Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens Volume 2 Chapter 11

Top of Eleventh Inning

Lin had slept in the sterile examination room at Saeki cosmetic clinic. When he awoke, the date had changed and it was dawn.

"……Ahhh, I slept well."

He got up from the bed and stretched with his arms raised up. He seemed to have recovered his strength as well. His body felt light thanks to the painkillers. He was able to move his limbs with ease.

"How are your injuries?"

Saeki poked his head into the room.

"They're not bad. Thank you, doctor." On top of preparing a body for him he also fixed him up. He was in debt to him.

"Nothing is more important than your well-being." Saeki smiled at him. "Since you've just been snitched up, please don't overdo it."

At that moment Saeki's cell phone rung.

"h.e.l.lo? ……Ahh, Genzo-san. Eh? Banba-kun? He has not come here." Saeki glanced over to him as he said this. "Lin-kun is here though. ……Eh? No, not as a corpse. He's alive."

What are they talking about? Lin tilted his head.

Saeki told him, "please wait a moment. I will put him on the line now," and held out the cell phone to him.

He took it and pressed it to his ear. "What is it, old man?"

[Lin!] He yelled in such a loud voice he thought it would break his eardrums. [You was alive!]

"……Ha? Well, yeah, I am. Like normal."

[I was sent a photo of you tortured, so I thought you was……]

Yeah, he nodded. So he saw that body?

"That was Mar's work."

He explained everything in full. That he fought a ninja-like killer. That he was abducted by a pair of two men who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. And that fortunately Martinez arrived there, and he managed to escape. " – And then I got treatment from the doctor and rested here."

[You haven't seen Banba?]

"No, I haven't. What's wrong?"

It was Genzo's turn to explain what was going on.

According to him someone had used Lin's fake body to bring out the Niwaka Samurai.

"Isn't that an obvious trap?"

Was  it the Kakyuu Group's work? Or was it that submarine ninja?

[I tried to. I said you was already dead, so goin' to save you was pointless. And yet he went anyway. To get your body.]

Why'd he do something so stupid? – He tutted and frowned deeply. He should have just abandoned that. No, am I more of the idiot? Lin bit into his lip. Because he made a mistake and got captured he got Banba into danger.

[And he hasn't come back. I can't get a hold of him.]

Could he have been killed? He had a bad premonition about this.

"……Alright. Leave Banba to me. I'll look for him."

[Do you know where he's at?]

"I have a lead." He had the redback spider strap he put onto Banba's cell phone. That may be able to tell him where Banba was at.

After he ended the call he took out his own cell phone and dialed up Enokida.

This is a familiar room. Banba thought.

It was a s.p.a.cious, empty tenant with no objects in it. There were no windows, and the walls were soundproof. There were some reddish-black stains here and there on the white floors and pillars. They were probably bloodstains. Banba had come here once last year. It was the torture room in the building the Kakyuu Group uses in Susaki City.

"……I'm in a pinch."

He talked to himself in a corner of a floor no one else was on.

His thoughts drifted to Yamakasa. What time is it right now? He had his cell phone concealed on him, but unable to move he could not check the time.

"I reckon' if our float has already took off……"

Unless he can get out of here immediately he would not make it in time for Oiyama. However, Banba was bound. His limbs were both tied by rope and was fastened to the pillar. Outside the room there was one armed man on watch. That man also had Banba's j.a.panese sword. He sat cross-legged on the floor, just about to give up when it happened.

He heard a noise from outside the room; the cry of the man on watch. Next the door opened and another man appeared.

"You're that guy from -"

It was the killer he fought at the construction site. The black kerchief was covering his mouth, concealing his face. He was holding a b.l.o.o.d.y ninja sword in his right hand. He approached Banba and swung his sword down.

The man had cut the ropes binding him. He was free. "……Why you helpin' me?"

"My goal is to kill you." The man answered indifferently. "I can't kill you if you're dead."

He tossed the j.a.panese sword to Banba.

"Here."

He took it and put the scabbard in his sarashi wrapped around his waist. "Thank you."

"Get outta here quick. Run."

The man jerked his chin to get him moving.

The watchman was fallen in front of the door. He had been killed.

It was when he stepped over the body and out of the room. They b.u.mped into the underlings of the Kakyuu Group who came from the stairway. "They're here already, huh." The man tutted.

The men noticed them and raised their voices.

"Wha- what are you doing, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!"

"You let him go?!"

"Hey! The Niwaka Samurai escaped!"

The male ninja threw shuriken at the men who were trying to call for help. He threw one, two, and then three shuriken. However, they did not even graze the enemies. They all hit the ceiling or the walls.

