It's an offer Aramaki never expected, an opening at the very moment he thought every door had slammed shut. It's maybe even his last chance. And yet, reluctance twists in his chest.
"Why?" he asks flatly.
Kirizume's expression shifts, just slightly. "Need me to repeat myself? Or is it too much to hear someone like me acknowledge your potential?"
He closes it with a smug chuckle. But Aramaki cuts him off, voice cold and steady.
"That's not what I'm asking." His gaze doesn't waver. "Why go so far just to break him? From the way you've schemed everything, you don't even care about winning the tournament. You want to end his career."
Kirizume exhales, shifts in his seat, then pulls something from his pocket, money of course, and starts counting it, as if brushing aside Aramaki's concern.
He's not ignoring him entirely, but using the one thing he knows works best. So far, money has always smoothed things in this business.
