"Never would have thought that old man Tokugawa had this much money. Is he really that loaded? Or does the Baki business just not cost anything..."
Standing in front of a roadside ATM, Sett was loaded down with bags he'd just filled at the convenience store. He'd practically cleared out everything that looked even remotely edible, and when the cashier rang it up? Came to less than ten thousand yen.
The clerk had stared in disbelief as Sett casually carried几十 kilos of food with one hand.
Sett might not have finished high school, but he understood the gap between ten thousand and a billion. Even if he blew money like this every single day, he'd never run out in his lifetime.
He pulled out a cheap phone he'd just bought and started checking exchange rates. The numbers didn't really matter—what mattered was the system's conversion rate.
In his previous life, fifty thousand Hua Xia coins exchanged for one gold piece. Had that ratio changed with the new world?
"Shit, how much should I take out?" He stared at the ATM screen. "Might as well start with a million."
In his old life, he'd only figured out the exchange rate after years in the underground fights. If he withdrew too little and couldn't exchange it... he'd be stuck carrying cash around in plastic bags. Useless.
He tapped the screen. One million yen.
The machine whirred to life, spitting out bill after bill. A few minutes later, Sett held a thick stack of yen in his left hand while his right hand frantically tapped the + icon on his system interface.
The system responded immediately.
[Insufficient funds for gold exchange.]
He checked the conversion. One million yen roughly equaled fifty thousand Hua Xia coins in purchasing power. And this dogshit system used the exact same rate.
Which meant... ten million yen per gold piece.
Ten million.
Tokugawa had given him a billion. A hundred gold pieces. He couldn't even buy a full item with that.
Sett let out a long breath. He'd expected something like this, but it still stung. He stuffed the cash into one of his plastic bags—the one already half-empty from all the food and drinks he'd already demolished on the walk over. The million yen sat there, absurdly conspicuous among the leftovers.
He checked his phone. "Almost eight... Time to head back and eat."
No point rushing his recovery. Even if he hurried, he couldn't speed up the process. These things took time.
The streets were still crowded despite the late hour, and Sett stood out like a lighthouse in the dark. His red hair, his height, his presence—people unconsciously gave him a wide berth, like a tiger walking through a flock of sheep.
He scanned the area warily. In the Baki world, you never knew when some martial artist might pop out of an alley and challenge you to a fight. He wanted strong opponents, sure, but getting ambushed every time he went for a walk? That would get old fast.
Nothing happened. The crowd parted around him, and he walked unmolested until a familiar smell caught his attention.
---
"Welcome!!" the waitress at the door chirped enthusiastically as Sett approached.
"How many?" she asked.
Sett pointed to a window seat. He could understand Japanese well enough, but the standard customer-service spiel still flew over his head. He found restaurants by scent, not by listening.
Window seat meant easy escape if things went sideways. If some fighter started trouble inside, he didn't want to accidentally Haymaker some civilian. Messy.
Baki's world might mostly run on normal rules, but you never knew when those Death Row convicts might show up.
"Here you go... A single seat by the window. What would you like to order?"
Sett sank onto the couch without even glancing at the menu. He'd already spotted the signature dishes on his way in.
"Ten steaks. And ten hamburger patties. As fast as possible."
He did a quick mental calculation. Tomorrow he'd check out that silver gym. He'd go easy on the food tonight—he wasn't a professional nutritionist, but the place smelled good, and that was enough for him.
The waitress's smile froze, then completely collapsed.
"Sir... Do you have friends coming? If not... please don't make fun of me."
Ten steaks. Ten hamburgers. She'd seen big eaters before—the occasional customer who could put away five steaks, maybe. But twenty dishes in one sitting? Even if you threw that much food to a dog, the dog couldn't finish it!
She knew she was attractive. Plenty of guys came in just to shoot their shot, pulling all kinds of crazy stunts to get her attention. But ordering twenty plates of food? That was new.
Sett stared at her like she was an idiot. "Tch. You think I can't pay? Even if I take it home and feed it to a dog, that's my business, isn't it?"
The waitress opened her mouth, then closed it. What he said... actually made sense. Flustered and annoyed, she scribbled down his order and stalked off.
Sett dismissed her from his mind. Arguing with idiots was a waste of energy. He'd rather find some thugs to beat up.
---
Outside the window, a different scene was unfolding.
Daichi Ejima—leader of a small-time biker gang—was absolutely livid. His three underlings clustered around him, trying to calm him down.
"Bro... that waitress you like... some guy inside is harassing her..."
Ejima's head snapped around, fury twisting his features. "You think I didn't see?! You want me to go in there and sort him out?!"
He pointed through the glass at Sett, who was casually slouched in his window seat.
"That bastard! I was this close to using the ten-steak tactic!!"