Chapter Forty-Three: The Hooded Girl

Holding a plate of dessert, Shion from the Kanade Institute approached Oma after teasing Rihito, her heartbeat quickening as her gaze swept over his muscular physique like a blade.

Kagami paid little attention to their conversation, only vaguely catching that it seemed to concern Kiryu Setsuna.

Suddenly, Oma lost control and threw his food aside, grabbing Shion’s flamboyant collar and lifting her up. The wide-open neckline of her dress revealed a dazzling expanse of pale skin.

Kagami set down his utensils.

Twenty-seven hours—according to the rules announced by the chairman of the Kengan Association, Katahara Metsudo, everything was permitted except fighting between fighters.

In Kagami’s mind, once the rules were declared, the entire luxury cruise ship became a massive locked room, a place where murder could erupt at any moment.

Yet many seemed oblivious to the danger, like Shion, still lingering by the buffet.

Saeko approached Shion, speaking earnestly.

“If I were you, I’d stick close to my own fighter right now.”

“Oh? Trying to drive me away? I don’t recall ever making a move on your junior,” Shion responded with a wicked smile, deliberately turning her open collar toward Kagami.

Saeko maintained her refined smile, but a chill swept Shion’s neck, triggering her survival instincts and making her sit up straight. Saeko’s gentle smile belied the mocking tone between friends.

Her own armor, a cut above Shion’s, seemed to sway unintentionally, so much so that even the president of the Imperial Cherry Academy felt dizzy watching.

“Is your head full of hormones, you sow? Let me remind you...

Fighter registration happens twenty-seven hours from now. Do you know what that means?”

Pressed by Saeko’s aura, Shion reluctantly conceded but protested.

“So what if a fighter gets beaten by an outsider? I’ll just hire the victor as my new fighter, won’t I?”

Oma, apparently never considering this, choked on his food, coughing violently.

Saeko, meanwhile, pressed a hand to her forehead in resignation.

Shion... are you really the president of a major corporation?

“In the rules, everything is allowed except fights between fighters. The chairman said himself, this is essentially a ruthless, cutthroat business war. Which means...”

“Which means corporate representatives aren’t protected by the rules!” Shion’s mind raced, her expression turning cold, and her ever-present secretary tensed beside her.

“Outsiders can challenge fighters—so they can target corporate representatives too, right?”

Oma, catching his breath, frowned and joined the conversation.

Meanwhile, Kagami, both a fighter and a representative, seemed utterly unconcerned.

“That’s right, which is why there are so many people on this ship. Besides corporate reps and fighters, most are bodyguards. But someone like you, with only one fighter—what if someone exploits that?”

He finished with a smile toward Shion.

She looked grave, but after a quick glance, she wrapped her arms around Saeko’s waist with a coy plea.

“Saeko, you’ll protect me, won’t you?”

“That’s hard to say. If you’re eliminated, Kagami loses a rival, doesn’t he?”

“So you’re not confident in your junior?”

“...Provocation doesn’t work on me. The Dojima school’s mental training is solid.”

The two beauties entwined, drawing the attention of many.

Kagami smiled at Saeko. “Alright, escort her to Kiryu Setsuna. Taizuke and I should get some rest ourselves.”

He could see Saeko genuinely cared for her friend’s safety and wouldn’t leave her in danger.

He spoke up, letting her go, and Saeko nodded to Shion, feigning reluctance.

The two beauties linked arms and headed toward the deck, searching for Kiryu Setsuna.

As for Oma, he’d already rushed off to find someone after hearing Kagami’s analysis. Presumably, it was the old man who boarded with him.

Kagami and Taizuke strolled back to their room, Kagami stroking his chin and letting his thoughts wander.

Speaking of that bespectacled old man—though frail and short, he seemed somehow extraordinary.

From the perspective of someone versed in psychic abilities and internal energy, perhaps he too was a hidden, formidable figure.

Kagami nodded solemnly.

He resolved that next time he met the man called Yamashita Kazuo, he would observe him carefully.

Just as the two entered a narrow corridor, a hooded figure blocked their path.

The figure was short, barely reaching one meter sixty with shoes. The upper body was concealed by a thick jacket, but the bandaged legs and shorts revealed a female form.

Taizuke, walking ahead, grew alert at the obstruction.

The concealed attire only confirmed his suspicion: this person was up to no good.

He had heard Kagami’s speculation clearly just now.

Was someone already issuing a challenge?

After more than a week training with Saeko, Taizuke’s spirit surged. With Kagami at his back, his confidence grew.

How could he pass up a chance to safely spar with a fighter-level opponent?

He immediately summoned his kendo spirit, roaring as he charged.

This opponent’s height and weight seemed almost comical—could someone like this really be a fighter?

In contrast, Taizuke’s tall and robust physique gave him confidence.

Kagami had said: fighting is a contest of bodies; with a huge gap in physical strength, no technique can compensate.

He could lift this person with one hand!

With such a physique, she couldn’t withstand his fists. As long as he was wary of joint locks, she couldn’t restrain him!

Perhaps... he might win!

Taizuke clenched his teeth.

His past experiences and Saeko’s guidance erupted together.

Judging the opponent’s stance, steady kendo footwork, channeling his body like a weapon...

All these hard-earned improvements came together as Taizuke, for the first time in eighteen years, unleashed a punch that sliced through the air.

“Bang—”

With the sound of flesh colliding, Taizuke’s world blurred.

The hooded figure, as agile as a swallow, didn’t even withdraw her hands from her pockets.

Her strong, rounded legs bent and launched her into the air, reaching eye level with Taizuke’s blond head!

His punch, whistling through the air, couldn’t even touch her shoe.

A knee strike, swift as a phantom, smashed into Taizuke’s exposed jaw.

He swayed, collapsing to the ground like a puppet with cut strings.

The hooded figure stepped casually over his body, continuing toward Kagami.

Her black pupils on white flashed momentarily beneath the hood.

Her silhouette surged forward in a sudden burst!

The transition from walking to sprinting was so abrupt that there was no sign of preparation or shift in balance!

Kagami’s previously bored eyes suddenly lit up, a grin curling his lips.

“Oh? You’ve learned it?!”