Q Dalang / Baku's Bad Luck

Just then, a little old man nearby suddenly spoke up.

"Goodness, casinos these days have no rules. If you really want to make money, you need a one-on-one game, but opponents aren't easy to find. Am I right?"

Shiraki Uke and Akagi Shigeru looked toward the voice.

The little old man beamed and said affably, "Nice to meet you. My name is Jiu Chong Da Lang. Would you care to gamble with me?"

Chapter 15: Q Dalang

Shiraki Uke and Akagi Shigeru turned toward the voice and looked at the little old man.

He had a small tuft of facial hair and thinning hair, and wore a somewhat old-fashioned plaid suit. He held a cane.

He smiled with narrowed eyes, revealing the bags and wrinkles on his face.

"That odd-or-even game just now was marvelous!"

The little old man was lavish with his praise, clapping repeatedly before changing the subject. "But if you want to keep making money, that'll be a little difficult!"

"Even in an underground casino, the customers still lose more often than they win."

"Besides, when you gamble against the house, the more you gamble, the more you lose... Am I wrong?"

The little old man narrowed his eyes slightly and chuckled.

"Oh, sorry for speaking to you out of the blue, but I feel the same way—gambling one-on-one is more interesting, and you can make money too."

"What do you say? We're all like-minded people here..."

"..."

After rambling on for a while, the little old man invited Akagi Shigeru and Shiraki Uke to a private game.

Akagi Shigeru was in no hurry to answer. With a cigarette in his mouth, he lowered his head and murmured to himself, "There's a strong smell of blood—not pure like Uke-kun's fistfights. It's a smell full of malice."

He looked up at the little old man. "Sorry, may I ask your name?"

"Kokonoe Da Lang."

The little old man repeated it with a chuckle, then said self-deprecatingly, "A mouthful, isn't it? It's all right. Everyone calls me Q Dalang."

"Hmm..." Akagi Shigeru turned to Shiraki Uke. "Uke-kun, he must be the person you're looking for, right?"

"Oh?" Q Dalang looked mildly surprised.

Shiraki Uke took a photograph from his pocket, compared it with the man, and nodded.

"Kokonoe Da Lang," nicknamed Q Dalang, was the real estate tycoon the Nogi Group had commissioned him to find!

"Pleased to meet you, sir." Shiraki Uke took half a step forward. "The Nogi Group sent me to find you."

"..."

A thoughtful look flickered in Q Dalang's eyes, and then he burst out laughing.

"Ha—hahahaha! I see. I saw you looking around, young man, and thought you were searching for a game where you could make some money. I never expected you were looking for me."

"What a coincidence. And that's no problem. I'm not the sort to leave my debts unpaid."

Q Dalang was quite enthusiastic. "There are too many eyes and ears here. I own a real estate building nearby. How about we go there and discuss it in detail?"

He seemed utterly sincere, nothing like a deadbeat.

But as his consciousness ran wild, Shiraki Uke had already remembered that Q Dalang was anything but a good man. He was a "devil" who liked to lure gamblers to his building and kill them for amusement!

He was an "evil" far deeper and bloodier than any underground casino!

"The Nogi Group really gave me a fine job..."

Shiraki Uke did not mean to blame anyone.

Just as Akiyama Kaede had said, Shiraki Uke had chosen to leap into this fire pit himself.

If all he wanted was to make money in peace, he could have signed with a boxing gym. He might even have had a chance to earn twenty million within a year.

But Shiraki Uke had a feeling that if he really did that, he would never see another phantom again.

Strength that could face only "good" was false.

Only by facing both "good" and "evil" would he be qualified to explore what it meant to be strong!

"..."

After a moment's reflection, Shiraki Uke had his answer.

But the next person to speak was not Shiraki Uke, but Akagi Shigeru, who was sitting beside him.

"Sure, let's do that," Akagi Shigeru said with a faint smile.

