Chapter 53: His Name is Hanayama Kaoru!
The unrelated spectators had all left.
The staff had finished cleaning up.
The bar was now empty, a little deserted.
However, with the appearance of that "towering giant," the empty space felt instantly filled. Everyone's eyes were drawn to him.
He wore a double-breasted white suit with a purple shirt underneath, and high-end pointed leather shoes.
Pressure!
—That was the only word to describe the owner of that massive frame!
His physique had long surpassed "solid." It was the kind that made people stare.
Over 190cm tall, weighing over 160kg!
Thick neck, massive chest, gigantic hands!
Looking closely, one could see countless scars on his exposed skin, marks left by countless battles.
Knife scars, bullet holes, burns, lacerations...
In stark contrast was the giant's face.
He had neatly combed short hair parted 7:3, rimless oval glasses, and long, sharp eyes. Looking closely, he was actually quite handsome and refined.
He couldn't be very old.
But it wasn't hard to imagine that this giant lived an extraordinary life.
Because his face was also scarred!
Deep, large lacerations. One cut from his left forehead to his right cheek, another from his right temple, across his lips, to his left cheek.
The two scars crossed in an 'X' under his right eye, with corresponding slash marks on either cheek.
His name: Hanayama Kaoru!
Recognized by the yakuza world as the Number One Fighter!
"..."
The room was dead silent. Hanayama said nothing, yet his ferocious aura washed over them!
"It was... a request from a friend."
After a long silence, Hanayama finally broke the suffocating atmosphere.
He brushed the dirt from Hina's kick off his arm and looked at Mitani Hana—the head of the Jinguji-gumi.
"Jinwa Tsukasa, the Chairman of the Jinwa-gumi, has looked after the Hanayama Group. He is my friend."
"At the same time, he was sworn brothers with the previous head of the Jinguji-gumi. So he has always cared for his sworn brother's daughter, treating her as his own."
"—That is the reason."
"..."
Hearing Hanayama's explanation, Hana's mind was reeling.
Partly from the shock that the Hanayama Kaoru was patiently explaining things to her.
And partly because of the relationship between the Jinguji-gumi and the Jinwa-gumi.
"Wait, Dad was sworn brothers with the Jinwa-gumi Chairman? I never heard about that... Dad's only good friend was Uncle Tsukasa..."
"Eh? Uncle Tsukasa is Chairman Jinwa Tsukasa?!"
Hana's eyes went wide.
Seeing this, Hanayama continued, "Mm... Ah, anyway, Brother Jinwa hopes his friend's daughter will stay away from danger, so he asked the Hanayama Group to look after you."
Hanayama's tone was strange, even a bit awkward.
It was understandable. Hanayama was only nineteen, yet he was entrusted by Jinwa Tsukasa to look after the twenty-six or twenty-seven-year-old Hana as an "uncle figure."
No matter how you looked at it, it felt weird.
But the Jinwa Chairman was a whimsical man, and his relationship with Hanayama was excellent, so Hanayama had to face it head-on.
"..."
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Kizaki turned and laughed dryly. "B... Boss, you..."
"Sorry. We agreed you would handle it."
Hanayama scratched his cheek, his clear gaze shifting to Shiraki Kei. "But if you continued, you would have gotten hurt."
Hearing this, Kizaki felt conflicted. He took a deep breath. "Boss, I—"
"Say no more."
Hanayama interrupted Kizaki, looking calmly at Kei.
"Your area used to be Grisly Tooth territory. It was recently transferred to the Hanayama Group, so my boys looked into it a bit."
"If you want to open a martial arts gym or a dojo, that doesn't matter. But a fighting organization... not right now."
"..."
Kei didn't rush to respond. Instead, he seriously admired the giant before him.
But Kizaki couldn't hold it in. "Boss, um..."
"Kizaki," Hanayama sighed softly. "You should be able to see that these people won't compromise due to 'threats.' So I'll just be clear."
Kizaki still had something to say. "Boss, it's not—"
Kizaki suddenly stopped, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. Hanayama was finally annoyed by his repeated interruptions.
Hanayama's eyes widened, blood vessels visible in the whites, his sharp gaze threatening to slice Kizaki apart.
One more word, and Kizaki was getting hit!
