Chapter 156
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It was a new day and the commotion that stirred the competition were still on people's minds.
Kurogane Kazuya had forfeited half of his matches but was still able to win the competition. This was a feat that was thought of to have been impossible and even the event organizers and judges were considering altering the rules of the competition to prevent such an event from happening again.
It was only until word spread around and people learned of the circumstances of Kazuya's reason to have left the competition on such a way did some of them feel sympathy and reverence towards him. It was because of this that all those who were prejudiced against the Kurogane clan started thinking that maybe there was hope for the clan that has such a repugnant reputation.
Sitting inside the VIP lounge in the arena with a confident smile was none other than Kurogane Tenma. He was accompanied by the nervous association president who was worried that Kazuya will not be able to make it back on time.
"Is there still no word Tenma-san?" Kurosawa asked wearing a concerned expression.
"I'm afraid that there hasn't been any news of him since he arrived back home." Tenma shook his head while trying to stop the urge to grin. "I've contacted my connections and they informed me that he has yet to buy a ticket back. I'm afraid that his friend's death may have caused my grandson to forget about the competition."
Tenma had waited until now to say this to put pressure on Kurosawa to make an immediate decision and appoint him as the person who will chose who Kazuya will replace. This way, once Kurosawa went to deal with the changes of the tournament, Tenma would have the chance to see which side would be more beneficial to help. There was only an hour left before the exhibition matches began after all.
"It looks like I don't have a choice but to—" Kurosawa stopped as he saw one of his assistants enter the lounge looking for him.
"S-sir! C-contestant Kurogane Kazuya is back!" he tried to catch his breath as he delivered the message.
""What!?"" both Kurosawa and Tenma reacted simultaneously. Though the two of them were both surprised, their feelings on the sudden news were complete opposites.
"I asked him to come here as soon as he can president." the assistant followed up after finally being able to catch his breath.
"Good! Let's move to a more secluded table then." Kurosawa excused himself and could finally feel a bit relaxed. He had been restless ever since he heard about Kazuya's departure so hearing about his return took some load off his shoulders.
Tenma wasted no time to inquire how such a thing happened under his nose. The bodyguards who were always with him were feeling nervous because they knew that Tenma was already in a bad mood. They can only imagine what would happen to the people who overlooked something that made Tenma's plans go to waste.
"I apologize Tenma-sama. We haven't left the vicinity of the airport so we have no idea how Kazuya-sama was able to return." One of the bodyguards that were sent with Kazuya reported. He brought in a couple of people to make sure that they would be able to take appropriate measures if Kazuya had shown up so he was baffled at the situation.
"Were there police or military officials who passed by?" Tenma immediately assumed that Tsuna or Jirou decided to lend a hand. If that were so, it wouldn't have been a complete loss since he would be able to use this as a reason for the two individuals to lose some influence over these entities.
"We did as you asked Tenma-sama. No military aircrafts have taken off recently. There weren't any emergency flights from the police helicopters either." he reported every measure they took to make sure that Tenma didn't blame them.
"Useless!" Tenma immediately ended the call. He hated not knowing what caused his plans to go awry towards targets that weren't even aware they were being plotted against. He would have understood it if Kazuya was going against him but his pride wouldn't allow losing to someone who didn't know who to retaliate against.
What he didn't know was that Kazuya was already savoring the expressions Tenma had been displaying. He peeked through the doors and watched the old man find out that his plot had failed once again. Though the Kuroganes were very wealthy, no one liked spending money to end up with nothing.
"So what do you think?" Kazuya turned towards another person who was observing Tenma as well. "Watch closely, it would be as if nothing ever happened once we walk through the door." He led the way and finally entered the VIP room.
"!!" surprise immediately showed on Tenma's face as soon as his grandson had entered the room with a companion. Everything suddenly made sense, the moment he saw the young girl, everything suddenly wasn't as bad as he thought.
"I'm back grandfather." Kazuya greeted politely. "I hadn't expected that this time would be a peak season for travelling to this area so I had to ask for a friend's help." Kazuya turned to Kurumi who was looking a little nervous.
"H-hello Kurogane-sama." Kurumi bowed politely.
"You can call me grandpa Tenma." He gave her a warm smile which would have convinced Kurumi that he had been a genuinely nice man. "A close friend of my grandson is like a granddaughter to me."
"T-then I will do so g-grandpa Tenma."
-
Though Kazuya had enlisted the help of Stockton Kurumi, her father didn't allow everything to be as simple as it seemed. He met with Kazuya at the private hangar of the Stockton Corporation and had a word with him while Kurumi was busy making sure that the plane was perfect for her trip with Kazuya.
"I apologize for asking for such a favor on short notice." Kazuya broke the ice which took Jonson off-guard. People would usually wait for him to start conversations but Kazuya was different.
While most people usually gave way to Jonson, the boy had acted differently. He never put himself in a lower position which both baffled and intrigued the head of Stockton International.
"Kurumi already informed me of your circumstances with the Kuroganes." Jonson didn't think he needed to beat around the bush. "They wouldn't dare make trouble with your family now that you've restored your friendship with my daughter." He immediately offered his support because not only did was he a person who valued his daughter greatly, Kazuya was also someone he had been keeping an eye on as a rare talent.
"…" Kazuya was a little taken aback by the sudden bluntness. He pondered upon an appropriate reply which Jonson easily misunderstood.
"Please don't take it against my daughter for informing me of your secret. She only told me because she sought help on your behalf." He quickly reassured the Kazuya who had been silent. Kurumi had only just made up with him and it took a few years just to restore their friendship.
What Jonson didn't know was that Kazuya told Kurumi about it intending for it to be passed on to her father. This was to serve as a warning to not get fooled by their ploys. The Stocktons were part of the reason the Kuroganes had stopped pestering the Kouzukis out in the open after all.
"Oh…" Kazuya realized what Jonson was worried about and smiled. "I really don't mind. I was just surprised that you were offering your help right away." He tried reassuring him.
"You're young but you are clever enough to understand what you need to do. I don't know how your mother raised you but I should take parenting advice from her. In my opinion, you shouldn't be dealing with these kinds of things." Jonson expressed his opinion.
"Thank you for your concern. You're a good person uncle Jon." Kazuya called him more familiarly. Though my mom already said that she would rather face the problems they would give, I myself entered the den of thieves so that I can learn of ways I can handle those who are similar to them when I inevitably face them in the future."
"I really admire your determination." Though his offer was rejected, Jonson was even more impressed with Kazuya. He considered him to take the Kouzuki corporation to heights that might even surpass his corporation if Kazuya led them. "Just know that my offer stands whenever you need it."
"Dad! They said the plane would be ready to go as soon as they fill it with gas!" Kurumi joined them and smiled. She was happy that her father and Kazuya were getting along.
"Kurumi, good timing. I was just about to ask Kazuya here a favor that has something to do with you." This has been the reason why he made a personal appearance.
""A favor?"" the two simultaneously reacted.
"Kazuya, you're probably the only one who I can count on for this. I want you to teach my daughter about people and how to watch out for the bad ones." Even though Jonson gave a light bow, Kazuya understood that he was serious. A man such as him didn't need to do so for two reasons; his standing and he wasn't a man that needed to do such gestures.
"Teach me about people?" Kurumi turned to Kazuya who also gave her a look as if trying to size her up.
"I won't interfere in your methods. I don't want my daughter to be fooled and manipulated." Jonson raised his head and looked at Kazuya. These were not the eyes of a man who stood on top of an international corporation. This was a request from a father.
"Are you sure about this uncle Jon? My perception about people aren't exactly 'normal'." He warned.
"I trust in your ability." Jonson smiled. There weren't many adults that were as sharp as Kazuya had been so he knew that the young man was right for the job. "Besides, I doubt that my daughter would take anyone else's advice seriously."
"Dad!" Kurumi pouted. Her father were making her sound like a disobedient daughter after all.
"This is something I don't think I am suited to teach you, Kurumi. It was easy for Kurogane Shishio and Kurogane Tenma to have you and Maron wrapped around their fingers on your first meeting after all."
"Hmm?" Kazuya's eyebrow raised. He knew that those two had met with Stockton Jonson but he wasn't aware of what had transpired. "Can you tell me more about this meeting?"
The father and daughter pair complied and told Kazuya about what happened. This was the missing piece of the puzzle. He was more or less sure that what happened to the robot girl had something to do with the Kuroganes. He clenched his fists tightly as he realized the reason of why Tomoyo was targeted. Everyone had assumed that he had been engaged to Tomoyo.
""What's wrong?"" the father and daughter duo immediately sensed the change in Kazuya.
"Are you aware of what happened to Shiroyuki Tomoyo recently, uncle Jon?" Kazuya ignored Kurumi's concern and focused his gaze on Jonson. There was no way that someone like him didn't catch wind if what happened.
"Are you saying…" Jonson looked at Kurumi and held his tongue.
"Nothing else would make sense. It might not have been planned from the start but the moves Kurogane Tenma made recently go naturally with the assumption that they are responsible for what happened." Kazuya proceeded to tell them about the clues that the held so far and included the promise that he had been forced to make before being allowed to come back to see Tomoyo.
"It can't be…" Kurumi had a hard time swallowing everything she heard. The two men had been really nice and didn't seem like the kind of people who would do such a thing. The only reason that her impression of Shishio had gotten bad was after Kazuya had been honest with her about what he thought about his own father after they had made up.
"Do you now understand why I want you to learn from Kazuya?" Jonson had tried to hide his astonishment over what he had just heard by making Kurumi understand what she needed to learn. Since Kazuya already let the cat out of the bag, he couldn't help but let his daughter start to understand the kind of people that she needed to look out for.
"Y-yes…" Kurumi couldn't help but nod. She still hadn't finished digesting what she had just heard but she understood that she could have been easily in Tomoyo's position if it turns out that she was someone who bad people wanted to get rid off.
"Thank you for sharing this with us." Jonson knew that this information was very sensitive. This proved that Kazuya had started to trust them. "I think the plane should be about ready by now so I won't keep you here." The more he heard about the Kuroganes, the more he was disgusted with their methods. He wanted to make sure that their plans would never succeed.
He escorted the two to board the plane. Jonson allowed his daughter to take some time off school because he knew that learning from Kazuya as well as strengthening their friendship was more important right now. Since a chance like this had presented itself, it wouldn't be wise to let it pass.
"Uncle Jon" Kazuya stopped and turned around after Kurumi's bodyguards had entered the plane. "I accepted your request about Kurumi not because of your help today. She is more or less already considered a friend so allow me to repay the debt by giving you some serious business advice."
"Advice…?" Jonson didn't know how to react. He had his own pride but the look that Kazuya gave him showed that he was serious about this. "What is it?" he had nothing to lose by listening. He didn't consider Kazuya owing him anything, so he decided to humor him.
