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[gunmods]

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[nofarplaneyet]

[His boss, Hideo, told him what to expect from the shop and the owner. Auron isn't certain if his boss and this guy are on any decent terms at all, but he's about to find out.]

Need three airsofts and a chest protector big enough for large man. My boss wants to know if you have them on hand or if you have to custom make anything. Says he's dealt with you before.

[His boss might also be the best chance to soak in and learn anything he can about the yakuza world. Because learning a bunch of facts on the Four Assholes (he calls them in his head) is one thing but knowing the world is another.]

[gunmods]

Boss, huh?

[He leans forward on the counter.]

Who's your boss's name?

[He's mostly wondering who he needs to bill, but also he might as well learn whatever he can.]

He got an account here or are you payin' for it?

[nofarplaneyet]

He said he did. Name's Hideo. Has a bar about...9 or 10 kilometers away.

[He always has to pause to figure out what the journey is compared to miles. He even accepts that the metric system is way better to determine everything, but you just can't shake habits.]

He says he's not entirely sure if he's paid up on his account. If he isn't, I'll make up the difference.

[One advantage of having shades is people not being able to tell where or what you're looking at. Auron is studying tattoo partially seen on the man's neck. Tattoos aren't exactly that common here, unlike in America. Maybe this guy was ex-yakuza too?]

[gunmods]

[He rubs his chin and goes to check the files. Seeing what he's got going on.]

Mmm... yeah, he's all paid up.

[Taking out a pad of paper.]

Okay, so three airsofts and a chest protector... y'ain't plannin' on doing anythin' illegal with this, are ya?

[nofarplaneyet]

Nope. He says it's more like a deterrent so no one tries anything stupid at this bar. So...I'm guessing he wants me to wear it.

[Auron had a decent grasp of the language so far, but being completely submerged into it is rapidly helping him. Every step is a step forward. But now he's just honestly curious about the store itself. Did this place do decent business?]

[gunmods]

Guess so.

[He keeps writing down notes, trying to get an idea of exactly what they plan to do with this.]

Hm. How fast do you need these securities?

[nofarplaneyet]

I think he said if you have them in the next week or two, it'd be appreciated.

[All right, Auron is getting even more curious. This is just so different from anything he'd seen before.]

Got a question for you. Do you make all of this yourself?

[gunmods]

Yeah, that's not a problem.

[He's gonna write that down, before looking up at him, leaning forward a bit.]

Yeah, I do. Any other questions?

[nofarplaneyet]

Not right now. You do good work.

[The amount of detail for everything is insane. No wonder Hideo wanted him to come to this place.]

Thanks for helping me out. I'll be back to pick everything up once it's ready.

[gunmods]

Yeah, no problem. Here, gimme your number so I can text you.

[He pushes over the order sheet to him, leaving a pen on the counter.]

[nofarplaneyet]

[As Auron writes down his number, it occurs to him that first impressions are sometimes deceiving. You'd think this Iwai would be kinda rough, but he's actually a craftsman. Someone who pays fine attention to detail. So what if that detail is for airsoft rifles and gear. It's not something just anyone can do.

Maybe it's why Hideo has an account with him.]

Here you go. Thanks for your help.

[gunmods]

[Iwai nods and slips it into the account.]

Yeah, no problem. See you soon.

[He's not going to think too much about this guy... though he might have to really start looking into those accounts he has laying around.]

Later On - like much later apparently

[gunmods]

[The whole thing puts Iwai on edge. He shouldn't care what a person is doing with them if they tell him one thing and promise not to use it for anything illegal, but...

Something bugs him about all of this.

With Auron's phonenumber, he shoots off a text. Hey, he was Yakuza, he knows what to do.]

This is Iwai. Can you stop in the shop for a bit today? Got some questions.

[nofarplaneyet]

[Auron had been settling into the country and his role well enough. Being in the bar and absorbing the knowledge and the stories he could goad his boss into telling helped his cause immensely. He had as much time as he needed to get it completely right before striking.

So it's with some surprise he stares at the text, taking a moment to realize who this is from. Right, the guy who ran the shop.]

Sure. I don't have to work until later so I can spare a little bit. In an hour is good?

[gunmods]

Yeah, that's fine. Just come in to the front.

[Well hey, it's probably not suspicious, right? Right?]

See you soon.

[nofarplaneyet]

[It takes Auron slightly more than an hour because of subway hopping, but he does get to the shop. His shades are firmly in place once again. No need to cause a scene in public, after all.]

Hey. What did you need me for? Something you need to pass on to my boss?

[gunmods]

Yeah... but also nah.

[He pauses for a moment before looking at him.]

It's a lotta work. I can do it but gettin' some help might be a good thing. If you can spend some time helpin' me out, I'd appreciate it.

[nofarplaneyet]

[This is honestly surprising. Enough that even with shades, Iwai might be able to tell Auron's blinking a bit.]

I...guess I could do that. Haven't made anything like what you're doing before, so you'll have to show me what you need.

[gunmods]

Yeah, that's fine.

[He moves to the side of the counter to open the door.]

Come on in the back.

[nofarplaneyet]

[Auron is immediately alerted that this scenario could go two ways. Number one, the normal way, where he helps someone do legitimate business. Number two, he's going to be held up.

Well sucks to be this guy because Auron only has about 2000 yen on him. He's also been trained in disarming people. It would be much smarter to walk away. But he knows he has to test himself. If he can defend himself here, it's more confidence to when he has to face the Four.

So he might hesitate for a few seconds, but he follows Iwai in the back, ready for damn near anything.]

[gunmods]

[Iwai, if he was a few years younger and didn't have a kid of his own, might have considered doing just that. Even 2000 yen was more than enough sometimes, especially if someone wanted to buy a hooker or a stripper.

Sitting down at his desk, he pointed to a chair nearby.]

Get comfy. How good are you with small parts?

[nofarplaneyet]

[Hookers and strippers of dubious quality, to be sure. Not that Auron cared about that kind of thing.

His shoulders do relax as it seems like he's not getting mugged.]

You mean putting stuff together? Probably all right. Might have to show me specifically what you want.

[gunmods]

That's fine. That's all I really need.

[He hands him a tiny screwdriver.]

Unscrew that gun in front of you and keep the screws in a pile.

[nofarplaneyet]

All right.

[There are approximately too many screws in this gun and he has to hunt around for them. But the work is oddly relaxing and focused at the same time.]

So like this, right?

[gunmods]

You're doing just fine.

[He looks at him for a moment. And then back to his own gun.]

So, what's your boss like? Seems like it's a pretty dangerous field for you to be in.