"……You're bad at control, ain't ya?"

When Banba murmured that the man next to him bore his teeth at him. "Shut your trap!"

He threw again. They did not hit. In that interval of time their opponents made a counter attack. They took out their guns and fire.

The two ran up to the next floor as they dodged the bullets.

"Where was you aimin' at?!" Banba jeered at him as gunshots blasted off around them. "You clumsy ninja!"

"Shut it!" The other snapped back. "I just ain't good with my first pitches!"

"You can't get in the strikin' zone at all!"

"Watch me! I'll get better!"

"The game will be over by then!"

They rushed up the stairs, arguing all the while. The underlings followed behind.

When they reached the highest floor there was the exit to the roof. The enemies called for reinforcements, and their numbers increased. Everyone unmercifully fired their suppressor guns. They were a.s.saulted in a rain of bullets. The two quickly broke through onto the rooftop and locked the door. The thick door blocked the bullets.

It was now dawn. They looked around the area of the roof. The building was close to the goal for Yamakasa. On the street directly below them the first group was making their way to the end point and were mustering their strength to push through the last part of the course.

'Oissa! Oissa!'

There were the enthused shouts of the men, the cheering and applause of the spectators, and the splash of water. They could hear those sounds even from the top of the building. Banba awaited for the enemies' attacks to cease while he listening to the hustle and bustle of Yamakasa overcoming the sound of gunshots.

'Oissa! Oissa!'

The shouts only got bigger. At the same time they heard the footsteps of their opponents.

"They're coming."

The man pulled out his ninja sword and took up his stance. Banba also brandished his sword.

The door was kicked down and a crowd of men in black pushed through onto the rooftop.

After being attacked by a killer he was determined to quit his part-time job. He planned to go into hiding before the next hitman showed up. However the manager asked him, "we're short on people, so can you please come in for just today?" and so Saitou reluctantly went to work. Shigematsu would come to get him when it was time to go home.

The melody played, indicating a customer had come in. Saitou moved his gaze from the stock shelves to the automatic door. "Welcome."

One man entered the convenient store; no other customers were around. He was wearing a suit and sungla.s.ses. Saitou smiled seeing the familiar man. "Ah, Gondo-san, welcome."

Although he usually wore a coat, today he was not. Perhaps he could not bear with the heat of mid-July.

Just as he was about to give him his thanks for the other day,

"My apologies." Gondo approached Saitou and said, "this is just part of the job."

" – Eh?"

Gondo was holding a blade in his right hand. He swung it down towards Saitou.

"Uwaaah"

He immediately dodged it. His eyes popped out. What is with this so suddenly?

Gondo attacked again.

"Eh, wa-wait. Why are you sudden-"

The man who had saved his life from a burglary earlier was now trying to kill Saitou. He did not understand the meaning in it. What is this? Could this man be a killer? Is he an a.s.sa.s.sin from Murder Inc?

I have to escape. Saitou dashed out of the store and ran.

Someone, save me. He made calls at random. He first called Banba. However he did not pick up. He then called Lin. He also did not answer.

"Please save me. I'm being chased by a killer!"

He finally managed to get Jiro on the phone, but he ended up being turned down. [Sorry~. I have my hands full right now.]

The next person he called, Martinez, also said, [Sorry. I'm doing a job right now.]

Who should I look for help from next? Shigematsu? Yamato? Or maybe Saeki? He considered while he was running. It was then. He saw a golden mushroom hair crossing over the pedestrian walkway on the other side of the street.

It's Enokida.

Just by spotting a familiar face and he was near tears. Saitou raised a hand and ran up to him. "Enokida-san!"

"Ah, if it isn't Saitou-kun." Enokida came to a stop. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Please save me! I'm being pursued by a killer!" He turned around after yelling that. He saw Gondo on the other side of the pedestrian walkway. "Gyaaa! He's hereee!"

"…Geh, you're kidding."

Enokida scowled.

"Well, I'm busy, so I'll leave you here." Enokida turned his back to Saitou and ran off.

"Wa-wait! Don't leave me here!"

He hastily chased after him. As expected of their first batter on their team, he was swift. To not be left behind Saitou ran after him frantically.

Enokida turned to face him as they ran. "Why are you following me?"

"Please don't leave meeee! Besides, isn't this your fault in the first placcceeee!"

"No, this doesn't have anything to do with me!"

Saitou chased after the fleeing Enokida. And Gondo was chasing after Saitou.

As they ran on the street alongside the Ca.n.a.l in Nakasu,

"Ah! Genzo-san!"

He saw Genzo on the other side of the street. He was pulling the food cart.