"If Stockton international has any business dealings with any of the Kurogane clan's assets, it would be wise to pull them back as soon as you can."
-
At the VIP lounge inside the competition venue, Kurosawa finished explaining what he needed from Kazuya. He looked at the boy expectantly and hoped that he would accept the offer to become one of the official representatives for the shooting competitions.
"I'll be honest with you Kurosawa-san, I never expected to be picked for something like this nor have I heard that other sports have been considering asking me to participate in such games." Kazuya sighed. He didn't expect such an honor because he was merely participating in such events in an effort to use more of his time training. "How long do I have before I need to give an answer?"
Kazuya didn't know what to do. He was flattered at the offer but he didn't think the gun competition was anything special. It didn't improve much of his skills and training for it didn't require much physical exercises. The only reason he hadn't rejected outright was because of Tenma who sat beside him.
"You would have at most, 10 months to think about it." Kurosawa sighed but he already expected such a response. He too thought that it was too sudden to invite him but since he found out that many had been eyeing Kazuya to represent their field, he was forced to make a move.
"About the other thing you asked about however… I think I would be able to give an opinion about it after the exhibition match." He didn't miss Tenma's eyebrow twitch which was made Kazuya understand that this old man was eyeing this privilege for himself. "I can only evaluate their skills as an opponent. A more important factor however is how much flexible they are in following orders. I would prefer a teammate who is less talented but listens than a prideful person who would end up endangering the team as a whole."
"You're interested in skirmish matches?" Kurosawa was a little surprised. He didn't specifically tell him which events he would participate in, but it was as if he had already assumed command of the team. This made the association president excited.
"A little. I doubt the current candidates would listen to someone several years younger than them so I'm very hesitant. I would rather participate in it alone if that were the case." Kazuya was looking at Kurosawa but his attention focused on Tenma.
"Alone?" Tenma found this intriguing. He thought highly of his grandson's skills, he thought that Kazuya was too overconfident and had underestimated the skirmish matches because of the difference in results between him and the current participants. "That's an interesting proposal. It would solidify your standing."
"Tenma-san…" Kurosawa couldn't help but wonder why this experienced old man was so confident. He didn't know that Tenma had once again started laying another pit for his own grandson to fall in to.
"I know the arrangements can't be changed now." Since the participants have already been announced, there was no way to make such a thing happen. "How about this? What about having his two teammates guard the flag while my grandson engages his opponents alone?" Tenma turned to Kazuya waiting for a response.
"I'm okay with that." Kazuya replied without hesitation. He didn't care what plans Tenma conjured up. He wanted this old man to know that any plans that he would harbor towards him would only end up in disappointment. It wasn't the time for him to retaliate yet so Kazuya tried to find other ways to make this old man suffer.
"sigh… have it your way." Kurosawa couldn't understand these two so he just let them do as they pleased. What was more important to him was to keep Kazuya interested in becoming a representative after all. "I'll take you to your teammates and explain." Kurosawa led the way and was followed by Kazuya's group, leaving Tenma who was grinning after getting himself another chance.
-
Several exhibition matches were already over and it was finally time for the one that people had been looking forward to. The youngest and most promising contestant this year finally got on the special arena field that had been prepared for them.
Kazuya and the two teammates that ranked in the top 20 were displayed on the screen wearing the latest body suits that were developed for the competition. These were designed to detect and emulate the bullets that were going to be fired off the replica guns that were provided. They couldn't use real guns and live ammunition after all.
To gain victory, the teams either had to wipe out the opposing team's party or recover the opposing team's symbol located on their base. The location of the base of course was chosen in the respective territories by the teams before they started the matches.
The combatants were given a limited number of choices when it came to their weapons. Only one gun per participant was allowed. Their ammunition and weapon choices were limited so each team would have to come up with various strategies.
The planning phase was over, Kazuya's team had been given their weapons of choice. Each team had no idea what the choices their opponents made so they had to take every precaution. The actions that Kazuya's team made had startled most of the viewers that weren't new to these kinds of matches.
Unlike the participating teams, the audience had been aware of the choices both teams have made. The position, status and ammunition remaining for each participant was present on the screen for those who were watching. Majority of those who were watching felt disappointed after seeing the choices that Kazuya's team made.
Even Tenma, the one who orchestrated the situation felt annoyed when he saw the current situation. He wanted his grandson to put up a good fight before eventually losing but this situation was like Kazuya had given up from the start. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the tables as he stared at the indicator that Kazuya had chosen a handgun for his weapon and 5 remaining bullets as his ammunition.
The reason for this has been simple, both Kazuya's teammates were given long range rifles. They were supposed to stay and protect their base for the duration of the match so in order for their team to prevent the team from having any thoughts of storming their base, Kazuya limited himself to only have the bare minimum he needed.
The field was large and had been designed to resemble an urban wasteland. The opposing team chose a secluded location which was hidden in one of the structures while Kazuya's team had chosen a place that had a higher vantage point. It was not hard but it gave Kazuya's teammates the ability to make full use of their rifles.
They were up against the top rankers of the competition who were the current candidates to represent the country for the international competition so Kazuya made sure to find out more about his opponents when they were in the planning stage. His prediction was not too far off thanks to the information from his teammates who have gone up against these elites several times in the past.
None of them had picked a long-range weapon. Their pride and individualistic nature prompted the three to divide their chances evenly. They opted for a handgun each and had given themselves a decent amount of ammunition. This choice was because of the tip they received that only Kurogane Kazuya was going to be leaving their team's base after declaring that he alone was enough to beat the opposing team.
The three of them moved carefully while trying to see if there were any signs of Kazuya. They carefully crossed into the other team's territory and immediately caught a glimpse of their opponent's base.
"That is clearly a trap." Heike, the former lead candidate of the youth team expressed. We need to take out Kurogane Kazuya before thinking about storming their base.
Though the three were prideful individuals, Kazuya's appearance made them realize that their skills couldn't compare. These made the three cooperate with each other in order to take out their biggest competitor before Kazuya could show that any one of them should be put on the reserve list.
*tink* *roll rol roll*
"Over there!" Heike shouted towards the left side. A metal can seemed to have fallen from a pile where they immediately saw the target that they had been watching out for.
"Take cover!" realizing that a gun had been pointed at them, they immediately jumped to take cover. The enemy's marksmanship was still engraved in their minds.
"Tsk!" Kazuya clicked his tongue before making a quick escape.
"After him!" Heike was the first to react. He had jumped to a spot where Kazuya had to reveal more of himself to get a view of so he wasn't afraid of taking a peek at the situation.
This was the perfect chance for them to gain the advantage. They had more people and the enemy was currently trying to secure another spot for an ambush. There were no other people helping him after all.
"He's mine!" Miyata, the third amongst them was eager to attack. He felt that he was the most likely to have been dropped so taking Kazuya down might let them think twice about it.
He sprinted to chase after Kazuya so that he would be able to eliminate the target before he recovered. The moment he turned towards the corner however, made his eyes widen in shock.
A gun muzzle was immediately placed in his forehead as if it had been waiting for his arrival. He was lured into a trap.
"Bang!" his suit immediately gave him a tingling sensation to indicate that he had been eliminated.
Miyata fell to his knees still in disbelief as he watched Kazuya move swiftly towards the open field before his other two companions arrived.
"He got you?" Heike couldn't believe it. They were only a few seconds behind but it was as if Kazuya had been waiting for them as he stood on the open. It was the shortest way towards the enemy base.
*nod* Miyata wasn't allowed to speak so he could only give a light nod.
"Be careful! He's up to something…" Heike immediately warned his remaining teammate. Their opponent was standing in the middle of an open field he was sure that it was a trap. "His companions may have been equipped with rifles since they weren't allowed to leave the base." He quickly came to a conclusion.
"Two rifles?" the theory wasn't that strange because they were currently being led to an open field. "but wasn't this supposed to be…" he wanted to say that it was supposed to be a one against three match but held his tongue. Their communications during the match were being monitored after all.
"I know what you two are afraid of so you can come out. My teammates will not open fire unless your defeats are ensured." Kazuya raised his voice so that they could hear. "Why don't we give the audience a show and have a classic showdown right here?"
"You think we would fall for that!?" Heike felt insulted. They would be like pigs on a chopping block if they chose to walk towards an open field with two snipers on standby.
"Let's make things simple. If I lose, our team forfeits the match." Kazuya turned to one of the cameras. "The judges should be listening, right?"
Yuriko who had been sitting in one of the judges seats immediately frowned. She didn't know if Kazuya was playing games but now that he called the judges out, being eliminated would mean that his team would have lost even though they had the advantage.
She had been worried about him ever since she heard that he immediately left because of Shiroyuki Tomoyo. She blamed herself for his departure and thought that he shouldn't have known about it because it had cost him setting a potential record that could never have been broken if he had participated in all of his matches.
"(Reckless…)" though she understood the urge to do something crazy because he was upset, she didn't approve of the situation that he chose to do it in. This had been a battle simulation, if it were a real situation, wouldn't that be throwing away his life?
Regardless of what she thought, the other judges approved of this because this match was of course, a way to attract more people to be interested in the sport. Yuriko reluctantly agreed to the decision to allow the special conditions.
"Looks like we're good to go." Kazuya and the other participants had received the notification and his opponents cautiously walked towards the open field. "Heike and Chiba right?"
"Die!" Chiba wasted no time and drew his handgun. He didn't want to be dragged into Kazuya's pace. There was more than victory on the line in this match after all.
They may have been holding replica weapons but they were like the real thing. The bullets were fired were holograms that were programed to move exactly like actual bullets. This was to increase the realism as well as to keep the audience on their toes. This was why gun enthusiasts were so keen on watching these matches.
"!" Heike was competitive, but he didn't think that Chiba would suddenly open fire without warning. He stared at Kazuya but rather than being surprised, Heike could have sworn that he saw a grin.
Being in a family that served the military, Heike had been trained to trust his instincts. He immediately drew his weapon and pointed at Kazuya whose image had blurred right before his eyes.
Turning sideways to dodge the bullet, Kazuya immediately dashed towards Chiba who barely had any time to react to the sudden counterattack.
"Impatient are we?" he pointed the cold barrel of the gun on the side of Chiba's temple before glancing at Heike who tried pointing the gun at Kazuya but was unable to get a clear shot because of Chiba.
"H-how are you still moving!?" Chiba couldn't believe what was happening and trembled.
"Unlike both of you, I know what it feels to have a real bullet inside me." Kazuya smiled. "I've trained my body to react accordingly whenever a gun is pointed at me. I don't want to go through that pain again after all"
Tenma who had been watching with a frown clenched his fists. Not only was his plans going awry again, Kazuya had mentioned the incident that he wanted people to forget about. Anyone who looked into what he said would have found out that Kazuya had been a victim of Hashiyama Lee, someone who once belonged to the Kurogane family.
