No. 2!

"My phone number's on it."

Kure Fusui blinked her black eyes with their white pupils and gestured to Shiraki Uke with a smile. "If you need someone killed, you can contact me. I'll give you a discount!"

"..."

That was a little too kind of her!

Brother and sister stared at each other, wide-eyed. In the end, Shiraki Uke put the business card away and returned a grateful smile—though it wasn't very natural.

After Kure Fusui and Kure Karura left, the siblings washed up and returned to their respective tin housing units.

Lying on his back in bed, Shiraki Uke considered his next steps.

The debt to the Teiai Group had yet to be fully settled, the siblings' living conditions urgently needed improvement, and further contact with the Kengan Association might present an opportunity...

There was a lot to do, but he wasn't without a clue where to start.

Smack!

Shiraki Uke clenched his right fist and dimly saw Ryu's phantom again. Their fists touched lightly.

"Not bad."

Shiraki Uke closed his eyes as sleepiness washed over him. He murmured to himself, "I want another fight already..."

Early the next morning.

Shiraki Uke got up and checked how his injuries were healing. Finding nothing serious, he began another day's training.

Whether it was the Kengan Association, the other clues in his memories, or even the mysterious organization that had arranged last night's match—he needed sufficient strength to deal with them all.

He still couldn't train at high intensity today, so Shiraki Uke planned to take the opportunity to examine the memories in his head more closely—Ryu, for example, and the group of phantoms behind him.

Swish! Swish!

In the open lot, Shiraki Uke threw straight punches at the air as he warmed up.

His body gradually warmed, and his mind grew increasingly focused.

As he breathed in and out, Ryu's ink-wash phantom appeared before him, standing in the same meticulous stance, without the slightest opening.

But this time, Ryu didn't immediately punch Shiraki Uke.

"Is it because I've already overcome the problem of wanting to dodge first, so you don't need to remind me anymore?"

No further words were needed between them. Shiraki Uke understood.

He nodded slightly to Ryu. "Thank you very much."

"..."

Ryu's phantom nodded back, his expression faintly relieved. Then he gradually stepped forward, showing an active desire to attack.

"Are you going to give me more practice?"

Shiraki Uke saw what Ryu intended. Glancing around, he noticed more phantoms watching, each with a different build and posture, though all were blurry to varying degrees.

Are those other masters? Will I have a chance to spar with other masters too?!

At the thought, Shiraki Uke's eyes lit up.

If he kept training and cultivating, he would have a chance to make more phantoms take shape. Then he could seek guidance from more Street Fighter masters!

"First things first—"

Shiraki Uke assumed his stance and looked at Ryu's phantom—his first "master," who had taught him the fundamentals and pointed out his fatal mistake. He could hardly contain his delight.

Swish!

Shiraki Uke slid forward and attacked first with a straight punch to the midsection, beginning a continuous exchange of punches and kicks with Ryu.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

His sparring sessions with Ryu came at intervals.

Sometimes, Ryu knocked Shiraki Uke flat on the ground, unable even to get back up;

At other times, Ryu's phantom would signal Shiraki Uke to sit cross-legged and meditate with him, reflecting on the details of their previous exchanges.

At noon, Shiraki Uke made lunch and asked Ryu if he wanted any. Ryu shook his head repeatedly, helplessly.

Most of the day passed in training.

In the afternoon, Arisa got out of school.

Sakō left ahead of her to help her mother buy groceries, so only Kure Karura accompanied her today. As they neared home, they ran into Kure Fusui nearby.

Kure Fusui explained that she was out for a stroll, and Arisa accepted that for the time being.

Since she was there, Kure Fusui treated them. The three girls sat in a row in the open lot, eating ice cream and watching Shiraki Uke train.

"..."

Arisa looked at the bandages on her brother's head and sighed softly. Hugging her legs, she said with a hint of complaint, "Why does he have to push himself so hard? I can help with the debt too..."

Kure Fusui shook her head. "Maybe Bai Mu just wants to do this."

Arisa was puzzled. "Why?"

"There are guys like that in the Kure Clan too."

Kure Fusui recalled, "The extent may differ, but there's no denying that everyone has dreamed of becoming the strongest on earth."

"Yet most people give up on that dream at some point."

"Maybe they fought a brother and got knocked down; maybe they ran into the toughest kid around; or maybe their dad punched them and they learned what pain was, a teacher struck their palms, or a boss yelled at them..."

"Countless people eventually choose other dreams and become doctors, politicians, entrepreneurs, manga artists, teachers, office workers..."

"But there really are a tiny few who hold on to their original dream, no matter what happens or whom they encounter."

Kure Fusui grinned. "Hehe, being silly like that is pretty great too, right?"

"..." Arisa nodded thoughtfully.

By the time Kure Fusui and Kure Karura left, the sun was setting.

It was Arisa's turn to make dinner. She was just about to get started in earnest when she noticed a black sedan approaching from the distance. It stopped in front of the open lot.

Shiraki Uke stopped training and wiped his sweat with a towel. He told Arisa to go back to her room and do her homework, leaving him to handle things here.

Meanwhile, a middle-aged man with gray-white hair stepped out of the sedan.

He wore a khaki trench coat over a suit, his hair slicked back. His face was sharply defined, and his expression was serious.

From a distance, Arisa heard the middle-aged man introduce himself to her brother.

"Nice to meet you."

The middle-aged man extended his hand to Shiraki Uke. "Yukio Tonegawa. I'm here on behalf of the Teiai Group," he said in a low voice.

Chapter 12: No. 2!

"Nice to meet you. I'm Shiraki Uke."

Shiraki Uke extended his own hand and shook the middle-aged man's, a thoughtful look flashing through his eyes.

Yukio Tonegawa.

The Teiai Group's No. 2—in other words, its second-in-command. He was the trusted right-hand man of the group's chairman, Kazutaka Hyōdō, possessing both overwhelming powers of observation and a devilish will.

Few people in all of Tokyo had fought their way to such a high position in a corporate giant. His everyday business dealings were measured in hundreds of millions, making him the elite among elites.

Shiraki Uke truly hadn't expected him to be the one sent to negotiate on the Teiai Group's behalf.

Even if the actual value of their plot of land reached a hundred million, it was still only a private loan at the end of the day. Tonegawa had no reason to come in person.

Could the "truth" behind last night's underground gambling match have already made it impossible for Tonegawa to sit still?

Shiraki Uke turned his eyes toward the space behind Tonegawa. Sure enough.

Three more people got out of the car, all familiar faces from last night—two men in black from the Teiai Group and Inoue Sugaya, a minor boss of the Sanjigumi.

This time, the minor boss had none of his former arrogance. He was so nervous that his forehead was covered in sweat, and his complexion was even worse.

"Hey, brother Inoue! And you two as well!"

Shiraki Uke raised a hand in greeting. The minor boss was in no state to respond, while the two men in black nodded slightly, though both looked a little surprised.

Shiraki Uke was far too natural.

As employees under Tonegawa, the two men in black had seen him personally go to collect a debt from a company president who refused to pay.

Back then, Mr. Tonegawa had scared that shameless deadbeat into silence through sheer presence alone. The man had even collapsed to the floor, too afraid to bargain any further.

Now, although Mr. Tonegawa hadn't yet "opened fire at full force," he still carried the presence of someone long accustomed to a high position, something ordinary working people could hardly hope to match.

Yet Shiraki Uke paid it no mind, meeting Tonegawa's gaze calmly as they sized each other up.

Come to think of it, weren't Shiraki Uke and Mr. Tonegawa staring at each other a little too long?

Zawazawazawa...

The two remained silent for a long time.