Megumi Tadokoro was a student of Totsuki whose grades had never been good.
To be precise, her situation had only barely stabilized because of several recent incidents. Even so, she had chosen to take a leave of absence at the exact moment when she needed results the most. For someone who had consistently ranked at the bottom due to crippling nervousness, it was a dangerous decision.
And it was not a short leave.
Before she left, her instructor had been very clear. If she stepped away now, the academy might not give her another chance.
Expulsion was a real possibility.
Megumi Tadokoro knew that.
Even so, she still packed her bags, left the academy, and returned to her hometown-a small port city in the Northeast.
Under normal circumstances, there should have been nothing to worry about.
Her family was not wealthy, but they were fortunate. One of those small merchant families that never stood out, yet never truly struggled.
Years ago, they had opened a small inn. Later, by chance, they hosted a distinguished guest who was extremely satisfied with their service. After that, business slowly improved. The inn expanded. Eventually, they even moved away from the city center and invested heavily to build a hot spring inn in a better location.
It was not a business that would ever leave the boundaries of this small city.
But it was stable.
And because of that stability, Megumi's schooling should never have been affected.
It should have stayed that way.
Megumi Tadokoro stepped out of the car, pulled her suitcase behind her, and walked along the road she had known since childhood. The scenery was familiar. The smell of the sea was familiar. The rhythm of the town had not changed.
Yet her shoulders were stiff.
Her expression was tense.
Because-
"If I don't come back, our family's inn will be demolished and turned into a nuclear power plant!"
The words echoed in her mind.
No matter how many times she thought about it, it still sounded unreal.
...
The Yuki Orphanage was not like ordinary orphanages.
If an orphanage of that size existed elsewhere, it would almost certainly be struggling. Funding issues. Too few staff. Constant pressure just to survive.
But Old Man Yuki was not an ordinary man.
Aside from his wide network of friends, Jaden knew one thing very clearly.
The old man was extremely wealthy.
So compared to other orphanages, the Yuki Orphanage functioned more like a large household. Life there was relaxed. Vacations existed. Even things like "family trips" were common.
In Jaden's memory, the first place he had ever traveled to with the old man was this very port city in the Northeast.
The reason was simple.
The orphanage bordered the Northeast region. A few hours of driving was enough to reach this city. More importantly, the old man had acquaintances here.
Of course, that acquaintance was not Karo Yashinari, the fisherman who was now nearly fifty years old.
It was Karo Yashinari's master.
Kajiki Ryota.
An old fisherman who was still sharp, still capable, and three years older than the old man himself.
"If the old man hadn't gone abroad, he'd definitely rush back the moment he heard about this."
Jaden said it casually as he walked.
"Since he's not around, I'll handle it."
He spoke as if it were obvious.
Soon after, Jaden arrived at the building of the fishery company where Kajiki Ryota and Karo Yashinari worked.
Ajiro Fishery.
Some of the elderly fishermen here recognized him. This was not his first visit. In fact, he had been here many times as a child.
Originally, Jaden planned to greet them first, then look for Karo Yashinari and ask about the details of what was happening.
But before he could do that, something caught his eye.
While no one was paying attention, a suspicious figure climbed up a tree in the courtyard of Ajiro Fishery, carefully moved along the branches, and slipped through an open window on the second floor into a dark room.
"...They didn't even close the window."
Jaden paused and sighed.
"No screen. No bars."
Then again, it wasn't strange.
This was a small and remote city. Honest people. Simple customs. Crime rates were low. Theft was rare. Everyone knew everyone else, or at least knew someone who did.
Security awareness here was naturally lax.
Still.
He had seen it.
So while no one was looking, Jaden moved beneath the window. He jumped upward, slapped his palms against the wall to gain momentum, grabbed the edge of the second-floor window, and slipped inside with practiced ease.
Inside the room, the lights were off.
The man who had entered before him was standing at a desk. A drawer was open. The man placed an envelope inside, pushed the drawer shut, and turned around to leave.
That was when their eyes met.
The other person froze.
For a brief moment, both of them stood still.
Then the man recovered and strode toward Jaden without hesitation.
"I'm not someone you want to mess with," the man said. "Go steal somewhere else. If you don't leave, I'm calling the police."
Jaden blinked.
Huh?
Is competition in the theft industry really this intense now?
Same location. Same target.
And one side was willing to drag the other down just to protect their turf.
He thought about it for half a second.
Then he moved.
In the next instant, Jaden appeared behind the man and struck cleanly. The man collapsed without making a sound.
"...That explanation doesn't really work."
Jaden walked back to the desk.
"They weren't stealing."
"They were planting something."
He opened the drawer, took out the envelope, and pulled out a USB drive.
This room was the office of Ajiro Fishery.
When Jaden was younger, he had spent a lot of time here.
Because there was a computer.
So now, without hesitation, he turned on the machine, inserted the USB drive, and opened its contents.
There was very little inside.
Just one file.
A plan.
An internal plan belonging to Toyo Electric.
The contents focused entirely on this small port city.
Just as Etsuya Eizan had said, Toyo Electric was targeting this place.
They intended to build a large nuclear power plant.
The location would include the Ajiro Fishery port, as well as the nearby mountains and forests.
The document also included information related to Ajiro Fishery.
More specifically-
Karo Yashinari.
The strategy was simple.
First, use the construction of a so-called "rest facility" at the fishing port as leverage. Apply pressure. Force Karo Yashinari-the man known for strangling great white sharks at sea-to participate in the Kengan matches.
And then make him throw a fight.
But Toyo Electric had no intention of stopping there.
According to the plan, regardless of his cooperation, they would still seize the fishing port. The surrounding mountains and forests would also be converted into part of the nuclear power plant project.
Reading through it, Jaden's expression remained calm.
After finishing, he removed the USB drive, shut down the computer, and looked at the unconscious man on the floor.
"Did he come here to warn them?"
He considered the possibility.
Honestly, it didn't feel likely.
If internal documents for a project of this scale could be obtained so easily by an ordinary person, Toyo Electric wouldn't have built its reputation for being ruthless and untouchable.
Which left only one realistic conclusion.
This was staged.
A self-directed hoax.
Toyo Electric had deceived Karo Yashinari and the others.
They leaked the documents themselves.
By doing so, they would provoke resistance. That resistance would push Karo Yashinari to fight harder in the upcoming Kengan Annihilation Tournament.
Stronger resolve.
Stronger performance.
All of it, unknowingly, serving Toyo Electric's interests.
And even if Karo Yashinari realized the truth later-
The fishing port was already under Toyo Electric's control.
He would have nowhere to go.
"...Tsk."
Jaden sighed.
Then he kicked the wall beside him.
Not hard enough to break anything.
Just enough to make noise.
Loud noise.
Footsteps could be heard outside.
Satisfied, Jaden turned back to the window and jumped out, leaving the unconscious man behind.
This way, even if he was wrong-
Even if he had misunderstood the situation-
The man would only remember encountering a "thief."
Not Ajiro Fishery.
As for Jaden himself-
"Now that I know what's going on, there's no point in looking for Uncle Karo Yashinari yet."
He straightened as he walked away.
"I should check the other side first."
Because this nuclear power plant project didn't just involve the fishing port.
It required demolishing part of the surrounding forest.
It would affect the nearby mountains.
And according to the plan-
There was another negotiation target.
Another inn.
"...So that's how it is."
Jaden adjusted his direction.
"I'll go to the inn first and ask what's going on."
He paused.
"And if it turns into a hassle..."
"I'll just stay the night."
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