The Invisible Rich Man by: Two Ears is Bodhi

Chapter 2061-2080

Chapter 2061
"It’s a routine of mine," replied Gerald with a smile.
"I see... Either way, care to have some tea with me in my tea room? The tea itself was delivered a while back ago from Mount Wellyork in Weston. Also, I have some things to update you on," said Takuya as he pointed at the tea room that wasn’t too far off.
Naturally, Gerald didn’t refuse, and soon enough, both of them were seated in the tea room...
As Takuya prepared the tea, he told Gerald that his men had reported back to him earlier on. Following that, he added, "After telling my men to head to where you saved my daughter last night, they found that the Hanyus were already actively trying to find out more about you. With that in mind, I propose that you extend your stay with us till the danger is lifted..."
It was only after Gerald sipped some tea—that Takuya had just served—when he replied, "I see... I appreciate it. Still, why exactly do the Hanyus want Miss Fujiko dead...?"
While Gerald didn’t want to further provoke an assassin family, after giving it some thought the night before, he figured that since he was already involved in all this, he may as well get rid of the Hanyus for good. After all, that would surely improve Takuya’s impression of him, and doing so could possibly be enough for him to start asking about the Seadom tribe...
"It’s... a long story. As I’ve said before, the Hanyus and our family have been enemies for generations. Unfortunately, the feud between our families had already been a thing ever since I was a child. With that in mind, I never really bothered asking why we kept on fighting, which is why I can’t really answer your question," replied Takuya after heaving a sigh. "So it’s been going on for that long, huh..." muttered Gerald.
"Indeed... Regardless, I believe the current generation of Hanyus shouldn’t know why we’re still fighting as well. We simply inherited our ancestors’ grudges without questioning them... Even so, our families don’t usually pick a fight with each other without good reason. If I remember correctly, our last major fight happened a few decades ago. With that in mind, I’m honestly surprised that they made their move this time, which is why I’m looking into it so seriously. Still, if the Hanyus want to break this peace, the Futabas won’t just sit around without fighting back!" replied Takuya in a firm tone, clearly showing how capable he was as a family head.
"I see... still, from what I’ve gathered, the Futabas seem to have quite a high status in Japan. With that in mind, the Hanyus shouldn’t have declared war against your family—by attempting to hurt your daughter—without good reason," said Gerald as he squinted his eyes before sipping more tea.
"I believe so as well. Whatever the case is, we’ll just have to see what my men report back once they’ve concluded their investigation," replied Takuya with a nod.
"That would be for the best. Either way, since I already know all this, allow me to aid you," said Gerald after thinking about it for a while.
"Negative. Just by saving Fujiko, you’ve already done a lot for our family. With that in mind, there’s no way I can allow you to risk your life again just to solve my family’s problems! I insist that you remain here till the crisis is over!" replied Takuya as he quickly began waving his hand the second he heard that.
"Well, alright then..." said Gerald, not wanting to get on Takuya’s bad side.
Following that, the duo began chatting absent-mindedly in the tea room, allowing Takuya to learn more about Gerald’s situation as well. As they were chatting, however, Gerald was also secretly scanning Takuya from head to toe. Since Fujiko had that special pendant of the Seadom tribe around her neck, Gerald believed that Takuya—being the head of the family—should have a similar accessory on him as well.
Unfortunately, even after looking for quite a while, Gerald failed to find anything related to the Seadom tribe on him. Even so, Gerald wasn’t discouraged. After all, now that he had gotten to know the family, he could take his time investigating...
Chapter 2062
As Gerald and Takuya continued drinking their tea, the Hanyus were already hard at work back at their headquarters. After all, despite investigating throughout the night, none of them were able to find any relevant clues.
Regardless, two men could be seen standing in the Hanyu headquarters’ hall, their heads lowered. One of them went by Hanyu Saburo, and he was the one who had attacked Fujiko the other night. As for the other man, he was a core disciple of the Hanyu family—who had been sent out to investigate the night before—called Hanyu Ryugu...
Seated on the main seat before them was Hanyu Suijin, the head of the Hanyu family. Though he had yet to hear what they had to report, he could already guess what their findings would be since he hadn’t received any news from them up till this point. Still, he was prompted to ask, "So, what’s the situation like?"
"Well... I headed there immediately after Saburo notified me about all this. Unfortunately, though we searched the entire hotel and also the area around it, we weren’t able to find any traces of them at all... I’m assuming they must have left by now..." replied Ryugu as he fought the urge to tremble in fear.
"Rubbish!" roared Suijin as he slammed his fist onto the table. ‘WW-with all due respect, master, that person from Weston is extremely powerful! Just so you know, he sent me flying with barely any effort! Regardless, while investigating, we found that two individuals from Weston had checked into the hotel... Unfortunately, neither of them seems to be the one who had beat me up," muttered Saburo.
"Seem? Didn’t you get a good look at his face?" replied Suijin.
"Unfortunately, it was a little too dark when he showed himself... I do, however, remember what he sounds like. With that said, I’d definitely recognize him by voice!" declared Saburo as he shook his head.
"Like that’s going to change anything! Whatever the case is, we’ve already spent three long years planning for this...! As long as we get our hands on Fujiko, we'll surely be able to get the Futabas to become affiliated with us! Still, to think that we’d fail when we were so close to succeeding! Not only have we lost our best opportunity to strike, but our operation will definitely face even more issues now since the Futabas will undoubtedly be on guard! Hell, they may even try looking for trouble with us because of all this!" growled Suijin, getting increasingly angry the more he spoke. By the end of it, the tip of his armrest—that he had been grabbing onto this entire time—ended up crumbling to pieces due to how hard his grip had become...!
Hearing that, Saburo and Ryugu went silent. While it was true that their mission had only failed because of Gerald’s intervention, a failure was a failure. With that in mind, both of them knew that in the end, they would still be held responsible for all this.
Understanding that, Ryugu—who didn’t want Saburo to drag him into this—thought for a while before saying, "...Umm... Maybe it would help if we issued an order all over Japan to locate this person...? I, for one, feel that there’s a pretty good chance that we’ll succeed if we go with that. After all, he’s incredibly strong and he’s a non-native as well..."
"I already did that before you two returned! Who do you think I am? Regardless, just... go get some rest first... I’ll tell you when we need to make a move again. Also, remember to keep an eye on the Futabas whenever possible. Our best bet now would be to send some of our men over to find out who that Westoner truly is to the Futabas!" grumbled Suijin as he waved a hand wearily.
Nodding in response, the duo then turned to leave...
Fast forward to two days later, Gerald was still staying with the Futabas. Though Takuya had made it a point to update Gerald on the latest news he received on a daily basis, Gerald wasn’t really interested in all that. After all, he was more concerned about how he was going to bring up the topic of the Seadom tribe with them.
Regardless, while eating together with the Takuyas that afternoon, Gerald couldn’t help but look at Fujiko’s pendant again...
Chapter 2063
Knowing that he’d never be able to find out if they truly were descendants of the Seadom tribe—hence failing to learn about the secrets of Yearning Island—if he didn’t take the initiative to ask, after eating for a while, Gerald casually said, "You know, that pendant of yours seems rather special, Miss Fujiko."
"Oh? You mean this?" asked Fujiko as she pointed at her necklace.
"Indeed. The symbols on it are rather unique compared to other pendants I’ve seen before. It makes me wonder whether this is an ancestral pendant of your family…" replied Gerald with a smile, making sure to keep his tone relaxed and natural.
Smiling faintly in response, Fujiko then said, "You have quite a keen eye… Actually, this pendant is-"
"It’s an ancestral pendant of our family, yes. However, there’s nothing really unusual about it," interrupted Takuya before his daughter could finish her sentence.
