Tokyo Wingman King

Haruma Togami once said that, as a sponsor, he could book venues like the Budokan, Tokyo Dome, or Tokyo Big Sight as the permanent venue for the Mugen Festival. While this would certainly increase the Mugen Festival's influence, it conflicted with Taiki Heiwa's idea of ​​taking things one step at a time and achieving a balanced revenue stream.

After several rounds of discussions, the executives and shareholders of Mugensha finally made a decision during a phone call between Daiki and Asama. The venue for the third Mugen Festival, as Daiki had requested, was set in Adachi Ward, outside the six central wards of Tokyo. Toneri Park, near the Herima Shopping Street, was large enough, easily accessible, and had ample parking, making it more than suitable for hosting large-scale events.

More importantly, rebuilding a celebration center is far more exciting than queuing to join one.

The venue for the Mugen Festival finals has been set up at the track and field stadium in the northwest area of ​​the park. Meanwhile, from the station square facing the station to the second parking lot of Toneri Park, and from the tree-lined avenue of the park to the Hanami Lawn Square, the 320 booths of the Mugen Festival run through the entire area along the above two routes, one horizontal and one vertical.

With so many stalls, it's impossible for them all to be run by members of Mugensha. As a group with members all over Tokyo, they invited shop owners from 27 shopping streets to set up stalls, accounting for 7% of the total. The remaining 3% are stalls provided by Mugensha and related investors. The types of businesses represented by the stalls in each area are evenly distributed. On the one hand, to avoid competition between similar stalls from different neighborhoods in Tokyo, Daiki and his team deliberately mixed up the types of businesses represented by the stalls.

Starting yesterday, this quiet and spacious Adachi Ward park, perfect for walking dogs and children, transformed into a sea of ​​people, much like Senso-ji Temple, Shibuya Crossing, and Arakawa Park during fireworks festivals. According to Daiki, half the stalls participated in the trial operation on Saturday, attracting at least 8000 people to shop and take photos. Based on the comparison between past data and yesterday's trial operation, Daiki predicts that today's Mugen Festival finale might see a total visitor count exceeding 2.

His estimate was actually conservative. The promotional budget for this event was twice that of the last final, and the duration was extended from 7 days to 10 days. There was also the added boost of co-branded events such as Capcom Street Fighter game demos.

As soon as Asama got off the train, he saw several large Japanese calligraphy characters on a huge advertisement for the collaboration between Infinity Festival and Street Fighter 6.

"The final battle is imminent! Mortal Kombat, Martial Spirit Ignites!"

He recognized the cosplayer standing in the center of the advertisement, portraying Cammy from Street Fighter 6—the tomboy Yuna Asamiya, a two-time Infinite Festival fighting game champion. The other 15 cosplayers were also finalists from Infinite Studios. The casting was excellent; even those who weren't professional cosplayers perfectly captured the essence of the game characters.

The advertisement was visually striking, but the message it conveyed was somewhat overshadowed. Most uninformed viewers would likely mistake it for a Capcom game ad. However, this wasn't a major issue. Near the event booth at the station entrance, a dozen or so members of the Infinite Fighting Festival were diligently handing out flyers and introducing the event to the public. One side of the flyer introduced the Infinite Fighting Festival, while the other side detailed the Capcom collaboration and the Infinite Festival Market, along with two coupons worth a total of 1000 yen.

"Wow, what a grand event! Is this Capcom's Game Carnival?" Asama asked, taking a flyer with him.

"No, Capcom and we are doing a joint promotion. This is a live-action fighting event organized by our Tokyo Mugen company," explained Asama, a company employee who smelled of cigarette smoke as he handed out a flyer.

"There's actually such an event? And the participants are all so young, will the government approve it?"

"Of course! Have you heard of WWE and UFC? In the US, live-action combat sports are legitimate. Look, our flyers list the event's guiding and co-organizing units as government agencies, right?"

"Is this so"

"If you're not interested in combat sports, you can still come and experience our Infinite Market." As soon as the member said this, several girls around him chimed in with agreement.

A market for combat sports?

"Putting everything else aside, we definitely won't let you down, Uncle. Our market has already been successfully held twice, and there are so many delicious and fun things to do. Look at this spicy soup on the flyer. Even the staff at Yang Guofu's shop say our spicy soup is delicious!"

"It's so delicious!" "It feels like eating a noble medicinal meal~" The girls chimed in again.

The dozen or so members of the Infinite Society in front of the booth were clearly handpicked. They didn't have a gangster look and weren't intimidating, but the aura they exuded when they surrounded people was quite impressive.

"Um, does the market event not start until 10 o'clock?"

"It's not that strict. Some shops open as early as 9:30. If you're interested, you can go and have a look now. They're just ahead."

Where can I buy tickets for the finals of your Infinite Fighting Festival?

"Interested in our Infinite Festival? It's a pity you'll have to wait until next time. There were only 1000 tickets available this time, and they sold out the week before last. But don't worry, the venue is open-air, so you can watch from a distance. Also, many shops in the market will be broadcasting the competition on small TVs."

