Chapter 224: The Luck of the Girls
"We are truly sorry! We'll do everything in our power to make it up to you!"
The bikers of GURANDE were kneeling in a row, weeping openly as they offered a
sincere apology to the foreman of Mokichi Construction. The construction crew
looked at the bunch of thugs—all of whom were sporting fresh bruises and swollen
faces—and decided not to press the issue, instead putting them to work repairing
the road they had just ruined.
Inside the courtyard of the Soul Combat Hub, Kazuo Yamashita's younger son,
Yasuo, was currently prostrate on the ground, trembling as he looked at Chiharu
Shiba. He was sweating buckets. This was the first time he had ever seen a human
being punch a motorcycle into scrap metal with their bare hands—and continue to
do so even after their knuckles started bleeding, without showing a hint of
pain.
Compared to the legendary "Guts" of this Bozosoku leader, his little gang
"GURANDE" belonged to a completely different, pathetic world.
"You're learning how to fight, kid?"
Chiharu kept his hands in his pockets, leaning forward so his face was inches
from Yasuo's. His eyes were wide and unblinking. "Go ahead. Throw your best
punch. Hit me."
"E-Eek?!" Yasuo collapsed onto his backside, shaking his head frantically.
"No—I... I'm so sorry for being a brat! I'll turn my life around, I swear—!"
Yasuo's voice grew smaller and smaller until he was practically trying to bury
himself in the dirt. Chiharu could tell the boy wasn't lying. He broke into a
wide grin.
"Is that so?"
WHACK!
Chiharu slammed a heavy palm onto Yasuo's shoulder. "Then give it your best
shot, kid!"
"A-Ah... YES!!" Yasuo nodded vigorously.
Before he could process the encouragement, Chiharu kicked him toward the road.
"Now that you get it, go help them fix the pavement!"
As Yasuo scrambled off to work, Kazuo Yamashita watched the scene in a daze.
Seeing his rebellious son finally find some motivation under Chiharu Shiba's
"tutelage" filled the old salaryman with a profound sense of gratitude.
"Thank you... truly, thank you so much!" Kazuo bowed deeply.
He turned to see that Ohma Tokita had finished his conversation with Ren Shiroki
and was waving goodbye.
"I see. So you guys don't know where Yanagi Ryuko is hiding either..." Ohma
looked disappointed but still offered a nod of thanks to Ren for the
hospitality. "Anyway, I'll keep hunting for that freak. If I find a lead, I'll
let you know."
His expression then darkened, his teeth grinding. "He insulted the Niko Style.
I'm going to beat that arrogance out of him first."
The group had no reason to stop him. Retsu Kaioh, however, stepped forward to
brief Ohma on the nature of the Poison Hand, warning him to be extra cautious of
the convict's underhanded biological weapons.
The two departed together. Though their time at the Hub was brief, Kazuo
couldn't help but sigh in admiration. "Some of them look terrifying, but they're
actually a bunch of great guys!"
"They're strong too." Ohma recalled the faces of the masters in the yard, a
smirk playing on his lips. "I feel like our fates are tangled up with theirs.
We'll probably see them again sooner than you think."
Kazuo lowered his head with a weary smile. "Let's just focus on healing your
wounds first, Ohma-san..."
Two days flew by.
Evening. Koyo Girls' Academy.
A few blocks from the school gates sat a classic, vintage-style cafe. Word was
it was a branch of a legendary establishment owned by a gentleman with very
peculiar eyebrows, though the owner was rarely seen. Thanks to a retro-chic
trend, it had become the go-to spot for high school girls to gather after class.
Today, the "Inner Circle" was assembled.
Arisa Sakurai (Ren's sister), Kozue Matsumoto (Baki's girlfriend), Karura Kure
(the Kure Clan prodigy), and Hina "Revolutionary Princess" Hongo.
Sitting with them was a massive, muscular male who was currently happily
devouring a triple-scoop ice cream sundae—Marco.
Despite his intimidating size, Marco had become a familiar face around the
school as Arisa's friend and bodyguard. The local police no longer questioned
him, and strangely enough, his gentle-giant personality had made him quite
popular with some of the students.
The girls were here to discuss a matter of grave importance: Summer Vacation was
fast approaching. What were they going to do?
"Well, because I might have matches scheduled for Valkyrie, I can't go too far.
An overnight trip is my limit. I assume it's the same for you guys?" Hina Hongo
blinked, her trademark "starry" pupils shining.
She suggested, "What about following our classmates? I heard some of them are
going to a 'Muscle Shrine.' Sounds fun, right?"
The other three immediately shook their heads. When it came to muscles, they saw
enough to last a lifetime at the Soul Combat Hub and the Shinshinkai. They could
see a literal "God of War" or "Bushin" whenever they wanted; there was no need
to seek out a shrine for it on their day off.
Kozue raised a hand, offering a more traditional plan. "The beach?"
Hina, being the hyper-active type, nodded enthusiastically. "Not bad! A sand-pit
arena... sounds like a blast!"
"Normally people just play beach volleyball, Hina-chan..." Karura sighed. "You
just want to fight, don't you?"
"What?! How did you know?!" Hina's eyes practically glowed. She leaned in toward
Karura. "So, you want to go? Right now? Let's go!"
Karura went back to her coffee. "Pass. We have exams this week."