"Gen-san, help out! Someone's coming!" Enokida rushed over to Genzo.

"What's got you two bent out of shape?"

Satiou caught up to them and explained the details, speaking fast. "I tried to call Banba and everyone for help, but I couldn't get in touch……"

"That ain't a surprise. Banba and Lin are in quite the fix right now."

"Nooo." Saitou grieved in a pathetic voice.

"Is the killer that fella over yonder?"

Genzo pointed. Gondo was catching up to them.

Saitou nodded. "We got to quickly get out of -"

He was just a powerless convenience store worker who used to be called a killer. And then there was the mushroom haired young man unsuited for fighting and stayed indoors. And finally an old man who would likely strain his back if he moved even a little. Even if the three grouped together they would be no match against the man.

If only Banba or Lin were here.

Just as he thought that,

"Leave it to me." Genzo pulled up the sleeves of his T-shirt. "I'll be the pinch-hitter."

Today was the once-in-a-week day off for the bar Jiro runs, Babylon. While it was a day off from the bar for him, as an avenger he worked everyday of the year.

"You got it, Misa-chan? We're going to do this exactly as I told you. The targets are a group of two, so don't let your guard down."

"I said I know."

Misaki answered in annoyance.

He took her hand and headed to the designated place. As they were walking they pa.s.sed by men in their sodden happi jackets.

"No thinking about it, today is Oiyama, isn't it? Thinking of Yamakasa reminds me of G.G."

"What is G.G?" Misaki looked up at Jiro's face and asked.

"He's a hitman. This is just what I heard, but apparently he was a veteran hitman on this street a long time ago. He hurt his back in Yamakasa and retired thirteen years ago."

"Was he strong?"

"Of course he was."

"Is he or Zen-chan stronger?"

Zen-chan was his acquaintance, Zenji Banba.

"Hmmm……" Jiro inclined his head thinking about it as he stroked his beard. "I wonder who……That's a tough question." Even if you asked me 'between Ichiro and Ba.s.s who is more amazing?' I probably wouldn't be able to give an answer."

"I don't get it."

"I mean both players are amazing." Jiro smiled. "The Niwaka Samurai and G.G are both skilled killers. They can't be compared."

"Uh-huh." Misaki whispered.

They had their backs to Nakasu city, and they crossed Haruyoshi Bridge and headed towards Tenjin.

"There are two origins of the name G.G."

To kill time, Jiro continued on with the idle talk.

"Apparently that man was born with an elderly looking face. So among his friends he was called 'old man' (jii-jii). And before he knew he was just 'jii-jii.' That is the first origin to his name."

"And what's the other?"

"It's his initials." Jiro winked. "Genzo G.o.da's initials."

"……A-amazing."

Saitou's breath caught in his throat.

The battle was decided in just a moment. Genzo swiftly made a punch into Gondo's chest. He moved so quickly it was unimaginable for a man in his sixties.

Just what is he? This man Genzo. Saitou stood stock still in shock and awe.

"That's the legendary killer G.G for you." The edges of Enokida's mouth curve up. "It sure seems like you haven't lost your touch."

"You ain't gettin' nothin' outta praisin' me like that."

Genzo wiped his cheeks, bashful.

"Eh? Genzo-san, you were a killer?"

He had not known.

"That's a story from a long time ago." After he answered him he turned his gaze to Gondo. "And, what should we do with this fella?"

Gondo was crouched over on his knees. He seems to have lost all the will to fight.

"How about killing him?" Enokida grinned.

"Wa-wait."

Saitou quickly stopped them.

"The truth is……This man saved me before."

Saitou mentioned to them the day of the robbery.

He must not be a bad person. When he tried to kill Saitou earlier he also apologized. Then he must not want to do this. That was what he thought anyway.

"So how 'bout you tell us then." After he said that he asked Gondo. "Why are you targetin' this man?"

Gondo answered honestly to his question. "I was asked to by someone I'm indebted to."

George Gondo was originally an ordinary salaryman.  He had a beautiful wife and a daughter. They lived in a single home and had a corgi. They were an ordinary family, rich in happiness.

And what destroyed that happiness happened just about a year ago. They found an irregularity in their seven year-old daughter's heart. The name of the disease was restrictive cardiomyopathy. When they looked it up they found that an enormous amount of money was needed for treatment, and there were few families of patients that could collect the funds for it.

There had to be a job out there to save money for it. If he could gain a large amount of money then he did not care if he would break the laws to do it. For his daughter's sake he would do any dirty work. And with that intent he arrived to Undergroundjobs.com.

