Chapter 90: Taijutsu Training with Drunk Haruno
Hearing this, Haruno froze for a moment, then shook her head with a dumbfounded smile. She took out two hundred-yen bills from her bag and placed them in Yoru's hand.
"Since I was late, consider it reimbursement, okay?"
"Eh, what do you mean by this?"
Yoru looked righteous.
"Soda water is 160 yen. You give me 200; what are your intentions?"
Haruno smiled helplessly.
"Consider it compensation for accompanying me to drink a bit more and chat for a while?"
Yoru rolled his eyes.
"Then it's 40 yen?"
Haruno was used to his speaking style now and retorted without showing weakness.
"Forty is pretty good. After all, I'm the liaison between Party A and you. Letting you accompany me to drink and chat can be considered a kickback."
"True, you have a point."
Listening to the conversation between Yoru and Haruno, Kawasaki Saki, who was wiping glasses with her back to them, couldn't help but feel curious.
What is the relationship between these two?
Kawasaki Saki didn't eavesdrop intentionally, but being so close, she inevitably heard some content of the conversation, including the name "Yukinoshita."
This surname was very rare.
Kawasaki Saki immediately remembered that there seemed to be a classmate named Yukinoshita Yukino in her class.
She said "seemed" because she didn't remember many people's names.
The reason she had an impression of the name Yukinoshita Yukino was simple.
This name sounded very nice.
Once heard, it was hard to forget.
What is the relationship between this beautiful woman, who looks like a university student and exudes a mature temperament, and Yukinoshita Yukino?
Or rather, more importantly...
What is her relationship with Yoru?
Meeting alone in a bar with such an ambiguous atmosphere and saying they are just ordinary friends...
Who would believe that?
Kawasaki Saki wasn't a person curious about others' private affairs.
But Yoru was an exception.
For some reason, ever since her sister Kawasaki Keika accidentally bumped into him on the street last time, she would ask about Yoru from time to time.
Kawasaki Saki was very helpless about this.
How would she know anything about Yoru? They hadn't even spoken in school.
What Kawasaki Saki knew about Yoru was only those bad deeds like bringing a gun to school, threatening girls, being arrogant and domineering, and fighting openly.
She didn't plan to tell her sister these things.
After all, Kawasaki Saki's own image in the eyes of other students wasn't good either.
She knew too well that so-called rumors had no credibility at all.
Kawasaki Saki just didn't understand why her sister, having met Yoru only once, pestered her with questions about him.
Because he is handsome?
Probably so.
.....
Two hours later.
"Ugh..."
Haruno downed the Tequila in her glass in one gulp. Her face was flushed with drunkenness, her eyes blurry, mist swirling in them.
"Another glass."
"That's enough."
Yoru put down the glass in his hand.
"You drank too much."
"I... I can still continue."
Looking at Haruno who couldn't even straighten her tongue when speaking, Yoru didn't expect things to develop to this point either.
At first, the two were just chatting casually.
Unexpectedly, as they chatted, the topic shifted to family matters.
Of course, chatting meant Haruno talking and Yoru listening.
After all, he had no family.
For some reason, Haruno, who could always be described as cautious in speech and action and good at dealing with various social occasions, suddenly started to speak freely when chatting with him.
From the expectations and pressure she bore since childhood, her mother's teachings, the heavy weight of the Yukinoshita surname, and most importantly.
The complex feelings towards her sister Yukino, mixed with care, love, jealousy, and envy.
Almost talked about everything.
Yoru could roughly guess why Haruno said these things.
The environment she grew up in since childhood could be called high-pressure.
When everyone around you holds extremely high expectations for you, this expectation is no longer simple expectation but an invisible shackle binding you.
Haruno was a genius in the truest sense.
And she had no second choice but to become a genius.
As for why the person she communicated these contents with was him...
Probably because Haruno couldn't find a second person to communicate with.
Yoru had no relationship with the Yukinoshita family, nor with the Yukinoshita sisters' father, a Chiba Prefectural Assembly member.
Agreeing to fight on behalf of the Yukinoshita Construction Company was less for the reward and more because of the favor exchange with Haruno.
Perhaps like Sakurajima Mai.
Haruno only knew Yoru as someone who treated her as "Haruno" rather than the "Eldest Daughter of Yukinoshita."
Therefore.
Speaking freely.
But the problem is, while speaking, why drink glass after glass?
With his current physical fitness, even high-alcohol liquor tasted no different from plain water.
Honestly, seeing Haruno's posture at the beginning really bluffed Yoru.
Turns out after all that.
You can't hold your liquor either.
"Alright, I'll take you back."
After paying the bill, Yoru looked at Haruno who couldn't even stand up, shook his head helplessly, and reached out to support her.
Haruno leaned directly into his arms as if her legs had lost strength from drinking.
"You really let the alcohol take over."
Yoru helped Haruno out of the bar, arrived at the elevator entrance on this floor, and shook her.
"Hey, where do you live? How do I send you back?"
Haruno didn't reply. She just fumbled in her bag for a long time, pinched a room card with two slender white fingers, and waved it in front of his eyes.
"Hiss..."
