Chapter 82: The Deal with Nogi

After Genosai Kuromoku had effortlessly displayed his overwhelming predictive abilities and left Zero Goryu battered and defeated, it was time for the duel between Izumi Hatsumi and Ega Kana. One was a modern master who fused ancient jujutsu with contemporary aikido, the other, the undisputed king of the Kengan Association. This match promised to be a spectacle without equal.

Regrettably, however, Kagami Hakudo had no time to witness it.

For at that moment, an impeccably dressed elderly man approached—silver-haired, clad in a tailored suit and vest—requesting a private conversation.

“Mr. Hakudo, may I borrow a moment of your time?”

Hakudo, who had been observing the arena, looked up to see who had addressed him.

“Ah, President Nogi.”

Recognizing the visitor, the youth’s expression turned intrigued.

Eiju Nogi—an executive among titans, one of the top ten conglomerates within the Kengan Association. He was the instigator of this year’s elimination tournament, and soon to be… a loser left with nothing.

“Oh? Inviting me like this—isn’t there a risk I might finish you off in some dark corner? Especially after those dreadful incidents last night?”

“I might hesitate with others, but with you, Mr. Hakudo, we have no conflict of interest.”

“I’m flattered.” Now amused, Hakudo nodded to Saeko at his side before replying, “Very well, let’s go.”

The sharp sound of heels striking the floor echoed along the corridor leading to the contestants’ entrance.

“This is far enough, President Nogi,” Hakudo halted Nogi’s attempt to proceed deeper. “No one’s around here.”

“If you insist, let’s talk here then.”

Hakudo leaned against the wall, gesturing for Nogi to speak.

“I’m here about these final matches.”

“Oh?” Hakudo suppressed his inner amusement at the obviousness, yet kept an attentive facade.

“While I have faith in Hatsumi, facing the strongest ‘Fang of Mita’ in history… honestly, I have no confidence. As everyone knows, Tokita Ohma, fighting under the Yamashita Trading Company—one of my own assets—has suffered grievous injuries…”

Eiju Nogi sighed and cut to the chase.

“In my estimation, the Nogi Group’s forces have already been defeated in this Kengan Annihilation Tournament.”

“And what does that have to do with me?” Hakudo replied.

“Though you haven’t been a member long, you must be familiar with the Kengan Association’s rules. If the instigator of the Annihilation Tournament is defeated, their company faces dissolution…”

Under Hakudo’s increasingly bored gaze, Nogi’s voice gradually faded. But after a moment’s reflection, he spoke again.

“…That you, Mr. Hakudo, at your age, could earn the capital required to join the Association through your own skill—that marks you as a successful businessman.”

“So, tell me—do you possess the qualities a businessman should have at such a young age?”

Nogi drew a cigar from his pocket, lighting it. He smoked the Cuban cigar, worth tens of thousands of dollars apiece, with the same nonchalance as someone puffing on a cheap cigarette.

His calm voice seemed to carry a hypnotic power, wafting through the expensive haze.

Hakudo recognized it—the power of wealth.

“Insatiable greed, a predatory ferocity…”

With each phrase, another nuance flickered in the young man’s eyes.

And when Nogi’s gaze pierced through the smoke to meet Hakudo’s, Nogi suddenly burst out laughing.

“Ha! Just as I thought! You are a true businessman!”

“You’ve fought your way here, clearly aiming for the very summit. But you know as well as I do, don’t you?”

A mocking smile appeared on Nogi’s face—not directed at the youth before him, but at the entire Kengan Association.

“The rules say the winner of the Annihilation Tournament becomes the chairman. But as last night’s chaos proved, merchants are the least bound by rules.”

“If your assets aren’t formidable, no one will respect you. If your methods lack strength or ruthlessness, anyone will challenge you… A chairman whose subordinates are disloyal is no better than a mascot!”

Hakudo, still leaning against the wall, listened to Nogi’s provocative words with an ambiguous smile.

Indeed, it was as he said.

The Kengan Association could not be steered smoothly by rules alone. Merchants were masters at manipulating the system. If a chairman lacked the authority and prestige to suppress their ambitions, he would inevitably become a powerless figurehead—a vase waiting to be shattered.

And for Hakudo, the immense capital and intricate ties between government and business—so crucial for keeping the members in line—were precisely what he, a self-made man with shallow roots, lacked.

Yet Hakudo was not about to let Nogi seize the initiative in this conversation.

“A true Nogi Eiju—still refusing to give up, even now?”

“You jest, Mr. Hakudo. Even when mortally ill, humans will struggle for life, won’t they? And I—more than most.”

“So, President Nogi, are you trying to persuade me to relinquish the chairmanship and hand it over to you?”

“Not relinquish and hand over, but trade.”

Now Hakudo’s interest was piqued.

“If it’s a trade, wouldn’t Mita Katabira, the president of Nippon Grand Bank, be a better partner?”

“It’s always better to offer warmth in winter than to add flowers in spring, Mr. Hakudo.” Nogi pointed to himself with the hand holding the cigar, then gestured upward, indicating Mita Katabira.

“I have almost nothing left, while the old chairman is already weary of his throne.”

…

When Hakudo returned to his seat, he arrived just in time to see Izumi Hatsumi execute a throw so absolute that Ega Kana’s massive form slammed into the ground, unable to breakfall.

From the point where Kana landed, cracks radiated out like a spider web, stretching for two or three meters before stopping.

Beside the youth, Hisayasu Takemoto spoke, seemingly offhanded.

“Well? Did that Nogi fellow strike a deal with you?”

“Master, you’re hardly a martial arts fanatic yourself,” Hakudo replied with a grin, then added more seriously, “We agreed—if I win, I’ll nominate him as chairman, and he, in turn, will appoint me as vice-chairman and support the growth of my company.”

“Doesn’t that bother you? That the victory is yours, yet…”

“We’re not children, Master. There’s no room for petty pride.”

“And besides…” Light glinted off the youth’s glasses. “The Kengan Association has been under Mita Katabira’s control for decades. If there’s a sudden change at the top, do you think those capitalistic beasts, long suppressed, will sit quietly?”

“Oh ho! So the world is about to plunge into chaos? Intriguing.”

“Let Eiju Nogi sit at the eye of that storm. After all, ‘the one who sits on the throne can go nowhere.’ Wasn’t that your lesson to me?”