Chapter 54: Master Brawler
Tenma Nozomi had once heard Iori Ichika mention the lifestyle of old-school yakuza.
In short: fighting!
Always high-strung, ready to throw down anytime, anywhere—whether eating, sleeping, or womanizing!
But with the introduction of the Anti-Organized Crime Law, which tightened control over violent groups, such street brawls had become rare.
Nozomi never expected to witness such a thing on a short walk to another bar.
Was this the daily life of Hanayama Kaoru?!
...
...
Vroom... rum-rum-rum...
The two cars kept their engines running, headlights blazing, illuminating the street where the group stood.
More than a dozen yakuza members, armed with various weapons, surrounded the eight of them between the vehicles, closing in step by step.
Passersby fled the scene, not daring to linger for a second.
"Haha, this takes me back."
Kizaki pushed past Nozomi, stepping forward.
"Because of that Anti-Organized Crime Law, conflicts between us 'professionals' have changed completely."
"Usually, we settle things with one-on-one fights."
"But a whole group coming for revenge like this? It's got a nice, nostalgic feel to it!"
Kizaki's gaze swept over the crowd, finally locking onto the leader—a middle-aged man wielding a katana.
"YAMAMOTO!!"
Kizaki shouted, his aura as Hanayama's right-hand man matching the armed enemies.
"Didn't we just meet yesterday? Are you high tonight?"
"..."
The middle-aged yakuza named Yamamoto gripped his katana. His hair was greasy, his face grimy, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He looked crazed, like a man with nothing left to lose.
"It... It's all your fault!"
"You said no new groups allowed, but I put everything I had into it! Why won't you let me continue?"
"Hehe... hee! If we can't collect, we can't pay our gambling debts or the loans! The whole group will be sold off to work on illegal fishing boats! I won't do it!"
"Hanayama Kaoru! Someone put a million-dollar bounty on your head!"
"..."
Yamamoto's mind had snapped. He was rambling, not even making sense.
Kizaki wasn't intimidated. He turned to Shiraki Kei and casually explained.
"That's Yamamoto from the Yanagawa-gumi. He's drowning in gambling debts and loans. He planned to open a new soapland to make it back, but you know the deal—no new shops allowed."
Kizaki spread his hands, grinning. "But even in normal times, it wouldn't be allowed. Yamamoto's shops trick young girls into 'working.' The Boss banned that long ago."
"One thing led to another, and the Yanagawa-gumi went bankrupt!"
"..."
Hearing Kizaki's explanation, Kei couldn't help but chuckle.
Kizaki liked straightforward guys like Kei. They laughed together. "Shiraki-bro, what's so funny?"
Kei wiped a tear from his eye. "An old man named Yako once told me: 'If you can't pay, don't gamble.' It's such a simple concept, but so many idiots just don't get it."
Kizaki slapped his thigh. "Right? Right? My family runs gambling businesses too. Idiots like this are everywhere!"
"..."
The two couldn't stop laughing. Yamamoto's face turned red with rage, and he shrieked, "Get them! Kill Hanayama Kaoru! His head is worth a million dollars!"
Clearly, the dozen Yanagawa-gumi members were cornered. It was do or die.
Swish!
One of them lunged first, thrusting a short spear not at Hanayama, but at Kizaki.
Hanayama's reputation was terrifying, but if they could take a hostage, maybe they could force him to hesitate!
"..."
Kizaki didn't panic. Although his role was mainly administrative now, he was a genuine old-school yakuza with plenty of street fighting experience.
He stepped back, dodging the spear, ready to counter.
Suddenly—
Swish!
Kei moved faster, launching a knee strike followed by an elbow. With a dull thud, his elbow smashed into the yakuza's chest.
With just one hit, the yakuza's chest caved in, and he foamed at the mouth.
But Kei wasn't satisfied with the move. He adjusted his footing, intending to explore it further in combat.
At the same time, before the yakuza could even fall, a massive hand shot out from behind him, grabbing his head.
"?!"
Following the hand, the giant figure of Hanayama Kaoru appeared.
With a grip strength that defied humanity, he crushed the back of the yakuza's skull, lifting him like a basketball!
Crash!
Hanayama tossed the man aside like trash and walked up to Kei.
