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"Everyone must choose one of two pains: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret."
—Jim Rohn.
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Hyakkaou Private Academy is an educational institution where students from powerful families in the political and financial world attend. It's a nurturing ground for those who are born to have people bellow them, slaving away to meet the end's meet. Hyakkaou students need not exceptional athletic or educational ability, but a good judge of character. To be able to perceive the mindset of the person sitting in front of them by their behaviour, body language and tone. To impose this totality of talent over dedication, the new student council president came into her position with a brand new game-changing proposition: Kengan Matches. Her speech at the end of the first month after her "election" was... eye-catching to say the least.
"Most of you came here with the intention to one day have people work for you, so what better way than to truly show your persuasive skills than this? Kengan Matches, think of them as your typical one against one battle but with a catch... you cannot participate. The standing principle of this school is to guide the future CEOs to greatness... so, recruit your fighters and bet on their winnings and losses. Any other games are hereby on hold. The rules for Kengan Matches will be posted tomorrow. Until then, have a good day."
Suffice to say, most students panicked. They couldn't gamble their riches in poker, blackjack or even rock-paper-scissors anymore! Instead, they had to rely on someone else, an outsider, to help them make the end's meet so that they don't end up becoming a house pet. Most were concerned at the time, unsure how they would even get a person to fight for them. Where were they supposed to look? Who are they supposed to look for? Finding a capable fighter to win loads of money was something most if not all of them have never done before, it was an unprecedented task. So, with abated breath, the students waited until the next day came. The rules, just like promised, were proudly presented for everyone to inspect.
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[ Kengan Matches ]
Rule #1: Matches can only take place in the newly constructed ring located in the former gym building.
Rule #2: Minimum wage for each match is 500 000 yen.
Rule #3: All Kengan Matches are a strict battle between two opponents without outside interference.
Rule #4: No weapons and drugs may be used for the duration of the match.
Rule #5: The match only ends when one of the fighters gives up or is incapacitated.
Rule #6: Each Kengan Match lasts for a duration of one round.
Rule #7: All fighters and their employers will receive an armband with their sigil sewn into it, both the fighters and the employers have to wear these at all times.
Rule #8: The hired fighters must be over 16 years old.
Rule #9: It is possible for one employer to allow another employer to borrow their fighter for one match at a cost of a minimum 100 000 yen and a share from the winnings.
Rule #10: If either of the fighters dies before the referee calls the match or the opposing employer surrenders, nobody is held responsible.
Rule #11: Fighting outside of the ring is strictly prohibited, breaking this rule will cause a severe penalty to the party involved.
Rule #12: The resulting winnings from Kengan Matches are split 80/20 between the employer and their employed fighter respectively.
Rule #13: If both the employer and the fighter come to an agreement, the share of winnings from Kengan Matches can be modified.
Rule #14: In the event that the winning side is found guilty of breaking any of the rules listed here, they are stripped of all their winnings and are temporarily banned from participating in any of the Kengan Matches.
Rule #15: The employer can terminate their contract with their fighter at any given time for a fee of 200 000 yen.
Rule #16: A fighter cannot participate in a Kengan Match without the presence of his employer.
Rule #17: A Kengan Match may only take place under the direct supervision of a Game Master, all Game Masters an identification card.
Rule #18: A Game Master cannot directly participate in a Kengan Match, however, they may still wager on either of the two fighters.
Rule #19: During a Kengan Match, either of the two employers may call a "Chaos Clash", upon which they are forced to pay 100 million yen each minute for their own specified duration. As long as "Chaos Clash" is in effect all rules are ignored.
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Suffice to say that the list of rules the so-called "Employers" have to follow is quite lengthy, but so is the one for the "Fighters". Some of the students snarkily commented about how unoriginal the naming was for their future employees, but none dared directly bring it up. But now, with the official rules are known to the general student body, only struggle will be known to the students of Hyakkaou. They will have to find suitable fighters for their cause and quickly, otherwise they will be left to rot as a housepet. And so, the era of tyranny had begun at Hyakkaou, and for better or worse... things were going to get hectic. Actually, hectic is too much of a weak word.
