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Growing up as an orphan in poverty, Yoshitaka Mine had learned the hard truth about life: Money was power. People didn’t care about you, if you were lowlife. You didn’t matter.
After his adoptive father died, Mine had no one who would have believed in him. He certainly didn’t have any friends growing up. Even when he entered adulthood and worked hard to achieve his goals, he didn’t have deep relationships with anyone. But the more money he made, the more he realized he could have with it.
But it took only a few people for Mine to realize money couldn’t buy him deep bonds. People around him didn’t want him; they wanted his earthly possessions. He was betrayed by his own people and made a fool of in his own company.
All his beliefs were lies. So, instead of trying to focus on people who would never truly see anything in him, no matter how much wealth he possessed, Mine directed his focus elsewhere.
Then after one particularly rough day, he saw Daigo Dojima, the sixth chairman of the infamous Tojo Clan, under an assassination attack. The man survived, due his loyal men. All his bodyguards died protecting him. Such loyalty fascinated Mine to his core. He began to take an interest in the head of the Tojo Clan. What could possibly be the reason that people wanted to die for him?
Of course he had to see it himself. While money had never made him happy, it was a way for him to get what he wanted. Mine bribed Tsuyoshi Kanda to get into the Nishikiyama Family. Kanda was a perfect fool for that. Just like the people Mine had worked with before. He only wanted Mine’s money, but that was alright, because Mine had his own goals he fueled by complying with Kanda’s wants.
His wealth made a great deal for the family, even when his methods were questionable. They caused a conflict with the second patriarch of the Nishikiyama family, Shinpei Ikari. But instead of changing his ways, Mine and Kanda drove him away from the family. The bastard Kanda took credit for Mine’s work, so he became the third patriarch though Mine became his right-hand man, the captain of the family.
Eventually, Daigo noticed his role in the scheme. He called him to his office and warned Mine that his way of dealing with things could make him a target, even getting him killed. Mine had changed things for other families when he had practically stolen third-tier families from them. He even told Mine that he, the sixth chairman was worried about Mine’s safety.
They discussed the violent side of the yakuza world. Mine said he was prepared for it while Daigo reminded him of the fact that one day someone he considers a friend could betray him. While Mine was well aware of the possibility, he questioned Daigo’s insight because wasn’t it coming from the man who called everyone in the clan his family?
Daigo surprised Mine once again. He told him he too was aware of the cruel side of things, but even when he knew his men could betray him, in his words, that didn’t make them any less family to him. He didn’t want to throw away his ideals just because of possibilities.
“Isn’t it normal for family to quarrel every now and then?” Daigo asked.
Mine told him that even when Daigo was rambling on and on, he just told him platitudes. But he said he would keep his warning in mind.
But Mine didn’t actually listen to him. He considered Daigo naive, but he still hadn’t learned enough about him. So, he continued doing what he had done.
And of course, Daigo was right. One night, when Mine and Kanda were going to the Tojo Clan Headquarters with payments to there, they were attacked by Ikari and men from other Tojo Clan families whose connections Mine had poached. And just like everyone else in his life, Kanda was a selfish traitor who left him behind, taking the seven hundred million with him.
Before Mine was killed, the one and only, Daigo Dojima stepped in. He offered money, one billion for Mine’s life. But Ikari wasn’t satisfied with his offer and tried to kill him anyway since apparently Mine had ruined his life. But Daigo didn’t let that happen. He took a bullet for him. And while Daigo collapsed on top of him, Mine questioned it all.
The sixth chairman had just protected him and was asking him if Mine was hurt while he was actively bleeding. Mine had looked at the blood on his hand, the blood of Daigo Dojima and he had finally realized something: there was something real in this life.
So, he fought with Ikari, defeated him and then rushed to make sure Daigo was alright. Again, the chairman was making sure if Mine was okay. As if he wasn’t in much worse shape. Mine forced himself to say he was fine while telling him an ambulance was needed for Daigo. But Daigo didn’t seem to worry much about himself.
“I’m just glad... you are safe.”