*tzzt!* Chiba suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his chest which brought him to his knees. He had been eliminated without warning.
"!" Heike wasted no time and leapt sideways to shoot at Kazuya.
"Not bad!" Kazuya smiled as he dodged the bullets by a hair. He enjoyed the tense situation and this was the closest to an actual practice against bullets he could get.
His current self was significantly better than when he faced off against the Dokuro clan's head. He was now able to see the bullets unlike the previous time where he used his reflexes to dodge the trajectory.
""Amazing…."" The two teammate who were watching with their sniper scopes from afar couldn't help but mutter. They tested the suit's ability to sense both the bullets and the wearer's reflexes during the planning phase. As much as a surprise it was for Kazuya to have dodged bullets in practice, actually doing it in the current situation was like watching something out of a movie.
*click* Heike's face paled as soon as he realized that he was out of ammo. He usually had a good grasp on how much bullet he has left but the amount of pressure that he was under made him unable to keep count.
He immediately reached for the spare clip on his waist after ejecting the empty one while Kazuya who was maintaining some distance because of the suit's lag saw the short window of opportunity.
"Here!" Kazuya tossed his handgun towards Heike which caused the latter to be in shock. Heike immediately reached for Kazuya's gun.
"(As long as I get it…)" He had no reason why Kazuya did it but as long as he got his hands on it, he would have no weapon. "(wait… a weapon!?)" realizing that he had overlooked a crucial part of the match, Heike glanced towards the opponent who was already located right in front of him.
In Kazuya's hand was a combat knife that was given to every participant. Since this was a competition that revolved around firearms, people only saw this knife as a decorative weapon because the blade itself was merely a projection. Heike did not expect that he would have been eliminated by a weapon that hasn't been used in the competition before.
*bzzzt* a tingling sensation assaulted his chest as the holographic blade made contact with his suit.
Complete defeat. It was over as before Heika's hand could even reach the gun that Kazuya thrown at his direction. What was even more depressing was that as soon as the shock the suit gave brought Heike to his knees, he saw Miyata's handgun on his opponent's holster.
"It's your win…" Heike had completely given up. There was no room to doubt. He had completely lost.
The audience that were on the edge of their seats just a few moments ago were now cheering as loudly as they could. The replays that slowed down what had happened in just a short span had them brimming with excitement.
Kazuya had won without spending a single bullet. The opponents he went against were going to get a shock once they reviewed the replay of the match. Kazuya's team had already discussed before the match had began that his sniper rifle armed companions would shoot at the opponents after Kazuya had pointed his gun to their heads. This was the reason that he led them to an open field in the first place. They were already sure to have fallen by his hands so no one would complain if he left the points for his teammates.
This was to show how important it was to follow a leader and his plan. This was a team battle after all. though Kazuya could just as easily taken out his three opponents by picking them off, he had opted to show the importance of team play as well as the weaknesses of those who have excessive pride. Victory or defeat, life or death was often determined with a single mistake, this was a lesson that those three who stood at the top needed to learn the most.
-
"Congratulations Kazuya-kun!" Kurumi immediately rushed to him and grabbed his hands after he exited the arena.
"Thank you." He gave her a light pat on the head. Kazuya knew that he had put on too much of a show so he turned towards Kurosawa who was looking at him like a manager who was looking at his next big star. "The last guy I battled with is the only one I would want on a team. The others are well suited for single participation events if their skills are really up to par." he excused himself and let Kurumi's bodyguards handle the rest as he went into the changing room.
Tenma who was still inside the VIP room was silent and upset. He had a bad premonition after Kazuya had skillfully shown his dominance over his arrangements. It had been a long time since he had felt a bad omen and this time, it was a particularly ominous one.
He wasn't exactly a person who believed in things such as premonitions but his experience over the years made him learn to trust his intuition. He sensed that trouble was about to come and it wasn't going to be small.
Just as he was about to make a call, his eldest son, Sousuke had given him a call.
"Father! I don't know what Shishio did but I've gotten word that some companies have been inquiring about contract termination fees." With the purpose of making trouble for his younger brother, Sousuke reported this piece of news right away. He read out the names of the companies that were trying to back out of either negotiations or current dealings with them. Big or small, Sousuke made sure to include them. "I've also gotten word that they are currently on the search for companies that are able to replace us."
"What?!" he had delegated Shishio's work to several of his people. He wanted Shishio to focus on his recovery before the Kurogane banquet so if there was anything that had changed, he is involuntarily responsible for it.
The timing couldn't have been more accurate. The foreboding ominous feeling he had been sensing recently was now rearing its ugly head. Their business had just started getting back on track so this was something that would damage their recovery.
What Tenma didn't know was that this was because of the advice Kazuya had given Stockton Jonson. Though there weren't any major deals between them and the Kurogane conglomerate ever since the incident a few years ago, this didn't stop the man from giving advice towards the companies that he had good relations with.
"What should we do father?" though making trouble for Shishio was his main purpose for reporting the incident, Sousuke knew the consequences if these companies did as they intended. Even though he wanted to win the seat of the clan head, he didn't want to sit on a throne that was only a throne in name.
"Stall them!" Tenma nearly cursed at his eldest son for not having one idea on how to deal with the situation himself. "Majority of these companies have good relations with Stockton international. It just so happens that your nephew just brought their little princess here. I'm going to try and set up a meeting with Stockton Jonson so work with the people under me and stall for time!" he commanded.
"R-right..!" Sousuke was taken aback after hearing that Kazuya was with Kurumi. Though he made trouble for his brother, having that bastard son of his take credit for solving this calamity was something that he didn't want.
Tenma ended the call and immediately tried to locate where Stockton Kurumi and Kazuya might have been. His losses today were nothing compared to the current problems they were going to face if the reports were indeed true.
When he found them preparing to leave, Tenma was blocked by the guards that were assigned to protect Kurumi. As insulted as Tenma was to be blocked by mere guards, conflict with the Stocktons was what the least to happen right now.
"I need to have a word with my grandson." Tenma said with a frown.
"Apologies if you feel any offence Tenma-sama." The leader of the bodyguards that guarded Kurumi bowed politely. "Jonson-sama has heard about the tragedy that has befallen the princess of the Shiroyuki-clan and has instructed that aside from himself, close family members, and Kazuya-sama, none may approach Kurumi-sama without our clearance."
"I see…" Tenma quietly mused. Thinking that this was an understandable response coming from a doting father, he had no choice but to accept it. It was Kurumi that had approached him earlier so they had no reason to block his way, the other way around however, no one could approach Stockton Kurumi no matter what their status was.
"Did you need me for something grandfather?" Kazuya already noticed Tenma's presence but decided to see the old man's pride take another hit.
"Come with me for a little bit" Tenma decided to pull his grandson aside. "I need your help to set up a meeting with the little girl's father…" Tenma told Kazuya of the current situation because he knew that Shishio had already started educating the boy about their clan's business. He already saw Kazuya as his own kin so he needn't hold back on asking him to help with the responsibilities. He was a candidate for Tenma's seat after all.
Kazuya was as shocked that Stockton Jonson had moved swiftly and decisively after just a few words from him. He didn't know why Kurumi's father trusted in his words or why Jonson had favored him a lot but this was out of his expectations.
"Don't worry grandfather. I know what I have to do for the family." Kazuya gave a confident smile that gave Tenma some assurance. This was a similar look that he gave when he had declared to win the competition.
"(This is just the beginning old man. I want to see what you can do to prolong your own suffering!)"
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Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
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It was a new day and the commotion that stirred the competition were still on people's minds.
Kurogane Kazuya had forfeited half of his matches but was still able to win the competition. This was a feat that was thought of to have been impossible and even the event organizers and judges were considering altering the rules of the competition to prevent such an event from happening again.
It was only until word spread around and people learned of the circumstances of Kazuya's reason to have left the competition on such a way did some of them feel sympathy and reverence towards him. It was because of this that all those who were prejudiced against the Kurogane clan started thinking that maybe there was hope for the clan that has such a repugnant reputation.
Sitting inside the VIP lounge in the arena with a confident smile was none other than Kurogane Tenma. He was accompanied by the nervous association president who was worried that Kazuya will not be able to make it back on time.
"Is there still no word Tenma-san?" Kurosawa asked wearing a concerned expression.
"I'm afraid that there hasn't been any news of him since he arrived back home." Tenma shook his head while trying to stop the urge to grin. "I've contacted my connections and they informed me that he has yet to buy a ticket back. I'm afraid that his friend's death may have caused my grandson to forget about the competition."
Tenma had waited until now to say this to put pressure on Kurosawa to make an immediate decision and appoint him as the person who will chose who Kazuya will replace. This way, once Kurosawa went to deal with the changes of the tournament, Tenma would have the chance to see which side would be more beneficial to help. There was only an hour left before the exhibition matches began after all.
"It looks like I don't have a choice but to—" Kurosawa stopped as he saw one of his assistants enter the lounge looking for him.
"S-sir! C-contestant Kurogane Kazuya is back!" he tried to catch his breath as he delivered the message.
""What!?"" both Kurosawa and Tenma reacted simultaneously. Though the two of them were both surprised, their feelings on the sudden news were complete opposites.
"I asked him to come here as soon as he can president." the assistant followed up after finally being able to catch his breath.
"Good! Let's move to a more secluded table then." Kurosawa excused himself and could finally feel a bit relaxed. He had been restless ever since he heard about Kazuya's departure so hearing about his return took some load off his shoulders.
Tenma wasted no time to inquire how such a thing happened under his nose. The bodyguards who were always with him were feeling nervous because they knew that Tenma was already in a bad mood. They can only imagine what would happen to the people who overlooked something that made Tenma's plans go to waste.
"I apologize Tenma-sama. We haven't left the vicinity of the airport so we have no idea how Kazuya-sama was able to return." One of the bodyguards that were sent with Kazuya reported. He brought in a couple of people to make sure that they would be able to take appropriate measures if Kazuya had shown up so he was baffled at the situation.
"Were there police or military officials who passed by?" Tenma immediately assumed that Tsuna or Jirou decided to lend a hand. If that were so, it wouldn't have been a complete loss since he would be able to use this as a reason for the two individuals to lose some influence over these entities.
"We did as you asked Tenma-sama. No military aircrafts have taken off recently. There weren't any emergency flights from the police helicopters either." he reported every measure they took to make sure that Tenma didn't blame them.
"Useless!" Tenma immediately ended the call. He hated not knowing what caused his plans to go awry towards targets that weren't even aware they were being plotted against. He would have understood it if Kazuya was going against him but his pride wouldn't allow losing to someone who didn't know who to retaliate against.
What he didn't know was that Kazuya was already savoring the expressions Tenma had been displaying. He peeked through the doors and watched the old man find out that his plot had failed once again. Though the Kuroganes were very wealthy, no one liked spending money to end up with nothing.
