Chapter 28

Seeking revenge on Honda Haoyun was purely a personal grudge of Sakamoto Tomoryu. Gota Chisho had never agreed to give Sakamoto Tomoryu a gun, but Sakamoto Tomoryu had disobeyed Gota Chisho's orders and secretly taken a gun, hiding it in his own room. The hiding spot was known to him alone—altogether a perfectly safe and reliable place where it would never be discovered.

Sakamoto Tomoryu, who had initially held the upper hand, did not stay that way for long before Honda Haoyun suppressed him. Sakamoto Tomoryu's physical stamina gradually began to wane, as he expended a massive amount of energy while beating Honda Haoyun. While this initially had little impact on him, Honda Haoyun was no fool—how could he let himself be beaten for nothing? The blows he landed were directed at vital spots, specifically the temples.

Seeing Honda Haoyun charge toward him, Sakamoto Tomoryu instinctively felt at his waist and discovered a small dagger tucked into his belt. He could not help but secretly curse himself for being so foolish as to have a knife and not use it. Throwing the baseball bat aside, he drew the small dagger. Though small, this knife was thoroughly reliable for delivering a fatal blow.

"Go to hell, Honda Haoyun!" Sakamoto Tomoryu shouted, charging straight at him. Whether he would live or die hung in that single instant. Just as Sakamoto Tomoryu's dagger was about to pierce Honda Haoyun's abdomen, Honda Haoyun reacted with lightning speed, grabbing Sakamoto Tomoryu's right hand holding the blade. Not only was the dagger snatched away, but Sakamoto Tomoryu was sent flying with a kick.

Honda Haoyun kicked Sakamoto Tomoryu hard in the stomach, sending him crashing against a nearby shipping container. The wave of pain made it entirely impossible for Sakamoto Tomoryu to stand back up. Watching Honda Haoyun draw closer step by step, his heart died within him. Was he really going to die in this place today?

Sakamoto Tomoryu closed his eyes, resigning himself to wait for death. He thought to himself: *It seems I am to die in this place. Perhaps this is my punishment. My parents both died at this man's hands, and this is retribution for my rebelliousness. Mom, Dad, wait for me—your son will be joining you very soon. Once we are there, we will never be separated again, and I will make up for the mistakes I made before.*

At that moment, the roar of a heavy motorcycle echoed from afar. Sakamoto Tomoryu opened his eyes to look, and it turned out to be Gota Chisho leading his subordinates to rescue him. Realizing Sakamoto Tomoryu had vanished, Gota Chisho had concluded he must have gone after Honda Haoyun and dispatched everyone to search for him, eventually discovering Sakamoto Tomoryu here at the docks, along with Honda Haoyun.

"Don't you dare touch my brother!" Gota Chisho shouted, drawing a gun from his waist and firing at Honda Haoyun. Seven bullets struck Honda Haoyun, all finding their mark, and he collapsed into a pool of blood. Gota Chisho got off his vehicle, looked down at Sakamoto Tomoryu, and extended a hand, saying, "Are you alright? Let's get out of here."

"Boss, aren't you going to blame me for sneaking out alone?" Sakamoto Tomoryu asked doubtfully. Slipping away carried severe punishment that no one could escape; however, since Sakamoto Tomoryu was his designated successor, Gota Chisho had no intention of letting him die. Thus, Gota Chisho replied, "You still have to be punished, but we'll let it slide this time. If you pull a stunt like this again, I won't spare you."

Sakamoto Tomoryu smiled, grasped Gota Chisho's hand, and pulled himself up. As he rose, he cast a glance at Honda Haoyun, who lay motionless in a pool of blood. Gota Chisho remarked, "This fellow has brought endless harm to others; today we've finally gotten rid of him. Have you had your revenge?" Gota Chisho asked Sakamoto Tomoryu, and Sakamoto Tomoryu nodded.

"It's a pity the one who finished him off with his own hands wasn't me, but you. Thank you, Boss." Sakamoto Tomoryu bowed to Gota Chisho. Gota Chisho then said, "Let's go, we're leaving this place. By tomorrow morning someone will find his corpse. This is the retribution that demon deserves, and now it's time to let the police come collect the body."

Afterwards, Sakamoto Tomoryu got into Gota Chisho's vehicle. This was his punishment—driving for Gota Chisho counted as a very light penalty. He drove Gota Chisho away from the docks. Shortly after they left, the figure lying in the pool of blood stirred and stood back up. The body had suffered no lasting damage whatsoever; aside from still bleeding, the man staggered away from the docks entirely on his own.

