Chapter 18
Shiraki Uke, Akagi Shigeru, Q Dalang, Baku Madarame, and the "underling" following Baku Madarame... Takaomi Kaji.
The five of them chatted and laughed as they passed through the bustling streets of Shinjuku, gradually making their way toward their secluded destination.
The atmosphere among them was so friendly that the young man with short black hair, Takaomi Kaji, felt a little uneasy. It was as if they weren't meeting for the first time at all.
Were they like old classmates? Or coworkers at the same company?
In any case... it was a little strange!
Takaomi Kaji had a vague feeling, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.
Takaomi Kaji had met Mr. Baku—Baku Madarame—a few days earlier. At the time, Kaji had been a dissolute, unemployed drifter.
Because Kaji had given Mr. Baku a few pachinko balls, Baku Madarame had repaid him by using psychological intimidation tactics to scare off the small loan shark company that had been threatening Takaomi Kaji.
After that, perhaps drawn to Baku Madarame's way of doing things, Takaomi Kaji had followed Mr. Baku around, hoping to pick up a trick or two and change his dissolute life.
But strangely, Mr. Baku hadn't played roulette or gambled on anything else today. He seemed to be quietly waiting for something.
When he saw that little old man, Q Dalang, approach two other people, Mr. Baku made his move.
He pretended to be drunk, hoping Q Dalang would choose to gamble with him first.
He'd heard that the little old man owned something called the Ninefold Tower. Maybe he really was rich?
As Takaomi Kaji was thinking this, he heard Mr. Baku teasing someone beside him.
"Hey, hey, Kaji, look at this guy!"
Baku Madarame pointed at Shiraki Uke. "He's built like a rock, just like Kenshiro. You don't think this guy can use Hokuto Shinken, do you~?"
"...Haha."
Takaomi Kaji put a hand to his forehead, at a loss for words.
Shiraki Uke didn't mind. After all, he had already seen that Baku Madarame's current behavior was just an act, all for his target tonight—Q Dalang.
Q Dalang was so caught up in the joy of his prey taking the bait that he noticed nothing amiss.
The man silently smoking nearby, Akagi Shigeru, had also seen Baku Madarame's true nature.
"Heh, the breeze feels nice tonight..."
"..."
Baku Madarame leaned against Shiraki Uke's shoulder, his gaze growing subtly sharper as he carefully studied the white-haired man beside them.
Judging by his appearance, there was no mistake.
He had to be the "man of the divine realm" who dominated Japan's underground mahjong scene!
As a gambler, Baku Madarame had spent many years in the underworld, but he rarely took part in mahjong games. He and Akagi Shigeru had been active in different "areas," so their paths had never crossed.
I actually met a "legend" tonight. Should I call that good luck or bad?
Baku Madarame licked his lips. He already knew the answer.
As usual, it's "not so good"...
His target was Q Dalang—or rather, the "force" behind Q Dalang—so naturally, he didn't want any complications.
Takaomi Kaji was part of a plan he'd come up with on the spur of the moment, so he was within expectations;
As for Shiraki Uke, though Baku Madarame didn't know his background, he always gave him a "refreshing feeling," and getting along with him took no effort.
Only Akagi Shigeru gave Baku Madarame a sense of being utterly "pure."
Pure to the point of leaving no trace, without the slightest impurity—a "purity" capable of devouring everything!
Someone like that was extremely difficult to deal with, and the most likely to cause unexpected developments!
"..."
"Sir...?"
Still using the sloppy tone of a drunk, Baku Madarame made a suggestion to Akagi Shigeru. "Judging by your clothes, you can't be poor, right? I've been having a hard time lately, so why not let me have this game?"
Akagi Shigeru glanced at Baku Madarame and gave a wry smile. "In your words, 'you're lying.'"
Baku Madarame's eye twitched, and his stubborn streak flared up all at once.
He curled his lip. "Suit yourself. My luck's great tonight, so don't let me win you into bankruptcy!"
Seeing this, Q Dalang feared his prey would be driven away and hurried to smooth things over. "All right, all right, we're all gambling enthusiasts here. Let's enjoy the game together..."
"..."