"Ah, I see…" replied Gerald, continuing to smile. It was clear that Takuya didn’t really want to talk about it, and from all the small clues he had gathered up till this point, Gerald was pretty sure that the Futabas truly were members of the Seadom tribe.
Breathing a sigh of relief since Gerald didn’t continue prying into it, Takuya then said, "Speaking of which… I’m afraid I need your help with something…" "Go on," replied Gerald.
"Well, I was hoping that you could accompany Fujiko for a while after our meal. Though it’s still a bit dangerous out there and we haven’t solved our issues with the Hanyus just yet, I assure you that this is an important matter. I’m… not exactly that confident in the other masters in our family, so I can only trouble you…" muttered Takuya in a slightly embarrassed tone.
"Sure, I’m fine with that. Don’t worry about it," replied Gerald without the slightest hesitation.
Smiling in response, Takuya then said, "I really appreciate it…!"
With that out of the way, once their meals were over, Gerald and Fujiko left the house together…
Sitting in the passenger seat, Gerald—who was honestly still staring at Fujiko’s pendant—couldn’t help but ask, "Speaking of which… Where are we headed to?"
After a brief pause, Fujiko sighed before embarrassedly muttering, "… I’m… about to partake in a blind date…"
"A what now?" replied Gerald, his eyes widening as his jaw dropped.
"…Essentially, my father figured that our family is still too weak… With that in mind, if I got married to someone powerful, our family would surely be able to remain peaceful…It certainly doesn’t help that the Hanyus are making a move again…" explained Fujiko as she shook her head helplessly, making it clear that she was reluctant to do all this from the very beginning.
Even so, she was the young mistress of the family, so she knew she had to put her family first…
Now understanding the gist of it, Gerald was prompted to ask, "And… are you willing to go through all this…?"
"Not if I can help it. Unfortunately, there really is no other way. At the very least, I should at least meet up with them first. After all, if I end up offending that family, the Futabas will no longer have a place in Japan…" said Fujiko in a helpless tone.
From the day she became the Futaba family’s young mistress, Fujiko’s fate was no longer hers to choose, and she had come to accept that over the years… Then again, it was good enough for her if she was able to contribute to her family…
Chapter 2064
Whatever the case was, as they continued their journey, Gerald came to learn—from Futaba—that the Futabas were attempting to form an alliance with the Kanagawas, an ancient Japanese family that owns about twenty percent of the shares from several Japanese companies, making them one of the largest associations in the country.
The blind date himself went by Kanagawa Kai, and he was apparently the youngest son of that family. From what Futaba had told him, Gerald also learned that Kai enjoyed abusing women with his family’s powers. From the companies’ staff to students in his university, none of them were able to escape his demonic grasps.
Despite knowing what he was like, Futaba knew that she didn’t really have any other choice but to go on with it. Still, she couldn’t help but hope that this was just a nominal marriage. After all, she didn’t ever want to touch Kai’s dirty body.
After hearing all that, Gerald couldn’t help but feel sad for her. After all, marrying a playboy like Kai was never a good thing. With that, he was prompted to ask, "… Are you really sure about doing this…?"
"What else can I do? The only way I can help my family is by proceeding with this. I just hope that the Kanagawas will do as they promise…" muttered Fujiko with a bitter smile.
"… I guess…" replied Gerald as he fell silent, his eyes still on her pendant.
Truth be told, Gerald was already thinking about how he could solve Fujiko’s current dilemma. After all, if he succeeded, his relationship with her would surely improve. Once that happened, the probability of him getting information about Yearning Island would definitely increase as well. Thinking about that, Gerald couldn’t help but smile subtly.
After all, he had initially anticipated to remain in Japan for at least a few months before he was going to be able to find any hints about the Seadom tribe. To think that within five days, he had already come into contact with a member of the tribe! He was now extremely close to unlocking the secrets of Yearning Island…
Regardless, a brief and awkward silence later, Fujiko—who had noticed that Gerald was staring blankly into space—forced a chuckle before asking, "Something on your mind?" Snapping out of it, Gerald then waved his hand as he replied, "Nothing. My mind just wandered…"
"I see… Either way, the Kanagawa manor isn’t too far off from here. Speaking of Kai, I must warn you that he has a short fuse… With that in mind, even if he attempts to trouble you, please don’t confront him…" said Fujiko as she remembered how strong Gerald was.
"Got it," replied Gerald with a nod.
Soon enough, the car came to a halt before the gates of a very luxurious-looking manor…
Shortly after, some guards walked over to their car. Knowing that their young master had signed a marriage contract with Fujiko, the guards immediately lowered their heads before saying, "Welcome, Miss Fujiko!"
Upon seeing how beautiful she was, the guards couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. After all, this beauty was definitely going to get ruined by their young master…
"Thank you… Before anything else, this is Gerald Crawford, and he’s a guest of my family. He’s here to visit the Kanagawas as well," replied Fujiko as she gestured toward Gerald who hadn’t left the passenger seat.
"Do come in, Mr. Crawford!" said the guards as they gestured toward the manor.
Nodding in response, Gerald then followed Fujiko into the Kanagawa manor…
Chapter 2065
Once they were in the parlor, Gerald began puffing a cigarette that the butler had just given him and before sipping on the tea he had just been served.
Fujiko, on the other hand, looked rather unnerved. After all, though she had heard rumors about Kai from her father and a few other people she knew, this was honestly her first time meeting him.
Shortly after, a somewhat flamboyant voice could suddenly be heard saying, "My, oh my! If it isn’t the young mistress of the Futaba family! What brings you to the Kanagawa manor today?"
Turning to face the source of the voice, the two were greeted by the sight of a thin man who had a gaunt face and a goatee. From how weak he looked to the point where an ordinary person could probably knock him out with a single punch, it was evident that his body was heavily damaged by alcohol and sex…
Unfortunately, this was none other than the young master of the Kanagawa family,
Kanagawa Kai…
Frowning slightly at Kai’s words, Fujiko quickly shook her head before saying, "Ah, good day, Kai. As you’ve probably already guessed, I’m Fujiko from the Futaba family, and I’m here because of my father. Regardless, I do hope you’ll at least try to be polite."
Honestly, if it wasn’t for her current circumstances, Fujiko would’ve just left this place with Gerald already…
Whatever the case was, Kai then shrugged before replying in an indifferent tone, "So you are. Also, who is this man?"
"He’s a family friend, and he’s here to oversee me," said Fujiko as she took in a deep breath. The fact that she was going to be spending most of her life with this b*stard was making her feel extremely sick and reluctant to go on with this…
"Ah, I see. And what should I call you?" asked Kai as he began walking toward Gerald.
Flicking his cigarette, Gerald simply replied, "Gerald Crawford."
"Well then, Mr. Crawford, I believe you know who I am to Miss Fujiko, here. With that in mind, do give us some personal space. I’ll get a butler to lead you to one of the guest rooms to have some rest. That should be agreeable, no?" asked Kai as he continued staring at Gerald.
"I’m fine with that," replied Gerald with a nod. Gerald, for one, was only going to make a move if Fujiko truly found herself in danger or signaled for his help. Until then, he wouldn’t meddle in their affairs. Besides, as long as the two didn’t leave the manor, he would always be close enough to protect her.
Watching as Gerald left the room, Kai simply waved his hand while saying, "Farewell!"
Once Gerald was out of sight, Fujiko unwillingly looked at him as she said, "He’s an important guest of my family, you know? Don’t you think you’re overdoing it a little?"
"I beg your pardon? I’m simply allowing him to rest in a guest room! Besides, I hope you haven’t forgotten that you’re here to discuss our marriage. Don’t you find it inappropriate for an outsider like him to be present on such an occasion?" asked Kai whose smile instantly became lascivious the second Gerald left.
