Fujiwara Shunsui's thinking was simple: ever since Taro had been caught in that honey-trap, Shunsui had stumbled upon a so-called "divine skill"—Combat Mastery. He could still picture the way he'd flattened four guys in a matter of seconds; the memory was downright exhilarating.
So, based on that experience, Shunsui felt pretty confident about whatever might happen next.
If he remembered correctly, Japan's strict gun laws meant that, unless something extraordinary occurred, he could easily handle a dozen thugs.
Even if twenty-odd guys showed up, he had a big bald buddy to take the first wave.
And Shunsui's plan was straightforward: cut off the head and the body dies. Once he activated his skill, he'd spot the toughest fighter and take him down; the rest of the small fry could be mopped up by him and Taro without breaking a sweat.
system prompt
Nissho Taro felt a blazing fire ignite in his heart. Fighting side-by-side with Lord Shunsui always filled him with nostalgia; it was like seeing the old, high-spirited Fujiwara Shunsui again. Especially when Shunsui said, "We entrust our lives to one another," Taro's favorability toward him soared—Favorability Rating +3.
Nissho Taro Favorability Rating: 105/100
Seeing the long-absent system prompt, Fujiwara Shunsui couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
"Seriously, System-Dad? A measly 3-point rise and you call that 'soaring'?"
Still, it made sense—Taro's 'love' for him was already overflowing; a few more points hardly mattered.
What really pained him was the drop in Kojou Yuna's favorability. If only those three points could have gone to Yuna-chan instead…
"Stop fooling around—tell me exactly what arrangements you've made."
Kojou Yuna still didn't trust Shunsui's so-called plan. With her temperament, everything had to be locked down tight; anything less would be disrespect—to both the enemy and herself.
Shunsui stood up, walked over, and gazed at her intently.
Yuna reflexively pushed against his approaching chest and frowned. "What are you doing? Taro and Kiko are watching."
Shunsui didn't back off; instead he seized her arms firmly.
His eyes were bright and sincere.
"Look at me."
Giving her almost no room to resist, Shunsui spoke in a near-commanding tone.
The moment Yuna met his gaze she realized Shunsui-kun was staring straight at her, eyes brimming with aggression. The suddenness left her flustered.
Sure enough, when the brain stops thinking, it can only handle "single-line commands."
Like Shunsui's "Look at me!"—
No matter how awkward she felt, she obeyed.
"Trust me just this once, all right?"
They locked eyes; Shunsui didn't give her time to mull it over. Seeing no reaction from Yuna, he asked again,
"Just believe me this once, okay?"
"O… okay."
Whether she was intimidated by his forcefulness or truly decided to trust him, Yuna answered under that pressure.
Miya Harukiko watched from the side,
a faint pang of jealousy rising, but it quickly morphed into powerful admiration.
"Want something to eat to keep your strength up?"
Kiko-chan's idea was simple: if the guys might be heading into a fight, they'd need full stomachs—especially for something like this.
"Whatever Miss Kiko makes is fine—I'm starving!"
Before Shunsui could answer, Nissho Taro jumped in. Like Kiko, he believed you had to be in peak condition at crunch time.
Shunsui released Yuna's arms and murmured, "Don't worry—I won't let you get hurt this time."
"I'll have some too."
He hadn't been hungry, but once Taro mentioned food, Shunsui honestly scooped himself a portion.
Then he sat on the sofa and began his "deployment."
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["Aoi-chan, busy tonight?"]
Nakamura Aoi: ["What's up, Brother Shunsui—asking me on a date?"]
Shunsui was momentarily tongue-tied, but his fingers honestly kept typing.
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["Might need your help tonight!"]
Upstairs, Nakamura Aoi was gaming furiously, her mouse flying, when she felt her phone buzz and glanced down.
"Ugh, I'm dead again—don't revive me, something came up, I'm out!"
She let go of the mouse, picked up her phone, and replied.
Nakamura Aoi: ["No problem at all! Are you home? I'll come downstairs!"]
Seeing Aoi-chan's enthusiastic reply, Shunsui felt a flutter of delight; he hadn't expected modern teenage girls to be so direct.
While he was pondering how to answer her, the doorbell rang.
"Who's that, this late?"
"Don't tell me they're already here—bold enough to ring the bell?"
Yuna and Taro offered opposite guesses. Even Kiko in the kitchen paused, glanced toward the door, and hefted a nearby kitchen knife.
Taro advanced to the entrance, on full alert; Shunsui almost laughed at the sight.
Shunsui had already guessed who it was; he just hadn't figured out how to explain it to the others—dragging a teenage girl into this mess didn't feel exactly honorable.
He'd only wanted Aoi-chan to give them intel through the security cameras, but she'd gone straight for "door-to-door service."
Such an eager girl—who knows if the others could handle it; Shunsui himself was finding it a bit much.
"I'll get it."
He sighed, pulled Taro aside at the genkan, and opened the door.
Ding-dong!
Ding-dong!
The bell kept urging them on. Even though Lord Shunsui had patted his shoulder, Taro remained wired—no exaggeration to say he was on high alert.
Just then, Shunsui swung the door open!
"Brother Shunsui, you didn't reply so I came straight down to knock—you're really home!"
Before anyone could make out her silhouette, Nakamura Aoi's voice rang out.
Everyone had the same question: What's she doing here?
Even after Shunsui ushered her inside, the others kept shooting him sidelong glances.
"A-hem."
Shunsui coughed twice, trying to figure out how to explain, but Nakamura Aoi cut in again.
"So, Brother Shunsui, what exactly do you need my help with?"
