《Starring in a Dating Game as a Tokyo Villain》 CH 1 In a dilapidated warehouse close to the coast, the iron walls were painted with rust with every gentle brush of the sea¡¯s hands. A slim figure was sitting on a small chair with her hands tied with duct tape; her eyes covered with a cloth. With a closer look, it is a young and beautiful girl ¨C sixteen or seventeen years old at most. Even in such a perilous situation, the girl was still maintaining a straight posture, and the uncovered portions of her face showed no fear, displaying courage that didn¡¯t match her age at all. The other people in the warehouse were several men in suits who are clearly the bad guys in this situation. They wore black suits and donned sunglasses. Despite their intentions, they looked extremely cool. On a reclining chair behind the men, there was a young man with yellow hair and ferocious eyebrows. ¡°Ugh, what¡¯s wrong with me¡­?¡± With the damp sea breeze gently sneaking into the warehouse, Kiryu Ryuto sat up from the reclining chair. All he remembered was reading a novel back at home before falling asleep; now, he finds himself in this strange environment. There¡¯s a girl tied to a chair not far away. This must be a kidnapping. ¡°Master Ryuto? Are you not feeling well?¡± Seeing his master sitting up from his reclining chair, one of the men in the black suits with long hair came over and asked. ¡®Master?¡¯ he thought to himself. If he was the master, then he is the leader of the men in the warehouse. ¡®Therefore, the mastermind behind this kidnapping might be myself.¡¯ Ryuto froze, bewilderment painted on his face. In the stories he read, whenever people cross over to another world, they become great heroes of their world; dragons that plunge into the sea and soar into the sky. ¡®But what is my luck?! I become a kidnapper as soon as I cross into another world?!¡¯ He fished for his phone and looked into the camera, seeing his yellow hair and handsome, but ferocious face. Seems like he retained his appearance ¨C with his youthful and handsome facial features, older women would definitely be into him. The problem is, his fierce face and questionable yellow hair made him look like a stinky bastard on the streets. A yellow-haired bastard with sunglasses kidnapping a girl¡­ If this succeeds, he will be a yellow-haired criminal; if he fails, he¡¯ll be in prison. A lose-lose situation! ¡®Wait, I don¡¯t wanna be the bad guy! I¡¯m a good student ¨C I got a 3.5 GPA!¡¯ Seeing that his master didn¡¯t answer him, the man in the suit asked again, ¡°Master Ryuto, are you alright?¡± ¡°Where are we? Who are you again?¡± Ryuto covered his face with his hands, pretending to wake up from a nap. ¡°We are in District C¡¯s warehouse in Tokyo Bay, and I¡¯m your assistant Yamamoto.¡± ¡°What are we doing here again?¡± ¡°According to your instructions, we have kidnapped Miss Koujiro. We are waiting for you to coerce her into submission so she can become your wife.¡± ¡°Hmm, good.¡± When he heard Yamamoto¡¯s answer, his mouth raised coldly. Of course, he didn¡¯t want to. However, the original owner of this body might have smiled too much, so his muscles have become accustomed to this action. Besides, after hearing Yamamoto¡¯s words, Ryuto immediately knew where he was. Miss Koujiro, Master Ryuto¡­ These names all come from a dating simulator called ¡°Red Phase Bo 2: No Survival¡±, developed by a Chinese game company. There are three heroines in this game, and each of them are beautiful women. One of the female protagonists is the eldest of the Koujiro family, Ruri Koujiro. Of course, with protagonists come antagonists. One of the antagonists in the early stages of the game is the eldest of the Ryuto family, Kiryu Ryuto. ¡®That¡¯s me.¡¯ Ryuto raised his head proudly. This character of his is arrogant and domineering in game, achieving his goals via unscrupulous methods. After Ruri Koujiro rejected him, he attempts to kidnap her and plans to force her to submit to him. However, this kidnapping plan is doomed to fail. After all, her family is one of the three major families in Tokyo. It doesn¡¯t take very long for the bodyguards of the family to find the warehouse, beating Ryuto to half-death, before throwing his injured body into the sea to feed the fish. Huh? Isn¡¯t that right now? Ryuto immediately returned to reality, surveying the environment around him. The dilapidated warehouse by the sea¡­ the eldest daughter being bound in a chair in front of him¡­ ¡­and the antagonist who is about to be thrown into the sea. ¡°Hah¡­ ha ha!¡± Thinking of this, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh to himself; the sinister laughter echoing through the warehouse. The men in suits couldn¡¯t help but envy their master. They couldn¡¯t believe that he could laugh under such circumstances. Only Ryuto knows the real reason behind his sinister cackle, trying to calm himself down. Sh*t, hold on, hold on, it¡¯s fine, don¡¯t panic. Calm down. He calmed himself down for a moment, immediately taking his phone out from his pocket. 11:44:44 pm. Auspicious indeed. The background of his phone had the words ¡°Death¡± and ¡°Dead¡± scattered over a black background. According to his knowledge of the game, Miss Koujiro should be saved at around 12:30 am. In order words, there are still forty-five minutes before the bodyguards find this place. ¡®I need to save myself. I have to save myself. This is so unlucky. Damn it. I can¡¯t become fish fodder as soon as I cross over. I can¡¯t. Damn it.¡¯ Ryuto immediately whispered to his assistant Yamamoto, ¡°Yamamoto, mobilize a few thugs right now.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Master?¡± ¡°Have them put on masks and rush in, pretending to ravage Miss Koujiro.¡± ¡°Pretend? Master, are you¡­ trying to become a hero and save the damsel-in-distress?¡± A veteran like Yamamoto who has been in the industry for more than ten years naturally knows what Ryuto was about to do. That¡¯s right, heroes save the damsels-in-distress. This is the only way Ryuto can think of to reverse his situation. Miss Koujiro must know that her life is in danger. And he kidnapped her to protect her. This way, Ryuto can change his fate from a [Brain-Dead Villain Who Kidnapped the Heroine] to [An Anti-hero Who Commits Crimes to Protect the Heroine]. This was the only thing he could think of. After all, if he escapes, he isn¡¯t exempt from the crime. With Miss Koujiro¡¯s family being powerful, as long as he is still alive, his fate is still sealed, forever fated to pick up soap in a prison. They would never let him go. No matter what. Therefore, this is the only way Ryuto can come up with. However, before Yamamoto issued the order, he remembered something. ¡°By the way, make those thugs pretend that they are from Tianmu.¡± To his knowledge, he remembers that somebody intends to assassinate Miss Koujiro. The darkness that looms in the game is Tianmu, an evil organization that performs all kinds of evil deeds. If Ryuto is a minor antagonist, then Tianmu is the major antagonist. Therefore, the leader of the group, Tianmu Yongji, is the main antagonist. There is a saying in this game ¨C behind every evil lurks Yongji-sama. Ryuto needed someone to blame for the crime, so he intends to throw Tianmu under the bus. This is based of what Ryuto knows about them ¨C none of them are innocent. ¡°Tianmu? Master Ryuto, you cannot be serious.¡± However, Yamamoto¡¯s eyes flickered upon hearing his master¡¯s request. ¡°You heard me ¨C they aren¡¯t good people anyways. Just do as I say.¡± In the game¡¯s original plot, Ryuto and Tianmu never cross paths. As far as he knows, these two forces practically never interact with each other. That¡¯s why Ryuto had the gall to blame them ¨C Yongji-sama, the mastermind behind all evil things in Tokyo. ¡°Of course, Master.¡± Yamamoto quickly left the warehouse after nodding his head. As he left the warehouse, Yamamoto dialled his phone to an unlisted number. ¡°Yamamoto, something to report?¡± The call was connected immediately, and the voice of a young woman could be heard. Her voice still sounds so unique and pristine despite it emanating from the phone. Her voice stood out from other ordinary women, contrasting from Yamamoto¡¯s deep, sullen voice. Hearing her voice was like listening to a whisper from the abyss on a moonlit night. The voice that can swallow you whole ¨C soul and flesh, sinking into the bottom of the abyss where there is no light. ¡°Lord Yongji, there is indeed something to report ¨C that kid seems to be getting restless.¡± CH 2 After listening to Yamamoto¡¯s hush words, who Yongji sent as an undercover agent to monitor Ryuto, the woman on the phone let out a sound of affirmation. ¡°Lord Yongji, what do I need to do next?¡± ¡°Notify advisor Sakata ¨C find someone to kill him.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Yongji.¡± Yamamoto hung up. Meanwhile, the woman on the other side showed an intriguing expression. ¡®Kiryu Ryuto, we secretly helped you kidnap Miss Koujiro, so why can¡¯t you take advantage of her?¡¯ ¡®You were given the last chance to have a good time before we dispose of you. What a pity.¡¯ ¡®I wanted to get rid of you through Miss Koujiro, but for now, it doesn¡¯t matter who kills you.¡¯ The woman couldn¡¯t help but giggle to herself listening to her own thoughts. She planned to manipulate and pull a few strings ¨C wouldn¡¯t the headline of [Master Ryuto Kidnaps the Eldest Daughter of the Koujiro Family ¨C Both Found Dead!] be funny? ¡®Damn it,¡¯ she thought. ¡®I forgot to ask Yamamoto to take a few photos of that damn pig.¡¯ It doesn¡¯t really matter if he gets away ¨C the moment he re-emerges, he will be fed alive to the dogs ¨C yes, that¡¯s the plan! As long as the master of Ryuto dies painfully. Perhaps Yamamoto will join him too, bitten to death by a bunch of Tibetan mastiffs who have been starving for three days. He would be an excellent snack for them. Deep laughter echoed in the dim room. Meanwhile, Ryuto was still praising himself about his own plan. Under the dumbfounded gaze of the two men next to him, he fisted his right hand on his forehead, leaning forward, assuming a thinking position. ¡®Damn, I¡¯m too smart! Throwing the blame on the shadiest person in Tokyo!¡¯ In awe of his own ingenuity, Ryuto showed a wicked smile and started to cackle. Yamamoto returned and whispered to him, ¡°Master, it is ready.¡± ¡°Wait outside, then. You know what to do if somebody else comes close.¡± Yamamoto nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Smart. Now get out.¡± Yamamoto shook his head, pushing the warehouse door and leaving with the two men. Farewell, Kiryu Ryuto, I will never have to see your stupid face ever again. Before he left, he gave one final glance at the warehouse, smiling smugly. He disappeared into the night, planning to find a place to smoke a few cigarettes before coming to collect his corpse. However, Ryuto was unaware of the impending danger, sitting on his reclining chair to enjoy a short rest. He raised his legs and put his head on his hands, as if he was on vacation. Now, he just needs his men to come in, and he will save Miss Koujiro from them, perfect! Glancing at himself using his phone¡¯s camera, he couldn¡¯t help but smile. Besides, his favourite character from the game was Miss Koujiro Ruri. She¡¯s not only beautiful, but also intelligent. Her family is said to have divine lineage, being in a family of witches who serve the gods. The most prestigious of witches have always come from the Koujiro family. Ruri, growing up in such an aristocratic family, has the ability to remain calm in any situation, as well as extraordinary leadership abilities, able to make anyone trust and follow in her stead no matter what. With her prominent family background and excellent abilities, she would become the face of Tianmu later on in the game, as well as becoming the heroine with the most in-game scenes. However, since this isn¡¯t a game world, then there isn¡¯t a male protagonist, right? Ryuto vaguely remembers that the male protagonist of this game is a self-defined identity. The game¡¯s company promoted it as an ¡®immersive¡¯ dating simulator, so it was like you are the game¡¯s male protagonist. Now that Ryuto has come to this world, that means that he is the male protagonist. Doesn¡¯t this mean that he¡¯ll be able to romance the three heroines? Thinking of this, his gaze on Ruri softened. It¡¯s near impossible to develop a relationship with the heroines as a villain. After all, Kiryu Ryuto is described as ¡®hated even by demons¡¯. His in-game background wasn¡¯t clean either. Arrogant and domineering, doing everything to achieve his goals ¨C he is simply scum. With such a negative reputation, no girl would want to be with him. ¡®But am I not the protagonist? Shouldn¡¯t there be some kind of system to help me?¡¯ Beep! Just as he thought of the word ¡®system¡¯, a strange sound beeped in his mind. [Beep! It is detected that you desire to change your fate as a lowly being in this game ¨C the Krypton Gold Fate Changer System is officially activated!] The strange voice sounding in Ryuto¡¯s mind sounded incredibly ironic. A huge electronic screen flashed in front of his eyes. On the translucent electronic screen, there are five big words. [Krypton Gold Fate Changing System]. [A fantastic opportunity for low-life scum to change their fate after crossing over to this world ¨C the purpose of this system? Use money to create your own happiness! If you¡¯re broke, please do not open this page. I hate poor people.] ¡®What the hell? Who are you calling low-life scum, you bastard! I was forced into this!¡¯ If it wasn¡¯t for Ruri still bound in the centre of the warehouse, Ryuto would definitely be tempted to teach this sarcastic system a lesson. Forget it. He needs to look into this strange system. Something seems to make his fingers shiver as he hovers over the system, but he forced himself to open it anyways. After clicking on the main interface of the system, a row of characters appeared. [Name: Kiryu Ryuto] [Age: 16] [Attributes: Resources LV1, Physical LV2, Courage LV3, Insight LV1, Charm LV1] [Title: Master Ryuto (Charm reduced by 1, Courage increased by 1)] [Equipment: None] [Total Assets: 12,658,550 yuan] [Level Explanations: LV1: Crumbs of the Earth LV2: Above Average LV3: Professional Master LV4: Warrior LV5: Superhero] After reading this, Ryuto¡¯s expression froze. ¡®Guess I really am a weak villain ¨C my attributes are weak.] Although his Courage attribute was high, what¡¯s the use of it when he has nothing else? Besides, he is without charm, insight, or brains. His physique is above average, but that was about it. His system can change his fate, right? What if- ¡°Sorry, but the cloth is a little tight ¨C could you loosen it up for me?¡± Just as Ryuto was thinking about whether or not this system could even help him, Ruri spoke up. Even in her current situation, her tone was as if she was sitting on a throne. And this was the first time she spoke after she was kidnapped. Because she couldn¡¯t understand what absurd things were happening in this warehouse. Actually, Ruri had no idea what happened. She was kidnapped, yes. But she has never given up on saving herself. Her hands, which were tied behind her back, appeared to be tied firmly behind her back. But in reality, she has been using the chair to slowly grind the tape around her wrist. The tape on her hand was almost worn off, and she can break free with just a little force. But even if she broke free, she knew she couldn¡¯t just run out the room. In addition to the scumbag keeping her hostage, there seems to be a few men standing inside and outside the warehouse. These men were all carefully selected, so Ruri has zero chance of escaping. However, just as Ruri was surveying the situation, the warehouse suddenly became very quiet. This kind of quietness was not unusual, like the calm before a storm. Ruri immediately noticed the change, using her request to test the waters. The white cloth wasn¡¯t actually that tight, she just wanted to know what was happening inside the room. But when he heard her words, Ryuto regained his spirits. If he was going to pretend to save her, wouldn¡¯t it be better to communicate with her in advance? Therefore, Ryuto came to Ruri and completely undid the white cloth covering her eyes. CH 3 The moment the white cloth fell, Ryuto was greeted with a pair of eyes glistening with classical charm and beauty. Ruri¡¯s face suited the word ¡®beautiful¡¯ more than it did ¡®gorgeous¡¯; her black hair streamed down her shoulders like a waterfall, right down to her slender waist, like an ancient princess stepping into Earth. In addition to her natural beauty, what surprised Ryuto more was her awe-inspiring figure and the cold temperament radiating from her. ¡®What is he trying to do?