Adjusting her clothes when she saw that Kai was eyeing her body all over, the uneasy Fujiko then replied, "… Whatever the case is, will your family keep your word?"
"But of course! The Kanagawas never break promises! As long as you become a Kanagawa from today onward, we’ll immediately fulfill all our promises! " declared Kai as he wiped the drool off his mouth.
While he had had his fun with many women from employees to university students either willingly or forcefully, all of them were different from Fujiko. After all, not only was Fujiko a natural beauty, but she was also quite buxom. Due to that, his lust for her was currently through the roof…
Chapter 2066
Frowning slightly, Fujiko then replied, "A bit too soon, don’t you think?"
"Fine, we won’t have it today, then. Regardless, it’s best if you stay here in the next few days so that we can get to know each other better! Also, the sooner we have the wedding ceremony, the better! Just so we’re clear, the Kanagawas will only start helping the Futabas once the two of us are married. I believe you know that, right, Miss Fujiko?" said Kai, not even trying to hide the lust in his eyes anymore.
Taking a step back to avoid his grasp before glaring at him in disgust, Fujiko then replied,
"Self restraint, Mr. Kanagawa. Remember, we aren’t married yet."
"…Indeed, indeed… Apologies for getting ahead of myself. Regardless, why don’t you go rest in one of the guest rooms first? Following that, we’ll have dinner together and I’ll use that chance to introduce you to my family… of course, we’ll also be discussing the wedding details then," said Kai as he awkwardly rubbed his hands.
Honestly, he didn’t really care about the alliance with the Futabas. He did, however, care about losing Fujiko if he failed to restrain himself for now. With that in mind, he actively began holding himself back again…
"…Sounds good," replied Fujiko, simply relieved that she could get away from this creep for now.
Following that, Kai led Fujiko to a guest room, and the second she entered, he beckoned his men before whispering, "Keep an eye on that Gerald fellow. The Futabas wouldn’t send someone with her without any good reason. With that in mind, if he starts acting strangely, immediately notify me. Also, get those drugs ready. I’ll be needing them tonight."
"…Um… Drugs? Which drugs…? Do you mean ecstasy or…?" asked one of the henchmen who couldn’t help but look at Kai’s ruined body. They had been working for him for years now, so they were well aware that he actually needed drugs to live a normal life now…
"… She’s my future wife, you dimwit! Why the hell would I need ecstasy?!" grumbled Kai as he slapped the man who had spoken in his frustration.
To think that his henchmen even needed to ask when they had worked for him for so long… How annoying! "I-I got it…! I’ll prepare some right away… !" whimpered the henchman as he quickly nodded before covering his head, fearing that he would get slapped again.
Watching as his henchmen then left, Kai couldn’t help but smile. Since they were going to get married anyway, he figured that she was in no position to refuse his advances. With that in mind, he was definitely going to make her his today…!
Once he got tired of her, he could simply dump her without any repercussions. After all, there was no way in hell that the Futabas were ever going to even dare go against the
Kanagawas…
Whatever the case was, by the time evening came, Kai’s henchmen had already gotten their hands on the drugs Kai needed. After Kai received them, he ordered the kitchen maids to prepare a lavish dinner. His plan was simple. Get Fujiko drunk, then make his move…
Once everything was ready, Kai ordered his henchmen to invite Fujiko over for dinner.
However, right after his henchmen left, Gerald entered the scene without being invited!
Upon seeing him, Kai instantly frowned in disgust as he growled, "… And what are you doing here?"
Chapter 2067
"Why, I’m here for dinner, of course! Regardless, it seems that you have quite a feast prepared, but where’s the wine? Doesn’ t your family have any good wine?" replied Gerald as he sat at the dining table and began eating before Kai could even say a word.
Seeing that, one of Kai’s henchmen inched closer to Kai before whispering, "Young master, should I…?"
"… Just resume whatever the hell you were doing…" grumbled Kai as he suppressed his anger. Fujiko’s arrival was going to be a joyous occasion for him, and he didn’t want to be left angry just because of this b*stard. What more, he didn’t want Fujiko to see his brutal side just yet.
Whatever the case was, though Gerald clearly heard their conversation, he simply pretended not to hear a word and resumed eating…
Shortly after, Fujiko arrived with the henchmen from before. Though she had dreaded having to be together alone with Kai again, she instantly smiled when she saw Gerald seated at the table. With that, she quickly sat beside him, immediately causing Kai’s expression to sour.
"… Fujiko, why don’t you sit by my side instead?" asked Kai as he actively held back his dissatisfaction.
"…I wish to sit here. We’re just having dinner, no? I should be allowed to sit wherever I want," replied Fujiko who honestly still hoped to get closer to Gerald, even though she knew she was going to become Kai’s wife in the end. Even if it was just the span of a short meal, she wanted to spend as much time as possible by Gerald’s side…
Before Kai could retort, Gerald took a sip of wine that one of the butlers had handed him before smiling as he turned to look at Kai and asked, "Speaking of which, I’ve heard plenty of rumors about you upon arriving in Japan… I wonder if those are true…?"
"Please refrain from believing those false accusations, Mr. Crawford. I’m the young master of the Kanagawa family, one of the most powerful families in Japan! There’s simply no way those rumors are true!" grumbled Kai as his expression momentarily darkened.
However, he quickly put up a happy façade again, though anyone with the slightest insight would be able to tell that his smile was filled to the brim with murderous intent…
To think that Gerald would dare to embarrass him in front of Fujiko… This man was really courting death…!
Hearing that, Fujiko smiled subtly as she turned to look at Kai before saying, "Oh? They’re all fake news?"
"But of course they are, Miss Fujiko! I’m sure you wouldn’t believe such baseless rumors, right…? After all, I am the young master of the Kanagawa family! There’s no way I’d do those things!" mumbled Kai as he clenched his fists to hold back his anger.
That b*stard… He hadn’t even provoked Gerald, yet that b*stard took the initiative to trouble him! This was the last straw! Once he and Fujiko left after dinner, he was going to have his men finish Gerald off incognito!
"Please refrain from slandering our young master so casually, Mr. Crawford. Any more and there may be consequences to bear! " threatened Kai’s men who could already tell what Kai was feeling.
"Why so serious? It was just a rumor I heard… Regardless, of course I believe in him!" replied Gerald as he waved his hand with a smile.
"That had better be the case… Otherwise, you may not be able to leave the Kanagawa family manor…" growled Kai as he squinted his eyes, now keener than ever to finish Gerald off.
Laughing in response, Gerald who could easily tell what Kai was thinking simply said, "Alright, alright, the food’s getting cold! Let’s eat already!"
Naturally, dinner was as awkward as one would expect. Kai, for one, was already feeling a burning sensation in his stomach, a side effect of the drug he had earlier taken.
Chapter 2068
Even after finishing his meal, his lustful eyes remained glued onto Fujiko, though he would occasionally glare murderously at Gerald. By this point, he had decided that no matter what Gerald’s true identity was, that b*stard wasn’t leaving his manor in one piece…!
Regardless, Gerald, who had noticed Kai’s lecherous gazes toward Fujiko throughout the dinner simply finished his wine before calmly saying, "Quite a fine dinner, I must say! As a token of appreciation for your hospitality today, I’ll grant you a friendly reminder… Please refrain from having any nasty thoughts tonight. Otherwise, a certain someone may just end up suffering terribly…"
Smirking in response, Kai then replied, "… I appreciate the advice. Either way, now that you’ve had your dinner, I think you should go ahead and get some rest now. I still have some things to discuss with Miss Fujiko about our families’ contracts, so I trust you know better than to interfere, no?"
