At exactly eleven o'clock, Shano and Junichi met Killing at the Purple Vine Restaurant, who arrived on time.
"You must be Junichi, right?"
Killing looked emotional, gesturing with his hand, "When you were little, I saw you by the old president's side. You probably don't remember me, back then you were just a tiny little thing..."
"Let's get to the point."
Junichi sternly said, mindful of Shano's advice, "I know my father helped you out a bit, but that favor can't outweigh the changing human nature. No need for this."
"You kid," Killing sighed with a shake of his head, "Alright then, to be frank, I'm worried, that's why I specifically came to tell you, although your participation in the Sword Dao Tournament under the Sakuraba name is accepted, winning the championship is impossible. Otherwise, you might invite deadly trouble, it's better to give up early."
"Is someone targeting us? The ones who suppressed and brought down the Sakuraba Dojo?"
"I can't say for sure."
Killing frowned deeply, "To be honest, I still can't figure out why the other dojo united against Sakuraba back then."
"Several of the heads, like with the old president... your father, were good friends, not the type to hit someone when they're down."
"Since four or five years ago, the atmosphere on this island has become increasingly strange, as if everyone has suddenly forgotten the original intent of this Kendo Island, focusing solely on making money."
"Especially the heads of the Seven Great Dojo, as if they're all blinded by money, even disappearing together occasionally for a day or two for secret meetings..."
"In short, there's a lot going on behind the scenes on this island."
Killing's tone was sincere, "I know you two, especially Mr. Shano, are strong in swordsmanship, but this is not something that one or two people can handle, so it's best to curb your curiosity and leave this island as soon as possible."
Shano and Junichi exchanged glances.
"I've said what I needed, just coming to see you is a big risk for me, so don't expect further help."
Killing shook his head, pushed his chair back, and stood up, "Just like you said, that bit of kindness from back then only supports me this far, gentlemen, goodbye then."
As they watched his figure disappear down the stairs, footsteps fading, the two of them changed seats to sit across from each other.
"Logically speaking, this troubled water indeed isn't something we should wade into."
Shano crossed his legs, speaking wistfully, "But I know, with your personality, you won't abandon this championship within reach."
"Uh, Mr. Shano, actually there's no need to keep using me as a shield."
Junichi spread his hands with a wry smile, "Even now, even if I wanted to slip away, you probably wouldn't allow it..."
After spending several days together, he'd become increasingly familiar with Shano as well.
This guy initially seemed stable and seasoned, very reliable, but his true nature is no better, and once he gets angry, he might be even more stubborn than me.
"Hey, you kid, learning the bad stuff pretty quickly."
Shano rolled his eyes, exasperatedly, "Indeed, I'm not like you, barely made it to the finals, my name's already engraved on the championship trophy, and there's a five million Belly prize."
"Plus, the entry fee and all those miscellaneous expenses, it drained all my assets. Whatever depth of water, the East Sea has its capacity. Anyone who dares to stop me from claiming the prize, I'll cut them down!"
"Mm-hmm!" Junichi nodded vigorously, "So what are we going to do now?"
"Idiot, we're already in a restaurant, do you need to ask!" Shano grandly waved over the waiter to order, "Of course, eat first! How can you have the strength to fight on an empty stomach?"
"But this seems like a high-end restaurant, I just looked at the menu, the veggie salad alone costs five thousand Belly, your money..."
A dead silence fell.
In the end, Shano dragged Junichi out, fleeing awkwardly under the waiter's disdainful gaze, back to the plaza to line up honestly and eat the free noodle soup provided by the Sword Dao Tournament.
Come to think of it.
Originally, it was just to return a coin, how did things escalate so much, and now I've fallen to the level of a vagrant here playing the field.
Why did I come out this time after all?
...
In the afternoon, the quarter-finals and semi-finals were held one after the other.
For Shano's side, there was no suspense.
The two opponents he encountered were no different from the riffraff during the preliminaries, all sent flying out of the arena with a single powerful strike.
It made the audience on site wonder if this person was actually here for swordsmanship, or for playing golf.
Junichi's matches were much more thrilling, barely securing a victory after a hard battle of more than ten minutes in the quarter-finals, and his semi-final was set as the last match, with Shano finishing first, silently observing from the sidelines.
"Hmm?"
Staring at the tall, thin swordsman wearing a mask, Shano's eyes narrowed, a warning echoed in his heart.
The keen instinct from his transformed body told him this person was dangerous, on a different level than any swordsman he had encountered before.