¡¯ When she saw Ryuto pulling the white cloth off her face, her expression didn¡¯t change, but the voice in her head was getting slightly worried. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Ryuto grinned. ¡°I didn¡¯t plan to do anything to you, you can leave in a while.¡± Ryuto fished for his phone, turning on the audio recorder and began to record the conversation between the two. As long as Ruri says that he would not be held accountable, then he can ensure his own safety. ¡®What tricks are you trying to pull?!¡¯ However, Ruri was on guard ¨C Ryuto¡¯s smile was treacherous and cruel, like a poisonous snake showing its fangs. In reality, Ryuto was trying to show a gentle, affirming smile to her. Unfortunately, the former owner of his body may have smirked a bit too much, so that his muscles were accustomed to the sarcastic mouth movements he had. Besides, the man before her tied her up, then said that he doesn¡¯t plan to do anything to her? This isn¡¯t possible, he must be lying! ¡°I¡¯m not lying, by the way. You can leave in a bit when it¡¯s safe.¡± Ryuto continued to show a sincere attitude to her. ¡°What do you mean ¡®safe¡¯?¡± ¡°I got an anonymous tip that someone is planning to assassinate you tonight.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it you who intends to harm me?¡± ¡°No,¡± Ryuto reassured. ¡°I only kidnapped you to prevent your life from being endangered.¡± Although he knew that it sounded stupid, he tried saying it as sincerely as possible. Of course, his words are simply unreasonable. Only an idiot would believe him. ¡®You? Kiryu Ryuto, infamous for multiple, treacherous crimes, worried about my safety?¡¯ This simply isn¡¯t possible according to Ruri¡¯s thinking. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Ryuto¡¯s hand hidden behind him. ¡°Pfft¡­ Hahaha!¡± After discovering him attempting to conceal his phone, Ruri couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Her laughing was as sweet as sugar, but it was a pity that her laugh held no good intentions. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± ¡°Ack¡­ it¡¯s okay, I just didn¡¯t expect you to be¡­ good to me.¡± Ruri smirked silently. ¡°Really?¡± Ryuto grinned. ¡°Hehe, I¡¯ve always been good, but you didn¡¯t realise it.¡± Being praised by Ruri, Ryuto felt as if a waterfall had just refreshed him, the smile on his face becoming wider and wider. Of course, he was smiling because Ruri seemed to be warming up to him, indicating that there is a chance that she¡¯ll drop the investigation. So, Ryuto decided to chat with Ruri while the iron was still hot. The two of them chatted happily together as if the warehouse was a park. However, in Kijirou Ruri¡¯s heart, she lowered her ranking of Ryuto from a [Idiotic Scumbag] to a [Mentally Retarded Scumbag]. Ryuto was pleased to find that Ruri was very talkative, not knowing her intentions. It was as if Ruri could read his mind; manipulate his thoughts. From the change in Ryuto¡¯s attitude, it can be seen that he obviously regrets kidnapping people. After all, with Ruri¡¯s family name, there is no possibility of him getting away with the crime. Since he kidnapped her, the only thing that will let him escape is Ruri herself. So, if Ruri denies the incident, then he will be safe. He seemed to have come up with a ¡®brilliant¡¯ plan, pretending to tie her up to keep her safe. So, if she is right, then someone should come in to ¡®deal¡¯ with her in a bit, and he will play the old-fashioned hero saving the damsel-in-distress. Therefore, since she was rescued, she would be indebted to Ryuto. Hence, she would forget about the kidnapping and regard Ryuto as her saviour. Unfortunately, even though this tactic might work on other girls, Ruri wouldn¡¯t fall for such meagre tricks. After seeing through his plans, Ruri only needs to pretend to be nice to his in order to confuse him. Once she is rescued, she can simply point out that Ryuto kidnapped her, and all will be fine. However, Ruri¡¯s ears moved, as if she heard something. At the same time, Ryuto hears chaotic footsteps coming from the gate not far away. It seems that someone has come, so his performance is about to begin. Ryuto smiled, turning to Ruri excitedly, ¡°Someone is coming, stay here, I¡¯ll go over and check.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all up to you to protect me, my dear Ryuto¡­¡± Ruri pretended to be worried, but her heart was soaring. Pretend to be brave all you want. Ruri smiled as he watched Ryuto straighten his back, walking towards the door of the warehouse that was rusted by the sea¡¯s constant crashing. Boom! Before Ryuto could reach the door, a loud bang pierced through the air. A sneaker could be seen, and the rusty door of the warehouse was kicked open immediately. As expected of professionals! The acting seems real! Three young men with animal masks, dressed like thugs walked in. They were holding machetes, crowbars, and electric bars in their hands. ¡°Hey, who are these people? Help!¡± Ruri couldn¡¯t help but shout, smirking inside. No matter how professionally dressed and equipped they were, fake killers will always be fake. Ruri beamed, and Ryuto beamed as well. ¡°Who are you? How dare you defy the orders of Miss Koujiro!¡± Ryuto pranced towards them almost cheerfully. The man donning the dog mask stood in front of Ryuto, raising his machete and slashing through him without hesitation. ¡®This is acting. He¡¯ll be fine,¡¯ Riru thought to herself, silently laughing at the scene before her. Ryuto smirked, but¡­ why was the floor tilting? Why am I sliding to the¡­ floor¡­? The last thing Ryuto saw was his neck spurting blood out like a fountain. ¡°Wait? What¡¯s going on? Hey! Ryuto, no¡­!¡± His vision blurred, and all he could hear was Ruri¡¯s panicked voice. At the same time, he also heard the mechanical, sarcastic voice of his system that seemed to mock him. [Detected that the host is on the verge of death ¨C emergency rescue plan launched, erasing death by consuming one million yuan¡­ Beep!] Ryuto awoke in the warehouse again. He was still sitting on the reclining chair, with familiar men-in-suits standing beside him. As if everything that had happened just now had never happened. CH 4 It all felt like a dream. And just like how a person refuses to move after waking up from a dream, Ryuto remained frozen on the chair as he regained his senses again. He was in the damp warehouse again with a few men-in-suits, with Kojirou Ruri tied to a chair not far away. Ryuto looked around, his expression steeling. ¡®What happened¡­? Am I not dead? How is it possible that I¡¯m alive?¡¯ From what he recalled, his system had activated an emergency rescue plan. And the rescue protocol erased his death by spending a million yuan? It simply wasn¡¯t possible! Ryuto immediately opened his system and carefully looked at his attribute columns. [Name: Kiryu Ryuto] [Age: 16] [Attributes: Resources LV1, Physical LV2, Courage LV3, Insight LV1, Charm LV1.] [Title: Master Ryuto (Charm reduced by one, courage increased by one)] [Equipment: None] [Total Assets: 11,658,550 yuan] At a single glance, his attributes were exactly the same¡­ ¡­except that he was missing a million yuan from his [Total Assets] column. Turns out this ¡°rescue protocol¡± could save him from death, but it costs a million yuan every time he uses it ¨C was this really worth it? Ryuto gritted hs teeth, but continued to lay on his reclining chair, pretending to be asleep. ¡°Be grateful that you¡¯re alive,¡± he whispered to himself. Otherwise, his life would have ended immediately as soon as he stepped into this world. However, he still needs to figure out what happened before. His brain worked rapidly to connect the dots. He calls ordering Yamamoto to arrange for a group of men to pretend to attack Ruri, so that Ryuto could be the hero saving the damsel-in-distress. However, his head was decapitated the moment he walked up to them. First of all, in the actual game, this would have never happened. The only reason these events happened was because Ryuto wanted to change his fate. If he hadn¡¯t done that, then the three killers wouldn¡¯t have appeared. Hence, if he did nothing, then nobody would come to kill him or Ruri. It only happened because he wanted to change his fate. In Ryuto¡¯s view, there were only two reasons why this happened. The first being there are spies in his own organization wanting to kill him. Which means whoever was supposed to ¡°attack¡± Ruri was replaced. The second being there are other organizations intending to kill them. What didn¡¯t make sense was that the three killers came too quickly for a swap-out to happen. It was at most ten minutes after Ryuto issued the order to Yamamoto. So, there was no possibility of swapping men out, unless¡­ Yamamoto¡­ Ryuto frowned as his name flashed in his mind, remembering the deeds of his character in the game. Yamamoto was Ryuto¡¯s assistant, helping him perform many heinous crimes. However, as soon as the ¡®Ryuto¡¯ in the game died, Yamamoto became Tianmu¡¯s subordinate almost immediately. Ryuto didn¡¯t think much of it at first, but¡­ If you think about it carefully, it isn¡¯t natural for a personal assistant to be jumping from organization to organization this quickly. What if Yamamoto was the spy of Tianmu? Around the middle to late parts of the game, Ruri once told the protagonist important information, ¡°Tianmu is the most powerful organization in Tokyo ¨C no matter what, there will always be Tianmu¡¯s own men in every single organization.¡± Hence, it is reasonable to think this way. Ryuto glanced at Yamamoto briefly. Yamamoto was in his thirties, being in the industry for more than ten years. He used to be Sakata¡¯s assistants, one of the three advisors of Ryuto¡¯s group. With the previous leader Kiryu Kazuma¡¯s imprisonment, Ryuto¡¯s group has been taken over by Sakata¡¯s advisory group, and Yamamoto was transferred to become Ryuto¡¯s assistant. Wait a minute, if this was the case, doesn¡¯t this mean Sakata is a spy too? Ryuto felt sick. This wasn¡¯t reflected in the original game. A chill ran down Ryuto¡¯s spine. Tianmu Yongji is a heartless woman, killing whenever she choose to. She is known to take videos of people¡¯s untimely deaths and add them to her personal collection. With how brutal and heartless she was, if Ryuto were to pin all the blame to her, it was no surprise that he would be targeted immediately. As soon as he said the words ¡°Tianmu¡± to Yamamoto, his fate was sealed. Even then, Ryuto decided to check again. ¡°Yamamoto, come here.¡± ¡°Master, what are your orders?¡± ¡°Mobilize a few thugs immediately, and let them don masks and rush in later, pretending to attack Ruri.¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®pretend¡¯, Master? Are you intending to become a hero to save the damsel-in-distress?¡± Ryuto smiled, ¡°Exactly, and remember to tell those thugs to pretend that they are from Tianmu¡¯s group.¡± ¡°T-tianmu? Master, you cannot be serious.¡± Yamamoto¡¯s eyes visibly flickered at Ryuto¡¯s request. And this slight flicker was all the confirmation Ryuto needed. He is the spy after all. Looking at Yamamoto¡¯s disappearing figure, he turned to look at the other two men in the room. They are Yamamoto¡¯s subordinates. But the question is, are they following Yamamoto, or Ryuto? If it is the latter, then Ryuto can command them, but not the former. Not long after, Yamamoto pushed open the rusty door of the warehouse, ¡°Master Ryuto, it has been arranged.¡± ¡°Very good.¡± ¡°Then, I¡¯ll be taking those two men out.¡± ¡°No, no. You stay here and help me look after Miss Koujiro.¡± ¡°Huh, master¡­ this¡­ is inconvenient.¡± As soon as he heard Ryuto¡¯s request, Yamamoto¡¯s brows visible furrowed.20 CH 5 In his original plan, Yamamoto was going to take the two men out to let Ryuto and Ruri have some alone time. This was the only way to ensure Ryuto would ¡®protect¡¯ Ruri. However, Ryuto didn¡¯t seem to budge, ordering Yamamoto and the two men to stay behind. The reason for his last death was because of three killers barging in with no defence. With Yamamoto and the two men staying behind, they are forced to protect their master. Hence, if Ryuto asks everyone to stay behind, he can deduce a lot of things. For example, are the three killers affiliated with Yamamoto? Are the two men minions of the Tianmu, just like Yamamoto, or loyal to Ryuto? If they protect him later during the attack, then he can ensure his survival. If they are colluding with the enemy and kill him, then he¡¯ll simply lose another million and strategize again. Yamamoto¡¯s face could be seen visibly frowning upon Ryuto¡¯s request. ¡°Yes,¡± Yamamoto gritted through his teeth. ¡°We will protect you and Miss Ruri.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ryuto stood up, patting Yamamoto on the shoulder and smiling. Stinky brat. Yamamoto couldn¡¯t help but grit his teeth, watching Ryuto stroll away casually. ¡®I didn¡¯t want to do this, but you forced my hand.¡¯ ¡°Both of you, stay by this young lady, be on guard!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Yamamoto ordered his two men, and the two men immediately came by Ruri¡¯s side. Yamamoto shrunk into a dark corner. From his perspective, he could see Ryuto and his two men, as well as Ruri. This sudden change surprised her. ¡®What happened? What is going on?¡¯ ¡®Please don¡¯t notice that I¡¯m trying to break free¡­¡¯ Ruri felt a chill run down her spine, trying her best to hide her hands. Ruri didn¡¯t dare to speak with the sudden tension present in the room. In the warehouse, time passed minute by minute. After ten minutes, the familiar footsteps could be heard once again. ¡®Those must be the three killers sent to kill me,¡¯ Ryuto thought. Boom! Once again, the rusty door to the warehouse was kicked open, and the three killers donning animal masks rushed in. ¡°Who goes there?!¡± but unlike last time, there were two more men who shouted angrily at the intruders, removing the dagger from their pockets. As a yakuza member, it is natural to carry a weapon with you. Although that weapon is scary, it looks extremely comforting in Ryuto¡¯s eyes. Meanwhile, the three killers were visibly confused. ¡°This isn¡¯t right ¨C intel told us there would only be two of them, what¡¯s going on?¡± they whispered among themselves. Ryuto couldn¡¯t help but nod as he studied the scene before him. ¡®Very good, they are messing up. What will you do next, Yamamoto?¡¯ Bang, bang! Just as Ryuto was about to turn his head to Yamamoto, two loud gunshots were heard from the corner of the warehouse. Blood was scattered in the air and landed on Ruri. Blood¡­ With the loud bangs accompanied by a strange liquid raining on her, she immediately knew what was going on around her. Under Ryuto¡¯s angry gaze, he glared at Yamamoto, who had just shot two of his own men heartlessly. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just follow the script? Damn you ¨C you forced me to use this thing.¡± Clink, clink, clink. Yamamoto sighed, strolling towards Ryuto while holding his pistol equipped with a silencer. He had zero intention of killing his two men, who had been by his side for many years. But he was forced to ¨C they don¡¯t know Sakata¡¯s plans, so Yamamoto had no choice but to kill them. ¡°Ryuto, you should have just let us leave. You made two innocent people die for nothing.¡± The next moment, Yamamoto pointed his gun at Ruri¡¯s forehead. ¡°Wait, no!¡± When he saw the scene before him, he immediately darted towards Yamamoto. No! Ruri! Run! Ruri desperately tore off her tape in her hand, trying to flee. Bang! But before she could even take a step, Yamamoto had already pulled the trigger. Miss Koujiro is dead. ¡°Yamamoto! Damn it!¡± When he saw his favourite character fall to the ground with blood pooling around her corpse, Ryuto felt his anger take over him, his tone full of killing intent. Bang! But with another gunshot, Ryuto looked down at the dull, yet piercing pain that had just run through him, seeing a bullet wound protruding right through his chest. He fell limply on the ground. So, that¡¯s what it feels like to get shot. Ryuto glared at Yamamoto¡¯s approaching figure, raising his hand and making an internationally recognised hand gesture towards him. ¡°And why is a dying man attempting to provoke me?¡± ¡°Not just provoke ¨C I want you to die, old man.¡± Ryuto smirked. ¡°I see. Since you like to pose, I might as well record your dying appearance so that the Tianmu and Sakata can see it, too.¡± Sure enough, both he and Sakata are spies of his group. Very good. At this moment, Ryuto¡¯s vision went dark, hearing the familiar voice again. [Detected that the host is on the verge of death ¨C emergency rescue plan launched, erasing death by consuming one million yuan¡­ Beep!] He awakens once more in the warehouse. ¡°Hah¡­ ha ha ha!