"Of course," replied Gerald as he shrugged before leaving with a smile…
Fujiko herself couldn’t help but feel more and more worried the second Gerald left the room… After all, when Gerald was by her side, she was assured that nothing bad would ever happen to her. Now that he had left, however, the fact that she had to face Kai alone was terrifying, to say the least…
While it was true that she had forced herself to accept the fact that Kai would molest her sooner or later, deep inside, she was honestly still reluctant to just go along with all this…
Whatever the case was, now that Gerald had left, Kai immediately looked at a few of his henchmen before ordering, "Keep a close eye on him…!"
After watching them nod and leave, he quickly signaled for the remaining henchmen to leave as well and close the door behind them. Now that they were all alone, Kai began walking toward Fujiko, a lecherous smile on his face…
Sitting by her side, he then casually placed his arm over her shoulder before saying, "Now that it’s only the two of us, I think it’s high time we began discussing our personal matters…"
Due to the drug he had taken, Kai’s cheeks and eyes were already flaming red, and he had honestly been wanting to pin Fujiko down this entire time. The only thing stopping him from doing that was the fact that he felt that doing so in the dining room would be uncomfortable.
Regardless, Fujiko quickly pushed his arm away in disgust before sitting someplace else as she said, "I believe talking only requires the mouth, Mr. Kanagawa. Please show some self restraint and refrain from touching me."
Hearing that, Kai raised a brow. Despite the fact that he had played with all kinds of women throughout the years, Fujiko kept rejecting his advances. Was she not aware of her family’s situation? Kai, for one, was well aware that Fujiko had been used by her family as a bartering chip for the Kanagawa family’s aid. With that in mind, she should have willingly allowed him to do as he pleased from the get go, yet here she was. Rejecting him time and again.
Shaking his head, Kai then replied, "You know, according to our families’ plans, you’re already my future wife, Fujiko. With that in mind, can’t I even touch you?"
Upon hearing that, Fujiko was momentarily at a loss for words.
Before she could say anything else, Kai cut her short by saying, "You know, it’s already pretty late so let’s go get some rest. We can discuss the matters of helping your family once we get up."
Draping his arm around her shoulder again, Kai then added, "Please don’t be so insensitive, miss Fujiko. You, of all people, should know what your family’s situation is like. Without my family’s help, do you even think that you’ll be able to survive the rest of the year…?"
Chapter 2069
"…What exactly are you planning to achieve?" asked Fujiko, no longer beating around the bush.
Hearing that, Kai dropped the formalities as well and replied, "What else? We’re sleeping together of course!"
"Mr. Kanagawa, don’t you think we should refrain from doing such things till the Kanagawas become my family’s in-laws?" said Fujiko as she desperately attempted to suppress her disgust. Had it not been for her family’s sake, she would’ve left this place by now…
"… You truly don’t know any better, do you?" retorted Kai as he grabbed onto Fujiko’s arm, his smile no longer present.
"You…! You’re hurting me!" yelled Fujiko as she struggled to break free from Kai’s grasp. However, he was stronger than she had expected, and it didn’t help that she had been attacked by that Hanyu assassin the other day. While it was true that Gerald had treated her, she hadn’t really recovered to the point of getting her full strength back..
Ignoring her statement, Kai then gritted his teeth as he continued grabbing onto her arm while growling, "Fujiko, I hope you understand that it was your family who offered you to me in exchange for the Kanagawa family’s help. With that in mind, if you keep rejecting my advances, I can make a simple phone call… and within three days, your family will cease to exist in Japan. You can trust me on that…!"
"You’re not defiling me till our relationship is officialized!" retorted Fujiko as she glared at Kai. While it was true that she had agreed to marry Kai for the sake of her family, until they officially got married, she wasn’t about to let him lay a finger on her…!
"Oh? Well isn’t that great!" yelled Kai, though instead of being angry, he released her arm and began laughing maniacally!
Holding onto her aching arm, the aggrieved Fujiko couldn’t help but think that if Gerald was here, she wouldn’t be treated this badly…
Whatever the case was, Kai then ordered, "Men! Bring Miss Fujiko to the room!"
Seconds later, Kai’s men began rushing in, and in no time and all, they were already dragging Fujiko out of the dining area!
Watching as she struggled with all her might to no avail, Kai laughed maliciously before shouting, "Did you really think you were going to escape my grasp upon entering my home?!"
With the drug now in full force, forget Fujiko, even his henchmen looked enticing!
"Unhand me…! Just so you know, I’m the young lady of the Futaba family…! If you harm me, not even the Kanagawas will be able to protect you…!" growled Fujiko as she continued struggling desperately.
Though she knew that threat probably wouldn’t work, she was already at her wit’s end. If she really did end up getting tainted by Kai, she would very much prefer leaping off a building than to continue living the rest of her life without dignity…!
"Miss Fujiko, none of your threats will work Just know that we’re simply listening to Young Master Kai’s orders! Don’t blame us for what we’re about to do!" replied one of the henchmen as they continued dragging her all the way to Kai’s room…
Back in the dining room, the man in heat could be seen grinning lustfully as he called out to one of his henchmen…
Chapter 2070
"Has Gerald tried to do anything funny?"
"Not at all. He’s been quietly remaining in the guest room from the moment he entered," replied the henchman who had been keeping tabs with the others who were guarding Gerald’s room as he shook his head. Even if he hadn’t, they would’ve surely notified him if Gerald tried doing anything weird.
"Good. I have a feeling that he’s not just randomly accompanying Fujiko here. With that said, if he tries to do anything funny, don’t hesitate to kill him!" growled Kai as he squinted his eyes. Nobody was getting in his way of this…!
"But… Young Master, he’s a Westoner and we still don’t know much about his background… If we just kill him off and he happens to have a strong background, the family will surely get into trouble…" reminded the henchman in a worried tone.
While it was true that he worked for Kai, under the orders of the family head, he was also tasked with monitoring the boy to prevent him from doing anything that would bring trouble to the Kanagawas…
"Just do as I say!" retorted Kai, his tone getting increasingly irritated.
Not daring to disobey Kai, the henchman immediately replied, "U-understood!"
Though he said that, the henchman knew that he had to report this to the family head first.
After all, as he had earlier said, nobody knew a thing about the Westoner’s background yet.
While it was true that the Kanagawas were famous in Japan, they weren’t really as powerful when compared to the larger families and consortia in Weston.
With that in mind, if they ended up offending the wrong people, they could very well disappear from the surface of the planet in no time at all…
Whatever the case was, now that his henchman finally agreed with him, Kai immediately walked off. It was high time he satisfied his needs that had been amplified by the drugs…
Moving back to Fujiko, she had earlier been tossed into Kai’s room before being locked in from the outside by Kai’s men. Naturally, no matter how much she knocked and yelled for them to let her out, Fujiko knew that she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
After exhausting all the ideas she could think of to get the door open she knew that she only had two choices left. Either she let Kai have his way with her, or she leaped off the fifth floor window. Knowing that she’d either die or become disabled if she took the leap of faith, Fujiko decided that she would use that as her last resort…
Shortly after, Kai came wobbling over, the dizzy man’s brain already completely overtaken by the strong drug. After taking so many drugs in his life, only strong ones like these could make him feel anything. Either way, had it not been for his strong urge to claim Fujiko for his own, he would’ve already molested his henchmen…
Regardless, upon arriving before his room’s door, Kai immediately yelled, "Open the door!"
Hearing that, the guards did as he instructed… and the second the door was opened, Fujiko took the chance to bolt out! Unfortunately, Kai simply pushed her back into the room…
Upon looking at the natural beauty’s curvy body, Kai couldn’t hold himself back anymore. Slamming the door shut behind him, he immediately leaped onto her!
