Tokyo Wingman King

Asama and Takishima heard Komaba's voice through their headphones—

"There's only one truth—Mieaki's brother is in cahoots with the Sako Group. Didn't you mention that you found a book called [KID Bottom-Up Strategy] in the KKIS library? This guy must have escaped his bottom-up predicament by controlling and exploiting other [human pigs]."

"Is there any evidence?" Asama asked.

"You can guess this kind of thing without evidence, right? Just like [when you feel relaxed and comfortable, there's definitely a group of honest people being ridden on your head.] Ah Qiu's brother has no status in KKIS and doesn't have any characteristics that the fraternity likes. How could he make money without bullying honest people?"

Komaba explained.

If we filter out the sarcastic tone in Komaba's words, his point of view has some merit.

At first glance, Michiaki's personal profile looks like the kind of job application resume that gets lost in HR emails, but upon closer inspection, it turns out to be even worse than those boring resumes.

In KKIS, a background character is practically equivalent to a "human pig." To thrive in KKIS, you need to be able to do anything. And guys with pretty faces, if they don't have a strong background, are more likely to be bullied.

"That is to say, there is no evidence."

Asama said expressionlessly.

Takishima offered a conjecture, putting himself in others' shoes.

"Maybe she's being kept by a rich woman from KKIS? I don't think it's right to presuppose someone as bad or label them as evil before you have evidence."

This young man, who had served as a mercenary in the Middle East for several years, was accustomed to seeing the weak being stigmatized. Therefore, he was more inclined to believe that the deceased was a good person, provided that this person had no connection to the upper class.

"It's hard to say. Based on the previous information, A Qiu's brother has an extraordinary sense of self-respect. If he could be a robber, he would never be a beggar."

"Why couldn't it be that he coerced some rich woman?"

"Are you just trying to argue with me? Shouldn't the focus of the investigation be finding those [human pigs] controlled by the Discipline Youren?"

Komaba and Takishima started arguing in the public voice channel.

"Why couldn't the money that Miezumo received have been earned by Ji Youren through his work?"

Takishima continued, pressing the earpiece.
"You collected the work experience information of Ji Lu Yaji and his father, and you also said that their family has cattle and horse genes. Yet now you say that Ji Lu Youren is a robber."

"Genes don't determine everything. Even a great ruler like Qin Shi Huang had a stupid son like Hu Hai. If Ji Youren was just an honest worker, why would Miezuki say that Brother A Qiu [did not keep his promise]?"

"If their agreement was for Yuuto to help Miefune investigate KKIS's criminal activities, but Yuuto spent all his time working part-time, wouldn't that constitute [breaking the agreement]?"

"You said it was a hypothetical."

"Aren't you always saying 'if' too?"

"You were the one who started saying 'if' first."

I said [maybe].

"Isn't that the same thing?!"

"Then let me ask you, if Ji Youren is the bully you're talking about, why did he die in KKIS?"

Upon hearing Takishima's question, Komaba let out a snort of laughter.
"What's there to doubt? On the grasslands, whether it's a lion or a wildebeest, they all die eventually. Well, it's also possible that he found something extraordinary that was dealt with by an animal at the top of the food chain."

"If he did investigate, then why did Miefune accuse him of [not keeping his promise]?"

"I'm not Miefuki, how would I know what their agreement is?"

"Since you don't know what the content is, what right did you have to use that to refute me?"

"Because besides conjecture, there are also great conjectures in this world."

"So, can you stop making useless assumptions now?"

The arguing, at the elementary school level—no, it should be the Pochi level—was buzzing in Asama's ears, and at that moment he felt like a complete outsider.

Asama coughed twice and said...

"Let's ask about the matter of Discipline Yu-ren after Miefune is released."

Komaba, who had suggested arresting and torturing Miefuneki a week earlier, rolled his eyes unseen on the other end of the phone and said...
"No need to wait that long. Just have Takishima bring over Kadokura and Kashiwagi, who are also members of the Sako Group, and interrogate them. They definitely know some inside information."

After saying that, the hacker boy moved the mouse on the desktop and yawned in a way that could have been punched.

Takishima stroked his chin and asked,

"It's not impossible. If a group can produce two senior executives, then this Sako group is obviously problematic. I remember the head of the academic affairs office at KKIS is also surnamed Sako, right? Does Hachiman think there's something wrong with that person?"

"I don't understand."

He didn't have much contact with the head of the academic affairs office, though he had met him briefly during his onboarding process. The head of the office had the appearance of a corrupt official who sought to make money through affability. It was said that this head of the office, Sako, was also very close to Principal Sakon, making him a truly powerful figure.