Yoru took the room card, an ominous premonition arising in his heart.
Why does this plot development feel a bit familiar?
Could it be? Don't tell me? Is it possible?
....
After sending Yukinoshita Haruno into the hotel room, Yoru looked around.
Mmhmm, very nice, very exquisite suite. Makes my two heads spin.
However...
Yoru looked down at the unconscious Haruno.
He didn't have a habit of "picking up corpses" (taking advantage of drunk women).
He helped Haruno to the bedside and threw her directly onto the bed with an extremely rough movement.
As for washing her face, taking off shoes, covering with a quilt?
You gotta be kidding, bro.
Sending her back is already benevolent enough.
Just as Yoru was about to turn and leave, Haruno, who seemed to have drunk herself unconscious, suddenly propped herself up.
Immediately after, she made a surprising move.
Yukinoshita Haruno's two white arms wrapped around Yoru's neck. Her eyes misted with drunkenness, her lips gently pressed against his ear. In that extremely seductive yet slightly coy contrasting tone, she whispered.
"Tonight... can you stay with me a bit longer?"
Yoru frowned, thinking that he originally planned to go to the Otherworld tonight to devour evil spirits after a long absence.
This is truly a dilemma...
No, it's not difficult.
The Otherworld can be visited anytime.
In this situation, how can I not charge?
Yoru turned the tables directly, pressing Haruno onto the soft bed.
Haruno smiled, crossing her two long beautiful legs and kicking off her shoes.
Immediately after, her legs clad in slim-fit suit trousers rubbed gently against Yoru's side. She stuck out her pink tongue and licked Yoru's face like a cat, whispering unabashedly.
"Turn off the lights."
With the press of the switch, the hotel room fell into darkness.
Only the hazy moonlight illuminated two figures overlapping.
Haruno bit her pink lower lip lightly, letting out a suppressed cry of pain.
....
A night of Taijutsu training.
Calling it Taijutsu training wasn't an exaggeration at all.
In this kind of sport, what was tested wasn't just stamina but also explosive power and mental stability.
When Haruno woke up from her sleep, the first thing she saw was a ray of sunlight piercing through the gap in the curtains.
And Yoru sitting on a chair under the sunlight, watching the news broadcast on TV.
Drinking too much last night made Haruno feel her reaction time was slowed by half a beat.
It wasn't until a few seconds later that she realized her current situation.
Heart stopped beating.
Seeing Yoru didn't seem to notice her, Haruno hurriedly closed her eyes, pretending to continue sleeping.
She felt her body was very tired.
Haruno remembered clearly what happened after Yoru sent her back to the room last night.
Drunken promiscuity and waking up with amnesia were just excuses.
If she really drank to the point of losing memory and blacking out, it would be impossible to have the energy to do that.
Haruno remembered every detail clearly.
She even remembered clearly which positions were used.
Seems...
Used a lot.
Haruno's pretty face flushed red with shame. She tried hard to maintain even breathing, pretending to be still asleep, but her brain was spinning constantly.
What to do?
Haruno wasn't a shy little girl.
What's done is done, and she initiated it, so she didn't regret it.
Just next... how to face it?
The news broadcast sound from the TV entered Haruno's ears.
"Regarding yesterday's intrusion into the Kyoto City Museum, the police officially announced this morning that all exhibits in the museum, including the famous sword Onimaru Kunitsuna, are confirmed to be undamaged and not lost."
"This fortune amidst misfortune once again demonstrated the ability of the Kyoto Metropolitan Police and the on-site commander Soichiro Yagami to handle sudden criminal incidents quickly and their calmness in the face of danger."
.....
Meanwhile, inside the Police Department.
Watching the broadcast content on TV, Soichiro Yagami, who hadn't slept all night, looked tired and complicated.
Just as "Mask" said.
In the official announcement, Onimaru Kunitsuna wasn't stolen.
Although Soichiro Yagami didn't know if he should do this, he had no other choice.
When the person in charge of the Kyoto City Museum rushed to the scene and saw the empty vault, his face changed instantly.
With years of criminal investigation experience, Soichiro Yagami naturally could tell.
"Mask" indeed took the genuine Onimaru Kunitsuna.
The person in charge of the Kyoto City Museum guarded even against their police, but eventually lost this handed-down famous sword.
However, what happened next was completely unexpected for Soichiro Yagami.
Although the museum person in charge, the police superiors, and even the high-level officials of Kyoto didn't say it explicitly, they all expressed the same hint.
"Onimaru Kunitsuna has no practical value, just a souvenir for spiritual sustenance. Since the genuine one is gone, then the seamless replica placed in the display case is the genuine one."
Soichiro Yagami thought of these words and the five-word instruction given to him by his superiors.
"Consider the big picture."
He had no choice but to play dumb while knowing the truth.
At the same time, Soichiro Yagami felt a sense of relief in his heart.
He felt that the decision to assist "Mask" might have been correct.
Onimaru Kunitsuna chose the opponent as its master.
Perhaps only in the opponent's hands could this handed-down famous sword display its true value.
Instead of becoming a so-called spiritual sustenance, an ordinary cold weapon that could be replaced at any time.
