Chapter 16: Baku's Bad Luck
Night fell on the streets of Shinjuku.
All sorts of people wandered the streets: yakuza, punks, the unemployed, salarymen entertaining their bosses, rich people out looking for fun, and so on...
Demons walk the alleys, and demons love to flock together.
There are always demons walking in the night. Most are solitary, but occasionally, they gather.
Like...
Shiraki Kei, Akagi Shigeru, Q-Taro, Madarame Baku, and the "follower" trailing behind him... Kaji Takaomi.
The group of five walked and chatted, passing through the bustling streets of Shinjuku, gradually heading toward their secluded destination.
The atmosphere between them was exceptionally good—so good that the short-haired young man, Kaji Takaomi, felt uneasy. It was as if they hadn't just met.
Were they old classmates? Colleagues from the same company?
In any case... it was unnatural.
Kaji Takaomi had a vague feeling, but he couldn't put his finger on it.
...
Kaji Takaomi had met "Baku-san"—Madarame Baku—a few days ago. At the time, Kaji was just a jaded, unemployed drifter.
Because he had given Baku-san a few pachinko balls, Baku, as thanks, used psychological intimidation tactics to help Kaji scare off the small-time loan shark company that had been threatening him.
Ever since then, perhaps drawn by Baku's way of doing things, Kaji had been following him, hoping to learn a thing or two and change his own aimless life.
But strangely, today, Baku-san hadn't gone to play roulette or other games. It seemed he was quietly waiting for something.
And when he saw that little old man—Q-Taro—go to talk to the other two, Baku-san had made his move.
He pretended to be drunk, hoping Q-Taro would gamble with him first.
He'd heard that the little old man was the owner of some "Kokonoe Building." Maybe he was really rich?
...
As Kaji Takaomi was thinking this, he heard Baku-san's teasing voice.
"Hey, hey, Kaji-kun, look at this guy!"
Madarame Baku pointed at Shiraki Kei. "He's so built! Just like Kenshiro! This guy... he doesn't know Hokuto Shinken, does he~!"
"...Haha."
Kaji Takaomi facepalmed, speechless.
Shiraki Kei didn't mind. He had already seen that Madarame Baku's current behavior was just a front. It was all for his target tonight—Q-Taro.
Q-Taro, lost in the joy of his prey taking the bait, hadn't noticed a thing.
But there was one other person who had seen through Madarame Baku's act: the man smoking quietly nearby—Akagi Shigeru.
"Heh... The breeze feels nice tonight..."
"..."
Madarame Baku leaned on Shiraki Kei's shoulder, his gaze sharpening considerably as he carefully studied the white-haired man.
He was sure he recognized that face.
This had to be the "Man of the Divine Realm" who dominated Japan's underground mahjong scene!
As a gambler, Madarame Baku had been in the underground world for years, but he rarely participated in mahjong. He and Akagi Shigeru operated in different "spheres," so they had never met.
"I actually ran into the 'legend' tonight... Is this good luck, or bad luck?"
Madarame Baku licked his lips. He already knew the answer.
"As always, it's 'not good'..."
His target was Q-Taro—or rather, the "muscle" behind Q-Taro. He didn't want any complications.
Kaji Takaomi had been an impromptu part of his plan, but still within his expectations.
The other man, Shiraki Kei, he wasn't sure about, but he gave Baku a "refreshing" feeling. He wasn't difficult to be around.
The only problem was Akagi Shigeru. The feeling he got from him was "pure."
—So pure it was flawless. A "purity" that was enough to devour everything!
This kind of person was the most troublesome to deal with, the biggest variable!
"..."
"Hey... Gramps?"
Madarame Baku, still using his drunken slur, made a proposal to Akagi Shigeru. "You look pretty well-dressed. You're not poor, right? I've been having a hard time lately. How about you let me have this gamble?"
Akagi Shigeru glanced at Baku and gave a helpless smile. "To use your own words... 'You're lying,' aren't you?"
A vein twitched in Baku's temple. His stubborn streak flared up.
He pouted. "Whatever. My luck's in tonight, so don't let me bankrupt you!"
Seeing this, Q-Taro, afraid his prey would be scared off, quickly tried to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, we're all here to enjoy a game. Let's just enjoy it together..."
"..."
Kaji Takaomi witnessed all this, and it all felt stranger and stranger.
