Tokyo: Love Begins with Controlling the Rich Girl

It just seemed unbelievable to me.

The top figure of the powerful Owada Heavy Industries and the Owada Group.

Upon seeing a high school student, he surprisingly took the initiative to greet him warmly.

Is this real?

Sugita, standing to the side, was even more shocked.

His mouth was wide open and he couldn't close it for a long time.

He had seen photos of Owada Heavy Industries and had heard of the man.

This is a veteran gang leader who has been rooted in Hyakunincho for over 20 years. He has hundreds of men under his command, and people in the underworld give him a wide berth.

But the man in front of me was bending over, smiling broadly, shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with a high school student in a black T-shirt.

“Sutita-nii…” Shota asked cautiously, lowering his voice, “Shimada-nii…do you know Owada?”

"Don't speak." Sugita quickly stopped him, afraid of being overheard.

Owada Heavy Industries ignored the people around Shimada Sho.

He turned to the side and gestured "please," leading Shimada Sho to the back of the lobby, through a door, and into a small meeting room.

A dark-colored long table, a few chairs, and a faded calligraphy scroll with the character "诚" (sincerity) hanging on the wall.

"Mr. Shimada, please have a seat." Owada Heavy Industries did not sit down himself, but waited until Shimada Sho sat down at the table before taking his own seat.

His son followed him in and stood against the wall, giving Shimada Sho a complicated look.

He had been stabbed in the palm last time, and he harbored a deep-seated hatred for it, yet he dared not show any resentment at this moment.

Owada Heavy Industries picked up the teapot on the table, poured a cup for Shimada Sho, pushed it in front of him, and said with a smile, "Brother Shimada, you can just say what you need. You didn't have to come in person."

"Hmm." Shimada Sho didn't touch the tea, but sat down in a relaxed manner. "I've come to see your duel."

“A challenge…” Owada paused in his act of serving tea.

His eyes gleamed as he carefully chose his words, saying, "Since you've come, I shouldn't say much, but this duel... concerns the very survival of the Ōwada Group."

"Hmm." Shimada Sho didn't offer any opinion, only nodding to let him continue.

Owada gave a bitter smile. "Ever since you intervened last time, this place has broken away from the Sumiyoshi-kai. Several surrounding forces are eyeing the Hyakunincho area. If I back down this time, anyone can take a bite out of it. So I have to accept this challenge. You..."

He looked up at Shimada Sho, his tone earnest, and said cautiously, "I hope you can be lenient and not interfere in this matter. I've already realized my mistake last time and have absolutely no intention of revenge. This time..."

“I’m here on behalf of the armed forces,” Shimada Sho interrupted him.

Kindness and sentimentality are unimportant when faced with real interests.

If there's nothing else, Shimada Sho wouldn't bother arguing with him anymore.

But since I promised the store manager this time, and it was to help her out, I had no choice but to let this unlucky father and son suffer.

"Brother..." Owada forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Please, have mercy."

"..."

Looking at his appearance, Shimada Sho found it somewhat amusing.

He knew what Owada Heavy Industries was afraid of.

It's nothing more than those connections behind him that he has no real connections at all.

Whether it's the Kamishiro family or the Ayase family, these identities can certainly be overwhelming, but they don't actually exist.

Besides, he had no intention of using such external force to intimidate others.

Seeing that Owada looked extremely aggrieved, he added with a smile, "Since I am here representing the armed front, I will naturally resolve this issue using the methods of the armed front."

Owada Heavy Industries was taken aback.

"You've agreed to settle this with force. Is it alright for me to join in?"

“This…but…” He clearly hadn’t expected Shimada Sho to say that.

“I am now a member of the Armed Front, and I am fighting on their behalf.” Shimada Sho looked at him and explained word by word, “If we win, Hyakunincho will belong to the Armed Front; if we lose, the territory that the Armed Front has taken over will be yours, according to your rules. I won’t hold you accountable if you lose.”

Owada Heavy Industries' expression changed from embarrassment to a complex astonishment.

He stared at Shimada Sho for several seconds, as if trying to determine whether what he said was true or false.

"This won't work either?" Shimada Sho frowned.

Although he is quite strong and can take down ordinary opponents in just a few moves.

But since it's a fight that involves life and death, if he can't even find a decent fighter, then he really can't blame anyone else.

“If that’s the case…” Owada Heavy Industries suddenly smiled, his expression instantly becoming incredibly relaxed, and nodded, “Of course!”

"Hmm?" Shimada Sho's furrowed brows did not relax.

The other person's relieved expression aroused a hint of doubt in his mind.

He remembered the scene when he last came here, where he had taken action in this building. Owada also saw him beat Kiryu Ichiyo like he was beating a dog.

Having witnessed his performance that day, why is he smiling like this now that he's going to personally take on the battle?

As if sensing Shimada Sho's confusion, Owada Heavy Industries stood up and tilted his head towards the door at the back of the reception room: "Please come with me."

Shimada Sho stood up and followed him through the door into a spacious area.

