Akatsuki Trading Company was developing various business ventures.
Among them, the most representative were food and cuisine.
"Try tasting this."
Akira recommended tasting the jajangmyeon, made by sprinkling the black bean paste he created over noodles, to the food development department employees.
And after tasting the unfamiliar dish called jajangmyeon, they—
"It's the best, President! This subtle sweetness is amazing!"
"This isn't flattery, it's real! It's a revolution in Japanese food culture!"
Utterly satisfied. Even in 21st century Japan, jajangmyeon was an unfamiliar taste, but Akira made it possible through localization.
"This is something else. New products keep pouring out. As expected, the president is incredible. Just recently, you released seolleongtang as a product, and now you've developed instant jajangmyeon."
The deputy head of the food development department marveled at Akira's ability.
Akatsuki Trading Company was a pioneer leading food culture, creating various new menus.
Dishes for restaurants and products to sell to citizens.
The most recent menu was seolleongtang. They productized that seolleongtang, which even Japanese residents on the Korean Peninsula enjoyed eating.
Especially, employees of Korean origin living in Japan gave it rave reviews.
The seolleongtang sold in restaurants was delicious, and selling just the seolleongtang broth as an instant food was also popular in Japanese households.
Not only that. Recently, he had also introduced yukhoe, ganjang-gejang, yangnyeom-gejang, saeu-jang, and yangnyeom-saeu-jang.
Naturally, they were hugely popular in Japan.
Rather, it was surprising that Korea's premium foods, which used soy sauce and also made jeotgal, hadn't existed in Japan.
Of course, saeu-jang were 21st-century foods not currently in Korea, but since the principle was similar to ganjang-gejang, he passed them off as Korean cuisine.
After all, even in 21st-century Japan, they were recognized as Korean foods that came from Korea.
Instant foods were out of the question, but they sold them in stores using refrigerators and also in restaurants.
Especially, the popularity of yukhoe, ganjang-gejang, and saeu-jang was explosive.
Some restaurants tried to copy them, but their results were disastrous.
Due to poor distribution or management, they caused large-scale food poisoning incidents.
Thanks to that, in public perception, they became recognized as special dishes only available at Akatsuki Trading Company.
Of course, it was because of the copycats' storage methods and such. It was the result of storing yukhoe or ganjang-gejang at room temperature as if they were complete foods.
Even in 21st-century Japan, such incidents occurred, leading to yukhoe being legally banned, so it was a natural result in the current 20th century.
Rather, thanks to the copycats, Akatsuki Trading Company's credibility and popularity increased even more.
Leading food culture and through that, the credibility of other products rose, so the trading company was opening more branches.
"The next food to develop is pizza."
"Pizza, I'm looking forward to what kind of dish that is."
"It's a food loved in Italy and America. It will probably receive rave reviews. I have business to attend to, so I'll take my leave."
Akira was already planning the next new menu, and with important matters to handle, he left the development department.
Akatsuki Trading Company headquarters, top-floor office.
Akira set down the stolen goods list submitted by Kumoeimon on the desk as if throwing it.
"3kg of special alloy samples, 5 boxes of refined Western-style painkillers, among others. Quite a lot."
He let out a hollow laugh. Compared to the immense wealth Akira possessed, this amount wasn't even worth a coin rolling on the street.
It was a loss so trivial it wouldn't deal a 0.001% blow to the trading company's management, truly a speck of dust.
But Akira's gaze was colder and more settled than ever.
"It's not about the amount."
He swiveled his chair and looked down at the Tokyo nightscape outside the window.
The night streets under his rule. The fact that there was a being daring to take his belongings without his permission was displeasing.
"How dare you lay hands on my belongings?"
For Akira, a perfected being and ruler of the underworld, it was like the rage of a male lion whose territory had been invaded.
Even if what the rat stole was a single grain of rice, without the owner's permission, it was a challenge.
"Tsubaki."
When Akira called the name softly, a woman silently appeared from the darkness and knelt.
It was Tsubaki, the head of security for the trading company and Akira's shadow.
"You called, Master."
"Mobilize the security force. Track down the scent of the rats who looted my warehouse. No need to bring them back alive. Bring only their heads, along with the items they stole... To the Demon Slayer Corps, they'll just be missing persons."
"As you command."
Tsubaki bowed her head. Her eyes gleamed coldly.