"Oh, I see. Thanks."

"Oh, right, uncle!"

A member of the commune handed Asama a stiff paper bag.

"We have a small gift for you. Have a great time!"

It was right to disguise myself beforehand so as not to disturb their work.

At the previous celebratory banquets held in Shinazugawa, Asama had already experienced the enthusiasm of the Mugensha members.

The small gift consisted of a bottle of water and a small box of nougat, the water endorsed by Shinazugawa, and charity candy from the orphanage, only with an extra sticker of the Mugen Matsuri on it.

Rise Shinazugawa's involvement in the Infinite Festival somewhat exceeded Asama's expectations.

Thinking about how he used Nakaoka's plan to get the Death Samurai band to Yokohama to film commercials and charity performances, preventing Shizugawa and Majima from coming to the Mugen Festival, Asama felt a pang of guilt—a tiny, almost imperceptible guilt that seemed to dissipate naturally if one's attention wasn't focused on it, yet it lingered like a shadow, impossible to shake off.

The paper bag also contains a small brochure, which is also part of the collaboration. The cover features a sports hoodie from the Mugen Festival and Capcom collaboration, priced at 12000 yen. Half of the inner pages introduce Capcom's Street Fighter game merchandise, while the other half introduces Mugen's sports equipment and related products.

Let's go check out the market.

At the end of the side street in the market is Capcom's collaboration event area, with interactive zones, game experience zones, and competition zones, exuding the feel of a major company. But the most eye-catching items are the more than 20 itasha (decorated motorcycles) – all from the personal collections of Eiwa Batman and Hayato Ryuzaki. The previously black BMW S1000RR has now been transformed into a red and white itasha featuring the Street Fighter character Ryu.

For a high school student to own so many mid-to-high-end motorcycles, the financial resources of Japanese academic elites should not be underestimated.

The event hadn't started yet, and there were hardly any staff members, just a few security guards helping to watch over the motorcycles on display.

Asama turned a corner from the exhibition area and walked towards the fountain square at the intersection of the market. There were more than 20 Mugensha booths there. Even though it was still morning, the atmosphere was already as lively as Shibuya Daiji.

"Come try the Big Teacher's Beef Burger! Authentic beef that's been punched 1800 times with a spiraling force, it's incredibly chewy, fragrant, and crunchy! A violent feast for your taste buds, all for only 998 yen! What are you waiting for?!"

"Knock knock knock knock—look this way! 200 yen a cup of Teacher Da's Beating Lemon Tea! A tough guy beating someone up, splattering juice, one sip and you're hooked!"

"The hand gripper that Teacher Da used, 6666 times a day, makes it as easy to crush enemies and women!"

"Master Haku's breathing techniques and ninjutsu training videos—learn them and you'll be a superhero too!"

"Guests, come and take a look! It's the same style worn by Teacher Da!"

Although I had the ability to shut these people up, I decided against it.

Asama saw a clip of a so-called ninjutsu instruction video on a cell phone that was being used as a small TV at the DVD stand—the scene showed Asama wantonly slamming a burly man with the physique of an adult male black bear, and constantly reminding the man not to make any noise.

So, ninjutsu refers to the technique of enduring pain?

What a jumble of stuff, but thankfully the price isn't too bad, 500 yen a disc.

During that public lesson, Asama wrestled Akio Nakano, the Shinjuku branch manager of Mugensha, for about 50 minutes. In that less than an hour, Asama demonstrated about 20 intermediate and advanced wrestling techniques and 4 recovery techniques. It wouldn't be a bad deal for the average fighting enthusiast to buy a copy and watch it.

Asama picked up the DVD and looked down at the profile sketch on the cover.

The sketch depicts a man's face with a hard, cold expression, like the male protagonist in the "Vagabond" comic or a Hong Kong martial arts film.

The artist's signature is FL活水.

It seems that the drawing skills that Fuzikawa helped with have developed in new ways.
Where does this guy get so much energy from?

I hadn't gone far when I heard a commotion behind me. One was a girl with a backpack, wearing a windbreaker, a mask, and sunglasses, and the other was the guy who had been at the DVD stand.

Both of them knew each other from Asama.

The girl is Benzaitenjo of the Hououin family, Hououin Haruka.

The boy is Sakurai, a member of the Central District Branch of Mugensha. He asked Asama for an autograph at the first Mugen Festival and also abandoned his girlfriend at the Eiwa Cultural Festival to help Asama find his change box. He also appeared at several drinking parties afterward. He was determined to reach the finals, but unfortunately, he was eliminated in the third round.

"I already told you, there's a purchase limit for DVDs here, one per person. Can't you read?"

“I see you have prepared at least 400 copies, which is 20 yen. I’ll offer 100 million yen to buy all the discs here. Wouldn’t that be a good thing for you?”

Sakurai, the stall owner wearing a Mugensha T-shirt, carefully examined Hououin for a while and laughed, "You look suspiciously dressed. Are you planning to scalp this? We set these prices to spread Hachiman's good stuff at cheap prices. You want to buy it at a higher price? Do you want to drive the price up to an astronomical level?"

