The Yakuza play a vital role in Saezuru, but we feel like a lot of readers (ourselves included!) struggle to keep track of the various characters, factions, and plot threads.
Yoneda-sensei has created a fantastic story, and we really want to help fans understand the details of the rich world she's woven.
So... we made this Saezuru Yakuza chart to help you all follow along with the story! All information in here is up-to-date as of Chapter 49.
Here ya go - savor it though, because this is the last chapter we'll get for a while.
MediaFire || Mangadex
As always, if you see this chapter uploaded to a manga aggregate site (that isn't Mangadex) know it was without my permission.
I got a little carried away on the translator notes for this chapter so thank you in advance for letting me be indulgent, lol. I think probably the mark of a good translator is not needing translator notes but I also know that a lot of readers of Saezuru are interested in the Japanese language, too, so I thought including some context around the idioms etc would be nice.
Anyway, enjoy!
Yashiro is disappointed about the wait as well, but we can suffer together <3
Okay, I got interrupted yesterday while I was reading the chapter and I had a teaching appointment today but here we go- I finally have a summary for y'all.
This chapter has sooo much information in it, like wow, it's dense. There's a detailed summary below the cut.
Also I think it will take a day or two longer than usual to get the chapter out because there's a lot of text this time and I want to make sure I don't mess anything up (like I usually do lolol)
SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT
First we see the title page with Yashiro sitting crosslegged, smoking a cigarette and looking at a little sparrow.
"With feelings left behind" is written above the sparrow.
The chapter opens with Tsunakawa arriving at Doushinkai's main office with Muraji. Tsunakawa and Muraji meet Misumi and Amou together in a private room.
Misumi seems quite friendly and even brings up Tsunakawa's golf hobby saying Tsuna hasn't been in a while (with Amou, I assume). Tsuna says he hasn't been able to go because of the trouble Sakuraikka has been experiencing in the past year (alluding to the kidnapping of Niki and the injury he suffered afterward). Misumi doesn't remember (or likely pretends not to remember), even though Doushinkai apparently sent a "get-well" gift for Tsuna. Misumi says Amou probably sent the gift himself (lol).
Tsuna suddenly asks why Misumi had Yashiro investigate Okuyamagumi, saying he doesn't like to beat around the bush. Misumi agrees to tell Tsuna, bringing up the favor Tsuna did for Doushinkai 4 years ago (the Hirata incident and Tsuna's role in helping Doushinkai get rid of Goudagumi which operated under Sanwakai, the same umbrella group that Sakuraikka is affiliated with).
Misumi explains that Doushinkai's branch group, Akutsugumi (thank fuck it's not another K group lol), was attacked by Ryuuzu during a weapons procurement and that 28 guns were stolen by Ryuuzu. This also led to a series of squabbles throughout Doushinkai's territory. Misumi continues to say that usually he wouldn't get involved in something like that (because he's the big BIG boss and that matter isn't that big of a deal) but he views the stolen weapons as a major threat to Doushinkai. He goes on to say that if Doushinkai's own weapons were used against them it would result in their reputation being destroyed - especially if it were Ryuuzu using the weapons since they're under Kyokuseikai (極星会).
Tsuna says he knows about Doushinkai's longstanding relationship with Kyokuseikai. Misumi says that the dispute between Doushinkai and Kyokuseikai may be ancient but the embers are still burning.
(!!! Here we learn that the relationship between Kyokuseikai and Doushinkai was a bad one.)
Tsuna says, "Well of course, the boss is still alive" implying that Misumi is ancient. (Up until this line Tsuna has been using very polite Japanese, but here he switches to more casual Japanese making it even more funny.) Misumi is annoyed but takes it as a joke.
(I love their dynamic lol, btw Misumi speaks very casually to Tsuna because he's older and his rank is higher)
Tsuna says that Okuyama may be under Kyokuseikai now but he was originally part of Sakuraikka. He goes on to request that Doushinkai "pass the flower" to Sakuraikka and allow them to pursue the matter solo. (The expression Tsuna uses is 花を持たせる - directly translated is "let someone hold the flower" - which means to allow someone else to take the glory/credit. There are going to be a lot of translator notes for this chapter I think. lol)
Misumi says that expression is very "yakuza" of Tsuna to which Tsuna replies that he feels like Misumi is comparing him to someone. Misumi asks who and Tsuna says, "Yashiro, your cute son." Misumi gets annoyed and says that Yashiro isn't his son but his 愛人 mistress. (this can be translated as lover as well, but this word carries a very heavy connotation that the lover is an extra lover, outside of wedlock so I feel the most appropriate word is mistress. Also it's funnier and this line is definitely supposed to be humorous lol)
Tsuna pushes a bit more and says that Yashiro's special treatment from Misumi must be nice. Misumi seems a little surprised that it seems like he gives Yashiro special treatment. Tsuna adds that he can understand the desire to give a little extra to his favorite subordinates, after all there's a subordinate that he's fond of - Doumeki.
