Chapter 14: Demons in the Alleys
Akimiya Kaede had seen that look before—the look in Shiraki Kei's eyes.
It was strange. "Fighters" and "Entrepreneurs" should have been two different types of people, from two different worlds, even if they cooperated.
But Akimiya Kaede had discovered that the best of both types sometimes had the exact same look in their eyes.
Was it fighting spirit? Or just... presence?
"..."
Regardless, Akimiya Kaede's mission was complete. She gave Shiraki Kei her business card and the file on the real estate tycoon, then stood to take her leave.
After seeing his guest out, Shiraki Kei collected the file and the card.
[Please remember... 𝑡𝑤𝑘𝑎𝑛.𝑐𝑜𝑚, super practical, watch the fastest chapter updates]
Come to think of it, he hadn't earned much money recently, but he'd collected a lot of business cards, from both individuals and companies.
Katahara Metsudo, Tonegawa Yukio, the Teiai Group, Kure Fusu, Akimiya Kaede, the Nogi Group...
The first two, especially, were worth their weight in gold. In the business world, they could cause an uproar.
"Should I buy a cardholder?"
...
...
The file Akimiya Kaede provided contained the real estate tycoon's recent movements.
Delays could be dangerous.
Therefore, on the evening of the second day, Shiraki Kei set out.
Arisa wanted to go with him, but Shiraki Kei stopped her—this time, he was serious. This was a complete unknown, and the danger level was several times higher than before.
"Bro..."
Arisa looked at Shiraki Kei, who was about to leave. She wanted to say something, to warn him, but she felt it would just sound like nagging.
After thinking for a long time, she tried to sound casual and asked, "What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?"
—The question meant: Come home safe.
Shiraki Kei smiled and waved. "Rice, tamagoyaki, and miso soup."
"Got it!"
Arisa waved energetically at her brother until he turned the corner and his figure disappeared.
...
...
Shiraki Kei's destination was an underground casino in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
Unlike the amateur setup the Grisly Tooth Gang had thrown together, this underground casino was run by "professionals." It was rumored to even have cops on the payroll.
Strictly speaking, the Grisly Tooth Gang's "unfinished building" was just a clumsy imitation by amateur yakuza. The place Shiraki Kei was heading tonight was the real illegal industry.
The decor, of course, was on another level. The red and white floor tiles were polished to a mirror shine. There was even a full bar.
Poker, roulette, mahjong, pachinko... every kind of gambling facility was present, along with dealers and bunny girl servers.
Among the clientele, there were few yakuza or bosozoku bikers. Most were either drifters or successful-looking men in suits.
"..."
Shiraki Kei, standing there empty-handed, seemed a bit out of place.
According to the Nogi Group's intel, the real estate tycoon was a regular at this casino.
But how to actually investigate... that was the hard part.
"..."
As he was thinking, Shiraki Kei suddenly got a feeling.
It was like a "scent." Just as the smell of flowers could lift one's spirits, this "feeling" suddenly hit him, and he moved to find its source.
He found it by a simple "Odd/Even" dice game.
A middle-aged man in a pinstripe suit, with a full head of silver hair and crystal-clear eyes—
Akagi Shigeru.
The "Man of the Divine Realm" he had briefly met at the Grisly Tooth Gang's casino was here, in this casino!
Was he here for fun? Or by invitation?
The answer didn't matter.
Demons walk the alleys, and they flock together.
It was no surprise to find a gambler with such singular talent, like Akagi Shigeru, in a place like this.
"...Oh?"
Akagi Shigeru spotted Shiraki Kei in the crowd and gave a faint smile in greeting. "Kei-kun? What a coincidence, running into you here."
"Akagi-san."
Shiraki Kei squeezed through the crowd to Akagi's side.
He suddenly noticed that everyone was packed tightly around this one table, all of them watching Akagi, as if the "Man of the Divine Realm" had his own center of gravity.
When he looked at the table, Shiraki Kei instantly understood why.
It was just an ordinary "Odd/Even" game, but when the "ordinary" is overtaken by the "abnormal," it draws attention.