"So what do you think?" Kazuya turned towards another person who was observing Tenma as well. "Watch closely, it would be as if nothing ever happened once we walk through the door." He led the way and finally entered the VIP room.
"!!" surprise immediately showed on Tenma's face as soon as his grandson had entered the room with a companion. Everything suddenly made sense, the moment he saw the young girl, everything suddenly wasn't as bad as he thought.
"I'm back grandfather." Kazuya greeted politely. "I hadn't expected that this time would be a peak season for travelling to this area so I had to ask for a friend's help." Kazuya turned to Kurumi who was looking a little nervous.
"H-hello Kurogane-sama." Kurumi bowed politely.
"You can call me grandpa Tenma." He gave her a warm smile which would have convinced Kurumi that he had been a genuinely nice man. "A close friend of my grandson is like a granddaughter to me."
"T-then I will do so g-grandpa Tenma."
-
Though Kazuya had enlisted the help of Stockton Kurumi, her father didn't allow everything to be as simple as it seemed. He met with Kazuya at the private hangar of the Stockton Corporation and had a word with him while Kurumi was busy making sure that the plane was perfect for her trip with Kazuya.
"I apologize for asking for such a favor on short notice." Kazuya broke the ice which took Jonson off-guard. People would usually wait for him to start conversations but Kazuya was different.
While most people usually gave way to Jonson, the boy had acted differently. He never put himself in a lower position which both baffled and intrigued the head of Stockton International.
"Kurumi already informed me of your circumstances with the Kuroganes." Jonson didn't think he needed to beat around the bush. "They wouldn't dare make trouble with your family now that you've restored your friendship with my daughter." He immediately offered his support because not only did was he a person who valued his daughter greatly, Kazuya was also someone he had been keeping an eye on as a rare talent.
"…" Kazuya was a little taken aback by the sudden bluntness. He pondered upon an appropriate reply which Jonson easily misunderstood.
"Please don't take it against my daughter for informing me of your secret. She only told me because she sought help on your behalf." He quickly reassured the Kazuya who had been silent. Kurumi had only just made up with him and it took a few years just to restore their friendship.
What Jonson didn't know was that Kazuya told Kurumi about it intending for it to be passed on to her father. This was to serve as a warning to not get fooled by their ploys. The Stocktons were part of the reason the Kuroganes had stopped pestering the Kouzukis out in the open after all.
"Oh…" Kazuya realized what Jonson was worried about and smiled. "I really don't mind. I was just surprised that you were offering your help right away." He tried reassuring him.
"You're young but you are clever enough to understand what you need to do. I don't know how your mother raised you but I should take parenting advice from her. In my opinion, you shouldn't be dealing with these kinds of things." Jonson expressed his opinion.
"Thank you for your concern. You're a good person uncle Jon." Kazuya called him more familiarly. Though my mom already said that she would rather face the problems they would give, I myself entered the den of thieves so that I can learn of ways I can handle those who are similar to them when I inevitably face them in the future."
"I really admire your determination." Though his offer was rejected, Jonson was even more impressed with Kazuya. He considered him to take the Kouzuki corporation to heights that might even surpass his corporation if Kazuya led them. "Just know that my offer stands whenever you need it."
"Dad! They said the plane would be ready to go as soon as they fill it with gas!" Kurumi joined them and smiled. She was happy that her father and Kazuya were getting along.
"Kurumi, good timing. I was just about to ask Kazuya here a favor that has something to do with you." This has been the reason why he made a personal appearance.
""A favor?"" the two simultaneously reacted.
"Kazuya, you're probably the only one who I can count on for this. I want you to teach my daughter about people and how to watch out for the bad ones." Even though Jonson gave a light bow, Kazuya understood that he was serious. A man such as him didn't need to do so for two reasons; his standing and he wasn't a man that needed to do such gestures.
"Teach me about people?" Kurumi turned to Kazuya who also gave her a look as if trying to size her up.
"I won't interfere in your methods. I don't want my daughter to be fooled and manipulated." Jonson raised his head and looked at Kazuya. These were not the eyes of a man who stood on top of an international corporation. This was a request from a father.
"Are you sure about this uncle Jon? My perception about people aren't exactly 'normal'." He warned.
"I trust in your ability." Jonson smiled. There weren't many adults that were as sharp as Kazuya had been so he knew that the young man was right for the job. "Besides, I doubt that my daughter would take anyone else's advice seriously."
"Dad!" Kurumi pouted. Her father were making her sound like a disobedient daughter after all.
"This is something I don't think I am suited to teach you, Kurumi. It was easy for Kurogane Shishio and Kurogane Tenma to have you and Maron wrapped around their fingers on your first meeting after all."
"Hmm?" Kazuya's eyebrow raised. He knew that those two had met with Stockton Jonson but he wasn't aware of what had transpired. "Can you tell me more about this meeting?"
The father and daughter pair complied and told Kazuya about what happened. This was the missing piece of the puzzle. He was more or less sure that what happened to the robot girl had something to do with the Kuroganes. He clenched his fists tightly as he realized the reason of why Tomoyo was targeted. Everyone had assumed that he had been engaged to Tomoyo.
""What's wrong?"" the father and daughter duo immediately sensed the change in Kazuya.
"Are you aware of what happened to Shiroyuki Tomoyo recently, uncle Jon?" Kazuya ignored Kurumi's concern and focused his gaze on Jonson. There was no way that someone like him didn't catch wind if what happened.
"Are you saying…" Jonson looked at Kurumi and held his tongue.
"Nothing else would make sense. It might not have been planned from the start but the moves Kurogane Tenma made recently go naturally with the assumption that they are responsible for what happened." Kazuya proceeded to tell them about the clues that the held so far and included the promise that he had been forced to make before being allowed to come back to see Tomoyo.
"It can't be…" Kurumi had a hard time swallowing everything she heard. The two men had been really nice and didn't seem like the kind of people who would do such a thing. The only reason that her impression of Shishio had gotten bad was after Kazuya had been honest with her about what he thought about his own father after they had made up.
"Do you now understand why I want you to learn from Kazuya?" Jonson had tried to hide his astonishment over what he had just heard by making Kurumi understand what she needed to learn. Since Kazuya already let the cat out of the bag, he couldn't help but let his daughter start to understand the kind of people that she needed to look out for.
"Y-yes…" Kurumi couldn't help but nod. She still hadn't finished digesting what she had just heard but she understood that she could have been easily in Tomoyo's position if it turns out that she was someone who bad people wanted to get rid off.
"Thank you for sharing this with us." Jonson knew that this information was very sensitive. This proved that Kazuya had started to trust them. "I think the plane should be about ready by now so I won't keep you here." The more he heard about the Kuroganes, the more he was disgusted with their methods. He wanted to make sure that their plans would never succeed.
He escorted the two to board the plane. Jonson allowed his daughter to take some time off school because he knew that learning from Kazuya as well as strengthening their friendship was more important right now. Since a chance like this had presented itself, it wouldn't be wise to let it pass.
"Uncle Jon" Kazuya stopped and turned around after Kurumi's bodyguards had entered the plane. "I accepted your request about Kurumi not because of your help today. She is more or less already considered a friend so allow me to repay the debt by giving you some serious business advice."
"Advice…?" Jonson didn't know how to react. He had his own pride but the look that Kazuya gave him showed that he was serious about this. "What is it?" he had nothing to lose by listening. He didn't consider Kazuya owing him anything, so he decided to humor him.
"If Stockton international has any business dealings with any of the Kurogane clan's assets, it would be wise to pull them back as soon as you can."
-
At the VIP lounge inside the competition venue, Kurosawa finished explaining what he needed from Kazuya. He looked at the boy expectantly and hoped that he would accept the offer to become one of the official representatives for the shooting competitions.
"I'll be honest with you Kurosawa-san, I never expected to be picked for something like this nor have I heard that other sports have been considering asking me to participate in such games." Kazuya sighed. He didn't expect such an honor because he was merely participating in such events in an effort to use more of his time training. "How long do I have before I need to give an answer?"
Kazuya didn't know what to do. He was flattered at the offer but he didn't think the gun competition was anything special. It didn't improve much of his skills and training for it didn't require much physical exercises. The only reason he hadn't rejected outright was because of Tenma who sat beside him.
"You would have at most, 10 months to think about it." Kurosawa sighed but he already expected such a response. He too thought that it was too sudden to invite him but since he found out that many had been eyeing Kazuya to represent their field, he was forced to make a move.
"About the other thing you asked about however… I think I would be able to give an opinion about it after the exhibition match." He didn't miss Tenma's eyebrow twitch which was made Kazuya understand that this old man was eyeing this privilege for himself. "I can only evaluate their skills as an opponent. A more important factor however is how much flexible they are in following orders. I would prefer a teammate who is less talented but listens than a prideful person who would end up endangering the team as a whole."
"You're interested in skirmish matches?" Kurosawa was a little surprised. He didn't specifically tell him which events he would participate in, but it was as if he had already assumed command of the team. This made the association president excited.
"A little. I doubt the current candidates would listen to someone several years younger than them so I'm very hesitant. I would rather participate in it alone if that were the case." Kazuya was looking at Kurosawa but his attention focused on Tenma.
"Alone?" Tenma found this intriguing. He thought highly of his grandson's skills, he thought that Kazuya was too overconfident and had underestimated the skirmish matches because of the difference in results between him and the current participants. "That's an interesting proposal. It would solidify your standing."
"Tenma-san…" Kurosawa couldn't help but wonder why this experienced old man was so confident. He didn't know that Tenma had once again started laying another pit for his own grandson to fall in to.
"I know the arrangements can't be changed now." Since the participants have already been announced, there was no way to make such a thing happen. "How about this? What about having his two teammates guard the flag while my grandson engages his opponents alone?" Tenma turned to Kazuya waiting for a response.
"I'm okay with that." Kazuya replied without hesitation. He didn't care what plans Tenma conjured up. He wanted this old man to know that any plans that he would harbor towards him would only end up in disappointment. It wasn't the time for him to retaliate yet so Kazuya tried to find other ways to make this old man suffer.
"sigh… have it your way." Kurosawa couldn't understand these two so he just let them do as they pleased. What was more important to him was to keep Kazuya interested in becoming a representative after all. "I'll take you to your teammates and explain." Kurosawa led the way and was followed by Kazuya's group, leaving Tenma who was grinning after getting himself another chance.
-
Several exhibition matches were already over and it was finally time for the one that people had been looking forward to. The youngest and most promising contestant this year finally got on the special arena field that had been prepared for them.
Kazuya and the two teammates that ranked in the top 20 were displayed on the screen wearing the latest body suits that were developed for the competition. These were designed to detect and emulate the bullets that were going to be fired off the replica guns that were provided. They couldn't use real guns and live ammunition after all.
