Chapter 181: A liberating escape.

In a panic, Keiko and Yumiko quickly turned to look ahead, where all they could see was Kai moving at an astonishing speed, executing movements so fluid and elegant they resembled a dance routine as he struck Haruto. He stopped moments later, at which point Haruto collapsed to the ground on the verge of unconsciousness, with his arms, legs, and ribs broken, struggling to catch his breath. Curiously, however, not a single drop of blood was visible on the middle-aged man's body.

With clear disdain, Kai dropped to one knee and extended his left hand to grab Haruto’s hair, lifting his head to eye level. Then, with an incredibly calm and measured voice, he spoke, while the face of the middle-aged man showed only pure terror—wanting to scream in pain and run with all his strength to escape from that monster but unable to do so.

“It’s true that I can’t kill you with my own hands, since I promised the girls I wouldn’t… but believe me, I have ways to turn your life into such a hell that suicide will start to seem like a pleasurable and liberating escape…”

As he listened to the terrifying, emotionless voice of that chilling blue-eyed boy, Haruto suddenly felt his arm shifting and realigning, sending waves of crippling pain through him. Yet, because he was being held tightly by the hair and forced to stare into those predatory blue eyes studying him like prey, he couldn’t see what was happening or how. It was at that moment that the blue-eyed boy added with a wicked, predatory smile on his face, just as he began to heal the rest of Haruto’s broken bones.

“Any time, any place, whenever I feel like it… I can give you a little dose of this treatment—a maddening pain that won’t leave a single shred of evidence for you to sue with. And the best part? You’re not the only one who can enjoy this exclusive treatment… Miss Tanaka Aiko, Mr. Tanaka Hiroshi, Mrs. Tanaka Yui, young Yamamoto Daichi…”

The more Haruto listened to Kai, the deeper the terror in his eyes became. After all, that creepy boy was naming, one by one, Aiko’s family members, her friends, and their respective relatives—a list so comprehensive that even Haruto didn’t recognize some of the names, which filled him with immeasurable fear.

That fear stemmed from the fact that Haruto fully understood the message the eerie boy was implying—he had the skills necessary to turn him into a complete pariah, a plague capable of destroying anyone who got close to him. Even his beloved Aiko might not be able to endure it because even if she could withstand the physical torture, it was unlikely she could bear the mental torment of seeing her parents suffer.

The idea of reporting Kai briefly crossed Haruto’s mind but vanished as quickly as it appeared. After all, in just a matter of moments, his broken bones had somehow been restored, and even the physical pain had vanished. Though, for some reason, his mind still believed his limbs should be hurting, so it kept sending out spasms of pain—but that wasn’t what mattered.

What truly mattered was that the terrifying boy was making it clear that, at best, Haruto could only gather circumstantial or testimonial evidence against him—evidence that could easily be dismissed due to the lack of medical records.

This would drag the trial on endlessly, and in the end, even if Haruto were to win, the most he’d be ordered to pay would be a few million in compensation—practically pocket change for them. In the end, Haruto himself would end up the most harmed, as it was almost certain that the terrifying bastard would countersue him.

As Kai recited the list of names he had carefully crafted specifically to psychologically break the “pregnant mistress”—a list meticulously designed to instill psychological terror without him having to actually do anything, since he couldn’t see himself dealing with a pregnant woman any other way, and that was essentially his limit—his mind couldn’t help but wander into the memories of his past life.

Although they didn’t resemble each other much, Kai couldn’t help but see traces of that “great friend and brother from another mother” from his past life in Haruto. Both were nothing more than parasitic rats, useless on their own, who could only get anywhere by leeching, stealing, and betraying. The thought made him clench his fists tightly, ripping out small tufts of Haruto’s gray hair.

Before long, Kai finally finished the list, at which point he tossed Haruto aside like trash and stood up, dusting off his hands. That was when Keiko and Yumiko grabbed him by the arms and pulled him in, pressing him tightly into their enormous chests, effectively immobilizing him.

“Kai, don’t dirty your hands.” Keiko said firmly as she claimed his arm, her tone serious and almost scolding. Yumiko quickly followed with a similar tone.

“Yeah, he’s not worth it. Let this ‘rat’ leave on his own. He doesn’t deserve your attention.”

“Alright, alright, you got me—I won’t do anything else...”

Kai replied quickly, wearing a calm smile, which made both Keiko and Yumiko smile with satisfaction. They chose not to say anything about the deep, contemplative look with which Kai was ‘discreetly’ studying Haruto. Then Yumiko turned toward her ex-husband, who was still on the ground, visibly in shock, and coldly said.

“There’s nothing left to say between us, Haruto. If it’s true that you’re not planning to steal the company, then take what I’m offering you, sign the divorce papers, and get out.”

Haruto, who was in a state of shock, feeling dizzy and weak, looked at his wife—or rather, that ruthless woman who was now embracing so intimately the damn bastard who had literally threatened him and who knows how many others with death—finding her completely unrecognizable.

That cold, arrogant, and merciless attitude was worlds apart from the understanding, cheerful, and nurturing woman he had once known. For a moment, he even thought someone had replaced her because, in nearly 20 years of marriage, he had never seen her like this. But when he saw Keiko Yaoyorozu clinging just as tightly to that bastard, he understood everything—it was that damned viper’s fault. She had corrupted his beautiful, gentle Yumiko.

Feeling like his world was falling apart, Haruto just wanted to nod at Yumiko’s words and vanish from the scene. But at that moment, the image of Aiko smiling while holding a small baby in her arms flashed through his mind. It made him grit his teeth—one million dollars wouldn’t be enough for the new life and family he wanted to build. So, even if it cost him his life, he had to speak up.