On the site were several posts for crime: murder requests, bank robbery member applications, and drug dealings. He opened one post. The subject was 'please kill them,' and the body explained that they wanted a grandmother killed because the nurse found her an annoyance now that she had dementia. The reward was 500,000 yen. And that was Gondo's first job as a hitman.

It was two months after he quit his job as a salaryman and started working as a killer. His daughter's condition worsened. The doctor told him she only had a year left. They needed her in surgery soon or else she would not make it.

He had no time to gradually save money. He was struggling over what to do during winter of the previous year. Around that time a certain man approached Gondo. He was a young man named Naoya Nitta who called himself a killer consultant.

Gondo discussed work with him. After listening to him, Nitta heartlessly laid the truth out for him.

'For you, with no particular talent in a.s.sa.s.sination, to work as a normal hitman would only earn you a yearly earnings worth of between 15,000,000 to 20,000,000.'

Gondo was severely discouraged. He felt hopeless.

However, Nitta added on.

'So you have to save up 100,000,000 yen. Please leave it to me. I will answer to your needs.'

He was a suspicious man. He wore fancy clothing like his silver frame gla.s.ses, a nice jacket, and chino pants, but he was still young. Could he trust some man like him?

However he had no time to worry over it. Grasping at straws, Gondo signed a contract with the consultant.

Nitta gave his first instruction, 'when you do jobs from now on please wear these clothes,' and handed over a suit and a trench coat.

'There was a killer by the name G.G who was active in this city a long time ago. He was a skilled, kona-otoshi level killer rumored to be the strongest in history, but he suddenly disappeared ten years ago. At present, there are various speculations flying about on whether he was killed or if he escaped somewhere. G.G's trademark was his beige trench coat, and he always wore it over his suit.'

You're kidding me. Gondo had whispered.

'Indeed. From today on you will a.s.sume to be G.G. You will pretend to be G.G making his reappearance and take on jobs. He is historically the strongest killer after all. Requests with a large sum will come in for you.'

As he would begin impersonating him he would unquestionably receive rather difficult jobs. Since he had no skill or talent and could only kill an unresisting elderly person, he did not think he could carry out jobs a kona-otoshi cla.s.s could pull off. When he addressed his concerns frankly,

'It is alright. You do not have to do anything. Let's say for instance you, impersonating as G.G, take an a.s.sa.s.sination request for 10,000,000. You can pay another killer 5,000,000 to carry out that a.s.sa.s.sination. There are plenty of cheap, skilled killers in this city after all. And you can make a profit from the margins. It's the same as stock.'

And put to practice, Nitta's plan went swimmingly. He managed to save up 50,000,000 yen in half a year. What an incredible consultant. Gondo admired. And rumors about Gondo started to spread wide. And even his name George Gondo was fake, which Nitta instructed him to call himself.

'If you manage to get your name out there you'll be noticed by big organizations. Organizations that will pay you in such a high volume you could pay for your daughter's surgery and pay for a trip around the world in celebration for her recovery and still have change left over.'

And Gondo blindingly believed Nitta's words.

And then the week before. 'A huge job came in. It is a multinational mafia called the Kakyuu Group. They requested for you. The advanced payment is 100,000,000 yen. You'll reach your objected amount with this.'

From the beginning Gondo had no intention in killing the Niwaka Samurai. His goal was just for the advanced payment. However, if he just took the advanced payment and ran he would be hunted down by the Kakyuu Group. So these past few days Gondo has been moving around to various sites to gather information and put out bounties for the Niwaka Samurai on underground websites to deceive the Kakyuu Group.

Those were his past days until today. The Niwaka Samurai was caught by the Kakyuu Group. The lock on his ankle bracelet unlocked. And now that he reached his targeted amount he had no need to pretend to be G.G anymore. He departed from the trench coat.

At dawn Gondo talked with Nitta on the phone and gave him his thanks. 'Nitta-san, thank you so much. I was able to achieve the objected amount thanks to you.'

'I'm glad to hear it. Now you can save your daughter.'

Andthen Nitta changed the topic.

'By the way, I have a job for you……'

Spurred on by his daughter's incurable disease to save money for the surgery, he became a killer. With the help of a certain man he impersonated G.G and managed to earn huge money. And the man who had looked after him requested for Saitou's a.s.sa.s.sination. The three had surrounded Gondo, having him explain the details of his story and listened.

"I see. So that's how it is." Genzo grumbles.

And for Saitou, who had his life targeted, he also could not blame Gondo.

But they could not leave the situation as is. Gondo took up the task of a.s.sa.s.sinating Saitou. He had to return the favor. But they could not have Saitou killed.