To gain victory, the teams either had to wipe out the opposing team's party or recover the opposing team's symbol located on their base. The location of the base of course was chosen in the respective territories by the teams before they started the matches.
The combatants were given a limited number of choices when it came to their weapons. Only one gun per participant was allowed. Their ammunition and weapon choices were limited so each team would have to come up with various strategies.
The planning phase was over, Kazuya's team had been given their weapons of choice. Each team had no idea what the choices their opponents made so they had to take every precaution. The actions that Kazuya's team made had startled most of the viewers that weren't new to these kinds of matches.
Unlike the participating teams, the audience had been aware of the choices both teams have made. The position, status and ammunition remaining for each participant was present on the screen for those who were watching. Majority of those who were watching felt disappointed after seeing the choices that Kazuya's team made.
Even Tenma, the one who orchestrated the situation felt annoyed when he saw the current situation. He wanted his grandson to put up a good fight before eventually losing but this situation was like Kazuya had given up from the start. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the tables as he stared at the indicator that Kazuya had chosen a handgun for his weapon and 5 remaining bullets as his ammunition.
The reason for this has been simple, both Kazuya's teammates were given long range rifles. They were supposed to stay and protect their base for the duration of the match so in order for their team to prevent the team from having any thoughts of storming their base, Kazuya limited himself to only have the bare minimum he needed.
The field was large and had been designed to resemble an urban wasteland. The opposing team chose a secluded location which was hidden in one of the structures while Kazuya's team had chosen a place that had a higher vantage point. It was not hard but it gave Kazuya's teammates the ability to make full use of their rifles.
They were up against the top rankers of the competition who were the current candidates to represent the country for the international competition so Kazuya made sure to find out more about his opponents when they were in the planning stage. His prediction was not too far off thanks to the information from his teammates who have gone up against these elites several times in the past.
None of them had picked a long-range weapon. Their pride and individualistic nature prompted the three to divide their chances evenly. They opted for a handgun each and had given themselves a decent amount of ammunition. This choice was because of the tip they received that only Kurogane Kazuya was going to be leaving their team's base after declaring that he alone was enough to beat the opposing team.
The three of them moved carefully while trying to see if there were any signs of Kazuya. They carefully crossed into the other team's territory and immediately caught a glimpse of their opponent's base.
"That is clearly a trap." Heike, the former lead candidate of the youth team expressed. We need to take out Kurogane Kazuya before thinking about storming their base.
Though the three were prideful individuals, Kazuya's appearance made them realize that their skills couldn't compare. These made the three cooperate with each other in order to take out their biggest competitor before Kazuya could show that any one of them should be put on the reserve list.
*tink* *roll rol roll*
"Over there!" Heike shouted towards the left side. A metal can seemed to have fallen from a pile where they immediately saw the target that they had been watching out for.
"Take cover!" realizing that a gun had been pointed at them, they immediately jumped to take cover. The enemy's marksmanship was still engraved in their minds.
"Tsk!" Kazuya clicked his tongue before making a quick escape.
"After him!" Heike was the first to react. He had jumped to a spot where Kazuya had to reveal more of himself to get a view of so he wasn't afraid of taking a peek at the situation.
This was the perfect chance for them to gain the advantage. They had more people and the enemy was currently trying to secure another spot for an ambush. There were no other people helping him after all.
"He's mine!" Miyata, the third amongst them was eager to attack. He felt that he was the most likely to have been dropped so taking Kazuya down might let them think twice about it.
He sprinted to chase after Kazuya so that he would be able to eliminate the target before he recovered. The moment he turned towards the corner however, made his eyes widen in shock.
A gun muzzle was immediately placed in his forehead as if it had been waiting for his arrival. He was lured into a trap.
"Bang!" his suit immediately gave him a tingling sensation to indicate that he had been eliminated.
Miyata fell to his knees still in disbelief as he watched Kazuya move swiftly towards the open field before his other two companions arrived.
"He got you?" Heike couldn't believe it. They were only a few seconds behind but it was as if Kazuya had been waiting for them as he stood on the open. It was the shortest way towards the enemy base.
*nod* Miyata wasn't allowed to speak so he could only give a light nod.
"Be careful! He's up to something…" Heike immediately warned his remaining teammate. Their opponent was standing in the middle of an open field he was sure that it was a trap. "His companions may have been equipped with rifles since they weren't allowed to leave the base." He quickly came to a conclusion.
"Two rifles?" the theory wasn't that strange because they were currently being led to an open field. "but wasn't this supposed to be…" he wanted to say that it was supposed to be a one against three match but held his tongue. Their communications during the match were being monitored after all.
"I know what you two are afraid of so you can come out. My teammates will not open fire unless your defeats are ensured." Kazuya raised his voice so that they could hear. "Why don't we give the audience a show and have a classic showdown right here?"
"You think we would fall for that!?" Heike felt insulted. They would be like pigs on a chopping block if they chose to walk towards an open field with two snipers on standby.
"Let's make things simple. If I lose, our team forfeits the match." Kazuya turned to one of the cameras. "The judges should be listening, right?"
Yuriko who had been sitting in one of the judges seats immediately frowned. She didn't know if Kazuya was playing games but now that he called the judges out, being eliminated would mean that his team would have lost even though they had the advantage.
She had been worried about him ever since she heard that he immediately left because of Shiroyuki Tomoyo. She blamed herself for his departure and thought that he shouldn't have known about it because it had cost him setting a potential record that could never have been broken if he had participated in all of his matches.
"(Reckless…)" though she understood the urge to do something crazy because he was upset, she didn't approve of the situation that he chose to do it in. This had been a battle simulation, if it were a real situation, wouldn't that be throwing away his life?
Regardless of what she thought, the other judges approved of this because this match was of course, a way to attract more people to be interested in the sport. Yuriko reluctantly agreed to the decision to allow the special conditions.
"Looks like we're good to go." Kazuya and the other participants had received the notification and his opponents cautiously walked towards the open field. "Heike and Chiba right?"
"Die!" Chiba wasted no time and drew his handgun. He didn't want to be dragged into Kazuya's pace. There was more than victory on the line in this match after all.
They may have been holding replica weapons but they were like the real thing. The bullets were fired were holograms that were programed to move exactly like actual bullets. This was to increase the realism as well as to keep the audience on their toes. This was why gun enthusiasts were so keen on watching these matches.
"!" Heike was competitive, but he didn't think that Chiba would suddenly open fire without warning. He stared at Kazuya but rather than being surprised, Heike could have sworn that he saw a grin.
Being in a family that served the military, Heike had been trained to trust his instincts. He immediately drew his weapon and pointed at Kazuya whose image had blurred right before his eyes.
Turning sideways to dodge the bullet, Kazuya immediately dashed towards Chiba who barely had any time to react to the sudden counterattack.
"Impatient are we?" he pointed the cold barrel of the gun on the side of Chiba's temple before glancing at Heike who tried pointing the gun at Kazuya but was unable to get a clear shot because of Chiba.
"H-how are you still moving!?" Chiba couldn't believe what was happening and trembled.
"Unlike both of you, I know what it feels to have a real bullet inside me." Kazuya smiled. "I've trained my body to react accordingly whenever a gun is pointed at me. I don't want to go through that pain again after all"
Tenma who had been watching with a frown clenched his fists. Not only was his plans going awry again, Kazuya had mentioned the incident that he wanted people to forget about. Anyone who looked into what he said would have found out that Kazuya had been a victim of Hashiyama Lee, someone who once belonged to the Kurogane family.
*tzzt!* Chiba suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his chest which brought him to his knees. He had been eliminated without warning.
"!" Heike wasted no time and leapt sideways to shoot at Kazuya.
"Not bad!" Kazuya smiled as he dodged the bullets by a hair. He enjoyed the tense situation and this was the closest to an actual practice against bullets he could get.
His current self was significantly better than when he faced off against the Dokuro clan's head. He was now able to see the bullets unlike the previous time where he used his reflexes to dodge the trajectory.
""Amazing…."" The two teammate who were watching with their sniper scopes from afar couldn't help but mutter. They tested the suit's ability to sense both the bullets and the wearer's reflexes during the planning phase. As much as a surprise it was for Kazuya to have dodged bullets in practice, actually doing it in the current situation was like watching something out of a movie.
*click* Heike's face paled as soon as he realized that he was out of ammo. He usually had a good grasp on how much bullet he has left but the amount of pressure that he was under made him unable to keep count.
He immediately reached for the spare clip on his waist after ejecting the empty one while Kazuya who was maintaining some distance because of the suit's lag saw the short window of opportunity.
"Here!" Kazuya tossed his handgun towards Heike which caused the latter to be in shock. Heike immediately reached for Kazuya's gun.
"(As long as I get it…)" He had no reason why Kazuya did it but as long as he got his hands on it, he would have no weapon. "(wait… a weapon!?)" realizing that he had overlooked a crucial part of the match, Heike glanced towards the opponent who was already located right in front of him.
In Kazuya's hand was a combat knife that was given to every participant. Since this was a competition that revolved around firearms, people only saw this knife as a decorative weapon because the blade itself was merely a projection. Heike did not expect that he would have been eliminated by a weapon that hasn't been used in the competition before.
*bzzzt* a tingling sensation assaulted his chest as the holographic blade made contact with his suit.
Complete defeat. It was over as before Heika's hand could even reach the gun that Kazuya thrown at his direction. What was even more depressing was that as soon as the shock the suit gave brought Heike to his knees, he saw Miyata's handgun on his opponent's holster.
"It's your win…" Heike had completely given up. There was no room to doubt. He had completely lost.
The audience that were on the edge of their seats just a few moments ago were now cheering as loudly as they could. The replays that slowed down what had happened in just a short span had them brimming with excitement.
Kazuya had won without spending a single bullet. The opponents he went against were going to get a shock once they reviewed the replay of the match. Kazuya's team had already discussed before the match had began that his sniper rifle armed companions would shoot at the opponents after Kazuya had pointed his gun to their heads. This was the reason that he led them to an open field in the first place. They were already sure to have fallen by his hands so no one would complain if he left the points for his teammates.
This was to show how important it was to follow a leader and his plan. This was a team battle after all. though Kazuya could just as easily taken out his three opponents by picking them off, he had opted to show the importance of team play as well as the weaknesses of those who have excessive pride. Victory or defeat, life or death was often determined with a single mistake, this was a lesson that those three who stood at the top needed to learn the most.
-
"Congratulations Kazuya-kun!" Kurumi immediately rushed to him and grabbed his hands after he exited the arena.
"Thank you." He gave her a light pat on the head. Kazuya knew that he had put on too much of a show so he turned towards Kurosawa who was looking at him like a manager who was looking at his next big star. "The last guy I battled with is the only one I would want on a team. The others are well suited for single participation events if their skills are really up to par." he excused himself and let Kurumi's bodyguards handle the rest as he went into the changing room.