“I can’t accept just one million. By right, I’m entitled to half of what we built. As an apology for everything I caused, I’m willing to settle for only 25%… but I can’t accept less.” Haruto said, teeth chattering, squeezing out every last drop of courage he had. Yumiko replied coldly.

“Not even a judge would give you that much after learning you got your whore pregnant and practically stole the work of my entire life—so don’t kid yourself. The most I’ll offer, if you follow every instruction we give to help fix the company and return it to my control, is to buy your 10% at market price. Nothing more.

“But for now, leave. You’re annoying me. In a few days, my lawyer will send you the divorce papers and a summons to a more neutral location where we can go over the details, and both you and your whore can sign the documents. That will be the last time we see each other.”

“…”

Wanting to say a million things, Haruto opened his mouth—but the sharp looks from Keiko, Yumiko, and Kai froze the words in his throat. At that moment, Keiko made a small gesture to the guards, who immediately understood. They grabbed Haruto by the arms, lifted him up, and carried him to his car, which wasn’t far away.

As Haruto drove off in his car, Keiko and Kai remained silent while Yumiko watched the vehicle until it disappeared from view. That’s when the beautiful blue-haired mother couldn’t help but smile bitterly and speak, her voice tinged with a hint of self-reproach.

“I don’t understand how I could ever marry that man… so deceitful, cynical, cowardly, and selfish. He didn’t even ask about Nejire—hasn’t even bothered to contact her… he truly doesn’t care about anyone but himself…”

After gazing into the distance with a thoughtful look, Yumiko shook her head and turned to face Kai, at which point she asked in a warm, motherly tone—filled with tenderness and love—a world apart from her cold demeanor just moments ago.

“But let’s put that aside… How are you feeling, Kai? Are you hurt anywhere? You don’t know how worried we were when we saw you arrive—you didn’t even look human…”

Remembering the image of Kai when he first appeared, Yumiko’s expression twisted in pain. At that moment, Keiko tightened her grip around Kai’s arm and spoke with a voice that was soft, sorrowful, almost pleading.

“Please, don’t ever do something like that again, Kai… I don’t know if I could bear seeing you in that state again, let alone losing you…”

With a look full of guilt, Kai gently kissed the tops of Yumiko and Keiko’s heads—they were both shorter than him—then spoke in a deeply apologetic tone.

“I’m sorry for worrying you… Things got out of control so quickly, and those spiders were way too strong… but I promise, from now on, I’ll be much more careful.”

Feeling the genuine remorse in Kai’s words, the two mothers leaned their heads against his arms, wanting to feel his warmth. But at that moment, they both noticed the guards were returning. Sharing a glance, Yumiko and Keiko nodded at each other, knowing that even though the guards were hired for their strength and discretion, privacy was always better.

“Let’s go inside.”

Yumiko whispered softly, to which Kai quickly nodded and began walking toward the mansion at a calm pace, with Yumiko and Keiko still clinging to his arms. However, halfway there, the group came across a beautiful blonde woman lifting a boy of about seven who looked strikingly like her—blond hair, hazel eyes, and olive skin—though the boy had several completely white streaks of hair at the front.

“Eva…”

Upon seeing the woman, Kai couldn’t help but speak softly, as a flood of memories rushed through his mind. After all, that face was far too similar to someone he had once known as Kate. But Kai quickly composed himself and added with a calm smile, switching back to English.

“It’s good to see you’re okay. How are you feeling?”

“Kai… thank you, truly—thank you so, so much. I don’t know how to repay you. You saved me and my little one from hell, and even your family has given us shelter, food, and medical care. I honestly don’t know how to thank all of you… You didn’t even blame me for what happened to you, even though it was all my fault…”

Genuinely moved, Eva expressed her gratitude as tears streamed down her face. She clung tightly to the small child in her arms, who looked rather shy and nervous about the whole situation, holding on to his mother with all his strength. At that moment, Yumiko and Keiko let go of Kai’s arms and gently patted his back, prompting Kai to step forward and speak in a calm voice.

“Don’t worry about any of that. Everything’s okay now. I’m alive, and you and your little one are safe—that’s all that matters. And as you may have noticed, money isn’t something my family is concerned about, so please don’t worry about that either.”

“Thank you…”

Eva thanked him again, now crying even harder, which frightened the child. He quickly hugged his mother tightly and looked at Kai with caution. That’s when Kai noticed the small lacerations, bruises, and bandages scattered across both Eva’s and the child’s bodies. Almost instinctively, he called out to his trusted assistant.

“Sage.”

At Kai’s call, Sage materialized by his side, making Kai suddenly realize she hadn’t been there when he woke up—something very unusual, since she was always present. But before he could ask anything, the beautiful fairy launched herself at him, hugging the left side of his face tightly.

“Master… it’s so good to see you. I was so worried…”

Seeing his trusted assistant’s behavior, Kai couldn’t help but smile in amusement, then sent her a message through their mental link in a slightly playful tone.

[My Sage has gotten bold—she doesn’t even care that there are people around.]

Upon receiving her master’s message, Sage froze completely. Slowly, she turned her head like an old, rusty robot, and her gaze landed on Yumiko and Keiko, who were softly laughing at the adorable fairy’s behavior. Her face turned a deep shade of red, the blush spreading all the way to her long, elf-like ears.

Gently, Sage pulled away from her master, brought a fist to her mouth, and coughed a couple of times as if clearing her throat. Then she turned to face him and spoke in a calm, serious tone—giving off the air of a loyal and diligent assistant, as if her earlier outburst had never happened.

“I am at your service, Master.”

***

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