What should we do? As he was fl.u.s.tered over what to do,

"I have an idea." Enokida said cheerfully. "The truth is there are other killers searching for Saitou-kun too."

They must be a.s.sa.s.sins from Murder Inc.

"If you let him be, those other killers will get to Saitou-kun. So you can just tell your client that someone beat you to it."

Saitou turned pale at Enokida's proclamation.

"Wa-wait a second! Are you saying I should be killed?!"

Enokida gave him a toothy grin and patted Saitou's shoulder. "It's alright. Just leave the rest to me. It'll go fine."

Bottom of Extra Eleventh Inning

It was their last chance they received from Genzo. We have to succeed at any cost. Abe told himself. He may not have been so worked up since his time as a rookie. He headed to the park their client was waiting at with Yamamoto.

At the meetup place there was a tall man and a young girl. They must be a parent and his child. They did not look very similar though. The girl had a knapsack on her back. She looked like she would be in the lowest grade in elementary school. A client bringing a child with them was rare.

They parked in front of the park, and Abe was the first to get out. Yamamoto followed behind him soon after.

When the other man noticed them,

"I'm the client Tanaka."

He named himself with a smile and bowed his head.

It was when they were about to get into the main topic at hand. The girl pulled at Tanaka's clothes. "Hey, play with me~."

"Misaki, I can't. Papa has to talk about work with them. Please go over there."

"Ehhhh, no. Let's plaay."

The girl whined. And yet Tanaka stubbornly ignored her.

She then addressed Abe. "Hey, mister. Play with me."

"Eh?" Mister? He smiled bitterly.

"Play with me. Please~."

He did not hate children. He had considered having a girl someday before he became a killer.

"Alright." Abe made a smile.

The girl raised her hands in joy, "yaay~."

"My apologies for the lack of discipline on her." Tanaka said, ashamed.

Abe crouched down to the girl and met with her gaze. "What do you want to play?"

"Playing doctor." The tone of the girl's voice suddenly changed. It was a low pitched, mature, cold voice.

The girl's small arms reached for Abe's neck. "Misaki will be the doctor, and you can be the patient, mister."

"……Eh?"

He felt a p.r.i.c.k in his neck.

– What was that just now?

Something pierced into his neck. He reached out and pulled it out. It was a syringe. There was a little bit of liquid left in it.

– Was this a drug?

He felt a strange feeling go through his body. He lost his strength and collapsed forward slowly. It was a strange sensation. He was distinctly awake, but his whole body was paralyzed. He could not move freely. He had no strength in any of his limbs.

"It's alright. Relax. It's just a muscle-relaxant drug." Tanaka mentioned. His manner of speech was different than before. He took out a gun and pointed it at Yamamoto. "Don't move."

"Wha-what are you guys?" Yamamoto was fl.u.s.tered at the unexpected turn of events. "Just who the h.e.l.l are you……!"

"We're avengers."

Avengers? They weren't a client then? He finally came to the realization. I see. We were set up. So when Genzo said he'd give us a chance that was a flat out lie?

"You guys killed Tadafumi Izuku, right? We'll have you pay the price for him."

Tanaka said. In the next moment.

"Ah." The girl muttered. "He ran away."

Just as the girl mentioned, Yamamoto ran away. He turned on his heel and dashed off without a spare glance. He left the fallen Abe behind.

Abe lamented as he watched him run off. What a b.a.s.t.a.r.d. He thought. Even though I never tossed you aside throughout all this time, you would turn your back on me so easily? What a pathetic man. He was stunned, feeling anger and regret rush through him. He wanted to jeer at him. But he could not speak.

"Hey, stop right there!" Tanaka yelled.

The girl next to him proposed something disturbed. "How about just shooting him already?"

"We can't. What we will do if we accidentally kill him?" Tanaka ran off to chase after Yamamoto.

At that moment Yamamoto got into the car. He turned on the engine, stepped on the acceleration pedal and drove down the street. It was when he attempted to get away. There was a loud bang.

Another car collided into the side of Yamamoto's van.

The vehicle that crashed into his was a black SUV. There were no sounds of breaks. It was like the driver unhesitantly was aiming for Yamamoto's vehicle. The van veered and turned in a full rotation. A huge dent was made into the left side of the car. Yamamoto's vehicle was blown away and collided into the guardrail on the other side of the road.

A man got out from the driver's seat of the SUV. He was a large, black male. He was familiar with those non-j.a.panese facial features. He was that torturer.

He held up his fist up to the sky, "have you learned your lesson, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

The avenger was surprised to see him too. "Oh my. Isn't it Mar-chan. What are you doing?"

"Oh? It's you, Jiro. And looks like Misaki too." He spoke as though they were acquainted with each other. "And what are you two doing around here?"