Instantly going pale, Fujiko quickly took a few steps back. Though her strength hadn’t fully recovered, she still had her skills, and she could definitely handle a sluggish man like Kai…
Back in the guestroom, Gerald could be seen sitting by the window…
At that moment, his Herculean Primordial Spirit alerted him that Fujiko was in danger. Then again, after looking at Kai’s expression earlier, Gerald had already figured that something like this would happen. With that, Gerald immediately walked out the door…
Chapter 2071
If Fujiko ended up getting into a dangerous situation, Gerald knew for a fact that he would no longer be able to get any information about the Seadom tribe from the other Futabas. With that in mind, he had to save Fujiko before anything bad happened to her!
Upon realizing that the door had been opened, the henchmen guarding Gerald’s room instantly placed their hands behind their backs as one of them asked, "Is there something we can help with, Mr. Crawford?"
Clearly seeing where their hands had gone, Gerald smiled subtly as he replied, "Oh, I’m just going out for a stroll. It’s quite boring in there, you know? You aren’t going to stop me from doing that, right…?"
"Unfortunately, we’ll have to decline. Since you’re a valued guest of the Futabas, you’re one to the Kanagawas as well. With that said, do stay inside for your own safety. After all, if you encounter any danger during your stroll, we won’t be held accountable for that," replied the henchman as he shook his head.
His smile instantly fading as his eyes went sharp, Gerald then said, "And what if I insist?"
"Again, you’re not leaving …"
Before the henchman could even finish his sentence, his eyes momentarily widened as something darted toward his face… and the next thing he knew, his face was burning with pain as blood rolled down his nose…!
"M-Mr. Crawford…!" yelled the other henchmen as they quickly pulled out their batons and surrounded him.
As the henchman who had just been punched wobbled to his feet, he held onto his broken nose as he shouted, "With… all due respect, Mr. Crawford…! You’re not in Weston! This is the Kanagawa manor you’re in…!"
Despite the warning, Gerald was done playing games here. Now that Fujiko was in danger, he needed to act fast before things turned more serious. With that in mind, he momentarily closed his eyes… and when he reopened them, all four of the men who had been surrounding him found themselves flopping to the ground, unconscious! With lightning speed, Gerald had knocked all of them out!
Eyes now fully widened as he stared at his unconscious colleagues, the man with the broken nose found himself frozen on the spot. The Westoner was far too strong for any of them…!
After snapping out of it, the man then dropped to his knees before pleading, "P—please…! I don’t know anything…! "
He knew if he didn’t surrender now, not only would he receive further injuries, but there was also a chance that he would lose his life…! While it was true that his task was to serve Kai and the Kanagawas, his life was much more important!
Seeing that, Gerald didn’t even bother about him and simply began bolting toward Kai’s
room…
Though there were plenty of people patrolling the manor, Gerald successfully avoided them, and eventually, he came across what appeared to be a large wing of the building… Sensing that Fujiko was probably on the fifth floor, Gerald wasted no time and began charging up the stairs…
By the time he got to the fifth floor’s corridor, he heard a scream coming from one of the rooms! With that, he rushed toward that door and kicked it to pieces!
Upon entering the room, he was immediately greeted by the sight of Kai pinning Fujiko onto his bed like some kind of beast! Fujiko herself was crying in despair as her torn jacket laid close to the bed…
Chapter 2072
By that point, Kai’s brain was so animalistic that he hadn’t even realized that Gerald had barged in.
Whatever the case was, upon witnessing Kai’s disgusting actions, Gerald couldn’t help but frown as he yelled out, "Miss Fujiko!"
Grabbing Kai by his collar, he then tossed the drugged up man onto the floor.
Though Kai finally had a feeling that something was wrong, his moment of clarity was quickly drowned again by feral lust, leaving the man panting heavily on the floor like some rabid
dog…
Looking away from the disgusting man, Gerald then walked over to Fujiko’s side and softly asked, "Are you alright, Miss Fujiko…?"
"I—I’m fine… Thank you for coming in time… Otherwise, I would’ve surely…" muttered Fujiko as her voice trailed off. It was evident that she was too terrified to even imagine what would’ve happened to her if Gerald hadn’t saved her in the nick of time…
"… Whatever the case is, the Kanagawas don’t seem like a trustworthy family at all. With that in mind, allow me to send you home," replied Gerald as he looked away upon remembering that Fujiko’s clothes were all torn up with a sigh.
"But… if I leave, my family and I won’t be able to survive the year… We really need the
Kanagawa family’s help…" mumbled Fujiko as she wrapped the blanket around herself…
Though she really wanted to leave with Gerald now, as the young lady of the Futaba family, she knew she had to put her family first… This was something that her father had instilled within her ever since she was a child. With that in mind, while it was true that she’d be able to avoid getting sexually assaulted by Kai again by leaving now, her family…
"About your family’s problems… I may have a solution for you. Besides, do you honestly think that the Kanagawas will actually help the Futabas after Kai’s had his way today?" replied Gerald as he glared at Kai who was currently breathing heavily on the floor.
Gerald, for one, was no stranger to witnessing arranged marriages held for the sake of getting help from more influential families. In the end, marriages like these never worked, and Gerald was sure that Fujiko couldn’t understand this. Still, the Futabas must have really been in a complicated situation for them to resort to all this…
Either way, upon hearing that, Fujiko’s eyes instantly widened as she asked, "You… can help us…?"
"Let’s talk about this once we get out of this place," replied Gerald, knowing that Kei’s men would definitely start coming after him after finding out that he had beaten up their allies to get here. The slower they left, the more trouble they would eventually find themselves in.
After staring at Gerald a bit longer, Fujiko snapped out of it before saying, "…Yeah, let’s get out of this place first then!"
She couldn’t understand why she trusted this Westoner so much… After all, they had just met each other not too long ago. Even so, she believed that anytime she got into trouble, as long as Gerald was present, she would surely make it out safely.
Thinking back, it was probably because Gerald’s actions spoke louder than his words. Not only had he saved her from the Hanyu assassin back then, but he had saved her yet again today from Kai’s malicious grasps. Since he kept appearing in the nick of time, Fujiko couldn’t help but feel that Gerald was her guardian angel…
Honestly, all that had happened in the past few days was similar to scenes in action movies she had watched as a child…
Whatever the case was, before the duo could even leave, two pairs of footsteps could be heard running over followed by a voice shouting, "Brother Kai!"
Following that, a henchman and a servant appeared at the entrance, their eyes widened when they saw Kai lying on the floor.
Smiling, Gerald then got to his feet before saying, "Stay here. I’ll handle them."
Chapter 2073
Watching as Gerald walked over to them, the henchman glared at him before yelling,
"Brother Kai was right… You’re nothing but trouble to the Kanagawa family!"
Ignoring that statement, Gerald simply bolted forward! Before the henchman knew it, there was an acute pain at the back of his head… and just like that, he was already knocked out!
Upon seeing that, the servant’s jaw immediately dropped as he attempted to flee and alert the others about Gerald. Unfortunately for him, before he could even take a single step forward, he felt a hand grabbing onto his shoulder…!
"And where exactly do you think you’re going…?" asked Gerald with a smile.
"T—that…! I… Um… I… need to use the bathroom…?" stuttered the terrified servant whose legs were already quivering.
Shaking his head, Gerald simply smacked the man on his neck… and with a gasp, the man’s body went limp. Following that, Gerald began dragging both of the unconscious men into the
room…
By that point, Fujiko had already put on her clothes again. Thankfully, though Kai had ripped her jacket to shreds, her main clothes remained largely intact.
