Yagami arrived at Kinzoku-san’s hut as an orange sunrise kissed the horizon. Long had been his journey from the beaches of Japan’s Kanto region to the seaside town of Frankston. Perhaps it would have been wiser to take a plane, rather than a little rowboat across the Pacific Ocean, but Yagami thought it would show his dedication to his sensei-to-be.
Kinzoku-san was the best of the best when it came to steel fabrication, or so the legends said. Many years ago, he had produced metalwork beyond what mortal men could even comprehend. Some even considered his metalwork too powerful, like a joke that could literally kill. In the end, Kinzoku-san was exiled from Japan and apparently found a new home in Melbourne, Australia. How lucky Australia was to have a man who could produce such legendary steel beams and unbreakable top hat. Yagami could only assume that Kinzoku-san had made every business for steel supplies near Melbourne completely redundant, such was the quality of his steel.
Taking a deep breath, Yagami knocked twice on the door to Kinzoku-san’s humble hut. He desperately hoped he would not freeze up when he saw the man who had put all the structural steel fabricators that deliver around Melbourne out of business. For many years had he wished to meet his hero, and he couldn’t believe the day had finally arrived. He was about to meet the legendary Kinzoku himself, and then he would beg the man to teach him the ways of structural steel.
A few seconds passed, and Yagami’s heart sunk. What if Kinzoku-san didn’t live here anymore? What if the words of that gypsy woman he’d found at the local petrol station turned out to be false?
Finally, the door opened, and Yagami stared up at the face of his hero. He bowed low. “Kinzoku-san, it is an honour to finally meet you. I am Yagami, and I have travelled across the Pacific to ask that you take me on as your apprentice, so that I may learn the ways of steel fabrication.”
Kinzoku-san scowled at him. “No. I am retired. Now go away.”