Akatsuki Trading Company headquarters basement, secret training ground.
This was a training facility for a private military unit responsible for the trading company's armed forces, whose existence even regular employees were unaware of.
"Everyone, assemble!"
At Tsubaki's command, dozens of shadows sprang up from all over the training ground and aligned in perfect order.
They were all stunningly beautiful women. Dressed in red hakama and black sleeveless kimono, with sharp Japanese swords at their waists.
They were the Moon Flower Squad. A personal guard and execution squad that Tsubaki organized and trained herself for Akira.
"Master, you asked before, right? Why there isn't a single man in the security force."
Tsubaki said with a smile to Akira, who had come down with her.
"Yes. Usually, security or rough work is handled by burly men, isn't it? There must be many strong men in the trading company or outside."
"Huhu, I considered your preferences. Wouldn't it be better to be surrounded by fragrant, beautiful flowers rather than sweaty, dull-smelling men?"
Tsubaki's eyes sparkled like a puppy seeking praise.
Most of them were cases where women who were almost sold to brothels or about to face hardship due to debt were taken in by the trading company.
Tsubaki selected only those with outstanding looks and a fierce spirit among them.
"...Sigh. I wonder what kind of perception of me has been ingrained."
Akira let out a sigh. It was true that he had a fondness for women, but he never intended to turn a combat unit into a harem.
But the Moon Flower Squad wasn't just a beautiful women's corps. They were created superhumans.
"They have mastered the Breathing techniques I taught. Although due to talent limitations, they can't perfectly implement the forms, through Breathing, they can temporarily explode their physical strength."
As Tsubaki explained. They were quasi-Demon Slayers. But that wasn't all.
"And… they have been administered enhancers developed by Sister Shinobu and Sister Kanae."
A special drug that diluted and refined Akira's blood to the extreme, enhancing only physical abilities without turning them into demons.
It was something like a Super Soldier Serum.
It flowed through their veins.
"Also, keeping up with the times, we have introduced new-style weapons."
When Tsubaki gave a signal, the members pulled something from their bosoms. They were latest-model pistols.
"The harmony of sword and gun. There are no gaps in both close combat and long-range combat."
A security force that uses guns and swords.
Things like sword prohibition laws or firearms laws were already permitted as a legal security company with the trading company's financial power and influence.
Roughly, for the purpose of keeping yakuza-like groups in check.
Akira nodded. Beautiful but lethal poison-bearing flowers. That was the identity of the Moon Flower Squad.
"Good. They are Demon Slayer Corps members. Rotten as they are, they are swordsmen who know how to use Breathing, so don't let your guard down. Execute them on the spot."
"We will obey your command!"
The red flower petals scattered into the darkness of the night.
Meanwhile, at a small bar on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Four Demon Slayer Corps members who had looted Akatsuki Trading Company's warehouse and fled were raising their glasses in a toast.
"Whew~! As expected of Japan's number one trading company, it's worth looting!"
A burly-looking member laughed while counting bundles of bills.
"We can make quite a bit of money selling these alloy samples to blacksmiths. The medicine, we'll pass on to the black market."
On their backs was engraved the character for "destroy," but in their eyes, instead of a sense of justice, only greed glittered.
They were the type like Senior Cube Steak or Kaigaku. They had no sublime sense of mission to exterminate demons.
They just had some strength but didn't want to join the army, disliked yakuza life, so they entered the Demon Slayer Corps to catch relatively weak demons and make money, mere opportunists.
By raising their ranks and making money, they could retire and receive a pension as cultivators. Wasn't this a much better life than being soldiers or yakuza?
"But, is it really okay? Akatsuki Trading Company… I hear even yakuza tremble before them."
The youngest-looking member asked anxiously.
"Idiot! Don't chicken out! We are the Demon Slayer Corps! A special group that even the government can't touch lightly!"
The senior-like member emptied his glass and shouted loudly.
"Besides, do you have evidence? Evidence that we did it. We were merely conducting righteous investigations tracking demon traces. If they have a problem, let them come and catch us!"
"Hahaha! That's right! What can mere merchants do against us with swords?"
Unaware of the blade aimed at their necks, they were intoxicated with a sense of victory.
Creak…
At that moment, the bar's old wooden door opened, and women in red clothes entered with the night breeze.