The ground was covered with dark gray floor mats, and several calligraphy scrolls hung on the surrounding walls. In the center, there was an open space of about 20 square meters, which was simply enclosed by a few thin ropes and pillars.

Standing in the center of the arena was a middle-aged man dressed in a dark gray samurai outfit, bald, with his hair tied in a small braid at the back.

He wasn't particularly tall, but he stood very steadily, as if rooted to the ground.

Even though he wasn't carrying any weapons, he gave off a very dangerous vibe.

These must be thugs hired by Ōwada.

Judging by appearance alone, he has some ability.

However, Shimada Sho only glanced at the man before his gaze quickly moved past him and landed on a chair on the side of the court.

There were a few other people sitting over there, like impartial referees.

Among these people, a young girl in a suit shirt stood out.

Her posture was casual, and her gaze was relaxed.

Seemingly bored, he reached out and fiddled with the teacup on the table.

Her pupils suddenly contracted when Shimada Sho appeared.

"Long time no see." Shimada Sho greeted him with some surprise.

Kiryu Ichiyo did not respond to this, but looked at Owada Heavy Industries.

She seemed surprised to see Shimada Sho here.

“This…” Owada Heavy Industries wanted to explain.

But before he could get there, Shimada Sho grabbed him. "Isn't she a member of the Sumiyoshi-kai? What's she doing here?"

The smile on Owada Heavy Industries' face froze, and he was speechless for a moment.

"You don't want me to resort to other means, do you?" Shimada Sho threatened coldly.

He couldn't fudge it anymore and had to explain, "Ms. Kiryu was assisting me in her personal capacity, not on behalf of the Sumiyoshi-kai, and this..."

He gestured to the middle-aged man in samurai attire in the center of the arena, "He was invited by Miss Kiryu to help out. He is the head of the Kiryu-ryu Martial Arts Hall, Kaiki Tetsujo."

Shimada Sho glanced at the middle-aged man.

He didn't recognize this person, but since Kiryu Ichiyo had invited her, she must be stronger than her.

No wonder Owada Heavy Industries wasn't worried at all after proposing to join the war.

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Kiryu Ichiyo, asking calmly, "Who will get the territory after the people she hired win?"

Shimada Sho didn't deliberately lower his voice; it was as if he was asking openly.

The silence of Owada Heavy Industries also told him the answer.

"It seems that Sumiyoshi has a traitorous parasite in it."

Upon realizing that Kiryu Ichiyo was participating in the gambling in a private capacity to secure territory for himself, Shimada Sho made no attempt to be sarcastic.

The faces of the witnesses over there all changed.

"Boy, court death!"

"Do you even have a place to speak here!?"

"Where did this brat come from!"

They were all members of different gangs who came specifically to bear witness.

I don't know Shimada Sho's identity.

Seeing that he dared to offend Miss Kiryu, she was naturally happy to curry favor with him.

But when these people finished speaking aggressively and wanted to stand up to express their opinion, Kiryu Ichiyo raised a delicate hand and stopped them.

"You want to fight Director Kagaki?" After the surroundings quieted down, Kiryu Ichiyo calmly raised his eyes and asked.

Upon hearing this, Shimada Sho smiled sternly, "No, I want to fight you."

Chapter Thirty-Six: Kiryu Ichiyo's Shamelessness

Shimada Sho's words rang out in the quiet venue, like a pebble thrown into water, creating silent ripples.

The gang members at the edge of the arena stared wide-eyed.

Sugita and the others, who had just come in, were also astonished when they heard this.

In the middle, Kaiki Tetsujo looked at Kiryu Ichiyo, waiting for her response.

Shimada Sho essentially issued a direct challenge to her.

As a young lady of high birth, she could ignore it, but now she is a member of a gang duel.

"A gang fry, not worthy of my attention."

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Kiryu Ichiyo took a sip of tea and spoke calmly.

Her attitude was extremely arrogant, and she completely disregarded Shimada Sho.

Despite being looked down upon like this, Shimada Sho wasn't angry at all. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Aren't you scared?"

"..." Kiryu Ichiyo did not reply to him.

But his grip on the cup tightened involuntarily.

Shimada Sho's smile remained unchanged. "If you're afraid of losing the match, just say so. I have some tolerance for cowards."

His words were equally blunt, directly hitting her sore spot.

The reactions of the other people on the field suddenly became quite interesting.

what happened?

Is Miss Kiryu really afraid of this kid?

How can it be!

The people in Owada naturally didn't believe it.

Especially the gang members who were witnesses.

They knew Kiryu Ichiyo's identity.

A high-ranking executive of the Sumiyoshi-kai and a successor of a martial arts family.

Don't underestimate him just because he's a high school student; his formidable strength is well-known in the underworld.

How could she not have a temper after being provoked like that?

With so many people staring at him, Kiryu Ichiyo's expression gradually turned cold.

"You're courting death." She looked at Shimada Sho and said in a chilling tone.

Shimada Sho scoffed, "Trying to pull out a gun again?"

“No need.” Kiryu Ichiyo stood up and took off his suit jacket.