Whatever the case was, after entering the room, he tossed the two men onto the bed.
Surprised to see that, Fujiko was prompted to ask, "… Um… What exactly are you doing…?"
Grinning smugly, Gerald simply replied, "Let’s just say I’m putting his emotions into consideration…"
With that said, he then grabbed onto Fujiko’s hand and quickly led her out of the room…
Feeling the warmth of his hand, Fujiko found herself quickly calming down again and even blushing. Though she mostly remained silent as they navigated through the manor, Fujiko couldn’t help but steal glances at Gerald’s profile from time to time…
Regardless, not wanting more Kanagawas to impede their escape, Gerald took the quickest route possible out of the manor. After talking to the guard who still had no idea what had just taken place inside, both of them then drove off…
Once they were quite a distance away from the manor, Gerald finally slowed the car down a little.
Though Gerald had saved her dignity, Fujiko still found herself in a slight daze as she stared out of the car window… After all, now that the Kanagawas weren’t going to help her family any more, who else was going to be willing to aid the Futabas? What was going to happen next? From this point on, was Gerald the only person they could rely on…?
While Fujiko felt at ease by Gerald’s side and trusted him a lot, the Futaba family’s crisis was no small issue. It was exactly because of that that the Futabas had no other choice but to offer Fujiko to the Kanagawas in the first place.
With all that in mind, though Fujiko knew that Gerald was definitely going to try to help, how financially capable was he really…? Even if he did have the money, she didn’t want him to exhaust all his connections and financial assets just to help her family…
Chapter 2074
Realizing that Fujiko appeared to be in a daze, Gerald waved a hand in front of her as he asked, "What’s on your mind?"
Snapping out of it, Fujiko then took a deep breath before smiling tiredly as she replied, "I’m… just wondering what to do next… After all, if I just return like this, my father will surely scold me. What more, the Kanagawas are most probably not going to let me off that easily either…
I’m expecting them to look for trouble with us in a day or two…"
"Don’t worry too much about it. If I’m daring enough to get you away from the Kanagawas, you can bet that I’m capable of taking care of the aftermath for you…" replied Gerald with a smile.
After staring at Gerald for a while, Fujiko suddenly said, "…Stop the car." "…Huh?" replied Gerald, startled.
"I said stop the car…" said Fujiko as she pointed at the steering wheel.
Since they were quite far from the Kanagawa manor now which meant that the Kanagawas probably weren’t going to be able to catch up to them anytime soon, Gerald simply pulled up on the roadside.
Once the car stopped moving, Fujiko bit her lower lip as she turned to look at Gerald before asking, "… Why are you so keen on helping me…?"
It wasn’t as though she hadn’t been helped by others before, but Gerald had been consistently helping her whenever it mattered most. Truth be told, she didn’t even dare to imagine what would’ve happened to her if Gerald hadn’t been there to save her in the past few days…
"Well, let’s just say that helping others is a particularly impactful virtue in Weston. With that in mind, there was no way I was going to just let you get assassinated when I first met you behind that hotel. As for saving you from Kai, your father specifically told me to keep you safe, remember?" replied Gerald as he lit a cigarette Staring at him for a while longer, Fujiko then said, "…Is it really that simple…?"
"Does my reasoning need to be complicated? There really isn’t a reason for you to overthink it," replied Gerald as he momentarily glanced at her pendant.
Nodding in response, Fujiko then said, "…Thank you."
After a brief silence, Gerald then resumed driving… and by the time they arrived at their destination, it was already daylight…
Instead of heading back to the Futaba manor, Gerald and Fujiko decided to temporarily stay in a hotel near the Kanagawa manor. From that point on, they were planning on waiting to see how the Kanagawas were going to react. As for when they’d actually return to the Futaba manor, that would all depend on how things went…
Whatever the case was, Gerald still believed that since Fujiko had the pendant, she was definitely a high ranking person in the Seadom tribe. With that in mind, as long as he kept her safe, he would definitely be able to uncover the secrets of their tribe, and eventually, the secrets of Yearning Island…
Regardless, as Gerald and Fujiko rested in the hotel, Kai himself who was no longer under the influence of drugs had just woken up, a satisfied smile on his face Upon getting to his feet, however, he quickly realized that he hadn’t been sleeping with Fujiko!
Eyes immediately widening, Kai then began hitting the bodies of his two men while yelling,
"What the hell are you two doing here? Get up already! Also, where the hell is Miss Fujiko?!"
Sitting up groggily, the two men then mumbled, "Five more minutes, brother Kai…"
While the two men would usually be fully awake after Kai gave his orders, instead of getting up, they simply slumped back onto the bed to resume sleeping!
"… Five more minutes, my foot! Get up already and bring Fujiko to me!"
Chapter 2075
"Also, who the hell allowed you two to sleep in my bed? The nerve…! Do you two want to die that badly?!" roared Kai as he kicked them right off the bed!
"B-brother Kai! P-please, no more…! Have mercy…! At least be gentle after this…!" "Y-yeah, brother Kai…! " wailed both of the men as they curled up on the floor.
"… Be gentle? What the hell do you two…" asked Kai before his voice trailed off. Putting two and two together, he now realized what he must have done in his drugged up state… No, he couldn’t have…!
Just as he was feeling disgusted by the thought, the henchmen came to their senses and quickly got to their feet. Gulping, both of them then exchanged glances before meekly saying, "U-um… Brother Kai… Gerald was able to save Miss Fujiko last night… A-and following that, both of them managed to escape…!"
Upon hearing that, Kai instantly yelled, "D*mn it all…!"
Just as he was about to continue scowling them, his foggy memories began to clear up a bit… and unfortunately, he could now vaguely remember what had happened the night before. Not only did he somewhat remember Gerald saving Fujiko, but he also remembered what he had done to those two men… There was no escaping the truth now.
With that, Kai immediately lay on his bed before gagging in disgust!
Seeing that, the two henchmen quickly ran toward him while saying, "B-brother Kai! Are you alright…?"
"Get the hell out of my sight! I never want to see you two ever again…!" roared Kai as he flinched away from them.
Though the two were naturally aggrieved to hear that, they knew better than to go against his orders. With that, they left the room…
After gagging for a while, Kai eventually felt a little better. Getting his clothes back on, he then began looking around his room. The floor was a complete mess and his room’s door had been smashed into pieces Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, Kai felt a sudden urge to vomit… and unable to react in time, he ended up hurling all of yesterday’s food onto the floor!
Once he finally stopped, he slowly raised his head. Clenching his fists as he gritted his teeth,
Kai then growled, "That d*mned Gerald…! I’m not letting you off that easily…!"
If news about this got out, he would surely get embarrassed to death. It didn’t help that he was pretty sure that all this was a trap set by Gerald and Fujiko. With that in mind, he needed Gerald dead as soon as possible…!
Once he calmed down a bit, Kai got his cell phone out and began dialing a number…
The second the recipient picked up, Kai immediately said, "Hello, am I speaking to the Hanyus? Yes, I’m Kai, from the Kanagawa family. I’d like to meet up with your family’s head… ! "
Once the call was over, Kai then left his room. He didn’t intend to tell anyone about any of this for the time being. After all, if word accidentally got out to outsiders, his reputation would surely be ruined! With that in mind, he couldn’t let Fujiko return to her family safely!
Aside from killing Gerald off and properly taking care of the Futabas, Kai also swore that he would make Fujiko pay the price without exposing himself…
Chapter 2076
Whatever the case was, Kai and Ryugu had agreed to meet up in one of the Kanagawa family’s cafés that evening…
The second Kai entered, the manager immediately and sensibly closed the café to provide
Kai with a quiet and undisturbed environment…
Shortly after, Ryugu entered the café as well, and upon seeing Kai sitting on one of the tatami mats, he immediately called out, "Brother Kai!"
