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3rd Person Perspective
A stretcher was brought in through the opening of the wire fence, and Tommy, who was bleeding so profusely from the mouth, Kure became a little worried, was placed on it. Even so, he still seems to be conscious, so mater level is indeed tough. He also has [Self-Regeneration], so Kure believed he won’t die.
At the center of the ring, the crowd of masked men and street thugs applauds and cheers for the fighter. Kure didn’t really like it, but he knew it was his duty as the star of the show to respond by raising his arms in the air.
Hamada and Koichi with teary eyes are holding each other’s hands at the wire fence, their heads together. Behind them, Osaki, the city council member, claps his hands fretfully. And on the second floor, in the work corridor, the man who seems to be a subordinate of his is cursing in a distraught manner is Sakota, leader of “Strangely Naked”.
There is one more person of interest–a man wearing a mask resembling a chicken or rather a cockatrice. When his eyes meet with Kure’s, he turns on his heel and walks quickly toward the doorway. He seems to have finished his business.
“Well done! Well done!” (Gorin)
“Amazing! Impressed! Woooooo!” (Koichi)
Out of the ring, they are mobbed without any consideration for the injured. Even the tough-looking Dago was crying behind him, so it must have made him nervous.
“With this, our group has been protected! Those Strangely Naked group will be suppressed, and the peace of Sugamo’s underground will be restored! This is also thanks to you, Mr. Kure!” (Gorin)
“The garden won’t go away with this, right!? Amazing, I’m really grateful! Mr. Kure, no Kure Bro!” (Koichi)
(Oh well.) (Kure)
(Though I’m sure there will be at least one more trouble.) (Kure)
But those words didn’t leave Kure’s lips. If the cockatrice masked person from earlier was “Shooting Willow” as Kure thought they would be, the person who was glared at by him wouldn’t be able to escape easily.
Well, that’s none of the business of a hired fighter.
Kure’s work is done, he’s tired today. He wants to go home and sleep under the covers as soon as possible. That would be the best medicine.
“Why didn’t you show that amazing technique until the very end? I was worried that you might get knocked out at any moment.” (Gorin)
“Well… it’s a mystery because it’s done at the end.” (Kure)
There is one obvious drawback to that technique: it requires a momentary pause between contact and impact penetration.
In order to hit Tommy, who has superior defensive skills and speed, with that one, he had to be prepared to dare Tommy to believe that his right hand was dead. By making him aware that he was not going to use it for attacks, by reducing his alertness to Kure’s right hand, and by sacrificing his left arm, the depths of the attack finally reached him.
(Not enough.) (Kure)
(There is room for improvement.) (Kure)
The way of the martial arts is not learned in a day, is it? The world is interesting, that way.
“Ah… By the way.” (Koichi)
“Yeah?” (Kure)
“What is the name of that technique? Let’s also decide now to celebrate the victory!” (Koichi)
“Yeah, that’s right.” (Kure)
The technique was not a technique under the martial art, and Kure was not given a chance to name it. But now that it has seen the light of day in front of so many spectators and has brought them victory, it would be impossible not to give it a great name.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. The key to this technique is to ‘transmit power’, and when this technique is truly perfected, the martial name of ‘Kure-style Life or Death Technique’ should be widely known to the world… With that in mind, I named it—-[Booty Way of Life].” (Kure) [T/N: Yes it’s literally the name.]
“Is that so?” (Koichi)
The day after.
Or rather, it was the day after the Underground Tournament. As Kure had guessed, Osaki, the city councilor, was arrested.
However, the charges were a little off the mark. He was accused of supporting the terrorist activities of the “Cross Border Brigade” on the eve of the recent festival and of being involved in the robbery of the mayor’s mansion.
Originally, Osaki was from Ikebukuro, and was said to be an ardent follower of the old chief. At this point, they do not know whether he was seduced by the “self-proclaimed Tsuruhashi Minato” or whether he volunteered to cooperate with him.
At the very least, he helped the “Cross Border Brigade into breaking and staying in Sugamo and provided them with information on the security of the mayor’s mansion. The councilor is said to have had an axe to grind against the mayor, as well as a financial motive for receiving a portion of the looted money and goods.