"Work. We're doing work." The okama male named Jiro answered. "We were tasked to kill the people who killed a person's lover."

"I'm also here for work. The revenge task you asked me to do. The hit and run case was their doing."

"My, what a coincidence."

"I meant to just hit them lightly……but I may have overdone it." The torturer gave a bitter smile while stroking his bald head.

"Mar-chan." The girl walked up to the torturer. "You had nice timing."

"Misaki." The man she called Mar-chan gently hugged the girl with one hand. "You're helping Jiro, huh? I wasn't expecting that."

"I injected a muscle-relaxant into that person." The girl pointed to Abe proudly.

"Good work." He padded the girl's head in approval.

It was then.

"Huh?"

He heard the voice of another man.

"What's everyone doing here?"

A young, host-like man appeared in the park.

When he looked closer he could see he was the man Abe ran into on the street alongside the Naka River.

"My goodness. Even Yamato is here." Jiro said in surprise. It seemed this man was also an acquaintance of theirs. Yamamoto was rather fine from the collision. He managed to open the car door and fall out onto the ground.

"Oo, ngh…….Oohh…."

Yamamoto was crawling on the ground while groaning. He must have been hit somewhere as blood was coming from his head. "It hurts. Help me……an ambulance….."

Yamato pointed at Yamamoto.

"Can I borrow that guy for a moment?"

He approached him and fished through his pockets. He took his wallet and pulled out bills from inside it.

"Ahh, thank G.o.d. I got the 100,000 yen with this."

Everyone else had their eyes wide in confusion.

"Wait. What are you doing?"

"Although you're a pickpocket you're going to do an act like that so openly?"

Yamato explained the details. "I was asked to by Lin. He said to steal the money back. I guess these two impersonated the Niwaka Samurai and did advanced payment fraud. Genzo-san said he called them up the day before, so I stole a wallet from that other guy, but only 60,000 was inside."

When he said that Abe finally realized his wallet had been stolen. So that guy pickpocketed my wallet then?

"Just in case I put a transmitter on him when I pickpocketed them. I needed the remaining 40,000 yen, so I tracked him down." Yamato glanced over at the huge dent in the van and smiled bitterly. "Who knew it would be this big."

The two men went up on their own against the Kakyuu Group. Although it was just the two of them, one was a former ace hitman from Murder Inc's Tokyo headquarters, and the other was the strongest killer of killers in f.u.kuoka. The two mowed down their enemies one after the other as though they were competing in the number they defeat. The thirty odd employees of the mafia were no match for them.

"You don't have to capture him alive anymore! Kill them immediately!" Li ordered in a booming voice. He had been watching his subordinates fight with a calm expression up until this point, but as the number of his men decreased he began to look apprehensive.

The men faced off with their yakuza swords when they ran out of bullets. They were as good as being unarmed. And yet Saruwatari did not lighten up on his attacks.

It was when the number of opponents remaining were down to five to six people.

"We've got a serious issue, Li-san!" Another underling appeared on the rooftop and ran over to Li in a hurry. He then whispered something in his ear.

"……What did you say?" There was a sudden change to Li's usual Noh mask. His eyes were open wide. "The president was killed……?"

There was a disturbance that shot through the surrounding subordinates. They began to talk amongst themselves.

"……What's the meaning of this? What about the woman that was with him? Did she get away?"

"W-we don't know….Please come this way!"

Li turned on his heel, "let's move out." He turned his back to the two and left the dead behind. The few remaining subordinates of his soon followed after him.

"……What the heck. That's it?" What a letdown. Saruwatari spit out as he watched them retreat. "That was boring."

There was only Saruwatari and the Niwaka Samurai left. And the large pile of dead bodies. The metallic clash of their blades and the men's cries had ceased, bringing the long awaited silence in their wake.

The Niwaka Samurai sheathed his sword and attempted to make his leave the same way Li and his men did.

" – Hey." Saruwatari stopped him and asked. "Where you goin'?"

"If I don't get back in time, Oiyama will be over."

"Who really cares about that. This is much more fun, ain't it? I'm not done yet."

"I ain't got time to play with you."

The Niwaka Samurai began walking again.

"Hold it!"

Saruwatari threw kunai at the man's head. The kunai pa.s.sed right in front of his face and struck the wall ahead of him.

The Niwaka Samurai came to a halt. He slowly turned to face him. "Whatcha think you're doin'? That's dangerous."

"I'm not letting you get away."

"I can't have that." The Niwaka Samurai sighed. He had a little bit of irritation in his voice. "I can play with you at a later date, so how 'bout you go home for today?"

