CHAPTER 12: THE NUMBER TWO
"A pleasure to finally meet you, Ren Shiroki."
Ren reached out and shook the middle-aged man's hand, his mind racing to piece together the implications of this visit.
Yukio Tonegawa.
The "Number Two" of the Teiai Group. He was the right-hand man of the monstrous Chairman Kazutaka Hyodo. Tonegawa was a legendary figure in the corporate underworld, known for possessing both terrifyingly sharp insight and a demonic willpower.
In the concrete jungle of Tokyo, very few people reached such heights. The business deals he handled on a daily basis were usually measured in the billions of yen. He was the elite of the elite.
Ren hadn't expected someone of his caliber to handle a local debt collection personally. Even if the Shiroki dojo's land was worth a fair amount, it was still a private debt. There was no reason for Tonegawa to step out of his high-rise office.
Unless... the "truth" behind last night's match had made even Tonegawa uneasy.
Ren glanced past Tonegawa toward the black sedan.
Three familiar faces stepped out: the two Teiai agents from before, and Inoue, the Zanshi-gumi sub-boss.
Today, Inoue looked like a shell of a man. His previous arrogance was gone, replaced by a pale face and a shirt soaked in nervous sweat.
"Yo, Inoue-bro! And you two as well!"
Ren gave a casual wave. Inoue was too terrified to respond, but the two agents gave a slight, stiff nod. Their eyes were wide with shock.
Ren was acting... too normal.
As Tonegawa's subordinates, the two agents had seen their boss "in action" before. They remembered a time Tonegawa went to collect from a stubborn, veteran CEO of a major firm. Back then, Tonegawa's sheer presence had reduced the man to a shivering mess on the floor, unable to utter a single word of protest.
Yet here was Ren Shiroki, looking Tonegawa right in the eye, perfectly composed.
In fact... they had been staring at each other for a long time.
Zawazawa... zawazawa...
An unsettling, restless atmosphere began to hum in the air.
Gradually, the subordinates noticed something strange. Ren was 187cm (6'2"), and Tonegawa was nearly 180cm (5'11"). They were both tall men. But in that moment, to everyone watching, both men looked colossal. It felt like they were looming over everyone else.
It was their "Presence."
Their auras were fundamentally different—one a primal, honed martial intent, the other a sharp, cold corporate dominance—yet they were on the same level of intensity.
For nearly twenty seconds, neither spoke. Then, simultaneously, both Ren and Tonegawa let out a burst of laughter.
"I see. You truly are a man of the 'Underworld.' I know how to proceed now," Tonegawa said, his expression softening into something more professional. He suddenly gave a short, crisp bow.
"Ren Shiroki-kun, regarding the recent incident... I offer my sincerest apologies."
"Ehh?!"
The two agents let out a cry of pure shock. They never imagined the great Tonegawa would apologize first!
Even Ren was a bit surprised, but he quickly figured out the logic behind it.
Ren grinned. "Tonegawa-san, I take it you had two different scripts prepared for this meeting?"
"No. I had more than two," Tonegawa replied with a faint, sharp smile. "The entrepreneur, the commoner, the deadbeat, the underworlder... each requires a different mode of negotiation."
This was the No. 2 of the Teiai Group.
Tonegawa was a businessman. He knew that in terms of raw physical violence, he was no match for the man who had just dismantled a Kengan fighter. Threatening Ren with force was useless. It was better to be direct and "sincere."
Besides, Ren had ties to Metsudo Katahara. There was no point in acting superior when dealing with a potential peer.
"Please, come in," Ren said, gesturing to the clearing. He set up a table and served some hot water.
Tonegawa took a sip, showing perfect etiquette. The two agents followed suit, while Inoue knelt on the grass, trembling so hard his hair looked like a bird's nest.
"To business," Tonegawa said. He gestured, and an agent placed a folder in front of Ren.
"The Zanshi-gumi and the Teiai Group have a long-standing partnership regarding debt recovery. Recently, the Zanshi-gumi was approached by a third party."
"This 'Client' offered a massive sum of money to host an unofficial Kengan match. Their only condition was that the outcome must be 'controllable.'"
