Tokyo: Starting with the Gear-Conscious Male Gods!

Chapter 40: World Champion Becomes a Real Estate Agent

It wasn't until the chubby boy stepped off the stage that the audience recovered from the exciting battle they had just witnessed.

"My goodness, is this girl's ultimate move interrupted so easily? I'll have to try it next time!"

"Try it and die. It looks easy, but it's actually very difficult."

"This guy looks quite gentle and refined, but I didn't expect him to play so aggressively."

"That's right, it's a reckless, blood-swapping style of fighting. If that fat kid had lasted just ten more seconds, the outcome would have been uncertain."

"Yeah, no wonder he's a mad dog enthusiast, his demeanor is just like a mad dog."

"Pfft, hahahahaha..."

Shirakawa Yuta glanced at the man, but didn't pay him too much attention, because his fighting style was indeed a bit too fierce.

Yes, it really is like a mad dog.

However, since he's already up here, Shirakawa Yuta will definitely have to play all five matches and advance before going down.

He then turned his attention to the others and shouted, "Anyone want to come up and challenge me?"

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances. Although they had just jokingly called him a mad dog, everyone had witnessed his strength firsthand.

That chubby guy was strong enough, but he was still taken down in one fell swoop by the other side. It doesn't matter if they lose, but it's unacceptable to be too embarrassed.

After looking at each other for a while, it was a man in his thirties who was standing behind the seating area who pushed through the crowd and walked towards the stage.

He was wearing a suit and shirt, carrying a briefcase, and his eyes still showed signs of weariness. Even without getting close, you could feel the strong presence of a typical office worker.

Yuta Shirakawa looked at the man walking towards him with some surprise. Today was not the weekend, and even if they had just lingered for a while, it was only a little past four in the afternoon, far from the time they were supposed to get off work.

What is he doing?

As if sensing Shirakawa Yuta's confusion, Kojima Masahiro smiled and explained:

"I work here, and I happened to see you doing a really good 'mad dog' trick, which reminded me of my school days. So I got a little excited and wanted to challenge you to a match. You don't mind, do you?"

Yuta Shirakawa shook his head indifferently: "Of course not, please sit down!"

The two chatted casually while choosing their heroes.

Masahiro Kojima glanced at Yuta Shirakawa's school uniform and said:

"Mingde? That's a good school! I wanted to apply to that high school too, but I was addicted to video games in junior high. In the end, I almost didn't get into either Mingde or Kitano."

Yuta Shirakawa modestly replied, "No, no, it's all the same. Whether or not you attend Mingde doesn't really have much impact on your life, right? You now...?"

Masahiro Kojima smiled wearily: "A rental agent."

Yuta Shirakawa nodded in realization; no wonder the other person would be wandering around outside while at work.

Then, as if remembering something, he joked with Masahiro Kojima, "Really? I happen to be looking to rent a place right now, so you'll have to go easy on me for this deal."

Masahiro Kojima was taken aback by these words, then chuckled and said, "Your strength doesn't require me to hold back."

As the two chatted and laughed, Masahiro Kojima had already chosen his hero, the Mad Dog that Yuta Shirakawa had just played, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes.

While Shirakawa Yuta was still hesitating about what to choose, Kojima Masahiro said, "How about you play Mad Dog? Let me see what the young people are capable of these days."

Hearing what the other party said, Shirakawa Yuta didn't hesitate at all; it didn't matter to him what he played anyway.

An older audience member felt that Masahiro Kojima looked familiar as soon as he came on stage, and kept staring at him until Kojima chose Mad Dog, at which point he exclaimed in surprise.

"That guy looks like Masahiro Kojima, the 04 street boxing champion!"

As soon as he spoke, the surrounding crowd all looked in the direction he was pointing.

"What?! Really?!"

"Holy crap, they really do look alike, and he even chose 'Mad Dog,' it really seems like it!"

"That's right, it's Masahiro Kojima! I saw him at an offline competition before, and he looks exactly like the one on stage!"

"Mad Dog was his specialty back then; he even used it to anchor the team that won the championship. That guy on the other side is in real trouble now..."

"That student is a bit unlucky; he ran into the big boss right out of the gate."

……

The surrounding chatter made Masako Takahashi realize that Yuta Shirakawa was an incredibly strong opponent. Her relaxed mind tensed up again, and her small fists clenched once more.

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.

The audience, who had been laughing and joking, now held their breath, their eyes fixed on the two screens on the stage that simultaneously displayed the image of a "mad dog".

A mad dog fights another mad dog.

Mirror match.

As Shirakawa Yuta listened to the discussions below the stage, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

Although he was surprised that the other party, a former world champion, was now working as a rental agent, he wasn't nervous at all; on the contrary, he found it quite interesting.

Using someone else's special skill to defeat them is inherently a very challenging thing, and that's the kind of challenge he enjoys most.

The game has finished loading, and the screen transitions to the battlefield.

Against a classic moonlit backdrop, two mad dogs emerge simultaneously from the edge of the screen, their purple aura surging around them, exuding a chilling murderous intent.

Yuta Shirakawa was not intimidated by his opponent being a former world champion and a master of mad dog-like skills. Just like in the previous game, he rushed forward at the start.

His playing style remained consistent—fierce, ruthless, and leaving no room for error.

Mad Dog's Dream Bomb started with a Sunflower Triple Combo, unleashing a series of small combos without hesitation.

Masahiro Kojima did not back down.

His mad dog also charged forward, and the instant the first hit of the Dream Bullet landed, he precisely used the rising dragon technique "Oni-Yaki" with invincibility frames, directly taking the hit of Shirakawa Yuta's opening move.

boom!

Purple flames shot into the sky, and Shirakawa Yuta's mad dog was knocked away, losing nearly a fifth of its health upon landing.

The audience below the stage became excited upon seeing this scene.

"Oni-yaki against Dream Bullet: A textbook example of how to counter a move!"

"Is this the level of a champion? Their reaction time is just too fast..."

As Shirakawa Yuta landed, he retreated to create distance and prevent his opponent from pursuing him, while his eyes lit up slightly.

The pressure he felt from the other person was something the chubby kid from before couldn't match, so he praised, "No wonder you're the champion, you even made it up here."

Masahiro Kojima said calmly, "I played a lot when I was young, it's just muscle memory."

The two approached each other again.

This time, Shirakawa Yuta didn't rush in directly. Instead, he first took a half-step back and, unusually, used a mad dog-like ranged attack, probing with a purple flame sliding down the ground.

Masahiro Kojima frowned slightly, and the mad dog he was controlling took a half step back. The purple flames brushed past him, and then he returned a purple flame.

It collided with the second ball of flame emitted by Shirakawa Yuta right in the middle of the screen, exploding into a purple light effect.

Upon seeing this scene, Shirakawa Yuta's eyes lit up instantly—a perfect opportunity!

The moment before the light effect faded, the mad dog controlled by Shirakawa Yuta moved again!