(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why Tsuna, why?? and in front of Amou, too.)
Misumi is very surprised and asks Tsuna if he heard him right. "Doumeki Chikara" Tsuna says, leaving no room for doubt. Misumi demands to know why Doumeki is at Sakuraikka and then it dawns on him that Amou probably had something to do with it. Amou slinks away to make more tea (lol), thinking he'll have to kill Tsuna later.
While Tsuna is laughing, Misumi demands that Tsuna throw out Doumeki, asking what's so good about him anyway. Tsuna asks if something happened with Doumeki to which Misumi replies "I should be asking that!! To think he was at the place I asked Yashiro to investigate..."
Tsuna asks Misumi if he hadn't heard about Doumeki from Yashiro. Misumi makes the excuse that Yashiro doesn't tell him every single little thing. (But is thinking that Y is a fucker for hiding that info from him.) Tsuna pushes again and says it doesn't seem like a little thing. Tsuna asks why Misumi cares about such a small fry like Doumeki at all. "That's true" Misumi says, seeming to not really know himself.
(So interesting - Misumi himself is unaware of the reason for his great distain for Doumeki! Or at least doesn't seem to want other to know)
Later, when Muraji and Tsunakawa are returning in the car Muraji asks if Doumeki did something bad to which Tusna says that he wants to know too. Tsuna remembers Misumi's line "To think he was at the place I asked Yashiro to investigate" and realizes that Yashiro is somehow connected to Misumi's dislike of Doumeki.
Tsuna calls Doumeki who is with Kamiya still out looking for Ryuuzu members and Okuyama. Doumeki reports that they've discovered who Nishio is (Kai's underling) but haven't been able to find him yet. He also reports that they've discovered Okuyama's whereabouts. We see a side view of Tsunakawa's face with a serious (murderous?) expression while D shares the whereabouts (which aren't actually written out).
Next we cut to Yashiro with Nanahara in Kageyama's office (this is the second sneak peek btw, the one with Y and Kage). Kageyama is stitching up one of Yashiro's casino staff who has been attacked by Ryuuzu guys. (The dude is being really noisy so Yashiro directs Nanahara to stuff a sock in his mouth, and Nana does lol)
Nana says he wants Yashiro to avoid going near the casino for a while since the Ryuuzu guys are likely after him. Yashiro says that they're after him because he's part of Doushinkai so it's pointless to hide (I think he means that on principle he shouldn't be hiding in order not to damage his reputation while also meaning that hiding would be ineffective since they already know his affiliation).
Kageyama seems surprised that Y is still involved with Doushinkai and urges him to get out. Yashiro says there's such a thing as sakazuki (the sake exchange that bonds you to your yakuza dad/boss) and it's not that simple (also that he doesn't intend to get out).
Nana points out that Y was instructed by Misumi not to get involved at the moment. Yashiro says that's just Tsunakawa's selfish request that Misumi decided to grant, while remembering the nagging phone call he got from Misumi about Y's silence regarding Doumeki.
Yashiro stretches in his seat and the magazine he was reading falls to the floor. He bends down to pick it up but his depth perception is messed up because of his loss of vision in his right eye so his hand misses. Kage notices this and asks if Y's eye is alright. Yashiro immediately get's upset at Nana who admits to telling Kageyama about Yashiro's eye (lol).
They're interrupted by Kuga entering the room. We learn that Kuga is now a motorcycle mechanic and has left night work because it didn't suit him (he used to be a "black suited staff member" - a security person at a club). Kuga brings up Doumeki and asks what he's up to these days. Nana is defensive and asks why Kuga brought D up. Y has a deadpan look of annoyance on his face. Kuga explains that he brought it up because his friend who still does club work met a yakuza guy named Doumeki who was searching for someone (probably Nishio) but Kuga was incredulous as to whether it was that Doumeki. Yashiro confirms that D is in fact a member of the yakuza these days.