Hearing those words made Mine’s head swirl. Why do all this for him? He asked about it and Daigo told him that Mine was a bad listener. He grabbed his arm, making Mine feel something he didn’t recognize, but the feeling was warm.
“Don’t make me repeat myself. How many times do I have to tell you? We’re family. Got that?
Mine had heard it before, that Daigo considered everyone in the Tojo Clan his family. But he didn’t think it was real. That this man truly cared about his men like this. And now... Mine was one of them. He was Daigo’s family.
After being lost for so long, Mine had finally found it. Not just family but his purpose. He saw the light that was none other than Daigo Dojima.
It didn’t take long for Daigo to recover. The wound wasn’t fatal and when he was back in the office again, he and Daigo began to work tightly together. Daigo let him start his own family, the Hakuho clan that was a direct subsidiary to the Tojo clan. Mine also became the chairman of the Hakuho Clan and Daigo made him a lieutenant advisor to the Tojo Clan on top of that.
Kanda had no objections to that since he was probably relieved that Mine was ready to sweep his betrayal under the rug and pretend it didn’t happen the way it did. Well, he did have some issues with it at first, but in the end, he didn’t dare to stand in the way after everything. Besides, the bastard continued to treat him the same way, despite Mine’s promotions.
But what interested him was Daigo’s opinion. He wanted to make sure Daigo was really sure of everything. But Daigo insisted that he had made the right decision, even appealing to Mine’s previous contributions for the clan.
And then he had said that Mine had a tendency to walk right into danger.
“Better to keep you at my side - where you’ll be safe,” Daigo said, making Mine not only proud but oddly flustered too. He had promised to be more careful in the future.
Then Daigo had made sure Mine himself was sure. But of course, he was. Why would he step back now, after he had finally found what he had been looking for, all his life?
Daigo and Mine swore an oath. But instead of doing it in the traditional way, Daigo took him into a bar that then became their regular drinking place. At that moment, Mine decided what his back tattoo would be.
Kirin, a mythical creature which only appears in the presence of a benevolent leader and becomes ferociously protective if its leader is threatened. A perfect tattoo that symbolizes his relationship with Daigo.
While Utabori was tattooing it to his skin, he questioned out loud, whether Mine would be a loyal servant for the king, or would he be the end of him? He said Mine alone could define his own legacy and then wondered what kind of burden Mine was going to take with the tattoo.
Mine had said that the answer should be obvious. What he didn’t say out loud was that at that exact moment, he thought he had found the purpose of his life. And his first genuine bond with someone.
All that he ever did and all what he would ever do, he would dedicate to Daigo Dojima.
Mine had intended to follow that path until he died, but then it all went wrong. Daigo was shot and while he was in a coma, Mine lost it. His purpose, everything he had. And he had to find a new reason to live. Before he even realized, he circled back to his old ways.
Andre Richardson, a CIA agent and a leader of the Black Monday, contacted him, hoping to get Mine to help him with his Okinawa deal. Daigo had foolishly denied him, because the Okinawa deal would have affected Kiryu and his orphanage there. But now that Daigo was out of the picture, Mine agreed to help him, for Tojo Clan’s sake.
Suddenly it was all about money and power again. If he couldn’t have Daigo, then he would take his place. He would carry on Daigo’s legacy. Become the seventh chairman of Tojo Clan. Nothing else than the success of Tojo Clan mattered anymore. Because surely that’s what Daigo would have wanted?
But why was it not enough? If Daigo hadn’t been shot, Mine wouldn’t have cared about the deal. He wouldn’t have gotten involved. Because what he truly cared about wasn’t money, or even the Tojo Clan. Just the man who happened to be the chairman of it.
But even when he finally got what he had always been looking for, even before it was taken away from him, Mine had had his doubts. Was it truly enough? Because he wasn’t completely satisfied. He enjoyed his job and position, but what he really looked forward to at the end of the day were the nights he and Daigo would spend alone in peace.
But while Mine had devoted himself completely to Daigo, something was missing. The lingering looks, the occasional touches and the endless nights that made him question their relationship, but they never really got them anywhere. Time after time, Mine found himself sitting next to Daigo in their regular bar, something close to yearning in his heart.
