「Aw, no honorifics? Shouldn't you call me big sister Finocchio? We may both be direct affiliates, but my rank is still higher than yours, isn't it~?」
「Wh, why are you here......」
「Why, you ask? I'm here to serve as the witness for this duel of course」
「The witness!?」
There was no greater feeling than setting up an idiot who thought that he was smart.
Albert, who had already been flustered by the betrayal of his underlings, was so frightened by Finocchio's appearance that it wouldn't be strange if he died from hyperventilation.
I was the one who had called Finocchio. I had asked him to serve as the witness to the duel.
For Finocchio, who was also a direct affiliate of the Luciano Family, the Gambino Family was both an ally and a business competitor. I knew that he would likely be willing to serve as the witness because it was a chance for him to crush a competitor without bearing any risks.
Above all, the Gambino Family had become a headache for the main Family because of that stimulant. Although their actions had been overlooked thanks to the achievements of the previous Don, deep down inside, the main Family must have wanted to punish them as soon as possible. If Finocchio served as a witness, he would essentially get the achievement for solving this, so there was even less reason for him to refuse.
Sure enough, Finocchio readily accepted my request.
At that time, the condition I proposed was for a 50 million Fil reward.
If Albert was chased out as the Don, Raios would automatically become the successor of the Gambino Family as he was the sub-leader, but it would only be temporary. In reality, the Gambino Family would be placed under Finocchio's control as he was the witness who presided over the duel.
The annual revenue of the Gambino family was about three billion Fil. If Finocchio got to manage it, something like 50 million Fil would just be small change to him.
I could try to fleece him for more, but it wasn't a good idea to get on Finocchio's bad side. Even if he was in favor, it wouldn't be a fair trade and I would end up owing Finocchio. It was dangerous to owe the Yakuza.
That was why the amount was 50 million Fil. It was the limit of what I could squeeze out from Finocchio.
「I, I see......I got it!! Mad Pierrot, you're the real mastermind!!! In order to set me up, you were orchestrating everything from behind the scenes, right!?」
Albert, who had misunderstood, pointed at Finocchio with a triumphant look. Having nothing to do with what he was talking about, Finocchio sighed flatly.
「That's wrong, you idiot. I didn't do anything. The one who set you up was Noel over there. You were simply dancing in the palm of that child's hand」
「Lies, I don't believe you!! It's impossible that I was set up by a brat like that!!」
「I don't know about that. Wasn't it simply that you were an idiot?」
Finocchio shook his head in exasperation and coldly abandoned Albert to his fate.
「I have to say~, I have to show my face at the brothel after this, so my schedule is rather tight. So hurry up and choose a substitute for the duel. Well, I don't particularly mind if you choose to fight yourself. Since it'll end immediately that way」
「I won't acknowledge this duel!! Don't keep proceeding as you please--」
「Don't grumble and whine this late in the game, you dung beetle!!! If you're a direct affiliate, then cut it out and harden your resolve, retard!!! If you bring us any further shame in front of me, then you've prepared an appropriate level of resolve, right!!?? Hmm!?」
At Finocchio's sudden change and roar, Albert started trembling.
「......Sh, shit!」
There was no escape. Albert finally resigned himself and nodded despondently.
「......I got it, I'll do the duel. In exchange, promise me. If the person I choose wins, you must acknowledge me as the Don of the Gambino Family」
「I don't mind. If anything, I'll even ask Papa(Family Head) to forgive you for bringing a large number of your underlings into the Seeker bar the other day」
「......What?」
「That was really bad, you know? To say nothing of you picking a fight with all the Seekers without good reason, you even got tricked by Noel and ran away crying, right? Papa was super mad at that」
「Urgh......」
Albert looked at me and ground his teeth in regret. What a true idiot. He had tightened the noose around his own neck because he had acted without thinking.
In order to choose his substitute for the duel, Albert looked over and agonized over his underlings for a long time, but eventually, he pointed to one man.
「Kouga! I choose you, you will fight in my place!」
Well, I suppose that's how things turn out. Just as expected.
In his heart, he probably wanted to choose Raios, who was the strongest among his underlings. But it was impossible for the current Albert to trust Raios. If Raios lost on purpose, everything would end for him. In that case, the only one he could trust was Kouga, who was bound by the covenant of servitude.
