125. The King vs The Villainess and The Heroine (2)

(Haruna POV)

***

"Tch, I told him to go the next day instead, but he said he had something else planned and refused adamantly. If the location was different, controlling the situation would've been much easier."

".....What?"

'Does that mean he went just because we were supposed to meet at his place later?'

Haruna turned to Yui with wide eyes and saw that she was also looking at her with a similar level of shock.

Her heart, which had somewhat calmed down, started pounding again out of guilt and disbelief.

She managed to regain her composure when she reminded herself of something.

"....Regardless of that, the problem isn't when he went, it's that he went in the first place!" she retorted.

"Th-That's right!" Yui echoed, forcing back the surprise.

Daichi rubbed his temples and kept drinking his whiskey, and Haruna wasn't even sure if he was even listening anymore.

"At the very least, can't you even wait until he graduates? Why are you in such a rush to throw him into this hellhole?"

".....Like I said, there are things that I can't explain, especially to someone who isn't even part of the syndicate," the man dictated in the same casual tone.

His demeanor didn't give much away, but Haruna was sure that she could see the tiniest hint of worry and guilt in his dark eyes.

And that gave her hope.

'....I can't back down.'

"You don't have to explain everything, that's not why we're here. We don't care about the reasons or your purpose; we're here to see if there's any room for negotiation, in which Reiji doesn't have to be assigned to such dangerous tasks for the foreseeable future," Haruna stated firmly.

Daichi tapped his glass thoughtfully, seemingly contemplating something.

"Maybe there's a misunderstanding here. Reiji already has the right to turn down any assignment I give him if it crosses his moral line, which means the jobs I've given him were taken by him voluntarily in a way. Ever since we came to that agreement, he's stopped a restaurant from being taken over forcefully, helped a woman being blackmailed by her ex, and in the most recent case, preempted a crossbow smuggling case which would have otherwise allowed a former Yakuza Boss to arm himself with dangerous weapons."

Both Haruna and Yui froze in place.

While Haruna knew about the first two, the last one caught her attention.

But Yui didn't know about any of this, so she looked at Haruna in complete bafflement, with traces of awe in her expression.

"Wait, wait," Haruna raised her hand with a frown. "By any chance, was that injury caused by a crossbow?"

"Yes."

She took a deep breath when she heard that.

"Are you fucking insane??" Yui exclaimed, slamming her hand on the table. "You just said a minute ago that he was never meant to get hurt that badly, and now you're saying he was getting shot at by fucking crossbows??"

"She's right, what is wrong with you?" Haruna agreed, her face hardening again.

"The situation was under control. His life was not in danger."

Daichi still didn't get worked up, replying to them with a light shrug.

'What type of father...'

Haruna's inner turmoil was in chaos, feeling immense sorrow for Reiji at this moment.

"You know what, I don't even want to hear anything else from you. Just tell me what we can do to convince you to stop forcing Reiji into this," she muttered, exhausted at his lack of emotion.

"And don't say there's no chance, because we're not leaving here until we get a positive result," Yui sneered.

Daichi finished the last drop of his drink and exhaled with apparent satisfaction, and then he turned to the two men behind with a sigh.

"Takeda," he called.

"....Yes, Boss?"

"Have I somehow accidentally given the impression that their words mean anything?"

".....I'm not sure, Boss."

"You!" Yui growled.

"I have given you two enough face by even allowing you to enter my office. I have given you enough respect by not throwing you out the moment you showed disrespect to me. And I have given you enough time to understand that my mind will not change just because two little girls who don't know anything have come knocking on my door with a ridiculous request. At this point, I still don't even know your names, nor do I care what they are, so what makes you think you have any say in this matter?" Daichi remarked nonchalantly, his words sharp as a knife despite the quiet tone.

Haruna lowered her head, feeling like she might've just made things harder for Reiji.

Yui stood up from her seat with a rage-filled glare, but before she could lash out, Daichi spoke out first.

"I could bury you in the ocean without batting an eye and with no one being the wiser. You could disappear from the face of the Earth, and nobody would think twice because I would make it look like an accident. So watch your manners when you choose your next words, because even I have a limited amount of patience. Leave now, and I'll forget everything that's happened so far."

"You wouldn't dare," Yui stated confidently.

Daichi raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"You've been unruffled for the most part this entire time. Mind telling me why?" he asked.