Daigo cared about him, maybe truly more than anyone else, but it wasn’t enough.
And when he was shot and in coma, Mine hoped that he would come back. Because he hadn’t told him the truth. Some nights he couldn’t sleep at all, just rehearsing the confessions he would let Daigo know, if only they could see each other again.
But everyone around him seemed to consider Daigo already dead. Some of his men dared to celebrate what had happened and Mine crashed. He didn’t care that those men were supposed to be on his side, that they were also celebrating his success. He stabbed the loudest one with a cutlery knife and yelled at them.
Because there was nothing to celebrate in what was supposed to be Daigo’s end.
Mine did questionable things. He got rid of Kanda, though that he doesn’t regret. But wrecking the orphanage, maybe that was a bit too much. After all, those kids were in the same place he had once been. Not to even mention that Kiryu was important to Daigo.
Maybe he was a bit jealous. Because what did Daigo see in him? He and Kiryu came from similar backgrounds. Yet Kiryu wasn’t bitter about his past. He was selfless and capable of forming bonds with others, unlike Mine. And he had Daigo’s respect.
After everything Mine had done, he was sure he no longer had that honor.
When Richardson told him to kill Daigo to make sure, he would never recover and stop the deal, Mine had said he would do it. He convinced himself that the only man he had ever loved was already dead and it was his burden to end that pathetic shell that was left of him. He didn’t want to listen when one of his men questioned if he was really going to do it. They all knew how much Mine cared about him.
But a conversation with the bartender made him hesitate. Before going to the hospital, Mine stopped at their regular bar, wanting to calm himself down. But the bartender surprised him when he told him about the bottle that Daigo had saved for them. But he couldn’t drink it alone. Not without Daigo.
And the words... that Daigo came here to talk about all his men and especially him. That he worried about him. Had even noticed the tension Mine had begun to suffer from in his company. Daigo might have had a hunch. The bartender probably knew.
Then the bartender said what Mine had only suspected: Daigo trusted Mine more than anyone else. He assured Mine that Daigo would wake up some day and they could come here together again.
And Mine realized something he had known since he first agreed to this absurdity: he didn’t want to kill Daigo.
So, when he heard from Richardson that Kazuma Kiryu was coming? He felt something very close to relief while ending the call. And even when the bartender looked at him like he had possibly lost it, he hadn’t, yet. He still had things to do. He had to rush now. He should kill Daigo, end his pathetic existence, or more what was left of it. But knowing that there was someone who was coming to stop him... it didn’t feel like a problem. Mine felt hope. For a very short moment.
Before he left, the bartender told him about his problem. And Mine wanted to help him, because he couldn’t bear to see this place gone. If things would go wrong, at least he would have something left. After all, this is the last place they drank together with Daigo.
In the hospital, he sat next to Daigo and even spoke to him a little even when it was pointless. Daigo was dead already. He had to be. Because if he would now sit up and look at him, Mine could not look at him back. He would be too ashamed to do so.
But instead of doing what he was supposed to do, he waited and watched the unconscious man. It would have been easy to pull off his tubes and finish the job. But he couldn’t do it like that.
So, he took him to the roof. And patiently waited there for the hero to arrive. If he had to kill Daigo, someone should have the opportunity to stop him. He could fight with the legend. Defeat him and then... end Daigo.
And if Kiryu were to stop him... then so be it.
But now that he actually is here, Mine is enraged. Kiryu doesn’t understand anything. Even when Mine wastes time explaining things to him. Even confesses some things he would have rather kept to himself. But he knows it doesn’t matter, because only one of them will get out of here alive. And it might as well be him.
So, they fight. And Kiryu wins. No matter how hard he hit him, the dragon hit harder until Mine collapsed on the ground. But before he could do anything, maybe ask for another round, his phone rings. It’s his secretary who sounds worried about him at first, but then it turns out she called just because of a business deal. And it all circles back to money.
Mine doesn’t bother answering her anymore. He ends the call and turns to look at Kiryu. “Hey, Kiryu. Why is it... why is it I feel so at peace? Is this how it feels... when your world comes crashing down?”