Kouga, who complied with Albert's call, stepped forward and stood before us.
「They brought out the Oriental just like Noel said they would. Now I can kill him」
Perhaps she was thinking that she could finally settle their fight, so Alma began to release an ominous murderous intent. The violent aura, which made it seem like anyone who touched her would be killed, was probably the result of Alma secluding herself back on the mountain and retraining herself.
But I had no intention of letting Alma and Kouga have a rematch. I grabbed the neck of Alma, who looked like she was about to jump out in front of me, and pulled her back.
「Ack!? Wh, what are you doing, Noel!?」
「Sorry. I'll deal with that guy. Alma should just watch and learn」
「Huhh!? What are you talking about!? Noel can't possibly win! You should know that better than anyone!」
She's right. I'll never win if I fought normally. But I won't leave a stain of defeat on my path to the top. It must not be allowed to exist.
「I'll treat you to a meal this time after everything is over, so just wait obediently」
「Noel will die before that!!」
「You think so?」
「Anyone will think the same!」
「Then you still aren't fully-fledged yet」
「Huh? W, wait!」
I pushed aside the unconvinced Alma and drank a combat stimulant as I walked in front of Kouga. I felt bad for Alma, but once it came to this, I couldn't change the person taking part in the duel.
I'll be the one to settle things with Kouga.
†
†
「Third time pays for all, they say」
It had started to rain. Drops of water dripped from my bangs. As we faced off, I smiled and Kouga also relaxed his face and looked happy.
Kouga, who had renewed his fighting spirit, emitted a pressure that was much heavier than before and felt sharpened like a blade.
「Hmm, aren't you highly motivated? Isn't it a pain to have to duel in place of someone like Albert? There's no benefit for you even if you win」
「I don't care about such trivial things. I'm just happy to be able to fight you again」
「Such great expectations for a person you've beaten before」
「That person that I've beaten before is raring for a rematch like this. Even a dumb person like me knows what that means. You have a plan, don't you? I'm looking forward to it」
「Hah, I guess you're smarter than the useless-boobies-idiot-woman over here. Then you understand, right? I won't pull any punches. So you should go all out to kill me」
「Got it. I won't hesitate anymore. The third time will pay for all」
Kouga put his hand on his still sheathed sword and bent deeply at his waist.
I had seen this stance in his fight with Alma. During the time I was away from the imperial capital, I had looked into the Bladesman Job at a library in another city, and that stance was indeed a requirement for activating a Skill.
Bladesman Skill: Iai Slash
It was a Skill that increased the speed and power of the attack made when drawing the sword from its sheath by five times.
If I entered within its wide range, there would likely be nothing I could do except to get cut in two, even with both my Black Dragon coat and the effects of the combat stimulant.
It was an attack that exceeded the limits of what I could handle.
But the seed that I sowed had sprouted. Kouga had said it himself.
「This will be the end. But before we start the fight, let me teach you one good thing」
「What? Go ahead and say it」
「You can remove persistent oil stains easily by rubbing them with orange peels」
「H, huhh? Just what are you talking--!?」
The instant Kouga tilted his head in confusion, I sprinted forward. I had already closed the distance between us. Taken by surprise, Kouga was slow to react.
That was not all. When I closed the distance in one breath, Kouga's body had stiffened up because he was wary of the plan that I was going to use.
And it was exactly because he knew it was coming, that he became too tense. This was the seed that I had sowed.
The pre-conceived notion that there was no way that the man who had the Gambino Family dancing in the palm of his hand, would have absolutely no plan when challenging someone he had lost to before.
What on earth does he have up his sleeve? The time he spent thinking that had tied Kouga down.
The requirements for activating Bladesman Skill: Iai Slash were to have the sword sheathed, and to draw it in one breath.
Kouga, who had let me close the distance one-sidedly, had completely missed the timing to use the Skill. Even if he started to draw his sword now, I would have dived into his chest before the Skill activated. Once things got to this point, there was no longer any need to fear his Skill.
But Kouga was able to think flexibly.
