Chapter 78: Bad Habits
A habit is a terrifying thing. You often don't even notice that you've formed a kind of mental inertia, leaving flaws in your defenses in ways you'd never expect.
Ryuji Akiyama lay on a lounge chair on his balcony. The weather in Hakone had been quite pleasant these past few days. No wonder they had chosen this season for the international marathon. On any other day, weather like this would have put him in a great mood. But now, the sunlight only made him anxious and fearful. He had installed thick, light-blocking curtains on all his windows just to feel safe enough to lie here and plan his next move.
Ryuji tossed a can of rum into the air and caught it, over and over. He loved this liquor, which didn't belong to this world. It had a special taste, a delicacy reserved only for those chosen by the Nexus, something the mundane masses could never enjoy.
Suddenly, he froze, his hand closing around the can. He remembered that in the Demon Slayer world, he had put an identical can of rum into the team's shared space as a signal for Elizabeth. He quickly opened his team inventory. It wasn't there.
A bad feeling crept into his heart. He had dozens of cans of rum in his personal inventory; he couldn't be sure if the one he'd given Elizabeth was one he had personally handled like this. An item that was saturated with his personal information, left out in the world, was a huge risk. Divination was an extremely popular ability type in the Nexus. At first, it was used to find hidden items and characters, but it had long since become the primary tool for bounty hunters and assassins.
Ryuji suddenly felt a surge of panic. He got up, went to his living room, and checked the monitors for the hidden cameras he had installed in the hallway and around his apartment building—a precaution for just such an occasion. Nothing abnormal. But he still wasn't calm. He made a call to his office.
He had already used up all of his annual leave for the year, intending to lie low at home for a few days, wait to return to the Nexus, and then liquidate all his assets before deciding what to do next. But now, this creeping panic made him desperate for more information. What if his enemy had used that rum can to divine his general location, then gone to his company and discovered he was on a suspiciously long vacation? Taking this much time off right now was extremely suspicious.
Ryuji made several more calls. All his colleagues told him the same thing: nothing was wrong. No suspicious people had come by the office, and no strange packages or deliveries had arrived in his name.
Only then did he relax and lie back down. He pulled a heavy machine gun from his inventory. A person with slightly lower Strength probably couldn't even hold this thing for long. It had a firing rate of 100 rounds per second. Even a concrete wall would be turned into Swiss cheese in an instant. Although using this thing within Japan would almost certainly make him a wanted fugitive, Ryuji was prepared for that. He had heard from others in the [Salted Fish Collective] that many Reincarnators from Japan had fled to the lawless Northern Myanmar region, where they lived like kings. With the purple-grade formula he had stolen from that "Special Reincarnator" Mercenary Tao, he was sure he could trade it for a massive boost in power. Once he reached the [Mortal]-tier, even if he couldn't rule, he could at least live a comfortable and carefree life.
Thinking this, Ryuji finally relaxed. The TV in his living room was broadcasting the schedule for tomorrow's international marathon. He noted that the route would be blocked off right near his own apartment complex, to provide a safe environment for the runners.
"Tsk. These mortals certainly know how to entertain themselves," Ryuji scoffed. He closed his eyes, thinking how ridiculous their competitions were. A 42-kilometer run was an immense challenge for a normal person, but for a Reincarnator with over 10 points in Constitution, their stamina was beyond anything a normal human could imagine.
Mizuki Akiyama stepped out of her red Mercedes-AMG sports car, attracting a lot of attention. The university students had already been exposed to the realities of society; they no longer saw a sports car as just being pretty. They understood the immense wealth it represented, and it captivated the minds of both the men and the women. Besides, Mizuki herself was naturally beautiful, with an innocent smile that made people instantly like her.
At the moment, however, she was frowning. "You want to represent the university in the international marathon?"
Kaito stood before her, holding the leave-form from his counselor, wearing his signature smile. Smiling was a habit for him, the one he believed was best at concealing his true thoughts. Inwardly, he was marveling at the timing. That detective, Sato, had been pulled away by something else, leaving this much more "agreeable" female officer in charge of his supervision.
Kaito wasn't the least bit distracted by Mizuki's beauty. In his eyes, she was a classic "weak-willed" character. From the way she had been unconsciously drawn to his appearance the first time they met, to the polite, sheltered way she spoke, he could tell she had been well-educated and protected her entire life. In daily life, she was a flawless lady. But against someone like him… she would always be on the losing end.
