An Evil Spirit Roams the Alley

In Shiraki Uke's view, that exercise equipment was the fruit of professionals' expertise. He might as well make good use of it; there was no need to pursue some "ancient training method."

The so-called "ancient methods" had been "new" the moment they were created, too.

Shiraki Uke wrapped a rope around himself, tied a tire to the other end, and began running laps around the vacant lot with the weight in tow.

After a few laps, his body had warmed up considerably.

The stone-lock squats, frog jumps, and tire flips that followed were, of course, all indispensable classics. By the time he finished the routine, Shiraki Uke had worked up a satisfying sweat.

Throughout his training, Ryu's phantom sat quietly in meditation nearby, giving off a faint aura of "zen."

This was no mere affectation. Ryu had reached the realm of a grandmaster; Walking, Standing, Sitting, and Lying Down were all part of his training.

Shiraki Uke had tried to imitate him, but had nearly fallen asleep. It was probably because his realm wasn't high enough, so he had continued training in his own way.

He continued his squats with the stone lock as a weight.

After a dozen or so sets, exhaustion gradually began to set in.

Shiraki Uke gritted his teeth. He had five more to do, and he focused on the muscles in his legs and glutes as they worked, keeping his form as precise as possible.

Five—four—three...

Halfway through, Shiraki Uke could barely stand back up. His vision blurred as blood rushed to his head from the exertion.

Just as he was about to fall, another phantom broke through the fog and came to Shiraki Uke's side, pumping his fists and stomping his feet as he cheered him on.

The new phantom was far taller and more muscular than Ryu, and much more exuberant. He seemed to be putting even more effort into his cheering than Shiraki Uke himself.

Emotions could affect the body, too.

Caught up in that exhilaration, Shiraki Uke forced his muscles to work again and completed the final two reps of the last set.

—Two—one!

Thud!

The stone lock crashed heavily to the ground.

The towering phantom was overjoyed. He slapped Shiraki Uke hard on the back with one enormous hand, sending him sprawling when he could barely stand as it was. Then the phantom burst into hearty laughter.

Shiraki Uke rolled onto his back and looked up at the towering phantom, but no matter how he tried, he couldn't make him out clearly.

The reason wasn't hard to guess—

Shiraki Uke hadn't "accumulated" enough himself.

After his fight with [Nioh] Komada, Ryu's phantom had grown clearer, and Shiraki Uke could see more of his details.

To see the other towering phantom clearly, perhaps he needed to keep training, or perhaps he had to go through another fierce battle. Only then might he have a chance to complete the accumulation and advance further.

When would that fierce battle come?

Probably soon.

After all, [Nioh] Komada was considered a rising star in the Kengan matches. News of his defeat was bound to cause a stir in the Kengan Association.

When someone from the Kengan Association came looking for him, Shiraki Uke would have a chance to earn match commissions and take himself "a step further."

Toward evening, the person he had been expecting arrived, just as he thought.

A luxury sedan pulled up beside the vacant lot.

Arisa deftly brought out a table and chairs, then turned to prepare hot tea. She had grown used to this lately and had even bought tea leaves for guests.

Though Shiraki Uke had told her not to go to the trouble, Arisa always felt they shouldn't be rude. Besides, Kure Karura and Sakō often came to visit too.

This time, though, the visitor was a beautiful woman they didn't know.

She wore a business suit and glasses, with her hair tied in a practical high ponytail. Her gaze was intelligent and calm, and her features were remarkably refined.

"Sorry to intrude."

The woman seemed a little surprised by the Shiraki family's surroundings, but quickly recovered and shook hands with Shiraki Uke, who was taking a break.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Akiyama Kaede, a representative of the Nogi Group."

The Nogi Group—the company that had employed [Nioh] Komada.

Its chairman was Nogi Hideki, a man with both wealth and nerve. He was profoundly ambitious, even setting his sights on Katahara Metsudo's position as chairman of the Kengan Association!

At this point, Nogi Hideki should have been gathering experts from all quarters, preparing to challenge Katahara Metsudo and hold the grand Kengan Annihilation Tournament.

Akiyama Kaede was Nogi Hideki's secretary and trusted aide.