Akagi's side of the table was piled high with chips. It was impossible to know how many rounds he'd won.
There were three dealers at the table—in other words, they had already swapped out the staff twice, but they still couldn't stop Akagi's winning streak.
Another dealer ran up and whispered to the others, "We checked the tapes. He's not cheating."
"Tch..."
The head dealer's face was pale. He whispered something to the new dealer, who then hurried away.
After arranging his backup, the head dealer turned to Akagi, trying to negotiate in a low voice. "Brother... we've got no beef. There's no need to bankrupt our table, is there?"
"Hm?"
Akagi looked surprised. "I hadn't heard this casino was the 'gentle' type that doesn't bankrupt people."
"Haha..." The head dealer could only manage a dry laugh.
This was an underground casino. People went bankrupt here all the time. But for a player to "wipe out the house's entire stake at one table"—that was unheard of!
The head dealer wasn't about to take the fall for such a massive loss. He wouldn't just lose his job; he'd probably be saddled with the debt!
"Brother, let's talk about this."
The dealer, past caring about his pride, made a low offer. "Next round, just bet half your chips... just half. We'll play one 'reasonable' round. You keep the other half. How about it?"
The implication was obvious.
The dealer wanted Akagi to throw the next round, allowing the house to reclaim half the chips and minimize the loss.
Without waiting for Akagi's reply, the head dealer started to shake the dice for the next round.
Akagi didn't hesitate. He went all-in again, pushing all his chips onto "Even."
The head dealer, sweating, secretly lifted a corner of the dice cup. The two dice showed a "3" and a "5." The result was "Even."
Akagi was right again.
"Brother..."
The dealer's face was grim. He tried again, "It's not open yet... You can still change it. Why don't you reconsider?"
Akagi's expression was calm. "Even."
As they were speaking, another commotion started. Several yakuza members pushed through the crowd, led by the same dealer who had run off moments before.
It seemed the head dealer, worried he couldn't convince Akagi, had decided to resort to threats.
Akagi, however, ignored them, his focus entirely on the table. He tapped the felt lightly.
"Even."
That one word made the head dealer's face darken completely. He waved his hand, signaling the yakuza to make their move and solve this problem.
But just as one of them reached out, another hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.
"Huh?!"
Before the yakuza could react, he felt a sharp, numbing pain. He looked down and saw his wrist was completely dislocated, the back of his hand now touching his forearm.
The one who had moved wasn't Akagi, but the young man standing behind him.
"Bastard!"
The other three yakuza swarmed in, but they were unarmed. Shiraki Kei didn't even bother to dodge.
A hand-chop struck one man's throat. A reverse elbow shattered the second's nose. His other arm wrapped around the third's neck, applying a naked choke until he passed out.
The series of movements was smooth as silk, a high-level performance that was no less impressive than Akagi's winning streak. It even drew gasps from the crowd.
The head dealer, seeing things had gone south, was about to rush in himself, but a fist suddenly smashed into his face.
Thud!
He was knocked out cold.
The punch had come from casino security, who had been dispatched to maintain order.
This was an old-school casino, after all. If they let people just default on their losses, they wouldn't have lasted this long.
"Our apologies. We've caused you trouble."
A security guard bowed deeply to Akagi and Shiraki Kei, then began offering various forms of compensation. But both men just brushed it off, uninterested.
Shiraki Kei was still looking for his target, and Akagi Shigeru didn't care about winning or losing.
"Hoo..."
Akagi, cigarette in his mouth, complained idly, "I was just wandering, finally got a little interested, and it turns out to be another boring game. But it's good to see a new friend."
Shiraki Kei smiled back. Having someone he knew nearby, he finally relaxed and went to order a couple of drinks.
But just then, a small old man next to them suddenly spoke up.
"My, my, no rules in these casinos nowadays. If you want to make real money, you need a one-on-one game... but it's so hard to find an opponent, isn't it?"
Shiraki Kei and Akagi turned to look.
The small old man was beaming, his face friendly. "A pleasure to meet you. My name is Kokonoe Otarou. Care to play a round with me?"