In other words, when you realize nothing, you did really mattered, because in the end you are still alone and empty from the inside. But why does Mine still feel this odd surge of peace? Maybe because he realizes he could actually stop caring about money again. Maybe... just maybe he could have another chance.
“Mine. As long as you live, you can always rebuild. It’s never too late to change,” Kiryu says. Mine envies the optimistic view he possesses. But he starts to get up, getting help from Kiryu. Before he can think about anything else, or even hear Kiryu’s next words, they hear noises.
Richardson. With his men. And a gun. And Mine gets to hear that there’s no use of him to them anymore. What a surprise. They are both going to get killed now.
But just then, a loud thud alarms them. Daigo has rolled down from the stretcher. He picks up the gun Mine threw on the ground and shots the members of the Black Monday, including Richardson.
“I’m not... ready to die yet! You hear me!?”
Mine can’t believe it. Daigo is alive and breathing with his own lungs. He is still weak and collapses, but Kiryu rushes to help him. And Mine collapses on his own, the weight of all his wrongdoings dragging him down to his knees. And the noise makes Daigo notice him.
“Mine? Mine. What are you doing here? Are you hurt?”
It pains Mine to hear the caring tone in his words. Daigo doesn’t know a thing. He has been happily unaware of all what Mine has done. Until now. And Mine is supposed to face him? He possibly couldn’t, not now, maybe not ever.
“That was a close one, huh? But... it’s all okay now.” And Daigo keeps talking in that certain tone that used to disarm Mine every time. He is not far away from tears, but crying won’t change anything. He wronged Daigo and he can’t take that back.
Mine raises his head and tries to look at him. Even with all the turmoil inside him, he can’t take his eyes off Daigo when he finally sees the man, his eyes open and on Mine.
To think that he almost killed him, when Daigo now sits there, only a few meters away from him, talking to him. It’s absurd and wrong. He is a horrible human being. He doesn’t deserve that worry Daigo has in his expression. The concern that is directed at him. Mine doesn’t even deserve to live anymore.
“Chairman...” Mine’s voice cracks a little. But before he can even attempt to say anything else, a manic laugh interrupts them.
“Damn. He is tougher than I thought!” Daigo says.
Richardson is still very much alive, babbling some nonsense about killing them all. And now he is pointing the gun at Daigo and Kiryu.
Only one thought occurs in Mine’s head at the moment. Daigo can’t die. Not now, not after everything. And he gets up as fast as he can and takes the bullets Richardson shoots at him. Just like Daigo did for him, not a long time ago. Maybe it’s the adrenaline coursing through him which allows him not to care so much about the pain. He manages to grab Richardson and drags him towards the edge of the rooftop.
Then he looks at Daigo, ignoring Richardson’s pathetic pleas.
“Chairman. I’m sorry,” he says. The words might not hold much weight in the bigger picture, but at least he truly means what he says.
“Mine! You don’t need to do this! You hear me!? Get back here.” Daigo’s desperate pleas affect him more than Richardson’s, but it’s still pointless. Mine has made his decision. He won’t have to face Daigo and the consequences of his actions. Maybe this way he could atone at least some of his actions.
“Sorry, but the truth of it is... I don’t deserve to live.”
“Mine!” Daigo shouts. Mine turns to look at Kiryu instead, because there is still something he wants to say. Maybe he was wrong about him. Maybe he understands now what Daigo saw in him.
“Kiryu-san. I might be a sorry excuse for a yakuza... but I still know how to uphold my code of honor.”
“Mine!” It’s Kiryu’s turn to shout his name.
Richardson once again pleads him to put an end to this. He even questions if Mine is nuts, but that’s okay. Maybe he is.
“Kiryu-san. I wish we could have met sooner. I really do.”
“Mine!”
But he can’t be stopped now. He takes the last steps, so that he is at the very edge of the building that once treated Daigo while he was in a coma.
He looks at them both and chuckles, even though there is nothing amusing about the situation.
“Maybe in my next life... I’ll have what it takes to earn your respect.”
