Hiromasa’s empire grows. I've been wanting to add a right hand man to his clan ever since I created his backstory, and now Pàocài lives, doubling as both a wrestler for the boar, as well as a caterer and chef for his sumo clan. I've got a lot planned for him and Hiromasa, so I hope you get used to seeing a lot of him~

Thanks again to Jasper the crab for designing the Butcher in all his glory.

As usual hope you enjoy and be sure to read the story below!

Art by: Jasper the crab

Story by:  machupichu18

___

This… is it. Everything that's happened in your life, the people you've met, the training you've done, the classes you've taken, it's all… lead to this very moment. This is the most important interview of your life.

“Alright, is everyone ready? Cameras? Sound? Everyone, the live cross is beginning soon, we need to be prepared!”

You're in front of the entire city. All eyes are going to be on you and what you have to say, you cannot screw this up! You've waited years for this moment! You're The Butcher! You can't chicken out! Just… imagine the film crew are members of the clan! And they're in their underwear! Yeah!

…wait, they were always in their underwear…

“Okay we're beginning pre-show checks, everyone!”

Argh! That doesn't matter right now! Just put your best foot forward. You're in your Sunday Best, you look great, you look hot! Bossman says this is your best look so flaunt it for the entire city just like you would for him!

“Everything good? Alright. And we're rolling in three…”

Just breathe in…

“Two.”

And out…

“One!”

And kick this interview's fuckin’ ass!

___

“Thanks Jim!” The reporter smiled, making banter to the sports reporter back in the newsroom. “Well today is quite a special day indeed, as finally a local legend finally achieves his dream, and we're here to talk to that popular wrestler, as he exits the blazing hot fires of the ring… for another type of firey environment, as he opens his very own kitchen, here in the Chinatown district of our beloved city.”

The reporter stood there, sliding her mic over to the rather large looking panda, standing there with a smile on his face.

“Butcher, can you tell us more about your new venture?”

The panda gave himself a sly grin, and wiggled his eyebrows. It was time.

“Well sister, it’s simple.” He proudly explained. “But please, call me Pàocài! Now I might be a famous, amazing, up and coming wrestler, but I also have a passion for cooking!”

“That’s right.” The reporter interjected. “Aren’t you a caterer for your sponsor’s sumo clan?”

The panda smiled. “Well, aren't you well informed? That’s right, he was the one who gave me the money to start my wrestling career, but I always wanted to take my cooking to the next level, open a restaurant! You know, a little side hustle, play to my strengths.”

“And it was the same sponsor that gave you the money to make this happen right? Hiromasa Furukawa?”

Hiromasa… bossman. He was such a nice man, all this was because of him. Pàocài couldn’t help but feel…. Thankful for him in a lot of ways. The wrestling career, and now the restaurant, he couldn’t have done this without him, he’d just be some bum in the slums if the boss didn’t pick him up.

Pàocài paused, giving an almost nostalgic look. “Yeah… the bossman was happy with my wrestling gig, and what I was doing for his clan, so he wanted to reward me… I was… kinda talking to him a lot about the idea.”

He was blushing now, clearly embarrassed looking back upon things, talking about dreams and all that crap. It's corny and yet around Hiromasa he felt like he could unload everything, that talking about any thought or problem to the boar made him feel lighter, made him feel… better.

“A reward huh?” The reporter mused, clearly interested in the wording. “Mr. Furukawa is a pretty powerful member of the city, outside of the Inoshishi Clan he is a strong investor in various projects, council and otherwise, as well as being one of the richest men in the city, as well as the entire state… Are you sure there’s not something else going on?”

That immediately cut Pàocài out of his musing, he put his hands in the air waving them around with his face a bright red.

“L-Listen, if you’re implying what I think you’re implying, it’s not true!” There was a fluster in his voice, as if he was trying to convince himself, alongside the reporter. “The relationship between me and bossman is strictly business. I don’t lower myself to… those types of things.”

“And yet you have the Inoshishi clan’s symbol tattooed on you in an… intimate area… despite not being officially a clan member.”

“That’s… that’s got nothing to do with it!” Pàocài fired back. “That’s just something we did to get closer, to be brothers in arms! Hiro’s got one just like it in a similar area!”

“Is that so? Well then… moving on…”

The reporter wasn’t convinced, it was annoying. The rumour that Hiromasa was a, to be blunt, a sugar daddy for the panda wasn’t exactly unknown, yet it was one that frankly wasn’t true. While it was true, Pàocài had… feelings for his boss, this was something he’d never act on. Bossman was one of those rich folk after all, high dining and higher highs, not exactly one to be in a relationship with someone who spent years sleeping in the locker room of the stadium every night. Hiromasa was… fancy, he deserved someone fancy, not him, not someone… dirty in a lot of ways.

His thoughts were cut off by the reporter though.

“Are you worried about your reputation in the ring affecting business?” She asked.

Pàocài immediately shook his head. “It doesn’t matter how The Butcher fights in the ring, good food is good food! People will realise that! It satisfies Hiromasa’s wrestlers after all!”

The reporter wasn’t wrong though. In the ring, Pàocài was The Butcher, a character made by the bossman. It was a part of the boar’s plan to make the panda into a popular wrestler, a brutal heel personality to match his fire for cooking. Originally Pàocài was unsure, when he was a rookie, back when he only had a single wrestling singlet he got from a charity shop, he was a face, the facest of faces in fact! He wasn’t one to be… evil!

Yet the moment he wore the outfit the boss made for him, the one decorated in his name, the one with knives adoring the fit befitting of his position, it was like… everything changed. Suddenly he could be that brutal heel, that he was able to be merciless to his opponents. It didn’t matter how much they begged for mercy, he was there to defeat them. All they were was meat to be cut up.

It was like there was a voice in his head, telling him to ignore any and all his opponents said; that these fools were offcuts that deserved to be disposed of and it was his job to make that happen. It was like someone was telling him what he needed to do to win, and a hand was guiding his own clenched fist into the opponent’s face. It got to the point where sometimes he would shut his eyes right as the match was going to begin, only to open them up to a roaring crowd cheering his name in victory.

It might be concerning, it should be concerning… and yet, it wasn’t. All that mattered in the end… was that sweet draw of victory, the roaring crowd, the sight of his defeated opponent, and the proud smile on the bossman's face. That was everything to him. That was one of his many dreams.

“Well Pàocài.” The reporter finally remarked. “This has been quite an informative interview.”

It had been. Everything had turned out great, people were taking notice of him, and his little restaurant, he was on TV, and most importantly, he made the boss proud yet again.

This was the start of his next chapter, the start of amazing things for him.

Yes…

He was so proud…

So… proud… of… proud to be…

Ino…shi…shi…