One Hundred Million Yen

[Ryu: Heel Drop]

"...!"

Veins bulged around Kure Fusui's eyes. With her dynamic vision greatly enhanced by "Removal," she sensed the danger instantly.

If she matched Shiraki Uke's speed, there was no way she could dodge the kick. Her only option was to meet it head-on!

Whoosh!

Kure Fusui stepped forward half a pace, planted both hands on Shiraki Uke's shoulders, and jumped, driving her knee toward him.

Kure Fusui had anticipated that Shiraki Uke would have no choice but to pull his leg back to defend himself, giving her a chance to gain the upper hand.

But to her surprise, Shiraki Uke didn't dodge. Instead, he twisted to the right, sweeping his raised right leg down beside him as his left hand pushed Kure Fusui toward the ground.

Whoosh!

Just before Kure Fusui hit the grass, Shiraki Uke reached out with his right hand, caught her, and slowly lowered her to the ground.

"Whoa!"

Kure Fusui lay on her back in the grass and let out a long sigh. "Weren't you using karate? How did it suddenly turn into a wrestling move?" she grumbled.

Shiraki Uke thought for a long moment. "It just came naturally... I guess?"

That was the honest truth.

Shiraki Uke hadn't really thought much about it. He'd suddenly felt that he "should do that," so he had, using moves in the styles of both his masters, Ryu and Zangief.

His movements had been a little rusty, but judging by the results in sparring, it felt quite effective!

Shiraki Uke sat down where he was, crossed his legs, and pondered.

His two masters, Ryu and Zangief, regarded him as their "disciple" and had passed their moves on to him.

Ryu and Zangief had likewise once been someone's disciples or learned techniques from a coach. Only after years of practical combat had they developed their own fighting styles.

A fighter's legacy was not set in stone!

Each person's physique, personality, mindset, and even natural muscle distribution and bone structure differed to some extent.

If a disciple blindly imitated his master, the best he could do was come ever closer to matching him. He could never surpass him.

What Ryu, Zangief, and the fighters who remained hidden in the realm of illusion hoped for was for Shiraki Uke to combine the moves they taught him and create a fighting style uniquely his own!

"Nice, that's great!"

Shiraki Uke's enthusiasm surged. He slapped his thigh, sprang to his feet, and reached down to pull Kure Fusui up.

The two continued exchanging moves and countering each other.

Nearby, his younger sister Sakurai Arisa had just finished her homework after school and was watching out of boredom.

With nothing else to do, she had bought some discounted potato chips from a roadside store and was washing them down with cola. It was unhealthy but satisfying.

Beside Arisa, enjoying the snacks with her, was a burly figure with a youthful face.

It was Maruk!

When they parted at the Abandoned Building that day, everyone had given Maruk their addresses.

But Akagi Shigeru had no fixed address, and Baku Madarame's whereabouts were unpredictable, so Maruk often dropped by Shiraki Uke's house when he was bored.

Arisa wasn't the least bit afraid of the tall, burly Maruk. After meeting him only a couple of times, she'd already become completely comfortable with him.

"Maruk, here, have some chips."

"Thank you, Sister Arisa!"

"Call me little sister..."

"Okay, Sister Arisa!"

"..."

Arisa was speechless. Somehow, the exchange felt especially classic.

"By the way, where on earth did my brother pick you up? He didn't beat you stupid in a fight, did he...?"

"There, there~ What snacks do you want tomorrow? Big sister will buy them for you!"

Sakurai Arisa, a remarkably unflappable high school girl, guzzled cola with one hand and ruffled Maruk's hair with the other.

It was like she was petting a stray cat... or a dog. Either way, something was very off...

After several more rounds of practice, Shiraki Uke and Kure Fusui were both drenched in sweat and panting.

Kure Fusui had lost more often than she'd won, and she couldn't help feeling annoyed. So, while Shiraki Uke was tired, she used her nimble physique to dart behind him and try to put him in a rear naked choke.

Shiraki Uke raised a hand to protect his neck before Kure Fusui could, blocking her arm. For a moment, neither could gain the upper hand.

Kure Fusui rested her chin on Bai Mu's head and said with a grin, "Bai Mu dear, just admit defeat. Otherwise you can't move~!"