He was the umpire for the baseball game between Yamagata Ariaki and Francis Aosaki a few days ago.

"I see. Komaba, could you please send me the addresses of the three people I just mentioned?" Takishima said, taking a deep breath as if making a decision.

"Didn't you download a copy of the previous information? Go find your home address yourself."

"I'm talking about location tracking, their current GPS tracking. How can they find us without that? As a fan of the Three Kingdoms, haven't you heard of the story of the Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage? But even if you go to someone's doorstep, there's always a chance you'll find nothing."

"Do you really think I can easily control the location of all the [KID] fraternity members? If these people don't click on the links in the text messages or download the various apps pushed on the forum, there's nothing I can do about them."

"So you're saying your skills are outdated, and you're still not ashamed enough to improve?"

I could hear Komaba's heavy, dissatisfied breathing through the headphones.

Having stayed up for three consecutive nights and already quite exhausted, he seemed to have taken a full-body booster from Pokémon, striking a spirited battle stance over the phone and launching into a new round of arguments with Takishima.

"What a joke! I just didn't have time for complicated hooks. If you're really in such a hurry, go ask your Indian girlfriend for help. Didn't you guys handle that police inspector yourselves?"

"No time? That's why I said before: play fewer games and post fewer game guides on your blog. If you want people to trust you more, be more mature, make time, and handle the important and urgent matters well."

"Le, you're calling me naive? Isn't the most urgent thing you should be doing? Hurry up and bring those clearly problematic people here, and stop your whining!"

“A significant characteristic of immature men is that they insist on their partners fulfilling their expectations in the way they want, and if these expectations are not met, they will complain or even resent. In contrast, mature people know how to select what they need from the responses their partners give them and are grateful for their partners’ past efforts.”

"You can use this kind of compromising and greasy social philosophy yourself; I would never consider such a thing. How about we make a bet now? You and I will each be in charge of two senior executives of [KID]. Whoever can develop them into downlines in the shortest time will be able to unconditionally order the other person around in the KKIS matter."

"A contest? That suits me perfectly."

"Let me make one thing clear first, Mr. Hachiman, you are not allowed to interfere. I want Takishima to lose fair and square."

Before Asama could reply, Takishima laughed and answered.

"Komaba, your worries are unnecessary. It just means you don't understand Hachiman yet."

"Filial piety. The first thing I'll do after I win is..."

"Then we'll talk about it after you win."

The two quickly entered their third round of arguing.

Asama felt increasingly uncomfortable listening to this, and covered his head, saying...

"You don't need to worry about [KID]'s matter."

Komaba, who had assumed Asama would be happy about the [commanders volunteering for battle], was taken aback and asked...

"Does Master mean that I and Takishima should investigate the other fraternities?"

Takishima nodded.
"Alright. If it really comes down to a fight, dealing with an entire Brotherhood is naturally more challenging than dealing with one or two people. Leave the [FAB] matter to me."

Takishima still remembers the ladybugs he caught when he and Asama were cleaning up the brothel—according to Hachiman's latest information, these people all came from [FAB].

Remembering that Asama had told them not to interfere with [KID], Takishima added,
"If [FAB] has any connection with Si Jiude, that high-ranking executive of [KID] who frequents brothels, I will tell you immediately, Master."

Komaba's voice broke in.
"Takishima, you mean you want me to investigate the remaining two?"

"If you are confident and the Big Teacher has no objections, you can naturally take charge of the investigation of the other two fraternities."

"Ha, a provocation? Do you really think you're Zhuge Liang?"

“Then let’s go with one. If you really take charge of two, I’m worried it’ll be a bit unfair. After all, the useful information you provided to the Great Teacher about the fourth Brotherhood isn’t even enough to fill an A4 page.”

"Clam, no matter how bad I am, the information I provided to Teacher Da is 100 times that of yours, right? I'm an A4 sheet of paper, what are you? A piece of toilet paper?" The two started arguing about the information again.

"I'm telling you, you don't need to worry about KKIS's affairs. Just mind your own business."

Asama left those words behind and disappeared into the early morning rain.

Like an unemployed "MADAO" (a useless old man), Asama was catching up on sleep on a bench in a park pavilion when someone peeled the newspaper off his face.

"No wonder you looked so familiar. Kondo, you haven't gone bankrupt, have you?"

With makeup on, Rina Sakai held an umbrella in her hand and looked at Asama with curiosity, her brows furrowed with undisguised joy.

"Why are you here?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking that question?! Are they really bankrupt?"

Asama remembered that the bookstore Nijo Rena had recommended was near this park, and Sakai Rina was probably there for a job interview.