¡± Looking at Yamamoto who was still smoking a cigarette not far away from him, Ryuto couldn¡¯t help laugh, determination lighting up in his eyes like a fire. CH 6 ¡°Master, you¡¯re awake? What is making you so happy?¡± Hearing his laughter, Yamamoto put out his cigarette and walked over. Ryuto watched as the familiar figure approached him, his smile getting wider and wider. ¡°I guess you could say I had a good dream.¡± ¡°That means something good will happen soon.¡± Yamamoto returned a smile, showing a child-like expression on his weathered face. ¡°Indeed, something great might just happen.¡± Ryuto gripped his armrests, controlling himself to not just punch Yamamoto senseless. Of course, there is no point in violence ¨C Yamamoto has a gun concealed on him. ¡®Calm down, Ryuto. You must find a way out of this.¡¯ Ryuto laid back down on his reclining chair. After his second resurrection, he understood what a terrible situation he got himself into it. This warehouse was a death zone for him. So far, Ryuto knows that there are three forces that want him dead. The Koujiro family, because he kidnapped their eldest daughter; Sakata, who proposed for Ryuto to kidnap Ruri, colluding with Yamamoto; Tianmu Yongji, the ultimate mastermind behind this ¨C like Sakata, she hopes that Ryuto will die in this warehouse. Ryuto was the sole remaining bloodline of his family, meaning¡­ If he were to die, then Sakata¡¯s men would take over the group, meaning all of them would become Tianmu Yongji¡¯s puppets. ¡®How unlucky,¡¯ Ryuto thought to himself. After thinking about how perilous his sitatuon was, he carefully thought of ways to break out of this situation. He could simply run. However, Ruri would be left behind, and she would most definitely be killed, and he would still be branded as a criminal. Since the two men present were not Tianmu¡¯s minions, then he only had to deal with Yamamoto for now. However, even if he deals with Yamamoto and escapes with Ruri, Ryuto is still a kidnapper. The only way to survive is to let Ruri know that this is all Tianmu¡¯s conspiracy to kill her. Two conditions need to be met before this. One, triggering the incident where Yamamoto calls Sakata or Yongji, bringing the three killers in. Two, letting Ruri see the three killers with her own eyes. The first condition is easy, but the second is difficult. Having to deal with four enemies, including Yamamoto, is troublesome. Besides, they all have weapons. Even if the two men present had daggers, they had no chance of killing Yamamoto, who had a gun on him. Although he had all the information, he had no resources. It was simply¡­ unfair. Ryuto felt a headache forming. This was equivalent to playing chess on both sides ¨C all he had were two, lone pawns. It¡¯s impossible to win! Isn¡¯t it better to just do as the French do, and just surrender? Wait a minute¡­ Suddenly, Ryuto remembers that he had a system to help him out! Although it may be sarcastic and ironic to him, it could help him out. He immediately opened the panel of his system, taking a closer look. Beside his [Attributes] panel, there was a small ¡°+¡± sign next to it. He clicked on it curiously, and a system prompt popped up ¨C [Do you want to increase your attributes?] This is good! Originally, he felt defeated upon looking at his garbage attributes. But it¡¯s different if he could simply level it up. The difference between LV1 and LV2 weren¡¯t significant, but LV3 has qualitative changes. If he had a LV3 Physique, he might be able to overpower Yamamoto. The moment he clicked ¡°Yes¡±, another message popped up. [Upgrading Physique from LV2 to LV3 requires 5 million yuan. Accept?] Ah. Of course. Although Ryuto had already guessed that it would cost real money, five million yuan is too outrageous. After his second resurrection, he now has a total of 10,658,550 yuan, equivalent to ten extra lives. If he were to level up, he would lose five lives. Even then, Ryuto clicked on ¡°Confirm¡±. After all, the gap in power between LV2 and LV3 is big. Perhaps it could save him a few more lives. After clicking on the Confirm button, his body underwent huge changes. He immediately felt as light as a feather, as if he could perform a dozen somersaults on the spot. He could feel power brewing under his arms as well! This is great! Ryuto immediately came up with a new idea. ¡®Should I just upgrade to LV4? Wouldn¡¯t that make me unstoppable?¡¯ He clicked the ¡°+¡± sign once again. [Upgrading Physique from LV3 to LV4 requires 50 million yuan. Oh, seems like you¡¯re poor.] ¡®Okay! Okay! I get it, you¡¯re a greedy bastard!¡¯ He almost yelled it out. CH 7 Indeed, if he was able to, then he would immediately overwhelm all of his enemies. Hence, the system keeps it behind a hefty sum of money. After all, they are profiteers. According to Ryuto¡¯s attempts, it would take five million yuan to upgrade the other four attributes to LV3. The next step is LV4, which takes 50 million, increased tenfold. Hence, he concludes that every level is ten times the cost of the previous one. Five million to upgrade from LV2 to LV3. 50 million to upgrade from LV3 to LV4. 500 million to upgrade from LV4 to LV5. This is ridiculous. How could he possibly get this much money to improve? Even if Ryuto was the eldest son of his group, he doesn¡¯t have a large sum of money. Hundreds of millions, billions even, are not what normal people can ever wish to afford. Forget it, he needs to focus on his current circumstances. He looked at his remaining funds of more than five million. So far, he has only experienced the world inside this warehouse, so thinking about the future is superfluous. What is this? Just as he was about to close the system page, he saw a small ¡°house¡± icon below his funds. He clicked on the icon, and a secondary page displaying [Krypton Gold Shop] popped up. [Equipment Tailored for Thieves and Rogues Like You] ¡®What the hell? Absolutely not.¡¯ If it wasn¡¯t for Ryuto¡¯s urgent need, he would have closed this page by now. However, with a single scroll, he was stunned. The shop was full of dazzling arrays of items, and some of it may prove to be useful in the future. Since these equipment are meant for thievery, they could help him sneakily gain an advantage. For example, an Electric Shocker can electrocute others into submission, priced at 200,000 yuan. Or a Finger of the Tiger, allowing him to enhance his blows and is easily concealable, priced at 150,000 yuan. Or even a Lock Picker, which can open most key holes at 500,000 yuan. Frankly speaking, although all of these items are based on thievery or roguery, these are all very practical items. If he wants to subdue Yamamoto, would the Electric Shocker or Finger come in handy? Just as he was wondering how to subdue Yamamoto, he saw an item called The Bug at the corner of his eye. Eavesdropper, which can be used to eavesdrop on a mobile conversation as long as it is pasted on the other party¡¯s mobile phone. Which was priced at an expensive 500,000 yuan. However, to Ryuto, this price to performance ratio is extremely high. He was wondering how to convince Ruri to join his side, now, he finally found a way to do so. He spent some money to buy the Bug and the Electric Shocker, and his current funds fell to 4.95 million yuan. 4 lives left. Grasping the items that had suddenly appeared in his pocket, he felt that it was completely worth it. More than half an hour until the killers arrive. Time to move. After silently rehearsing the plan in his mind, he turned off his phone completely. ¡°Ruri looks so good tied up, doesn¡¯t she? Let¡¯s take a picture of her.¡± Ryuto stood up, walking towards Ruri with his phone. Clack! However, he pretended to drop his phone on the floor. ¡°Damn it! My phone broke!¡± Ryuto pretended to press the power button, but the screen was pitch black. ¡°Yamamoto, come here.¡± Ryuto sighed heavily, beckoning for Yamamoto. ¡°Master Ryuto, what is the matter?¡± ¡°My phone broke ¨C give me your phone, I want to take a photo of Ruri in her current state.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the hold up? Hurry up and give it to me.¡± Without waiting for Yamamoto¡¯s affirmation, Ryuto roughly stretched his hand into Yamamoto¡¯s pocket, retrieving the cell phone. Yamamoto¡¯s face immediately darkened ¨C after all, there were many secrets hidden in his phone. However, upon seeing Ryuto simply turning on the camera app taking photos, Yamamoto was relieved. ¡°Here ¨C send these photos to my mailbox later.¡± Ryuto casually took a few pictures of Ruri, handing the phone back to Yamamoto. Of course, he slyly stuck the invisible Bug onto the back of Yamamoto¡¯s phone. ¡°Of course, Master.¡± ¡°Go and mobilize a few thugs donning masks to pretend to attack Miss Ruri over here.¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®pretend¡¯? Are you intending to become the hero to save the damsel-in-distress.¡± ¡°Exactly! And make sure they pretend that they are from Tianmu¡¯s group.¡± ¡°T-Tianmu? Master, you cannot be serious.¡± Yamamoto was clearly surprised, just like the previous two times. ¡°You heard me. Just squat outside after making the call, and take your men out. I need a little¡­ private time.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± After giving Ryuto one final glance, Yamamoto left the warehouse. Ryuto immediately ran to Ruri¡¯s side, tearing the white cloth from her eyes. Ruri was obviously very surprised, but remained calm, ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk yet,¡± Ryuto shushed. ¡°Listen to this.¡± Before she could finish speaking, Ryuto turned on his mobile phone, listening in to the conversation Yamamoto was having via the Bug. Under Ruri¡¯s gaze, it didn¡¯t take long before a voice came from the phone. ¡°Yamamoto, something to report?¡± When Yamamoto was having a conversation with Tianmu Yongji, their conversation was overheard by none other than Ryuto and Ruri. CH 8 Her voice was suspiciously different from the crisp and sweet voices of ordinary women. Despite the voice on the other end being young and female, it made even the bravest of men shudder. This must be Tianmu Yongji. Of course, Ruri knew who Tianmu Yongji was. She even met her before. ¡°Ah, you must be from that family of witches! You¡¯re so cute ¨C let¡¯s get along well in the future!¡± At that time, Ruri was only seven years old, but that sinister smile only made her feel numb. Her voice was like an alien living inside the skin of a human, Ruri will never forget her voice even after a hundred years. But why is Yongji¡¯s voice coming from the phone? Could it be¡­ ¡°I¡¯m listening in to Yamamoto reporting to his real boss. Let¡¯s discuss after we listen.¡± Seeing Ruri¡¯s doubtful gaze, Ryuto immediately clarified the situation. Using a wiretap to eavesdrop on Yamamoto¡¯s conversation ¨C this was the first method that Ryuto could think of. If he were to tell Ruri that she was in danger with no proof, there is no way that she would believe it. But if she were to hear the conversation herself, she would have no choice but to accept the truth. ¡°Lord Yongji, there is indeed something to report. That kid seems to be getting restless.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°He is aware of our group, the Tianmu, and asked for me to arrange a few thugs to pretend to be from our group to attack Miss Koujiro, so that he could be the hero and save the damsel-in-distress.¡± ¡°What an unpretentious, stupid plan. It suits him.¡± After listening to Yamamoto¡¯s report, Yongji couldn¡¯t help but cackle. ¡°Lord Yongji, what should I do next?¡± ¡°Inform Sakata, find someone to kill him.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Beep. Their conversation didn¡¯t take long, and it was dead silent in the warehouse. After listening in to their conversation, Ruri¡¯s face changed. How is this possible? There is no way Tianmu Yongji is the mastermind of this kidnapping? From the start, Ruri was never afraid of this incident. Especially since the one who kidnapped her was Kiryu Ryuto. As long as Ruri could delay and buy some time, then she would be saved regardless. However, if Yongji was behind this, then she is in real danger. Tianmu Yongji is the biggest enemy of their family, and it can even be said that their ancestors were enemies for dozens of generations. Over hundreds of years, the Koujiro family toiled away to try and eliminate the Tianmu. After all, their divine lineage made them less and less human. As soon as she was born, she knew she was destined to face a terrifying, old enemy. ¡°Miss Ruri, do you understand the situation at hand?¡± Ryuto carefully undid the tape behind her hands while asking. ¡°Understand what?¡± ¡°I was forced to do this, to keep you safe. To keep both of us safe.¡± He helped Ruri up from the stool, trying his best to calm his face. Of course, with how little Charm he had, his face looked ridiculous and scary. Although his face was a little funny, Ruri knew that he was not lying. Because Yongji had clearly stated that someone is being sent over to kill them. He could deceive her, but Yongji would never deceive people. She may be more sinister than a viper, but she will never tell lies. She doesn¡¯t have the need to lie, anyways. Ruri stood up, staring Ryuto down. There was still a trace of doubt in her eyes. Kiryu Ryuto is acting too smart. ¡°Do you actually know that there are spies in your group?¡± ¡°Yeah, Sakata has been secretly communicating with Tianmu Yongji, intending to annex my family¡¯s property.¡± He said it in a tone implying he knew everything, despite him knowing next to nothing. ¡°Sakata¡­ one of the three advisors in your group, am I correct?¡± ¡°Correct. With my father in prison, if I die, then the entire group would fall into Yongji¡¯s hands.¡± In fact, he couldn¡¯t help but suspect that his ¡®father¡¯s¡¯ imprisonment was plotted by Sakata and Yongji too. In other words, Ryuto and Sakata were fighting over each other. ¡®He¡¯s much smarter than he looks,¡¯ Ruri thought. Before this, she thought all he would ever be is a stinky bastard down the streets. But now, he isn¡¯t actually that simple. Seems that he is able to make clear judgments on himself, even being able to see through Tianmu Yongji¡¯s conspiracy. This alone was enough for Ruri to put her trust in him. ¡°We need to leave.¡± Ruri glanced at the rusty door of the warehouse. ¡°No ¨C there is only one entrance to this warehouse. Yamamoto must be watching the entrance secretly. As long as we take a step out of this warehouse, we will be shot.¡± Ryuto remembers that Yamamoto possesses a gun. If the two of them ran out, there is a high chance both of them would be shot immediately. ¡®But if we continue to wait, we have to deal with three people instead of one.¡¯ ¡°I have something, see if you can come up with something,¡± Ryuto said. Ryuto told Ruri everything he knew, and handed the Electric Shocker over to her. CH 9 Even if Ryuto had all the information he needed, he¡¯s brave enough to admit that he is not powerful enough. The current Ryuto is still the scum of the Earth. If it wasn¡¯t for his system, his corpse would be feeding generations of fish by now. However, Ruri was incredibly resourceful. She not only possesses abnormally high IQ, she is very knowledgeable and knows all kinds of strange knowledge. She is practically a walking encyclopedia. Ryuto wanted to see what Ruri could come up with. Ruri nodded and said in a low voice, ¡°Give me ten seconds.¡± She twisted her hair, falling into deep thought. ¡®Oh my god, this is her standard move ¨C [The Queen¡¯s Finger]!¡¯ Ryuto couldn¡¯t help but excitedly think, seeing Ruri¡¯s signature move. Ever since she was a child, she possessed this ability to fall into a state of deep thinking. In the original game, whenever she did this, it means somebody is about to be inflicted with bad luck. Pieces of a puzzle quickly flashed through Ruri¡¯s mind. Favourable conditions: Kiryu Ryuto, the two men under him, Electric Shocker, information. Unfavourable conditions: Killers who will kill us in a few minutes, Yamamoto with a gun. With Ruri¡¯s analysis, she could figure out a clear way out of this. What she really needed to focus on what was to do after this predicament. ¡®Tianmu Yongji, I didn¡¯t expect you to target your own ¡®sister¡¯ like this. Be ready to accept my return gift.¡¯ ¡®I will completely disintegrate your control over the Ryuto group!¡¯ Thinking of Tianmu Yongji, she couldn¡¯t help but feel agitated. She stopped twisting her fair, indicating that her plan has been completed. ¡°Kiryu Ryuto, I got it!¡± Her eyes widened, her body exuding a divine aura, like a Valkyrie directing the war with her own two hands. Ryuto was inspired by this domineering aura of hers, and immediately straightened his back, ¡°Yes! What should I do?¡± ¡°We need blood.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ryuto¡¯s posture slackened upon hearing this, his expression blank. Blood? Why does Ruri need blood? ¡°Just do as I say!¡± ¡°Ah, why are there so many mosquitoes out here?¡± Meanwhile, Yamamoto was busy smoking a cigarette outside, patting and swatting at his face. He looked out towards the sea, smoking alone. He only ever smoked Marlboro, and he is intensely devoted to it. This was what Yamamoto dedicated his life to. Of course, the other person that Yamamoto loves is himself. As long as he can benefit from something, he would even kill for it. It should be almost time for the men to kill the both of them inside. Looking at his mobile phone, the time displayed exactly twelve o¡¯ clock. In order to save his two subordinates, he deliberately moved both of them away far from the warehouse. This way, they would be safe from Tianmu¡¯s schemes. ¡°Help me! Yamamoto! I need you!¡± Just as he was about to smoke another cigarette, the rusty door of the warehouse clanged open. Ryuto could be seen running towards him. ¡®What¡¯s going on? What is he trying to do moments before his death?¡¯ Cleaning up Ryuto¡¯s messes made Yamamoto very tired. However, the two men were still close by, so Yamamoto had no choice but to walk towards the warehouse with Ryuto. However, as he got closer to Ryuto, he could see clear bloodstains on Ryuto¡¯s body! His master looked like a perverted murderer. ¡°Master Ryuto, what happened? Why are you covered in blood?¡± ¡°Y-Yamamoto¡­ I killed someone!¡± Ryuto was trembling, his eyes frightened. Killed? No¡­ There was only one other person inside the warehouse¡­ He must have killed Kojirou Ruri! Yamamoto rushed into the warehouse, and his eyes widened immediately. Inside the dim warehouse, he could see a slim figure laying limply on the ground like a tattered puppet. She was beautiful, but her body was painted with blood. Especially as the moonlight shone on her ¨C the scene was incredibly eerie, yet beautiful. ¡°Kiryu Ryuto, what have you done?¡± Yamamoto subconsciously walked towards Ruri. Ryuto stuttered out, ¡°I don¡¯t know! I didn¡¯t want to kill her¡­ Why did she resist me?!¡± ¡®Ah. You really can¡¯t do anything right,¡¯ Yamamoto thought. He simply sighed and came to Ruri¡¯s side. He wanted to see the cause of Ruri¡¯s death. After all, he had to clean this mess up later. However, just as Yamamoto squatted down, a fist flew towards him in the darkness. CH 10 A dark warehouse; a beauty laying dead in the centre. Scenes like this were distracting to say the least. He didn¡¯t even realise the fist coming towards him. Now that Ryuto¡¯s Physique was LV3, his strength was equivalent to a professional boxer. Being punched from the back could have fatal consequences for ordinary people. Despite this, Yamamoto was no ordinary person. Yamamoto has been on the streets since he was a teenager, living within gangs and organizations who has to fight to survive, later specializing in karate. This made him experienced in hand-to-hand combat. Just as Ryuto¡¯s fist was about to hit his vital point, Yamamoto turned his head immediately solely from his survival instinct. This made Ryuto miss the key point to knock him unconscious. Yamamoto couldn¡¯t help but stagger to the side. Blood was forced out of his mouth. Ryuto¡¯s punch was strong ¨C if the blow landed, Yamamoto would be on the ground by now. However, Yamamoto got up immediately, being on guard as soon as realised he was being attacked. Yamamoto supported his body with his left hand, fishing for something in his pockets. His favourite pistol was hidden in the inner pocket of his clothes, if he could grab it, Ryuto¡¯s head would blow up instantly. He immediately produced his gun, pointing it at Ryuto and aiming for his head. This series of movements were immediate, like an instinctive reaction of his body. Yamamoto¡¯s skills should not be looked down upon. The moment he grabbed the pistol, Yamamoto could already see Ryuto¡¯s corpse before him. ¡°Kiryu Ryuto, go to¡­¡± Bzzzzt. Electricity coursed through Yamamoto¡¯s body, making him drop the pistol. His muscles tightened and twisted, and his tongue cramped on itself, his words nothing more than strange incantations. Unbearable pain spread throughout his body ¨C he wanted to scream, but he was unable to. Yamamoto wasn¡¯t unfamiliar to this feeling either. He knew what being electrocuted felt like. He just didn¡¯t know who electrocuted him. After all, Ryuto was standing before him, and he was holding nothing. Just¡­ who¡­? Yamamoto¡¯s body twitched and fell forward, and Ruri, who was lying unconscious next to him, stood up. ¡®How is this possible?!¡¯ Yamamoto couldn¡¯t understand how she was still alive, and she was holding an Electric Shocker in her hand. Ruri was covered in blood, and it painted her majestic figure, as if she was the Queen of Blood returning from Hell. Of course, this wasn¡¯t her blood. This was simply the fish¡¯s blood found in the warehouse. Thanks to the slightly dim environment and the smell of seawater, they were able to mask the smell. Even a veteran like Yamamoto would be fooled. ¡°A plan to kidnap me? The Koujiro Ruri?!¡± Before Yamamoto look up, Ruri had already squatted down and shocked him again. Once again, the electric current passed through his body, and Yamamoto¡¯s body twisted upon itself as he writhed around like an eel. His muscles spasmed, his face twitched uncontrollably, and his eyeballs had almost popped out of their sockets. ¡°What¡¯s it like, being Tianmu Yongji¡¯s dog?¡± ¡°Look at this cute little thing ¨C were you trying to shoot him with it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ever pull this on me. Ever. Again.¡± Whenever Ruri spoke, she pressed the shocker button once. Yamamoto¡¯s body constantly writhed on the ground from electricity. ¡®This Electric Shocker is perfect! Ryuto thought. It can inflict great pain, but there is no risk of death.¡¯ CH 11 Small pistols have only ever seen used by villains in a movie. Especially this small, black pistol, carefully stowed away within Yamamoto¡¯s suit jackets. Some may find the gun useless in comparison with many other guns¡­ ¡­but to Ryuto, it felt as if the gun was alive; as if he was holding the sword the Gate Guardian used to deter¡­ ¡°How disgusting! I¡¯m about to throw up!¡± Just as Ryuto was fantasizing over the joy of getting ¡®The Best Gun in the Warehouse¡¯, Ruri¡¯s disgusted shouts interrupted him. He turned his head sadly and pouted, ¡°Miss Ruri, is this gun really that disgusting?¡± ¡°What? No! The smell of blood on my body makes me want to vomit!¡± To deceive Yamamoto, she had to drench herself in fish blood to sell the disguise. As a noble, Ruri¡¯s body¡¯s natural state is always clean ¨C how could a lady like her bear the pungent smell of fish?! However, Ryuto admired the fact that she did not hesitate to do so, practically diving into the fish to drench herself in their blood. Ruri hated the smell of blood, but she hated failure even more. Therefore, she was willing to do things that disgusted her. However, now that Yamamoto was incapacitated, Ruri couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling of disgust creeping all over her body. ¡°Take off your jacket and put mine on.¡± Seeing her disgusted look, Ryuto couldn¡¯t help but take off his school jacket and handing it over to her. Ryuto, like Ruri, studies in Tokyo¡¯s No.1 High School, and both of them were in their uniforms. Fortunately, it was autumn now, and the school uniforms are all two-piece suits with coats, so Ryuto still had something to wear. This act of his was warm and masculine ¨C Ruri wasn¡¯t sure how to react. Before this, she would rather stay in her blood-soaked uniform than wear Kiryu Ryuto¡¯s clothes. Now that her life was saved by him, she started to warm up to him. Ruri threw away her sticky and smelly jacket while putting on Ryuto¡¯s jacket. Engulfed by Ryuto¡¯s manly scent, Ruri couldn¡¯t help but blush a little. However, when she walked up to Ryuto, her blush faded, replaced by an extremely calm expression. ¡°The first step of our plan has been accomplished, but it¡¯s an uphill battle from here on out.¡± Ruri said this to Ryuto dramatically, looking towards the rusty warehouse door. Now that Yamamoto has been dealt with, they are safe. The two of them are like birds freed from their cage, and they can fly wherever they want. However, Ruri wanted more than freedom. She wants to completely dismantle Tianmu Yongji¡¯s plan, and make that arrogant woman pay and suffer. In order to do this, she needed to start small ¨C uproot Yongji¡¯s forces in Ryuto¡¯s group. Now that Yamamoto has been dealt with, she needs to deal with Sakata. As long as Sakata is still standing as the advisor, Ryuto and Ruri will still be in danger. Sakata needs to be dealt with first before they can deal with Yongji. In order to achieve this, having Yamamoto isn¡¯t enough ¨C the three killers who are approaching the warehouse are also needed. Judging from the phone call just now, these killers were obviously sent in by Sakata. If they could capture these three killers alive, alongside the recorded conversation between Yamamoto and Yongji, it would serve as ironclad proof for them. With a loud bang, Ryuto kicked open the warehouse door alone and walked out. The sultry sea breeze rushed past his face, making him shiver a little. ¡°Hey, you two, come over here.¡± He walked towards Yamamoto¡¯s two men and called out to them. Once he approached them, he found that they were watching a video together on one of their mobile phones. It was a video of two men wrestling. ¡°Master Ryuto, what brings you here?¡± Both of them immediately stood at attention. Ryuto frowned a little and spoke, ¡°I got intel that some old enemies will come over and deal with me in a while. Come back to the warehouse immediately for a counterattack.¡± ¡°Old¡­ enemies?¡± Hearing such a sudden remark, the two men looked at each other with a sullen look, ¡°How dare they! What did Yamamoto say about this?!¡± ¡°He has a¡­ stomach-ache. Let¡¯s go back to the warehouse to prepare.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Although they were puzzled as to why Yamamoto had a stomach ache, Ryuto¡¯s orders were final. There were two more men by the warehouse, squatting by the gate with a brick, ready to attack. ¡®But why a brick?¡¯ is the question that ran through all of the men¡¯s head. However, since their master ordered them to ¡°hit hard, but don¡¯t kill them,¡± they had no choice but to use bricks. Meanwhile, in the dark warehouse, Ruri sat by the unconscious Yamamoto, both of them shrouded in the darkest part of the warehouse. Ryuto stood by the warehouse door, waiting for the killers to arrive. Sure enough, the frantic sounds of footsteps could be heard. Ryuto was already used to the footsteps. Ryuto leaned his body to the left slightly, raising his left hand to his eyes and pointing his right hand towards the entrance, intending to greet the killers with a corny pose. CH 12 Bang! The rusty door of the warehouse was kicked open once again. Three killers donning animal masks, armed with machetes, crowbars, and electric shockers rushed in, looking menacing. However, when they broke into the warehouse, what they saw surprised them. The warehouse was dim. About five metres away from them, a young man with a thin shirt posed strangely in front of them. ¡®Is this a performance art?¡¯ The three of them were incredibly confused. Of course, professional killers will immediately return to work. The masked man with a machete immediately took a step forward, but immediately stopped and put his machete down. It¡¯s not that the killer had a sudden dawning on him to repent for his sins, but their target had a cute, black gun in his hand pointed towards the three of them. ¡®Impossible! They didn¡¯t tell us he had a gun!¡¯ The intel they got told them they were just here to kill an unarmed teenager! The three of them aren¡¯t even natives to Japan, they don¡¯t even understand Japanese! After arriving in Tokyo, these stowaways could easily be bought off the port because they can¡¯t find legitimate jobs. They don¡¯t have names, they don¡¯t have a place to call home, nobody would care for them if they died ¨C perfect chess pieces for Sakata to manipulate. They didn¡¯t expect to be held at gunpoint. They didn¡¯t know why the boy in front of them had a gun in his hands. ¡®Are all teenagers in Tokyo psychopaths?! Why does he have a gun?¡¯ The man holding the machete knelt down as the muzzle of the gun was pointed on his head, and he heard two muffled thuds behind him. He immediately turned his head to see his two companions unconscious, with two men-in-black holding bloodied bricks. It¡¯s over. The man with the machete slumped to the ground involuntarily. ¡®There¡¯s no escape,¡¯ he thought. His two companions were ambushed, and he is held at gunpoint. If he doesn¡¯t resist, maybe his death would be swift. Of course, Ryuto didn¡¯t plan to kill them. They are important witnesses. ¡°You two, tie them up and keep them under control.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Under his command, the two men immediately went to work. It¡¯s weird that they tied the man with the machete up like a tortoise, though. What was weirder was they used whips to tie them up. After the three of them were tied up, Ryuto felt like his mission was complete. It was much easier than he imagined, too. Ryuto thought he might have to fight the three of them. However, all he had to do was point his pistol at them. The three killers were subdued almost instantly. Ryuto felt that he shouldn¡¯t have levelled his Physique attribute up, seeing that he didn¡¯t have the chance to use it. When Ruri emerged from the dark and came to Ryuto¡¯s side, he brushed his hair aside to fix his appearance. Speaking of Ruri, Ryuto initially wanted to fight the three of them. However, this proposal was rejected by Ruri almost instantly. Ruri didn¡¯t trust Ryuto to stay alive. ¡°Great job! Now, we have our witnesses ¨C we can go for Sakata now.¡± A relaxed smile appeared on her face. Before she could continue with her plan, another set of messy footsteps could be heard from outside the warehouse. ¡°I found the warehouse! Quickly, Miss Koujiro should be in here!¡± Even through the closed door of the warehouse, Ruri could hear that familiar voice. That voice is undoubtedly her personal bodyguard who grew up with her, Izayoi Wuyi. Wuyi was personally chosen by the gods, like an ancient bodyguard. She has been trained as a bodyguard since young ¨C strong in action, quick in skills and taciturn. Wuyi¡¯s beautiful face with delicate facial features was painted with anxiety. ¡®Please, let Miss Koujiro be safe.¡¯ Before this, Wuyi was held up by someone due to some unforeseen circumstances, so she couldn¡¯t keep watch on her mistress for a while. In just about ten seconds of negligence, Koujirou Ruri was kidnapped. There was no doubt this kidnapping was well planned. The Koujirou family upturned all of Tokyo¡¯s organizations, swearing to excavate every single part of Tokyo if it meant finding their eldest daughter. Wuyi was the first to locate the warehouse. She led a shrewd and capable team to gather evidence and came to this warehouse. Kiryu Ryuto sighed with relief. He doesn¡¯t have to deal with her, thankfully. Ryuto naturally knew who she was since he played the game. He was relaxed because he was no longer the person who kidnapped Ruri, but an ally who is assisting her. No matter how powerful her bodyguard was, there was no reason to engage in a fight. Ruri was about to greet them by walking towards the door, but she suddenly felt dizzy and couldn¡¯t help but fall forward. Ryuto instinctively dashed forward and supported Ruri, pulling her into his arms. At this moment, the rusty warehouse door was once again kicked open. The personal bodyguard of Koujirou Ruri stared at Ryuto grabbing at her mistress. CH 13 Wuyi treated Ruri like her younger sister. So when Ruri was kidnapped, Wuyi was nervous and anxious. Especially after receiving intel that that bastard from the Ryuto group kidnapped her, Wuyi felt that she had to save her mistress at all costs. Due to the need for her safety, Wuyi studied in the same school as Ruri. The students of the school knew two things: One, Kiryu Ryuto likes Koujirou Ruri a lot. Two, Kiryu Ryuto is a sinister and cunning bastard who will do anything to achieve his goals. If he kidnapped the girl he was coveting for, what indecent things would he do to Ruri? It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine. Wuyi prayed that nothing like that happens. ¡®I can¡¯t let her be tarnished by that beast!¡¯ She immediately kicked the rusty warehouse door opened¡­ ¡­but she immediately greeted with a sight that almost made her faint. Wuyi wanted to tear him apart; her vision was red with anger. Kiryu Ryuto was before her, wearing a thin shirt, his clothes messy and ruffled. And he was holding a familiar figure in his arms¡­ The most terrifying thing was that Ruri was wearing the male jacket ¨C it was obviously too big for her! Wuyi knew one thing well ¨C if a woman is forced to wear a man¡¯s clothes, there¡¯s a high probability that her own clothes was tarnished in some form. The answer was clear to Wuyi. Combined with Ruri¡¯s currently dizzy self, Wuyi couldn¡¯t help but think of the worst. In an instant, her eyes exuded a heroic glare; a murderous aura emanated from her. ¡®Kill, kill, kill, kill¡­¡¯ ¡®I need to kill that bastard!¡¯ ¡®No, I can¡¯t kill him, I need to make him suffer. I need him to be tortured. I need him alive.¡¯ Ryuto could tell she was about to kill him with her murderous glare and stepped back slightly. ¡®I didn¡¯t even do anything! Calm down!¡¯ Ryuto looked down at the dizzy Ruri. Ruri was drowsy due to her low blood sugar, and she leaning onto him. She was wearing an oversized male jacket, and there were traces of blood painted on her fair thighs. Ruri, of course, didn¡¯t eat dinner, so she was feeling weak. She also had mild hypoglycaemia, making her susceptible to dizziness. Even Ryuto had to admit that their current position would make anyone assume the worst. Especially when his identity is still the bastard criminal who coveted and kidnapped Ruri. ¡°Miss Ruri, please get up¡­¡± Ryuto gently shook Ruri in his arms, hoping that she would explain the situation. However, Ruri was still incredibly dizzy. Although she could hear his words, she couldn¡¯t come up with a normal response. Ruri could tell Wuyi was about to kill him, and desperately stretched her hands out to explain while pointing at Ryuto, ¡°Wuyi, he¡­ uh¡­¡± ¡®He¡¯s not a kidnapper, don¡¯t kill him!¡¯ Ruri couldn¡¯t force her words out; her head was pounding. She had to take a deep breath. This made the scene much worse. ¡°You beast! How dare you tarnish the eldest lady!¡± Hearing her mistress¡¯ painful gasps and looking at her weak gestures, Wuyi couldn¡¯t even imagine what vile things Ryuto had done to her. Wuyi noticed slight squirming at the peripherals of her vision, seeing three men on the ground, tied into a shape resembling a tortoise! ¡®Leather whips, tied into a strange position¡­ no¡­¡¯ In an instant, she lunged forward, swiping her sharp claws towards Ryuto¡¯s eyes. Rather than trying to poke his eyeballs out, swiping her hands like a claw is more likely to cause damage. The most important thing is that everyone will instinctively step back, and Ryuto is no exception. Ryuto couldn¡¯t help but dart backwards, unhanding Ruri from his grip. Taking advantage of this, Wuyi had the dizzy and groggy Ruri in her arms. This all happened within seconds, and the scene was way better than an action movie. It¡¯s a pity that Ryuto couldn¡¯t find it in him to appreciate the cinematic prowess of the scene ¨C after all, he is the villain in this story! CH 14 ¡°Argh! Ugh!¡± At the same time, two muffled screams came from behind. Yamamoto¡¯s two men rushed forward to subdue Wuyi to protect their master. But before they could do anything, they were knocked unconscious by a group of men who rushed in behind them. Of course, Wuyi didn¡¯t come alone. In just two seconds, the situation changed drastically. Ryuto was left alone without his men and Ruri to defend him. Wuyi preferred to use her hands to talk instead of her mouth. She had zero intention of talking with Ryuto. In a single swipe of her leg, her slender leg was already sweeping up to the middle of Ryuto¡¯s legs. This is the move that renders all men useless. ¡®You beast, you bastard! How dare you¡­ defile my mistress like this! Die!¡± With a strong killing intent, Wuyi¡¯s kick was fast and ruthless. If her kick lands, it¡¯s equivalent to a hammer smashing an egg, bursting the yolk at the same time. However, Ryuto twisted his body and raised his left leg immediately, saving his future generation. ¡®What?!¡¯ Wuyi was obviously shocked, quickly taking a step back to assess the situation. ¡®How is it possible that he blocked the move with grace? This¡­ beast!¡¯ Ryuto didn¡¯t continue his attacks, though, instead folding his arms and smiling arrogantly. ¡°We need to have a good talk ¨C there¡¯s a serious misunderstanding.¡± From Ryuto¡¯s view, he was showing a sincere expression, since he knew fighting Wuyi was pointless. However, in Wuyi¡¯s view, Ryuto was smiling sinisterly, speaking with a sarcastic tone. In Wuyi¡¯s eyes, his words were a serious challenge to her. ¡®Am I not worthy to you?!¡¯ Wuyi thought Ryuto was taunting her! Impossible. A bodyguard specially chosen by the gods cannot be looked down upon. Ryuto¡¯s words were like fuel to a fire. Wuyi took a deep breath and nodded, ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Great! Let me explain-¡± ¡°No. I understand that it is better to be calm when dealing with beasts like you, if I stay calm, I can kill you.¡± Although she didn¡¯t want to admit it, she could tell Ryuto was at least somewhat trained in martial arts. Attacking relentless would only cause her defeat. In an instant, her murderous aura turned icy cold. This wasn¡¯t good for Ryuto, though. He couldn¡¯t read her expressions anymore. Ryuto tried to show a sincere smile, but ended up showing an arrogant smile once again. ¡®Damn it, she¡¯ll never believe me at this rate.¡¯ ¡®Ruri needs to wake up!¡¯ Ryuto looked around and assessed the situation immediately. It seems like the Wuyi¡¯s men had no intention of ambushing him, intending to let Wuyi deal with him alone. If it was only her, with his level of Physique, he would be able to buy enough time for Ruri to wake up. Of course, her men didn¡¯t ambush him because the warehouse was too dim and small ¨C if they were to ambush him, they might hit each other instead. However, Wuyi alone was a formidable opponent. Just as Ryuto was about to explain the situation, Wuyi lunged to the side. She jumped towards a box and kicked off the ledge, pouncing towards Ryuto like a hawk. Ryuto immediately slanted his body to the side, dodging her kick. Wuyi instantly recovered, not letting Ryuto perform a counterattack. Her left foot lifted up from her current position on the ground, slamming right into Ryuto¡¯s back! Her series of movements were extremely smooth and natural, like she was a dancer dancing on the battlefield. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Although Ryuto was strong, he had zero experience of fighting ¨C he felt like his back had just shattered in half. It felt as if his bones had cracked; his internal organs deformed from the impact of the kick. Ryuto¡¯s breath was forced out of him in an instant. ¡®Can¡¯t stop to catch my breath ¨C I¡¯ll die!¡¯ Wuyi leapt forward once again, wrapping her arms around his neck firmly. If Ryuto¡¯s life wasn¡¯t in danger, he would¡¯ve enjoyed this. CH 15 This move of hers wraps the opponent¡¯s neck with her arms, strangling her enemies to death. With sufficient force, one might lose consciousness within ten seconds. If she continues to exert force for a few more seconds, one might even die as their trachea collapses. Ryuto grabbed at her arms and bit down harshly, trying to break free from her grip. Wuyi screamed in pain, and Ryuto immediately got up and backed away. However, as Ryuto was backing away, one of Wuyi¡¯s men near him kicked him in the back without hesitation! ¡®Damn it! I thought this was a good one-on-one duel!¡¯ he thought, falling to the floor. When he saw the leather shoe flying towards him again, Ryuto immediately lifted his arms to block the powerful kick, only to be interrupted with a pair of arms wrapping around his neck. ¡°Nice job, but¡­ it¡¯s time for you to die.¡± The cold, chilling female voice behind him whispered in his ear, wrapping her slender arms tightly around his neck. With her slender arms, it was easier to apply force. She wrapped her body around him while strangling him, like a python. Ryuto felt his neck tighten and his breath was forced out of his chest, and his vision was rapidly turning black. ¡®Wuyi is most definitely the best bodyguard,¡¯ Ryuto thought. ¡®No! Wait! I can¡¯t die here! I¡¯ve gotten so far!¡¯ Ryuto started to struggle frantically, but he couldn¡¯t shake the woman wrapped tightly around him. With his arms restrained in her iron grip, there was no way to cause an effective counterattack. ¡®Am I dead? No¡­¡¯ As his vision was darkening, he felt a heavy, cylinder shape object in his pants. No, that cylinder shape wasn¡¯t his¡­ thing, but an Electric Shocker! Before this, Ruri handed the Electric Shocker back to Ryuto after torturing Yamamoto. Just as he realised this, he only had two seconds at most before his consciousness faded. However, he hesitated while inching towards his pocket. From the start, he never intended to attack Wuyi, let alone use the electric shocker, or any weapon for that matter. ¡®Kiryu Ryuto is a gentleman! I can¡¯t lay my hands on a woman¡­¡¯ A gentleman, he¡¯s a gentleman. A true gentleman must not lay his hands on a woman. He couldn¡¯t possibly use the Electric Shocker on a woman! ¡®Damn it! I¡¯m about to die, who cares!¡¯ After a short second of contemplating, he immediately fished for the Electric Shocker and pressed it against Wuyi¡¯s thigh. Indeed, if he were truly a gentleman, he wouldn¡¯t have used it. But if he can save another million yuan from reviving, gentleman or not, he doesn¡¯t care! The current swiftly coursed through the baton, and he no longer was a gentleman. Of course, since Wuyi was pressed against him, Ryuto himself was electrocuted. In addition to being decapitated with a machete, shot with a gun, he could tick getting electrocuted off his bucket list of deaths. ¡°A-a-a-A-A-r¡ªgh!¡± ¡°d-D-D-dd-A-m-n!¡± The both of them twitched frantically with electricity coursing through their bodies, looking like a scene of two dancers performing an interpretive modern dance. ¡°Captain Izayoi is electrocuted! Hurry up and separate the two!¡± Witnessing the scene before, Wuyi¡¯s men rushed forward wanting to save their captain. However, they had no way of separating them, so they could only use whatever was nearby to unhand the Electric Shocker on Ryuto¡¯s hand. With a loud clang, the Electric Shocker that Ryuto spent 200,000 yuan on was broken in half. The two of them were immediately separated ¨C Wuyi was half-knelt on the ground, while Ryuto was laying on the floor lifelessly. Feeling the murderous glares on him, Ryuto couldn¡¯t help but smile at his impending doom; his vision starting to fade. ¡°S-stop! All of you, stop! Don¡¯t touch him¡­¡± Before he fainted, a weak voice could be heard. If Ryuto was still conscious, he would definitely think this is an angel¡¯s voice calling out to him. His vision once again faded to dark. CH 16 ¡®Am I dead?¡¯ The moment Ryuto fainted, he knew it was all over. After all, he was unconscious and surrounded by Wuyi and her men. He fears that he might be dismembered by all of them and thrown into the sea. He wonders why he has yet to hear his system reviving him. Logically speaking, the moment he fainted, he should¡¯ve heard the prompt, and another million yuan would disappear from his account. However, none of this happened. In the darkness, he felt his body being moved elsewhere. He felt that he was sitting on a boat, drifting down a river as he was rocked gently. He faded in and out of reality before he could finally regain his consciousness as he groggily opened his eyes. ¡®Where am I? Am I dead?¡¯ When he sat up from the bed he was on, he massaged his pounding forehead. If he was revived, he should¡¯ve awakened in the warehouse again, repeating the previous events once more. However,¡­ ¡­it seems like he made new progress. The room he was in didn¡¯t have that disgusting, fishy smell, but a soothing aroma of lavender wafting around the room. He wasn¡¯t sleeping on a reclining chair either, but a soft and warm bed. ¡°Where am I?¡± Ryuto looked around the room, and he couldn¡¯t help but be stunned. The tatami mats were made of bamboo, and it was spread around the whole room, decorated with motifs of sunflowers and leaves. Not far away, the wooden shoji door was full of ancient charm, and the linen-coloured windows complimented the natural state of the room. Although the room was large, it was decorated modestly ¨C there was a desolate picture of their patron god on the wall, and pots of unknown green plants were placed carelessly around the room. ¡®It¡¯s elegant and simple; traditional, with no trace of modernity.¡¯ Although it was the year 20XX, it was as if he woke up in a timeline hundreds of years ago. There was not a single modern household appliance that could be seen. Ryuto stood up from his bed, realising that his clothes had been changed as well. His dirty school uniform was replaced with loose and comfortable pyjamas ¨C the pyjamas looked modern, and he felt out of place in the room. ¡°Master Kiryu, you are awake.¡± Ryuto was shocked and turned around immediately. He didn¡¯t notice the tall, old man with silver hair, wearing a pristine and white butler¡¯s uniform standing by his bed. He looked at least sixty or seventy, but his posture was tall and straight, and his eyes were sharp. A strict and elegant housekeeper, is what most people would think he is. This wasn¡¯t actually the case. The moment Ryuto laid his eyes on him, he couldn¡¯t help but grit his teeth. ¡®It¡¯s him! Shiki Tumaru!¡¯ For players who have played the game, they would know who this man is. The people in the family gave him funny, quirky pet names, like a cat, or a rabbit. However, this old man is absolutely insufferable in the game. He¡¯s working as the butler of the Koujirou family for many years. According to the lore of the game, Tumaru should be the descendant of the legendary [Guardian Ninjas], safeguarding the Koujirou family for generations. Ryuto shuddered thinking about this. He knew Tumaru single-handedly suppressed dozens of international mercenaries armed with guns later on in the game. Measuring with his own attributes, he estimates that Tumaru¡¯s Physique was equal to LV5. ¡°Master Kiryu, do you feel any sort of discomfort?¡± ¡°Ah, no, I¡¯m fine. Where am I, by the way?¡± ¡°This is the Shendai Courtyard, Miss Ruri¡¯s residence.¡± Ah. Is there where Ruri usually lives?¡¯ he thought. In Ryuto¡¯s impression, the Koujirou family gave Ruri a suite in the Minato distract of Tokyo, so that she could get to school easier. But why is Tumaru here? ¡°Miss Ruri, is she alright?¡± ¡°The eldest lady had mild symptoms of hypoglycaemia, but she is fine now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! Did she¡­ uh, explain the situation?¡± Ryuto didn¡¯t actually need to ask this. He must have been alive because of her. If Ruri didn¡¯t explain his actions, then he would be waking up in a torture room right now. Hearing this, Tumaru gently adjusted the glasses resting on his nose, ¡°My Lady has explained it clearly to all of us, so the Koujirou family had decided to forgive you for kidnapping her.¡± Excellent. Ryuto let out a deep sigh of relief. Now that his life was no longer in danger, he was safe. However, he didn¡¯t expect Tumaru to cough out the next question. ¡°Master Kiryu, you have previously expressed a crush towards My Lady. Is that true?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Ryuto blushed, intending to confirm it. After all, this was practically public knowledge. However, he saw Tumaru¡¯s left eyebrow raise suspiciously. CH 17 [Translator: Phoenixia] [Proofreader: FaintlyDemonic] In any other situation, this would be a fairly normal subconscious reaction. However, Ryuto knew what this meant, since he played the game. This old butler might pounce on him if he confirmed the news. ¡®Why would he want to attack me? Wait, I know!¡¯ Tumaru, being the Guardian of the Koujirou family, his actions are calm and sophisticated. However, when it comes to Koujirou Ruri, his actions start becoming more reckless. ¡°Miss Ruri is like a lighthouse for those lost at sea. Whenever I see her, I feel that all my sins have been cleansed.¡± Tumaru once described Ruri like this in the game. Some might think this is merely an exaggeration, but it wasn¡¯t unreasonable. The Koujirou family has been an extraordinary family, and it was said that they were the next-of-kin to royalty. A female member of the family bears the most important responsibility, communicating with the gods. They must be unmarried, and instead of serving in the royal family, they speak to the gods as a witch. Due to development from ancient times to the present, this practice extended to the Koujirou family. Therefore, women in the Koujirou family must take on this role, shouldering the responsibility of communicating with the gods on behalf of the state. For example, Ruri¡¯s mother, Mizuho, was the one who had to bear the responsibility before this. Now, her aunt bears the responsibility, and Ruri is next in line. When Ruri turns eighteen in two years, her aunt, Jingyan, will pass the position to her. After this, her aunt will immediately get married and have children ¨C once her daughter turns eighteen, she will replace Ruri, and the cycle continues. After they pass the baton over to the next woman in line, they can still get married. However, before this, they must be physically and mentally clean, as well as not be involved in love affairs. Which means Ruri must not fall in love under any circumstances. If Ruri was found to be impure, then she might be sentenced to death, With Ryuto¡¯s reputation, it was no surprise that the Koujirou family would keep a close eye on him. Tumaru eyed him, wondering why he wasn¡¯t answering him, ¡°Come on, tell me.