A Sense of Rhythm

Iori Ichika's intentions were obvious.

Since Shiraki Uke had money in his pocket and the women had connections, they might as well make a good impression on him now. Then, if he went into some underground business in the future, they would have a chance to take part.

But Shiraki Uke really didn't have any good ideas.

Or, based on what he remembered, could he invest in the "underground women's fighting" venture Nozomi Tenma might start in the future?

That was an option, but it was a little too narrow.

Shiraki Uke wanted more than just money. How could he tie it in with the Kengan Association while also meeting his own needs?

"..."

After thinking it over, he still had no ideas, so it was time to drink again.

Li Youba was there too, and with nothing else to do, Shiraki Uke began discussing martial arts techniques and ideas for various moves with her.

Li Youba was a little surprised. "There aren't many people in the underground fighting world who are patient enough to exchange ideas."

That was hardly surprising. After all, most fighters active in the underground world—especially in the men's division—were an impulsive, uninhibited bunch who refused to bow to anyone.

But Shiraki Uke saw things differently.

"When two people fight, the seemingly weaker side can defeat the stronger through conviction and technique. The defeated side can then refine their skills and win again."

"That's how the level of combat starts to rise," Shiraki Uke explained, "giving it a chance to reach the very peak."

As a martial artist, Li Youba agreed. After all, she herself had benefited from technique.

In terms of physical stats, Li Youba was 160 centimeters tall and weighed 45 kilograms, far from top-tier.

Technique was indispensable to her becoming a queen of the underground ring.

The martial art Li Youba usually employed was called Zhenyi Liuhequan, which emphasized the release of power and breathing.

One of her surefire winning strategies was to attack her opponent's eyes first, depriving them of sight, then finish them off in one burst.

"..."

Just as I thought, Shiraki Uke said to himself. It matched what he had observed: when facing an opponent with a stronger physique, the key was to disrupt their rhythm and maintain a firm grip on your own.

Li Youba had enjoyed their conversation, and since she already owed Shiraki Uke a favor, she handed him her business card.

"Here. If you're interested, I'm fine with sparring and exchanging ideas. Just treat me well."

Everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, and they were all tipsy.

Shiraki Uke and Nozomi Tenma in particular were already on their second round of drinks. They had downed twice as much beer, and no matter how fit they were, they couldn't help feeling a little unsteady.

"Mm..."

The group left the restaurant together, planning to get some night air on the street.

Hana and Ichika were still offering Nozomi suggestions, discussing what kind of work she could do if she was really short on money.

Unfortunately, Hana and Ichika could hardly be called "good people." The jobs they could help her find weren't exactly respectable either, mostly things like drinking with customers, sex work, smuggling, and hauling goods.

"You guys are going to get arrested sooner or later..."

Nozomi grumbled helplessly, then turned to Shiraki Uke.

By comparison, the "business" Shiraki Uke, a fellow underground fighter, wanted to start should be a better fit for her needs. The problem was that he clearly didn't have any ideas at the moment.

"I'll just have to wait and see."

Nozomi pulled out her phone and checked the time. She was about to say goodbye and head home when a commotion suddenly erupted on the street nearby.

It drew everyone's attention.

At a nearby street corner, two groups of female delinquents had gotten into a conflict. Their shouting match had turned into a brawl, and they were grabbing bottles and smashing them over each other's heads.

"You think I won't kill you?!"

"You bitch... die!"

The two groups—more than a dozen female delinquents in all—were tangled together, tearing at and beating one another.

"..."

Li Youba rose onto her tiptoes to look. "What are they doing?"

With a cigarette between her lips, Ichika explained helplessly, "They're just local brats who like to hang around in gangs. They're not in the underworld, just delinquents with too much time on their hands."

Nozomi tilted her head. "Come to think of it, Ichika, isn't the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Juvenile Division you're in charge of supposed to deal with kids like them?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Ichika nodded. "But they're completely out of control. Ordinary methods don't work on them at all. They're a lot harder to deal with than yakuza who follow the rules. A bunch of trash like that should just hurry up and die..."

