Chapter 3: The IOU

To be honest, Wang Bo's current behavior left Shinichi Inoue utterly perplexed. Just a few days ago, he had been a coward, but now he seemed like a monster full of oppressive force.

What the hell was going on?

Could it be that someone had changed Kaneki Ken?

But who could have transformed Kaneki Ken so completely in just a few days, as if he had become a different person?

Had he encountered some kind of deity or demon, or perhaps been possessed by something unclean?

Shinichi Inoue's mind ran wild with wild thoughts.

Before long, the head of the Ishida group, Ishida Hyogo, walked in from outside with a group of people.

From his appearance, he looked like a middle-aged man in his forties, with a kind face and gold-rimmed glasses, resembling a successful middle-aged man.

If he introduced himself as a teacher, a doctor, or a lawyer, no one in the dark would ever suspect him.

Because his appearance was indeed that deceptive.

Few would imagine that this man was actually a yakuza who devoured people without spitting out bones.

"Welcome, Kaneki."

Ishida Hyogo saw Wang Bo, flashed a warm smile, stepped forward to shake his hand, as if greeting an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.

"How have you been, Kaneki? You look well, so I assume things are going well for you, Kaneki."

Wang Bo nodded and said coldly, "Not bad."

Ishida Hyogo didn't mind Wang Bo's coldness. He glanced sideways at the briefcase beside Wang Bo and said, "I heard from Shinichi that you're here to pay back the money?"

"That's right." Wang Bo nodded.

"Kaneki, if I remember correctly, what you owe me is no small amount." Ishida Hyogo said meaningfully.

"I know." Wang Bo picked up the briefcase, placed it on the coffee table, and pushed it over. "The money inside is enough."

Ishida Hyogo squinted at Wang Bo a few times, then sat on the sofa and opened the briefcase. Inside were neatly stacked bundles of yen, each note ten thousand yen.

A rough estimate put it at least several tens of millions.

Ishida Hyogo picked up a stack of money and could still smell the unique ink scent of the currency.

"So, is this enough?" Wang Bo said.

Ishida Hyogo nodded, looking troubled. "It's enough, but Kaneki, where did this money come from? We don't accept illegal money here. You're putting me in a difficult position."

Wang Bo sneered, looking impatient. "Don't worry, the money here is all legal. You can take it without any problem."

"Is that so, Kaneki?" Ishida Hyogo seemed not to trust Wang Bo. "Can you tell me where this money came from, Kaneki? How did you manage to raise such a large sum in just a few days?"

Wang Bo laughed, his expression unfriendly. "You want to pry into my secrets?"

"You're wronging me, Kaneki. I just want peace of mind. After all, we don't do illegal business, and we certainly don't accept illegal money."

"Lottery!" Wang Bo made it up on the spot.

Ishida Hyogo suddenly understood. "I see, the lottery. You're really lucky, Kaneki."

"I give you the money, you give me the IOU."

"Of course, I'm a businessman." Ishida Hyogo readily agreed. "Wait a moment, I'll have someone fetch it right away. It'll be quick."

He turned and pointed at a man. "Kurome, go get Kaneki's IOU. Be quick."

A young man nodded and left the room.

Ishida Hyogo smiled at Wang Bo, then said to another person, "Ikeda, why don't you pour Kaneki a cup of tea? Are you dead?"

Wang Bo shook his head. "No need, I don't drink tea."

Ishida Hyogo chuckled. "At least let me fulfill my duties as a host. Ikeda, hurry up."

A young man with long hair deftly poured a cup of tea for Wang Bo and brought it over.

Wang Bo remained expressionless, completely unmoved, and wouldn't touch the tea.

Ishida Hyogo waved his hand to dismiss Ikeda, his eyes shifting as he said with emotion, "Kaneki, to be honest, the first time I saw you, I knew you were a promising guy, which is why I lent you the money."

"At that time, you were penniless, with no property or car. Borrowing money, especially such a huge sum, was no easy feat, but I still lent it to you because I knew you were young and daring, destined to be wealthy and noble."

"Young people like you, promising and ambitious, are becoming rarer in Japan."

"Kaneki, the facts have proven my judgment correct. You are not only outstanding but also very lucky. Few people can win a large sum through the lottery."

"You're one in tens of millions, Kaneki. I can feel that you're born to do great things."

Wang Bo said nothing, just sat on the sofa watching Ishida Hyogo boast. He wanted to see how far Ishida Hyogo could go.

After boasting for a while, Ishida Hyogo saw that Wang Bo wasn't taking the bait at all, so he shut his mouth. He really couldn't keep flattering.

Wang Bo didn't speak, and he kept praising—it was too awkward.

For a moment, the room fell into silence.

Fortunately, before long, the man named Kurome returned, pulled the IOU from his pocket, and respectfully handed it to Ishida Hyogo.

Ishida Hyogo passed it to Wang Bo. "Kaneki, here's your IOU. Take a look."

Wang Bo took the IOU, glanced at it, confirmed it was his, and casually stuffed it into his pocket. "From now on, we're square."

Ishida Hyogo nodded and laughed heartily. "That's right, from now on, we're square."

Wang Bo nodded, got up, and left Ishida Corporation.

As he walked out, Wang Bo was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected Ishida Hyogo to be so easy to deal with.

Logically, this man, who had schemed to drive Kaneki Ken to death, shouldn't have let Kaneki Ken retrieve the IOU so easily. In Wang Bo's imagination, he would have made all sorts of excuses and denied everything.

Then he would continue to oppress Wang Bo until he was forced to death.

But now, Ishida Hyogo had let Wang Bo off so easily. What was the point of his earlier actions?

However, in the blink of an eye, Wang Bo cast this thought aside.

As the saying goes, meet force with force. If Ishida Hyogo wanted to play any tricks behind the scenes, Wang Bo wouldn't mind playing along. After all, he had nothing better to do.

If he got bored, he could send this guy to a black mine in Africa. He was sure he'd thrive there.

Yeah, that's settled.