"You're really just gonna say that and run? You're just afraid you'll lose to me."

The Niwaka Samurai smirked. "…Afraid? You sure funny."

He seemed to have finally got into the mood to fight him. The Niwaka Samurai took out his j.a.panese sword. He held onto the handle with both hands and brandished it high. It was a unique form like he was holding a baseball bat.

'Oissa! Oissa!'

'Oissa! Oissa!'

The shouts from the festival resounded around them. On a nearby street one of the floats must be hoisted up.

"Come at me, stupid face."

The Niwaka Samurai moved at the provocation. He kicked his left leg up and stepped forward.

Saruwatari followed in suite.

"Have at it!" In place of an introduction he first threw five shuriken at him. The Niwaka Samurai dodged them on nimble feet.

"……You sure are something."

His eyes widened and he smiled. This is fun.

The other made his move. He swung his sword with a quick swing. He pulled out his ninja sword and blocked it. However, he could not stop the force behind it fully. He staggered back.

In that interval of time the Niwaka Samurai swung down his sword again. Saruwatari flung up his legs and dodged the tip of the blade. He landed back on the ground on one hand and dodged another attack as he rotated backwards. Saruwatari made a swing at him. The Niwaka Samurai blocked it. There were sparks. The blade wielders came in contact of one another, and their blades clashed with a clang.

He jammed the scabbard he held in his left hand into the man's gut.

"Guha."

The Niwaka Samurai groaned slightly. He stumbled and fell to one knee.

He had plenty of openings. I got him. So he thought.

Saruwatari switched the sword to his other hand and went to slice open the man's throat. The next moment the Niwaka Samurai instantly pulled out the scabbard for his j.a.panese sword from his waist. The mouth of the sheath stopped the tip of the ninja sword from piercing him. Saruwatari's blade got stuck deep into his scabbard.

He got him. He had blocked his attack with an unexpected method and even took his sword. A natural smile rose to his face. "Haha……You're seriously dangerous, aintcha?"

The Niwaka Samurai immediately fixed his form and attacked him again. He made sharp thrusts at him. Saruwatari immediately grabbed one of the bodies near him and used it as a shield. The Niwaka Samurai's sword lodged through the body's skull.

Before he could make another swing at him, Saruwatari gave up on retrieving his sword and made distance from the other. He then quickly jumped onto the rooftop of the next building over.

The Niwaka Samurai pursued after him once Saruwatari discarded his weapon. He made a long jump and rolled onto the landing.

Saruwatari took out kunai from his jacket and jumped at his enemy. He raised his arm, aiming for his throat. The other dodged in the nick of time. The tip of the kunai grazed his Niwaka mask. The ridiculous looking mask snapped in half and fell to the ground.

The man also made his own counter attack. He swung his sword at point-blank range. He blocked the kunai, but the blade is pushed back from the impact. The tip of the blade cut Saruwatari's right cheek. The black kerchief covering his face came apart due to the blow. Saruwatari tore off the rest of the cloth and tossed it onto the ground.

Both of their faces are exposed under the bright sky. The Niwaka Samurai was younger than he expected.

"Heh." Saruwatari glared at the man and smirked. "That's a nice look on you."

"Likewise." The Niwaka Samurai smiled back.

'Oissa! Oissa!' There was still the yells of the crowd around them. They could hear the cheering of the spectators and their applause. The ruckus did not seem it would lighten up. 'Oissa! Oissa!'

Their fight resumed. Saruwatari grasped kunai in both of hands and leaped towards his opponent. He continuously attacked in quick succession. The Niwaka Samurai drew back, dodging them.

Saruwatari rotated the kunai in his hands to get a clean slash at him and gripped the other one in his opposite hand. He then aimed for the other's vital area. He closed the distance between them and tried to make a strike to his heart. The Niwaka Samurai pulled back and dodged it. His attack missed, but it grazed his side. His white happi turned red from the blood. There was no response. It was a shallow wound.

The other made a counterattack. His j.a.panese sword grazed Saruwatari's shoulder.

"Oww." He grimaced in pain and ground his teeth as he reeled.

As the Niwaka Samurai half turned he swung his sword. He tried to block the attack with both hands, but unable to take the blow his kunai flung out of his hands. The Niwaka Samurai sidled up to the now unarmed Saruwatari.

s.h.i.t, Saruwatari tutted and jumped back. He fished through his pockets to see if he had any weapons at hand left. He had a four sided shuriken in one of his pockets. It was his last one.

The problem was when to use it.