Tenma who was still inside the VIP room was silent and upset. He had a bad premonition after Kazuya had skillfully shown his dominance over his arrangements. It had been a long time since he had felt a bad omen and this time, it was a particularly ominous one.
He wasn't exactly a person who believed in things such as premonitions but his experience over the years made him learn to trust his intuition. He sensed that trouble was about to come and it wasn't going to be small.
Just as he was about to make a call, his eldest son, Sousuke had given him a call.
"Father! I don't know what Shishio did but I've gotten word that some companies have been inquiring about contract termination fees." With the purpose of making trouble for his younger brother, Sousuke reported this piece of news right away. He read out the names of the companies that were trying to back out of either negotiations or current dealings with them. Big or small, Sousuke made sure to include them. "I've also gotten word that they are currently on the search for companies that are able to replace us."
"What?!" he had delegated Shishio's work to several of his people. He wanted Shishio to focus on his recovery before the Kurogane banquet so if there was anything that had changed, he is involuntarily responsible for it.
The timing couldn't have been more accurate. The foreboding ominous feeling he had been sensing recently was now rearing its ugly head. Their business had just started getting back on track so this was something that would damage their recovery.
What Tenma didn't know was that this was because of the advice Kazuya had given Stockton Jonson. Though there weren't any major deals between them and the Kurogane conglomerate ever since the incident a few years ago, this didn't stop the man from giving advice towards the companies that he had good relations with.
"What should we do father?" though making trouble for Shishio was his main purpose for reporting the incident, Sousuke knew the consequences if these companies did as they intended. Even though he wanted to win the seat of the clan head, he didn't want to sit on a throne that was only a throne in name.
"Stall them!" Tenma nearly cursed at his eldest son for not having one idea on how to deal with the situation himself. "Majority of these companies have good relations with Stockton international. It just so happens that your nephew just brought their little princess here. I'm going to try and set up a meeting with Stockton Jonson so work with the people under me and stall for time!" he commanded.
"R-right..!" Sousuke was taken aback after hearing that Kazuya was with Kurumi. Though he made trouble for his brother, having that bastard son of his take credit for solving this calamity was something that he didn't want.
Tenma ended the call and immediately tried to locate where Stockton Kurumi and Kazuya might have been. His losses today were nothing compared to the current problems they were going to face if the reports were indeed true.
When he found them preparing to leave, Tenma was blocked by the guards that were assigned to protect Kurumi. As insulted as Tenma was to be blocked by mere guards, conflict with the Stocktons was what the least to happen right now.
"I need to have a word with my grandson." Tenma said with a frown.
"Apologies if you feel any offence Tenma-sama." The leader of the bodyguards that guarded Kurumi bowed politely. "Jonson-sama has heard about the tragedy that has befallen the princess of the Shiroyuki-clan and has instructed that aside from himself, close family members, and Kazuya-sama, none may approach Kurumi-sama without our clearance."
"I see…" Tenma quietly mused. Thinking that this was an understandable response coming from a doting father, he had no choice but to accept it. It was Kurumi that had approached him earlier so they had no reason to block his way, the other way around however, no one could approach Stockton Kurumi no matter what their status was.
"Did you need me for something grandfather?" Kazuya already noticed Tenma's presence but decided to see the old man's pride take another hit.
"Come with me for a little bit" Tenma decided to pull his grandson aside. "I need your help to set up a meeting with the little girl's father…" Tenma told Kazuya of the current situation because he knew that Shishio had already started educating the boy about their clan's business. He already saw Kazuya as his own kin so he needn't hold back on asking him to help with the responsibilities. He was a candidate for Tenma's seat after all.
Kazuya was as shocked that Stockton Jonson had moved swiftly and decisively after just a few words from him. He didn't know why Kurumi's father trusted in his words or why Jonson had favored him a lot but this was out of his expectations.
"Don't worry grandfather. I know what I have to do for the family." Kazuya gave a confident smile that gave Tenma some assurance. This was a similar look that he gave when he had declared to win the competition.
"(This is just the beginning old man. I want to see what you can do to prolong your own suffering!)"
.
.It was a new day and the commotion that stirred the competition were still on people's minds.Kurogane Kazuya had forfeited half of his matches but was still able to win the competition. This was a feat that was thought of to have been impossible and even the event organizers and judges were considering altering the rules of the competition to prevent such an event from happening again.It was only until word spread around and people learned of the circumstances of Kazuya's reason to have left the competition on such a way did some of them feel sympathy and reverence towards him. It was because of this that all those who were prejudiced against the Kurogane clan started thinking that maybe there was hope for the clan that has such a repugnant reputation.Sitting inside the VIP lounge in the arena with a confident smile was none other than Kurogane Tenma. He was accompanied by the nervous association president who was worried that Kazuya will not be able to make it back on time."Is there still no word Tenma-san?" Kurosawa asked wearing a concerned expression."I'm afraid that there hasn't been any news of him since he arrived back home." Tenma shook his head while trying to stop the urge to grin. "I've contacted my connections and they informed me that he has yet to buy a ticket back. I'm afraid that his friend's death may have caused my grandson to forget about the competition."Tenma had waited until now to say this to put pressure on Kurosawa to make an immediate decision and appoint him as the person who will chose who Kazuya will replace. This way, once Kurosawa went to deal with the changes of the tournament, Tenma would have the chance to see which side would be more beneficial to help. There was only an hour left before the exhibition matches began after all."It looks like I don't have a choice but to" Kurosawa stopped as he saw one of his assistants enter the lounge looking for him."S-sir! C-contestant Kurogane Kazuya is back!" he tried to catch his breath as he delivered the message.""What!?"" both Kurosawa and Tenma reacted simultaneously. Though the two of them were both surprised, their feelings on the sudden news were complete opposites."I asked him to come here as soon as he can president." the assistant followed up after finally being able to catch his breath."Good! Let's move to a more secluded table then." Kurosawa excused himself and could finally feel a bit relaxed. He had been restless ever since he heard about Kazuya's departure so hearing about his return took some load off his shoulders.Tenma wasted no time to inquire how such a thing happened under his nose. The bodyguards who were always with him were feeling nervous because they knew that Tenma was already in a bad mood. They can only imagine what would happen to the people who overlooked something that made Tenma's plans go to waste."I apologize Tenma-sama. We haven't left the vicinity of the airport so we have no idea how Kazuya-sama was able to return." One of the bodyguards that were sent with Kazuya reported. He brought in a couple of people to make sure that they would be able to take appropriate measures if Kazuya had shown up so he was baffled at the situation."Were there police or military officials who passed by?" Tenma immediately assumed that Tsuna or Jirou decided to lend a hand. If that were so, it wouldn't have been a complete loss since he would be able to use this as a reason for the two individuals to lose some influence over these entities."We did as you asked Tenma-sama. No military aircrafts have taken off recently. There weren't any emergency flights from the police helicopters either." he reported every measure they took to make sure that Tenma didn't blame them."Useless!" Tenma immediately ended the call. He hated not knowing what caused his plans to go awry towards targets that weren't even aware they were being plotted against. He would have understood it if Kazuya was going against him but his pride wouldn't allow losing to someone who didn't know who to retaliate against.What he didn't know was that Kazuya was already savoring the expressions Tenma had been displaying. He peeked through the doors and watched the old man find out that his plot had failed once again. Though the Kuroganes were very wealthy, no one liked spending money to end up with nothing."So what do you think?" Kazuya turned towards another person who was observing Tenma as well. "Watch closely, it would be as if nothing ever happened once we walk through the door." He led the way and finally entered the VIP room."!!" surprise immediately showed on Tenma's face as soon as his grandson had entered the room with a companion. Everything suddenly made sense, the moment he saw the young girl, everything suddenly wasn't as bad as he thought."I'm back grandfather." Kazuya greeted politely. "I hadn't expected that this time would be a peak season for travelling to this area so I had to ask for a friend's help." Kazuya turned to Kurumi who was looking a little nervous."H-hello Kurogane-sama." Kurumi bowed politely."You can call me grandpa Tenma." He gave her a warm smile which would have convinced Kurumi that he had been a genuinely nice man. "A close friend of my grandson is like a granddaughter to me.""T-then I will do so g-grandpa Tenma."-Though Kazuya had enlisted the help of Stockton Kurumi, her father didn't allow everything to be as simple as it seemed. He met with Kazuya at the private hangar of the Stockton Corporation and had a word with him while Kurumi was busy making sure that the plane was perfect for her trip with Kazuya."I apologize for asking for such a favor on short notice." Kazuya broke the ice which took Jonson off-guard. People would usually wait for him to start conversations but Kazuya was different.While most people usually gave way to Jonson, the boy had acted differently. He never put himself in a lower position which both baffled and intrigued the head of Stockton International."Kurumi already informed me of your circumstances with the Kuroganes." Jonson didn't think he needed to beat around the bush. "They wouldn't dare make trouble with your family now that you've restored your friendship with my daughter." He immediately offered his support because not only did was he a person who valued his daughter greatly, Kazuya was also someone he had been keeping an eye on as a rare talent."" Kazuya was a little taken aback by the sudden bluntness. He pondered upon an appropriate reply which Jonson easily misunderstood."Please don't take it against my daughter for informing me of your secret. She only told me because she sought help on your behalf." He quickly reassured the Kazuya who had been silent. Kurumi had only just made up with him and it took a few years just to restore their friendship.What Jonson didn't know was that Kazuya told Kurumi about it intending for it to be passed on to her father. This was to serve as a warning to not get fooled by their ploys. The Stocktons were part of the reason the Kuroganes had stopped pestering the Kouzukis out in the open after all."Oh" Kazuya realized what Jonson was worried about and smiled. "I really don't mind. I was just surprised that you were offering your help right away." He tried reassuring him."You're young but you are clever enough to understand what you need to do. I don't know how your mother raised you but I should take parenting advice from her. In my opinion, you shouldn't be dealing with these kinds of things." Jonson expressed his opinion."Thank you for your concern. You're a good person uncle Jon." Kazuya called him more familiarly. Though my mom already said that she would rather face the problems they would give, I myself entered the den of thieves so that I can learn of ways I can handle those who are similar to them when I inevitably face them in the future.""I really admire your determination." Though his offer was rejected, Jonson was even more impressed with Kazuya. He considered him to take the Kouzuki corporation to heights that might even surpass his corporation if Kazuya led them. "Just know that my offer stands whenever you need it.""Dad! They said the plane would be ready to go as soon as they fill it with gas!" Kurumi joined them and smiled. She was happy that her father and Kazuya were getting along."Kurumi, good timing. I was just about to ask Kazuya here a favor that has something to do with you." This has been the reason why he made a personal appearance.""A favor?"" the two simultaneously reacted."Kazuya, you're probably the only one who I can count on for this. I want you to teach my daughter about people and how to watch out for the bad ones." Even though Jonson gave a light bow, Kazuya understood that he was serious. A man such as him didn't need to do so for two reasons; his standing and he wasn't a man that needed to do such gestures."Teach me