Chapter 15: The Finals Arrive

Chapter 15: The Finals Arrive

At precisely eleven o'clock, Shane and Junichi met the punctual Qilin at the Wisteria Restaurant.

"You must be Junichi, right?" Qilin's face was filled with emotion as he gestured with his hand. "I saw you with the old president when you were little. You definitely don't remember me. You were only this big back then..."

"Get to the point."

Junichi kept a straight face, remembering Shane's instructions. "I know my father helped you out, but that small kindness can't withstand the changes in a person's heart. There's no need for this."

"You child," Qilin shook his head helplessly and sighed.

"Then let's cut to the chase. I was worried, so I came to inform you specifically. Although this tournament has allowed you to participate under the Sakuraba name, it's impossible for you to win the championship. Otherwise, you might bring a fatal disaster upon yourselves. It's better to give up early."

"Someone is targeting us? Are they the ones who suppressed and ruined the Sakuraba Dojo back then?"

"It's hard for me to say."

Qilin's brow furrowed deeply. "To be honest, I still haven't figured it out. Why did the other dojos suddenly join forces to go against the Sakuraba family?"

"Several of the dojo masters were good friends with the old president... your father. And they were definitely not the type to kick someone when they're down."

"Starting four or five years ago, the atmosphere on this island became stranger and stranger. Everyone seemed to have suddenly forgotten the original purpose of this island of swordsmanship and became solely focused on making money."

"Especially the masters of the Seven Great Dojos. It's like they've all got money on the brain. They even disappear together for a day or two sometimes, for some secret meeting..."

"In short, the water runs deep on this island."

Qilin's tone was sincere. "I know that both of you, especially Mr. Shane, are very strong swordsmen, but this isn't something one or two people can handle. So, it's best to curb your curiosity and leave this island as soon as possible."

Shane and Junichi exchanged a look.

"That's all I have to say. I've already taken a huge risk by coming to see you. I've done all I can. Don't expect me to help you any further."

Qilin shook his head and pushed back his chair to stand up. "Just as you said, that kindness from back then is only enough to support me this far. Gentlemen, farewell."

They watched his back descend the stairs, the sound of his footsteps gradually fading away. Only then did the two switch seats to face each other.

"Logically speaking, this is a mess we really shouldn't get involved in," Shane said languidly, crossing his legs. "But I know that with your personality, you definitely won't give up on the championship that's almost within your grasp."

"Uh, Mr. Shane, you really don't have to use me as a shield all the time," Junichi said with a pained look, throwing his hands up. "At this point, even if I wanted to slip away, I'm afraid you wouldn't allow it..."

After spending a few days together, he had gotten to know Shane better. The guy seemed calm, experienced, and reliable at first, but his true personality was also quite unserious. And when his temper flared, he could be even more stubborn than Junichi himself.

"Hey, you kid, you learn the bad stuff pretty fast," Shane said, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "That's right. I'm not like you, where even getting to the finals is uncertain. The championship trophy already has my name engraved on it, okay? The prize money is five million Belli."

"And the registration fee and all that other crap cost me everything I had. I don't care how deep the water is. This is the East Blue. Whoever dares to stop me from getting my money, I'll cut them down!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Junichi nodded vigorously. "So what do we do now?"

"You idiot, we're already in a restaurant. Do you even need to ask?!" Shane declared heroically, waving his hand to call the waiter and order. "Of course, we eat first! How can we fight on an empty stomach?"

"But this seems to be a high-end restaurant. I just looked at the menu. A vegetable salad costs 5,000 Belli. Your money..."

A dead silence fell.

In the end, Shane dragged Junichi out of the restaurant under the contemptuous gaze of the waiter. They returned to the plaza and obediently got in line for the free noodle soup provided by the tournament.

Speaking of which... all I wanted was to return a few coins. How did things get so complicated? Now I'm reduced to scavenging for food like a homeless person. What did I even come out here for?

In the afternoon, the quarter-finals and semi-finals were held one after another.

For Shane, there was no suspense. The two opponents he faced were no different from the small fry in the preliminaries, both sent flying off the stage by a single, powerful sword strike. It even made the audience wonder if he was here to play golf instead of competing in swordsmanship.

Junichi's matches, however, were much more thrilling. He fought a tough battle in the quarter-finals, narrowly winning after more than ten minutes. His semi-final match was scheduled for last. Shane finished his matches first and watched quietly from below the stage.

"Hm?"

Looking at the tall, thin swordsman wearing a mask, Shane narrowed his eyes, a sense of alarm rising in his heart. His sharp intuition, enhanced by his physical transformation, told him that this person was dangerous, on a completely different level from all the other swordsmen he had encountered.