Shit is about to go down.
Chaos will ensue and everyone, whether they like it or not will be caught in the crossfire.
The best fighters money can buy from all over the world will blindly throw themselves into the jaws of death.
But...
It won't matter.
The best fighters... cannot be bought.
The best fighters cannot be just sought out online.
The best fighters cannot be tempted with material things.
The best fighters want only one thing...
...
...
...
The thrill of a battle that is fought until their teeth are knocked out until their nails are ripped from their fingers and their eyes bulge out from their sockets and fly out of their skull.
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A lonesome girl slowly strutted down the city sidewalk, a small gentle smile that to those that knew her almost never saw her without proudly on full display. Her uniform consisted of a red jacket with black trim along the cuffs and collar, a white button-up dress shirt, a dark pleated skirt, a tie, and black stockings, as well as her academy's provided footwear, brown shoes with black soles. The girl was quite gorgeous, she had an hourglass figure with long black hair that reached to her waist and burgundy coloured eyes, a pale complexion and a beautiful face.
She carried a brown leather handbag in both of her arms in front of herself, happily walking towards what appeared to be a stadium in the not so distant distance. Why? Well, that's a secret~ But if you must know, this lovely specimen of the female population has just recently transferred to a new school in town, the most prestigious money cannot buy. Hyakkaou Private Academy, the same educational institution which has recently introduced the concept of Kengan Matches to its student body. There was but one problem this girl had, and that was that she had no fighter to her name to win her the needed money for her to "stay a human" and not be reduced to a housepet. The possibility of being a pet didn't quite terrify her, instead it sort of... aroused her, but if she became a pet she couldn't indulge herself in the most addictive sport known to mankind, gambling. And in order to enjoy that which she loves the most, she needs to find an appropriate person for the job. As such, she walked with a purpose towards the large dome in the distance. The building itself was not important, not even what or who was inside it mattered. No, it was the large fighting arena BELOW the dome that had this Yumeko Jabami so intrigued.
When Yumeko walked into the building, she didn't even bother looking around and instead headed for a set of large doors that had a sign above them, it read "storage room". The room was, presumably, used for storage just like its name implied. However, Yumeko, being born into the "Bami" family knew better. After all, behind this door lied an elevator that would take her to a place she never would have thought existed. An underground arena, one of many across japan which amount to just a few across the whole world. In front of the door stood a janitor, dressed in the usual dark blue-coloured clothes every janitor wears nowadays. Yumeko recognised him as someone who has worked the profession of a janitor long before she had come to this place, an old man around the age of 50. A pair of black and yellow overhead earphones were in the man's ears, playing the same song he has been listening to for a good while now. The headphones were not connected to a phone or even an MP3 player, no, it was the man's trusty yellow walkman that played the songs for the janitor to enjoy.
"Illusory~ Treading on reality~ Polaris~ In a web of hypocrisy~ Take~! Control~! Take~! Control~!"
Yumeko's smile brightened slightly, she, unlike some of the people who passed by the janitor, was not off-put by the mysterious aura that constantly shrouded the man's existence in secrecy. She met the man only a few times and that was whenever she and her family went down to witness the matches happening only a few meters below the surface.
"Greetings, Janitor-san!" despite having loud musing playing in his ears, the janitor appeared to hear her just fine.
"Ah, Jabami," it was quite easy to discern the man's nationality with his incredibly strong Finnish accent, "Good to see you, did you come to watch the matches?"
"Yes!" the older man allowed a small smile to grace his features, clearly intrigued by Yumeko's exciting nature.
"Sorry to disappoint but the matches have already finished," Yumeko's cheerful demeanour disappeared only slightly, being replaced by a more prominent confusion.
"What? Already?" usually, the matches that take place within The Ring don't take too long to finish, especially when someone challenges the champion, but it would seem that today's batch included especially bad fighters.
"The champion let loose a bit. Mä kyllä sanon perkele suoraan, että... he needs to hold back more often, the spectators were disappointed," the janitor, despite spending most of his time outside the secret underground arena appeared to be quite versed with what is happening inside it, "Heard he got thrown out of school as well, helvetti perkele."
