Chapter 186:

As Ace finished up in the school, he got Ichugama to drive him to one of the many malls that were around Tokyo. He would need new clothes, even if his school did have a school uniform. He would also have to buy the uniform, so Ichugama wisely drove him to the hotpot of stores that would not only have clothes for him, but they would also be able to make him a uniform that was custom made for him.

He got out of the car smoothly, and walked into the first boutique that caught his eye. There were two attendants standing around, a young woman in her early twenties, and another which seemed older, but still had the smooth skin people of such ethnicity were known for. As he went in, both of the female's eyes widened, but soon went back down - even if the younger one's held for a tad bit longer. He went in, smiling at the both of them, adn in Japanese said, "Hello! I am looking for some new clothes.", he gave them a cheery grin at their surprise, "I'm just looking for normal clothes - for regular use.", the older woman nodded, and smiled at him, "Of course, I am sure that we will be able to find something good for you. Do you want anything to drink?", she said, as she leafed through an ample rack of clothes.

"No thank you, I am fine.", Ace said, as he made eye contact with the younger attendant and smiled at her, which caused her to visibly blush.

The woman then turned around, holding a few pieces of clothing in her arms, "Ok, I have a few different styles, and we can try multiple things, and then see what fits.", Ace nodded in agreement.

"Of course, where are the changing rooms?"

***

Ace went out of the shop with no bags on his hands, but he had already ordered plenty of clothes, and would be arriving at his house in the next few days. He repeated this in multiple shops, buying a multitude of clothes, just for one reason - so he would not have to go out to buy them for a while after.

Once he was done shopping for clothes, he went into the shop that designed the uniforms for the academy. The shop only worked with uniforms, and were simply hired by the school to design them to a student's choice - within the acceptable rules of course.

The uniforms colour scheme was just plain black, no other colours, but they could be added if someone wished to do so.

"Good morning, I will be joining the Academy soon, so I would like to order my uniform now", Ace said politely, as he went in, Ichugama staying behind with the car.

"Of course", an elderly gentleman responded, leading him through the shop or one of the many isolated rooms. There, there was a computer with a large screen, and a multitude of different materials, Ace assumed would be the options for the uniform…

***

"Finally done,", Ace said, as he walked out of the shop, sighing. He thanked Ichugama for opening the car door and stepped in, "I'm pretty hungry… Do you know any good food places around here?", Ace asked, and Ichugama nodded, "Yes, but… They might be a bit...extreme.", he said, worried on his face, "Ah, don't worry, if you think the food is good, then there is no problem going there, is there?"

***

Well, as they soon found out, there were problems. The place was down an alley, and as if the seedy-looking people were not enough, the multitude of signs around were enough for Ace to realise that this was a Yakuza playing ground. Ace was already at full alert - always, but now, it was even more so, he was truly rethinking the decision to let Ichugama here, well, at least until they went inside the place. Instantly, they were assaulted by a strong odour, not one of sweat - or even blood, which was actually quite surprising, yet comforting. No, the odour was of food, the thick broths and stews that were being cooked in the small kitchenette that was just in front of the bar. There were also small tables dotted around the small room, but all of the people there were at the bar.

As they went in, they quickly stared down. Then and there, the atmosphere could be cut with a razor, there was a clear sense of impending doom as Ichugama slowly began to take off his blazer, and then slowly started unbuttoning his shirt, 'Wait, so he is going to show them his tattoo? Interesting.', Ace thought, as he admired the entire process, focusing on the reactions of the people around as they waited for him to show proof.

As he took his shirt off, Ichugama slowly turned around, and flexed his back muscles, causing the white tiger and the black dragon that had been tattooed there in the traditional style to pop out. 'Holy shit, from what I understand, certain symbols are pretty much forbidden except for a select few, and yet he has them, interesting…'

As they spotted the tattoos, and the style they were in, they all backed off, some of them - the lower ranking ones, Ace presumed, even going so far as to bow down in respect. Some however, tentatively looked at Ace, not understanding why a foreigner would be stupid enough to come here, "He is with me.", I chugama said in a strict Japanese, and everyone nodded, going back to their own food.

"Everyone sit back down!", A loud shout rang out, and a colossal figure came out of the back room, 'Storage room I guess.', at hearing this, everyone truly was just quiet, and went to do their own thing. "Good! This is a formal eating establishment, if you are not going to behave, then leave!"

Ace looked at the man, and widened his eyebrows. This man was extremely tall, about seven feet in height, and yet, instead of looking lanky or fragile, he was built like a mountain, unmovable, unshakeable. He stared at them botoh in the eyes, and nodded, "Good. I will make your food now, sit down.", his request - more like a demand, really, was met with curiosity on Ace's part, but understanding on Ichugama's.

They both quickly sat down on the two stools at one end of the bar, just waiting for their food in silence. That day, Ace remembered as the first time he would eat truly 'good' food in Japan.