Super Fighting Tokyo

Chapter 16 The Tapir's Bad Luck

Night falls on the streets of Shinjuku.

The people wandering the streets are all sorts of people, including yakuza, thugs, unemployed people, office workers entertaining their bosses, wealthy people looking for fun, and so on...

Evil spirits roam the alleys; evil spirits love to gather bones.

Evil spirits always roam the night, mostly alone, but occasionally they gather in groups.

Just like...

Shiraki Shō, Akagi Shigeru, Q-Dō, Madarame Baku, and the "little brother" following Madarame Baku... Kaji Takaomi.

The group of five chatted and laughed as they walked through the bustling streets of Shinjuku, gradually making their way to their quiet destination.

The atmosphere among the group was extremely pleasant, so much so that the short-haired young man, "Kaji Takaomi," felt somewhat uneasy, as if they were not meeting for the first time.

Like an old classmate? Or a colleague from the same company?
In short... something's not right!

Kaji Takaomi had a vague feeling, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

……

Kaji Takaomi met Mr. Baku—Madarame Baku—a few days ago, when he was just a dejected unemployed bum.

In return for giving Mr. Baku a few pachinko balls, Baku used psychological intimidation tactics to scare away the small loan shark company that had been threatening him.

Since then, perhaps attracted by Baku's style of doing things, Takaomi Kaji has been following Baku around, hoping to learn a trick or two to change his decadent life.

Strangely, Mr. Tapir didn't play roulette or any other gambling games today; he seemed to be quietly waiting for something.

When they saw the little old man, Q-Darling, talking to the other two, Mr. Baku stepped in.

He pretended to be drunk, hoping that Q-Lang would gamble with him first.

I heard that the old man is the owner of some "Nine-Story Building," so he might really be very rich.
……

As Kaji Takaomi was thinking this, he heard Mr. Baku's teasing laughter beside him.

"Hey, Kaji, look at this guy!"

Baku pointed at Shiraki and said, "He's really sturdy, just like Kenshiro. Could this guy be able to use Hokuto Shinken?"

"……Ha ha."

Kaji Takaomi sighed in exasperation, speechless for a moment.

Shiraki Cheng didn't care about this, after all, he had already seen that Baku's current behavior was just a facade, and everything was for his target tonight - Q-Daro.

Q-Long was basking in the joy of his prey taking the bait and had no idea what was going on.

The other person who also realized the true nature of Baku was the man silently smoking nearby—Shigeru Akagi.

"Hehe, the breeze is so nice tonight..."

"..."

Baku leaned on Shiraki's shoulder, his gaze sharpening slightly as he scrutinized the white-haired man beside him.

Judging by its appearance, there's no mistake.

He must be the "man of the realm" who dominates the underground mahjong scene in Japan!
As a gambler, Baku Madarame had been involved in the underworld for many years, but he rarely participated in mahjong gambling games. Unlike Shigeru Akagi's "area," the two had never met.

"I actually met the 'legend' tonight! Should I say I'm lucky or unlucky?"

The spotted tapir licked its lips, already having the answer in its heart.

"As always, it's 'not good'..."

His target was Q-Darling—or rather, the "military force" behind Q-Darling—and naturally he didn't want any complications.

Kaji Takaomi was a figure he conceived on a whim, so it was within his expectations.

The other one, Shiraki, although his background is unclear, always gives Baku a "refreshing feeling" and is not difficult to get along with.

Only Akagi Shigeru gave Baku a rather "pure" feeling.

—Pure to the point of being flawless, without the slightest impurity, it is a kind of "purity" that can devour everything!
This type of person is quite difficult to deal with, and there are the most unexpected situations!
"..."

"This... uncle?"

Baku, still in his drunken, slovenly tone, suggested to Shigeru Akagi, "Judging by your appearance, you shouldn't be poor, right? I've been having a tough time lately, so let me win this bet!"

Akagi Shigeru glanced at Baku and smiled helplessly, "In your words, 'you lied.'"

The spotted tapir's eyes twitched, and its stubbornness surged up all at once.

He shrugged and said, "Suit yourself. I'm having a lucky night, but don't let me win so much that I go bankrupt!"

Seeing this, Q-Long, fearing his prey would be chased away, quickly tried to smooth things over, "Alright, alright, we're all just enthusiasts here to participate in the gambling, let's enjoy the game together..."

"..."

Kaji Takaomi witnessed all of this and found it all very strange.

But the strangest—or perhaps the most relaxed—person has to be the one with the striking physique, "Shiraki Sei."

