"You want me to help your Shinomiya family fight Kengan matches?"
Mutou Judai slowly furrowed his brow.
Although he hadn't yet decided whether to live as a fighter here, he still knew about the Shinomiya family.
He had received related intelligence from this life's memories, or rather, anyone living here, in this country, wouldn't be unfamiliar with the names of those three conglomerates or zaibatsu—Jyujin, Shinomiya, and Sanzenjin.
Besides these three, there seemed to originally be another one, but for some reason, that one had disappeared, and Mutou Judai couldn't learn the name of that last major conglomerate from his memories here.
But overall, Jyujin, Shinomiya, and Sanzenjin were still very famous conglomerates.
So when Mutou Judai heard Shinomiya Kaguya mention the three words "Shinomiya family," even though he hadn't made up his mind, he was obviously stunned for a moment.
It wasn't that he was moved, but rather he was somewhat surprised.
Mutou Judai had already heard from Erina about the importance of Kengan to conglomerates in this country.
Then how could these three major conglomerates possibly lack fighters!
The Shinomiya family would approach him, a newcomer?
Thinking about it, it seemed impossible.
"Not helping the Shinomiya family, but helping me."
Shinomiya Kaguya let out a breath, then looked directly into Mutou Judai's eyes.
"The Shinomiya family has many fighters. Not only do they not lack fighters, but even if someone wins a Kengan match, it's insignificant to the name Shinomiya."
"Because the Shinomiya family has many fighters who regularly fight Kengan matches, even the more capable fighters in the Shinomiya family only receive better treatment, but they wouldn't make the Shinomiya family's direct lineage go to great lengths to win them over."
"Moreover... you wouldn't think that a major conglomerate like Shinomiya wouldn't cultivate their own fighters, would you?"
True...
Hearing Shinomiya Kaguya say this, Mutou Judai glanced at her with a half-smile.
"Not helping Shinomiya, but helping you—that means what you need is likely not just a fighter, and since you actively sought out me, a newcomer, it represents that the treatment you can offer isn't that good either... at least not proportional to what you want to accomplish, right?"
Hearing Mutou Judai say this, Shinomiya Kaguya nodded very frankly.
"That's indeed the case now—"
She smiled.
"But how things are now doesn't matter. Even if you go fight Kengan for the Shinomiya family, all you'd get is relatively better treatment—but if you help me obtain certain things, then what you'll gain next will be an entire bright future."
Shinomiya Kaguya had thought this through from the beginning.
She was very clear about what her advantages were, and she acknowledged what her disadvantages were.
Although she wasn't valued at home, Shinomiya Kaguya was still a qualified direct member of the Shinomiya family—she was the eldest daughter of a merchant family at the Shinomiya level.
She hadn't been able to make up her mind before because what she had seen previously was completely insufficient to move her.
But now she had seen Mutou Judai—
This newcomer fighter who had taken down the super rookie Himuro Ryo with one punch!
A considerable portion of wealthy people's investments pursued more stable high profits, but she was now basically cornered, so—she could only make risky investments, otherwise it would be a slow death.
For the current Shinomiya Kaguya, just seeing possibility was enough.
And Mutou Judai was the possibility she saw.
"If we fail, we'll have nothing, but if we succeed, Mutou-san—I'm willing to give you one-tenth of the Shinomiya family!"
One-tenth of the Shinomiya family!
What did the Shinomiya family represent here? According to the concept in Mutou Judai's memories about this country, the Shinomiya family was roughly equivalent to a strengthened and fused version of some major zaibatsu from the country he lived in in his previous life!
Moreover, among Shinomiya, Jyujin, and Sanzenjin, Jyujin and Sanzenjin had more hands abroad, distributed worldwide, while Shinomiya didn't extend as many hands overseas, but in exchange, its domestic power was very terrifying.
The relationship between Jyujin and Sanzenjin combined domestically and Shinomiya was merely mutual influence and restraint, not even achieving balance.
This led to the situation where calling other merchants "wealthy enough to rival a country" would be extremely high praise.
But for Shinomiya—calling even one-tenth of Shinomiya "wealthy enough to rival a country" would be quite normal, even underestimating them.
This attraction was considerable.
But Mutou Judai wasn't the type to have all his attention drawn by such things.
Because he understood clearly that Shinomiya Kaguya was making a deal with no capital investment using a banknote called "opportunity."
