Life Won't Let Us Go

Shiraki Uke suddenly remembered something.

The Sanjigumi, with whom Shiraki Uke had quite a history, were the ones who ran the Killing Martial Arts Tournament, that long-established underground fighting organization!

Earlier, the Sanjigumi's boss, Inoue Sugaya, had privately accepted a commission from a mysterious person to invite a fighter registered with the Kengan Association to take part in a fixed match with a "controllable outcome."

But in the end, Shiraki Uke had beaten Nioh Komada in that match.

As a result, the Sanjigumi had offended both the Teiai Group and the Kengan Association. Abandoned by the Jinwa Group, the bosses behind them, they had nowhere left to go.

The Sanjigumi had disbanded, and Inoue Sugaya had ended up twenty million yen in debt before disappearing.

"..."

Following that train of thought...

Without the Sanjigumi to run it, the Killing Martial Arts Tournament naturally couldn't stay in operation either. Most likely, everyone had gone their separate ways.

So, with the Killing Martial Arts Tournament disbanded, had Li Youba suddenly found herself out of a job?

But even then, it still didn't make sense!

As the champion of a long-established underground fighting organization, Li Youba should have had plenty of money. Her appearance fees alone would have been substantial.

Even if she couldn't find a new employer for the time being, she had no reason to go hungry... right?

Shiraki Uke grew even more confused.

Meanwhile, in the ring before him, Li Youba was panting heavily as she forced herself slowly to her feet.

"You've got to be kidding me. I'm Li Youba, the genius kung fu girl..."

"Why? How... could I be this unlucky?"

Li Youba did her best to steady her breathing.

In a daze, she couldn't hold back her frustration and began muttering complaints.

"I'd saved up my little nest egg for ages. I put it all into my old employer, the Killing Martial Arts Tournament, and was waiting for my year-end dividends."

"But then the Sanjigumi and the Killing Martial Arts Tournament disbanded one after the other, and all the money I invested went down the drain..."

"Unlucky... so damn unlucky..."

"..."

Hearing that, Shiraki Uke's gaze wandered, and he felt a little guilty.

Was she really that hard up?

But even if her investment had failed, she should have had some savings left.

"I still had a few hundred thousand yen in spending money..."

Li Youba's arms drooped as she murmured, "But then, the horse-racing tip I got from that c-h-a-n-n-e-l—a horse that was absolutely guaranteed to win—actually lost!"

"It's so frustrating. I could've become a millionaire in one shot, but instead I lost the last of my savings..."

"Damn it! So damn unlucky..."

After hearing that, Shiraki Uke had to be honest: he didn't feel quite so guilty anymore.

"I... have to win..."

Li Youba took a deep breath and made up her mind. "The last horse-racing tip was wrong, but this time I'll definitely win. I'm putting all the prize money from this match on it!"

Shiraki Uke: "..."

All his earlier guilt vanished, and he felt much better!

But no matter how determined Li Youba was, or what she had resolved to do, her situation hadn't changed. Hunger still limited her stamina and speed of thought.

"Whew! After I win, I'd better get something to eat first..."

Bang! Bang!

Li Youba was just about to move when Tojo Ran hit her with two jabs straight on.

"Hey! With no rules holding me back, why would I give you a chance?!"

Tojo Ran closed in step by step, trapping Li Youba in a corner of the ring. "You know, in a boxing ring, being forced into a corner is a death sentence!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Blow after lightning-fast blow hammered into Li Youba, leaving her forced to defend herself.

The searing pain sent her adrenaline soaring, letting Li Youba squeeze out a little more strength for the moment, but she no longer had the mental energy to think about how to counterattack.

An ugly woman like this, who only knows boxing... normally, I'd easily...

Li Youba's consciousness gradually grew hazy.

In her daze, she suddenly heard someone behind her, outside the ring, call out a reminder.

"Duck."

Whoosh!

Li Youba moved instinctively, evading Tojo Ran's flurry of jabs and slipping into the "lower zone" where the boxer couldn't attack her.

"Clinch!"

Shiraki Uke called out another reminder.

Li Youba spread her arms and wrapped them around Tojo Ran's lower waist.

Sensing trouble, Tojo Ran drove her elbows into Li Youba's back again and again, only to suddenly hear someone shout a reminder.

"Charge! Take her down!"

"Hrrrgh!"

With a low cry, Li Youba planted one foot against the ring and drove forward, flipping Tojo Ran over and following through into a mount on top of her.

Tojo Ran came from a boxing background and specialized in striking. Though she had picked up a little mixed martial arts on short notice, her second-rate technique was no match for Li Youba.

"Huff... huff..."

Li Youba knelt in the ring, looking down at Tojo Ran from above.

"It's over, ugly!"

Bang!

Heavy punches rained down one after another. Tojo Ran struggled to block them, but she couldn't break free of Li Youba's hold at all. Her defeat was only a matter of time.

Amid the spectators' cheers, Shiraki Uke watched silently with his arms folded.

Although it was a women's fight, it was still worth studying—both Tojo Ran and Li Youba were speed-oriented fighters who focused on technique.

The advice Shiraki Uke had called out to Li Youba came down to one question: if he found himself in that situation, how should he counterattack?

The results seemed good so far.

With Shiraki Uke's reminders, Li Youba had seized her chance, disrupted Tojo Ran's rhythm, and completely pinned her down. She was about to turn defeat into victory.

Disrupting the rhythm.

Shiraki Uke had a vague grasp of the key and had found his way to a new idea, but it was still hazy and needed time to work through.

The fight in the ring was about to end.

Just then, a hand patted Shiraki Uke on the shoulder. He turned and found that a woman had come to speak to him.

She wore a simple tracksuit and had a slender figure. Her long black hair fell naturally, its ends curling slightly inward, and her eyes carried a weary, listless look.

"Ah... um..."

The woman seemed to be thinking over how to say it. Finally, she forced herself to speak. "Hey, the owner of this place asked me to remind you: a true gentleman watches a game of chess without speaking. So please don't give advice from outside the ring..."

Shiraki Uke understood when he heard that.

It was understandable that the woman felt awkward. After all, people were only supposed to keep quiet when watching chess. What underground fight had a rule like that?

Presumably, the "owner" wanted Li Youba to lose so he could make more money, only for Shiraki Uke to interfere.

But since the owner was in the wrong, all he could do was annoy Shiraki Uke a little by sending the woman over to remind him.

And that woman probably wasn't on very good terms with the owner either. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been sent out to offend someone.

"As long as you understand. This is awkward for me too..."

Seeing that Shiraki Uke didn't seem angry, the woman breathed a sigh of relief and pressed her palms together.

"Thank you so much. My 'former boss' told me to ask you to leave, or he won't even give me the severance pay he owes me..."

There were no other matches that night anyway, and Shiraki Uke hadn't planned to stay long, so he followed the woman out and returned to the street with her.

The woman received a small packet of cash—presumably her severance pay. In an excellent mood, she turned to Shiraki Uke.

"To thank you for understanding, let me treat you to a late-night snack. How about some oden?"

The woman held out her hand to Shiraki Uke and introduced herself.

"Nozomi Tenma. Nice to meet you."

Chapter 43: Life Won't Let Us Go

In the ring inside the abandoned warehouse.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

Li Youba exhausted the last of her strength and threw one final punch, smashing it into the unconscious Tojo Ran's face.

"Huff... huff..."

Sweat poured off her as she gasped for breath. Only after hearing the referee announce her victory did she slowly rise from the mount.

"Whoa—ohhh!!!"