Having witnessed all of this, Takaomi Kaji found it strange no matter how he looked at it.
But the strangest—or perhaps the most relaxed—of them all had to be the strikingly well-built Shiraki Uke.
Shiraki Uke was making a phone call.
He pulled out a business card and dialed the number. The person on the other end picked up quickly.
"Hello? It's me... No seeds. I have a job for you."
{...}
"That's very professional. Then I'll leave it to you."
{...}
"No, let's use the normal rate. Just giving you seeds would be a little hasty."
{...}
The entire call was full of strange, baffling things, and the other four couldn't help glancing at him to varying degrees.
Baku Madarame was puzzled. "Uke, who were you talking to?"
"A relative of my sister's classmate."
"She's been looking for work lately," Shiraki Uke said frankly. "An opportunity suddenly came up, so I introduced her to it directly."
"Oh!"
Baku Madarame looked impressed, though he didn't seem to understand, and nudged Shiraki Uke with his elbow. "It's hard to find work these days. You're a good guy, Uke!"
Nobody knew what Shiraki Uke was thinking, but he gave a dry laugh and agreed.
Hearing this, Takaomi Kaji relaxed considerably. Whatever was strange about them, he thought, these guys all seemed pretty decent.
About half an hour later, the group arrived at their destination, having chatted as they walked.
It was Q Dalang's property in Shinjuku—the Ninefold Tower.
The building had been abandoned for a long time, with no residents or businesses renting space there. It had eight floors in all, and Q Dalang's office was on the fifth.
The five took the elevator upstairs, discussing the rules of tonight's game on the way.
Q Dalang smiled kindly. "I was going to play my favorite card game, but since there are so many of us, how about a few rounds of mahjong first?"
"..."
Shiraki Uke, Baku Madarame, and even Akagi Shigeru could all see that Q Dalang had something else in mind. The mahjong was merely a prelude to the "real game," so none of them minded.
Only Kaji scratched his head with a smile. "Ah, sorry to put you to so much trouble."
Ninefold Tower, fifth floor, Q Dalang's office.
Q Dalang, Shiraki Uke, Akagi Shigeru, and Baku Madarame sat at the four corners of the mahjong table. Takaomi Kaji had lost to Shiraki Uke at rock-paper-scissors, so he could only watch.
After a few rounds of mahjong, the situation was already clear.
Akagi Shigeru was unquestionably in first place, his chip count ahead by an overwhelming margin;
Shiraki Uke was a mahjong novice, but with a certain amount of luck on his side, he was in second place;
Q Dalang ranked third, with nearly as many chips as Shiraki Uke;
And in last place—and unquestionably the unluckiest—was Baku Madarame, who had nearly lost all the spare change he had on him.
"Ron. Riichi, all simples, pinfu. Three thousand nine hundred points."
Akagi Shigeru had caught another winning tile from Baku Madarame and laid his hand down on the table.
Baku Madarame's face went stiff. He put a hand to his forehead. "I've always had terrible luck..."
"Ah, that's true."
With a cigarette between his lips, Akagi Shigeru nodded in agreement. "When it comes to luck alone, you really are weak, Baku."
The meaning was perfectly clear: if Baku Madarame stopped relying on luck alone, the situation would be very different.
Baku Madarame, of course, didn't take the bait.
Q Dalang, on the other hand, was quite happy despite having lost a considerable amount of money. He even offered to lend Baku Madarame some change to make calculating the chips easier.
"Kah—hahahahaha! I lost again!"
"You really are impressive! It wasn't for nothing that you came all the way to my tower!"
"Gambling without a house is really fun!"
"Come on, come on... let's keep going!"
"..."
Listening to Q Dalang urge them on, Kaji, who was watching from the side, couldn't help frowning.
Never mind that Mr. Baku kept losing—even if he could win, no one had placed a large bet in this mahjong game. Even if he managed a comeback, it would be like chicken ribs: tasteless to eat, but a shame to throw away.
In other words—it was boring.
It wasn't just Kaji. Even Baku Madarame couldn't help yawning, while Akagi Shigeru narrowed his eyes, looking half asleep. Shiraki Uke was so bored that he had started playing with the mahjong tiles.