Owing a Favor

It was a scar-faced thug in a colorful beach shirt, his hair slicked back and his body reeking of alcohol.

Arisa and Kure Karura had not kept their discussion private, and the scar-faced thug had overheard them. Having just lost two hundred thousand yen at the gambling table, he was especially annoyed and had come over to pick a fight.

"Hey, where did you little brats come from, talking so big? Want me to dump you in Tokyo Bay?!"

The scar-faced thug fixed his beady eyes on Arisa, who was wearing her school uniform. "Or are you girls from a sex shop, here to role-play for someone? Not bad-looking..."

As he spoke, the scar-faced thug reached for Arisa.

But the next second, he was forced to stop, because something cold was pressed against his chin—

It was a dagger, small and easy to carry, held in Kure Fusui's hand.

"Our family takes promises very seriously. Since we agreed to keep Arisa safe, we can't neglect her mental health either."

Her black eyes with white pupils held a hint of amusement as she looked straight at the scar-faced thug. "Besides, you're a fake—even when you talk about killing people, you're bluffing."

The scar-faced thug's embarrassment instantly turned to rage. "Threatening a yakuza with a toy? Don't look down on me!"

He clenched his fist and prepared to strike.

Kure Fusui was about to counterattack when a large hand suddenly reached out from beside her, seized the scar-faced thug's wrist, and pressed it down hard.

"Ow!"

The scar-faced thug felt as though his wrist was about to break. Forced down onto one knee, he continued cursing.

The three girls turned and saw Shiraki Uke.

At the same time, fury surged in the scar-faced thug's chest. Enduring the pain, he pulled a knife from his waist and stabbed at Shiraki Uke.

Shiraki Uke merely stepped half a pace forward and twisted the thug's wrist farther back, throwing off his movement. Then he suddenly let go and landed a hook to his lower abdomen.

"Ugh!"

The scar-faced thug grunted and immediately lost consciousness. He collapsed to the floor, vomiting profusely.

Kure Fusui's eyes lit up at the sight.

She could clearly tell that, compared with three days ago, Shiraki Uke's movements were now more coordinated, and even his breathing was more rhythmic. To someone who knew what to look for, it was a pleasure to watch.

Kure Fusui spun the dagger, slipped it back into the sheath at her waist with a reverse grip, and raised a hand in greeting with a smile.

"Yo, Bai Mu!"

"..."

Shiraki Uke glanced at Kure Fusui, then looked over Arisa and Kure Karura behind her. A trace of thought flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly nodded in response.

"Yo, good evening."

"...Huh?" Kure Fusui froze.

She had prepared a whole speech to explain herself—after all, she had brought his little sister to a dangerous place like this, so it would have been understandable if Shiraki Uke had scolded her.

But Shiraki Uke did not seem to care at all!

In fact, however, Shiraki Uke cared a great deal. He had simply thought it through.

He truly had not expected the two girls from the Kure Clan to track him all the way here, much less bring Arisa along.

But on second thought, Arisa was safer with the Kure Clan than she would have been staying home alone.

So... he gave up thinking about it and decided to leave things as they were!

Shiraki Uke ruffled Arisa's hair and instructed her, "It's chaotic here. Be good and don't run off."

"Okay!"

Arisa nodded in agreement.

Kure Fusui and Kure Karura could not help marveling once again: wow, this brother and sister really were equally quick to accept things!

"..."

Arisa looked at the scar-faced thug lying unconscious on the floor, a little worried. "Big brother, we didn't cause you any trouble, did we?"

"You mean beating him up?"

Shiraki Uke raised an eyebrow and waved a hand with a smile. "No, don't worry."

Just then, a Sanjigumi underboss came over, drawn by the commotion. Before he could speak, Shiraki Uke grabbed him and slung an arm around his shoulders like a friend.

"They should be thanking me instead!"

Paying no attention to the veins bulging on the underboss's forehead, Shiraki Uke laughed heartily. "After all, the yakuza aren't the only ones in this world who use violence. I just helped you avoid a lot of trouble, didn't I, Inoue, old buddy?"

The underboss was so angry that the corner of his eye twitched. He was about to lash out when he suddenly noticed something.