If you won, she'd get nine-tenths for free; if you lost, you'd lose completely.
Although Mutou Judai also understood how important opportunities were to this country.
But—when Mutou Judai had researched this world's information at home earlier, he had thought about it: in his previous life, he was very busy, fighting with all his might for his studies and so-called opportunities, then when he was about to realize his self-worth, he came here.
Even if you told him now to fight with all his might again for this precious opportunity...
—He didn't want to live so tiredly anymore.
Not becoming a chef was like this, fighting Kengan out of interest was like this, and his past few days here had all been like this—in short, being happy was good.
Using his newly obtained life to fight desperately for others...
"Forget it—large rewards represent troubles many times greater than the reward... If I were playing a game, I would definitely take this hidden quest, but to bet my life on it, I can only say sorry."
"I can't help you, you should find someone else."
Hearing Mutou Judai say this, Shinomiya Kaguya wasn't surprised.
If Mutou Judai had agreed so easily, she would have looked down on him somewhat.
"Profit and risk are always linked, Mutou-san, are you afraid?"
"Provocation doesn't work on me—if you think I'm afraid, then so be it. I indeed lack ability, you should find someone more capable."
This Hanma alien said this.
While Shinomiya Kaguya smiled and stuffed a business card into Mutou Judai's hand.
"In that case, contact me when you have more confidence in your abilities. There's no need to rush."
Shinomiya Kaguya said this, then when Mutou Judai held the item and had a tiny bit of hesitation in his mind for an instant, she and Hayasaka Ai turned and walked away.
This...
Mutou Judai looked at Shinomiya Kaguya's business card in his hand, somewhat speechless for a moment.
"Did she trick me?"
There was no helping it!
Anyone holding a ticket that might instantly get one-tenth of the Shinomiya family would hesitate for a moment!
This wave... this wave was desire fighting against reason!
Sigh.
Mutou Judai sighed.
Although his thoughts hadn't changed, he still casually stuffed the business card into his pants pocket.
When Shinomiya Kaguya had approached him earlier, he naturally couldn't discuss such matters at the door of the Great Universe Bar owner's office, so he had followed Shinomiya Kaguya and Hayasaka Ai to a corner in the hallway.
Meanwhile, Erina had long finished talking with Okuya Ken.
Then she followed the hallway to find them, hiding on the other side of the corner wall, basically hearing the entire conversation between Shinomiya Kaguya and Mutou Judai.
Initially, Erina was somewhat surprised when she thought the Shinomiya family wanted to invite Mutou Judai.
But after hearing Shinomiya Kaguya's words and Mutou Judai's response, Erina's originally hesitant and conflicted heart became less hesitant...
—If Mutou Judai would refuse Shinomiya Kaguya, then indeed she couldn't involve him in Totsuki's affairs.
She understood that Mutou Judai wasn't a bad person, and knew that he might help out of wanting to assist acquaintances, then help her once through various awkward reasons.
—Just like this time bringing her to Great Universe Bar.
But the more she understood such things, the more Erina couldn't drag him into this...
Although the Nakiri family hadn't educated her this way, she still made such a decision.
On Mutou Judai's side, he had just put away the business card Shinomiya Kaguya gave him when another person emerged from the corner.
Seeing that this person was also coming for him, Mutou Judai understood what Erina meant when she said he had become famous from one Kengan match.
—This was getting busy!
But just when Mutou Judai thought this person also came with the same idea as Shinomiya Kaguya, the person handed Mutou Judai a letter.
"Mutou Yugi-san asked me to give you this letter. He was afraid you might overthink—and he told me to tell you to come back and visit when you have time in the next few days after reading the letter."
Leaving these words, this person then turned and disappeared into the shadows.
Mutou Judai looked at the letter.
Although from this life's memories, after he left the orphanage, the old director had given him a house and could even arrange for him to enter Totsuki, from which he could somewhat tell that the old director named Mutou Yugi might not be as simple as he appeared.
But he hadn't expected that after just fighting one Kengan match, the old man would contact him.
However, judging from his memories, that old man was a good person who definitely wouldn't harm him, and even the house he currently lived in was given by the old man.
He kept this kindness in his heart.
Moreover, because of his previous schooling at Totsuki, he hadn't been back to see the old man for a while.
Now that the old man was looking for him...
"Then after solving Erina's matter of returning to Totsuki, I'll bring some gifts back to see the old man."