Arisa rubbed her chin. "It should be somewhere everyone can go. Big Brother,
Marco, and Fusui-san could all come. If Baki-kun is interested, he's welcome
too—"
Beside them, Marco's eyes welled with tears of joy. "It's okay! As long as
everyone is happy, you can leave Marco behind!"
The girls all lowered their heads, refusing to meet his eyes. Marco had played
the "guilt card" so perfectly that there was no way they could leave him out
now.
After some more deliberation, Karura suddenly had an idea. "How about the Kure
Village? It's about 500 kilometers from Tokyo—only two hours by helicopter."
"It's the Kure Clan's headquarters, but it's also a normal town. About a tenth
of the residents are Kure members or associates. They have a massive Summer
Festival there. It's incredibly lively!"
The pitch worked. If it was a Kure-run event, they could relax and play without
worrying about normal social boundaries. The plan was set.
As night began to fall, the girls prepared to head home.
Before they split up, Kozue pulled Arisa aside, asking if they could walk
together for a bit. She wanted to talk about her relationship troubles with
Baki. Karura and Hina understood perfectly; they were self-aware enough to know
that their "combat-centric" worldviews were zero help to Kozue's delicate
romance.
Arisa happily agreed. Fearing Kozue might be shy about the topic, she told Marco
to follow from a discreet distance.
The two girls strolled down a quiet side street, chatting as they went. But as
they talked, Kozue realized that Arisa's advice was... also a bit unhinged. To
Arisa, every problem—romance, confusion, even Baki's obsession with
"Strength"—could be categorized as either "Good Luck" or "Bad Luck." She was
pathologically optimistic.
Still, the talk helped Kozue realize one thing: she needed to stop talking to
friends and just talk to Baki directly.
"Thanks for listening, Arisa-chan," Kozue said as they reached a small
intersection. She prepared to say goodbye.
But right then—Zip!
Two massive hands emerged from the shadows of a side-alley. They clamped over
Kozue and Arisa's mouths simultaneously, dragging them back into the darkness.
"Shhh... quiet, ladies—"
The attacker was a towering Russian man with blonde hair and a tan trench coat.
Arisa recognized him instantly. He was one of the Five Convicts—Sikorsky! The
man who had climbed a hundred-meter vertical missile silo with his bare hands
and beaten the legendary Alexander Gallen into a coma.
"Don't make a sound, or I'll have to get rough. It's not really my style, but
I'm following orders today." Sikorsky let out a weary sigh, his hands still
firmly sealing their lips. "As you can see, this is a kidnapping."
"If you cooperate, you won't get hurt. I promise. But if you scream, I'll have
to shut you up permanently. Blink if you understand."
Arisa and Kozue both blinked.
Sikorsky released them and smirked, crouching before them. "Good girls."
"That 'Big Dummy' following you—is his name Marco? He'll be here soon. I'll let
him deliver the ransom note to Baki Hanma."
Sikorsky dropped a sealed envelope on the ground, then led the girls around the
corner to a medium-sized box truck. He shoved them into the cab and peeled out
of the parking lot.
Everything was going perfectly. Sikorsky was in an excellent mood. As he drove,
he glanced at Arisa. "We've met before, haven't we? At the Tokyo Dome. The
'Opening Day' of that little show."
"You're quite unlucky, little lady! My target was only Matsumoto Kozue. I didn't
expect you to get caught in the dragnet."
Arisa thought about it for a second. "Really? But I've always had great luck."
Sikorsky shrugged. "Hmph. I guess so. I have no interest in you, anyway. Someone
just told me this was the best way to piss off Baki Hanma."
To Sikorsky's surprise, Arisa's tone became even more relaxed. "No, you don't
get it. My luck is about to get even better."
"Oh? Hahahaha!" Sikorsky was genuinely amused. His tone turned sinister. "And if
I decided to kill you right now? Would you still be lucky?"
Arisa looked at the back of the truck through the cab's interior window, then
nodded seriously. "Yes."
Sikorsky: "...?"
He glanced at his rearview mirror. His heart nearly stopped.
Sitting in the back of the cargo bed were three figures, staring at him through
the glass with wide, unblinking eyes.
Karura Kure, Hina Hongo, and Marco.
"―WHAT THE?!"
Sikorsky's hands jerked. The steering wheel slipped, and the truck swerved
violently across the road before he managed to wrestle it back into a straight
line.
The Kure prodigy, the Revolutionary Princess, and the Giant Child had been too
curious to let the girls go alone. They had followed Arisa and Kozue the whole
way, eavesdropping on their "girl talk," and had witnessed the entire kidnapping
from the shadows.
While Sikorsky was busy shoving Arisa and Kozue into the cab, the three of them
had silently slipped into the back of the truck.
The narrow cabin now felt very, very crowded.
Karura blinked her black-and-white eyes and pulled out a tactical karambit.
"Should we kill him?"
Marco tightened his fists, veins bulging on his forearms. "Should I hit him?"
Before Sikorsky could even open his mouth to scream, Hina Hongo waved her hands
frantically. "Wait, wait! Don't rush! If the truck flips, it'll ruin the fun!
Besides... this feels like it's going to be a great game!"
Arisa leaned back in the passenger seat, comfortably wedged next to a terrified
Kozue. She looked over at the death row convict with a curious tilt of her head.
"So, Mr. Convict—" Arisa asked cheerfully. "Where are we meeting Baki-kun? And
my brother? Where did you want to fight them?"
(End of Chapter)
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