Chapter 59: Please Recite the Full Text!
A few days later, a university student drinking at a bar recounted the scene to his friend:
"That guy just went SWISH and ripped all his clothes off! All he had left was a fundoshi!"
"In this day and age, I thought only sumo wrestlers wore those..."
"But, looking at that naked body... I didn't think it was funny or embarrassing at all. I actually felt... awe, fear... even worship!"
"Did you know? That guy's tattoo has a huge history!"
The student grinned foolishly.
"I heard it from the beautiful yakuza lady sitting next to me."
...
...
Back to the present.
Second floor of the bar, by the window.
"That—that is..."
Mitani Hana, head of the Jinguji-gumi, stared wide-eyed at the tattoo on Hanayama Kaoru's back, recalling the legend passed down among the yakuza.
"That's the 'Standing Man' (Kyōkaku-dachi), passed down through the Hanayama family for generations!"
"..."
Seeing Nozomi and Ichika confused, Hana explained:
"In the second year of the Genna era..."
"That is, February 1616. In the Musashino region, an event occurred that is still spoken of today."
"One day, a wandering gambler asked for lodging at the home of the local wealthy farmer, the Hanayama family."
"Exhausted from his travels, he received warm hospitality from the Hanayamas."
"But that night, dozens of bandits raided the Hanayama home, brutally murdering the family of five. It was a living hell!"
"But in this unprecedented tragedy, one person survived."
"The Hanayama family's only son—the eldest son, Ya-Kichi. He survived without a scratch!"
"...Why, you ask?"
Hana paused, her voice heavy with memory.
"Facing the sudden calamity that night, the 'wandering gambler' knew he couldn't fight them all."
"He picked up Ya-Kichi and hid the child under a huge temple bell. Then, he lifted the bell onto his back, facing the vicious bandits alone."
"With his hands occupied holding the bell, he was slashed again and again. He suffered dozens of cuts and stab wounds, but even after he stopped breathing, he used his body as a shield, protecting the child, standing tall and unfalling."
"Even the bandits were awestruck by him. Leaving words of praise, they turned and left."
"Later, when Ya-Kichi grew up, to honor the wandering gambler, he threw himself into the gambling trade and tattooed the majestic figure of the 'wandering gambler' on his back."
"From then on, that 'tattoo' has been passed down on the backs of the Hanayama family heads for generations—known as the 'Standing Man,' or to the old-school, 'The Standing Chivalrous One' (Kyōkaku-dachi)."
"..."
Hearing Hana recount this history, Kizaki couldn't help but smile.
"Miss Mitani knows the story well..."
He added:
"All of that is true. But in this era, there is one person who was dissatisfied with this 'artwork'."
"That is my Boss—the 16th Head of the Hanayama Family, Hanayama Kaoru."
"He felt that a 'Standing Man' without scars, without being cut to pieces, wasn't the true Standing Man!"
"So he walked alone into the rival 'Tomizawa Group,' unarmed, and went on a rampage, utterly destroying the organization."
"He was heavily injured, but those knife wounds... were his true 'goal'."
Kizaki tilted his head back slightly.
"Hanayama Kaoru—fourteen years and two months old. With that boyish body, covered in scars, he stood tall and unfalling!"
"At that moment, the true 'Standing Man' was finally complete!"
"..."
Listening to Kizaki's words, combined with the scene downstairs, no one thought he was bragging.
Meanwhile, Iori Ichika, out of habit, checked the MPD's internal network on her phone, looking up Hanayama Kaoru.
The more she read, the more terrifying it became!
Captured yakuza underbosses claimed Hanayama wasn't human, saying they wouldn't dare attack him even with machine guns.
Retired pro-wrestlers admitted they wouldn't last a second against him.
Even religious leaders proclaimed Hanayama Kaoru was a strongman chosen by the gods!
"..."
Ichika's eye twitched, her shark teeth grinding together.
But looking downstairs, the fight continued. Shiraki Kei's fists and feet rained down like a storm, making Hanayama's face bleed. He seemed to have the upper hand.
"Anyway, Shiraki-bro should be fine... right?"
But suddenly, someone spoke up. "It's not that simple!"
The speaker was the bar owner—a rugged man with a beard, wearing biker gear.
He had been watching for a while, sweating with excitement.
Seeing Ichika and the others look at him, the owner said nothing. He simply rolled up his left sleeve, exposing his forearm.
The skin on his forearm was twisted and deformed, the muscles beneath knotted in chaotic, brain-like patterns. It was gruesome.
"This arm... exploded!"
The owner recalled, "To make a name for myself, I once planned to attack Hanayama Kaoru. But the moment he grabbed my arm... I just heard a BANG..."
"After this happened, I gave up being a yakuza and opened this bar next to the Hanayama Group."
"..."
Hearing the owner's story, Ichika and Hana were speechless for a long time. Tenma Nozomi felt her breathing grow heavy.
Because with her vision, she could clearly see... facing Kei's barrage, Hanayama's movements were all attempting to grab!
Whatever you do, Shiraki-bro—don't let Hanayama catch you!
...
...
Swish!
Hanayama threw a punch. Kei dodged by dropping to his back, then kicked upward from the ground.
[Jamie • Arrow Kick]!
"Gah!"
Hanayama took the kick head-on, losing a few teeth, but his movement didn't falter. He finally grabbed Kei's right calf.
First the right hand, then the left hand followed, gripping the top and bottom of Kei's calf.
"It... It's coming!"
The bar owner clenched his fist in terror. "The Grip—Hanayama Kaoru's Vice Grip!"
BANG!
A loud pop, like a blood-red firework blooming.
On Kei's right calf, held by Hanayama—between the two hands—the skin instantly burst, exposing the bloody muscle tissue underneath!
The spectators were speechless with shock.
Tenma Nozomi's pupils trembled. With her superhuman vision, she had seen it clearly.
It was the Grip—
Hanayama Kaoru's Vice Grip!
By gripping the top and bottom of Kei's calf tightly, he left the blood inside with nowhere to go. It built up immense pressure until it burst through the skin, exploding from the inside out!
Just "gripping" could cause fatal damage, more effective than striking.
It was a terrifying technique only possible with Hanayama's grip strength—strength that could tear apart a tire!
...
...
After exploding Kei's calf, Hanayama released his grip, his massive body staggering slightly.
Clearly, he was badly hurt too.
Kei's attacks had all targeted vitals—philtrum, chin, abdomen. Especially that inverted double kick earlier; a normal person might have died on the spot.
Plus, competing with Kei in drinking meant the alcohol was hitting him. His vision was blurring.
But even so, Hanayama didn't stop. Driven by superhuman willpower, his muscles propelled him forward like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey!