry on with business as normal. The latter, and you take a cut in pay and apologize."