Yumeko couldn't do much except blink with a mouth slightly open before sighing in slight defeat, looks like she missed today's chance to recruit a fighter for herself. She would be fine with someone mediocre, after all, having a fair or lower chance against most of the student body meant more thrill for her, and more thrill meant more pleasure. Who was she to pass such an opportunity?
"Ah, well, I suppose I can try again another time. Goodbye, Janitor-san!" Yumeko gave the man in blue a polite bow before excusing herself from his presence.
"Come again any time," was all the janitor said in response before getting back to his job, humming the melody of Take Control by Old Gods of Asgard all the while.
Now walking through the very same streets of an always busy city with her head hanging low in slight dejection, Yumeko couldn't help but curse herself for being so slow to get to the dome. But today's match at Hyakkaou was so thrilling she couldn't help be a little disappointed she wouldn't get to play a cheerleader yet. Yumeko, with her head in the clouds trying to recall when the next match for scheduled for, but that was pretty much a fruitless endeavour as any and all fights in The Ring happen spontaneously and on short notice. Being absent-minded would seem to be the worst thing Yumeko could have done today, as in a moment so fast her mind barely registered it a hand reached out from the dark shadows of one of the many alleys and grabbed her by the face. Instinctively, the girl tried to flail but even that was restricted as a large muscular arm wrapped itself around her body while the other arm held her mouth shut. Her leather handbag plopped onto the ground as Yumeko was forcefully suspended in the air by what she rightfully assumed to be a tall and extremely muscular man.
"Don't bite my arm or I'll pluck your teeth out," the man's voice was raspy, purely by an estimate he could have been around 30 to maybe 40 years old.
Panic quickly flooded Yumeko's body as the man literally carried her in that position deeper into the valley, his grip not relenting for a single moment. It didn't take more than half of her intellect to figure out what the man wanted with her, and what he would do to her. Still, her body was restricted by the man's herculean arms and she couldn't so much as a scream or bite lest she risks being beaten half to death while having her teeth forcefully pulled out. Yumeko would have to be smart about this, let the man's strength weaken and find an opening to make her getaway. Unfortunately, fate is a bitch and had other plans.
"Hey Jin, look at what I found!" Yumeko's hopes of escape were all but shattered when the burly man holding her called out to another person.
The two entered what appeared to be a dead-end, and because of poor visibility, neither of the two could see very far. The burly man let out a confused mumble when he received no response from his supposed friend named "Jin". Walking deeper inside it was clear why he hadn't received an answer. There was not one or two, but six unconscious and blood-covered bodies lying on the cold hard ground. Alas, much to Yumeko's growing fear, the man's grip was still in place, unwavering despite the looming presence of what they assumed to be some sort of a murderer.
"...What the shit...? JIN! OI, JIN, ARE YOU OKAY?!" the man holding Yumeko hostage did not dare take another step into the alley in fear of what might linger in its dark shadows.
Alas, the macho man proved to be an idiot of the 1st grade as he loudly shouted his friend's name in panic and slight worry, his voice could pretty much be heard across the entire alley. The screaming alone has probably alerted the person who beat up Jin and the company so badly that their arms and legs bent the wrong way. The man, not getting any response started to slowly walk back, turning away from the horrific sight only slightly so he may keep an eye on both ends of the alley. He most likely forgot that Yumeko was even being held captive in his arms from sheer fear. That fear... would be the man's undoing... No, his fate was sealed the moment he and his friends started to hang around the dome arena. There is a reason why no thug, gangster or even a yakuza can't be seen for a while around the place...
The kidnapper found himself staring face to face with that very reason.
"Hey."
