HOTD: Tōshiro Nagi

Takagi Estate - Enigma's Paradox

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Returning to his original position, Nagi smoothly descended from his vantage point and made his way toward Kohta and the others. He had hoped the situation would have been resolved by now, but to his surprise, Takashi stood his ground, defending Kohta.

"Yes, sir. But ever since this began, Saya has been under the protection of two individuals. One of them being Hirano, right here," Takashi stated firmly, indicating Kohta's presence.

Raising a brow in question, Souichiro inquired, "Who is this other 'individual' you speak of, Komuro?" As the sound of leaves crunching reached their ears, approaching from behind Takashi, Nagi positioned himself beside Kohta and answered, meeting Souichiro's gaze directly, "That would be me, Don Takagi."

"Unless you can prove you have an adequate marksman within this estate, Kohta keeps the guns. Handing them over to your lackeys simply because they ask isn't a valid option. You forget we young adults survived out there ourselves before arriving here."

"And if you can't see how that proves his skill with firearms, then I recommend for all of you to sit down and properly think about it," Nagi told them bluntly, without mercy.

Of course, he was aware that he was being disrespectful to Souichiro, and to be frank, he didn't care. If the man decided to kick him out the next day, then so be it. In fact, Nagi had already been contemplating potentially leaving. The reason is the weak gates.

They were built for status and decorations, not defense. If, somehow, a horde of undead made its way here despite all the barricades, this place would become overrun, the civilians torn to shreds due to their incompetence, and his retainers dead from being overwhelmed. Soon, everyone else would meet the same fate.

"Watch who you're addressing, runt! This is Master Takagi you're speaking to! Show some respect!" One of the retainers bellowed, extending his katana threateningly towards Nagi's neck. With a calm expression, Nagi turned his body towards the man, locking eyes with him before swiftly retrieving a blade from his pocket.

With a deft movement, he skillfully deflected the katana, keeping it at a safe distance from his throat. The retainer, taken aback by Nagi's unexpected reaction, regained his composure and balanced his weapon.

However, his confidence wavered as Nagi's knife flew past him, embedding itself into the ground a few meters away. A trickle of blood marked the retainer's cheekbone as a cold sweat formed on his back, a tinge of fear evident in his eyes.

Nagi maintained his usual stoic demeanor as he calmly remarked, "You should be more cautious, sir. Playing with sharp objects can lead to accidents, and we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, would we?"

Kohta, Takashi, and Alice observed the unfolding scene with a mixture of shock, awe, and concern. Kohta's grip tightened ever so slightly on his gun, while Takashi seemed prepared to interject. However, before he could utter a word, Souichiro swiftly intervened, effectively diffusing the tension.

"Enough!" Souichiro commanded, his gaze piercing as he directed his words toward both individuals. "As my retainer, you should know better than to respond with violence to verbal disrespect, especially when it comes from youngsters."

His gaze locked with Nagi's, Souichiro's voice remained authoritative as he inquired, "Boy, what is your name?" Nagi maintained his composed demeanor, his hand casually resting in his pocket as he introduced himself. "My name is Nagi, Don Takagi."