Chapter Sixteen: Blond Hair and the Troublemaker

“So, this is about the nuclear power plant? That really is a big deal.
But... what does it have to do with me, a high school student living in Tokyo? Surely the Wu Clan wouldn’t come all the way to trouble me, someone completely outside the incident?”
In the alley, Kagami Hakudo idly toyed with the rubber bullet recently fired by Wu Fengshui, his other hand holding the phone, speaking thoughtfully.
“Mmm... The two of us detectives are definitely their main focus.
We had just arrived in Fukushima and immediately sorted out your registration issue, not to mention several phone calls.
And you—you’re already a well-known figure in Tokyo’s underground fighting scene...”
Yagami’s words over the phone trailed off, leaving much unsaid.
Hakudo Kagami could only smile wryly, patting his forehead.
What a coincidence.
He’d only asked the conveniently passing Yagami Takayuki to fix his registration, and somehow they’d been swept right into the eye of the storm at the most sensitive moment!
...He was probably marked as a person of interest now, wasn’t he?
“Hey, Kagami. You understand, right? The situation now?
This isn’t just a big corporation trying to ‘calm things down’ anymore. I don’t know how it escalated, but now... it’s about ‘covering up a scandal’!”
Yagami’s voice grew low, grave over the receiver.
Hakudo Kagami understood perfectly.
The young man stepped out of the secluded alley, morning sunlight gleaming off the lenses of his glasses.
“Calm things down” meant paying people off to keep quiet.
“Cover up a scandal” meant... making sure they stayed quiet forever!
~~~~~~
Hakudo Kagami ultimately didn’t leave Kamurocho.
On the contrary, he now headed to Nakado Avenue in Kamurocho, to the Yagami Detective Agency, seeking that blond-haired delinquent, Taike Sawenaga.
After a brief analysis over the phone with Takayuki Yagami,
They both concluded that the reason Tokyo Electric Power couldn’t stop Yagami from investigating Fukushima was mainly because the Yagami Detective Agency operated under the umbrella of the Genda Law Office.
The owner of the Genda Law Office—Ryuzo Genda—was the veteran attorney who brought Yagami into the profession.
Renowned in the industry and fiercely protective of his people.
If anyone dared lay a hand on Yagami, it could provoke this legal heavyweight to step in himself.
The resulting uproar would far surpass any “nuclear plant worker develops cancer from radiation” scandal!
Hence, Tokyo Electric had resorted to using yakuza—lowlife methods—to distance themselves.
Yet, the one without a powerful shield, and even closer to the incident than Kagami—Taike Sawenaga—had no reason to escape their sights.
Hakudo Kagami was now on his way to the agency, intent on keeping Taike Sawenaga alive.
He walked down the chilly street, occasionally adjusting his glasses as they slid down his nose.

Like a hurried student—youthful, naive.
But none of the passersby could have guessed that this seemingly innocent student was already plotting how to fight back against a world-class corporate giant!
Once the struggle began, no one could escape until the end.
And the power to end it always lay with the stronger side!
Neither Hakudo Kagami nor Yagami would ever foolishly believe that, as “little ants,” they could possibly be the dominant party against Tokyo Electric.
So—
“Then, I suppose... we just have to hurt them enough before we negotiate?”
A faint smile played at the corner of the young man’s lips.
He didn’t actually dislike this knife-edge situation—in fact, perhaps he was starting to enjoy it!
The alley where he’d fought Wu Fengshui was not far from the Yagami Agency, and soon Kagami arrived.
Inside the detective agency—
“Bang!”
Empty beer cans and pizza boxes slammed against the front door.
Loud, tongue-clicking voices of the delinquents rose and fell, making the cacophony inside even louder than a shopping mall during a sale.
“Aren’t you drinking, Taike? Ever since you started working here you’ve become so boring! Called you out to hang so many times, you never come!”
“Both the old guys are on business trips! Let’s take the chance and throw a real party!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!!”
“Hey! Everyone! Look at Taike—he’s actually wearing a school uniform seriously! That’s hilarious, ha ha ha!”
The gang of oddly dressed juvenile delinquents treated the agency like a party venue, lounging everywhere, snacks and beer cans littered across the floor.
At that moment, the only one restraining his tongue-clicking was the blond-haired Taike Sawenaga, standing by the entrance.
He drew a deep breath, his voice earnest as he addressed all the delinquents inside.
“...Everyone, today’s on me. I’ll clean up whatever mess you make.
I really appreciate all the fun days we’ve had together, but...
Haiteng and Yagami woke me up.
I’m ready to go back to school now.”
“......”
The room fell silent for a moment before erupting into even greater uproar.
“Ha, ha ha! Don’t be ridiculous, Taike! Go back to school? Pfft ha ha! An eighteen-year-old first-year delinquent, ha ha!”
“Did you get your head bashed in, Taike? That fight with the guy in the flower shirt?”

Some laughed it off, others mocked him, but none believed his words.
But even disbelief was enough to rile up the prideful delinquents.
Most of them were like wild dogs—ready to bite anyone they could.
“Hey, Sawenaga! That’s a messed up joke!”
“You bastard, just gonna leave whenever you want? What do you take us for? Looking down on us?!”
A few surrounded by piles of beer cans kicked them aside angrily, closing in on Taike Sawenaga amid cheers.
“Whoa! Fight, fight!”
“Taike just needs a good beating! Once he gets roughed up, he’ll be back to normal!”
The blond-haired Taike Sawenaga, faced with the gathering crowd, eyes flickering, cold sweat trickling down, shuffled repeatedly toward the door.
But in the end, he gritted his teeth, squared his shoulders, and stood his ground.
“Thanks for everything up till now! If you’re really mad, just beat me up then!”
“You said it! Ungrateful bastard!”
“Garbage like you—think you can leave and go it alone?”
The sneering delinquents spat insults.
Not far away, sprawled on the sofa Yagami often napped on,
A fierce-faced, burly young man with white hair sat, guzzling beer, watching the impending brawl with boredom.
“Creak—”
Just then, the beer- and food-stained door swung open.
A student, youthful and naive, appeared before the crowd of delinquents.
He seemed utterly oblivious, scanning each face inside with his phone in hand.
At last, his gaze landed on Taike Sawenaga, hemmed in near the entrance, and he finally looked relieved.
“Ah, good! Haven’t been taken out yet, Blondie. Come on, let’s go.”
With a casual air, he ignored the furious delinquents, veins bulging on their foreheads at his intrusion, grabbed Sawenaga by the collar and tried to leave.
Smack—
A hand seized the wrist holding the collar.
The head delinquent spat on the floor.
“Bookworm, are you too stupid to read the room?”
The young man’s smile vanished the instant his wrist was gripped.