But the strangest—or perhaps the most relaxed—person there had to be the conspicuously muscular "Shiraki Kei."
Shiraki Kei was on the phone.
He pulled out a business card, dialed the number, and it connected quickly.
"Hello? It's me... No, not about 'seed,' I have a job."
{...}
"So professional. I'll be counting on you, then."
{...}
"No, let's stick to the normal rates. Just 'paying' with 'seed' seems a bit... casual."
{...}
The phone call was full of bizarre, cryptic phrases, making the other four glance over, unable to help themselves.
Madarame Baku was confused. "Kei-kun, who are you talking to?"
"My sister's classmate's relative."
Shiraki Kei said frankly. "She's been looking for work recently, and I suddenly had an opportunity, so I passed it along."
"Oooh!"
Madarame Baku looked impressed. He nudged Kei with his elbow. "Jobs are hard to find these days! You're a good guy, Kei-kun!"
Shiraki Kei, lost in his own thoughts, just gave a dry laugh and agreed.
Kaji Takaomi, hearing this, relaxed quite a bit. He figured that no matter how weird they were, these guys all seemed pretty nice.
...
...
About half an hour later, the group, which had been chatting and walking, arrived at their destination.
It was Q-Taro's property in Shinjuku—the Kokonoe Building.
It had been abandoned for a long time. No businesses or tenants. It had eight floors, and Q-Taro's office was on the fifth.
The five of them took the elevator up, discussing the night's game on the way.
Q-Taro smiled kindly. "I was originally thinking of playing my favorite, poker. But since there are so many of us, why don't we play a few rounds of mahjong first? How about it?"
"..."
Shiraki Kei, Madarame Baku, and even Akagi Shigeru could all tell that this wasn't Q-Taro's real intention. Mahjong was just the foreplay for the "real gamble." Naturally, they didn't care.
Only Kaji smiled and scratched his head. "Ah, you're going to all this trouble for us. Thank you."
...
...
Kokonoe Building, Fifth Floor, Q-Taro's Office.
Q-Taro, Shiraki Kei, Akagi Shigeru, and Madarame Baku sat at the four corners of the mahjong table. Kaji Takaomi had lost at rock-paper-scissors to Kei, so he could only watch.
After a few rounds, the situation was clear.
Akagi Shigeru was, without question, in first place, his chips piled high with an absolute lead.
Shiraki Kei was a mahjong novice, but with a bit of beginner's luck, he was in second.
Q-Taro was in third, his chip count not far from Kei's.
As for last place—the one with the worst luck—that was, without a doubt, Madarame Baku. He had almost lost all the pocket change he had.
"Ron. Riichi, Tanyao, Pinfu. 3,900 points."
Akagi Shigeru caught Baku's discard yet again, revealing his hand.
Baku's face was stiff. He buried his face in his hands. "When it comes to luck, I've always been the worst..."
"Ah, that's true."
Akagi, cigarette in his mouth, nodded in agreement. "If it's purely a match of luck, you really are weak, Baku-kun."
The meaning was simple: If Baku stopped relying purely on luck, the situation would be very different.
Baku, of course, didn't take the bait.
Q-Taro, on the other hand, was having a great time, despite having lost a fair bit. He even lent Baku some cash to make it easier to count the chips.
"Ka—hahahahaha! I lost again!"
"You guys are really something! It was worth having you come all the way to my building!"
"Gambling without a 'house' is so much fun!"
"Come, come... let's keep going!"
"..."
Hearing Q-Taro's urging, Kaji, who was watching, couldn't help but frown.
Putting aside the fact that Baku-san was losing, even if he could win, no one was betting high stakes. It was like a "chicken rib"—tasteless to eat, but a waste to throw away.
In other words—it was boring.
It wasn't just Kaji. Madarame Baku couldn't stop yawning. Akagi Shigeru's eyes were half-closed, as if he were asleep. Shiraki Kei was so bored he just started fiddling with the tiles.
Seeing the time was ripe, Q-Taro finally revealed his fangs.
"It looks like none of you can really get into it..."
"How about it? Want to play for... big stakes?"
Hearing this, before anyone could react, Q-Taro pulled several thick stacks of bills from under the table and casually dropped them onto the mahjong table.
"Ten million!"
A twisted smile spread across Q-Taro's face.
"There's ten million yen here. Want to make a bet? Let's bet on whether... you can leave this building."