"Yes, but unfortunately I, Kume Haruo, wasn't lucky enough to win a ticket!"
The store manager spoke excitedly when Fukude Kei asked, almost trembling.
"Well then, how about this?" Fukude Kei's lips curved into a seemingly warm smile. "I'll invite you myself."
"Hmph." Leito, who was currently fused with Zero, snorted coldly at him. "How thoughtful of you."
"No need to thank me," Fukude Kei replied with a polite bow. His smile remained, but his words carried a strange weight. "Encounters between people… are all part of the great design of universal rule. In other words—this is fate."
Then, with a final bow, he turned and walked away.
Laiha's eyes lingered on Fukude Kei's back, memories flooding in. The monster that had killed her parents—the very first one that Geed ever fought—had transformed into a man afterward. And Fukude Kei's silhouette was hauntingly similar to that figure.
But with the manager and Leito's family nearby, neither Yu Zhou nor Zero could make a move. They could only let him go for now, saving it for tomorrow's "lecture."
That night, at the Nebula House base.
When Yu Zhou arrived, Pega was busily making fake flowers to sell tomorrow, while Riku (Geed) fussed over his clothes.
In the corner, Laiha sat silently with a book in her lap, her thoughts heavy.
"Sigh, if only I could write novels too. That'd make way more money than selling fake flowers," Pega complained enviously.
"Oh, I know!" Riku suddenly grinned. "Why don't you bump into K-sensei next time? Maybe you'll inherit his writing talent!"
"Eh?" Yu Zhou blinked at that suggestion. Could Pega really copy other people's talents like that?
"Riku." Yu Zhou sat down beside him, his tone serious. "I came here tonight because there's something important I need to tell you."
"Ah?" Riku perked up instantly at Yu Zhou's solemn voice. Laiha and Pega also stopped what they were doing, sensing the gravity of the moment.
"Maybe he's finally going to reveal his identity…" Laiha thought to herself. She'd long suspected Yu Zhou wasn't ordinary. After all, whenever Yu Zhou and Zero disappeared together, Tiga and Zero would appear at the same time.
Yu Zhou finally spoke: "That novelist today, Fukude Kei—he's not a good person."
"What? No way." Riku frowned. "K-sensei even invited us to his lecture. We don't even know each other, and he's being that kind. Isn't that proof he's a good guy?"
Yu Zhou shook his head. Too naïve.
"Tomorrow's so-called lecture," Yu Zhou continued, "is actually a Hongmen Banquet."
Riku tilted his head. "A what?"
"It's an old saying," Yu Zhou explained. "A banquet that's actually a trap—meant to harm us."
Riku's brows knitted tighter. "But why us? We don't even know him."
"You don't." Yu Zhou sighed, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "But he's been watching you closely."
"Me? Why would he watch me?" Riku was still lost.
"Because he's one of Belial's subordinates," Yu Zhou said gravely. "A Strum alien. All those monster attacks before? They were his doing."
"What?!" Riku froze. "He… he's Belial's man?"
Laiha clenched her fists. If that was true, then the monster who killed her parents… was sent by Fukude Kei. No wonder his face had felt so familiar today—he was her greatest enemy.
Silence fell. No one spoke for a long time.
Finally, Riku broke it. "If that's true, then even if tomorrow's lecture is a trap… I still have to go!" His eyes burned with determination. "I'll take him down with my own hands!"
Yu Zhou studied him quietly. So this is what it looks like when a son rebels against his father's shadow…
"I'll go too." Laiha drew her sword. "I have a blood debt to settle."
Yu Zhou nodded but raised a concern. "That's fine, but remember—the manager is going too. If Fukude Kei uses civilians as hostages, it'll be a problem."
He had already warned Leito earlier to keep his wife away from the event if possible. It was far too dangerous.
Still, there was one more problem.
"Ugh. The manager," Riku muttered, rubbing his temples. The man was a die-hard fanboy, practically worshipping Kei's novels. There was no way he'd willingly skip the event—especially after being invited personally.
"Then what if…" Pega raised a finger mischievously. "We slip some laxatives into the manager's breakfast? Make him spend the whole day on the toilet!"
"Pega, you're a demon." Yu Zhou's mouth twitched. But he had to admit—it was effective.
"Honestly, bonking him on the head to knock him out would be faster," Yu Zhou muttered under his breath.
Riku and Laiha just stared at the two of them in stunned silence, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
The next morning.
"Riku, I can't go to the lecture today!"
The manager's voice blared frantically from the phone.
"Eh? What's wrong, Manager?" Riku asked innocently.
"I don't know, but right after breakfast my stomach started killing me! I—I gotta hang up!" Click.
Right on cue, Pega popped up from the ground and flashed an "OK" sign to Yu Zhou and the others. He'd been hiding in the manager's kitchen since early morning and spiked his food.
"Are we… sure this is okay?" Laiha squinted. "What if he collapses from dehydration?"
"He'll be fine," Yu Zhou replied calmly. "It's for his own safety. Besides, losing a few pounds won't hurt him."
Laiha could only sigh.
A moment later, Leito arrived—but with his wife Lumina and daughter Mayu in tow.
Yu Zhou shook his head. "Looks like he couldn't convince his wife to stay home."
It wasn't like Leito could drug his own family. They'd just have to be extra careful.
"Eh? Where's Manager Kume?" Lumina asked, noticing his absence. "Wasn't he coming too?"
"Oh, Manager's stuck with an upset stomach," Riku explained cheerfully.
"What a shame," Lumina said sympathetically.
Yu Zhou exhaled quietly. At least that problem was solved.
"Alright," Riku said, clapping his hands. "Let's head out."
The group set off on foot toward the lecture hall.