Rumors have circulated within the Mugensha community that numerous exorbitantly priced items related to Hachiman (the male lead) have appeared on websites like Amazon and Mineki (a popular Taiwanese entertainment venue), with some exceeding 100 million yen. While many remain skeptical, it's undeniable that Hachiman merchandise is incredibly popular. Handmade acrylic displays priced around 3000 yen have even become a form of currency within the Mugensha community's "gyaru" (gal) fandom. If it weren't for the current ban on internal members purchasing the discs, requiring them to wait until October to redeem them through charity points, the stalls would likely be packed with Mugensha members right now.

"I am not a scalper."

"They've already said there's a purchase limit. Either buy one and leave, or leave immediately."

Phoenix Institute ruled out options in her mind such as calling 400 people to help buy the discs, or holding up a sign in front of the stall saying "[Buy one disc for her and get 2000 yen reward]". It would be too willful to abuse her power to bother others, and Hachiman would never do that.

The girl sighed and showed Sakurai the photos and group chat messages on her phone.
"I'm not lying, I'm the head of Da Laoshi's fan club. These discs are very well made and have collectible value."

Sakurai looked Hououin over once more and asked,

"Are you from the Eiwa school of the Orient?"

"Phoenix Institute, Yao Jia." Phoenix Institute had no intention of hiding anything.

The boy pondered for a moment, then nodded and said,
"I see. Leave your email address, or come back this afternoon and I'll give you the original film. With the capabilities of your students at Toyo Eiwa, mass-producing DVDs shouldn't be a problem, right?"

A completely unexpected answer.

"Why aren't you worried about overpriced DVDs flooding the market?"

“You said you kept it for your collection. More importantly, I recognize you, Ms. Hououin. Since you are a friend of Hachiman, I believe you.”

"Thank you. This is my email address, please accept this one as well."

Phoenix Institute took out two slips of paper, one large and one small.

Sakurai took the smaller one, his eyes fixed on the large piece of paper that Hououin had crumpled into a U-shape on his fingertips.

This was a bearer check, and it was the first time he had ever seen one in person.

He saw the vermilion personal seal above, the three small characters "切手" at the top, and the number 100 million in the middle, the number the noble lady had mentioned before.

"Miss Phoenix Courtyard, we cannot accept this."

"This is the reward."

"No, we have no reason to accept this; it's our rule."

"Is that so? Then let's leave it at that. Consider it a favor I owe to Infinite Society. You can contact me through the email address I gave you."

"Ok."

Phoenix Inu Haruka left the stall, silently raising her opinion of Daiki and Heiwa.

Ultimately, however, she attributed the kindness, trust, and discipline shown by the Mugensha boys to Shizumi Asama.

Thanks to the internet, Mugensha is seen by Tokyo citizens as far more useful than the police. This month alone, Mugensha has taken on three cases of individuals seeking revenge against society, known as "Invincible People."

It's ironic that the city's security was saved by an organization whose members were half dropouts.

Phoenix Courtyard suddenly turned around.

The two middle school students who had been peeking at her immediately lowered their heads and avoided her gaze.

Is it her imagination?

After seeing Phoenix Inuya Haruka and Ryuzoji Seiha meet at the fountain, Asama deliberately distanced himself from them and walked to the end of the fountain plaza.

This is a concentrated food and beverage area. In addition to the ice cream and cold drink stall next to Asama, there are also crepe stalls, taiyaki stalls, Hiroshima-style omelet stalls, fried potato stalls, and toast stalls.

The outdoor seating area was filled with people and bags, all enjoying brunch while basking in the warm autumn sun at 10 a.m.

A peaceful human landscape.

The banners fluttering in the wind and the colorful tents with stalls stretching as far as the eye could see reminded Asama of phrases like "wind-blown curtains" and "humble dwellings covering the ground."

A pair of students from the Japanese-English school were eating sundaes and gossiping about Friday's game.

"It's less a victory for Konoe Chiyo-san and more a victory for the Konoe family."

"I heard that none of the people in the love counseling department have admitted that Hachiman is a member of the Konoe family."

"I heard he's still having conflicts with his family."

"Why are you helping Konoe Chiyo-san when you're having a conflict?"

"I guess it's that domineering idea of ​​'I can bully her, but you're not allowed to bully her.'"

"Nonsense, how could Teacher Da be that kind of person!"

"I've been following Hachiman since the sports festival. Believe me, even though he's cold to his sister, he's protective of her. His actions towards Kujo Alice are a clear example of the Konoe family's protectiveness."

"Are you protecting your own?"

The impact of Friday's decisive victory in the Konoe and Kujo marathon race continues to spread.

However, it seems the outcome of the bet between Konoe and Kujo has not yet been announced.

Asama opened the Asahi mineral water bottle and took a sip, recalling his phone call with Konoe Takuma on Thursday afternoon. (End of Chapter)