At the girl's waist, there was not only a dagger, but also a certain "special outline" hidden beneath her clothes.

Small as the Sanjigumi was, it was still a subsidiary of a major yakuza organization. The underboss had seen his share of big situations, and he could guess what that outline was—

A handgun!?

Was that real...?

Kure Fusui noticed where the underboss was looking and said with a smile, "It's real."

The underboss still did not want to believe it, but a strong sense of unease lingered in his heart, and cold sweat had already broken out on his forehead.

What was with this group?!

"..."

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

Just as the underboss was planning to get away from Shiraki Uke and have a smoke to calm down, the sounds of another commotion came from the other side.

"What now?!"

The underboss turned to look and finally breathed a small sigh of relief. To him, the new commotion was good news; at least nothing had gone wrong on the other side.

Shiraki Uke's opponent for the night, a registered fighter of the Kengan Association, a top underground fighting organization, had arrived as promised and made his entrance to the crowd's cheers.

"He's here—Nioh Komada is here!"

Chapter 6: Owing a Favor

The saying "a crane standing among chickens" described this scene perfectly.

A man walked in from the darkness outside the entrance and appeared beneath the casino's dim lights, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

He was a giant of a man, over 1.9 meters tall. One look at his face was enough to tell he was no ordinary person.

His hair was slicked back, and he wore a work shirt.

His massive muscles were plain to see even through his clothes, and unnatural bulges showed on his back, a vital target for strikes.

His fists, as large as boulders, were covered in countless scars of all sizes.

Surely no one would doubt the man's strength.

Komada—nicknamed Nioh!

As the man appeared, the entire underground casino instantly erupted. No one paid any more attention to the scar-faced thug who had been knocked unconscious, and villains of every sort were beside themselves with excitement.

"What a terrifying physique! The real deal!"

"This was worth the price of admission! How did the Sanjigumi get so rich? They actually brought in an active fighter from the Kengan Association!"

"Yahoo! Nioh, you've got to beat your opponent to death today! I want to see rivers of blood!"

"..."

The atmosphere swept over them like a heat wave, making it hard to breathe.

But even in that abnormal atmosphere, there was still a place of calm, as though not even a violent storm could shake it.

The underboss could sense it—

Shiraki Uke and the three girls beside him looked at Nioh Komada with excitement, confusion, curiosity, and other such feelings, but not fear or timidity!

"Tch..."

A strong sense of unease, along with the discomfort of having Shiraki Uke's arm around his shoulders, made the underboss twist free.

"He's finally here. I'm going to arrange the match now. Someone will come get you in a little while!"

The underboss did not want to stay there any longer, so he turned and left.

After he was gone, Kure Karura used getting drinks as an excuse to take Arisa away, leaving Kure Fusui and Shiraki Uke alone together.

"Yo, boss!"

Kure Fusui suddenly changed how she addressed him and greeted him again, leaving Shiraki Uke briefly startled.

"Why are you suddenly calling me boss...?" Shiraki Uke thought for a moment, then suddenly asked warily, "Is protecting Arisa something you charge for?!"

"No, no. She's Kure Karura's classmate, after all, so we're protecting Arisa voluntarily!"

Kure Fusui waved her hands repeatedly, though the smile in her unusual eyes did not fade. "But speaking of that, you know about the Kure Clan, right?"

Shiraki Uke nodded.

Kure Fusui immediately took out a slip of paper and waved it. "In that case, I have an interesting piece of information about you. Five hundred thousand yen, a special opening offer. What do you say?"

Shiraki Uke shook his head.

Kure Fusui: "..."

Kure Fusui: "You're turning it down that quickly?"

Shiraki Uke spread his hands helplessly. "Information from the Kure Clan... I'm very interested, but I don't have any money. No matter what you say, I can't afford it."

"But you turned me down way too fast. At least try to bargain!"

Kure Fusui put a hand to her forehead and muttered under her breath, "I was planning to let you owe me for now. You wouldn't be able to pay me back anyway, so afterward I could use it as an excuse to investigate you further. Your 'technique' is very interesting..."

Hearing that, the corner of Shiraki Uke's eye twitched slightly.