The sudden remark surprised both Q Dalang and Shiraki Uke. Neither understood what Akagi Shigeru was answering.

"Hey, why are you both looking at me? Didn't you understand?"

Akagi Shigeru looked at Q Dalang and said calmly, "I'm talking about the game. We can go to your building and play one-on-one. I wouldn't mind."

Shiraki Uke had no way of knowing what Akagi Shigeru had thought in that brief moment, but he had no reason to stop him either.

Q Dalang was even happier with the arrangement. After all, it was a rare buy-one-get-one-free deal.

The three reached an agreement and were about to get up and leave when something unexpected happened. A young man reeking of alcohol staggered over and forced his way close.

"Hey, you guys are talking about an interesting game, aren't you?"

The young man threw an arm around Q Dalang's shoulders and grinned exaggeratedly. "I heard you! An exciting one-on-one game—that's my favorite kind!"

"..."

The three looked at the young man in puzzlement and sized him up.

He had short, curly white hair that was a little fluffy, large, bright eyes, and a remarkably expressive face. His long eyelashes gave him a distinctive air, like a model.

He was somewhat slender, wore a casual striped suit, and reeked of alcohol.

Behind him, another young man with close-cropped black hair came jogging over and called out awkwardly, "Mr. Baku, please don't go bothering people..."

"It's fine, Kaji! You have to seize opportunities for yourself!"

The young man called "Mr. Baku" paid him no mind and continued pestering Q Dalang. He even pointed at Akagi Shigeru and Shiraki Uke and shamelessly proposed, "I'm very good at gambling. Why don't you forget about playing them and have a one-on-one game with me instead?"

"...Haha."

Q Dalang had not expected to find so much "prey" tonight, and for a moment he was somewhat troubled.

But Shiraki Uke's business involved the Nogi Group, after all, so it would be best to deal with him first if possible. As for the young man named "Baku," he could take his time enjoying him another day.

Q Dalang feigned helplessness and asked Akagi Shigeru, "Oh dear, it looks like we've been cornered by a drunk. Should we call casino security?"

Akagi Shigeru glanced at "Mr. Baku." Their eyes met, then immediately turned away.

Akagi Shigeru chuckled. "Sure. Having a troublesome person latch onto you is troublesome in itself. I hate trouble more than anything..."

"..."

Hearing this, Mr. Baku kept grinning and draped an arm over Akagi Shigeru's shoulders instead.

"My friend, you're lying!"

Mr. Baku's breath reeked of alcohol, but his tone grew calm as he spoke softly and slowly. "I can tell you're not the sort of person who's afraid of trouble, are you?"

"..."

Akagi Shigeru held his cigarette between his lips and neither confirmed nor denied it.

Mr. Baku's gaze shifted from Akagi Shigeru's face to Shiraki Uke beside him.

Their eyes met, and Mr. Baku could not help smiling again.

His smile was a little forced.

Why were so many troublesome people showing up tonight?!

"..."

As for Shiraki Uke, he had already recognized "Mr. Baku's" face.

His name was Madarame Baku, nicknamed the Lie Eater!

He should originally have been the real protagonist of tonight's game...

A few minutes later, the bar where the five had gathered was empty.

A bartender could not help wondering, "Strange, where did that group sitting here just now go?"

"Oh—them..."

A nearby gambler answered, "They left with that man... the old guy."

The bartender was exasperated. "That little old man took customers away again? Honestly, what does he take our casino for?"

"Come to think of it, the people that little old man takes away never show up again, do they?" the gambler asked curiously. "Where do they all go to have fun?"

Chapter 16: Baku's Bad Luck

Night fell on the streets of Shinjuku.

All sorts of people wandered the streets: yakuza, thugs, the unemployed, office workers entertaining their bosses, wealthy people out looking for fun, and so on...

Evil spirits roamed the alleys; evil spirits loved to gather bones.

Evil spirits always walked through the night, mostly alone, though they occasionally gathered in groups.

For example...