¡± Ryuto wanted to confirm, but he knew this would spell his doom. Ruri must be unsullied and clean. If he were to admit it, then he would be eradicated. If Ryuto¡¯s love was one-sided, he would live. However, Tumaru worried that after he ¡°saved¡± Ruri, she might develop feelings. Despite this, he knew Ruri wouldn¡¯t have any feelings for him. Men were nothing to Ruri. She had a noble character and was never interested in any men. At most, she was only polite on the outside. However, when Ruri returned from last night¡¯s incident, Tumaru found that she was wearing a boy¡¯s jacket! And the name embroidered on the jacket displayed [Kiryu Ryuto]. ¡°Butler Tumaru, please help me check on Ryuto¡¯s condition.¡± Even after returning, the first thing Ruri said to Tumaru was to check up on him. In all fairness, Ruri felt like he owed him, since she almost indirectly killed him. Ruri did this because she felt sorry, not because she harboured any feelings for Ryuto. But in Tumaru¡¯s view, this meant Ruri¡¯s heart was sprouting. ¡®No, no man must come close to My Lady.¡¯ A single spark can start a prairie fire. If Ryuto admits his love, then Tumaru will minimize every chance of love blossoming. Of course, Tumaru didn¡¯t plan to kill Ryuto ¨C he planned to kill Ryuto in other ways. Tumaru planned to perform a little¡­ transformation to Ryuto¡¯s body. It wasn¡¯t that big of a deal! He would use a long needle and insert it into a small acupoint in Ryuto¡¯s abdomen, and all will be done. It would have a similar effect to castration. Technically, this would kill Ryuto in other ways. With a single needle, all of his worries would be gone. He would no longer have to shave, he would no longer have impure thoughts, he would be a fine, young man working for society. If Tumaru was a salesman, he would enthusiastically promote this to Ryuto. Tumaru eagerly waited for Ryuto to confirm his love. Ryuto was in a predicament. CH 18 He absolutely cannot tell Tumaru he liked Ruri. In desperation, Ryuto looked to the side and shrugged with a smile, ¡°Indeed, but that was all in the past.¡± ¡°Explain.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t plan to pursue Ruri anymore. She¡¯s just a friend.¡± Ryuto explained it casually. This could¡¯ve fooled other people. But not Tumaru, who has seen the lies and deceits of many people over the years. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°See? You get me!¡± After seeing Tumaru nod, Ryuto smiled. His smile froze in the next second. ¡°You are better than I imagined,¡± Tumaru said coldly. ¡°You can predict my intentions in advance, and then lie to try and fool me.¡± There are many ways to judge whether or not a person is lying. The tone, the pauses, the voice, eye contact, heartbeat¡­ He could easily see that Ryuto was lying. ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡°So, you really do like My Lady.¡± ¡°And what about it?¡± Ryuto really did like Ruri. He liked her when he was pursuing her in the game, and liked her as he traversed over to this world. Although he has no intention of pursuing her currently due to the situation at hand, admitting his feelings is definitely not something to be ashamed of. Tumaru chuckled. ¡°Good, it¡¯s a pity that you are also a man.¡± Ryuto could see Tumaru¡¯s hand inch towards his waist. ¡°What? Are you gonna kill me now? How will you explain it to her?¡± Ryuto immediately stepped away from Tumaru, asking suspiciously. In a one-on-one situation, it was impossible for him to survive Tumaru. The only way to get out of this alive is to use Ruri¡¯s name. Ruri didn¡¯t want him to die either, so this was to his advantage. Since both of them were in partnership to take down Tianmu Yongji, he couldn¡¯t die yet, especially not under her wing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Tumaru said expressionlessly. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to kill you.¡± ¡°Then? What are you going to do.¡± ¡°Something, for sure.¡± Before Ryuto realised what was happening, it was over. ¡®Ouch.¡¯ He only felt a slight tinge of pain in his lower abdomen, as if he was punctured with something. Ryuto hurriedly looked down, seeing a long needle embedded into him. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± Ryuto whispered, pulling the needle out with a confused expression. He knew Tumaru was good at using needles, being his signature weapon and all, but why didn¡¯t he kill him? ¡°It¡¯s over now, please leave.¡± ¡°What the hell did you do to me?!¡± Ryuto panicked, grabbing at Tumaru¡¯s shirt. After all, the unknown is always the most terrifying thing for human beings. However, Tumaru ignored him, handing a large paper bag from behind to him. ¡°Here are your belongings and clothes.¡± The paper bag had Ryuto¡¯s clothes, and a pistol and a new Electric Shocker. ¡°What did you do to me? Answer me! Or I¡¯ll-¡± Ryuto immediately aimed the gun at Tumaru¡¯s forehead. ¡°Sorry, but this thing doesn¡¯t work on me.¡± It was true. This wouldn¡¯t kill him. ¡°Right ¨C you¡¯re not afraid of guns, but I am.¡± Ryuto sneered and aimed the gun on his own temple instead. If he dies here, then Tumaru has to explain himself to Ruri. ¡®Damn this guy.¡¯ Tumaru frowned, and he had no choice but to explain what he did to him. The moment he heard it, Ryuto was dumbfounded. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ castrated?¡± He lowered his head in trepidation, and Tumaru had no choice but to comfort him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I know this is unfair, but I had no choice. Look ¨C if you still like her after she resigns from her position, then-¡± Bang! The clean and tidy guest room was tainted with red. CH 19 Tumaru never imagined that Ryuto would pull the trigger without hesitation. Any ordinary person would rush over to a hospital. Why did he just blow his head off? Damn, what a tough guy. Of course, Tumaru didn¡¯t know that Ryuto could respawn. [Detected that the host is on the verge of death ¨C emergency rescue plan launched, erasing death by consuming one million yuan¡­ Beep!] Ryuto harboured deep resentment for that old man. Tumaru was being too protective of his mistress, pushing all of his buttons. ¡®So what if I like Ruri? She is beautiful! It would be crazy if I didn¡¯t have any feelings for her.¡¯ He knew that Ruri¡¯s identity was special, so he couldn¡¯t fall in love with her. ¡®But did you really have to castrate me? Damn it!¡¯ Ryuto rather kill himself than suffer. After waking up, he expected to wake up in the warehouse again, but it seems that he awoke in the same room, greeted with that familiar scent of lavender. Looks like his respawn point has changed. This means he can focus on how to deal with that demon Tumaru. ¡°Hate that smelly old man.¡± After regaining his consciousness, he wrapped himself in the quilt and mumbled. In the original game, Tumaru was of great help to the protagonist. In the story, Tumaru had saved the protagonist and Ruri from danger multiple times. Hence, Ryuto had somewhat of a good impression of him. Of course, after he castrated him, all those good feelings disappeared. Cutting off my future generation is no less than killing my parents. ¡®Tumaru, you¡¯re done for.¡¯ Ryuto gritted his teeth, but instead decided to give up on revenge. He had to talk his way out of this somehow. He quietly stuck his head out of the quilt and glanced at the door. Tumaru should enter soon, waiting for him to wkae up. If he makes a sound, then Tumaru will enter the door, ready to castrate him. He couldn¡¯t fight Tumaru, since he was incredibly strong. He was immune to his pistol, too. He had no choice but to open his system¡¯s shop. Ryuto hid under the covers and scrolled through the shop. After his third rebirth, he only had 3.95 million yuan left. Ryuto found a few useful items, but they were too expensive for him. For example, the invisibility cloak would be useful, but it was 10 million yuan. The digging gloves would allow him to dig holes at will, but it was 5 million yuan. Seems that the items in the shop change every time he is reborn. The usefulness of an item is measured by how expensive they were. Since Ryuto had no stable source of income, he could only stare at the invisibility cloak and the gloves. Ryuto finally found an item useful to him. [Velcro], which had the same colour and texture as human skin, which can be attached to the human body to create various illusions, such as masking scars to hide certain features. This was useful to Ryuto¡¯s current situation, and it was only 500,000 yuan! He bought it, his heart aching slightly. With a light thud, a roll of tape appeared in Ryuto¡¯s bed. He slowly tore off a little Velcro and stuck it on the back of his hand, but there was no trace of it. This means he can use this to deceive Tumaru. After all, he already knew what Tumaru was going to do to him. Since he intends to pierce through Ryuto¡¯s abdomen, if he was able to block this somehow, then he would be safe. Ryuto saw that the bottom layer of his bed was made of straw. He quietly reached out and grabbed a small piece of the straw mat, and tore a few small pieces from the top in order to not alert Tumaru. He overlapped the pieces of grass together to form a patch and placed it on his lower abdomen. Ryuto could still feel a dull feeling over his lower abdomen. Ryuto placed the straw over his abdomen and covered it with the Velcro straps, and it immediately blended into his skin tone. The needle must not be able to pierce through his abdomen like this. Now, he has to think of what to say to Tumaru. When he thought of the old man, resentment painted over Ryuto¡¯s features. CH 20 It¡¯s true that he¡¯ll be safe after doing this, but it wasn¡¯t enough. He wanted to get back at Tumaru somehow. Under such circumstances, he thought for a few seconds before showing a strange smile. Although there was a huge gap in strength, he had the information advantage. Thud. Thud. Thud. With a few thuds, faint footsteps could be heard approaching the room. ¡®Has he finally woken up?¡¯ Tumaru looked at the pocket watch in his chest pocket, displaying twelve o¡¯clock in the noon. This matter has to be resolved quickly, or Miss Ruri would find out. Today was Sunday, and Miss Ruri must be doing her daily practice in her room alone. As the successor of the Koujirou legacy, what Ruri has to go through is beyond what ordinary people could imagine. Tumaru couldn¡¯t help but want to cry, thinking of what Ruri has to go through daily to carry this burden. For his Lady to succeed the throne smoothly, he wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do anything for her. For this reason, that man in the room must be dealt with. When he entered the room, he saw the young man who had just woken up, admiring the painting hanging on the back wall. This is the portrait of Koujirou Numin, the first maiden to communicate with the gods under the Koujirou name. She has been worshipped as the deity of the family for thousands of years. In Ryuto¡¯s perspective, this painting was somewhat abstract, her figure distorted. ¡°Master Kiryu, you are awake.¡± ¡°Are you from the Koujirou family? Is this their territory?¡± Ryuto chose to take the initiative to drive the conversation. ¡°Yes, and I am Shiki-¡± ¡°I am not interested in who you are. Anyways, I will leave now. Where is my stuff?¡± he said casually in a condescending tone. He wouldn¡¯t kill him anyways, so he had no need to be polite to Tumaru. Besides, Ryuto was the head of the Ryuto group. He had to stay in character. Tumaru wordlessly stared at him, unprovoked. ¡°Sorry, Master Kiryu, but before you leave, I have to ask you a question.¡± ¡°Ask away.¡± ¡°Master Kiryu, is it true that you have feelings for My Lady?¡± ¡°Yes, I do like her, and I intend to marry her in the future. What about it?¡± Ryuto directly admitted his feelings, and even added the marriage part to provoke Tumaru. ¡®Yeah, I want her body. What about it? I¡¯m about to go meet her and we¡¯ll have the nastiest-¡® he thought before his train of thought was interrupted. ¡®Focus!¡¯ Such a straightforward answer made Tumaru a little surprised. After all, the women in the Koujirou family were prohibited from any sort of relationships and affairs before they are tasked with a heavy burden. This was public knowledge. Therefore, Ryuto needed to publicly express his intentions towards Ruri. If he could, he would show it to Tumaru by going over to Ruri¡¯s room. Tumaru had to admit that such a domineering aura made him admirable. ¡°If that is the case, then forgive me.¡± In an instant, the needle pierced through his abdomen. It was exactly the same as last time. Ryuto felt slight pain as the needle plunged into his ¡°abdomen,¡± but he didn¡¯t feel like he lost his kids this time. Thankfully, the needle didn¡¯t penetrate deep enough, so it had no effect. Even then, Ryuto pretended to stumble over and knelt on the ground painfully. ¡°What- what did you do to me?!¡± ¡®Come on, come on.¡¯ Tumaru nodded and smiled. Being punctured like that is painful, and Tumaru knew that well. With Ryuto¡¯s act of pain, he knew he managed to deceive Tumaru. ¡°Here are your belongings and clothes. Please leave as soon as possible.¡± Ryuto grabbed the bag and fished for his pistol, immediately aiming it at Tumaru¡¯s head! CH 21 ¡°What the hell did you do to me?!¡± He immediately retrieved his pistol and reloaded it, roaring at Tumaru angrily. Although his babies were safe this time, his anger was very real. Whenever he thought about his previous encounter, he feels extremely disturbed and angry. As expected, Tumaru was unphased by the gun pointing to his forehead. This was just a regular day to Tumaru ¨C being pointed at with a gun is like eating bread to him. ¡°Sorry,¡± Tumaru said. ¡°But this little thing of yours would not hurt me.¡± Boom! As soon as Tumaru finished speaking, Ryuto pulled the trigger. This is the second time Ryuto has fired the gun. Before this, Ryuto would feel guilty about pulling the trigger on a living person. However, he felt no regret if his target was Shiki Tumaru. Because he knew Tumaru would not be hurt at all. The moment Ryuto pulled the trigger, Tumaru¡¯s figure phased to the side, perfectly dodging the blow. Seeing Tumaru dodge the bullet at light speed amazed Ryuto; he would even describe it as gorgeous. The bullet pierced through the wall immediately, causing a small hole to appear on the wall. The deafening blast of the gun sounded through the area, so it was no surprise that everybody in the residence could hear the gunshot. ¡®Damn, I didn¡¯t expect him to shoot without hesitation.¡¯ Tumaru didn¡¯t think Ryuto would use the gun after returning it to him. After all, this is their domain ¨C shooting your enemy directly within their base spells doom. Tumaru, frowning, hurriedly phased forward and snatched the gun away from Ryuto. This technique of his is muscle memory at his point. ¡°You are being unreasonable. Seems like I can¡¯t return this thing to you yet.¡± Tumaru still needed to protect the residents and staff living here. Besides, there was no way Tumaru could let Ruri be alerted. Unfortunately, when the shot was fired, Ryuto¡¯s plan has already been achieved. Tap tap tap tap tap tap tap! Frantic footsteps could be heard approaching outside the room. The surrounding staff, including the cooks and the guards gathered near the room, wanting to see what had happened. ¡°I¡¯ll ask you one last time before the crowd gathers,¡± Ryuto threatened. ¡°What did you do to me? If you don¡¯t answer me, I¡¯ll stick the needle right here.¡± Ryuto removed the needle from his ¡®abdomen¡¯, and placed it near his throat in a threatening manner. He¡¯s attempting to blackmail Tumaru. These needles are Tumaru¡¯s signature weapon. If Ryuto were to stab himself with this needle, what will the other people think when removing his body? What if Koujirou Ruri witnesses the scene? Tumaru stared intently at Ryuto. Ryuto is trying to threaten Ruri¡¯s trust in Tumaru. Ruri had entrusted her personal butler to take care of Ryuto. What would she think if she found Ryuto dead? Of course, with Tumaru¡¯s status, he would not get punished, but¡­ ¡­Ruri¡¯s trust in him would immediately crumble. Being hated by his own mistress, this is a punishment worse than death to Tumaru. He immediately brought his hands up, trying to calm Ryuto down, ¡°Wait, wait, don¡¯t be impulsive, let¡¯s talk it out.¡± Ryuto ignored him, instead starting a countdown, ¡°Three¡­ two¡­¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll tell you! I castrated you, but it can be restored to function! I swear!¡± In desperation, Tumaru spat out the truth. Perfect. Shiki Tumaru was rarely actually afraid of someone. At that moment, he felt true fear. He feared that Ryuto would slit his throat using his needle upon hearing the truth. There are many other villains that he had faced who used weapons to threaten others, but it wasn¡¯t everyday that someone would use deadly weapons and point it at themselves to threaten others. The worst part? Tumaru was sure that Ryuto would slit his own throat. He merely wanted to secretly castrate Ryuto without him knowing. Once Ryuto discovers that his junior no longer works, Tumaru¡¯s trail would be long gone. Now, however, is different. Ryuto was quite literally acting like a lunatic, which caught Tumaru by surprise. There were only two people in this room, and the needles are his signature weapon ¨C if Ryuto were to slit his throat, Tumaru would never be able to escape. Ryuto can¡¯t die here. Ryuto merely sneered, ¡°I can restore its function? Then, why did you stab me for nothing?¡± Tumaru could tell Ryuto was trying to blackmail him. ¡°Just tell me, what do you want?¡± ¡°Do me a favor.¡± Just as Ryuto spoke, a familiar voice could be heard outside the door. ¡°Tumaru? What¡¯s the matter? I heard a gunshot inside.¡± Koujirou Ruri was alerted to the gunshot. Tumaru glanced at the door, cold sweat appearing on his forehead. CH 22 Today was supposed to be a day of rest for Koujirou Ruri. Tokyo¡¯s No. 1 High School has a six-day week, Sunday being the day of rest. Therefore, Ruri checked up on Ryuto first thing in the morning, but found that he was still fast asleep. She returned to her room to read a book ¨C she reads about 100 books every year, many of which are lengthy, obscure, and ancient. If it wasn¡¯t for her inherent abilities, it would be absolutely impossible for a normal person to absorb all this information. Boom! However, as Ruri was mid-way reading the book, a gunshot could be heard coming from the guest room. ¡®Gunshots? In Ryuto¡¯s room?¡¯ She immediately stood up and walked outside her room. ¡°Miss! There may be danger over there, you should wait here.¡± Wuyi stood in front of Ruri, blocking her way. Even though she didn¡¯t know what happened either, it must be something bad. The only people in the room was Shiku Tumaru and Kiryu Ryuto. No matter what happened in that room, it couldn¡¯t be good. ¡°Get out of my way,¡± Ruri ordered, but Wuyi didn¡¯t budge. ¡°This is my home!¡± Ruri reprimanded. ¡°I have the right to know what happens in my house! Move!¡± ¡°Ah, but My Lady¡­¡± Before Wuyi could react, Ruri shoved her to a side and rushed out the room. ¡°Miss, wait up!¡± Out of worry, Wuyi chased after her. When both of them came to the guest room, she found a lot of people gathering outside the room, but nobody dared to enter. After all, everybody knows that there were only two people that could possibly be in there. If anything happened inside, they aren¡¯t qualified to go in and intervene. Ruri didn¡¯t have this concern, and said in a loud voice, ¡°Tumaru? What¡¯s the matter? I heard a gunshot inside.¡± Cold sweat was painted on Tumaru¡¯s forehead. Ryuto smirked as soon as he heard Ruri¡¯s voice, and started to fiddle with the needle near his neck, indicating to Tumaru that he was running out of time. He couldn¡¯t help but surrender. ¡°Alright. I promise.¡± Although it was only three words, Tumaru felt that he had just sold his soul to Ryuto. And it really hurt his pride as well ¨C as the most trusted Guardian of the House, he could do anything. With his power, it was no surprise that he wouldn¡¯t bow to anybody. However, he was forced to do so. Ryuto smiled and nodded, putting away the needle. As soon as Ryuto hid the needle, Ruri barged into the room. ¡°You two! What the hell is going¡­ on?¡± Ruri had assumed that the gunshot was due to conflict arising between the two, to the point where weapons were drawn. However, the scene before her surprised her. Both men were standing side by side in front of the giant painting in the room, having a friendly, albeit suspicious conversation. ¡°Master Ryuto, what do you think of this painting?¡± ¡°Very good,¡± Ryuto said, resting his hands behind his back, as if he was visiting an art gallery with an old friend. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°It¡¯s abstract, but you can still understand the meaning behind the painting ¨C beauty, power, grace. This painting was clearly drawn a hundred years ago.¡± ¡°Good guess, but this painting was painted yesterday. However, this painting was in fact painted using a technique secret to the family a hundred years ago. Look ¨C the ink is still shimmering wet.¡± ¡°Butler Tumaru, you really do know it all! Not bad, not bad.¡± ¡®What the hell are these two on about?¡¯ Ruri thought, speechless. She thought she would catch both of them fighting to the death, but instead, they were discussing about the painting before them? Not even acknowledging her? This is too rude! At this moment, both of them turned to Ruri. ¡°Miss, your butler is an interesting man! I appreciate him.¡± ¡°True- Wait! What about the gunshots just now?¡± Ruri¡¯s brow twitched slightly, looking at the paper bag lying on the ground. Inside the paper bag was the pistol, and smoke was still clearly emitting from the muzzle of the gun. ¡°Ah, I was simply instructing Ryuto on how to use a gun ¨C he simply misfired. I apologize for disturbing you.¡± Tumaru lied with a straight face, bowing to Ruri with a sincere, apologetic expression. Ruri knew this was a lie. Instructing him to use a gun as soon as Ryuto woke up was too far-fetched and unrealistic. The two of them must have had an argument, but made up somewhere in between. Perhaps they were acting. Ruri knew the both of them would not tell the truth, so she gave up and put on her best smile. ¡°Ryuto, are you hungry? Let¡¯s go out and eat.¡± It was noon now ¨C Ruri didn¡¯t eat, and Ryuto¡¯s stomach loudly grumbled. ¡°Okay!¡± he replied without hesitation. ¡°Let¡¯s find some place quiet to eat.¡± Ryuto¡¯s eyes glanced at Tumaru when he said the word ¡®quiet¡¯, silently smirking at him. ¡®Stinky old man, I¡¯m going to eat with your most precious Lady.¡¯ Tumaru felt defeated. When both of them left the room, Tumaru shook his head in defeat and walked out wordlessly shortly after. CH 23 ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sure Tumaru gave you a hard time.¡± When Ryuto followed her out of the guest room under the surprised gazes of her servants, Ruri whispered gently to him. When both of them left the guest room, Ruri had dismissed her attendants and Wuyi, just so she could chat with Ryuto alone. Although she didn¡¯t know what happened inside the guest room, Ruri wasn¡¯t stupid ¨C after some thinking, she figured that Tumaru must have provoked him. After all, she was deathly aware of the restrictions placed on her. Ruri has not had a single male friend ever since she was born. In school, whoever tried making a move on her was given serious warnings or even threats. Of course, Ryuto himself was threatened by the Koujirou family more than once or twice. Being threatened was a common occurrence for him, though, so he never took them seriously. Ryuto smiled a little upon hearing what Ruri said, and replied, ¡°Actually, that old man just warned me a little. Just told me not to have any close contact with you, that¡¯s it.¡± Ryuto didn¡¯t plan to backstab Tumaru, after all, he still owes him a favor. ¡°Really?¡± Ruri looked at him suspiciously. ¡°How did you answer?¡± ¡°Do you really want to hear it?¡± Ryuto smirked, covering his laugh. ¡°Come on, we¡¯re technically business partners, there¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be said.¡± ¡°Alright. I told him that I liked you and will definitely marry you in the future.¡± As soon as he said those three words that rang in her head, she fell forward. ¡°W-what?¡± ¡®I didn¡¯t expect you to confess! What the hell do you mean by marry me?!¡¯ Ruri thought. Before she could hit the floor, a strong arm had lifted her up. With Ryuto¡¯s current Physique level, it wasn¡¯t a problem to shield her from falling. Although she wasn¡¯t particularly petite, she was still light. ¡°That wasn¡¯t because of your blood sugar, right?¡± Ryuto smiled, whispering into her ear softly while holding her in his embrace. Ruri felt her heart stop. His warm embrace, his comforting masculinity, his firm shoulders, his firm chest¡­ The last time she fell into Ryuto¡¯s arms, she couldn¡¯t appreciate this masculinity since she was feeling dizzy¡­ This time, she was completely awake. For the first time since she was born, she was this close to a man of the same age. When she regained her balance, Ruri¡¯s face was as red as a tomato. Of course, she regained her composure in a few seconds. Ruri turned around, hiding her face immediately, ¡°Who gave you the right to confess to me?! You¡¯re so shameless!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t confess though; I¡¯m just telling you that¡¯s what I told Tumaru.¡± ¡°Did you really tell him that?¡± ¡°Of course, from the bottom of my heart.¡± Ryuto didn¡¯t intend to hide his desires. ¡®That¡¯s right, I like you! What about it?¡¯ After experiencing his head being chopped cleanly off his head, being shot through his chest, killing himself with a gun, castrated with a needle, Ryuto felt like he has nothing to be afraid of. Ruri couldn¡¯t help but sigh when she heard his answer. It¡¯s clear he didn¡¯t know the consequences. ¡°Come with me, I have something important to tell you.¡± ¡®What?¡¯ Seeing her speed-walking away, Ryuto had no choice but to follow. He never expected Ruri to give him positive feedback for confessing! He felt like their relationship was getting better. The two walked past countless corridors before coming to a courtyard, enclosed by a fence. A small shrine could be seen. A pristine, white torii gate was built in front of the shrine, reminding visitors that wherever they¡¯re about to enter is sacred and holy. The zig-zag ropes made of straw clearly marked the boundaries, tied to the surrounding trees. In the main hall, which wasn¡¯t very big, there was a statue made of white jade. The size of the statue was made to scale with a human, and its pose was reminiscent of a dancer in the middle of a performance. Ruri came to the front of the female statue and muttered, ¡°This is the god that our family has worshipped for hundreds of years, Koujirou Numin.¡± ¡°She was the first witch of the family, right?¡± ¡°Correct. All female descendants of her come here to pray for an hour every day so that we are bestowed with spiritual power.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Ryuto replied. ¡°I think you should be spending more time on yourself, though. Oh, sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡± Ryuto was an atheist, so naturally, he didn¡¯t believe in any gods. However, Ruri was born into this. He can¡¯t do anything about it, so he retracted his statement. Ruri nodded, ¡°No. You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m praying to this piece of garbage ¨C a waste of time, a waste of my life. Am I not wilting by continuing this process and tradition every day?¡± He never expected her to reply ruthlessly. CH 24 ¡®Huh? Why is she so angry about this?¡¯ ¡®Shouldn¡¯t she be defending her patron god to the death? Why is she agreeing with me?¡¯ If Ruri¡¯s words were heard by anyone, it would definitely cause a commotion within the Koujirou family. Maybe it¡¯s because there wasn¡¯t anybody but Ryuto around could she finally express her true feelings. She expressed her profound disgust for her patron goddess, even going so far to call her trash. To be honest, she had harbored these intense feeling for many years. Whenever she prayed to Numin, she couldn¡¯t help but want to smash the statue into millions of pieces. Why? The origin of her becoming a witch could be traced back to the myth [The Legend of the Cave of Heaven] The deity Susanoo was acting mischievously, so Amaterasu, the Goddess of the Sun, got angry and hid in the cave, and the world was plunged into darkness. The gods quickly gathered around the cave, trying to coerce her to come out, but she ignored them. Hence, somebody asked Koujirou Numin to begin dancing outside the cave, on an upside-down bucket while swaying a bamboo leaf. The dance was incredibly difficult, and her clothes loosened, exposing herself to the gods. Because of this, Amaterasu was seduced, and she came back out of the cave. This was considered to be the origin of this Japanese dance, and it was soon developed into a dance for rituals, giving birth to the profession of ¡°shrine maidens.¡± ¡°She would sway to the left, sometimes to the right, perhaps upwards, maybe downwards. Her skirt would sway in the wind and expose herself, and that was what Koujirou Numin looked like whenever she danced.¡± Looking at the statue before her, Ruri clenched her fists tightly, chanting the lines that she had long memorized. Of course, that dance would be inappropriate to perform in public. Let alone the legend of her exposing herself to the gods. Numin had publicly shamed herself to lure a goddess out of a cave. After learning of the origin of the statue, Ryuto couldn¡¯t help but be speechless. ¡®Is this not a Goddess of Stripteases?¡¯ Back in his world, having a god like this would be outrageous. ¡°This seems¡­¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem mean?¡± Ruri smiled. She faced the statue again and continued, ¡°To be treated like a plaything to the gods, having to expose herself¡­ and yet, she is the most revered god in our family.¡± Ruri didn¡¯t think that a god like this deserves her worship and respect. What is there to learn? What is there to worship? There was a saying that eight million gods watched as Koujirou Numin exposed herself, stripping to lure the Goddess of the Sun out of the cave. And these eight million gods were unable to pull out a useless, deadbeat god who was hiding in a hole. When she learnt the origins of the dance she had practiced for years, she couldn¡¯t help but want to vomit. The more she read about Shintoism, the more she felt that the gods in Shintoism were all evil. The emperors who relied on this sect to rule over their people¡­ Ruri thought all of them were scumbags. Since they were closely affiliated to the royal family, Ruri knows what goes on behind the scenes. Ruri knew very well that these rotten nobles had zero intention of worshipping the goddess of their family; they only ever cared about being greedy and selfish. Using the gods to manipulate their followers and secure their position, making profits out from innocent people¡­ The patron goddess of their family was used to help the royal family rule over innocent people. And since she was born into it, Ruri has to waste her life dedicating herself to this nonsense. ¡°Ryuto, I am the one next-in-line to be the designated ¡®shrine maiden.¡¯ I¡¯m not allowed to have my own life before and during my duty, do you understand that?¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± He gritted his teeth a little. The average rule of a shrine maiden is about 25 years. Therefore, she won¡¯t be able to have a normal life until she¡¯s at least 40 years old. She¡¯s not allowed to fall in love, she can¡¯t get married, she can¡¯t travel abroad, she can¡¯t travel to faraway lands, she can¡¯t¡­ There were many things she can¡¯t do. The only thing keeping her company is the statue in the shrine. With her character, she would definitely be unhappy if she just resided in the temple for more than 20 years. Especially after she realised that her duties were effectively meaningless, excusing the rotten behaviours of the nobles. Ryuto could understand her hatred. After venting out her hatred, Ruri sighed a breath of relief. She turned her head back to Ryuto and whispered, ¡°Do you understand me? Your pursuit of me is meaningless. It isn¡¯t my choice to begin with. Stop before you fall deeper.¡± Ruri hoped to dissuade Ryuto¡¯s behaviour. If Ryuto continued to pursue her, he would definitely be in danger. It wouldn¡¯t be as simple as a castrating needle the next time he¡¯s threatened. After all, a human life is worth nothing to nobles. CH 25 Upon seeing Ruri¡¯s current state, Ryuto didn¡¯t really know what to do. He couldn¡¯t help but think back to the original game¡¯s plot. In the original game, each heroine has two endings ¨C the good ending, and the bad ending. In the good ending for Ruri, the protagonist and Ruri joined forces with everybody to take down Tianmu Yongji, but failed to get together romantically. This was because Ruri still had to uphold her family duties. In other words, even though they were able to overcome the evils of this country, they can¡¯t deal with family traditions. ¡°Once I am free of this cage, if you still remember me, meet me at the same place.