But after a split-second of thought, Kizaki made up his mind. He gritted his teeth and forced it out:
"It's not that, Boss! It's Chairman Jinwa!"
"When Brother Jinwa asked us, he specifically requested that Mitani Hana not know that her father's friend 'Uncle Tsukasa' is the Jinwa Chairman! Or else Brother Jinwa would be embarrassed!"
Kizaki felt a headache coming on. "So, to avoid exposing the relationship, I tried threatening them first!"
Hanayama Kaoru: "..."
Hanayama Kaoru: "..."
Hanayama Kaoru: "..."
Seeing his Boss frozen in shock, Kizaki facepalmed. "Boss, you're just bad at negotiating! That's why I said let me handle it..."
Hanayama Kaoru: "..."
But since it was all out in the open, Kizaki stopped beating around the bush.
"Anyway, that's the situation. You all go home quietly, and I'll go apologize to Chairman Jinwa."
"...Wait," Tenma Nozomi suddenly spoke up, seeing Kizaki deciding for them.
She, Ichika, and Hana—three "losers"—finally had a chance to make it big. How could they let it slip away?
Besides, underground business always had risks. They weren't good little girls who could stand "parental" micromanagement.
Nozomi said urgently, "Since we're all on the same side, surely we can talk?"
"..."
Hearing this, Kizaki's face changed, reverting to the professional yakuza.
"We didn't come here to 'negotiate.' We came to give a friendly 'notification'."
"So-called 'negotiation' is built on having sufficient 'wealth and force.' You obviously don't qualify."
"Yakuza conflicts aren't gentle things like ring fighting."
"Like right now—"
Kizaki didn't withdraw his knife. He kept it pressed against Kei's abdomen. "If I decide to stab you right now—brother, what are you going to do?"
"..."
Kei remained silent, then suddenly fell backward.
"?!"
This startled even Kizaki. He thought he'd accidentally stabbed Kei and checked his blade, but there was no blood.
"Wha—"
Before Kizaki could wonder, Kei pushed off the ground with both hands, flipping into the air like a drawn bow, kicking the knife out of Kizaki's hand.
SWISH—!
Kei followed up with another kick, his toe stopping steadily in front of Kizaki's face, the sole of his shoe just touching the fine hairs on Kizaki's cheek.
The two kicks were lightning fast, faster than Hina's earlier move. Kizaki hadn't even seen Kei move!
"...Haha!"
Seeing this, the silent Hanayama suddenly laughed, looking much more relaxed.
Because this was his area of expertise.
"Kizaki!"
At Hanayama's command, Kizaki instinctively stood at attention, then understood immediately and ran outside to make arrangements.
"There's a nice bar nearby. We can walk there."
Hanayama gave a thumbs up to Kei. "Let's go talk there, shall we?"
...
...
Shinjuku streets, on the way to the bar.
Kei and Hanayama walked in front, followed by Nozomi and Kizaki, then Hana and Ichika, and finally Yuzuha and Hina.
Hanayama drew attention naturally, and the rest were quite distinctive too. Passersby couldn't help but stare.
"..."
Nozomi looked tense, trying hard to think of a way out.
Seeing this, Kizaki didn't want things to be too awkward, so he smiled. "Tenma Nozomi... right?"
Nozomi nodded stiffly. "Yeah."
Kizaki shrugged. "Honestly, I'm really looking out for you guys. Why can't you just agree?"
Nozomi laughed dryly. "Whether it's us or Shiraki-bro, we always want to fight for it."
"Fight for it... huh?"
Kizaki sighed. "To be honest, I don't know if your choice is right. Maybe quitting would be better. Otherwise, someone's definitely getting hurt. Maybe even killed."
Nozomi froze. "Hurt? Killed?!"
Kizaki grinned. "Because the Boss... he's 'different'!"
"..."
Nozomi was confused and about to ask more when she saw two cars approaching—
A Jeep and a Cadillac.
They blocked the group from front and back. Then, over a dozen armed yakuza got out. Pros.
Nozomi's heart sank. "These guys..."
"It's fine. This kind of thing happens anytime, anywhere. Don't worry about it."
Kizaki patted Nozomi's shoulder, telling her to relax. He smiled. "Just a little street fight!"