Li Youba poked her head out and muttered, "This cop is rotten beyond belief."

"Huh?"

Ichika raised her chin and stared at Li Youba provocatively. "You fight underground. Your training grounds and medical treatment—that stuff's all illegal, isn't it? You think I won't arrest you and lock you up for a couple of days?!"

Li Youba knew it was a joke, but it was also something Ichika could absolutely do. She couldn't help sighing. "The more you say, the worse you sound..."

Beside them, Hana laughed and threw her arms around the others. "All right, all right. Are we going home? Or are we going somewhere else? I know a really nice bar in Fifth Chome!"

Nozomi was about to answer when she suddenly looked up. "Hey, isn't someone coming toward us?"

"Hm?"

Everyone turned to look. Four or five delinquents were walking toward them, and a few had things hidden under their clothes, probably weapons like clubs.

"You dare mess with a cop? You've got a death wish!"

Ichika casually waved a hand, signaling the others not to panic. Then her expression changed. "Sorry, I left my police ID at the station."

Hana was more optimistic. "It's fine, it's fine. Maybe they're not looking for us?"

Unfortunately, the delinquents had a very clear target. They headed straight for the group—or, more precisely, for Shiraki Uke.

Only then did everyone see that one of them had a badly injured arm in a sling.

"Boss, that's him!"

The injured delinquent pointed at Shiraki Uke. "He's the one who broke my arm!"

"..."

The alcohol was getting to Shiraki Uke. He strained to raise his eyes and look, but he still felt sluggish.

The others were much the same, all of them drunk.

Li Youba was probably the most sober, but she had eaten too much and was now clutching her stomach as she digested.

"Ha ha, what bad luck. Of all the places to run into an enemy..."

Nozomi understood the situation at a glance.

The injured delinquent had probably tried to extort Shiraki Uke before, only to get beaten up and have his arm injured. Now he had brought people to get revenge.

Normally, it wouldn't have been a problem. She could fight, and Ichika was even better at fighting with weapons, to say nothing of Shiraki Uke and Li Youba.

But now...

They weren't afraid if a fight did break out, but the other side had numbers and wouldn't know when to hold back. Someone on their side might get hurt by accident. It was a losing proposition and a real mood-killer.

Nozomi turned her head and asked quietly, "Let's not make this more trouble than it's worth. How about we run?"

"..."

Before anyone else could answer, Shiraki Uke bumped into Nozomi's shoulder and staggered forward.

"Let's... give it a try..."

Shiraki Uke faced the delinquents, barely managing to plant his feet, his arms hanging naturally at his sides.

After watching the match and talking with Li Youba, all sorts of jumbled ideas had popped into his head. The delinquents looking for trouble could serve as punching bags.

"—Come on!"

Shiraki Uke beckoned to the delinquent in the lead.

The delinquents didn't hold back. Two or three drew the baseball bats they had hidden, while the others merely raised their fists. They weren't in the underworld, after all, and didn't dare use knives yet.

"Teach him a lesson!"

Whoosh!

Two delinquents were the first to lose patience. They swung their baseball bats down at Shiraki Uke, only to miss him completely.

"?!"

They stared wide-eyed, but Shiraki Uke was nowhere to be seen.

A closer look revealed that Shiraki Uke was lying flat on the ground, as if he had passed out drunk.

"Huh?"

Before the delinquents could react, Shiraki Uke suddenly braced his hands against the ground and rose with a Thomas Flair, using the motion to kick both delinquents in the chest.

Bang! Bang!

The two delinquents were sent flying. Their leader was about to call for the others to attack, but Shiraki Uke bent low and charged forward, slipping out of his line of sight before suddenly appearing right in front of him.

"Ha..."

The leader had no time to react. Shiraki Uke focused and gathered his breath, then threw alternating jabs with his left and right hands, landing three punches in a row at his opponent's philtrum, chest, and lower abdomen.

Bang, bang, bang!

Just like that, the leader's face was a mess. He spat out blood and broken teeth together, then fell to the ground and didn't get back up.

At the sight, everyone else fled in panic, not daring to say another word.

"..."