Chapter Summaries

Shiraki Uke and Maruk survived their fall after landing on Kure Fusui’s car, and the group concluded the Abandoned Building wager. Akagi Shigeru won the wager with Uke, and he left the winnings’ cash to Uke while considering what to do with Maruk.

• Baku Madarame explained that Kure Fusui had parked her car below to cushion Shiraki Uke and Maruk’s fall, and both fighters survived.
• Shiraki Uke celebrated his victory with Zangief’s phantom, while Maruk fell asleep beside him; Uke then remembered the wager was still undecided and headed back to the building.
• Baku Madarame rushed to leave the building, but Shiraki Uke stepped out last, giving Akagi Shigeru and Uke the win.
• Yagyou declared Akagi Shigeru and Shiraki Uke the winners and listed Kakerou membership, thirty million in cash, and the Ninefold Tower property among their spoils.
• Akagi Shigeru said he wanted the Kakerou membership, gave the thirty million in cash to Shiraki Uke, and considered Maruk, who had fallen asleep against Uke.

Shiraki Uke weighed how to use the ten million yen he had left and decided to make the most of Kure Fusui’s visits by practicing with her. As they exchanged techniques in a relaxed sparring session, Shiraki Uke brought his leg down after evading Fusui’s knife-hand strike.

• Shiraki Uke considered investing his remaining ten million yen, including in training equipment or opportunities connected to the Kengan Association and Nogi Group.
• Shiraki Uke decided that Kure Fusui could be a useful sparring partner, since she knew techniques from the Kure Clan.
• Kure Fusui explained that the Kure Clan was interested in learning about Shiraki Uke’s distinctive fighting techniques, and Shiraki Uke welcomed their interest.
• Shiraki Uke and Kure Fusui began a slow exchange of attacks and defenses to test their skills.
• Shiraki Uke blocked Fusui’s knife-hand strike, pulled her off balance, and brought his raised leg down lightly.

Shiraki Uke sparred with Kure Fusui and realized he could combine techniques from Ryu and Zangief into a fighting style of his own. Akiyama Kaede arrived to offer him membership in the Kengan Association, and Shiraki Uke left to wash up while she waited with Sakurai Arisa and Maruk.

• Shiraki Uke caught and gently lowered Kure Fusui after countering her attack with a move inspired by Ryu and Zangief.
• Shiraki Uke reflected that a fighter should develop a personal style rather than merely imitate a master, then continued sparring with Kure Fusui.
• Sakurai Arisa watched the practice and shared snacks with Maruk, who often visited Shiraki Uke's home.
• Kure Fusui trapped Shiraki Uke in a rear naked choke, but their stalemate ended when Akiyama Kaede arrived with an offer from the Nogi Group.
• Akiyama Kaede offered to arrange Shiraki Uke's membership in the Kengan Association, and he went to rinse off before discussing the offer.

Shiraki Uke accepted the Nogi Group’s offer of a chance to become a Kengan Association member through a challenge match, backed by an indefinite, interest-free loan. Later, he told Kure Fusui he wanted to understand strength and become the strongest, then said he felt that will was important to him.

• Maruk traded his fifty-yuan coin to Akiyama Kaede for her shiny mirror.
• Akiyama Kaede explained that the Nogi Group would arrange a Kengan Annihilation Challenge Match for Shiraki Uke and lend him one hundred million yen without interest or a repayment deadline.
• Shiraki Uke signed the loan contract, and Akiyama Kaede left to report to Nogi Hideki, who said he wanted to bring new variables into the Kengan Association and warned her about IDEAL.
• Shiraki Uke told Kure Fusui that he wanted to understand what it meant to be strong and become the strongest.
• After Kure Fusui discussed different ideas of strength, Shiraki Uke said he felt that will was important to him.

Shiraki Uke considered how to use his winnings to improve the Shiraki family property and experimented with new fighting techniques. Following his instincts through the city, he found a women’s underground fighting venue.

• Shiraki Uke told Kure Fusui he wanted to act according to his own consciousness, then planned to spend his ten million on the family property so Arisa could live more comfortably.
• Kure Fusui joked that Shiraki Uke could marry into the Kure Clan, and they laughed before beginning another sparring match.
• Kure Fusui tried to take Shiraki Uke to the ground with an Armbar, but he raised his leg to force her to retreat and began considering quicker techniques.
• Shiraki Uke wandered into a busy street, dislocated a punk’s wrist while testing a move, and continued searching for inspiration.
• Shiraki Uke followed the noise into a warehouse behind a bar and discovered an underground fighting arena for women.