about people?" Kurumi turned to Kazuya who also gave her a look as if trying to size her up."I won't interfere in your methods. I don't want my daughter to be fooled and manipulated." Jonson raised his head and looked at Kazuya. These were not the eyes of a man who stood on top of an international corporation. This was a request from a father."Are you sure about this uncle Jon? My perception about people aren't exactly 'normal'." He warned."I trust in your ability." Jonson smiled. There weren't many adults that were as sharp as Kazuya had been so he knew that the young man was right for the job. "Besides, I doubt that my daughter would take anyone else's advice seriously.""Dad!" Kurumi pouted. Her father were making her sound like a disobedient daughter after all."This is something I don't think I am suited to teach you, Kurumi. It was easy for Kurogane Shishio and Kurogane Tenma to have you and Maron wrapped around their fingers on your first meeting after all.""Hmm?" Kazuya's eyebrow raised. He knew that those two had met with Stockton Jonson but he wasn't aware of what had transpired. "Can you tell me more about this meeting?"The father and daughter pair complied and told Kazuya about what happened. This was the missing piece of the puzzle. He was more or less sure that what happened to the robot girl had something to do with the Kuroganes. He clenched his fists tightly as he realized the reason of why Tomoyo was targeted. Everyone had assumed that he had been engaged to Tomoyo.""What's wrong?"" the father and daughter duo immediately sensed the change in Kazuya."Are you aware of what happened to Shiroyuki Tomoyo recently, uncle Jon?" Kazuya ignored Kurumi's concern and focused his gaze on Jonson. There was no way that someone like him didn't catch wind if what happened."Are you saying" Jonson looked at Kurumi and held his tongue."Nothing else would make sense. It might not have been planned from the start but the moves Kurogane Tenma made recently go naturally with the assumption that they are responsible for what happened." Kazuya proceeded to tell them about the clues that the held so far and included the promise that he had been forced to make before being allowed to come back to see Tomoyo."It can't be" Kurumi had a hard time swallowing everything she heard. The two men had been really nice and didn't seem like the kind of people who would do such a thing. The only reason that her impression of Shishio had gotten bad was after Kazuya had been honest with her about what he thought about his own father after they had made up."Do you now understand why I want you to learn from Kazuya?" Jonson had tried to hide his astonishment over what he had just heard by making Kurumi understand what she needed to learn. Since Kazuya already let the cat out of the bag, he couldn't help but let his daughter start to understand the kind of people that she needed to look out for."Y-yes" Kurumi couldn't help but nod. She still hadn't finished digesting what she had just heard but she understood that she could have been easily in Tomoyo's position if it turns out that she was someone who bad people wanted to get rid off."Thank you for sharing this with us." Jonson knew that this information was very sensitive. This proved that Kazuya had started to trust them. "I think the plane should be about ready by now so I won't keep you here." The more he heard about the Kuroganes, the more he was disgusted with their methods. He wanted to make sure that their plans would never succeed.He escorted the two to board the plane. Jonson allowed his daughter to take some time off school because he knew that learning from Kazuya as well as strengthening their friendship was more important right now. Since a chance like this had presented itself, it wouldn't be wise to let it pass."Uncle Jon" Kazuya stopped and turned around after Kurumi's bodyguards had entered the plane. "I accepted your request about Kurumi not because of your help today. She is more or less already considered a friend so allow me to repay the debt by giving you some serious business advice.""Advice?" Jonson didn't know how to react. He had his own pride but the look that Kazuya gave him showed that he was serious about this. "What is it?" he had nothing to lose by listening. He didn't consider Kazuya owing him anything, so he decided to humor him."If Stockton international has any business dealings with any of the Kurogane clan's assets, it would be wise to pull them back as soon as you can."-At the VIP lounge inside the competition venue, Kurosawa finished explaining what he needed from Kazuya. He looked at the boy expectantly and hoped that he would accept the offer to become one of the official representatives for the shooting competitions."I'll be honest with you Kurosawa-san, I never expected to be picked for something like this nor have I heard that other sports have been considering asking me to participate in such games." Kazuya sighed. He didn't expect such an honor because he was merely participating in such events in an effort to use more of his time training. "How long do I have before I need to give an answer?"Kazuya didn't know what to do. He was flattered at the offer but he didn't think the gun competition was anything special. It didn't improve much of his skills and training for it didn't require much physical exercises. The only reason he hadn't rejected outright was because of Tenma who sat beside him."You would have at most, 10 months to think about it." Kurosawa sighed but he already expected such a response. He too thought that it was too sudden to invite him but since he found out that many had been eyeing Kazuya to represent their field, he was forced to make a move."About the other thing you asked about however I think I would be able to give an opinion about it after the exhibition match." He didn't miss Tenma's eyebrow twitch which was made Kazuya understand that this old man was eyeing this privilege for himself. "I can only evaluate their skills as an opponent. A more important factor however is how much flexible they are in following orders. I would prefer a teammate who is less talented but listens than a prideful person who would end up endangering the team as a whole.""You're interested in skirmish matches?" Kurosawa was a little surprised. He didn't specifically tell him which events he would participate in, but it was as if he had already assumed command of the team. This made the association president excited."A little. I doubt the current candidates would listen to someone several years younger than them so I'm very hesitant. I would rather participate in it alone if that were the case." Kazuya was looking at Kurosawa but his attention focused on Tenma."Alone?" Tenma found this intriguing. He thought highly of his grandson's skills, he thought that Kazuya was too overconfident and had underestimated the skirmish matches because of the difference in results between him and the current participants. "That's an interesting proposal. It would solidify your standing.""Tenma-san" Kurosawa couldn't help but wonder why this experienced old man was so confident. He didn't know that Tenma had once again started laying another pit for his own grandson to fall in to."I know the arrangements can't be changed now." Since the participants have already been announced, there was no way to make such a thing happen. "How about this? What about having his two teammates guard the flag while my grandson engages his opponents alone?" Tenma turned to Kazuya waiting for a response."I'm okay with that." Kazuya replied without hesitation. He didn't care what plans Tenma conjured up. He wanted this old man to know that any plans that he would harbor towards him would only end up in disappointment. It wasn't the time for him to retaliate yet so Kazuya tried to find other ways to make this old man suffer."sigh have it your way." Kurosawa couldn't understand these two so he just let them do as they pleased. What was more important to him was to keep Kazuya interested in becoming a representative after all. "I'll take you to your teammates and explain." Kurosawa led the way and was followed by Kazuya's group, leaving Tenma who was grinning after getting himself another chance.-Several exhibition matches were already over and it was finally time for the one that people had been looking forward to. The youngest and most promising contestant this year finally got on the special arena field that had been prepared for them.Kazuya and the two teammates that ranked in the top 20 were displayed on the screen wearing the latest body suits that were developed for the competition. These were designed to detect and emulate the bullets that were going to be fired off the replica guns that were provided. They couldn't use real guns and live ammunition after all.To gain victory, the teams either had to wipe out the opposing team's party or recover the opposing team's symbol located on their base. The location of the base of course was chosen in the respective territories by the teams before they started the matches.The combatants were given a limited number of choices when it came to their weapons. Only one gun per participant was allowed. Their ammunition and weapon choices were limited so each team would have to come up with various strategies.The planning phase was over, Kazuya's team had been given their weapons of choice. Each team had no idea what the choices their opponents made so they had to take every precaution. The actions that Kazuya's team made had startled most of the viewers that weren't new to these kinds of matches.Unlike the participating teams, the audience had been aware of the choices both teams have made. The position, status and ammunition remaining for each participant was present on the screen for those who were watching. Majority of those who were watching felt disappointed after seeing the choices that Kazuya's team made.Even Tenma, the one who orchestrated the situation felt annoyed when he saw the current situation. He wanted his grandson to put up a good fight before eventually losing but this situation was like Kazuya had given up from the start. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the tables as he stared at the indicator that Kazuya had chosen a handgun for his weapon and 5 remaining bullets as his ammunition.The reason for this has been simple, both Kazuya's teammates were given long range rifles. They were supposed to stay and protect their base for the duration of the match so in order for their team to prevent the team from having any thoughts of storming their base, Kazuya limited himself to only have the bare minimum he needed.The field was large and had been designed to resemble an urban wasteland. The opposing team chose a secluded location which was hidden in one of the structures while Kazuya's team had chosen a place that had a higher vantage point. It was not hard but it gave Kazuya's teammates the ability to make full use of their rifles.They were up against the top rankers of the competition who were the current candidates to represent the country for the international competition so Kazuya made sure to find out more about his opponents when they were in the planning stage. His prediction was not too far off thanks to the information from his teammates who have gone up against these elites several times in the past.None of them had picked a long-range weapon. Their pride and individualistic nature prompted the three to divide their chances evenly. They opted for a handgun each and had given themselves a decent amount of ammunition. This choice was because of the tip they received that only Kurogane Kazuya was going to be leaving their team's base after declaring that he alone was enough to beat the opposing team.The three of them moved carefully while trying to see if there were any signs of Kazuya. They carefully crossed into the other team's territory and immediately caught a glimpse of their opponent's base."That is clearly a trap." Heike, the former lead candidate of the youth team expressed. We need to take out Kurogane Kazuya before thinking about storming their base.Though the three were prideful individuals, Kazuya's appearance made them realize that their skills couldn't compare. These made the three cooperate with each other in order to take out their biggest competitor before Kazuya could show that any one of them should be put on the reserve list.*tink* *roll rol roll*"Over there!" Heike shouted towards the left side. A metal can seemed to have fallen from a pile where they immediately saw the target that they had been watching out for."Take cover!" realizing that a gun had been pointed at them, they immediately jumped to take cover. The enemy's marksmanship was still engraved in their minds."Tsk!" Kazuya clicked his tongue before making a quick escape."After him!" Heike was the first to react. He had jumped to a spot where Kazuya had to reveal more of himself to get a view of so he wasn't afraid of taking a peek at the situation.This was the perfect chance for them to gain the advantage. They had more people and the enemy was currently trying to secure another spot for an ambush. There were no other people helping him after all."He's mine!" Miyata, the third amongst them was eager to attack. He felt that he was the most likely to have been dropped so taking Kazuya down might let them think twice about it.He sprinted to chase after Kazuya so that he would be able to eliminate the target before he recovered. The moment he turned towards the corner however, made his eyes widen in shock.A gun muzzle was immediately placed in his forehead as if it had been waiting for his arrival. He was lured into a trap."Bang!" his suit immediately gave him a tingling sensation to indicate that he had been eliminated.Miyata fell to his knees still in disbelief as he watched Kazuya move swiftly towards the open field before his other two companions arrived."He got you?" Heike couldn't believe it. They were only a few seconds behind but it was as if Kazuya had been waiting for them as he stood on the open. It was the shortest way towards the enemy base.