"Be careful, Junichi." He advised the junior preparing to go on stage in a low voice, "This guy, he's not ordinary."
"Ah, I noticed it too." Junichi nodded seriously with a solemn expression.
"You can't see a damn thing, it's just that the other seven in the top eight are all difficult for you to beat."
"...Do you really have to expose it? Not everyone is as strong as you, for whom drawing any opponent is like spinning a top."
A moment later.
The two of them stood on stage, bowed to each other.
When they raised their heads again, Junichi was full of tension, while the tall, thin swordsman opposite him just quietly watched, his face masked by the White Fox, revealing no expression.
"Semifinal, second match! White Fox versus Junichi, the ultimate winner advances to the finals!" With everyone's anticipation, the host suddenly swung down his right hand, "Now, begin!"
Pa!
As soon as the words ended, accompanied by the crisp sound of the bamboo blade, Junichi screamed and flew off the stage, crashing heavily to the ground several meters away.
The surroundings fell silent.
The audience stared blankly at the White Fox, who calmly sheathed his sword. Once they came to their senses, they were in an uproar.
"This guy, can do a one-hit knockout just like Shano?!"
"What's going on in this Kendo tournament, what kind of monsters are participating?!"
"The finals are a toss-up now, I thought for sure Shano would win the championship, but with this, it's going to be exciting!"
Amid the noisy commotion, Shano helped Junichi up. After confirming he was okay, he coldly stared at the White Fox on the stage.
The other seemed to sense his gaze, glanced over, exchanged a look, then shook his head and turned to leave the stage.
The host stood there dumbfounded, took a long while before suddenly waking up, and hurriedly announced the match result.
"Semifinal, second match, White Fox wins! Advances to the finals, where his opponent will be this year's biggest dark horse, Shano!"
"As per the past five years' practice, the final will take place tonight at seven, which is in four hours, at the indoor dojo to provide enough rest time for the contestants!"
"—Audience members with tickets can enter early! A large screen for live broadcast will also be set up in the square, stay tuned!"
Do they really need rest?
The audience secretly thought, Shano and the White Fox mask guy, both monsters can finish their opponents instantly, just got on stage and got off again, not even a warm-up, right?
This year is really something weird, in past years, after reaching the top eight stage, it was generally evenly matched, never had this kind of scene?
However.
This also made some people realize that this year's final is likely to far exceed the popularity of previous years, with monsters on both sides, who wouldn't want to know which one will come out on top in the end?
Got to buy tickets!
Missing a match like this by not watching it live, what nonsense!
Immediately, many people sprang into action, heading to the ticket office, only to be stunned to find that even the lowest-priced final tickets costing thousands of Belly had sold out a few days ago, with no tickets left.
And just at this moment.
A group of scalpers sneakily mingled into the crowd, looking for targets, and began selling...
...
Behind the spacious desk.
"All the tickets sold out? Even front-row seats are going for fifty thousand Belly?"
After listening to the report over the phone, the middle-aged man's spirit soared, "In this case, just the ticket revenue is several tens of millions, and adding in the entire revenue during the Kendo tournament, the net profit this year will exceed two hundred million!"
"As expected of you, White Fox!"
He hung up the phone, lit a cigar with a grin, "Only a swordsman like you, steeped in Sword Dao for over twenty years, could send that Sakuraba kid flying with one strike. I sure didn't pick the wrong guy. If it weren't for you, how could the final's hype get so high this year?"
"Want one?"
He offered another cigar, "The final is best of five, try to play all five matches, and defeat that kid at the last moment, can you do it? Only like this, can we attract more tourists next year, and continue hyping up final ticket prices!"
White Fox stood in silence, without responding or accepting the cigar.
"Ingrate." The middle-aged man felt a bit embarrassed, snorted coldly, and put the cigar away, "Get lost! Go prepare for your final, later, I'll be watching the live broadcast here with some lovely ladies, having you standing around would be such a killjoy!"
White Fox turned silently to leave.
As he walked through the hallway.
He happened to see Shano in the distance in the square, with Junichi, queuing for the free dinner rice bento, playfully bantering, clearly getting along well.
"Why did you have to come back..."
White Fox watched the scene, a trace of nostalgia in his eyes, but it quickly turned to indifference.
He had already given him a chance back then.
He took a last look toward the direction of the middle-aged man's office, didn't linger, and left in great strides.
He'd earned enough money, performed enough, he really didn't want to stay on this island any longer, it was about time... to call it quits.