"My father is Tachibana Makoto."

Yui didn't elaborate further, but just that mere sentence made Daichi narrow his eyes for a moment.

"...You're that fucker's daughter?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Hmmm... Indeed, that does make things a little more difficult." Daichi muttered before smiling coldly. "But then again, we're already somewhat at odds, so that can't really stop me.

Yui shut her mouth, clearly not expecting his indifference, and Haruna started trembling with fear because one look at his abyssal eyes told her that he wasn't joking.

Her eyes flickered, and then she pursed her lips as if realizing something.

The redhead stood up straight and pulled Haruna to her feet, leading her to the side of the room and standing in front of her.

Then, she reached for the ice pick in the bucket on the bar's counter, holding it backwards like a dagger.

She did this entire sequence with no hurry, making it seem like she was about to leave.

And then she stared at Daichi.

"If you want to bury us, try it. You'll probably succeed, but I can promise that the first person to approach us will lose the chance to pass on their lineage. Maybe it's one of you two," Yui smiled at Takeda and the bald man. "Or it could be you, Yagami Shittichi."

You could hear a pin drop with the absence of sound in the office.

"In fact, I hope it will be you. So that there will be no chance for there to be another person as pitiful as Reiji. Either way, we're not leaving until you stop burdening Reiji so much!"

Haruna, hearing her unwavering voice, looked around in a hurry and saw a fancy metal lighter next to an ashtray beside them.

She quickly picked it up and then popped open the whiskey bottle that was served to Daichi, pouring it all over the floor.

"You take one step and I'll l-light this whole place up," she yelled.

Her voice was much more shaky in comparison, but there was a bold look on her small face.

Yui's grin grew even wider, and she chuckled at the unexpected support.

Takeda and the bald man looked at each other and smiled.

And so did Daichi.

He clasped his hands together and crossed one leg over the other.

".....That bottle cost me over 45 million yen, you know?"

".....What?"

Haruna's eyes almost popped out as she read the bottle label and saw that it was a 50-year-old malt.

This meant nothing to her, but she felt that it was probably quite expensive.

"Tell me, what on earth did Reiji do for you girls to do something as stupid as all this?" Daichi asked with a tinge of amusement.

"He didn't turn out like you," Yui scoffed.

".....Calling you prickly before was quite the understatement. Alright, take a seat. I wasn't being serious with what I said."

Yui and Haruna stared at him suspiciously, exchanging glances to see what the other thought.

They slowly moved back into their chairs, but neither one of them let go of their 'weapons'.

"I knew it. This was some kind of dumbass test, wasn't it?" Yui muttered.

"Is it really dumb if it worked? I merely wanted to see your resolve. Coming here alone was already quite brave, or idiotic, but that could be attributed to immaturity and reliance on being friends with Reiji. It seems like you two really do care about him."

"Yeah, more than you do anyway."

".....How'd you know it was a test?" he inquired.

"You and my dad are a little similar. You enjoy toying with people like this, like the true assholes you are," Yui chuckled with derision.

"...What's the use of an ice pick if your tongue is sharper than anything in this room? And please don't compare me with that...person."

"Okay, can we get back to the point? Does this mean you've agreed and won't make Reiji do all of this?" Haruna interrupted, her frustration at the straying topic bubbling over.

"When did I say that?"

"Hazuna, give me the lighter," Yui barked.

"....My name's Haruna."

"Whatever, I'm burning this place down."

"Relax, I'm saying we can come to a compromise."

Both Yui and Haruna stiffened, turning to Daichi simultaneously.

"Really?" they both shouted.

"I'll discuss it with Reiji himself, but a little later on. Unfortunately, you won't be privy to the details. If he wants to keep you in the loop, that's on him."

"How can we trust you?" Haruna responded.

"You can't, but this is the best you're going to get from me," Daichi shrugged.

The two girls looked at each other, and after a moment's hesitation, nodded with approval.

"....Fine, but if we think it isn't enough, we'll be back!" Yui warned with a fierce look.

They both stood up warily, moving to the door with a mix of haste and caution.

But Daichi called out to them before they left.

"What about my whiskey?"

Haruna felt a trickle of sweat roll down her cheek.

Yui put on the nicest smile possible, one filled with only a blunt edge compared to the usual razors.

"Drinking is bad for your health. Take care, we might visit you sometime again."

And they slammed the door shut behind them.