“Boss, something’s wrong.”
No sooner had the signboard for “Fukuzawa Special Environment Cleaning Company” been hung up for two days than Scale Man rushed frantically into the office that had been decorated in a bizarre, mismatched style.
Gluttony was on standby in the office. Jiang Jian Yue, who was controlling Sato Ai to play a construction site garbage cleanup simulator, immediately linked back to Gluttony.
“What now?”
Gluttony asked without looking up, his tone tinged with impatience.
Scale Man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his eyes darting nervously. “It’s those high school students…”
“They’re back again?” Gluttony frowned.
Why were these three brats like sticky plasters?
They clearly had a legitimate company now.
Sure, the employees looked a bit like a night parade of a hundred demons, but they were paying taxes and handling social insurance (even if not yet paid), all legally.
“They’re not just back, but…” Scale Man swallowed hard. “They found out about the property rights of this building, and our cash flow.”
“Cash flow?”
Gluttony snapped the book shut with a sharp crack, making Scale Man flinch.
“Didn’t I tell you to balance the books? Didn’t you launder all the previous fraud proceeds as consulting fees?”
“No, it’s not that…”
Master Fukuza, who had been silent all along, timidly raised his hand. “B-Boss, it’s about the expenses.”
“Expenses?”
“Well… it’s…” Master Fukuza stammered. “That monthly payment to ‘Kyokuto Construction Co., Ltd.’… five million yen.”
Gluttony squinted, his black eyes glinting with a dangerous light.
“Five million? How come I don’t know about this expenditure? What’s it for?”
“It’s… protection money.”
After saying this, Master Fukuza curled up into a ball, terrified that Gluttony might get upset and rip his head off to use as a soccer ball.
“Pro… tec… tion… money?”
Jiang Jian Yue laughed in disbelief.
She controlled Gluttony to stand up, walk over to Master Fukuza, and look down at this lump of fat.
Master Fukuza trembled all over, explaining with a mournful face, “I had no choice back then. Kyokuto Construction has deep connections. Their boss is the legendary Black Market King—Toudou Daigo.”
“Black Market King?”
The chuunibyou nickname made Jiang Jian Yue pause.
“Yes, Boss. You might not know this, but back in…” Master Fukuza gestured.
“Before the war in Asia, during that crazy era of economic explosion, Toudou Daigo controlled the entire Kanto underground black market.”
“Back then, anything circulating in the black market, whether illegal drugs or smuggled weapons, had to go through him.”
“Later, when the new government was formed and cracked down hard on the black market, Toudou Daigo used the opportunity to go legitimate.”
“He founded ‘Kyokuto Construction,’ transforming into a famous entrepreneur, specializing in construction and demolition.”
Master Fukuza lowered his voice. “But everyone knows it’s just a shell. He keeps a group of ruthless people under him who specialize in forced demolition and intimidation. They’ve even contained many esper and semi-devourers with criminal records.”
“In Tokyo’s underworld, you can’t survive without paying Toudou Daigo…”
“And I heard… Toudou Daigo himself is an extremely powerful physical enhancement esper who once single-handedly dismantled an SAT-EX mobile armor.”
Jiang Jian Yue stroked her chin.
Kyokuto Construction…
Why did that name sound so familiar?
She suddenly remembered something, and her consciousness instantly switched back to Sato Ai.
……
At the Heavenly Ladder Project construction site, in Zone C’s employee rest shed.
Sato Ai was sitting in a corner, munching on a dry piece of bread.
She quickly pulled the crumpled labor contract from the inner pocket of her oversized reflective vest.
Flipping to the last page, the signature area bore a bright red official seal—
[Party A (Labor Dispatch Company): Kyokuto Construction Co., Ltd.]
‘Pfft—’
Sato Ai sprayed out a mouthful of bread, fortunately no one was in front of her.
‘What the hell!’
‘So my foreman, Old Wang, who seemed so proper, was actually one of that “Black Market King’s” men?’
A super project like “Heavenly Ladder,” related to the nation’s fate, had outsourced the lowest-level labor to a washed-up yakuza organization?
To meet the deadline and cut costs, they were cooperating with people like this?
‘Is this what capitalism is?’
‘Ugh, the US is so evil…’
‘Oh wait, that’s not right… too evil…’
Ahem.
……
“Boss? Boss?”
Master Fukuza carefully called out twice to Gluttony, who had suddenly spaced out.
“I understand.”
Gluttony snapped back to reality, saying coldly, “Starting this month, stop the payments to Kyokuto Construction.”
“Huh?!”
Master Fukuza was so scared he fell to the floor. “Boss! You can’t do that! That’s Toudou Daigo! If we don’t pay, he’ll really send a demolition crew to fill us into concrete pillars!”
“Let them come.” Gluttony tilted his head.
“But…”
“No ‘buts.’” Gluttony cut him off. “Now, we need to cut ties.”
“Cut ties?”
“Yes. Since those three brats found this lead, we have to act like we were forced into it.”
Gluttony’s eyes flickered with a red light. “We’re the victims. We’re the poor wretches being squeezed by evil forces. Understand?”
“I… I understand.” Master Fukuza nodded, half-understanding.
“But…”
Jiang Jian Yue had a headache.
She could cut off the cash flow, she could play the victim.
