Chapter 29: Raising funds

It’s already the end of April, and I’ve been hitting the sandbag with a big worry on my mind.

　What is the time limit of the curse?　That’s what I’m wondering the most right now.

　I’m going to Hokkaido on a motorcycle with Shino.

　But in order to do that, I need to get a regular motorcycle license and buy a motorcycle.

　This will take more than a month, but will the curse wait until then?

　I have to trust in the common sense and good intentions of the fortune teller, but there is no better way than to do it as soon as possible.

　However, I will need a large sum of money to go to the driving school and buy a motorcycle.

　It would be uncool to ask Shino to lend me money, so I’d like to get it myself, but I’ve got my hands full with tutoring, boxing, and the track team, and it’s hard to get more part-time jobs. Is there any good way to make money?

The Black Iron Warrior tournament has a prize money of 10 million yen, but it won’t be held for a while, and it’s not that easy to win.

“I wonder if there is a place like the underground arena of darkness …….”

　Well, even if there were, there’s no way I could win.

　I huffed and hit a couple of jabs.

“There you are Yagami……”

　I turned back to the owner of the voice with a startled look.

“Sakoda-san?”

　He puts his mouth close to my ear.

“There’s a game being held tonight……. Would you like to go……?”

“……Eh?　You mean visit ……?”

“Yes. But you’re welcome to join in.”

“No, no, absolutely not!”

　I don’t want to fight, but to be honest, I’d like to see it.

　I know it’s a place I should never get involved with, just like a backroom casino. But there is something about this place that I can’t stop thinking about.

“Can you take me there?”

“Alright. This is a secret, okay?”

　Sakoda-san’s eyes were serious.

　If I wanted to turn back, now was the time. But my curiosity wouldn’t allow it.

“Of course. I’m looking forward to it.”

　After training at the gym, Sakoda-san took me to a dirty Chinese restaurant five stops away.

“—-Fried rice, rice, no eggs.”

　Sakoda-san told the Chinese waiter his order. I suppose that’s what they call it.

　We were quietly ushered into the back room. From the looks of it, it was just a warehouse.

　When the clerk removed the cardboard boxes containing the vegetables, there was a steel door on the floor.

　The clerk hooked the door with a tool and opened it. Then, a staircase to go down appeared.

　This is definitely a dangerous place.

“Shall we?”

“…… Yes.”

　My reason is telling me not to go, but my instincts are pushing me forward.

　I swallowed my spit with a gulp and followed Sakoda-san down to the basement.

　We walked down a narrow corridor, were body-checked by two guards in front of the door, and went inside.

“Let’s go, Yareeeeeeeeeeee!”

“Break his aaaaaaaaaaaarms!”

　The venue was smaller than I had expected.

　There was a ring in the center and spectator seats around it, but they were only big enough for a few dozen people.

　But the enthusiasm of the crowd was incredible.

　I’ve been to baseball games and soccer games with my father, but this was nothing compared to that. Honestly speaking, it was insane.

“What they’ re doing now is kicking and jiu-jitsu.”

“So it’s a different kind of martial arts fight.”

　I can understand why people get excited about this. Even though I used to hate martial arts, I still find myself thinking about “What is the best martial art?” I’ve been thinking about it for a while.

　That’s what’s going on here. There is no doubt that this is the best entertainment for martial arts fans.

“What kind of people come here, fighters or spectators?”

” I don’t know about the audience. I heard that some of them are presidents. Most of the players are not professionals. They come here because they are in need of money. Well, some of them aren’t, like that …… guy.”

　Sakoda-san pointed to the jiu-jitsu fighter who had just won.

　His opponent was lying on the ring, his face contorted in what appeared to be severe pain. Apparently, he had dislocated his arm.

“That guy is Ryoichi Saotome, son of the director of the Saotome Clinic. In addition to treating people as a surgeon, he also enjoys destroying his opponents like this.

　The Saotome Clinic is one of the largest general hospitals in the area. There is no way they are in need of money.

“In other words, you’re competing in order to legitimately hurt people, right?

“That’s what it means. –I guess it’s the same principle as why people who are usually in a dignified position fall in love with SM clubs.”

　That makes sense. Well, if you’re always healing people, you’ll want to destroy them.

　It would be terrible if all the doctors in the world were like that.

“What do you think, Yagami?　Do you want to bet on the next game?”

“No, I’d rather not.”

　I’m not going to get involved in illegal gambling.

　I decided to look around at the crowd until the next match started.

　I looked at them carefully and saw that they were quite well-dressed. As Sakoda-san had said, they might be people in a certain position.

“Oh, there are women, too.”

　She was wearing a hat and a mask, so I couldn’t really see her face, but she had the aura of a good woman.

“Hmm?　Oh, indeed. That’s unusual. She’s probably the boss’s mistress or something. Women never come here alone.”

　I see. But there’s no one around. I wonder where her companion is?　Could it be a competitor?

　At that moment, the woman took off her mask and sipped her drink from a plastic bottle.

“Oh, she’s pretty cute!　She must be a secretary or a hostess.”

“…… No, she’s not.”

“Ha?　Then what is she?”

“…… She’s a teacher.”

　The woman I was looking at was Sakurako Rurikawa. It was definitely that person.

TL: Sakurako’s arc starts from here on