"Nobody," Fushimi Roku said.

"Hmm," Minamoto Tamako realized something and looked up, saying, "So she was just trying to scare us?"

"Not necessarily," Fushimi Roku stood up as well, bending over and walking quickly through the forest, "It's also possible that Senior Kazama and his team were exposed."

Minamoto Tamako's heart tightened. She hoped this would be a casualty-free operation, with everything aligned perfectly. But Kazama Tatsuya and Watanabe Shun were isolated, and the situation had taken an unexpected turn.

It was no longer a one-on-one with Uesugi Shion; it was now a five-man team vs another five-man team vs the Cat Island cult's security squad.

Minamoto Tamako could play guerrilla tactics, and so could Uesugi Shion.

"How were we exposed?" Moriyama Yasurou asked.

"Who else would burn warehouses besides us?" Fushimi Roku said indifferently.

He had already checked on the boat with a metal detector; there were no trackers in the phones, nor any miniature locators on anyone. Everyone was 'clean.'

Uesugi Shion had been waiting on Cat Island, likely anticipating Fushimi Roku's sneak attack. As soon as the warehouse caught fire, she rushed over and happened to run into Kazama Tatsuya and Watanabe Shun.

...

Most of the facts aligned with Fushimi Roku's guess, except for one deviation: it wasn't Uesugi Shion herself who discovered Kazama Tatsuya and Watanabe Shun, but it was Ninomiya Jino and the four others under Hui's command.

At the moment the broadcast ended, the two pounced suddenly, leaping out from the bushes and pinning Kazama Tatsuya and Watanabe Shun to the ground.

Watanabe Shun tried to struggle, only to hear the click of a safety catch being released behind his head, and a cold, hard object pressed against his forehead, making him instantly afraid to move.

"Well, well, we meet again," Ninomiya Jino said with a smile.

Watanabe Shun lifted his head slightly, glanced sideways, and saw Hui's four large bodies looming in the darkness. He was pinning Kazama Tatsuya against a tree with one hand around his neck, while Ninomiya Jino pressed against his back, bringing his face close, eyes slightly glowing.

Watanabe Shun shouted angrily, starting with "Baka Yaro," and unsurprisingly got a slap for it.

Ninomiya Jino didn't hold back, delivering a slap that made Watanabe Shun's head buzz. It took him a while to recover, and even after being hit, he still cursed, "Baka Yaro!"

In Japan, there's not much variation in curses; "go die," "idiot," and without the rolling tongue for emphasis, cursing feels weak.

Ninomiya Jino confiscated his gun, surprisingly let go of him, and asked, "Can you stand up?"

Watanabe Shun shook his hand, imagining a graceful flip but ended up awkwardly rolling on the ground a meter away, scrambling to his feet. He clenched his fists and took a stance: "Let go of the boss!"

Finally, he added another "Baka Yaro."

Ninomiya Jino raised his hand, aimed the gun at Watanabe Shun, who instantly felt a bit intimidated. He wanted to fight but lacked confidence, wanted to run but it was too embarrassing, so he stood there looking foolish.

"Let's continue the game we played before," Ninomiya Jino suggested, "Since my friend had a match with you last time and wants to have another, could you give us a chance?"

Watanabe Shun planned to say no, but seeing Ninomiya Jino cock the gun, he could only strive to maintain his dignity as a man, raising his head, "As long as you let people go, I'll reluctantly accept your challenge."

He was already prepared to be beaten into a pulp again.

"This time, let's add some difficulty," Ninomiya Jino chuckled, "He'll fight both of you alone."

"What do you mean?" Watanabe Shun thought it wasn't the slap game anymore, could it have turned into a two-on-one brawl?

"Still slaps in turns, you first, Mr. Kazama second, then it's his turn to retaliate. You two can choose to take one hit each or one person takes two hits while the other doesn't get hit." Ninomiya Jino explained.

Watanabe Shun figured it out; these guys just loved playing weird and perverted games.

But he understood too; after all, he was a man of the world and even a Shinjuku Street soapland VIP gold card member. The soapland girls' games were weirder than Cat Island's games, so nothing was unacceptable.

Getting slapped, right? Even Ms. Doe-S teacher hit him. Watanabe Shun closed his eyes, trying hard to imagine Hui's four agents as leather-clad queens, hoping that might boost his ability to endure slaps.

Indeed, the monk's chest was as large as a soapland girl's, which was a common point.

"Bring it on!"

Watanabe Shun slapped his thigh, taking a sumo stance, "I'm ready! This time I'll definitely knock you down!"

Hui's four agents searched Kazama Tatsuya, confiscated his rifle, and let him stand firm.

Ninomiya Jino pointed the gun barrel downwards, drawing a line in the grass clearing.

"This is the dividing line, competitors please stand on either side," he posed as a referee and said very formally: "On your marks!"

Kazama Tatsuya and Watanabe Shun stood side by side, looking up at Hui's four agents. This guy was two heads taller than them, his features sharply chiseled, his face even having Araki lines, totally different from their style.

"Get ready—"

Before Ninomiya Jino finished his sentence, Kazama Tatsuya suddenly interrupted, "Wait, I have an objection."

"What's wrong?" Ninomiya Jino, being a responsible referee, patiently asked, even though he could tell Kazama Tatsuya was trying to stall for time.

"Your opponent is armed, it's not the same condition as us," Kazama Tatsuya said, "Their weapon gives us psychological pressure, affecting our performance, and who knows, they might cheat in the end with the gun."

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