Soichiro Yagami was thinking about Onimaru Kunitsuna.
But deep down, he knew.
His situation was the same.
....
The one watching this news broadcast wasn't just in Kyoto City.
Ukiyoe Town, inside a complex of ancient wooden houses.
"Phew..."
A short, withered old man watched the broadcast content on TV and took a sip from a steaming teacup.
His body was no different from a normal human.
But the back of his head was extremely long, looking a bit comical.
This old man was named Nurarihyon (from Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan).
Despite his appearance, he was the Commander of Yokai.
The leader of all yokai recorded in the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, the Slippery Gourd (Nurarihyon), was him.
Although being a yokai, Nurarihyon realized hundreds of years ago.
With the development and progress of humanity, there would be no place for yokai in the future world.
For this reason, he founded the Nura Clan single-handedly, aiming to concentrate the power of yokai to protect the continuation of the yokai race.
"Kyoto..."
Standing behind Nurarihyon was a tall man with half of his long hair covering his face, looking somewhat terrifying.
The man asked respectfully.
"What should we do?"
Nurarihyon looked at the news report on TV, a look of worry flashing across his old face.
"Those who risk so much to steal Onimaru Kunitsuna are either money-grubbing madmen or exorcists who know the value of this sword."
"Since the police announcement didn't say the criminal was killed or arrested, it proves it's the second type."
"I guess Onimaru Kunitsuna has been stolen, just concealed by Kyoto."
After all, Nurarihyon was a Great Yokai who had lived for hundreds of years. Just based on a few words from the news broadcast, he roughly guessed the truth of the matter.
He was just puzzled.
In this day and age, there was still such a powerful exorcist who couldn't be stopped even by heavy police encirclement?
"Gyuki."
"Here."
Nurarihyon stood up, his eyes flashing with fierce light completely incompatible with his old appearance.
"Gather manpower, prepare to depart for Kyoto."
"Yes, Supreme Commander."
Gyuki didn't ask a single extra question.
He was absolutely loyal to Nurarihyon, the Commander of Yokai who founded the Nura Clan.
Exorcist?
Hundreds of years ago, in that era when monsters ran rampant, Nurarihyon could carve out a bloody path alone, integrate all yokai, and create the Nura Clan.
Although it was now an era where yokai needed to hide their tracks, correspondingly, capable exorcists had become increasingly rare.
The Supreme Commander couldn't possibly lose.
....
Meanwhile, inside the hotel room.
Yukinoshita Haruno finally prepared herself mentally.
"Good morning."
As soon as she spoke, she found her throat sore and hoarse.
After all, she shouted for so long last night.
"Up?"
Hearing Haruno's voice, Yoru stood up and smiled.
"Since you're up, I'll leave first."
"Um, wait a minute."
Seeing Yoru really intended to leave just like that, Haruno spoke hurriedly.
"What happened last night... was just an accident. There were no emotional factors involved. Don't have any psychological burden."
"Psychological burden?"
Yoru spread his hands and said nonchalantly.
"If you say so, then so be it. No rebuttal."
For some reason, seeing him so calm and composed, as if he had experienced hundreds of battles, Haruno felt unconvinced inside and couldn't help but snort lightly.
"I am a mature university student. Last night's plan was just to vent accumulated stress. I just hope you aren't too innocent about it."
"Is that so?"
Yoru smiled noncommittally.
"You mean, it wasn't your first time?"
Haruno's pretty face blushed slightly upon hearing this, but she maintained a calm tone.
"Of course not."
"Who are you fooling?"
Yoru walked to the end of the bed and sat down, looking at Haruno with a half-smile.
"Judging from your unskilled movements, it's obvious you had no previous experience. Besides, there is decisive evidence."
Hearing this, although Haruno felt unconvinced, she was also very curious.
"What decisive evidence?"
"This."
Yoru picked up two pieces of underwear from the floor that made Haruno blush instantly, one in each hand, swinging them like yo-yos.
The bottom piece was made of black silk.
The top piece was black lace.
Although the colors were the same, the styles were obviously different.
"There is only one truth."
Yoru quoted the classic saying of the elementary school grim reaper (Conan) and analyzed matter-of-factly.
"If you had planned this long ago, you would definitely have worn a matching set of underwear."
Irrefutable evidence.
Suspect Yukinoshita Haruno couldn't refute. She could only blush, snatch the underwear from Yoru's hand, grit her silver teeth, and say resentfully.
"You... you..."
"Anxious, anxious."
Watching Yoru still wearing a frivolous smile, Haruno felt a nameless fire rise. After suppressing it with difficulty, she said.
"Turn around, I'm going to take a shower."
"Tch, I've seen everything there is to see and not to see. Why bother?"
Although he said that, Yoru turned around.
Haruno jumped off the bed with an extremely quick movement and rushed into the bathroom.
Looking at herself in the mirror with messy hair and a slight flush on her face, she couldn't help but sigh.
Herself last night.
Really unlike her usual self.
Wait a minute.
Haruno looked down at her underwear and suddenly thought of a detail.
Last night, Yoru seemed to...
Unclasp my bra with one hand?