Chapter 10: Be Careful of Diamonds
Shiraki Kei's fist clenched, spiraling upward with coiling power.
The peak of his fist sank into Komada's chest. The raised knuckles tore Komada's pectoral muscle, slicing a dark red arc of blood through the air.
Swish!
Komada was sent airborne by the punch, flying backward before crashing hard to the ground. The wound on his chest ran diagonally up to his shoulder blade, peeling open to expose dark red muscle fibers, gushing blood.
"!"
The entire venue fell dead silent. Even the referee in the ring froze for half a second before rushing forward to check Komada's condition. He quickly raised his hand.
"Vic... Victory! The winner is—Shiraki Kei!"
"..."
Shiraki Kei's face was caked in blood. He raised his clenched right fist high, but the silence remained, a strange atmosphere filling the underground casino.
It was just as Akagi Shigeru had said. This crowd hadn't come to watch a fight. So when a true victor was decided, these "uninteresting" people had no idea how to react.
Suddenly, someone broke the silence—
"Whoo!"
Arisa threw her hands in the air, cheering for her brother, finally letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
This abrupt action drew the attention of the crowd. Arisa immediately felt embarrassed and shrank behind Karura.
"Heh. Don't mind them," Akagi Shigeru said, a cigarette dangling from his lips as he consoled her. "In the end, this idea that 'there's a right time and place for everything'—it's just a sham. It doesn't matter if you're out of step with everyone else. If you want to cheer, you cheer."
"Hoh hoh! Akagi-kun is right! This is the time to cheer!"
Metsudo nodded, clapping for the victory. He even looked like he was about to dance, filled with an energy that was completely unlike that of a withered old man.
...
...
Amidst the cheers from Metsudo, Kure Fusu, and the others, the frozen atmosphere began to thaw.
Medics entered the ring, tended to the unconscious Komada's wounds, and carried him off on a stretcher, taking him to a yakuza-affiliated hospital.
With the Anti-Organized Crime Law in effect, even a yakuza joint couldn't afford to just let someone die.
As for Shiraki Kei, although he looked a bloody mess, his injuries were far lighter than Komada's. He didn't need a stretcher.
However, the constant dodging, the [Aura Burst], and that final, decisive [Shoryuken] had drained all his stamina. He could barely even stand.
"..."
Staggering, he was supported by Arisa on one side and Kure Fusu on the other. They helped him to a stool on the sidelines to rest.
Arisa used a handkerchief to wipe her brother's face.
Kure Fusu, with nothing else to do, held a water bottle to his lips.
"That was absolutely beautiful!"
Fusu recalled the fight, her mismatched eyes sparkling. "What style is that? Where did you learn it?"
Shiraki Kei couldn't easily answer.
But everyone has their secrets, and Fusu didn't press. She just kept grinning. "I want to see more of your techniques. I'll come by and 'play' sometime. And don't forget you still owe me that favor~!"
"...Sure."
Hearing this, Shiraki Kei didn't refuse, but Fusu's gaze felt... off. He quickly averted his eyes, looking toward the other two.
Katahara Metsudo and Akagi Shigeru. They were true heavy-hitters.
After catching his breath, Shiraki Kei raised a hand to Akagi Shigeru in thanks.
It was thanks to his advice that Kei had been able to realize that "critical error" and stop running from the "feeling of pain."
That unique, heaven-sent talent was on full display in Akagi Shigeru.
But Akagi just smiled and shook his head. "No, I should be thanking you."
He held his cigarette, his eyes preternaturally clear, and mused, "The mahjong games lately have been so boring. No interesting players. I was thinking of retiring in the next year or two... but if there are more fights like that one, I wouldn't mind watching a few more."
"Mm. That was truly interesting..."
Akagi Shigeru finished his cigarette and raised a hand to the group. "Thank you for your hospitality. I'll be going. Perhaps we'll meet again."
With that, he left, alone.
Watching his retreating back, the Kure cousins couldn't help but marvel. As expected of Katahara Metsudo's drinking buddy, he was truly an extraordinary man.
"...Ah!"
Only after Akagi left did Fusu snap back, realizing she'd forgotten to introduce everyone. She felt a little rude.
But Metsudo didn't mind. He chuckled and pointed nearby. "This old man isn't in a hurry, but someone over there is!"
They followed Metsudo's finger and saw the Grisly Tooth boss—Inoue Kan'ya.
He was sitting on a stool at the edge of the ring, talking to someone on his phone. He looked terrified, sweat visibly pouring down his face.
Since they weren't far, and most of the crowd had left, Shiraki Kei and the others could clearly hear the sharp reprimand coming from the phone.
"You clueless moron! A piss-ant group like the Grisly Tooth Gang should be grateful just to host an underground fight, and you thought you could organize a Kengan match? Dream on—"
"You set this match up on your own. You got a Nogi Group fighter seriously injured, and you dragged a major corporation into it. The Jinwa-gumi isn't taking the fall for this. You're on your own. You handle it."
The line went dead, giving him no chance to argue.
The boss froze, his expression ugly. He felt a hollowness in his gut, and cold sweat dripped from his brow.
He had never imagined that [Nioh] Komada, the man he'd paid a fortune to hire, would be defeated and seriously injured.
Because of this, he had first angered the casino regulars who bet on Komada. Then, the Teiai Group, who had to write off some of Shiraki Kei's debt. Then, the Nogi Group, who employed Komada. And now, his own superiors, the Jinwa-gumi, who didn't want to piss off the Kengan Association. And maybe even the Kengan Association itself...
He'd screwed them all!
The boss gasped for air, his life flashing before his eyes. Since the Jinwa-gumi had told him to "handle it," he had no idea what to do next.
After a long, fruitless moment, the boss stood up. Without even glancing at Shiraki Kei, he walked away in a daze.
"...Mmm!"
Metsudo raised an eyebrow, amused. "Young people just don't have the 'capacity'. After all, being told to 'handle it' just means you have full authority to clean up the mess. It's a great chance for a comeback."
As a ruthless man who had fought his way from the bottom to become a dragon of the financial world, Katahara Metsudo's way of looking at a crisis was on a different level from someone like the Grisly Tooth boss.
"Oh, right right..."
Metsudo suddenly remembered something and pulled Fusu aside to whisper.
"Little Fusu, since you've already found out this match had someone 'pulling the strings,' I'll need you, as the one in the know, to take a message to Erioh."
Kure Erioh—the current patriarch of the Kure Clan, and Katahara Metsudo's former exclusive fighter, the first "Fang of Metsudo."
Kure Fusu blinked. "Of course. Go ahead."
Metsudo sighed with deep feeling. "It's been a long time... but an ambitious organization has its sights set on the Kengan Association."
Fusu was confused, half-joking, "It's not the Teiai Group, is it?"
"No, not just them," Metsudo shook his head. "It seems some 'criminal organization' active in the underground world has gotten ideas about swallowing the Kengan Association..."
"In short, tell Erioh things are about to get interesting!"
MMetsudo chuckled and patted Fusu's shoulder, his expression suddenly turning serious. "Aside from that, Little Fusu, if you're curious and decide to investigate further, you need to be careful of 'Diamonds'."
Kure Fusu was confused.
Metsudo added gravely, "And be especially careful of the 'Diamond' cut to its most perfect form—'IDEAL'."