Chapter 38: Exploring a Personal Style
For Shiraki Kei—
The good news: Kure Fusu wasn't in a hurry to collect the debt.
The bad news: Kure Fusu wasn't in a hurry to collect the debt.
But overall, it was mostly good news. After all, Shiraki Kei really couldn't scrape together thirty million yen right now.
Excluding the Kokonoe Building—which was tied up in a dispute with the Nogi Group—he had ten million yen left from the money he'd won from Q-Taro.
This amount was roughly five years' salary for a Tokyo office worker. It was a significant sum.
Using it to pay off the debt would be unwise. Money makes money.
Shiraki Kei wasn't a businessman, but he knew that when you have a large sum of idle cash, you should consider investing.
And investing didn't just mean business.
Savings? Real estate? Stocks? Or invest in "himself" by buying training equipment? How could he leverage this to break into the Kengan Association? What were the Nogi Group's plans?
Various options lay before him, requiring careful consideration.
So, given his current situation, he might as well just accept it and let the girl from the assassin family hang around.
"...Not bad!"
Shiraki Kei was quite optimistic about this.
Although Kure Fusu specialized in firearms, she was still a member of the Kure Clan and knew various Kure techniques. She was an excellent sparring partner.
Swish!
Kei rolled off the lounge chair and stood up, jerking his chin at Fusu. "Want to move around a bit?"
"Sure!" Fusu hopped lightly, grinning in agreement.
She liked hanging out at Kei's place, partly out of personal interest and partly due to the Kure Clan's arrangements.
To maintain their status as a "combat race" in the underground world, the Kure Clan didn't just absorb external "seeds" for "breeding improvements"; they also studied the techniques of various masters, absorbing the best and discarding the rest.
Shiraki Kei's fighting techniques were unique and had caught the Kure Clan's attention, so they wanted to learn more.
Fusu had been upfront about this, and Kei welcomed it. He had no intention of hiding his moves.
Hiding "killer moves" was actually a sign of insecurity in one's own strength.
For example, the Shinshinkai—one of Japan's largest karate organizations—had over a million disciples. Anyone interested could learn, and they even welcomed challenges from masters of other styles.
complacency leads to ruin. One must have the courage to expose everything and push forward!
—That was Shiraki Kei's philosophy.
...
...
It was still early, so Kei and Fusu weren't in a rush to decide a winner.
Their movements weren't fast. It was more like kumite in karate practice, focusing on the exchange of offense and defense, a pure contest of technique.
Swish...
Kei opened with a mid-level straight punch, which Fusu easily blocked.
He followed up with Ryu's [Jodan Sokuto Geri] (High Thrust Kick), aiming for Fusu's chin.
Fusu stepped back to dodge, simultaneously thrusting a knife-hand strike at Kei's throat.
"..."
Kei immediately changed his move, grabbing Fusu's other wrist and pulling her off balance, causing the knife-hand to miss.
Then, Kei raised his right leg high into a vertical split and brought it down lightly.
[Ryu • Axe Kick]
"...!"
Veins bulged around Fusu's eyes as she used [Release] to drastically enhance her dynamic vision, instantly sensing the danger.
Matching Kei's speed, this kick was impossible to dodge. She had to take it!
Swish!
Fusu stepped forward, placed both hands on Kei's shoulders, and jumped for a knee strike.
In her prediction, Kei would have to retract his leg to defend, giving her the upper hand.
But to her surprise, Kei didn't dodge. Instead, he twisted his body to the right, sweeping his raised leg to the side, and used his left hand to push Fusu toward the ground.
Swish!
Fusu was about to slam into the grass, but Kei's right hand shot out just in time, catching her and gently placing her on the ground.
"Woah—!"
Fusu lay on the grass, sighing loudly. She complained, "Weren't you using karate? Why did you suddenly switch to a wrestling move?"
Kei thought for a moment. "It just felt... natural?"
That was the truth.
Kei hadn't thought much about it. He just felt he "should do that," so he did, using techniques from both of his masters—Ryu and Zangief—simultaneously.
Although the movements were a bit rough, they felt incredibly effective in practice!
Kei sat down on the grass, crossing his legs in thought.
Ryu and Zangief considered him a "disciple" and taught him their moves.
But Ryu and Zangief had also been someone's disciples once, or learned from a coach, and had developed their own styles through years of combat.
A fighter's legacy isn't static!
A person's physique, personality, mindset, even their natural muscle distribution and bone structure, are all different.
If a disciple blindly imitates their master, they can only infinitely approach them, never surpass them.
Ryu, Zangief, and the other phantoms still hidden in the mist... they expected Kei to combine their teachings and create a fighting style uniquely his own!
"Nice! That's awesome!"
Kei got excited. He slapped his thigh, stood up, and reached down to pull Fusu up.
They continued to trade moves.
...
...
Nearby, his little sister, Sakurai Arisa, having just finished her homework after school, was watching them, bored.
With nothing better to do, she had bought some discount potato chips and cola from the convenience store and was snacking away. Unhealthy, but satisfying.
Beside Arisa—snacking along with her—was a burly figure with a childish face.
Maruko!
When they parted ways at the abandoned building, everyone had given Maruko their address.
Since Akagi Shigeru had no fixed abode and Madarame Baku was always on the move, Maruko often came to hang out at Kei's house when he was bored.
Arisa wasn't afraid of the hulking Maruko at all. After meeting him twice, they were already best buddies.
"Here, Maruko. Chips."
"Thanks, Arisa-neesan!" (Big Sister Arisa)
"I'm younger than you..."
"Okay, Arisa-neesan!"
"..."
Arisa was speechless. This conversation felt oddly familiar.
"Seriously, where did my brother pick you up? Did you get hit in the head too hard in a fight or something...?"
"Good boy, good boy. What snacks do you want tomorrow? Sis will buy them for you!"
Sakurai Arisa—a high school girl with nerves of steel—chugged cola with one hand and ruffled Maruko's hair with the other.
Like petting a stray cat... or a dog. Anyway, it was weird.
...
...
After a few more rounds, both Kei and Fusu were drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
Fusu had lost more than she won and was feeling frustrated. Taking advantage of Kei's exhaustion, she used her agility to slip behind him, trying to apply a rear naked choke.
Kei raised his hand to protect his neck just in time, blocking Fusu's arm. They were locked in a stalemate.
Fusu rested her chin on Kei's head, grinning. "Shiraki-chin, just give up! Or you won't be able to move~!"
Kei tried to break free, but couldn't. However, relying on his core and leg strength, he forced himself to walk forward, carrying her weight.
"..."
Both were stubborn as mules, refusing to lose this last round. The stalemate continued.
The deadlock was broken by a car approaching from the end of the street.
The car stopped in front of the Shiraki house. The Nogi Group's secretary—Akimiya Kaede—stepped out, holding a stack of files.
She looked up and saw the two, sweaty and tangled together. She froze.
"Did I come at a bad time?"
"No, you came at the perfect time..."
Kei squeezed the words out through gritted teeth. Seeing Fusu had no intention of letting go, he craned his neck and rasped, "Akimiya-san... long time no see..."
"...Indeed."
Akimiya didn't waste time. She bowed in thanks. "Thank you for your hard work on the previous commission. The Nogi Group will provide appropriate compensation. I'm sure you'll be satisfied."
"The compensation concerns a 'Kengan Association Membership.' Would you like to join the Kengan Association?"
Akimiya pushed up her glasses, smiling. "Not just as a hired fighter, but as an official member with the right to initiate Kengan matches."
"The Nogi Group can arrange it for you."