Kuga and Kageyama are both very surprised to hear this as they thought that after the Hirata incident Doumeki had gotten out of the yakuza. They ask if Yashiro has seen D since then and Y says, "Many times, on minor business" (lolololol minor business my ass). Kuga expresses his surprise again saying he felt that if anyone isn't suited for the Yakuza it's Doumeki.
Yashiro begins to flash back to the previous weeks - showing us scenes of D coming to visit Y for sex. Laid over the flashback are Y's words:
"I'll come again"
Just as he said
Even though he's busy, on a manhunt
Suddenly, as if stitching the moments together*, he would surely come
Without a word
Without any meaning
Really, feeling as if that's all there was
Time after time
Again
And again
He would come
And leave
(*the expression "stitching moments together" 合間を縫う is an idiom that means to make good use of your spare time but I'm choosing to leave it as is in order to hopefully stay truer to the source material. Also I think "stitching moments together" sounds nice ^^)
We return to the present and Kuga says again that D really isn't cut out to be a yakuza. Kuga turns to Y and says that Y surely thought the same and that's why he kicked D out 4 years ago. Kage cautions Kuga to stop talking. Y responds that D was simply of no use and that's why he was discarded.
Y stands up to leave with Nana (leaving the patient for Kage to deal with lol). As Y is walking out Kage stops him. Y assumes it's about the payment for the medical work done on his staff but Kage says it isn't. Kage asks if Y is okay. Y again misunderstands, this time assuming Kage is talking about his vision. Y says it's fine and Kage says he's also worried about Y's eye (while adjusting his own glasses in a nervous way). Y still doesn't get it for a moment and then realizes that Kage is referring to Doumeki. Kage is asking if Y is alright knowing that D is still in the yakuza and now that D is back in his life. Y flashes back to the scene at the end of volume 5 (ch 28) when Kage says to Yashiro "You were in love with him, right?" in reference to Doumeki. We also see a flashback of D from 4 years ago saying "Kashira"
Back in the present Y has turned his back on Kage and says "An old man like you shouldn't worry about such disgusting things." Kage chides back that Y is an old man, too.
It has started to rain and as Y walks past a rain streaked window he remembers the scene from volume 6 (ch 33) when Y asks D what it feels like to fall in love. We see a close up of the lower half of Y's face as he grits his teeth and says, "Give me a break, truly"
-END SUMMARY-
*sigh* So much in only 25 pages.
Also so many things to think about! Did Tsunakawa just royally fuck D over by telling Misumi about him being in Sakuraikka?
Will Doushinkai really withdraw completely from the Okuyamagumi/Kyokuseikai/Ryuuzu cluster fuck?
Did Tsunakawa put the whole puzzle together and realize that D and Y were involved in a way other than boss and subordinate?
How self aware is Y about his feelings for D??
Yoneda Sensei's name is not on the list of author's for the next issue which means we've probably come to the end of volume 9. This is sad because it means we won't have new chapters of Saezuru for a while (my guess is September, but who knows), but at least we can look forward to a new drama cd and the volume being released this year (probably).
I realized I made some goofs on this diagram around Kyouseikai, Kyokuseikai, and Kouseikai (why sensei... why...) so here's an accurate version:
I realized while reading the newest chapter that these names are pretty important so I wanted to make sure to get an accurate one out there. ^^
Here's an overview of those damn K groups as well:
共生会 (Kyouseikai) - the group whose remaining members belong to Ryuuzu, a supposedly non-yakuza affiliate of Okuyama-gumi and also responsible for Niki's kidnapping. This group no longer technically exists, but it's members are actively fucking with Sakuraikka and our boys.
極生会 (Kyokuseikai) - this is the large umbrella group that is affiliated with Okuyama-gumi and with which Doushinkai has a "long standing relationship" as Muraji says to Yashiro in ch 48. Muraji says that Okuyama-gumi is technically 一本独鈷 (an independent criminal group), but is actually under Kyokuseikai's umbrella (he doesn't elaborate).
興生会 (Kouseikai) -this is the umbrella group over Sudou-gumi, the sub-group Doumeki (apparently) stole 100 million yen from. We see this information in ch 43 in the flashback with Amou, Misumi, and D. This group has only been mentioned once so far and it's not clear if they have any connections to any other groups.
I'm waiting for my magazine to arrive (it's out for delivery now ) so I finished this piece of fan art.