Shiraki Uke gave it a try. Although he couldn't break free of Kure Fusui, he forced himself to take a step using the strength of his waist, abdomen, and legs, bearing her weight as he moved.

"..."

Both were stubborn as mules, and neither would concede this final round. For a time, they remained locked in a stalemate.

A car driving down the street broke the stalemate.

The car stopped in front of the Shiraki Family home, and Akiyama Kaede, the Nogi Group's secretary, stepped out carrying a stack of folders.

Akiyama Kaede looked up and froze when she saw the two of them tangled together and drenched in sweat.

"Did I come at a bad time?"

"No, you came at just the right time..."

Shiraki Uke squeezed the words out through his teeth. Seeing that Kure Fusui still had no intention of letting go with her arms or legs, he could only stiffen his neck and rasp, "Miss Akiyama, it's been a while..."

"...It has."

Akiyama Kaede got straight to the point. She bowed and said, "Thank you for your efforts on our previous commission. The Nogi Group will provide appropriate compensation. We will make sure you are satisfied."

"The compensation concerns membership in the Kengan Association. Would you like to join?"

Akiyama Kaede pushed up her glasses and smiled. "Not merely as a hired fighter, but as a full member of the Kengan Association, qualified to initiate Kengan matches yourself."

"The Nogi Group can arrange an introduction for you."

Chapter 39: One Hundred Million Yen

Akiyama Kaede had gotten straight to the point, and her words carried considerable weight.

"Would you like to join the Kengan Association? The Nogi Group can arrange an introduction for you."

Here, "join" meant joining the Kengan Association as a member, not as a hired fighter.

The intricacies and details involved were far more complicated than simply going from the hired party to the hiring party, so they needed to discuss it in detail.

"Ngh!"

Shiraki Uke exerted himself, forcibly prying apart Kure Fusui's legs where they were wrapped around his neck. Then he gripped her under the arms and lifted her in front of him, her feet dangling in midair.

"Ha ha!"

Kure Fusui didn't mind. Laughing, she raised her legs and lightly pushed off Shiraki Uke's chest, using the momentum to break free of his hands. She then hopped half a step backward and landed unsteadily.

"I'm done playing, Bai Mu dear. Go take care of business."

Kure Fusui fanned herself with her hand and looked around. "By the way, do you have a bathroom? I'm so sweaty..."

Shiraki Uke pointed to the condemned dojo beside them. "There's a bathroom on the side. The room's been reinforced. It's not big, but there's hot water."

"Thanks~!"

Kure Fusui hummed a little tune as she left, stretching her arms.

Shiraki Uke was about to welcome Akiyama Kaede when he suddenly realized he was covered in sweat too. His skin was sticky and uncomfortable, and he looked a little discourteous.

So he asked Akiyama Kaede to make herself at home while he went to rinse off first.

Hearing this, Kure Fusui, who had just found the bathroom, perked up. "Bai Mu dear, want to wash together?"

"No, it'd be too crowded." Shiraki Uke was more or less used to it by now and answered calmly, "There's a bucket outside. I can just rinse off."

Shiraki Uke stepped away for a short while.

With nothing else to do, Arisa came over to play host as usual. She brought out a table and chairs, invited Akiyama Kaede to sit, and poured her some hot tea.

Akiyama Kaede nodded her thanks and sipped it leisurely.

On her last visit, she had already met Shiraki Uke's younger sister, Sakurai Arisa, and thought highly of the girl.

As the chairman's secretary, Akiyama Kaede was a good judge of character. She could tell that Arisa had an excellent mindset and would be a rare talent even in a major corporation.

But this time, Akiyama Kaede found herself wondering for some reason: was little Arisa's mindset perhaps a little too good?

For instance, another person was sitting at the table now, and he looked strange no matter how she viewed him, yet Arisa paid him no mind.

He was a very burly man, no less imposing than Shiraki Uke, but he wore a vacant, foolish expression as he obediently ate from a bag of potato chips cradled in his arms.

"His name is Maruk." Arisa introduced them to each other. "Maruk, this is Akiyama Kaede."

"Hello, big sister!" Maruk greeted her earnestly.

Akiyama Kaede nodded in response. There were plenty of oddballs in the Kengan Association, and after dealing with enough of them, it wasn't hard to adapt.

I'd better focus on work for now!