¡± This was what Ruri told the protagonist before disappearing into the distance. Her back was no different from a prisoner stuck in jail. The game would then come to an abrupt end with no closure for either party. Would they meet again after 20 years? Most would think so¡­ ¡­but Ryuto couldn¡¯t accept this ending. Having to wait over 20 years before they can get together, is this really a happy ending after wasting your life away? In comparison, the bad ending is surprisingly happier. The protagonist would fall surrender to Tianmu Yongji, overtaking the royal family and forcing Ruri into his harem. Although this ending was evil since it involves a considerable number of human deaths, it was unexpectedly popular by players of the game. It was no surprise, though ¨C after they read up the lore of the game, many players have come to hate the in-game world. However, this was no longer a game. Ryuto is now living and breathing in a world based on the game. This is real ¨C they aren¡¯t just made of pixels and code, they are all living, breathing human beings. When he saw Ruri¡¯s complicated feelings, Ryuto¡¯s thoughts on the ending of the game became more complicated. Objectively, she had no choice, since she had to attend to her family duties. However, human emotions are incredibly subjective. ¡°Alright,¡± Ryuto said, walking towards Ruri. ¡°I¡¯ve made my choice.¡± ¡°Are you going to give up on me? You should ¨C you deserve a normal life.¡± Upon hearing Ryuto approach her, she breathed a sigh of relief. This was the best choice for the both of them. However, Ryuto shook his head, ¡°I have decided that I will definitely pursue you, no matter what troubles I encounter.¡± ¡®Are you crazy?! Did nothing I say get into your head?!¡¯ Ruri was incredibly confused. His stupidity and foolishness was incurable. ¡°Do you know how much trouble you¡¯ll get into it? It¡¯s not worth it!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Ryuto crossed his arms. ¡°If anybody gets in my way, I¡¯ll feed them to the fish.¡± ¡°You- you¡¯re crazy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right ¨C did you already forget who I am?¡± As he spoke, Ryuto picked up a fine, sharp stone from the ground, walking towards Numin¡¯s statue. ¡°I am the young master of the Ryuto group, the designated violent group in Tokyo!¡± There are two types of groups in Tokyo, which can be divided into violent and non-violent groups. Violent gangs like Ryuto¡¯s practically live in prisons. Non-violent groups tend to operate in a semi-legal manner via nightclubs, black markets, etc. With Ryuto¡¯s group being the designated violent group, it was no surprise that they are under strict supervision. Even if Ryuto wanted to leave the organization, he will still be kept under a close watch. It¡¯s difficult for him to have a normal life. ¡®If that¡¯s the case, I might as well go all in!¡¯ Scratch, scratch! Under Ruri¡¯s stunned gaze, Ryuto swiped hard on the statue, and a long, serrated scar was cut into the statue. This statue was passed down for more than a thousand years, its value was simply immeasurable. With another slice, Ryuto drew a huge ¡®X¡¯ on the statue. If anybody from the family witnesses this, Ryuto might be placed into a cage, never to be let out. Wuyi shivered in the darkness. ¡®W-What are you doing? Are you insane?¡¯ Under Tumaru¡¯s orders, Wuyi followed closely behind the two of them, never in a million years did she expect to witness such a shocking scene. She couldn¡¯t hear what the both of them were saying, but it was scary looking at both of them converse so seriously. ¡°Miss, let¡¯s make a bet.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t become the maiden tending to the rituals within two years, how about becoming my wife?¡± In front of the sacred statue of the Koujirou family, Ryuto extended his hand towards Ruri, making a bold promise that he intended to keep. CH 26 In two years, she will graduate from high school. Immediately after that, she will become the maiden-in-charge of the rituals, forever bound to it. Ryuto bet that she wouldn¡¯t be able to do so in two years. If Ryuto wins the bet, then Ruri will be his wife. There is no doubt that this bet of his was incredibly unreasonable. Besides, he hasn¡¯t even told her what would happen if he lost the bet. Both of them knew what it was, though. If Ryuto loses the bet, human lives would be involved. After all, what he did was simply unforgivable, in addition to two major forces wanting to get rid of him. In the game, there were two main forces. The royal family hiding behind the Koujirou¡¯s family¡¯s back. And Tianmu Yongji¡¯s group. The protagonist is only given the option to join either group. However, Ryuto did not intend to join either party. If he wants to rescue Ruri from her fate, he has to supress the Koujirou family. However, Ryuto couldn¡¯t rely on Tianmu Yongji either. After all, Yongji is incredibly manipulative and murderous. Ryuto intended to follow his own path. He¡¯s even willing to turn against both parties. If he was alone, Ryuto would have never been able to do this. But fortunately, he is the master of the Ryuto group. He had men under him. They are a medium-sized organization, however. Ryuto was confident he could develop his organization into a threatening force, though. He was so confident that he proposed this bet to Ruri. Objectively, Ryuto¡¯s confidence is not unfounded. Unfortunately, Ruri simply thought that Ryuto is a fool who devoted himself to love. A big, big, fool. A big and warm fool. Forget it. If he doesn¡¯t want to listen, then she¡¯ll accept the bet. ¡°Alright, I agree to the bet.¡± Helplessly, she reached out and shook his hand with a smile. She too hoped that the bet will go through. She rather spend her life with Ryuto than be stuck in a torturous ritual for 20 years. Besides, Kiryu Ryuto doesn¡¯t seem that bad, minus his stupidity and ferocity. Ryuto gently caressed her hand in his own and laughed, ¡°It¡¯s a deal, then! I¡¯ll be leaving, farewell!¡± ¡°What? Wait! Don¡¯t go.¡± She couldn¡¯t believe he was about to leave immediately. ¡°What is it? Can¡¯t bear to see me leave?¡± ¡°No! You ruined the statue! Are you letting me deal with this mess alone?¡± Ah. Even Ryuto was stunned upon seeing the big X on the statue¡¯s face. He merely wanted to make a statement, so he subconsciously crossed out Numin¡¯s face. He didn¡¯t even realise what he was doing until now. Hence, in the next few hours, Ryuto squatted by the statue, using sandpaper to smooth out the big X on her face. It was embarrassing. ¡®You¡¯re so stupid, don¡¯t you think about the consequences before doing things? Whatever, it¡¯s kind of interesting, hehe!¡¯ Ruri thought silently. During the entire process, Ruri watched as he worked while eating cake that Wuyi brought in. After he was done, he walked out of the Koujirou residence drenched in sweat, as if he had just finished a plumbing job for them. He sighed, looking back towards the closed doors of the compound, before calling over his two men to transport him back to his base. At least he knew those two men were loyal to him. Their names are somewhat strange, though. Kameda Jiro and Kameda Ojiri. They looked identical, so he assumed they were twins. ¡°Jiro, let¡¯s head back to base.¡± ¡°Master, I am Ojiri. Jiro is sitting beside me.¡± ¡°Sorry, let¡¯s go.¡± Ryuto sighed as he sat in the back seat, looking at the unfamiliar scenery outside the window speed pass him. This battle had only just begun. CH 27 In Tokyo, Kamurocho is known to every single adult. A city that never sleeps, it is a prime spot for those looking for entertainment. In this small town, there were more than 4000 nightclubs, bars, theatres, game halls, and other types of entertainment. Whenever people come here, they will be blinded by the dense forest of neon signs, highlighting the chaotic nature of Kamurocho. In the evening, there were already many people with trendy clothing cruising through the streets. However, when they saw the completely black car decorated with a dragon¡¯s mark approaching, all of them made way respectfully. Everybody knew who this car belongs to. Ryuto¡¯s group was essentially the ruler of Kamurocho, or as Ryuto likes to call it, the Invisible Hand of Kamurocho. Even though his father was in prison, the Ryuto group still ruled over Kamurocho in an orderly manner, thanks to the three advisors working in the group giving out orders. In other words, they do, in fact, have power over the city. Near Kamurocho, there is a small slope. About 300 metres or so, you will reach an intersection. Continue straight. After a few more intersections, it is the headquarters of the Ryuto group. The huge Japanese-styled courtyard could be seen through the bright red double-doors, with a plaque embedded with [Ryuto] right by the doors. There were a lot of surveillance cameras hanging by the headquarters too. They needed to be alert of everyone near the compound. ¡®I¡¯m finally back.¡¯ After getting out of the car, Ryuto looked at the double-doors and couldn¡¯t help but feel a little nervous. His ¡®memory¡¯ was slowly coming back to him. As the young master of the Ryuto group, Ryuto has lived in this mansion ever since he was a child. In his memory, his father rarely met him. His mother passed away when he was born, so he only ever saw her in photos. This house wasn¡¯t really a home. His father cared about the dealings of the group more than he did about his son. Hence, Ryuto was extremely rebellious. Fighting, smoking, bullying, stealing¡­ All of this was just to get his father¡¯s attention. But no matter what he did, his father paid him no mind. In a sense, he wasn¡¯t actually a true member of the Ryuto group. Because of this, he only became more and more reckless. ¡®If my father ignores me, it is because I am not powerful enough.¡¯ ¡®If I do something big, surely he will acknowledge me!¡¯ Driven by this obsession, Ryuto was bewitched by Yamamoto, which led up to the events of him kidnapping Ruri. In the game, Kiryu Ryuto was beaten to death last night, and his body was tossed into the sea. Even then, his father paid his corpse no mind. Now that Ryuto knew about his ¡®past¡¯, he felt pity for him. Seeing his young master stare at the doors, the attendant asked suspiciously, ¡°Master, what is the matter?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine. Let me in.¡± Ryuto entered the compound with his two men. After entering the door, they were greeted with a Japanese-style courtyard, decorated and scattered with rocks and ponds. Rows of trees were planted along the wall, and it was relatively cozy. After seeing Ryuto, many servants and members of the organization bowed respectfully. Ryuto nodded slightly at them, but his attention was focused on the other courtyard to the north of the mansion. That was where the three advisors lived. He needs to explain what happened to him last night to them. Besides, he needs to get rid of Sakata. If he doesn¡¯t get rid of Sakata, Yongji would be ruling over the Ryuto group. Meanwhile, Sakata was busy smoking a cigarette in his room, pondering some matters while reaching for his chin. Sakata is a middle-aged man who was always smiling, so much so that his facial muscles were incredibly stiff. He is short and chubby; many would think that he is an amiable person. However, everybody knows you should be wary of people who hide behind a smile. His heart was as black as soot, and he was constantly scheming. Many of his subordinates feel incredibly annoyed by him as well. Ryuto was included, since Sakata was the one who ordered those three killers on him. If the plan was successful, Sakata should have received a text stating that Ryuto was dead, but he didn¡¯t. The plan must have failed due to unforeseen circumstances. ¡°Sakata, Master Ryuto has returned.¡± CH 28 [Translator: Phoenixia] [Proofreader: FaintlyDemonic] ¡°Finally.¡± Sakata wasn¡¯t too surprised he came back in one piece. Yamamoto didn¡¯t text him back, neither did those three men. The worst must have happened, and what he has done will soon be made public. Of course, Sakata had already predicted this. Hence, he made a lot of preparations, ready to deal with the upcoming storm. Puff. After exhaling the smoke from his cigarette, Sakata stood up and told his subordinate, ¡°Mobilize everyone under me, and tell them to wait at the big house across the street.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± His subordinate left immediately. Each advisor had many men working under them. Since Sakata secretly worked for Tianmu Yongji, he was given much more resources to work with, so Sakata had the most power over Kamurocho. He changed his clothes and left the mansion immediately, but not before looking back at the base longingly. He has worked for Ryuto¡¯s group for more than 20 years, and he was responsible for the construction of this mansion. But it all ends today. From today onwards, Sakata will no longer be an advisor; he will lead his own group. Perhaps he will name it Sakata¡¯s group. The smile that was constantly plastered on Sakata¡¯s face had long disappeared. What remains was an expression filled with malice. Ryuto must be aware of his actions. Only one of them can be left standing. Meanwhile, in Yoshio Fujiki¡¯s house in the northern courtyard. ¡°What should I do next?¡± ¡°Notify advisor Sakata and find someone to kill him.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Ryuto¡¯s recording played over and over again in Advisor Fujiki¡¯s room. He was wearing an old-fashioned kimono and listened to the recording with an expressionless face. Fujiki is one of the three advisors mentioned before, and he was the most loyal to Ryuto. Even though he was middle-aged, he looked incredibly old due to his efforts while working in the group. Fujiki listened to the recording quietly. ¡®What is he thinking?¡¯ Ryuto thought, unable to read Fujiki¡¯s expression. This evidence was enough to prove that Sakata was colluding with Tianmu Yongji. ¡®Maybe they could trace the bank accounts of the three killers, surely that could be traced back to Sakata,¡¯ Ryuto thought. Fujiki was still silent. Even though Fujiki was deathly loyal to Ryuto¡¯s group, Ryuto felt that he had never liked him. Since Ryuto was the only blood relative of his father, Fujiki should be putting extra effort to accommodate Ryuto. But before this, Fujiki had never taken the initiative to talk to him. Hence, he came to the conclusion that Fujiki hates him. ¡®Wait, did I make a mistake?¡¯ Ryuto thought with cold sweat. After a short moment, Fujiki raised his head slightly. ¡°So, Sakata is colluding with outsiders.¡± ¡°Correct. What should we do next?¡± ¡°Go back to your room.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Take a shower, change your clothes, drink a warm glass of milk, get a good night¡¯s sleep.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ryuto was obviously confused. ¡°When you wake up the next day, it will be over.¡± Wasn¡¯t this way too easy? Ryuto¡¯s expression gradually morphed from doubt to anger, standing up suddenly. ¡°What do you mean?! Do I really not have to do anything? Am I not part of this family?¡± ¡°No,¡± Fujiki said, stoned face. ¡°You aren¡¯t actually part of this family from the beginning. I don¡¯t think you should be involved in this.¡± Despite Ryuto¡¯s anger, Fujiki told him without masking anything. Outsiders shouldn¡¯t be involved in family businesses. And Ryuto was considered an outsider. Ryuto couldn¡¯t help but laugh as he paced around Fujiki¡¯s room. ¡°Is that so? Sakata is targeting me ¨C if it wasn¡¯t for my luck last night, I would have been fish food.¡± ¡°And what about it?¡± Fujiki raised his eyebrow. ¡°Sakata violated the rules, so we will punish him. You don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡± Ryuto stared at Fujiki over his shoulder. ¡°I feel like you¡¯re underestimating me,¡± Ryuto gritted his teeth. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m not qualified enough to be involved in my group¡¯s affairs?¡± ¡°On the contrary, we are the ones who aren¡¯t qualified to deal with you.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± After hearing his strange answer, Ryuto couldn¡¯t help but stare at Fujiki quizzically. ¡°Do you think we¡¯re strong?¡± Fujiki asked. ¡°Of course! The strongest, in fact.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong. We¡¯re weak, Young Master. We¡¯re the trash of society. We¡¯re powerless.¡±