At exactly eleven, Xia Nuo and Junichi met Qilin, who had arrived right on time, at the Wisteria Restaurant.
"You're Junichi, aren't you?"
Qilin's face was filled with emotion as he gestured with his hand. "I saw you beside the old chairman when you were little. You definitely won't remember me. You were only this tall back then..."
"Let's get to the point."
Junichi kept a stern face, remembering Xia Nuo's warning. "I know my father helped you out before, but that bit of gratitude can't withstand changing hearts. You don't have to go this far."
"You really are something." Qilin shook his head helplessly and sighed.
"Then I'll be direct. I couldn't put my mind at ease, so I came specifically to warn you. Although the Kendo Tournament has tacitly allowed you to compete under the Sakuraba name, there's no way they'll give you the championship. Otherwise, you might bring a fatal disaster upon yourselves. It would be better to give up as soon as possible."
"Is someone trying to deal with us? The people who excluded and suppressed the Sakuraba Dojo and brought it down back then?"
"I can't say."
Qilin's brow furrowed deeply. "To be honest, I still haven't figured out why the other dojos suddenly joined forces against the Sakuraba Dojo back then."
"Several of the dojo masters were good friends with the old chairman—in other words, your father—and they certainly weren't the sort to kick someone when they were down."
"Starting four or five years ago, the atmosphere on this island grew stranger and stranger. Everyone seemed to suddenly forget the original purpose of this Island of Kendo, devoting themselves entirely to making money."
"Especially the masters of the Seven Great Dojos. It was as if all of them had become obsessed with money. Sometimes they would even disappear together for a day or two, and no one knew where they had gone for their private gatherings..."
"In short, the waters behind this island run very deep."
Qilin spoke sincerely. "I know the two of you are very skilled with the sword, especially you, Mr. Xia Nuo. But this isn't something one or two people can handle, so you'd better put away your curiosity and leave this island as soon as possible."
Xia Nuo and Junichi exchanged a glance.
"That's all I have to say. Coming to meet you has already put me at great risk. I've done everything I can, so don't expect me to help you again."
Qilin shook his head and pushed back his chair. "As you said, that bit of gratitude from back then is only enough to bring me this far. Then, gentlemen, farewell."
They watched his back descend the stairs and waited until his footsteps gradually faded before switching seats and sitting opposite each other.
"From a rational standpoint, this mess really isn't something we should get involved in."
Xia Nuo crossed his legs and spoke languidly. "But I know that with your personality, you definitely won't give up this championship that's about to fall into your hands."
"Uh, Mr. Xia Nuo, you don't have to keep using me as a shield."
Junichi spread his hands bitterly. "At this point, even if I wanted to run, you probably wouldn't allow it..."
After spending several days together, he had grown increasingly familiar with Xia Nuo.
When they had first met, this guy had seemed calm, experienced, and reliable. But his true nature was also that of a shameless loafer. And when his temper flared, he might even be more stubborn than Junichi himself.
"Hey, kid, you learn bad habits pretty quickly."
Xia Nuo rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Of course. Unlike you, whose advancement to the finals is still uncertain, my name is already engraved on the championship trophy. And the prize money is five million Beli!"
"Besides, the entry fee and all that other nonsense wiped out my entire fortune. I don't care how deep the waters are. The East Blue only has so much room. Anyone who dares stop me from getting my money, I'll cut them down!"
"Uh-huh!" Junichi nodded vigorously. "So what are we doing now?"
"Idiot, we're already in a restaurant. What else would we do?" Xia Nuo waved grandly for a server and ordered. "Eat, of course! If we don't fill our stomachs, how will we have the strength to fight?"
"But this seems to be an upscale restaurant. I just looked at the menu. Even a vegetable salad costs five thousand Beli. Your money..."
A deathly silence fell.
In the end, Xia Nuo dragged Junichi away under the server's disdainful gaze. They returned to the plaza and honestly queued up for the free noodle soup provided by the Kendo Tournament.
Speaking of which.
It had started with nothing more than returning a coin. How had things become so complicated? Now they had ended up camping out here like a pair of vagrants.
What exactly had I come out for this time?
In the afternoon, the quarterfinals and semifinals were held in succession.
There was no suspense on Xia Nuo's side.
The two opponents who faced him were no different from the cannon fodder during the preliminary rounds. Both were blasted out of the ring by a single heavy, powerful strike.
At one point, the spectators began to suspect that this man wasn't competing in swordsmanship at all, but had come to play golf.
Junichi's matches were far more dangerous. He fought bitterly for more than ten minutes in the quarterfinals before managing a difficult victory. His semifinal was the final match of the day, so Xia Nuo finished his own match first and silently watched from below.
"Hm?"
As he stared at the tall, slender swordsman wearing a mask, Xia Nuo narrowed his eyes, and a warning suddenly rose in his heart.
The sharp intuition brought by his body's transformation told him that this man was dangerous, on an entirely different level from every swordsman he had encountered before.