And the current black-market deal to unify Sugamo’s two big underground clans was, as expected, also orchestrated by Osaki.
Osaki had long been involved in the operation of “Strangely Naked,” and was said to have secretly planned the integration of the two organizations’ turf and operations. In addition, he was aware of the approaching investigation and needed to prepare a sacrifice.
The winner was to be the new leader of the dark alleys, and the loser was to be cut off by making up evidence of his involvement with the “Cross Border Brigade”—that seems to have been the scenario that Osaki had drawn up. In other words, in the end, the fight was a “real farce”, and from Osaki’s point of view, it made no difference which way the fight turned out.
(As expected, Mr. Shimoyanagi.) (Kure)
(Looks like you had a lot of work to do.) (Kure)
It is said that Shimoyanagi Heiya, also known as “Shooting Willow”, who was at the venue, took command of the series of investigations. On the eve of the festival, he was made to swallow his weakness and mistakes, and it seems that he promised that he would dedicate his life as a hunter to the annihilation of the brigade.
“I’m embarrassed to think that I’ve been under such a vile bastard until now, I want to jump into a hole.” (Gorin)
Hamada was the one who blurted this out. In the end, the plan to merge with “Strangely Naked” was scrapped, and now they are in the middle of a messy cleanup.
As for “Yoshimoto Garden”, Osaki’s privately used (or rather, misused) facility will be overhauled, since the investor in its management has disappeared. Koichi didn’t seem to care, but he could only hope that things would go smoothly, such as finding a new investor and manager.
(Oh well.) (Kure)
(It is none of my business.) (Kure)
Kure is lying alone in the living room, recovering from the wounds and fatigue of the fierce battle.
The open window lets in a cool breeze and the soothing sound of wind chimes, but summer heat shows no sign of abating yet.
(Before summer ends…) (Kure)
(I hope they come back.) (Kure)
Utsuki, who was abducted by her half-sister as soon as she was healed from the serious injury she suffered on the eve of the festival, has a hunch that the won’t be able to return for a while, but what about the tenants of this house? Kure doesn’t know how many quests the has received, so he can’t predict when they’ll be able to return home.
However, Kure is not that worried. Kure is sure they will come back here.
(—It’s a strange feeling.) (Kure)
(Waiting impatiently for someone’s return.) (Kure)
It may be the first time Kure experienced in his life. It was not bad either so Kure smiles to himself.
The words “I have something I want to protect” may be nothing more than sophistry that creates an illusion of strength.
Even so, it is not a bad feeling to have someone you wish to protect.
The Bon Festival has arrived, the height of summer has passed, and the rainy days are increasing.
And when the sun begins to slowly fade, the time finally arrives.
Sensing someone outside, Kure jumps up and heads for the entrance.
On the other side of the wide open door–there are those who he has been impatiently waiting for.
“…Welcome back, everyone.” (Kure)
Kure greets them with a somewhat relieved smile.
She is a girl with a strong head on her shoulders and a mature mind, but works harder than anyone else and has a bright future ahead of her.
The daughter of the Carbuncle tribe who is a little rough and impertinent, but extremely charming.
And–
The main pillar that supports them. The man that Kure trusts the most in this world, who is charming even if he is a little goofy. His most important person in the world. For some reason, he carries a brand-new futon set under his arm.
His beloved friends. They are all back together, just as they were that day.
And another one–another one?
There is another person behind the three.
It is a young man in work clothes holding a tool box.
Kure remembered that face. After giving a light bow to Kure, he asks Shuu, “Ummm…”
“Do you want to replace the key to this door?” (Locksmith)
“Yes, please replace it.” (Shuu)
A/N: That’s all for the Underground Tournament. Thank you for your patience.
I am considering whether to make the next installment the last extra chapter (an answer to the previous arc) or return to the main plot.
Either way, it will take some time until the next update due to the revision of the second volume. Please understand this in advance.
T/N: If you like the series rate, review it and add it to your reading list on Novel Updates. You can also donate through Paypal or Ko-fi or subscribe to Lazy Translations. Thank you!
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