The sunset over Morioh cast its gentle glow as usual, but Kira Yoshikage—or rather, he who occupied Kosaku Kawajiri's body—felt as if the entire world had changed.
For a moment, he even wondered if he had come to the wrong place, or if Higashikata Josuke had altered the terrain, otherwise, how could he see such an absurd Town, filled with manga and large portraits everywhere... Was Kishibe Rohan really that narcissistic? Uh, it seemed he actually was... He was indeed such a self-absorbed and arrogant person. Kira Yoshikage propped his chin, scratched his head, and thought about the anime and the Kishibe Rohan he had seen.
This bastard was truly an extremely arrogant person, highly self-important, believing himself to be the greatest mangaka of all time. It was not at all surprising that he would do such a thing. In the end, he just sighed deeply, feeling somewhat helpless.
"I hope nothing serious has happened to the Town... I still have to live here..."
Although he himself hadn't lived there for long, his memories were filled with this Town. He no longer had enemies, and he didn't want to leave this familiar, peaceful place. He hoped the Town was still alright.
He could feel that everything within a twenty-kilometer radius centered on him—walls, ground, air, even light and sound—seemed to have become strings he could pluck at will.
The 20-kilometer vision allowed him to see everything in between, but the more he looked, the worse his mood became. Finally, he was so depressed that he almost vomited blood. The once beautiful, gentle, and peaceful small Town had been transformed into a chaotic manga tourist spot.
He even almost couldn't resist blowing up the entire Town. In the end, only after repeatedly convincing himself several times did he suppress his murderous intent.
"Forget it, forget it, there's still hope. As long as they haven't been completely brainwashed, they should recover after Kishibe Rohan is killed. Then we can just renovate the Town. Yes, relax a bit, all of this is just temporary."
Carrying this suffocating, murderous, terrible mood, he returned home, walking into Kosaku Kawajiri's house with a face full of dark lines. Of course, he had retrieved his photo dad; this guy was lucky enough not to have been burned to death, flying in the sky until Kira Yoshikage's victory.
Although he didn't understand why his son ultimately chose Kosaku Kawajiri's life instead of his own, this long-dead father ultimately chose to support his son.
Allowing Kira Yoshikage to continue playing the role of this ordinary office worker, this cowardly fellow, once made him feel constrained, but now, against the backdrop of absolute power, everything would become convenient.
He had been away for too long; the position he had painstakingly vacated was probably already taken, but it didn't matter. He would just find another job. At worst, he would threaten the Japanese government.
He was now an expert at the human-nuclear bomb level. He believed the Japanese government would not begrudge him a high-paying, easy job. Then both sides would get what they wanted. Japan would not be killed by him, but he could live a more enjoyable life.
Win-win, meaning Kira Yoshikage wins twice.
Walking to the door, he saw traces of the doorknob being gripped, and a slight layer of dust at the entrance. Kira Yoshikage was surprised that Kishibe Rohan hadn't actually killed Hayato, but he didn't pay too much attention, just pretending to have just returned from a trip.
"I'm back. The trip is over. Shinobu will be delayed outside for a couple more days and will return then."
He said in his flat tone, habitually taking off his shoes in the entryway, not caring about Hayato at all. What if his identity was exposed now? As long as Shinobu didn't know, it would be fine.
His happy and peaceful life no longer feared exposure, as long as the people he cared about didn't know.
"Welcome home, Dad."
Kawakiri Hayato, his nominal son, ran out from the living room, a slightly shy smile on his face, typical of his age. Everything seemed to be as usual.
However, the wounds on the corners of his eyes, ears, and nose, along with the timid look in his eyes and a fawning expression, already indicated that he had experienced something terrible.
'He must be very happy I'm back now. He must have found out something, but it looks like he's matured and understands the seriousness of the situation. Is he scared? Never mind, as long as he's obedient.'
Kira Yoshikage nodded, not paying too much attention, and went straight to the kitchen, ignoring this convenient son, intending to see if there was anything to eat. He was a little hungry now.
Hayato, this child, just needed to be a good NPC in their family life, without his own thoughts. Staying obedient was the best thing.
As for how he survived, Kira Yoshikage didn't care at all.
Kira Yoshikage pulled open the refrigerator and was surprised to find that the ingredients were quite plentiful: meat, vegetables, rice, quail eggs, chicken eggs, and some canned food. After a quick scan to confirm they weren't poisoned, he immediately started cooking.
He first took out three small quail eggs, cracked them, and fried them in a pan, emitting an enticing aroma. He made three soft-boiled small round eggs, and also fried a box of luncheon meat from who knows where.
Finally, he made a plate of egg-fried rice, sprinkled with some diced cucumber, paired with the freshly fried quail eggs, bacon, and a large bottle of orange juice that had been frozen in the refrigerator at some unknown time. It was a perfect dinner.
He walked towards the living room, preparing to watch the TV news for a while as usual, eating his meal while watching, and then tomorrow he would go find someone to revive Shinobu. Hayato, at some point, followed behind him with light steps.
Just as Kira Yoshikage had his back to Hayato, and his attention momentarily slackened.
The shyness and obedience in Hayato's eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a nearly cold determination and a long-buried fear and anger.
He had suspected this "father" for a long time! Those strange actions, the disappearing women, and the occasionally revealed completely different aura... And now, the great Kishibe Rohan-sama, after a long period of enlightenment, finally made him understand.
This father was fake! His real father had long ago met a tragic end! His relationship with his mother was a false romance; he had controlled and deceived his mother! He only treated his mother and himself as tools!
Especially recently, all those terrible things that happened in Morioh pointed to this man who occupied his father's body!
If this continued, he and his mother would both be killed by this cruel man. He even suspected that his mother not returning was just an excuse, and that his mother had already been secretly killed by this cruel murderer.
He had been waiting, carefully hiding his suspicions, playing the harmless son, pretending to have been persecuted during this time, pretending to be overjoyed when his father returned, so that he would no longer be suspicious.
Everything was for this moment!
To protect Mom, to protect this crumbling "home," and to avenge his real father!