Macho Man Doesn't want a Slice-of-Life

"Still cocky, huh? Try being cocky again, I dare you."

Now lying on the ground, Hayami was bloodied and bruised. His old bones were probably shattered.

Everyone stared in shock at Rinji—but no one tried to stop him.

Because what shocked them more than Rinji attacking was the fact that Katahara Metsudo and his guards weren't doing anything to stop him either.

It was as if Rinji's violent beating of Hayami was being silently permitted.

"Whoo~"

After pummeling the man into an unrecognizable mess, Rinji let out a breath. Katahara, standing behind him, chuckled and asked, "Feel good, Young Rinji?"

"Eh, so-so. The feedback was a little lacking."

With a final kick that sent Hayami rolling aside, Rinji stepped forward. The gathered business representatives instinctively stepped aside to make a path as he approached.

Rinji only stopped once he reached Katahara's side, then turned to face the crowd.

There were 32 people below the venue—each representing one of the 32 participating companies.

"Now, we begin the position draw for the Kengan Life-or-Death Elimination Tournament."

As Katahara spoke, he clapped his hands.

Several black-suited guards rolled in a massive machine that resembled a slot machine—nine rotating dials, each labeled 0 to 9.

"What's that?"

"This machine will decide your draw order for the elimination tournament," said Katahara. "Press the button once to start all the digits spinning. Then, each press of the button stops a digit—starting from the hundred-millions place, then ten-millions, all the way to the ones. Whoever scores the highest number gets to pick their bracket position first."

Some of the participants initially suspected Katahara of rigging the machine.

But when their phones displayed "Offline," ruling out remote control, and a few tech-savvy participants explained how it worked, their doubts eased.

Even so, Katahara still made a concession.

He had his staff project the tournament bracket on a large screen. Positions 1 through 32 were displayed, with Position 32 already assigned to Katahara's fighter—Kanoh Agito.

"I know what you're all thinking," Katahara grinned. "None of you are idiots. It's not the bracket numbers that matter—it's who you might have to face. Specifically, the king of the fighters, Kanoh Agito. None of you want to fight him, do you?"

"Gulp…"

No one said it aloud, but that was exactly what everyone was thinking.

Kanoh Agito—his name thundered across the Kengan world. He was an undefeated legend, the unquestioned champion of the fighters.

Most companies didn't believe their fighters could match him, even if those fighters insisted they were willing to try.

Still, nobody wanted to take that risk—especially not in the first round.

"I've already given you this much help. No complaints now."

"…"

No one objected. They began using the machine.

The numbers spun incredibly fast. Pressing the button was pure luck.

One by one, participants took their turns—and the results came in.

To everyone's surprise, the first place draw went to Yamashita Kazuo, a completely unremarkable middle-aged man. He scored a whopping 980 million points.

Even Rinji had to reevaluate the seemingly average uncle.

Second place went to the young, short-haired woman Hiyama Shunka, president of Wakasa Life Insurance.

She had been glancing at Rinji from time to time—something he understood clearly.

Her company's fighter was Akoya Seishu—the same guy who had openly declared his intent to execute Rinji.

The rest were fairly average. In dead last was Rihito—he managed to score only three digits, somehow pressing all the upper digits to zero. That took talent in its own right.

Of course, he wasn't technically the last—Hayami Katsumasa was still unconscious and couldn't participate. He got whatever slot was left, which luckily wasn't Kanoh Agito's.

Apparently, Agito had already been selected by a company called "Muji TV," who clearly had great faith in their fighter.

"The drawing is over. Now I'm announcing an extra rule."

Just as the business leaders were sighing in relief, Katahara's voice startled them again.

"What now?"

"Another rule?"

As all eyes turned his way, Katahara nodded in satisfaction and clapped Rinji on the shoulder.

"This is Rinji Takamine, president of the thirty-third participating company—Amano Pharmaceuticals." Katahara smiled. "I'm sure you've all seen his prelim footage, so I won't waste time explaining."

He paused. Then his voice boomed through the hall.

"Whether you plan to ally with others or fight solo, as long as you make it to the top 16, you may challenge Rinji Takamine."

An uproar exploded in the hall.

"You mean… challenge?"

"Challenge a kid? With our fighters?"

"Is that even allowed?"

Katahara understood their confusion and answered with a calm smile.

"You don't need to worry about the rules. Rinji-kun operates outside the Kengan Association's usual framework. And as current chairman, I am adding this rule. Naturally, to challenge him, there are two conditions."

He raised two fingers.

"First, only those who make it through the first round—into the top 16—may challenge. Second, before the challenge, you must negotiate with Rinji-kun regarding what your company is willing to offer."

"I have a question."

Soryuin Shion raised her hand.

"Go ahead."

"When you said 'ally,' does that mean companies can join forces and send multiple fighters to challenge him?"

"Yes."

"Is there a limit on the number of fighters?"

"No."

"…"

In other words, if they wanted to, they could gang up and send all sixteen top fighters at once to challenge Rinji. But realistically, that was unlikely—businesses didn't get along that well, and full cooperation was near impossible.

"One more question."

Shion took a cigarette from her pocket and lit it, trying to steady her nerves.

"You added this rule specifically. If someone defeats him… is there a reward?"

"Of course."

Katahara burst into laughter, his sharp gaze practically piercing the crowd.

"If any of you manage to defeat him, the tournament ends immediately—and the winner gains the right to appoint the next Kengan Association chairman!"

"!!!!!?"