Mizuki carefully read the leave-form. She had even called the counselor to confirm it. It was a perfectly legitimate reason. Her mentor had also said that Kaito was only an observation target, and they shouldn't push him into a corner. Having someone with his physical abilities participate in a sporting event was certainly better than him getting into another "justifiable self-defense" incident that put people in the hospital.
She tried contacting Sato, but his line was unreachable. After a moment's thought, she nodded. "Alright. But you must return to the university immediately after the competition is over. Do you understand? You are still under observation."
She tried her best to sound stern, but the handsome man in front of her just kept smiling at her. She forced herself to keep a straight face, then turned and got back in her car, deciding to report this to her mentor later.
Kaito waved energetically at the departing sports car, his smile bright and sincere. To anyone watching, he looked like a pure-hearted young man in love. But in his mind, he was thinking of another man.
Ryuji Akiyama, did you hear that? The countdown on your life has begun.
He had spent 1 C-rank Singularity at that divination stall, contracting the Reincarnator known as "Damascus" to perform a high-precision divination using the rum bottle as a medium. That bottle, it turned out, was one Elizabeth had given him after he had renounced his claim on the drop card from Lower Rank Two. Elizabeth, it seemed, was not as simple as she looked. She had noticed Vincent's habit of constantly tossing a rum bottle from his inventory and had secretly held onto one that was saturated with his information.
Damascus's divination had pointed to a specific area in Hakone, which Kaito quickly cross-referenced with the Hakone Energy Group. He then used the cryptocurrency from Evans's data drive to hire a hacker on the dark web to get the company's complete employee roster. While he could have gotten this information through public records eventually, Kaito didn't care about the money; he cared about efficiency.
He received the list. He didn't find the codename "Ryo Zangetsu." But he did find the name "Ryuzaki Zenji." The initials were a perfect match: RZ.
The hacker had also pulled Ryuzaki's financial records, which showed a sudden and recent spike in lavish spending at high-end clubs. This confirmed his new lifestyle: a man suddenly flush with cash, desperate for an outlet to release his stress.
A bad habit of tossing his rum. A bad habit of choosing an alias. A bad habit of using vice to relieve stress… All of these habits, bundled together, had led Ryuji Akiyama directly into Kaito's sights.
"Sato. Just pick up the phone. It's not like I'm going to do anything terrible with you watching, am I?"
A woman with short, sleek red hair, dressed in a black flight jacket, leaned against the door of a black G-Wagon. Her features weren't conventionally pretty, but her eyes were unforgettable. They were incredibly sharp, made even more so by the long eyeliner. She watched the Japanese "hound," who was once again ignoring her call, with a mocking smile. She'd met idiots like him before, still clinging to quaint concepts like patriotism even after becoming a Reincarnator. Most of them were dead.
Sato just glanced at his phone. It was Mizuki. He guessed it wasn't anything important. With the current situation, he had no time to worry about Kaito Shirogane. Whatever trouble that kid got into, it was nothing compared to the beasts that had just arrived.
He lit a cigarette. As the smoke curled around him, his entire aura began to change. Many people—Kaito included—were used to seeing Sato as the diligent, overworked detective. But a Reincarnator was still a Reincarnator. Anyone who had made a name for themselves and was still alive had crawled their way out of a mountain of corpses.
"Momiji. I know you're also here for that card. But I'll tell you straight: after we eliminated [Phantom Sword], the card was not on him."
"[Phantom Sword] most likely passed that item to someone else while he was still in the Nexus. You coming to Umikaze City is a waste of time."
Momiji watched Sato light the cigarette, and her own body tensed. This "hound," so despised by many Reincarnators, was definitely not as simple as the rumors claimed. To be able to silently eliminate several notorious Reincarnators... she didn't believe for a second that he had relied solely on the power of the Japanese government. She had provoked national powers in India before. She knew that even if a Reincarnator couldn't win, they wouldn't die so silently.
She nodded. "[Phantom Sword] was a tough bastard, a real lone wolf. I believe that if he knew he was going to die, he would have made arrangements."
"But…" A dangerous smile spread across her face. "Who's to say he's really dead? Perhaps you just secretly hid him away."
"I know what you government types are like. You're trying to build your own team of Reincarnators. And what could be more valuable than a [Special Reincarnator]?"
Sato exhaled the smoke from his lungs, his eyes turning dangerous. These people... none of them were going to give up easily. It was just a shame for them that the [Card] really hadn't fallen into government hands.