The moment he realized that I would get into his chest before he could fully draw his sword, he immediately reversed his grip. Then he set his stance with the sword only half-drawn. Rather than drawing his sword out completely, he intended to push me back in that state.
Well done.
I had intended to push down on the pommel of his sword to prevent him from fully drawing the sword, but it looked like I would have to change my plan. While charging at Kouga in a low posture, I guarded my head and neck with my right arm.
「I'll give you my right arm!」
The blade that pushed up against my arm, powered by Kouga rotating his waist, cut midway through the bone of my right arm. There was no pain thanks to the effects of the combat stimulant. I clenched my muscles to trap the sword.
「What, you!?」
Kouga widened his eyes in surprise. I used my left palm to strike his jaw.
「Argh!?」
I had succeeded in giving him a concussion. Though he didn't lose consciousness, Kouga couldn't fully withstand the force of the strike and fell back. In hot pursuit, I put strength into my legs.
The anti-person technique that Grandfather--Over Death had taught me was a technique that would cause a disruption to the enemy's heart rhythm by strongly striking him with a fist to the chest.
But in real fights, most enemies wore armor. It was close to impossible to disrupt their heart's rhythm by striking them with a fist to the chest.
For that reason, Over Death devised another technique.
I jumped and spun once in the air. Using the centrifugal force born from the spin, I released a kick right on top of Kouga's armor-protected chest.
Devised by Over Death, the strongest secret art of the anti-person fighting techniques that didn't rely on Skills.
Its name was--
「Roaring Thunder!」
The moment the spinning kick hit, just like its namesake, a loud sound like a peal of thunder rang out. The force of the kick, which was several times that of a fist, went through Kouga's armor and stopped his heart temporarily.
「......Gak......Argh.........」
Kouga crumpled to the ground.
He was an opponent I could never win against in a straight fight. But if I could control the situation, he wasn't an opponent I couldn't defeat. This was the path that Grandfather had taught me, and the one I was striving for.
「Haaaa......」
Still in a battle stance, I faced Kouga and breathed in deeply, and then out.
Merciless spirit. Even if my opponent was down, I didn't immediately relax my guard and stayed prepared for battle.
Eventually, Finocchio shouted loudly.
「We have a winner!!! Noel Stollen!!!」
The Family members, who had been watching the fight, broke into cheers all at once.
「......phew」
I could finally relax.
†
†
「Noel is really an idiot」
After the duel, I entered an emptied residence to rest my body. The rain was getting stronger and the raindrops were drumming loudly against the windows.
My right arm, which was nearly severed by Kouga, had already stopped bleeding thanks to a healing potion. It was impossible for it to fully recover within the day, but I would likely be able to move it as usual in three days. Apart from that, I could get a good healer to treat it as well.
「Noel is really an idiot」
The rebound from the combat stimulant was also less than expected. However, this was probably the result of my body building a resistance to it, so I might not get the desired effect the next time I used it.
「Noel is really an idiot」
「......so noisy. Don't say it three times」
Alma, who I had been ignoring, showed me a furious expression.
「If you had left it to me, you wouldn't have had to suffer such a serious injury. You're really an idiot」
「......Haa, I won so it's fine, isn't it?」
「That's not the problem. I'm Noel's ally and my role is to fight. Isn't Noel's role to be the control tower? Don't steal your ally's role」
Looking at her unusually serious expression, I started feeling guilty.
「......I'm sorry. It won't happen again」
「Really? Can you promise me that?」
「I promise. On my Grandfather」
「Then, I'll trust you」
Alma softened her expression and laughed gently.
「From now on, rely on your big sister more」
「Like I said, you aren't my big sister......Ah, forget it......」
At any rate, I was exhausted. I was feeling very sleepy. I might as well take a quick nap.
「By the way, I hear that Albert escaped」
「Ehh!?」
My sleepiness was blown away at once.
「What do you mean, he escaped!?」
「While everyone was getting worked up over Noel's win, it seems he took advantage of the uproar and sneaked away」
「Hey, that's bad, isn't it?」
「It'll be okay. The Gambino Family is out in force and searching for him. They should find him soon. I think he'll be floating in a canal by tomorrow morning」
Alma's explanation reassured me.