Hearing this, Kojou Yuna in the distance shot Fujiwara Shunsui a sideways glare, as if saying,
This is what you called trusting you?
This is the arrangement you prepared in advance?
Before Shunsui could reply to Nakamura Aoi, he virtually slid to his knees in front of Kojou Yuna and began patiently explaining,
"Don't worry, Aoi-chan isn't part of my so-called plan. She just likes peeking and has access to every camera in the complex—didn't she already share the feeds to your phones? I only wanted her to stream the camera views to you tonight so you can watch from home."
Fujiwara Shunsui spilled every detail of his idea at once, terrified of missing a single word and causing another misunderstanding.
After hearing Shunsui-kun's explanation, the anger rising in Kojou Yuna faded away.
Seeing Yuna-chan's mood soften, Fujiwara Shunsui finally turned back and patiently explained the whole story to Nakamura Aoi.
"Really?"
"They're already coming to the door? Are hitmen this professional nowadays?"
"Should we prepare more stuff—gas masks, maybe? Should we call the cops to stake the place out?"
At that moment Nakamura Aoi turned into a living "hundred-thousand-whys" plus curiosity baby,
bombarding Fujiwara Shunsui nonstop with questions.
Me, head of Sankou-gumi in Shinjuku, Fujiwara Shunsui—calling the cops?
Give me a break. If this leaks, forget surviving in Shinjuku—even that punk Nagasawa Kawa at Higashikawa Club would spit on me when he sees me.
"Stop right there!"
Seeing Nakamura Aoi still had questions, Fujiwara Shunsui quickly cut her off and said,
"I texted you so you could hook into the complex's cameras. We don't know how many of them there are, so the three of you can tag suspicious people through the monitors first."
Hearing that, Nakamura Aoi perked up and jumped to her feet.
"No need for the hassle—I basically know everyone in this building. Just let me monitor upstairs; keep your phone line open, Yuna-nee. A big screen is way clearer than a phone."
"Most importantly—"
She paused here, looking a little shy, then blurted out,
"Most importantly, I'm good at recognizing faces."
Everyone had forgotten that Nakamura Aoi used to be a sprite hiding behind lenses—who knows how many juicy scenes she'd secretly recorded.
Once she put it like that, Shunsui realized she really was the best choice for the job.
"Settled, then!"
Shunsui was happy with Nakamura Aoi's suggestion, answered at once, and gestured for her to go ahead.
"So you're kicking me out already, Brother Shunsui?"
Nakamura Aoi looked at Fujiwara Shunsui pitifully; she really wanted to cozy up to him, but the timing sucked.
"We don't know when the enemy will show, so your intel is critical. The sixth floor is dangerous—stay home unless Yuna or Kiko contacts you. Don't open the door for anyone tonight."
Fujiwara Shunsui warned Nakamura Aoi again and again,
for despite her oddball brain, he still wanted the Little Girl safe.
The main battlefield would almost certainly be the sixth floor, with all the key characters there; as long as she kept quietly peeking, she'd be fine.
"Alright then~"
Seeing Fujiwara Shunsui so resolute, Nakamura Aoi could only agree and head for the door.
[system prompt]
Nakamura Aoi felt needed; the Host's home gave her a sense of family warmth, and she wanted to contribute. Favorability Rating +5
Nakamura Aoi Favorability Rating: 44/100
Fujiwara Shunsui watched Nakamura Aoi's back as the system notification flashed in his mind.
"Family warmth"? Hadn't Kiko and Yuna just hung out with her for a few days—how did they become family already?
Did the system even ask my opinion?
Being Nakamura Aoi's family is risky; I don't want another bounty on the Dark Web.
Of course, all that was Shunsui's inner drama—drama king that he was.
Shunsui turned back to everyone.
"All right, now we wait for them to come. Sit tight!"
Fujiwara Shunsui opened his [love rent collection system] and manually activated his exclusive skill [Insight: Eye of the Heart].
With this thing it was basically cheating; the only pity was he couldn't see his own stats, so he couldn't gauge other people's overall combat strength.
He clearly remembered Nissho Taro's [Combat Value: 45], while Kojou Yuna's was [15]—that had shocked him.
He also recalled the male doctor riding with them back then had only [Combat Value: 11]; no wonder Kojou Yuna, a Syndicate woman, was stronger than most men.
Her Combat Value was indeed a cut above ordinary guys.
Just then Shunsui thought of something and secretly focused on Miyaharuni Kiko busy in the kitchen.
[Miyaharuni Kiko]
[Combat Value: 2]
[Favorability Rating: 95]
[Charm Value: 7]
As expected,
the contrast was stark: Yuna-chan's [Charm Value] was also 7, yet her Combat Value was leagues ahead—truly a "can't-catch-a-chicken" beauty.
Oh, she can catch a chicken—I forgot.
Shunsui lowered his head, picturing a rather incongruous scene.
Then he groaned: the system had popped up too suddenly; otherwise he could've used old-school methods to boost his favorability with Kiko-chan to 100 and maybe scored bonus rewards.
But time had run out.
Right then, Kojou Yuna helping in the kitchen got a call from Nakamura Aoi.
"Hello hello, can you hear me?"
Honestly, Fujiwara Shunsui could hear her even from across the room, let alone Yuna-chan on speaker.
"Loud and clear, Aoi-chan."
Kojou Yuna replied gently.
"Great! I'm now real-time monitoring all six cameras! I'll report any suspicious person to you at once!"
"Keep the line open~"
Nakamura Aoi's voice sounded extra cute. Kojou Yuna set the phone on the living-room coffee table,
so everyone could hear Aoi's updates instantly.