"Didn't I already tell you?"
Rinji looked calmly at the eager Tokita Ohma.
"One more time, and I'll bury you. You weren't going to live long anyway—don't waste what little time you have left on me."
"You're really arrogant, brat. But strong too."
Tokita Ohma grinned with fighting spirit.
"But I never said I'd die by your hand!"
Whoosh!
The moment the words left his mouth, he launched forward and disappeared.
In the next instant, Rinji saw a fist flying at his face.
Boom!
A dull impact—not Rinji getting hit.
Tokita Ohma went flying, crashing hard into the ceiling.
Cracks spread across the plaster. Blood splattered from his mouth, and when he fell back down, something in his body made a sickening crack.
His abdomen had visibly caved in.
"Serves you right. What's so fun about fighting, anyway?"
Takamine Rinji spoke calmly and withdrew his extended leg.
He turned his head and saw Yamashita Kazuo, who was now visibly shaking, though surprisingly, he hadn't run off.
"Mr. Yamashita."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
At the sound of Rinji's voice, Yamashita immediately stood straight like a soldier.
"If the medical expenses aren't enough, let me know," Rinji said, pointing at Tokita Ohma, who was unconscious on the floor behind him.
He had to admit—this guy's physical durability was definitely abnormal. A normal person would have been bedridden for six months after the kind of beating he gave him last night. Yet this Tokita Ohma was already up and moving around the next day.
"A-Actually..."
"Hmm?"
Yamashita, clearly intimidated by the clean-cut-looking high schooler in front of him, still managed to shakily take a check out of his pocket.
It was the check Rinji had given him yesterday.
"I wanted to return this to you."
"Huh? You didn't use it?"
"No."
"Then who paid for this guy's medical bills?"
"Our company president did," Yamashita explained. "He also said he'd like to meet you today."
As Yamashita was speaking, the door to the hospital room opened.
In walked a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair, followed by a young, intelligent-looking woman with blond hair in a business suit and glasses.
The man had a cigar hanging from his mouth and immediately spotted Tokita Ohma lying on the floor, Rinji standing nearby, and a nervous Yamashita.
"Lively bunch for this early in the morning."
Rinji glanced at Yamashita, who explained, "When we sent them to the hospital yesterday, for some reason President Nogi found out and covered the costs for both Ohma and the other injured guy. He also asked me to get in touch with you this morning."
"Is that so."
Rinji smiled faintly, then turned back to the middle-aged man.
"Appreciate the gesture, old man."
"Oh, it was just pocket change."
The middle-aged man exhaled a ring of smoke from his cigar.
"President, no smoking in the ICU," the woman beside him said flatly as she pushed her glasses up her nose.
"Ah, right, sorry."
The man chuckled, quickly stubbed out the cigar on the wall, then pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to Rinji.
Rinji took the card and looked at the name on it.
"Nogi Group? I think I've heard of you. A well-known company in logistics and publishing, right?" Rinji asked. "You're the boss?"
"Yes, I'm Nogi Hideki, president of Nogi Group."
He gestured to the woman beside him.
"This is Akiyama Kaede, my secretary."
"Pleasure to meet you. Since you helped pay for the medical expenses, I owe you one. If you ever need anything, feel free to reach out. Goodbye."
Rinji turned and headed for the door.
"Actually, I really do need something from you."
"..."
Just as Rinji reached the doorway, he froze, then slowly walked back to Nogi with a look of disgust.
"Old man, when I said 'feel free to reach out,' that was just a polite expression. I didn't mean for you to actually bother me."
"..."
Now it was Nogi's turn to be stunned.
"Goodbye."
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Seeing Rinji about to leave again, Nogi grabbed his arm.
"Here's the deal: the guy you beat up was someone I planned to hire for a job. But now, well… you can see the situation for yourself."
"Oh, so you want compensation now?"
Rinji casually lifted Tokita Ohma off the ground and tossed him onto the hospital bed, then sat on a nearby chair.
"How much?"
"Well… actually, I was going to have him help me win a certain competition. There's a lot of money on the line—"
"Cut the chatter. Just tell me how much I owe. I wasn't planning on paying anything since he threw the first punch, but since you've been polite, I'll help cover your losses."
"Ah—no, no! I never intended for you to pay anything," Nogi said, waving his hands. "And to be honest, I doubt you could afford the damages anyway."
"Obviously. If you named a number I couldn't pay, I'd just beat you up instead."
"..."
"Since I don't need to pay, thanks for your generosity, President Nogi. I'll be leaving now."
"Wait! Please! I'm begging you—just hear me out!"
Seeing Rinji about to leave again, Nogi grabbed him once more, silently cursing how hard this kid was to deal with.
"What is it exactly?"
"Haa..."
Nogi let out a breath, his expression turning serious.
"Mr. Takamine—or should I say, Takamine Rinji, former IW Middle East Operations Second Lieutenant, now Technical Advisor for IW's Japan Research Division."
"You've done your homework."
"And that's not all. I also know that four years ago, a large number of Shinomiya Group subsidiaries were bombed, with seventy-five employees killed. You were the mastermind, weren't you?"
"What!?"
Yamashita Kazuo jumped back in terror, and even the secretary Akiyama Kaede covered her mouth in shock.
They couldn't believe this sixteen-year-old boy had done something so terrifying four years ago.
"So what if you know? You here to avenge the Shinomiyas?"
"No, I just happened to discover the financial interests behind that incident."
Nogi continued, "Mr. Takamine, you know Chairman Katahara Metsudo of Dainippon Bank, right?"