Yakuza: Like a God Hand

The fight began with Majima making the first move, his Thug style on full display. He dashed in quickly, his fluid movements blurring as he closed the distance with ease. A quick jab connected with Kiryu's side, followed by a sharp elbow strike aimed at his shoulder.

Kiryu grunted but held his ground. His Brawler stance remained firm, his feet planted, and his fists raised. As Majima tried to follow up with a spinning high kick, Kiryu swayed back just in time, avoiding the blow and countering with a powerful right hook. The punch landed squarely on Majima's ribs, sending him stumbling back a few steps.

"That all you got, Kiryu-chan?" Majima grinned, shaking off the hit like it was nothing.

Kiryu didn't answer. Instead, he advanced slowly, his fists raised as he focused on Majima's movements.

Majima lunged again, his strikes coming in quick combinations. A low kick to Kiryu's shin was followed by a feint, Majima ducking under Kiryu's retaliatory punch and delivering a sneaky uppercut. Kiryu staggered slightly, but his sheer strength allowed him to recover quickly.

Majima darted around, his speed making it difficult for Kiryu to pin him down. The one-eyed man slipped behind Kiryu and attempted a surprise kick to his back, but Kiryu anticipated it. Turning swiftly, Kiryu caught Majima's leg mid-air and slammed his opponent onto the ground with a single motion.

Majima rolled to his feet, laughing maniacally. "Ohoho, you're stronger than I remember, Kiryu-chan!"

Kiryu exhaled sharply, adjusting his stance. "You're fast, Majima-san, but speed won't win you this fight."

Majima's grin widened, his wild blue aura only growing. He darted in again, this time using a mix of feints and real strikes, aiming to confuse Kiryu. He landed a glancing blow with a spinning high kick, followed by a swift jab to Kiryu's ribs.

Kiryu winced but didn't falter. Timing his counter perfectly, he delivered a devastating straight punch to Majima's stomach, causing him to double over briefly. Kiryu followed up with a heavy overhand punch that sent Majima sprawling onto the pavement.

The impact echoed through the street, and Eugen and Haruka watched in stunned silence.

But Majima wasn't done. He quickly flipped himself back onto his feet, his movements as fluid as ever, and dusted off his coat. "You hit hard, Kiryu-chan. But I'm just getting warmed up!"

He charged forward, leaping into a flying kick aimed at Kiryu's chest. Kiryu braced himself, blocking with his arms and staggering back a step from the force. Without wasting a moment, Kiryu retaliated with a heavy body shot, followed by an uppercut that lifted Majima slightly off the ground.

Majima laughed even as he stumbled back. "Damn, Kiryu-chan! You're still as tough as ever!"

The two fighters continued exchanging blows, Majima's speed and unpredictability clashing with Kiryu's raw power and precision. Each hit they traded sent shockwaves through the air, and the sound of their combat drew a small crowd of curious onlookers.

Finally, after several more exchanges, Kiryu managed to land a decisive blow. Timing Majima's next rush perfectly, he delivered a crushing haymaker that sent Majima flying backward.

Majima lay on the ground for a moment, breathing heavily, before sitting up with a grin. "Alright, Kiryu-chan, you win this round. But don't think I'm done with you yet!"

Kiryu straightened up, adjusting his suit. "Anytime, Majima-san."

With that, Majima stood, brushed himself off, and walked away, his manic laughter echoing through the street.

Seeing the fight was over, the people watching began to disperse and return to their previous activities.

"That was awesome, Mister Kiryu! Your fight was just like the TV shows I watch!" Haruka said excitedly to him.

"Haha… Self-defense is a must if you visit this town often," he replied, trying to change the subject.

"I see. I've never learned self-defense before. Maybe I should try it too. What about you, Eugen?" Haruka asked Eugen, who stood beside her.

But Eugen didn't respond to Haruka at all. He continued to stare intently at the spot where Kiryu and Majima had fought earlier.

"Eugen?" Haruka decided to shake him, which brought him back to awareness.

"Huh? What is it, Haruka?" he said, confused.