But that wouldn’t stop those three high school kids, bursting with a sense of justice, from investigating further.
Those three had tracked the money flow. If they couldn’t find anything at the Fukuzawa Mutual Aid Society, they’d definitely follow the trail to “Kyokuto Construction.”
A veteran player like Toudou Daigo wouldn’t be as easy to deal with as a con man like Fukuza.
If those three went to investigate Kyokuto Construction… it would be like walking to their deaths.
‘What a bunch of troublesome brats.’
Jiang Jian Yue sighed.
If they died before her plan was complete, who would be the audience?
Who would witness the birth of the new world?
‘That line sounds so chuunibyou.’ Jiang Jian Yue felt a little embarrassed even thinking it. ‘Getting older, my resistance to cringey lines has clearly dropped.’
‘Guess I’ll repay that favor for the hamburger steak.’
……
The Heavenly Ladder Construction Site.
The sun was setting, and another day of hard labor was finally over.
Sato Ai put the cart back in the tool shed, rubbing her sore shoulders.
She found a secluded corner and pulled out her cracked-screen phone.
She skillfully tapped on a black profile picture.
[Sato Ai: Mr. Yuki! Are you off work? ( •̀ ω •· )y]
[Sato Ai: They gave out red bean buns at the site today. Super good! But I heard we’re going to have to work overtime to meet the deadline. So tired…]
First, she’d lay down some small talk to lower his guard.
After a while, the phone vibrated.
[Yuki Asahi: Make sure to rest. Don’t push yourself too hard. Red bean buns are high in sugar, good for replenishing energy.]
‘This guy, his replies are still so straightforward.’
Jiang Jian Yue pouted, then took a deep breath and started typing the main topic.
[Sato Ai: Oh, right, Mr. Yuki… There’s something I’m a bit worried about. I don’t know if I should tell you… ><]
[Yuki Asahi: What is it?]
[Sato Ai: It’s about those high school students from last time, Kazama and the others… They came by the Mutual Aid Society again today.]
[Sato Ai: I heard from some friends in the underworld (actually, a neighbor in debt was bragging) that those kids seem to be investigating something called “Kyokuto Construction”…]
[Sato Ai: I don’t know much about it, but the workers say that company has a scary background. Apparently, it’s connected to the old mafia… I’m worried they might be in danger. They’re still just students, after all…]
A few seconds later, the phone vibrated again.
[Yuki Asahi: I understand.]
[Yuki Asahi: Thank you for telling me, Miss Sato. Don’t get involved in this.]
[Yuki Asahi: Stay safe.]
Seeing those four words, “I understand,” Jiang Jian Yue couldn’t help but smirk.
……
At the Amuro Residence.
Yuki Asahi put down his phone, a cold, sharp glint flashing in his golden eyes.
“Kyokuto Construction… Toudou Daigo.”
Of course, he knew this man.
Back when he was still in the special response unit, he once handled an incident involving eco-terrorists.
The culprit was eventually brought to justice, but the trail of clues pointing to the accomplices ended at Toudou Daigo.
This man was cunning, meticulous in his actions, and very good at exploiting the gray areas of the law.
Back then, just as he had always believed, Yuki Asahi thought the law should prevail over simple gut feelings.
In the end, he followed Taguchi’s advice and gave up on arresting Toudou Daigo.
If those three kids provoked him…
“How reckless.”
Yuki Asahi stood up and grabbed his coat hanging from the rack.
“Big brother? Are you going out?”
Amuro Kaede peeked her head out from the kitchen where she was cutting fruit.
“Yeah, I have something to take care of.”
Yuki Asahi said while putting on his shoes. “Don’t wait for me for dinner.”
“Going out to fight again?” Kaede looked at him with concern.
“No.” Yuki Asahi pushed open the door, the night wind blowing his long hair. “I’m going to bring home some kittens that didn’t listen.”
Onigiri sat by the door, tilting its head in confusion.
……
Meanwhile.
Minato Ward, Tokyo. Kyokuto Construction Headquarters Building.
The building looked flashy on the surface, its glass curtain wall shimmering under the neon lights.
But on the third basement level, there was an underground fighting ring steeped in blood and violence.
BAM!
A dull thud.
A semi-devourer covered in spikes was slammed heavily into the iron cage’s fence, spitting blood. It looked like he wouldn’t survive.
“Too weak! Too weak!”
The man standing in the center of the ring was shirtless, revealing muscles as tough as iron.
A full-body tattoo of “Fudo Myoo” covered his back.
This was Toudou Daigo, the former Black Market King, now the president of Kyokuto Construction.
He casually took a towel handed to him by a subordinate, wiped the blood off his hands, his fierce gaze like a tiger’s.
“Boss.”
A secretary in a suit hurried over and reported in a low voice, “We just got word that Fukuza’s payments have stopped.”
“Oh?”
Toudou Daigo threw the towel to the ground with a cold laugh. “That fat bastard Fukuza’s grown a pair?”
“Rumor has it… he’s been taken over by a newcomer named ‘Gluttony.’ This guy is arrogant. Said he wants to cut ties with us.”
“Gluttony? Never heard the name.”
Toudou Daigo cracked his knuckles, the joints popping with a loud bang.
“Probably some stray dog who doesn’t know the rules.”