Shiraki Sei is on the phone.

I pulled out a business card, dialed the number, and the call was answered quickly.

"Hello? It's me... I don't give you seeds, I have a job to do."

{…}
"Wow, that's very professional. I'll leave it to you."

{…}
"No, let's stick to the normal pricing. Giving us seeds like this is a bit hasty." {...}
The phone call was filled with strange and confusing talk, which made the other four people glance at it with varying degrees of surprise.

Baku asked, puzzled, "Xiao Cheng, who are you talking to?"

"A relative of my sister's classmate."

Bai Mucheng frankly said, "She was looking for a job recently, and I suddenly had an opportunity, so I introduced her to it directly."

"oh--!"

With a look of utter disbelief, Baku nudged Shiramu Cheng with his elbow. "Jobs are hard to find these days, Cheng, you're a really nice guy!"

Bai Mucheng, seemingly lost in thought, chuckled dryly and agreed.

Upon hearing this, Kaji Takaomi, who was standing to the side, relaxed considerably, thinking to himself that no matter how strange it was, these guys seemed to be decent people.

……

……

About half an hour later, the group, who had been chatting and strolling, arrived at their destination.

That's Q-Daro's real estate in Shinjuku—the Koju Building.

This place has been abandoned for a long time and is no longer occupied by anyone or any businesses. It has eight floors, and Q-Lang's office is located on the fifth floor.

The five people took the elevator upstairs and discussed the details of tonight's betting game along the way.

Q-Long smiled kindly and said, "I originally wanted to play my favorite card game, but since there are so many people, how about we play a few rounds of mahjong first?"

"..."

Shiraki Sho, Madarame Baku, and even Akagi Shigeru, who were present, could all see that Q-Taro's intentions were not in this game. The so-called mahjong was just a prelude to the "real gambling game," so naturally they didn't care.

Only Kaji smiled and scratched her head, saying, "Oh, I'm so sorry to have troubled you."

……

……

The fifth floor of the Nine-Story Building, Q-Lang's office.

Q-Daro, Shiraki Sei, Akagi Shigeru, and Madarame Baku sat at the four corners of the mahjong table. Kaji Takaomi, having lost a game of rock-paper-scissors to Shiraki Sei, could only watch helplessly.

After several rounds of mahjong, the situation became clear.

Shigeru Akagi is undoubtedly in first place, leading by an absolute advantage in chips;
Shiraki Seiji is considered a mahjong novice, but with a bit of luck, he ranks second.

Q-Darling is ranked third, with a chip count almost the same as Shiraki Sei.

As for the last one—and the one with the worst luck—it was undoubtedly Baku, who had almost lost all the change he had.

"Rong, Riichi, Duanyao, Pinghu, 3900 points."

Shigeru Akagi caught another attack from Baku and knocked over the cards in front of him.

Baku's face stiffened, and he helplessly rubbed his forehead, "I've always had terrible luck..."

"Ah, indeed."

Akagi Shigeru, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, nodded in agreement, saying, "If it's just a matter of luck, you really are weak, Baku-kun."

The meaning of this statement is simple and clear: if the Baku were no longer simply relying on luck, the situation would be very different.

Of course, the spotted tapir wouldn't respond to that.

On the other hand, Q-Long, despite having lost a lot of money, was still quite happy and even lent Baku some change to help him calculate his chips.

"Click—hahahahaha! I lost again!"

"You guys are really amazing! It was worth the trip you made all the way to my building!"

"Gambling without a dealer is so much fun!"

"Come on, come on... let's continue!"

"..."

Hearing Q-Daro's urging, Kaji, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but frown.

Regardless of whether Mr. Tapir keeps losing, even if he could win, no one has ever placed a large bet in this mahjong game. Even if he could turn the tide, it would be like a chicken rib – tasteless to eat but a pity to throw away.

In other words—it's boring.

Not only Kaji, but even Baku couldn't help but yawn. Shigeru Akagi squinted his eyes, seemingly half asleep, while Shiroki was so bored that he started playing with mahjong tiles.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Q-Lang finally revealed his fangs.

"I don't think you guys are going to get motivated anytime soon..."

"How about it? Want to make a big bet?"

Upon hearing this, before anyone could react, Q-Lang pulled out several thick stacks of banknotes from under the table and casually piled them on the mahjong table.

"Ten million!"

Q-Lang's lips curled up, a twisted smile mixed with his expression.

"Here's ten million. Want to make a bet? I'll bet you can get out of this building..."

(End of this chapter)