"Be careful, Junichi." He quietly warned his little brother, who was preparing to enter the arena. "This guy isn't simple."
"Ah, I noticed that too." Junichi nodded solemnly.
"You noticed nothing. There are only seven other people in the quarterfinals, and you struggle no matter who you fight."
"...Did you really have to point that out? Not everyone is as strong as you. You draw anyone and treat them like a spinning top."
A moment later.
The two entered the arena and stood facing each other, then bowed.
When they raised their heads again, Junichi's eyes were filled with tension. Across from him, the tall, slender swordsman simply watched him in silence, his face hidden behind a White Fox mask, making his expression impossible to read.
"Second semifinal! White Fox versus Junichi! The winner will advance to the finals!" Under the expectant gaze of the crowd, the host suddenly swung his right hand down. "Begin!"
Smack!
The instant the words left his mouth, accompanied by the crisp crack of bamboo swords, Junichi screamed as he flew out of the ring and crashed heavily onto the ground several meters away.
The surroundings fell silent.
The spectators stared blankly at White Fox, who calmly sheathed his sword. Once they came to their senses, an uproar erupted.
"This guy can actually kill his opponent in one strike just like Mr. Xia Nuo?!"
"What happened to this year's Kendo Tournament? What kind of monsters are competing?"
"There's suspense in the finals now, right? I thought Mr. Xia Nuo was definitely going to win the championship. This is getting exciting!"
Amid the noisy uproar, Xia Nuo helped Junichi up. After confirming that he was unharmed, he stared coldly at White Fox in the arena.
The other man seemed to sense his gaze as well. He looked over, met Xia Nuo's eyes for a moment, then shook his head and turned to leave the arena.
The host remained rooted to the spot. Only after a long moment did he suddenly come to his senses, hurry onto the stage, and loudly announce the result.
"Second semifinal: White Fox wins! Advancing to the finals, his opponent will be this year's biggest dark horse, contestant Xia Nuo!"
"Following the precedent of the past five years, today's finals will be held at seven this evening—in other words, four hours from now—at the indoor dojo, giving the contestants plenty of time to rest!"
"—Spectators with tickets may enter early with their tickets! The plaza will also broadcast the match live on a giant screen. Please look forward to it!"
Did they really need to rest?
The spectators secretly grumbled. Xia Nuo and the man wearing the White Fox mask had both instantly defeated their opponents. They had gone up and come back down almost immediately—it didn't even count as a warm-up.
This year really was bizarre. In previous years, once the tournament reached the quarterfinals, the contestants had generally been evenly matched. When had anything like this ever happened?
However.
This also made some people realize that the finals would probably be far more popular than in previous years. Both sides were monsters. Who wouldn't want to know which of them would ultimately prove superior?
They had to buy tickets!
What kind of person would they be if they didn't watch a match like this in person?
Many people immediately sprang into action and headed for the ticket office. To their astonishment, they learned that the finals tickets—which had originally cost several thousand Beli at the cheapest—had sold out days ago. There were no tickets left at all.
And just then.
A group of scalpers sneaked into the crowd, searching for targets and hawking their tickets...
Behind a broad office desk.
"All the tickets have been sold? People are willing to pay fifty thousand Beli for front-row seats?"
After hearing the report through the telephone, the middle-aged man grew even more animated. "That means the ticket revenue alone will be several tens of millions. Once we add in the income from the entire Kendo Tournament, this year's net profit will exceed two hundred million!"
"As expected of you, White Fox!"
After hanging up, the middle-aged man lit a cigar and said with a grin, "You sent that boy from the Sakuraba Family flying with one strike. Only a swordsman who has devoted more than twenty years to kendo could do that. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Without you, how could we have hyped up this year's finals so much?"
"Want one?"
He handed over another cigar. "The finals are best three out of five. Try to make it last all five matches, then defeat that kid at the very last moment. You can do that, right? Only then can we attract more tourists next year and keep driving up the ticket prices!"
White Fox stood silently where he was. He neither replied nor showed any intention of taking the cigar.
"Don't be ungrateful." The middle-aged man could no longer contain his irritation. He snorted and put the cigar away. "Get lost! Go prepare for your finals. In a moment, I'm going to watch the live broadcast here with a few beautiful ladies. Having a wooden post like you standing here would ruin the mood!"
White Fox turned and left without a word.
As he passed through the corridor.
He happened to see Xia Nuo and Junichi in the distant plaza, lining up to receive the free dinner bento boxes. The two were teasing and laughing with each other, clearly already on excellent terms.
"Why did you have to come back..."
White Fox stared at the scene, a trace of remembrance in his eyes, but it quickly turned into indifference.
I already gave you a chance back then.
He cast one last glance toward the middle-aged man's office, then stopped lingering and strode away.
I had earned enough money, and I was tired of putting on this act. I really didn't want to stay on this island any longer. It was about time... to bring it all to an end.