Shiraki Uke watched former professional boxer Tojo Ran fight the starving Li Youba in a crude underground arena. He recognized Li Youba as a skilled underground champion and wondered why she was competing while so hungry as she appeared close to defeat.

• Shiraki Uke paid the admission fee and entered the warehouse arena, where spectators watched a women's fight.
• Shiraki Uke recognized Tojo Ran as a former Japanese super featherweight boxing champion who had moved into underground fighting.
• Tojo Ran used her boxing defense and powerful punches, which Shiraki Uke suspected were strengthened by something hidden in her gloves.
• Shiraki Uke noticed Tojo Ran's opponent had a solid stance but seemed weak from hunger.
• Tojo Ran struck the girl down, and the girl identified herself as Li Youba, prompting Shiraki Uke to recognize her as a skilled underground champion and question why she was starving.

Shiraki Uke’s advice helped Li Youba defeat Tojo Ran, who had cornered her in the ring. After the fight, Shiraki Uke left the venue with Nozomi Tenma, who invited him to get oden.

• Shiraki Uke realized Li Youba had lost her savings after the Killing Martial Arts Tournament disbanded and a horse-racing tip failed.
• Tojo Ran battered the hungry Li Youba and trapped her in a corner of the ring.
• Shiraki Uke called out instructions, and Li Youba used them to take Tojo Ran down and mount her.
• The venue’s owner sent Nozomi Tenma to tell Shiraki Uke to stop giving Li Youba advice and leave.
• Nozomi Tenma received her severance pay, introduced herself to Shiraki Uke, and invited him to eat oden.
• Li Youba knocked out Tojo Ran with a final punch and was declared the winner.

After meeting Nozomi Tenma at an oden stall, Shiraki Uke joined her and her friends for drinks and food. When he casually revealed he had ten million in cash, the others wondered whether he was a free agent from a top underground fighting organization.

• Li Youba won her fight, collected her earnings, and left to find food after failing to locate the man who had warned her.
• Shiraki Uke and Nozomi Tenma shared a late-night snack, and Nozomi explained how she had been fired from Underdog Fighting despite winning all three of her matches.
• Nozomi brought Shiraki Uke to a Chinese restaurant to meet her friends Iori Ichika and Mitani Kana.
• Shiraki Uke said he had ten million in cash but did not know how to spend it, startling the women.
• Iori, Nozomi, and Kana speculated that Shiraki Uke might be a free agent from a top underground fighting organization.

Shiraki Uke drank with Nozomi Tenma, Iori Ichika, and Hana before they were joined by Li Youba, who recounted her financial losses after the Sanjigumi collapsed. Their conversation revealed that another underground fighting organization had been ruined by a suspicious wager, while Ichika warned that the criminal group IDEAL had entered Japan to absorb underground organizations.

• Shiraki Uke discussed his approach to training and life with Nozomi Tenma, Iori Ichika, and Hana as they drank together.
• Iori Ichika accidentally knocked a bottle cap into Li Youba’s food, and Hana apologized and ordered her more dishes.
• Li Youba recognized Shiraki Uke, joined their table, and explained that the Sanjigumi’s collapse and her horse-betting losses had wiped out her savings.
• Nozomi Tenma noted that the yakuza group backing Underdog Fighting had also been ruined by a wager, and Shiraki Uke admitted he had destroyed the Sanjigumi.
• Iori Ichika warned the group that IDEAL members had entered Japan to take over underground organizations and advised Shiraki Uke to be cautious about investing.

Shiraki Uke discussed martial arts with Li Youba and received her business card, then a group of delinquents confronted him over an earlier fight. Despite being drunk, he defeated their attackers with evasive movement and rapid strikes, sending the rest running.

• Shiraki Uke and Li Youba exchanged martial arts ideas, and Li Youba gave him her business card and offered to spar.
• Nozomi Tenma, Iori Ichika, Hana, Shiraki Uke, and the others left the restaurant and came upon female delinquents fighting in the street.
• Several delinquents approached the group and identified Shiraki Uke as the person who had broken one of their arms.
• Shiraki Uke declined Nozomi Tenma's suggestion to run and invited the delinquents to attack.
• Shiraki Uke dodged two baseball-bat swings, kicked the attackers, and knocked down their leader with three punches, causing the others to flee.