「I see, then it's fine. ......Hopefully, Chelsea will be at peace」
「Who's Chelsea?」
「It's nothing. Forget about it」
There was an unexpected knock on the door.
「Who is it?」
「It's Raios. Can I come in?」
Alma and I looked at each other before responding.
「It's okay. Come in」
Raios entered the house and showed me a big smile.
「It was a splendid fight. You were the one who was a true man」
「Well, thank you」
「I've caused trouble for you. I'm sorry」
「Don't worry about it. It's the end for Albert. That makes me feel much better」
「I see...... Then I'm relieved. If you ever run into any trouble, you can call me anytime. The Gambino family will fight for you」
「Stop it, I don't need the help of the Yakuza」
「Hahaha, that's right」
Raios turned on his heel. His face hidden, he continued to speak with his back towards me.
「Your manliness made me remember a man I admired. Thank you, Noel Stollen. I'll never forget this debt of gratitude for the rest of my life」
After Raios left, this time it was Finocchio who came.
「Noel, good work~. I need to have a short~ chat with you, but is that okay?」
Even though I wanted to take it easy and rest, I was still so busy. But I couldn't possibly chase him away. Because I was the one who had called him to be the witness.
「What is it? Please keep it short, if possible」
「I understand. I've got plans for later too. But I need to talk to you alone, so could you ask that girl to leave?」
「......Got it」
I shot Alma a look and she left the house.
「So, what did you want to talk about?」
「I don't like complicated talk, so I'll give it to you straight. Noel, join my Family. You won't regret it. If you like, I can even entrust the Gambino Family to you. If it's you, the Family members will surely accept it as well」
「Me, become a Yakuza Don?」
At the far too sudden and unrealistic proposal, I burst out laughing.
「Hahaha, are you serious? I'm just a 16 year old brat, you know?」
「It has nothing to do with your age. What's important is your heart(caliber as a man). It's the same for Seekers as well, right?」
「Well, you're right. But I refused you last time, didn't I?」
「Yes. That's why I'm asking again」
「......Finocchio, no matter how many times you invite me, my answer won't change」
「No matter what?」
「Yes, no matter what」
Finocchio's shoulders dropped when I declared that.
「I see. You're pretty stubborn, aren't you?」
「Sorry」
「It's fine. I had expected that answer」
Finocchio corrected his posture and smiled at me.
「Hey, do you know what my Job is, Noel?」
「......No, I only know that it's a combat type Job」
「Then I might as well tell you. My Job is Punisher, an A Rank Job from the Scout series. My direct fighting ability is inferior to other vanguards, but I have various special Skills」
「......Hmm」
「It's also outstanding at putting on a show, and can provide entertainment as well. I'll prepare a little something, so take a look. Chararara~」
As he hummed, Finocchio took out a handkerchief from his chest pocket. He gestured pompously with it, and then placed it over his empty palm.
「Chara~ra, Chara~ra~rara, yes! No blinking from now on! One, two, three! Jaa, jaa~n!」
When he pulled away the handkerchief, I saw a strange red object sitting on his palm. It looked like a fruit at first glance, but its form was too grotesque and creepy.
In addition, it was pulsating regularly......
「What do you think this is? This, is Noel's heart」
Haha, bet you didn’t expect to see Noel vs Kouga III… wait, what are you doing, Finocchio!!??
Were you expecting such a huge twist when there’s only one more chapter to go!!?? I did warn you guys, this author is good at ending arcs. He made it look like that duel was the twist/climax so your guard would be down, just like Noel.
With regards to Merciless spirit or Zanshin(残心), it’s a concept that you must always be prepared for anything that might happen, counterattacks, etc even after you’ve downed an opponent. It’s most related to kendo, though it’s not really applied much nowadays, the flags go up instantly when someone scores an ippon, but in the older days, if you scored a good hit then raised your hands in a triumphant pose or turned to celebrate, that strike would NOT be counted as you would be deemed as not having Zanshin, which is technically still a requirement for scoring in kendo. Hence, Finocchio waited till Noel displayed Zanshin before he declared him the winner.
( T_T) Chelsea… For those who might have thought that Noel was a cold-hearted robot…Don’t forget what Alma said in her arc, he’s really only acting tough.
Stay tuned for the final chapter of the Yakuza arc!
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