"Can you stop moving the TVs for a second?"
"Listen to me first."
The mustachioed man remained composed. Both his movements and his expression exuded an air of refined upbringing and etiquette.
"It's not just the TVs; I'm also moving the tables. Once my apprentices come up, I'm taking the carpet, too."
"This is a private venue. Moving everything like this counts as theft, and furthermore, you're stealing my property."
"It was yours. Besides, you people aren't short on money, and I doubt anyone will be coming here after the events of today anyway."
"That is true. After today, I will be sealing this place off, as I have already found the person I was looking for."
"Sealing this place off? What about the stuff?"
"I don't need it."
"Since you don't need it, I suppose it's no problem for me to take it. The TV in Aki Hayakawa's living room had its screen accidentally cracked by me while watching football, so I desperately need 100 TVs."
"Fine, fine. I'll write you a check for $100,000, just stop moving things and listen to what I have to say."
"If you had done that earlier, we'd have saved so much time."
Arata sat down on a chair. The mustachioed man hurriedly sat across from him and asked, "Where were we?"
"The purpose of the Devil's War."
"Right. The purpose of hosting this isn't to make money—the Moore family is never short on cash. It is primarily to fulfill our patriarch's dying wish: he wanted to witness a tournament between devils."
"The thoughts of the rich are indeed something a poor person like me cannot understand."
Arata decided that he would continue looting TVs later to satisfy his internal sense of imbalance.
"Furthermore, as long as the devil recommended by a participant becomes the champion of this war, the recommender will be recognized by the patriarch and stands a chance to become the new head of the family."
"The new head!! If I get first place, does that mean you become the new head of the Moore family? And everyone in the Moore family has to listen to you?"
"It's not that exaggerated. The highest authority in the Moore family is the Family Council. The patriarch is merely the person responsible for relaying information, ranking second in the family hierarchy."
"Second in the Moore family's hierarchy... that's not bad at all."
"That is precisely why I am asking you to participate, because I believe you have a great chance of winning."
"I definitely can win, but what I'm most concerned about is what you'll give me if I win."
"$10 billion USD, and you become my right-hand man, bypassing the rules to become a member of the Moore family."
"I don't want to hear your empty promises."
"How about this? I'll give you $100 million USD as a deposit first. Besides, as a member of the Moore family, I always keep my word—there's no need for me to lie to you."
"I'm quite satisfied with a deposit."
The mustachioed man immediately pulled out a checkbook and a pen, writing one check for $100 million and another for $100,000. Whenever a problem could be solved with money, the mustachioed man never so much as frowned.
Arata picked up the check and inspected it, then stowed it in his pocket, thoroughly satisfied.
"Speak. When does the tournament start? And where will it be held?"
"Don't rush the tournament. I will notify you when the time comes. The location will be SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, USA."
"Fine, I'll participate. But don't blame me if I win."
"With your strength, you certainly won't lose. And if you win every round, I will give you $10 million for each victory."
"The rich really are arrogant, aren't they? The offer is just too good for me to refuse."
"Master!"
"We're done loading everything, when are we going back to sleep?"
Denji and Power's shouts echoed from the first floor.
"Your apprentices are calling you. I should go now; I will contact you when the time is right. Goodbye."
The mustachioed man tipped his hat slightly, then turned and vanished into the dark corridor.
Arata walked to the balcony and shouted down to the two people below, "Come up, move the TVs and tables here, and then we can head back."
After the three of them had thoroughly scoured the boxing club, Arata led them home with their loot. It was already 2:00 AM when they returned. Upon opening the door, the house was ablaze with light. Aki Hayakawa was sitting on the sofa, watching a TV that only had half a screen.
"Aki, not sleeping this late?"
"He must be worried about the Great Me, which is why he couldn't sleep."
"Where did you three go in the middle of the night?" Aki asked, taking a sip of hot water.
"Went to help those two blow off some steam. Since you were sleeping, I didn't wake you."
"You broke this TV, didn't you?" Aki asked, his tone devoid of blame.
"I did break it, but I just went out to buy you a few replacements."
Arata walked into the bathroom. 30 seconds later, he walked out holding a TV.
"I bought you a Haier Brothers TV."
Arata ordered Denji to carry the broken one down and put the new one in its place. Arata stayed to watch football with Aki for a while. That night, they ended up replacing the TV in the living room three times. Fortunately, they had a large surplus of stock, otherwise, Aki would have been left without a TV to watch.
Once Aki went to sleep, Arata entered the mirror dimension alone to take stock of the night's haul. The open space inside the dimension was now carpeted with cash.
The next day, Arata was gone from his room early. When he returned at noon, he was carrying bags of items. He bought salmon for Power, who had worked hard the previous night. He also bought new clothes, including a qipao, a maid outfit, a ghillie suit, and more, along with new shoes and hats to cover her horns.
However, Power showed little interest in the new clothes and shoes. Compared to new outfits, she preferred the ones she was already wearing—they smelled like Meowy and herself. But when she saw the new chest pads Arata had bought for her, her eyes instantly lit up. Ever since she lost her pads the night before, she had been "A-cup Power." Now with her new equipment in hand, she happily held them up, even bragging to Denji and asking him to test the texture.
Denji, however, had lost all interest in Power's chest. He wouldn't even take a "freebie" if it was handed to him.
As for Denji, Arata had also bought him plenty of clothes and shoes. Dressed in his new outfit, Denji hurriedly admired himself in the mirror. He couldn't wait to see Makima in his sharpest look. If they could go on a date, that would be even better.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Denji, dressed in his new clothes, went to answer it. When he opened the door, Denji froze in place. He never expected to see Makima standing outside.
She wasn't wearing her usual Public Safety uniform today; instead, she had her hair down and was wearing a dress. Seeing Makima take the initiative to show up at his door, Arata began to suspect that Makima actually liked the feeling of being "controlled" in his dreams and was now coming to seek some "training" voluntarily. She probably even brought her own props in that bag.
"Miss Makima, you look so cute today!!"
Denji's face turned crimson, his hands fidgeting nervously as he scratched the back of his head. He had never seen such an adorable side of her before. First, Arata bought him new clothes and shoes, and then Makima showed up unexpectedly to deliver a surprise. Denji felt his happiness level for the day was maxed out.
"Denji-kun, is the outfit you're wearing today new?"
"Yeah! Makima, do I look niubi in this outfit?" Denji proudly used the Chinese slang he'd learned.
"Niubi?" Makima didn't understand.
"My master told me niubi means 'handsome'."
"Then Denji-kun is indeed very niubi today." Makima mimicked parrot-like.
"But Makima, you're dressed so beautifully today. What's the occasion?" Arata walked to the door and teased.
"I want to go on a date with Denji-kun today."
"Makima wants to go on a date with me!!" Denji was almost dizzy with happiness.
"That's right. Since I have no business today, I wanted to go see a movie with Denji-kun."
"The Great Me is going too!"
"This is a date belonging only to Denji-kun and me. If you want to come, Arata-kun, the three of us can go together."
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