-SLAM- -CRUNCH-
And faster than he could blink a powerful fist connected with his nose, a horrid crunch echoing across the entire valley as the force of a single strike reduced a very important part of the man's face to splinters. In surprise and excruciating pain, the man let go of Yumeko's much shorter body. The moment Yumeko dropped to the ground she bolted like a bat out of hell, running away from the two men without so much as looking back, barely noting that she lost one of her shoes in the process. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, like a lamb running from a hungry wolf a chilling fear crept up her back. But she refused to look back and soon, even if it felt like an eternity, Yumeko made it to the entrance of the alley where her leather handbag lied on the ground, untouched. Panting, the girl couldn't help but touch her chest only to feel her heart racing a mile a minute, beating faster than it ever has before. Her legs felt weak, so much so they trembled quite heavily before they gave out. In a single moment, Yumeko found herself kneeling on the ground, panting like a dog as sweat rolled down her face. She had felt fear before, but nothing could compare to what she felt now. She was genuinely afraid for her well-being, for her safety. She still very much is, especially with that other person still being present in the alley. A terrible cacophony of pained screams sounded from deeper within the alley, making Yumeko snap her head back in terror as she heard the same man who had tried to do god knows what awful acts to her scream in utter pain. But that too lasted only for a moment before the eerie silence returned, and all Yumeko could hear was her own heartbeat.
-TAP- -TAP- -TAP-
Oh, karma how we hate you so much. The distant sound of someone's feet hitting the paved stone sounded in Yumeko's ears. The fear grew as did the crawling feeling of terror on her spine like someone was stabbing her in the back while holding a gun to her head. Soon, a figure started to emerge from the darkness. Her heartbeat quickened exponentially, a cold sensation washed over her body, like someone had just dropped her into the freezing waters of Alaska naked. The figure was obviously a male, however, this was not the man that had tried to kidnap her, that much Yumeko knew. This was the man who had beaten the kidnapper's friends half to death, and now presumably even the kidnapper himself faced such fate. A pair of strange, red eyes glowed from the dark. A very, very, very particular pair of eyes already known to many, Yumeko included. After all, it was not every day that one would find a person with unevenly shaped pupils, one being in the shape of a white O... and the other in the shape of a white X. This sight alone had left much if not all of the terror that plagued Yumeko's heart and mind just seconds prior. A man she recognised, much like everyone else who so much as attended one of The Ring's matches.
"You certainly look like you just ran away from a serial killer."
A man, no, a teenager just a little older than Yumeko herself appeared before her, standing at roughly 180 centimetres with wide shoulders and extremely muscular body, wearing nothing more than a simple grey tracksuit. A long, long sigh escaped Yumeko's lips as she took long and deep breaths, trying her damn best to calm down her erratic heart. Her head hangs low as if to help calm herself down.
"Actually... that wasn't too far off now that I think about it," the young and tall man scratched his cheek, seemingly unbothered by what had transpired only moments prior, "Oh yeah, you forgot this."
A leather shoe was placed onto the ground in front of Yumeko, the very same shoe she just lost mere moments prior to their encounter, "...Thank you..."
"Mhm, sure... want me to call you a cab?" the taller male allowed Yumeko to recollect herself, he wasn't exactly versed in pep talks, let alone talking to utter strangers, even if he technically saved her from a pig in human clothing.
"...Yeah, that would be nice," Yumeko sighed as she reached forward, grabbed her shoe and put it back on.
A hand appeared before her, courtesy of the taller teenager offering it to her. Not being one to act ungratefully, Yumeko accepted it with grace before she was swooshed back onto her feet with surprising ease. The tracksuit-wearing guy was even nice enough to retrieve Yumeko her leather handbag, suspecting that the girl would collapse again if she tried to bend or kneel for it. He then proceeded to whip an old flip phone out before dialling the local taxi service.
"...I feel like I saw you somewhere before..." idly commented the male, giving Yumeko a tough staredown, trying to dig up any memories where he could have encountered her.
"Aha~ Well, I suppose I am quite a frequent better. Sadly your match ended before I could make it," this made the male teenager blink in realisation, after all, it's quite hard to forget a person like Yumeko, especially so when she kept on winning heaps of money by betting on his victory in each of his matches.
"Ah! You are that girl that kept on winning loads of money!" that... was certainly one way to put it, even if it did make Yumeko sweatdrop a bit at the childish tone the man spoke in.
"Glad you remember me~!" by the sound of it, Yumeko was certainly gathering her bearings quite quickly, she even started speaking in the usual "onee-san is going to ara-ara you" kind of way, "Say, I can't help but wonder what you do wondering through back alleys?"