Shiraki Uke had defeated [Nioh] Komada, so it was only natural that Nogi would send a trusted aide to contact him.

Akiyama Kaede was highly efficient in her dealings. As soon as she sat down, she got straight to the point.

"Bai Mu, although you were dragged into this, judging by your performance, you must know about the Kengan matches, don't you?"

Shiraki Uke smiled faintly.

Akiyama Kaede understood. "So you're interested in the Kengan matches and wanted to use [Nioh] Komada as a stepping stone to make contact with the Nogi Group?"

Shiraki Uke nodded frankly.

Akiyama Kaede smiled back. "Congratulations, you succeeded. Chairman Nogi believes we have no reason to turn down a fighter who defeated [Nioh] Komada."

Shiraki Uke thought for a moment, a faint glimmer in his eyes. "In that case, Miss Akiyama, when will my first official Kengan matches be?"

"..."

Akiyama Kaede glanced at Shiraki Uke, surprised by how quickly he had accepted it, then changed tack.

"I'm sorry, but there aren't any Kengan matches being held in the near future. Besides, suitable debut matches for newcomers don't come along often."

Shiraki Uke smiled, giving no indication of whether he accepted that explanation.

At their core, Kengan matches were disputes between businesses. There were many of them, so it was impossible that none would be held anytime soon.

As for the claim that a match had to be "suitable for a debut," that was even more of a blatant brush-off.

Nogi Hideki must have had some other purpose in sending Akiyama Kaede!

Sure enough—

Akiyama Kaede took out a file and placed it in front of Shiraki Uke.

"Recently, the Nogi Group did have an assignment. It was originally meant for the local yakuza. It might not be entirely clean, and it's a little dangerous, too. You can take a look."

Shiraki Uke took the file, and as he leafed through it, Akiyama Kaede explained.

"There's a real estate mogul who has a financial dispute with the Nogi Group. He owes us a large sum, and one of our employees went to collect the debt, only to disappear without a trace."

Akiyama Kaede pushed up her glasses and said gravely, "We suspect our employee may have been threatened with violence, or even killed."

"Chairman Nogi needs someone to investigate that real estate mogul. If you complete the assignment, you'll be paid accordingly—no less than the appearance fee for winning a Kengan matches."

Her cold, intelligent eyes studied Shiraki Uke closely through her lenses.

"Since you want to make a name for yourself in the Kengan Association, why not see if you can clear this hurdle first?"

"..."

Shiraki Uke looked at the file in his hands and couldn't help marveling inwardly.

Nogi Hideki really was an old fox!

To hold the Kengan Annihilation Tournament, Nogi Hideki was recruiting experts from all quarters. To conceal his strength, he would certainly hide their existence as much as possible.

An amateur fighter like Shiraki Uke, who had previously had little reputation, was a trump card sent from heaven!

But taking Shiraki Uke in just like that would be rather hasty, so Nogi needed to test his abilities in a way that didn't involve a Kengan matches.

"..."

As Shiraki Uke considered this, Arisa, who had been listening nearby, suddenly spoke up.

"Miss... Akiyama."

Arisa understood what was going on and couldn't help worrying. "Underground fighting is one thing, but an assignment that was originally meant for the yakuza has nothing to do with fighting matches, does it?"

"..."

Akiyama Kaede turned to look at Arisa.

She was only a high school student, but she could voice her doubts frankly. That already made her far better than most incompetent working adults.

But clearly, Arisa had yet to fully understand the concept of the "underworld."

"Young lady, there's one thing you need to understand—"

Akiyama Kaede's expression was calm as she said gravely, "What sort of world do you think we live in? People are capable of anything."

"Besides, what your brother wants to jump into is a terrifying inferno that devours flesh and sucks blood. If he can't prove himself, no one can say how long he'll survive."

"If all he wants is to become a fighter, he'd be better off signing with a gym and fighting safe matches."

After explaining this to Arisa, Akiyama Kaede turned back to Shiraki Uke.

"The question now is—Bai Mu, what do you think?"

"..."

Shiraki Uke set down the file, tapped his fingers on the table, and couldn't help breaking into a grin.

"Good. That's fantastic!"

Chapter 14: An Evil Spirit Roams the Alley