Rina Sakai asked again,
"Even if it's inconvenient to stay at the school anymore, didn't you say you rented a house in Moto-Azabu? Or are you saying that the gazebo here will be transformed into your favorite Gundam?"

"I was so tired that I just found a place to sleep."

Rina Sakai immediately took a step back and covered her nose.

"Like homeless people sleeping in parks? You're incredibly reckless!"

"You're incredibly audacious to just pull back a homeless person's blanket like that."

Rina Sakai, whose heart was already racing when her eyes met Asama's, blushed instantly upon hearing this, as if her body had lifted five or six centimeters off the ground.

"You're a disqualified teacher!!!"

Asama, still resembling Shinichiro Kondo, snatched the newspaper back from Rina Sakai's hand, carefully folded it, and stuffed it into his pocket, saying...
"The bookstore opens at 9 o'clock, why are you here so early?"

Sakai's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but ask.
"How do you know the bookstore's opening hours? Do you own that bookstore?"

"If you're introducing jobs to students, it's a breach of teaching qualifications if you don't even know the most basic information about the job location. You haven't answered my question yet."

Sakai said coyly,

"I'm a little nervous. I didn't sleep well last night and it's already dawn. If I keep sleeping, I'm afraid I'll oversleep. I might as well come over and check out the road conditions first."

Are they elementary school students?

Sensing the offense in Asama's eyes, Rina Sakai lost her coyness.

"You're probably thinking I'm an idiot in your heart!"

"Is not it?"

"It's better than a homeless person using a newspaper as a blanket."

Asama patted his coat, which was damp with moisture, and shrugged.
"Thanks for the reminder. The homeless man is going home now. Good luck with your interview."

Before the girl could respond, Asama walked out of the pavilion.

A light, chilly drizzle was still falling outside the pavilion, and the leaden-gray clouds above the park remained motionless.

"and many more!!!"

Rina Sakai turned around, without even opening her umbrella, and followed Asama out of the pavilion.

She didn't want this encounter to end like this.

"Anyway, there's still some time before the interview. Kondo, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? How about I treat you to breakfast? Or, after my interview, I'll treat you to lunch?"

Before the girl's expression could shift from shyness to embarrassment, Asama waved his hand and said,

"Thanks. Until you really start making big money, it's best to save your money."

In fact, Asama had already gotten back the 65 yen that Rina Sakai had been extorted from, with interest, yesterday.

But if you just give her all 150 million, there's no need for her to write reading notes or work part-time.

Asama didn't think it was a good thing to just return the money to her.

The structural pressure created by debt always motivates people to think more and do more.

Suddenly, an umbrella appeared in Asama's hand.

"Can I lend you my umbrella? It'll be 1000 yen in credit, no problem?"

"Isn't this the behavior of a profiteer?"

Rina Sakai, who had long since run off, waved her arms and laughed.
"How can you make big money if you don't become a shrewd businessman? I learned that from you, Kondo."

As the phone emitted its sixth bark, Asama moved to a quiet spot and answered the call.

"Ah Shui, Ah Shui, aren't you up yet?"

"You're up early. Pochi, didn't you do your morning exercise today?"

Pochi only made the call at this time, which clearly meant he had slept in late.

"Ah Shui, don't you check the weather forecast? It's raining heavily today, I don't want to get soaked."

"Rain will not cause species to mutate."

Two suppressed laughs came from beside Pochi.

It is Futami and Majima.

Yesterday, they stayed with Pochettino in his apartment next to Chit Park.

"Ah Shui, think carefully before you speak. Your new shirt is in my hands now."

Boqi was referring to the shirt that Erjian had made for him, which looked like it was already finished.

This also means that they were probably staying up late because they were making shirts.

A warm feeling mixed with guilt welled up in my chest.

Asama's tone softened considerably.

"I checked the weather forecast. From 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., Tokyo will only have light rain, which will not affect my morning exercise."

"But I've already done my morning exercise."

"Could it be snoring?"

"I'll take all the buttons off your new shirt right now!"

It seems they helped sew on the buttons.

"That would be a huge help. Of course, if you sewed it, I believe that even if you don't take it off, it will fall off your shirt like a skydiver in a few days."

"Hmph! Even if your teeth fall out, they won't!"

Like a primary school student, he exchanged a few more words with Pochi, and chatted with Futami and Majima for a while. Asama then used the excuse of having to do his morning reading to hang up the phone.

He could tell that Futami and Majima actually had a lot more to say.

A few pleasantries have very limited effect.

But we'll meet tomorrow, won't we?

He thought wearily.

Asama blended into the morning rush hour crowd rushing to catch the train, shaking his head to dispel his self-loathing and mentally reviewing his schedule for the day.

An address appeared on his phone screen.

The Sako family. (End of Chapter)