Though Ryugu wasn’t exactly a lineal descendant of the Hanyus, he was still a core disciple of that family. In other words, his status was pretty high among the Hanyus. With that in mind, both Kai and Ryugu honestly bore the same amount of status when compared to each other… Regardless, though Ryugu was smiling, it was obvious that he was forcing it.
After all, ever since Saburo had failed to kill Fujiko, Ryugu had consistently been investigating the Westoner under Suijin’s orders. Unfortunately, even after investigating for several days, Ryugu hadn’t even been able to put a name on him…
Aside from that, Ryugu had also heard that Fujiko was getting married to Kai. Knowing that the enemy of his family was getting married to a Kanagawa definitely contributed to Ryugu’s
unease…
Either way, upon seeing Ryugu, Kai couldn’t help but frown as he asked, "Why are you here?"
"Well, my chief’s currently taking care of an urgent matter, so he sent me over in his stead.
Regardless, you, of all people, should know how high my status is in my family, brother Kai! With that in mind, you should also know that anything you tell me is the same as directly telling the chief! Either way, the Hanyus will definitely try our best to help you!" replied Ryugu with a smile.
"… It’s nothing too troublesome. I just need someone dead," replied Kai, understanding that he wasn’t qualified enough to request a private meeting with Suijin yet.
"Oh? Who the hell would dare to offend you, brother Kai? They must have a death wish! Regardless, with how capable your family is, shouldn’t you be able to easily deal with that person? You don’t really need us for this, do you?" said Ryugu with a smile.
Ignoring Ryugu’s statement, Kai simply replied, "He’s a guest of the Futabas called Gerald Crawford."
Though Kai’s hatred toward that youth had reached its peak, he knew better than to send his henchmen out to hunt Gerald down. After all, if news about what had happened last night got out, he wouldn’t have the courage to show his face before others anymore. His family would surely be affected as well.
Regardless, upon hearing that name, Ryugu couldn’t help but frown as he said, "… Gerald Crawford? The Futabas?"
Before their plan to assassinate Fujiko, the Hanyus had thoroughly investigated the Futabas, and to Ryugu’s knowledge, the Futabas had no such guest by the name of Gerald. With that in mind, Ryugu immediately thought about what had happened at the hotel the other day…
Could the mysterious individual who had beaten Saburo up and saved Fujiko be this Gerald person..?
Finding Ryugu’s reaction strange, Kai then asked, "You know him?"
"… I’ve never heard of him. Regardless, I’m slightly curious about something else. If I heard correctly, you’re planning on marrying Miss Fujiko, no? Why would you suddenly wish to kill her guest, then? Where’s the sense in that?" replied Ryugu who knew better than to tell what was on his mind to Kai. After all, if he accidentally said something he shouldn’t have, he would surely be severely punished for it…!
"… Call it a personal grudge. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you much, but if you manage to kill Gerald, a generous reward awaits you," growled Kai as he clenched his fists. This truly was the most shameful moment in his life…!
Chapter 2077
Upon hearing that, Ryugu could immediately tell that the matter wasn’t as simple as he thought. With that in mind, he lit a cigarette and thought about it for a moment.
Shortly after, Ryugu decided to test Kai by saying, "… If I’m to be completely honest, I’ll have to consider this. After all, you, of all people, should know that the Hanyus rarely make a move against people in the country, even though we’re well known as an assassin family. I’m sure you’re also well aware that the Futabas aren’t exactly a minor family. With that said, if we kill their guest, they’ll surely target us next!"
"You don’t have to worry about that. As long as you kill Gerald, I’ll settle the aftermath for you. Also, don’t sell yourself short. I believe in the capabilities of our family’s assassins. You’ll surely be able to kill him without being discovered! Speaking of which, here’s ten billion yen. Once he’s dead, I’ll pay you double. So, how about it?" asked Kai as he lifted a huge box that had been by his side this entire time and placed it on the table.
After Kai opened it, Ryugu was greeted by the sight of neatly arranged stacks of cash. After scanning the contents of the box for a while, Ryugu then smiled as he replied, "It seems that you really want Gerald dead… Still, as this involves the Futabas, I’ll have to discuss with the chief first before giving my reply."
"The sooner the reply comes, the better. Also, know that money isn’t a problem. As long as you kill him, you can name any price! Any price at all!" declared Kai as he nodded and closed the box.
"Very well. I’ll be taking my leave and reporting to the chief, then," replied Ryugu as he nodded before downing his tea that had already cooled down before leaving the café
The second Ryugu left, Kai’s eyes instantly went gloomy, prompting him to make a call…
Shortly after, two beautiful and buxom women entered the café and the second the door closed behind them, Kai instantly pounced, keen on releasing all his pent up anger on
them…
Ryugu himself immediately returned to the Hanyu headquarters to report the information to Suijin.
After being told the gist of Kai’s assassination request, Suijin couldn’t help but frown as he said, "Kai requested for you to kill a guest of the Futabas?"
From what Suijin knew, the Kanagawas didn’t have any conflicts with the Futabas.
"Indeed. From the looks of it, Gerald must’ve done something terrible to him. After all, he paid a deposit of ten billion yen and promised to pay us double that amount once we’re done with the mission. In fact, if we succeed, he added that we can increase the final amount however much we please!" replied Ryugu.
"… I see. Well, he’s just a guest of the Futabas, so just finish him off. You shouldn’t have trouble with that," said Suijin, clearly uninterested in the mission.
Rubbing his forehead, he then looked at Ryugu again before adding, "… Speaking of which, anything new from the investigation?"
"… Not… yet…" replied Ryugu as he lowered his head, not even daring to look Suijin in the
eye…
Snorting in response, Suijin then scoffed, "It’s been an entire week and you still can’t find a single detail about that man? Are you even the head of the assassination department? Perhaps I should consider replacing you!"
Instantly growing anxious when he heard that, Ryugu then explained, "I-it’s not like I don’t want results, but there simply aren’t any clues to begin with! We have nothing to go with aside from Saburo’s vague description of how he looks! B-but don’t worry, I’ve already sent out all the men I can, so there should be news soon…!"
Chapter 2078
"Is that so…? Then you should be able to complete the investigation in half a month, no? If you fail by then, well… Let’s just say that you’ll be ‘voluntarily’ stepping down from your position as head of the assassination department, if you get what I mean. After all, why should the Hanyus feed such a useless person?" retorted Suijin as he pointed at Ryugu.
While it was true that Suijin was well aware that investigating the Westoner would be difficult especially since they had so little information to go with, Ryugu was still the one in charge of the position. If he wasn’t going to do the job, who was? Suijin?
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Ryugu simply replied, "I… I understand…"
"You better. Regardless, I’m granting you permission to take on Kai’s assassination request on your own. A mere guest should be easy enough to kill, though make sure you’re unnoticed while doing the deed. Needless to say, don’t leave any traces behind either. While you’re there, use that chance to further investigate the Futabas to see if you can find anything else about the Westoner," said Suijin after thinking for a while.
"Understood… I’ll start preparing myself then," replied Ryugu with a nod as he turned around and walked off…
Meanwhile, Gerald and Fujiko were still staying in the hotel. Though an entire day had passed, Fujiko hadn’t received any news from her family. Due to that, it was a safe bet that the Kanagawas hadn’t gone over looking for trouble yet, just as Gerald had predicted.
After all, even if Kai did head to the Futaba manor, it wasn’t as if he was going to be able to expose to them what had happened the night before. If word got out, Kai as the youngest son of the Kanagawa family would not only become the laughing stock of the entirety of Japan, but he would also cause his family’s status to plummet.