He looked around the area. There was a building in the middle of construction next to them. Saruwatari lept over there without a second thought and and landed on the narrow scaffold. The unstable iron scaffold was one meter in width and ten meters in length. The Niwaka Samurai followed suite, pursuing Saruwatari.

'Oissa! Oissa!'

'Oissa! Oissa!'

The two glared at each other quietly on top of the narrow scaffold as the shouts got even louder around them.

The Niwaka Samurai took a step forward.

Now's my chance. He thought.

Saruwatari ground his teeth and threw his last shuriken. Instead of his head or limbs which could be easier for him to dodge he aimed for his torso. It was a straight throw in dead center.

The moment he would try to dodge the shuriken would be his chance. He would wait for him to lose his balance and tackle him to make him fall to the bottom of the building. That was Saruwatari's train of thought.

However, the Niwaka Samurai did not dodge the shuriken. He grasped his j.a.panese sword in both hands and turned to his side. He lifted his leg and made a step. He twisted his torso, crossed his arms and swung his sword.

There was a sharp metallic sound.

No way. Saruwatari's eyes widened. This guy hit the shuriken back at me. What a crazy guy. I don't believe it.

The shuriken he threw had changed direction and was now coming back at him. Saruwatari tutted.

– s.h.i.t. A comebacker.

Saruwatari was the one to lose his balance.

He immediately bent over to dodge the shuriken, and his feet had slipped from the scaffold. f.u.c.k. He thought. Falling. He was going to fall. He will be splattered on the ground. Below was concrete. I'm going to die. He thought. He will immediately die on impact from this height. It would be a quick end. He could not help but ridicule to himself for these circ.u.mstances.

He was about give up, but Saruwatari reached out and managed to grab the scaffold as he fell. He was almost completely suspended in air. His right arm was the only thing supporting his body weight. However, due to the wound dealt to his shoulder earlier he had no strength in his arm. Unable to hold his weight, the tips of his fingers shook bit by bit.

– Ahh, this is it. I'm at my limit. I'm going to fall.

It was when he was going to give up once more.

"Heey there. You alright?"

The Niwaka Samurai's cheerful voice came from above him.

Just wait a bit. He told him before tossing down the rope that hung around his waist.

"Here, grab onto it."

The Niwaka Samurai dropped the rope down towards Saruwatari.

"……Why're you doing this?"

"I have a debt to pay you back for."

"I don't need your help for that reason!" Saruwatari raised his voice, angry.

With the wind blowing, Saruwatari's body swayed left and right as he hung from the building.

"I won't be pitied for my loss."

"No." The Niwaka Samurai was stubborn.

"Let go already!"

"If you fall now you'll be in the way of Yamakasa."

He was taken aback from that.

He looked down to the ground. He saw the group of men wearing happi running down on the street below.

'Oissa! Oissa!'

'Oissa! Oissa!'

The men were carrying the float and were pa.s.sing directly underneath him. If Saruwatari fell now he would collide with it. There would be a huge commotion over it, and the festival would be suspended.

"So let's have a draw for today."

The Niwaka Samurai smiled.

"Dammit." He clicked his tongue. d.a.m.n him for pitying me.

Saruwatari grabbed the rope with both hands. 'Yaah,'  the Niwaka Samurai yelled as he pulled up Saruwatari.

"……The next time we meet I'll give ya a good ol' punch to that stupid mask of yours, so brace yousself."

After he scrambled up onto the scaffold, Saruwatari cursed. I'll sink a shuriken right between those d.a.m.n eyebrows. I'l make you regret saving me.

He turned his back to the Niwaka Samurai as he thought that to himself.

"I'll be lookin' forward to it."

The Niwaka Samurai said and smiled.
Saruwatari went back to the street he came from earlier. On his way down he picked up his black kerchief he tossed aside and pressed it to the wound on his shoulder. He went down the stairs while trying to stop the bleeding. His arm shook. It was not because of the pain. He was thrilled. His blood felt like it was boiling. The heat in his body could not cool down at the moment. It was only natural. It was the first time he met a man like that. He considered  this stranger he had never seen before in his life strong.

Just as Saruwatari exited the Kakyuu Group building he noticed he had an incoming call to his cell phone.

He pressed the accent call b.u.t.ton. "……h.e.l.lo."

[Ah, Sarucchi!]

He heard Nitta's voice.

[You weren't picking up, so I was worried. I wondered if you died going up against the Niwaka Samurai. ……Well, if you're alive then that means you won, right?]

"No," Saruwatari shook his head. "We had a draw."

[Eh? You serious? What do you mean?]

Nitta was shocked. Saruwatari told him in reply.

"Hey, Nao." Saruwatari made a toothy smile, showing his white teeth. "This city sure is quite interesting."