*nod* Miyata wasn't allowed to speak so he could only give a light nod."Be careful! He's up to something" Heike immediately warned his remaining teammate. Their opponent was standing in the middle of an open field he was sure that it was a trap. "His companions may have been equipped with rifles since they weren't allowed to leave the base." He quickly came to a conclusion."Two rifles?" the theory wasn't that strange because they were currently being led to an open field. "but wasn't this supposed to be" he wanted to say that it was supposed to be a one against three match but held his tongue. Their communications during the match were being monitored after all."I know what you two are afraid of so you can come out. My teammates will not open fire unless your defeats are ensured." Kazuya raised his voice so that they could hear. "Why don't we give the audience a show and have a classic showdown right here?""You think we would fall for that!?" Heike felt insulted. They would be like pigs on a chopping block if they chose to walk towards an open field with two snipers on standby."Let's make things simple. If I lose, our team forfeits the match." Kazuya turned to one of the cameras. "The judges should be listening, right?"Yuriko who had been sitting in one of the judges seats immediately frowned. She didn't know if Kazuya was playing games but now that he called the judges out, being eliminated would mean that his team would have lost even though they had the advantage.She had been worried about him ever since she heard that he immediately left because of Shiroyuki Tomoyo. She blamed herself for his departure and thought that he shouldn't have known about it because it had cost him setting a potential record that could never have been broken if he had participated in all of his matches."Reckless" though she understood the urge to do something crazy because he was upset, she didn't approve of the situation that he chose to do it in. This had been a battle simulation, if it were a real situation, wouldn't that be throwing away his life?Regardless of what she thought, the other judges approved of this because this match was of course, a way to attract more people to be interested in the sport. Yuriko reluctantly agreed to the decision to allow the special conditions."Looks like we're good to go." Kazuya and the other participants had received the notification and his opponents cautiously walked towards the open field. "Heike and Chiba right?""Die!" Chiba wasted no time and drew his handgun. He didn't want to be dragged into Kazuya's pace. There was more than victory on the line in this match after all.They may have been holding replica weapons but they were like the real thing. The bullets were fired were holograms that were programed to move exactly like actual bullets. This was to increase the realism as well as to keep the audience on their toes. This was why gun enthusiasts were so keen on watching these matches."!" Heike was competitive, but he didn't think that Chiba would suddenly open fire without warning. He stared at Kazuya but rather than being surprised, Heike could have sworn that he saw a grin.Being in a family that served the military, Heike had been trained to trust his instincts. He immediately drew his weapon and pointed at Kazuya whose image had blurred right before his eyes.Turning sideways to dodge the bullet, Kazuya immediately dashed towards Chiba who barely had any time to react to the sudden counterattack."Impatient are we?" he pointed the cold barrel of the gun on the side of Chiba's temple before glancing at Heike who tried pointing the gun at Kazuya but was unable to get a clear shot because of Chiba."H-how are you still moving!?" Chiba couldn't believe what was happening and trembled."Unlike both of you, I know what it feels to have a real bullet inside me." Kazuya smiled. "I've trained my body to react accordingly whenever a gun is pointed at me. I don't want to go through that pain again after all"Tenma who had been watching with a frown clenched his fists. Not only was his plans going awry again, Kazuya had mentioned the incident that he wanted people to forget about. Anyone who looked into what he said would have found out that Kazuya had been a victim of Hashiyama Lee, someone who once belonged to the Kurogane family.*tzzt!* Chiba suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his chest which brought him to his knees. He had been eliminated without warning."!" Heike wasted no time and leapt sideways to shoot at Kazuya."Not bad!" Kazuya smiled as he dodged the bullets by a hair. He enjoyed the tense situation and this was the closest to an actual practice against bullets he could get.His current self was significantly better than when he faced off against the Dokuro clan's head. He was now able to see the bullets unlike the previous time where he used his reflexes to dodge the trajectory.""Amazing."" The two teammate who were watching with their sniper scopes from afar couldn't help but mutter. They tested the suit's ability to sense both the bullets and the wearer's reflexes during the planning phase. As much as a surprise it was for Kazuya to have dodged bullets in practice, actually doing it in the current situation was like watching something out of a movie.*click* Heike's face paled as soon as he realized that he was out of ammo. He usually had a good grasp on how much bullet he has left but the amount of pressure that he was under made him unable to keep count.He immediately reached for the spare clip on his waist after ejecting the empty one while Kazuya who was maintaining some distance because of the suit's lag saw the short window of opportunity."Here!" Kazuya tossed his handgun towards Heike which caused the latter to be in shock. Heike immediately reached for Kazuya's gun."As long as I get it" He had no reason why Kazuya did it but as long as he got his hands on it, he would have no weapon. "wait a weapon!?" realizing that he had overlooked a crucial part of the match, Heike glanced towards the opponent who was already located right in front of him.In Kazuya's hand was a combat knife that was given to every participant. Since this was a competition that revolved around firearms, people only saw this knife as a decorative weapon because the blade itself was merely a projection. Heike did not expect that he would have been eliminated by a weapon that hasn't been used in the competition before.*bzzzt* a tingling sensation assaulted his chest as the holographic blade made contact with his suit.Complete defeat. It was over as before Heika's hand could even reach the gun that Kazuya thrown at his direction. What was even more depressing was that as soon as the shock the suit gave brought Heike to his knees, he saw Miyata's handgun on his opponent's holster."It's your win" Heike had completely given up. There was no room to doubt. He had completely lost.The audience that were on the edge of their seats just a few moments ago were now cheering as loudly as they could. The replays that slowed down what had happened in just a short span had them brimming with excitement.Kazuya had won without spending a single bullet. The opponents he went against were going to get a shock once they reviewed the replay of the match. Kazuya's team had already discussed before the match had began that his sniper rifle armed companions would shoot at the opponents after Kazuya had pointed his gun to their heads. This was the reason that he led them to an open field in the first place. They were already sure to have fallen by his hands so no one would complain if he left the points for his teammates.This was to show how important it was to follow a leader and his plan. This was a team battle after all. though Kazuya could just as easily taken out his three opponents by picking them off, he had opted to show the importance of team play as well as the weaknesses of those who have excessive pride. Victory or defeat, life or death was often determined with a single mistake, this was a lesson that those three who stood at the top needed to learn the most.-"Congratulations Kazuya-kun!" Kurumi immediately rushed to him and grabbed his hands after he exited the arena."Thank you." He gave her a light pat on the head. Kazuya knew that he had put on too much of a show so he turned towards Kurosawa who was looking at him like a manager who was looking at his next big star. "The last guy I battled with is the only one I would want on a team. The others are well suited for single participation events if their skills are really up to par." he excused himself and let Kurumi's bodyguards handle the rest as he went into the changing room.Tenma who was still inside the VIP room was silent and upset. He had a bad premonition after Kazuya had skillfully shown his dominance over his arrangements. It had been a long time since he had felt a bad omen and this time, it was a particularly ominous one.He wasn't exactly a person who believed in things such as premonitions but his experience over the years made him learn to trust his intuition. He sensed that trouble was about to come and it wasn't going to be small.Just as he was about to make a call, his eldest son, Sousuke had given him a call."Father! I don't know what Shishio did but I've gotten word that some companies have been inquiring about contract termination fees." With the purpose of making trouble for his younger brother, Sousuke reported this piece of news right away. He read out the names of the companies that were trying to back out of either negotiations or current dealings with them. Big or small, Sousuke made sure to include them. "I've also gotten word that they are currently on the search for companies that are able to replace us.""What?!" he had delegated Shishio's work to several of his people. He wanted Shishio to focus on his recovery before the Kurogane banquet so if there was anything that had changed, he is involuntarily responsible for it.The timing couldn't have been more accurate. The foreboding ominous feeling he had been sensing recently was now rearing its ugly head. Their business had just started getting back on track so this was something that would damage their recovery.What Tenma didn't know was that this was because of the advice Kazuya had given Stockton Jonson. Though there weren't any major deals between them and the Kurogane conglomerate ever since the incident a few years ago, this didn't stop the man from giving advice towards the companies that he had good relations with."What should we do father?" though making trouble for Shishio was his main purpose for reporting the incident, Sousuke knew the consequences if these companies did as they intended. Even though he wanted to win the seat of the clan head, he didn't want to sit on a throne that was only a throne in name."Stall them!" Tenma nearly cursed at his eldest son for not having one idea on how to deal with the situation himself. "Majority of these companies have good relations with Stockton international. It just so happens that your nephew just brought their little princess here. I'm going to try and set up a meeting with Stockton Jonson so work with the people under me and stall for time!" he commanded."R-right..!" Sousuke was taken aback after hearing that Kazuya was with Kurumi. Though he made trouble for his brother, having that bastard son of his take credit for solving this calamity was something that he didn't want.Tenma ended the call and immediately tried to locate where Stockton Kurumi and Kazuya might have been. His losses today were nothing compared to the current problems they were going to face if the reports were indeed true.When he found them preparing to leave, Tenma was blocked by the guards that were assigned to protect Kurumi. As insulted as Tenma was to be blocked by mere guards, conflict with the Stocktons was what the least to happen right now."I need to have a word with my grandson." Tenma said with a frown."Apologies if you feel any offence Tenma-sama." The leader of the bodyguards that guarded Kurumi bowed politely. "Jonson-sama has heard about the tragedy that has befallen the princess of the Shiroyuki-clan and has instructed that aside from himself, close family members, and Kazuya-sama, none may approach Kurumi-sama without our clearance.""I see" Tenma quietly mused. Thinking that this was an understandable response coming from a doting father, he had no choice but to accept it. It was Kurumi that had approached him earlier so they had no reason to block his way, the other way around however, no one could approach Stockton Kurumi no matter what their status was."Did you need me for something grandfather?" Kazuya already noticed Tenma's presence but decided to see the old man's pride take another hit."Come with me for a little bit" Tenma decided to pull his grandson aside. "I need your help to set up a meeting with the little girl's father" Tenma told Kazuya of the current situation because he knew that Shishio had already started educating the boy about their clan's business. He already saw Kazuya as his own kin so he needn't hold back on asking him to help with the responsibilities. He was a candidate for Tenma's seat after all.Kazuya was as shocked that Stockton Jonson had moved swiftly and decisively after just a few words from him. He didn't know why Kurumi's father trusted in his words or why Jonson had favored him a lot but this was out of his expectations."Don't worry grandfather. I know what I have to do for the family." Kazuya gave a confident smile that gave Tenma some assurance. This was a similar look that he gave when he had declared to win the competition."This is just the beginning old man. I want to see what you can do to prolong your own suffering!".