Seeing Kei lost in thought, Hanayama revealed an "as expected" expression, a slight smile on his lips.
"I knew it..."
"Hm?"
Kei snapped back, looking at Hanayama. "What are you talking about, Hanayama-bro?"
Hanayama chuckled low in his throat. "When I was wandering around the old Grisly Tooth territory, I passed by your house. I met a... boy who called himself Maruko."
"One look and I knew. He's 'one of us.' Even without fighting spirit, he's definitely strong."
"And, although the aura is very different, he must be the killer from the Kokonoe Building."
"..."
The yakuza attack continued around them.
Kei sidestepped a blade, asking Hanayama, "How did you know?"
Hanayama replied, "His face. The Kokonoe Building is in Shinjuku, Hanayama territory. But the person controlling the killer was good at covering his tracks. He slipped away many times."
"No, no," Kei waved his hand. "I mean, how did you know that was my house?"
Hanayama's expression turned subtle. "A ruined dojo... is pretty easy to recognize."
Shiraki Kei: "..."
"Anyway—" Hanayama cleared his throat. "You're the one who beat that killer demon?"
Kei stomped, turned, and palm-struck a yakuza away. "No. I beat Maruko. The killer demon—Rodem—was beaten by Maruko."
Hanayama nodded slightly, slapping another attacker's face into pulp. "...I see."
Seeing this, Kei laughed.
He wrapped an arm around a yakuza's neck, shook him until he was dizzy, then delivered a hard kick to the groin.
Splat!
Something burst. Blood seeped through the man's pants.
"Hanayama-bro, why are you acting so shy?"
Kei teased, "With all this roundabout talk... you just want to fight, don't you? But because you were asked to look after Hana, acting as an 'elder' for the first time, you're conflicted."
"It's fine! Come on!"
Kei spread his arms, laughing heartily. "We can just make up a reason to fight later!"
"...Haha!"
Hearing this, Hanayama finally laughed too. "I understand. My apologies for earlier."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Hanayama's expression hardened, and the air around him grew heavy.
"..."
Kizaki, watching from the side, whispered an explanation. "The Boss is only nineteen, and it's his first time being asked to act as an elder, so he was worried about how to take care of his friend's daughter. But Shiraki-bro reminded him."
"Now, the Boss feels like it's the night before a camping trip... he's starting to get 'excited'..."
Hearing this, Tenma Nozomi's eye twitched.
Does that mean Hanayama Kaoru hasn't been serious this whole time? How terrifying will he be when he gets serious?!
In the chaos, the Yanagawa-gumi underlings were decimated. Yamamoto, the boss, was cornered.
Seeing the situation was hopeless, Yamamoto scrambled into the Cadillac, aimed it at Hanayama, and slammed on the gas.
VROOOM—!
The engine roared, building up explosive power.
But when Yamamoto looked up, he saw Hanayama standing right in front of the car, smiling slightly, exhaling a cloud of hot breath.
"Ehh?!"
Yamamoto panicked.
Before he could release the brake, Hanayama raised his left fist and smashed it down onto the hood.
BOOM!
Under that monstrous iron fist, the sturdy hood crumpled like paper.
The engine beneath it was crushed by the sheer force, stalling instantly!
CRASH!
Hanayama kicked, ripping the hood off, exposing the ruined machinery inside.
Then, he switched to his right fist and smashed down again. With a loud clatter, the engine block shattered, parts flying everywhere.
"Hoo..."
Hanayama exhaled again. He bent down, gripped the car's chassis with both hands, and with a heave to the left... flipped the entire luxury sedan over!
CRASH!
A massive Cadillac, totaled in ten seconds, rocking back and forth on its roof like a Daruma doll.
...
...
"Ha, the Boss couldn't hold back anymore!"
Kizaki had expected this. He looked at the stunned Nozomi and the others.
"Ever since that night in the Tokyo Dome underground, fighting Japanese Kenpo and Karate masters, and witnessing that kid Baki become champion, he's been looking forward to his next fight."
"So, he plans to finish this boring trouble quickly."
Kizaki sighed lightly.
Honestly, he liked "juniors" like Kei and Nozomi, so he couldn't help but worry.
"For Shiraki-bro... sparking the Boss's interest... is it luck, or misfortune?"