With that in mind, after thinking about it for a bit, Fujiko who figured that she couldn’t just continue avoiding the issue was prompted to say, "I… I wish to return and explain all that had happened to my father…"
She, for one, believed that if she told the truth, her father would understand and withdraw the marriage contract.
"That’s entirely up to you," replied Gerald in a casual tone. His only focus was to keep Fujiko safe. Any other decisions were hers to make.
After staring at him for a while, Fujiko added, "…Could you pretend to be my boyfriend?"
Instantly Spurting the tea in his mouth, the wide eyed Gerald then quickly wiped his mouth clean before turning to face Fujiko and asking, "I… I beg your pardon…?"
"Again, it’s just pretend. As for why… Well, though I trust that my father will surely break the marriage contract after I tell him what Kai did to me, I’m not sure how well the other Futabas will take that. After all, without help from the Kanagawas, maintaining our family isn’t going to be an easy task…" explained Fujiko.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was an excellent plan. She, for one, believed that her father wouldn’t be against it. After all, Gerald had saved her several times before. Adding that to the fact that his words had power over the other Futabas, since he was still the head of the family, Fujiko felt that even if there was opposition from the other family members, things wouldn’t end too harshly and they’d eventually go along with the plan…
Gerald himself couldn’t help but clear his throat before awkwardly saying, "That.., L-let me think about it…"
Raising a slight brow, Fujiko then walked up to him before replying, "What else is there to think about? Does having a girlfriend like me aggrieve you? And for the third time, all of this is only going to be pretend. Once matters are resolved, I won’t pester you any further."
Chapter 2079
"That’s… not what I’m worried about…" muttered Gerald as he shook his head.
Fujiko, of course, was a nearly perfect girl from her personality to her looks. However, he already had Mila. After she was kidnapped by members of the Sun League, he had yet to find any hints of her whereabouts. Whatever the case was, while he would’ve definitely helped Fujiko if he was single, since he already had Mila, he couldn’t just go around playing with other
Women.
As Fujiko leaned closer to Gerald smelling a faint nice smell coming from him, she was prompted to ask, "… Do… You already have someone…?"
After a brief pause, Gerald simply shook his head as he said, "No…"
Till he saved Mila, he wouldn’t tell anyone about her. This was one of the most basic ways he could protect her…
"Then it’s settled! Just act with me for a bit, and once Kai is out of the picture, I’ll find a way to properly thank you!" replied Fujiko as she casually wrapped her arms around his. While it was true that she really was doing all this to make her father cancel the marriage contract, Fujiko couldn’t deny that she was using this chance to be a couple with Gerald, even though it was only for show…
As a Futaba, Fujiko had been treated like a precious jewel all her life. In other words, most of the people she had previously met were young leaders of the family… While it was true that they were all perfectly fine individuals, never had she met a man who could move her heart like Gerald.
While it was true that she didn’t know anything about Gerald’s background, identity, or even if his name was real, he was all that she could think of. Despite all the chaos that was happening around her, as long as Gerald was by her side, she was able to feel safe…
Either way, after rapidly retracting his arm, Gerald paused for a moment before replying, "… Alright, let’s go with that…"
"I’m glad to hear that! Needless to say, do cooperate well with me so that my family doesn’t see any flaws in you. Otherwise, even if my father agrees to end the marriage, the rest of my family members will simply continue insisting that I get married to Kai…" muttered Fujiko somewhat nervously.
Sighing in response, Gerald then helplessly replied, "… Don’t worry, I will…"
In the end, protecting her was the only thing that mattered. After all, if she failed to make it past this hurdle, he would surely be unable to learn more about Yearning Island…
"I appreciate it! I’ll definitely repay the favor!" exclaimed Fujiko as she kissed Gerald on the cheek before running out of the room, blushing.
Gerald himself remained momentarily frozen on the spot. When he finally snapped out of it, he couldn’t help but smile slightly as he touched the area where Fujiko’s lips had landed. However, it didn’t take long for guilt to sink in, and he quickly rubbed his face hard before lighting a cigarette to calm himself down…
Fast forward to the next morning, Gerald and Fujiko checked out of the hotel before driving back to the Futaba manor…
Upon arriving and getting out of the car, Fujiko quickly held onto Gerald’s hand making sure to entwine her fingers between his when she saw her father hurrying over to greet them. Though she knew that they were simply acting, Fujiko couldn’t help but smile. After all, even though this was all just an illusion, for the time being, Gerald was hers…
Takuya himself couldn’t help but stare at the duo when he saw them holding hands so intimately. He clearly remembered telling Gerald to keep Fujiko safe while she was at the Kanagawa manor. With that in mind, why were they holding hands like this after just three days?
"…You two-"
"Let’s talk about this inside, dad," replied Fujiko as she cut her father short before pulling Gerald into the house.
…
Chapter 2080
Gerald himself simply followed obediently, smiling awkwardly at Takuya as the duo walked past him…
Shortly after, Takuya who was seated at the host seat found himself staring at Gerald and
Fujiko who were still holding hands as they sat in the guest seats…
Roughly guessing what all this hand holding was about, Takuya was first to say, "So… When exactly did both of you get into such a relationship?"
If he was to be honest, all this had happened so quickly that he was feeling slightly overwhelmed…
Regardless, upon hearing that, Fujiko released Gerald’s hand and stood up before declaring, "Father, I do not wish to sacrifice my happiness for Kai! After all, you, of all people, should know that my life will be ruined if I proceed with marrying him!"
"… I get where you’re coming from… But still…" muttered Takuya as he stared at his daughter.
"Father, please. I just wish to be with Gerald… With that in mind, please give us your blessings!" replied Fujiko as she sat down and continued holding Gerald’s hand…
Alternating his gaze between both of them, Takuya then muttered, "… Before that, again, when exactly did all this start…?"
"From the moment we first met!" replied Fujiko.
Sighing in response, Takuya then helplessly said, "… As a father, I naturally hope that you find a good person to be with… However, without the Kanagawa family’s help, we may not even survive till the end of the year! Also, I’m sure you know that the other family members won’t agree to this either…"
"But.. But I’m your daughter…! You can’t just sacrifice my happiness…! I can’t be with Kai! You know, had Gerald not saved me in time, I would’ve surely gotten raped…! " yelled Fujiko as she got slightly emotional.
"What did you say?!" asked Takuya as he leaped to his feet.
"I… I didn’t… say anything…" muttered Fujiko as she quickly sat back down.
Clearly not buying that, Takuya then turned to look at Gerald before asking, "What the hell happened to both of you at the Kanagawa manor, Gerald? Did that b*stard Kai try to take advantage of my daughter?!"
Nodding in response, Gerald then replied, "Indeed. By the time I got there to save her, Kai had already torn most of her clothes to shreds and was even pinning her down…"
"That… That utter b*stard…! I never really took the rumors about him seriously before, but to think that the young master of the Kanagawa family is actually as bad as they say…! What a beast of a man!" roared Takuya as he slammed his fist onto the table, his lips trembling.
While he could still accept planning an arranged marriage for his daughter for the sake of maintaining his family, there was no way in hell that he was fine with her marrying such a
jerk!
"…Now that you know the whole story, please cancel the marriage contract with the Kanagawas so that I can be with Gerald…!" declared Fujiko as she clenched her fists while staring at her father with a determined gaze.
…
"While I’d love to just cancel it straight away, it’s easier said than done. After all, while I may be the head of the family, I can’t just make such a large decision without talking things through with the Kanagawas. Besides, you should be well aware that the other Futabas are going to oppose the idea as well," replied Takuya with a sigh as he lit a cigarette…