"Be careful, Junichi," he whispered to his little brother, who was preparing to go on stage. "This guy is no simpleton."

"Ah, I can see that too," Junichi nodded with a grave expression.

"You can see my foot. It's just that out of the other seven in the top eight, you'd have a hard time beating any of them."

"...Do you really have to point that out? Not everyone is as strong as you, spinning people like tops."

A moment later, the two went on stage, stood in their positions, and bowed to each other.

When they looked up again, Junichi's eyes were filled with nervousness, while the tall, thin swordsman opposite him simply watched him quietly, his expression hidden by the white fox mask.

"Second semi-final match! White Fox versus Junichi! The winner will advance to the finals!" the announcer shouted, his right hand swinging down amidst the crowd's anticipation. "Now, begin!"

Clack!

The moment his voice fell, accompanied by the crisp sound of a bamboo sword, Junichi screamed and was sent flying off the stage, landing heavily on the ground several meters away.

Silence fell over the crowd.

The audience stared blankly at White Fox, who calmly sheathed his sword. After a moment of shock, a huge uproar erupted.

"This guy... he can also do a one-hit knockout like Mr. Shane?!"

"What's with this year's tournament? What kind of monsters are competing?!"

"Now the finals will be interesting! I thought Mr. Shane would definitely win, but this makes it exciting!"

Amidst the boiling excitement, Shane helped Junichi up. After confirming he wasn't seriously injured, he stared coldly at White Fox on the stage. The other seemed to feel his gaze, looked over, and after a moment of eye contact, shook his head and turned to leave the stage.

The announcer was also stunned, only snapping out of it after a long moment. He hurriedly climbed onto the stage and loudly announced the results.

"Second semi-final match, White Fox wins! He advances to the finals, where his opponent will be this year's biggest dark horse, contestant Shane!"

"As per the tradition of the last five years, the finals will be held tonight at seven o'clock, four hours from now, in the indoor dojo to give the contestants ample rest!"

"—Spectators with tickets can enter in advance! The plaza will also have a live broadcast on the big screen. Please look forward to it!"

Do they really need to rest? the audience grumbled to themselves. Shane and the man in the White Fox mask both won in an instant. They were on and off the stage so fast, it barely even counted as a warm-up, right?

This year was really strange. In previous years, once it reached the top eight, the matches were usually evenly fought. When had they ever seen a situation like this?

However, this also made some people realize that the popularity of this year's finals was likely to far exceed previous years. With two monsters facing off, who wouldn't want to know who would come out on top?

I have to buy a ticket!

What's the point of a match like this if you don't watch it live?!

Many people immediately started moving towards the ticket office, only to find out with dismay that the final match tickets, which originally started at several thousand Belli, had been sold out for days. There were no tickets left.

And just at that moment, a group of scalpers surreptitiously mingled with the crowd, looking for targets to sell their wares...

Behind a large desk.

"All the tickets are sold out? The front row seats were sold for 50,000 Belli and people still bought them?"

After hearing the report from the other end of the line, the middle-aged man became even more elated. "This way, the ticket revenue alone will be several tens of millions. If we include all the income from the entire tournament period, this year's net profit will exceed two hundred million!"

"You really are something, White Fox!"

After hanging up, the middle-aged man lit a cigar and said with a grin, "Sending that Sakuraba kid flying with one blow... only a swordsman like you, who has been immersed in kendo for over twenty years, could do that. I wasn't wrong about you. If it weren't for you, how could the hype for this year's finals be so high!"

"Want one?" he offered another cigar. "The final is a best-of-five. Try to drag it out for the full five matches and then defeat that kid at the last moment. You can do that, right? Only then can we continue to attract more tourists next year and keep raising the ticket prices for the finals!"

White Fox stood there silently, neither answering nor taking the cigar.

"Don't know what's good for you," the middle-aged man felt a little embarrassed and snorted, taking the cigar back. "Get lost! Go prepare for your final. I'm going to watch the live broadcast here with some beautiful ladies later. Having a wooden post like you standing here is a real buzzkill!"

White Fox turned and left without a word.

As he walked through the corridor, he happened to see Shane and Junichi in the distant plaza, lining up for the free dinner bento boxes. The two were joking and laughing with each other, clearly having become good friends.

"Why did you have to come back..."

White Fox stared at the scene, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes, but it quickly turned back to indifference.

I already gave you a chance back then.

He glanced one last time in the direction of the middle-aged man's office, then turned and strode away without lingering.

He had earned enough money, and he was tired of acting. He really didn't want to stay on this island any longer. It was about time... to put an end to it all.