"You tell me! You've been zoning out and staring ahead. Is your right hand heating up again?" Haruka asked him.

"Are you okay, Eugen? Should we go back to the bar?" Kiryu asked as well, sounding concerned.

"No, no, I'm fine. I was just thinking… During the fight, I noticed Uncle Goro seemed to be holding back when fighting you. I saw that he know your attacks coming but deliberately let you hit him," Eugen said, recounting what he had observed during Kiryu and Majima's fight.

"And you too, Uncle Kiryu. When you were using that Brawler style, there were moments when your body couldn't keep up with what you wanted to do—like you're weaker than you should be."

"Really? I didn't notice any of that at all," Haruka said, thinking back to the fight.

Kiryu looked shocked when he heard Eugen's words.

Eugen had only been watching for a few minutes, yet he had already identified Kiryu's fighting style and even noticed his decline in strength.

Kiryu had never mentioned his fighting style by name to anyone except an old mentor 20 years ago.

Brawler, Rush, Beast, and Dragon—these were the fighting styles that Kiryu Kazuma had mastered, the reason why he was called the Dragon of Dojima.

However, after being imprisoned for ten years, his body had grown rusty, and he could no longer use his styles as effectively.

Even Majima had said something similar to Eugen's observations when they first met after Kiryu was released from prison.

"Yes, you're right," Kiryu admitted. "My body isn't what it used to be. I've been out of practice for ten years."

"We should keep moving. If you're curious, I can tell you about it," Kiryu said.

And so, as they continued walking toward Millennium Tower, Kiryu explained to both of them, who seemed very curious.

He began by talking about how he had been imprisoned for ten years. After being released, he encountered Majima, who fought him and made him realize how much weaker he had become.

Majima then decided to challenge him repeatedly by being everywhere to help him regain his former strength. So far, they had fought three times, and Kiryu could already feel his body getting stronger, especially his Dragon Style.

"I see. So that's why Uncle Goro held back when fighting you," Eugen said, understanding the situation.

Kiryu wanted to ask how Eugen knew so much just from watching for a few minutes, but before he could, they arrived in front of Millennium Tower.

"It's so tall..." Eugen said, looking up at the towering building.

"Fufu, it really is, isn't it? The first time I saw this building up close, I was just as amazed as you. Let's go inside," Haruka said, holding Eugen's hand and pulling him along.

Kiryu watched the two of them running together like that and could only smile before following them.

Since the building was still relatively new, there wasn't much inside besides an escalator leading to the first floor and third floor and elevators to access the upper floors.

They walked down the inactive escalator to the first floor and headed toward the elevator.

The elevator doors opened immediately, and the three of them stepped inside.

"This is where I got stuck," Kiryu said, pressing the button for the 60th floor. However, nothing happened.

"Here, let me try," Haruka said, then pressed the buttons for the 36th and 38th floors, lighting them up.

"Now try again," she said.

Kiryu pressed the 60th floor button again, and this time, the button lit up. The elevator doors closed, and it began moving upward.

"A security code..." Kiryu murmured.

It took a few moments before the elevator reached the 60th floor, and the doors opened.

As soon as the doors opened, they could see the bar, which occupied the entire floor.

"Wow, this is really luxurious. So many red sofas and couches, and that huge chandelier in the middle," Eugen said, looking around.

They descended the staircase from the elevator and now stood in the middle of the bar, under the chandelier.

"Wow... It's like a castle," Haruka said, clearly amazed.

"The whole floor for her bar. Quite an accomplishment," Kiryu added.

"I've never seen a bar this big, not even during the Bubble back then."

"Bubble?" Haruka asked.

"Oh, that was when the economy was really strange. Everyone in Japan was rich," Eugen surprisingly answered.

"You know your stuff, huh," Kiryu said.

"Yeah, I read about it once. 20 years ago, Japan experienced massive inflation due to real estate and stocks," Eugen explained.

"Yeah, something like that. But then the bubble popped when taxes were introduced," Kiryu added.

They continued exploring the bar for a while, with Haruka and Eugen enjoying themselves.

Until they stopped in front of a photo hanging on the wall.