"Oh yeah, I go through these to my part-time job, it's faster this way," Yumeko couldn't help but blink owlishly, part-time job? HIM?!
"If you don't mind me asking, what do you mean by that?" Yumeko was right to think that someone like the champion of The Ring would have no need for a part-time job, especially with how man rich people attend each of his matches.
"Exactly what it sounds like, I work at McDonald's down the street," the day just kept on getting wilder for the poor Yumeko, it was hard to believe a guy like him would just pass by a random alley, let alone work at fucking McDonald's.
"E-Eh?" the taller male couldn't help but give Yumeko a confused look, he didn't understand why she was so confused.
"Well... that is if they keep employing me there now that I'm a dropout..." he idly mumbled under his breath before returning to the topic at hand, "You do know that any and all matches that happen inside The Ring yield no money to the contestants."
Yumeko couldn't stop her eyes from blinking rapidly, her eyes popped out like an owl at the new piece of information that was only now given to her by the champion himself. In all her years of attending matches that happened inside The Ring, she never knew that the fighters received no financial compensation.
"Actually, some guys do get money from the companies they work for, but because I am the champion I don't work for anyone, so no money for me," Yumeko blinked as she processed the newly acquired information, she was right to think that all of the fighters would get their fair share of winnings, but that appeared to not be the case.
Alas, a strange, almost mad and convoluted idea appeared inside of her mind. She appeared to be thinking about it quite deeply as not even the man snapping his fingers in front of her face could get her out of her trance. She was, once again, lost in her thoughts. Finally, when the man clapped his hands in front of her face rather loudly did she notice that her ride home has arrived.
"O-Oh, looks like I was lost in thought again," embarrassingly commented Yumeko as she giggled, this only made the male sweatdrop before he opened the door for her.
But Yumeko didn't walk into the car waiting to take her home, instead, she appeared to give the taller male a hard stare. He swore he saw her burgundy eyes glow a faint colour of red as an almost off-putting grin appeared on Yumeko's face.
"Say... Champion-san, would you like to fight and make money while doing so?" Champion-san rose an eyebrow at Yumeko's sudden shift in tone, she even extended her hand in front of her, as if offering it to him, "The school I go to has this really fun gambling system. If you want the basic gist of it, I have to employ you as a fighter for my name. Each fight you win is worth at least 500 000 yen. Normally we would have to split it 80/20 with the major portion going to me, but, just for you, we could split the money evenly. Plus you'd get to go to school again! Sort of... So! What do you say? Let's get our gambling and fighting freak on!"
The Champion of The Ring gave Yumeko a hard glare as if to see if she would falter under his gaze. She did not. In fact, the crazy, almost sinister look in her eyes only intensified. At this very moment did the man realise that Yumeko... is definitely a bad bitch with a mental problem. Alas, the offer she was giving him was quite appealing. From the sound of it he would just have to fight, just like he always has, but this time he would actually get paid. That alone made him consider her offer on a high pedestal. His minimum wage would become 250 000 yen at the very least...
Gently did the man grasp Yumeko's outstretched hand in his much larger one, "Alright then. When do I start, miss Gambler-chan?"
"AMAZING!"
"Yumeko Jabami, it's a pleasure to work with you!" Yumeko could not contain the loudness of her voice any longer and yelled out in pure euphoria, finally, she would have the chance to participate in her school's Kengan Matches AND with a powerful fighter to boot. Life is good.
...
...
...
"...Benimaru Hanma, let's have some fun..."
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Oh boy, what in the ever-loving fuck is this?! ANOTHER NEW BOOK?! AND A CROSSOVER THIS TIME?! I must be going mad! Well, THAT IS CUZ I FUCKING AM! I am both mad, hyped, and horny. A dangerous combination for sure!
All of my newly posted books are getting updated, just a little less evenly depending on which one I feel like doing the most.
I have a long chapter already half-written for my Bismarck book and UnBalanced might get a rework into an OC book because doing a male reader is cringe now.
Till next time~