"Suspicious, isn't it? But the sum was so large that these idiots didn't stop to think." Tonegawa glanced at Inoue with visible disgust.
"So, Inoue here approached you, intending to force you into a match you were guaranteed to lose, while simultaneously foreclosing on this land. I won't make excuses for my company, but our agents were also misled by this narrative. They didn't realize the danger involved."
Tonegawa let out a heavy sigh.
"Rigging a fight involving a Kengan Association member is a death sentence. It tarnishes the Association's reputation and offends powerful member-corporations like the Nogi Group."
"Fortunately... you won."
Tonegawa looked Ren in the eye. "The Association is still displeased, but your victory was the best possible outcome for everyone involved. For that, you have my gratitude."
"As for the 'Client,' they used a false identity. Our investigation has hit a dead end. My apologies."
The pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.
Ren appreciated Tonegawa's transparency. He cut to the chase: "And my debt?"
Tonegawa pulled out a new contract.
"As an apology and a penalty, the Zanshi-gumi will be held responsible for all medical fees, reparations, and logistics from the match. Furthermore, they will assume a portion of your debt."
"Your remaining debt to the Teiai Group will be reduced to exactly twenty million yen. From this moment forward, the interest rate is frozen at zero percent."
"This is the maximum concession I can offer."
Tonegawa raised an eyebrow. "I suspect that for a man like you, twenty million won't be much of a problem, will it?"
Ren rubbed his chin, doing the math.
His actual medical expenses over the years had been close to twenty million. Tonegawa's offer effectively turned the predatory loan into a zero-interest bank loan.
Wiping ten million yen off the principal and stopping the interest was a fantastic result.
Just as Ren was about to agree, Inoue scrambled forward on all fours, his eyes bulging.
"Wait! Hold on!"
Inoue didn't care about his dignity anymore. "That's not right! You can't do that!"
By Tonegawa's math, Inoue would have to personally pay the ten-million-yen reduction, plus all the damages to the Kengan Association and the Nogi Group. His syndicate was gone, his bosses had disowned him, and he was being asked to find twenty million yen alone. He was ruined.
"Tonegawa-san! Ren-dono! Let's reconsider!"
Inoue gasped. "I'll find the Client! I'll give Teiai a name! If I find them, you can wipe the whole debt! Ren-san, you can't pay twenty million either! Let's team up and find the person who set us up—"
"Shut up, you spineless coward," Tonegawa snapped, his voice like a whip.
Inoue froze. Before he could beg again, Ren had already signed his name on the new contract.
Inoue collapsed into the dirt, all the life leaving his body.
Tonegawa ignored the lump of human trash. He gestured for the agents to haul Inoue back to the car. "Idiot. Don't think the whole world is your mother."
Ren felt the same way. The loan for his treatment was real money spent. Without Teiai's capital, he might have died years ago. A debt was a debt. He had no intention of being a "choosy" beggar.
Tonegawa looked over the signed documents, tucking his copy into his coat.
"Per the contract, if you fail to pay the twenty million within one year, this land will belong to the Teiai Group. Is that understood?"
Ren nodded, flashing a sharp grin. "Understood."
"Excellent. Thank you for the tea."
Tonegawa turned and departed.
Back in the sedan, Inoue was still a mess in the passenger seat. One agent drove, while the other sat with Tonegawa in the back.
Tonegawa tossed the contract to the agent beside him. "Cancel the redevelopment plans for the Shiroki land. Find another site."
"What?!"
The agents were stunned. "Tonegawa-san, you saw that dump. There's no way that kid can scrape together twenty million in a year. Why give up the project?"
"Idiots!" Tonegawa barked. "I've told you a thousand times: look at a man's 'spirit.'"
"A piece of trash who won't pay his debts is one thing. But an 'Exceptional Talent' who can flip the board on a whim? They aren't even the same species."
"A man like Ren Shiroki will find twenty million yen. He might find it tomorrow, for all we know. There is no point in planning for his failure."
Tonegawa rubbed his temples, his expression shifting into a dark scowl.
"Now, we have a more pressing matter. We need to find out exactly who tried to use the Teiai Group as a puppet in their little game."