"Isn't this Aunt Mizuki?" Eugen said, pointing at the photo.

"Yes, it is," Haruka said, looking at the picture.

Kiryu also approached them and stared at the photo.

In the picture was a woman with a pixie haircut, revealing silver earrings and a tattoo on the left side of her chest—a flower known as the Queen of the Night.

"So, this is Mizuki. Reina was right; she really does look a lot like Yumi," Kiryu muttered to himself as he studied the photo.

"She really does look like Aunt Yumi if her hair were longer," Eugen agreed.

"Say... Haruka, why were you placed in the orphanage?" Kiryu suddenly asked.

"I don't know... She said I needed to wait there because she had something to do. Then she disappeared after that," Haruka replied.

"Not long after, her sister, Aunt Yumi, showed up and said she was bringing letters from my mom. Every week, she'd visit the orphanage, bringing letters from my mom and taking mine to her," Haruka continued.

"Yeah, I remember that," Eugen added, recalling the first time he had seen Aunt Yumi.

Eugen had never met Aunt Mizuki properly—she had only dropped Haruka off at the orphanage once and never returned. Aunt Yumi, however, was different; she always played with him and Haruka when she visited.

"Oh, and she gave me this before she disappeared too," Haruka said as she took something out of her jacket pocket.

What she showed was a pendant—circular, metallic, and intricately detailed with ornamental floral or vine-like engravings. A small keyhole near the bottom suggested it could be unlocked with a specific key.

As they were talking, a sudden ding came from the elevator, signaling its arrival on the 60th floor.

Not long after, six men in formal black suits stepped out, their faces stern and intimidating.

Kiryu instinctively stepped in front of Eugen and Haruka, shielding them.

"Are you Kiryu-san? Formerly of the Dojima Family?" the man in front asked.

"I'm from the 5th Omi Alliance Headquarters. The name's Hayashi. I've heard a lot about you," he introduced himself.

"Omi Alliance… Does that mean Nishikiyama sent you? Are you after me?" Kiryu asked coldly.

"Nope," Hayashi replied casually, but before he could say more, Kiryu's phone began to ring, interrupting the tension.

"Your phone's ringing. Go ahead, answer it. We'll wait," Hayashi said with a smirk.

Kiryu quickly answered, speaking on the phone for a few moments. Eugen noticed his expression shift to one of surprise as Kiryu glanced at Mizuki's picture behind them. After ending the call, Kiryu slipped the phone back into his pocket.

"I see. So, you're after Yumi and Mizuki too?" Kiryu said, his tone sharp.

"Nah. We're here for the little girl you've got with you," Hayashi replied, looking directly at Haruka.

Hearing this, both Haruka and Eugen's faces filled with shock. They hadn't expected the men's goal to be kidnapping Haruka.

But before Kiryu could respond, Eugen suddenly shouted, "What do you want with Haruka!?"

His outburst drew the men's attention, and they turned to face him, surprised to see the small boy glaring at them with anger.

"This has nothing to do with you, kid. Go home to your mother. This is an adult matter," one of the men said dismissively.

"Nothing to do with me!?" Eugen's voice was trembling with fury.

His clenched fists tightened even more, and his right arm began to glow faintly.

"You want to take Haruka away to who knows where!" The glow in his right arm grew brighter.

"And you say this isn't my problem!?" The bandage tightly wrapped around his arm began to loosen.

But because his sleeves covered his arms, the men didn't notice the light.

Kiryu, however, felt something different. Despite his years out of practice, his instincts were sharp enough to sense the immense danger emanating from Eugen.

Before anything escalated, Kiryu gently patted Eugen's head and said calmly, "Leave this to me. You protect Haruka."

The reassuring gesture and Kiryu's firm voice eased Eugen's tension. The glow in his arm faded, and he unclenched his fists.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Kiryu said, stepping forward and staring at the men with a sharp glare.

"What?"

"Before you try anything with Haruka, you'll have to get through me," Kiryu declared, walking toward them.

"Just as I'd expect from you, Kiryu-san. Looks like I've got no choice. Do it, boys! Kill him!" Hayashi ordered.