It's inspired by a piece by @nanayashi-agenda of Yashiro holding a sacrificial lamb that I can't for the life of me find (maybe he deleted it? Did you delete it? lol)
Anyway, that line about Yashiro thinking of himself as livestock really struck me so after seeing Benvey's piece I doodled this and finally finished it today.
The official Saezuru comic Twitter just dropped this new sneak peek 😭
Source
Edit: I got too excited and posted this without saying anything about the image. lol
It seems that Kageyama is maybe giving someone stitches? But his hand is trembling and he looks quite upset. The little 「…い」 is probably the sound of someone in pain, but it’s not clear if that’s Kageyama saying that or his patient. Yashiro looks cold and kind of pissed.
What happened!??!? I’m dying to know what this situation is 😭✨
I think I have to apologize for being basically dead in the past months, real life is very stressful atm. We hope to be able to release more chapters again soon!
Until then we're relieved that @itwearsadress feeds you all the good soup in translated chapter form, so noone has to miss out on the English translations of the recent chapters ❤️
Let's still enjoy Saezuru month and hope for a good new chapter on the 31st of May ✨
I'm so late posting these sneak peeks that the official B's-Garden twitter account posted yesterday but here they are below the cut in case anyone missed them!
First we have the title page for the chapter and the text:
感情は置き去りのままー
With feelings left behind -
This sentence has the adverb まま (mama) which means that you're leaving something as it is. There's the connotation that the feelings are being deserted or set aside without being resolved. The situation from ch 56 - 57 is still not dealt with.
Also Yashiro is looking at a cute little sparrow which is obviously D.
The next page (presumably the first page from the chapter) shows Tsunakawa heading into Misumi's place for a meeting. This will be the official discussion between Sakuraikka and Doushinkai about Doushinkai withdrawing from the Ryuuzu/Kyouseikai/Okuyamagumi conflict.
The text says:
Someone (maybe Amou?): 桜一家綱川が来てます
Tsunakawa of Sakuraikka has arrived
Misumi: 通せ
Show him in
I wonder what exactly Tsunakawa and Misumi will talk about 👀
I feel like someone has got to let it slip to Misumi at some point that D is working with Sakuraikka. 😬
I did a lil diagram of stuff we know up to ch 57 to help my brain organize info. This is obviously by no means exhaustive and it’s mostly just little notes that came to mind while making it, but I know the yakuza plot is really difficult to follow so hopefully this is somewhat helpful to folks ^^
The writing is tiny, and the info isn’t presented in a particularly organized way 😂 bless you if you can decipher it.
By the way, this idea came from a Japanese tweet from a few chapters back. I asked the creator if I could translate it but they politely declined so I made my own version ^^
I was trying to finish up some illustration work when the first sneak peek from B's Garden came out and I had to drop everything lol. Everyone, looooooooook (under the cut)
EDIT: I forgot to translate the title page! haha
Translation: The heart and the words are at odds
Ah, the boys just can't seem to say what they mean 🥲
Fandom, it is taking every fiber of my being not to just make this post a bunch of keyboard smashing because I'm dying already from this chapter. What is Sensei going to do to us?? I'm scared 🥲
Sneak peek under the cut for those who wish to avoid spoilers. ^^ There's no text this time, so no translation - just look at them 🥹
I want to thank everyone who makes Saezuru accessible to those of us who are unable to purchase the actual magazine/books. To all of the translators and people who make sure to keep us updated on Yoneda Kou news, you are appreciated!! Thank you! This is a great group of people <3
We're so close to ch 56! What does Sensei have in store for our boys? What are you gonna do with that cigarette, Doumeki!? 👀
Ch 56 sneak peek from b's garden's twitter (with quick translation) under the cut ^^
Text: (I) want a reason to be by your side
Text: This person has been concealing (suppressing) his emotions
Waaah, is the text Yashiro's inner monologue or Doumeki's?? I'm inclined to think it's Yashiro since we haven't had any of D's inner monologue since the time skip.
Also, for those Japanese grammar buffs like me, this is a good example of 倒置法 (touchihou or anastrophe in English - inversion of the usual word order in a sentence). If I translate it more directly it sounds like, “(He) has been suppressing his emotions, this person”. Yashiro often speaks using this grammar so I think it probably is his inner monologue but I could definitely be wrong ^^
A lot of Japanese fans seem to think this might be Doumeki’s inner monologue! It’s impossible to say because the Japanese is super vague, but I’ll be so excited if it is D’s thoughts! 😮✨
