Chapter 85: Kakerou's Fighter
Someone once evaluated Kyara as unsuitable for being a "Referee" because his presence was too overwhelming.
His "force" was so powerful that it could influence the gamblers' mindset, thereby altering the flow of the gamble.
[Usogui] Madarame Baku had once used this against him, manipulating a volatile gamble to force Kyara to "passively" protect him.
Of course, that was all in the past.
...
Baku rubbed his thigh, reminiscing.
In the corridor earlier, when he was pestering Kyara for the smuggling ship key, he had already taken a few kicks from Kyara for his glib tongue.
Now, another kick. Even though Kyara held back, it still hurt like hell. He was probably going to bruise.
"Haha, indeed. Kyara-san has learned to joke too..."
Baku seemed to be complaining, but he was actually somewhat happy.
More accurately, he really liked the current atmosphere.
Both Kyara and Maruko had pasts steeped in the "vortex of conflict," but now they could gather together, chatting and laughing. It felt good.
Baku couldn't help but look at Shiraki Kei.
To Baku, the world was a chaotic gray. Whether black or white, everyone chased fame and fortune, and lies were countless.
Was there really someone who could find a path of laughter in this chaotic deathmatch, and even influence those around him?
"...Haha!"
Baku couldn't help but laugh out loud.
In that case, he couldn't be a buzzkill. He wasn't the type who liked being passive.
"Hey, 'Leader.' That call you made just now—you weren't calling for outside help, were you? Who did you call?"
Baku stepped forward easily, initiating a conversation with the Kakerou Leader.
"..."
Seeing this, Kaji Takaomi was startled.
He remembered that Baku had lost his life to the Kakerou Leader in a gamble; the Leader just didn't care enough to collect it yet, allowing Baku to live.
In this tense situation, Baku was speaking up directly. Wasn't he afraid of being killed?
Considering what happened earlier, even Yako Hikoichi, with whom they had a good relationship, wouldn't hesitate to collect a life wagered!
But Baku seemed completely unconcerned, even leaning closer to the Leader.
"Ah, I remember just now, Kei-kun defeated a Kakerou referee."
Baku shrugged, his tone full of teasing.
"If I recall correctly, Kakerou has always claimed that referees possess top-tier force, sufficient to maintain the rules of every gamble."
"But, a referee was defeated."
"I can understand, of course. In a large organization, there are always slackers. Making a mistake is fine as long as it's corrected promptly."
"However, since one referee has already lost, is Kakerou going to send another referee?"
Baku looked exasperated.
"In that case, wouldn't you just become one of those small-fry organizations where 'beat one and a bunch more show up'? Relying purely on numbers to save face... that would be too unsightly."
"If that referee loses too, are you going to drag your dad out next? I heard your dad is pretty strong too. Haha, no way..."
"..."
Baku's taunts were relentless, even a bit low-class, confusing everyone watching.
Even Itou Kaiji was puzzled.
"That Kakerou Leader is definitely a formidable person, right?"
Kaiji frowned. "At this stage, facing such an extraordinary guy, is there a need to taunt him like this? It's useless, right?"
Hearing this, Akagi Shigeru smiled and explained, "No. Whether gambling or fighting, momentum is very important."
"I think I understand Baku-kun's idea. He wants to eliminate some 'tricky opponents' for Kei-kun, like Kakerou referees."
"If Kakerou sends another referee, they'll be at a disadvantage in terms of momentum."
Listening to Akagi, Kaiji paused, then instinctively said, "So despicable..."
Akagi corrected him immediately. "Victory and defeat in this world are mostly random. Being too honest won't do. You must be flexible. Honesty is a bad habit."
"However, Kaiji-kun, you are right about one thing—"
Akagi changed the subject. "Against that Kakerou Leader, this level of 'cunning' has very limited effect."
Snap!
The Kakerou Leader suddenly snapped his fingers.
Immediately, the elderly gentleman pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. On the paper was a drawing of a scrambled Rubik's Cube.
He shook the paper.
Swish!
A real Rubik's Cube fell out of the paper and landed in the Leader's hand.
It was a small magic trick.
The Leader played with the cube, speaking leisurely. "Sending a referee for a second round—why would I do such a thing?"
"I said it was the best judgment. Baku-kun, you should have more faith in me."
In just a moment, the scrambled Rubik's Cube was solved.
The Leader turned and walked toward the observation deck, waving for everyone to follow.
The people in the reception hall walked out one by one, gathering on the wide balcony outside. Looking at the night scenery, they were confused.
The Leader snapped his fingers again.
Snap!
Instantly, Kakerou staff everywhere took action. The deck lights of the entire Espoir turned on, illuminating everything.
Others were looking at the deck, but those with "force" had their attention drawn to the distant sky.
A helicopter was flying in from the city, getting closer.
"Kakerou's fighter is here."
The Leader rubbed his chin, smiling faintly. "Although he's a temporary fighter, his strength is quite good. I've seen it with my own eyes."
"Speaking of which, this was a request from his father. A refreshing uncle, and an old friend of my father. The two fathers go way back."
"Counting it like that, what is my relationship with him? Childhood friends? Doesn't seem that close. He doesn't have much interest in gambling..."
The Leader's eccentric temper flared up again, rambling about irrelevant things.
About five or six minutes later, the helicopter hovered above the cruise ship, slowly descending, the rotor blades making a whup-whup-whup sound.
Curiosity got the better of everyone, and they looked up.
As it descended close to the ground, the person in the cabin couldn't wait any longer and opened the door directly.
"Osu!"
The person let out a refreshing shout, looking down at the entire Espoir.
"Beautiful! What a view!"
The familiar voice caught the attention of one person in the crowd.
It was him—Shinshinkai's Suedo Atsushi.
"Hey?"
Suedo was surprised. He looked up immediately and saw a familiar face.
His eyes went wide with shock. "Junior... Junior Master?!" (Wakakancho)
Kei heard Suedo's words.
Speaking of "Junior Master" (Second Generation), the most familiar one was Hanayama Kaoru, the Second Boss of the Hanayama Group.
But Suedo wasn't a yakuza, and certainly not a Hanayama member. He was a karateka of the Shinshinkai.
So the "Junior Master" he referred to naturally meant the "Second Director of the Shinshinkai."
His name was—
Orochi Katsumi!