Etsuya Eizan's path since entering Totsuki had, for the most part, been smooth.
Occasional setbacks existed, of course.
But they were small.
Manageable.
Nothing that couldn't be crushed with money, connections, or a bit of underhanded work.
But-
Ever since he met Jaden, his life had been cursed.
In the past, during Shokugeki, he would bribe judges, block their sense of taste, leave his opponent raging helplessly-or simply hire thugs to cripple them so they could never challenge him again.
He was the undisputed bully of the Shokugeki world.
And yet-
He agreed to that Shokugeki.
The one where winning meant nothing.
And losing meant bleeding money.
And he lost.
Then, already drowning in misfortune, Toyo Electric forced him to continue provoking Jaden.
Even in that desperate situation, Etsuya Eizan still thought he had found a way out.
-Find the Kure Clan as outside help.
That way, he could avoid direct contact with Jaden.
And still complete Toyo Electric's mission.
Two birds.
One stone.
By all logic, the result should have been just as smooth as everything else before he ever met Jaden.
But now-
Etsuya Eizan was kneeling on the floor.
Bound.
Gagged.
Unable to move.
In front of him stood the Demon King of Cuisine.
The Director-General of Totsuki.
Senzaemon Nakiri.
Beside him-
His old friend.
The Head of the Kure Clan.
Erioh Kure.
And behind him-
As the door opened-
The people walking in were Jaden and Erina, led by Hisako.
At this point, even Etsuya Eizan understood.
When the Kure Clan demanded upfront payment.
When he paid it.
When he was immediately knocked unconscious by their liaison-
He should have realized then.
But now, everything was clear.
The Kure Clan.
Totsuki.
Jaden.
-They're all working together!
The clown...
Is me!
He recalled how meticulously he had explained the mission under the guidance of the Kure Clan receptionist.
And now-
He had no thoughts of resistance.
No anger.
Only despair.
He was convinced he had been completely brain-dead.
Meanwhile, Jaden and Erina hadn't fully grasped the situation yet.
"Is this... Etsuya Eizan?"
Jaden glanced at the man kneeling on the floor, then looked at Senzaemon Nakiri and Erioh Kure with confusion.
"You called Erina and me here together."
"And you've already caught Eizan."
"What happened?"
Hearing this, Senzaemon Nakiri turned to look at his old friend.
Erioh Kure wore a gentle smile.
Harmless.
Kind.
He shook his head at Jaden with an almost grandfatherly warmth.
"It's nothing major," Erioh Kure said calmly. "This fellow is connected to Toyo Electric and commissioned us to capture you-and little Erina next to you."
"So we simply caught him instead."
He paused.
"Oh, and the reason our Kure Clan people approached you previously was also because of a commission from Toyo Electric."
"We have an entire clan to support, after all. Originally, we planned to send a couple of members to give you a slight beating."
"I apologize for the trouble."
Huh!?
Erioh Kure and Senzaemon Nakiri were old acquaintances.
After Hatsumi Ukina defected, Totsuki had even sought assistance from the Kure Clan for previous Kengan matches.
So both Senzaemon Nakiri and Erina knew very well what kind of people the Kure Clan were.
They had met Erioh Kure before.
That was exactly why-
Seeing him act like this made both of them widen their eyes in disbelief.
-That ogre-like old man actually has this side!?
Jaden, who didn't know Erioh Kure at all, waved his hand casually.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "I could tell they didn't have killing intent toward me. I taught them a lesson."
"Compared to that, let's talk about Eizan and Toyo Electric."
Seeing Erioh Kure, the Head of the Kure Clan, apologize to him directly, Jaden had no intention of dwelling on the previous incident.
Compared to that-
He was far more interested in Eizan's scheme.
Especially the part involving Erina.
He smiled at Erioh Kure.
But anyone with eyes could see-
His gaze was locked onto Etsuya Eizan.
Cold.
As if he were already looking at a corpse.
Jaden also felt a trace of shame at his own immaturity.
Last time, he hadn't uprooted the problem.
This time-
He was already thinking about where to scatter Eizan's ashes.
He failed once.
He wouldn't fail again.
"The commission we received was for kidnapping," Erioh Kure continued. "It was a task assigned to him by Toyo Electric."
"He is Toyo Electric's mole planted inside Totsuki."
"For the specifics-take a look at this."
He produced several documents.
One went to Senzaemon Nakiri.
One to Jaden.
One to Erina.
As the three of them read, Erioh Kure quietly observed Jaden and Erina.
-Their relationship seems quite close.
The thought passed through his mind.
But his expression didn't change.
After all-
-What do you think the Kure Clan has been doing for the past thirteen hundred years?
Targets falling in love.
Targets becoming devoted to someone.
Targets marrying.
The Kure Clan had encountered such situations as early as eleven hundred years ago.
And the problem had been resolved back then.
Over the following millennium, they had handled countless variations of the same scenario.
In this regard-
Just as the Kure Clan claimed there was no martial art their techniques couldn't break-
Erioh Kure also believed there was no target they couldn't conquer.
At that moment, Senzaemon Nakiri let out a cold snort.
He had finished reading most of the documents.
Learning that Etsuya Eizan was Toyo Electric's agent.
Learning that Toyo Electric planned to seize the initiative before the upcoming Kengan match by capturing Erina.
Learning that they intended to use this leverage to force Totsuki into abandoning the idea of seeking external help from the Kure Clan-
Senzaemon Nakiri was truly furious.
Erioh Kure had anticipated this reaction.
He took the opportunity to speak.
"It seems Toyo Electric is targeting little Erina," he said lightly. "To make amends for the previous incident, how about this?"
"I'll send Fuki and Karura to act as little Erina's bodyguards."
"They're both girls. The age difference isn't large."
"They can ensure her safety without making her feel constrained-and they'll likely get along better."
Erioh Kure had finally revealed his true intention.
In the thirteen-hundred-year history of the Kure Clan, directly approaching a target who was devoted or emotionally attached rarely produced stable results.
The safer method-
Was to approach the person the target cared about.
Preferably through someone of the same gender.
Build rapport first.
Decide the next step later.
Senzaemon Nakiri didn't think too deeply about it.
He nodded immediately.
By now, Erina had also finished reading.
She considered things quietly.
Then she turned her head-
And saw Jaden staring intently at Toyo Electric's recent operational schedule.
Everything Toyo Electric was doing to Totsuki and Koyo-
Was merely preparation.
Preparation for the upcoming Kengan Annihilation Tournament.
The tournament that would decide the next Chairman of the Kengan Association.
According to Eizan, Toyo Electric had three preparations in motion.
First, Totsuki.
Second, Koyo.
And finally-
A plan targeting a group of fishermen by the sea.
Among them was a man with the potential to become a Kengan fighter.
Jaden was staring at the fisherman's photograph.
-Karo Yashinari.
The moment he saw that face, memories surfaced.
Carrying boxes of seafood to Yuki Orphanage.
Laughing loudly.
Ruffling his younger self's head.
That man-
The one who could strangle great white sharks at sea-
Had been cornered like this?
Jaden exhaled slowly.
With the old man gone, this place...
Thinking that far, he looked up.
And smiled.
"It's good that the Kure Clan can send people to protect Erina," he said.
Then he turned to look at her.
Just as he was about to say more-
Erina spoke first.
"Go," she said. "Don't worry about me here."
Meeting her calm, gentle gaze, Jaden stopped.
In the end, he only nodded.
"Okay," he said quietly. "Be careful."
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