Umikaze City was now, unavoidably, the eye of the storm. To make these dangerous individuals back off, maybe he really did need to do something. The white smoke from his cigarette did not dissipate in the wind. Instead, it began to grow thicker.
Momiji instantly went on alert. A Devil Fruit ability? A Logia-type?!
But at that moment, the window of the black G-Wagon slowly rolled down. A man in sunglasses, sitting in the back seat, saw the standoff and tapped on the door.
Tap. Tap.
Sato paused. He looked at the newcomer. He had no data on this man, but he could feel an immense threat radiating from him. Momiji's reaction confirmed it: the moment the man appeared, she had taken a step back.
"Inspector Sato. I think you may have misunderstood us," the man said. "We don't intend to cause trouble in Umikaze, nor will we commit any... unpermitted acts. Well, we'll try."
"Miss Momiji is simply under my employ to help me find the person who took the [Card]. I am... very interested in that [Card's] new owner."
As the man spoke, a crimson glow flared to life on the back of his right hand.
Sato's heart instantly seized. A Great Sin Special Reincarnator! This man is an unidentified Great Sin Special Reincarnator!
Sato felt the danger and complexity of the situation spiral far beyond his imagination.
At that same time, in the penthouse suite of Umikaze's best hotel, a woman stood at the window, staring emotionlessly at the storm clouds gathering over the sea. An old man in a pristine suit stood behind her and spoke in a low voice. "Young Mistress, the Japanese security team will be here shortly. We can proceed with the site inspection tomorrow as planned."
The woman didn't answer him. Instead, she said, "Postpone the site inspection. Tomorrow… I'm going to visit Binhai University."
The old man frowned. "Young Mistress, do you know someone there?"
The woman let out a small, soft laugh. "Perhaps I do."
That night, as a violent storm began to engulf Umikaze City, Kaito was already on a train to Hakone. The high-speed rail journey from Umikaze to Hakone would take nearly nine hours, but Kaito was in no hurry. He slept peacefully, arriving in Hakone at just after five in the morning.
He stepped out of the station. The sky was already beginning to turn white. Kaito stretched his body, and his muscles and bones popped and cracked, like a precise machine that had been idle for too long, finally spinning back to life. The weather in Hakone was clear. He had left the storm in Umikaze behind.
Carrying a simple shoulder bag, he ate a hearty breakfast and then took a car to the sign-in area for the national marathon. This international race started near Natsushiro Park, wound its way along the coast through several beautiful scenic routes and parks, and finally passed through the Hakone Industrial Park to reach the finish line.
When Kaito arrived to check in, many people were already there. Because it was an international event that also encouraged public participation, the crowd was enormous. Kaito saw several black runners, wearing the logos of different corporate sponsors, warming up.
After a simple check-in, he sat off to the side by himself. In a race with tens of thousands of people, no one would notice if one person dropped out mid-way. Plenty of people quit.
When the starting pistol fired, the crowd roared and surged forward. Aside from the professionally sponsored runners, most of the participants were just there for the experience, and they started off at a casual pace. Kaito blended into the crowd, completely inconspicuous.
He regulated his breathing, and silently ran past the people around him. No one paid him any mind; in a race this large, there were always a few show-offs who would sprint at the start. Kaito controlled his pace. An hour later, as he arrived at the industrial park, there was almost no one around him.
Pretending to be exhausted, he veered off the road. Once he was off the main path, he quickly pulled a hat from his bag, put it on, and his figure vanished like a lynx into the side streets.
His memory was excellent, and he had memorized the map of the industrial park. Before long, he had arrived at the residential complex where the employees lived. Kaito's peripheral vision clocked every security camera. He pulled his hat down lower, walked into the entryway of Building 7, and casually stuck the [Barrier Talisman: Curtain (Simple)] to the inside of the lobby wall.
An invisible barrier expanded. From the hallway, Kaito watched as, one by one, the ordinary people still in their apartments suddenly looked as if they'd remembered something urgent, and hurried out of their homes.
He then walked silently up to apartment 705, the one with the heavy blackout curtains covering every window, and knocked on the door.
Knock. Knock.
BOOM!
With a terrifying sound, the door exploded inward.
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Guys We cross the 300 power stone goal and as promise here the bonus chapter
Next goal 400 power stone,come on guys you'll can do it, good luck.
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