On the return trip, Sakamoto Tomoryu's mood seemed exceptionally bright, which aroused Gota Chisho's suspicions. It made little sense for him to be so jubilant simply because Honda Haoyun was dead, unless something else had happened. Gota Chisho asked, "Tell me, Tomoryu, you've been grinning from ear to ear ever since we left. Must be something good going on? Share it with me, let me in on it."

Sakamoto Tomoryu replied, "You won't believe it, Boss, but I met someone today while browsing the internet at an internet café. I suppose this person was simply destined to cross paths with me—you could say he's my very first friend." Sakamoto Tomoryu said this with immense pride. Gota Chisho, sitting in the back, could hardly imagine Sakamoto Tomoryu making friends. Given his temperament, what kind of person could possibly tame him?

"Who on earth could tame a wild horse like you? Let me know too; I never thought you'd actually be willing to make a friend." Gota Chisho patted him on the shoulder. Sakamoto Tomoryu felt rather embarrassed—was making a single friend really cause for such excitement? Gota Chisho expressed genuine astonishment and delight that someone was finally willing to befriend Sakamoto Tomoryu with his difficult temper.

Sakamoto Tomoryu continued, "He's Chinese. I really like his personality; he's the kind of person I've always wanted around. With him here, my temper might actually get reined in. Don't let his outwardly fragile appearance fool you—what I felt radiating from him was an invisible murderous intent lingering all around him. Even I felt a chill of fear. He's a fascinating guy."

"I should visit that internet café sometime and meet this Chinese friend of yours. I'd love to make his acquaintance, and most importantly, learn a new skill—which is to say, learning Chinese." Gota Chisho chuckled. Sakamoto Tomoryu laughed and said, "I never thought you'd have a phase where you want to study, Boss, but that's fine too—at least it keeps you from doing dry, tedious things all day long."

Sakamoto Tomoryu kept talking on and on about Yu Xingyue. Although they had only just met a short while ago, Sakamoto Tomoryu already treated Yu Xingyue like a sworn brother, praising every single aspect of him. This made Gota Chisho increasingly curious about Yu Xingyue; if he was truly as wonderful as Sakamoto Tomoryu claimed, bringing him into the fold was not entirely out of the question.

Meanwhile, Yu Xingyue was jolted awake from his sleep, feeling an inexplicable sensation that someone was talking about him behind his back. Yu Xingyue wondered why he had become so deeply paranoid and suspicious ever since arriving in Japan. He didn't want to be this way, but perhaps he was so thoroughly influenced by Honda Haoyun that he remained constantly on guard, unable to relax for even a single moment, dreading the possibility that the demon might be standing right beside his bed while he slept.

"Why do I keep thinking about that lunatic? One of these days, I'll take care of that demon with my own hands." Yet Yu Xingyue had no idea that Honda Haoyun had suffered devastating injuries. If Sakamoto Tomoryu had bothered to check on Honda Haoyun before leaving, perhaps that madman would have truly perished; the injuries Honda Haoyun sustained would ensure he could not show his face for days to come.

Could his nerves simply be too sensitive? No, this won't do—I might as well go find Riko. Startled awake and unable to fall back asleep, Yu Xingyue heard movement coming from Liu Hai Riko's room at this ungodly hour. Why was she still awake so late? Yu Xingyue knocked gently on the door. "Riko, are you asleep? I couldn't sleep, so I came to talk."

"Come in, the door isn't locked." At Liu Hai Riko's permission, Yu Xingyue pushed the door open and stepped inside. He still felt rather nervous. Unlike earlier instances—dropping by a girl's room late at night had felt fine then—being alone with a girl in a bedroom at this hour naturally invited misunderstandings, though only the two of them knew the truth.

"Xingyue-kun, are you thinking about that Honda Haoyun again, aren't you?" As soon as Liu Hai Riko uttered the name, Yu Xingyue started slightly and asked, "Riko, how did you know? I haven't even said a word yet." Liu Hai Riko rolled her eyes at him, explaining that she had just heard him sleep-talking, repeating the name Honda Haoyun over and over. There was no doubt he was having nightmares connected to Honda Haoyun.

However, choosing not to tell the whole truth, Liu Hai Riko said instead, "I just fell asleep and dreamed of Honda Haoyun myself. That demon has taken up permanent residence in my mind and refuses to leave; I can't even make him vanish. Do you honestly think I have any hope of sleeping?" Hearing this, Yu Xingyue nodded—that made complete sense.

"I'm much the same. Every time I hear someone mention that name, my nerves become hyper-sensitive. I'm terrified that he'll suddenly appear beside my bed while I'm asleep, to the point where I daren't even close my eyes, fearing I might never wake up again." Yu Xingyue sighed. That was his greatest torment; dealing with this nightmare had been the very first thing he faced upon coming to Japan.