Maybe in his next life, he could have what he truly wanted. And be grateful for it.
“No! Don’t do this Mine!” Kiryu yells.
But the last thing he hears before leaning back and falling down, is Daigo’s gut-wrenching, anguished scream of his name.
“Mine!” follows him all the way down, making his heart shatter one last time.
Ever since Mine died, Daigo has been thinking about him almost every moment he spends awake. When he got out of the hospital, his loyal men were happy to announce him that there was a welcoming party waiting for him at the HQ. But Daigo wasn’t in the mood for it. He couldn’t stop thinking about Mine. Why did he do it? Did Daigo ever truly even know him, the real Mine as he was?
Bothered by those thoughts, he insisted on drinking alone at his usual place. The bartender who knew him was happy to see him on his two feet. He expressed his condolences for Mine’s death. And then he told him something interesting. Mine had been here, at their usual place where they always drank together. That day when he died, before he went to the hospital. The bartender had told him about the bottle Daigo had been saving for them. But Mine didn’t want to drink it alone.
The bartender had told Mine about his financial problems and to his surprise Mine had a suggestion: he would buy the bar and support him so that the place could remain here, always. Because it had been the last place, they shared a drink together.
Daigo, surprised that Mine had done such a thing, felt sudden relief fill him, wiping away all the previous worries he had had. In the end, Mine was exactly the man he had known him as. But then a sudden concern arose in him: would the bar shut down now? But no, the bartender had taken a loan from the bank, just to keep the business going. For Daigo and Mine. He said it would feel wrong to close the place that holds so many memories for them.
Daigo had thanked him, but it didn’t feel enough. If only there was a way to express his gratitude. But for now, the words had to be enough.
The bartender asked if he wanted to drink the bottle now, but Daigo couldn’t. Not without Mine. And the bartender probably saw it from his expression, because he turned away and started to organize his selection of drinks while Daigo felt the first tear roll down his cheek.
Despite his best efforts, Daigo hasn’t been able to shake off the feeling that someone is watching him. Maybe some part of him doesn’t even want it to stop. Because sometimes it feels as if Mine is close. Daigo could swear he had seen him a few times. But it’s just his grief playing tricks on him.
But there was that one dream... it felt so real. In the dream, he was at the bar, drinking as usual. The dream was confusing, as they often are, because at one moment it felt like he fell asleep in the dream itself. He woke up in the same bar, but he wasn’t alone anymore.
Mine was right next to him. He wasn’t wearing his usual suit. He had dark clothes and a weird expression on his face. As if he wasn’t sure what was going on either.
Daigo had pulled him into his arms, hugging him tight. He didn’t even think about it; he just did what his instincts told him to do. He had missed the man so much. Even when it had to be a dream, Daigo didn’t want it to end. He wanted to talk to Mine. But he couldn’t say much. He felt dizzy in the dream. Sleepy. Such a shame. But Mine smiled at him. That he remembers.
“Are you doing okay, chairman?” Mine asked.
Daigo shook his head, because since this was a dream, it was perfectly okay to be vulnerable and honest. In front of everyone else, he could pretend and be strong. But not now. Not when Mine was next to him, sitting in the chair that belonged to him.
Mine hummed and looked down. It looked like as if he was ashamed. But then he raised his head and smiled at him again. “You will be. One day,” he said and stood up. Daigo, even in his confusing dream state, panicked. He grabbed Mine by his arm.
“Mine,” was everything he could say. For some reason in that dream, it was hard to speak or even keep his head up. His eyes insisted on closing, which was the worst thing that could have happened then. But he managed to keep his hold of him.
“One day,” Mine repeated, and Daigo felt his lips on his forehead. It sounded like a promise. And Daigo’s hand dropped down and so did his head. The last thing he knew was Mine’s hands on him, gently placing him to rest against the bar desk.
He had woken up in the same bar. The bartender looked at him, clearly worried. Daigo had apologized and told him how his day had been rough and long. The bartender said he didn’t mind, but he looked... almost guilty. But Daigo didn’t question it back then.
To this day, Daigo has savored the memory of that dream.
One day. Whatever it means.