After Kinoshita Hisashi finished sending the message, all they had to do was wait.
Harumizu turned around and spoke to Kojou Yuna and Miya Harukiko behind him.
"You two go home first. I'll handle whatever comes next."
Kinoshita Hisashi hesitated as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he lacked the courage to speak up.
"Is that all?"
Miya Harukiko truly wanted to help Fujiwara Shunsui.
Ever since the last incident, she had been desperate to prove her worth in this household.
Especially after many conversations with Sister Yuna,
she increasingly felt that Fujiwara Shunsui had no shortage of women like her around him.
She didn't understand why Shunsui-kun had chosen her among so many others.
Therefore,
the more she felt this way, the more she wanted to prove herself, even if it was just by providing a good meal.
Harumizu sat with his legs crossed, looking at Kinoshita Hisashi. This time, he didn't turn back, simply waving his hand.
"Just go home and rest. Make sure to protect yourselves. Remember what we did just now; unless it's Taro knocking, don't open the door for anyone."
To be honest, Harumizu still didn't quite trust Kinoshita Hisashi.
He was afraid the man might secretly use some kind of signal,
but judging by the behavior of the others,
Kinoshita Hisashi probably wasn't lying to him.
Harumizu checked the time on his phone and asked Kinoshita Hisashi with some confusion, "Has the other party not replied yet?"
Reasonably speaking,
the other party should be monitoring the latest developments of such an operation at all times.
However, five minutes had passed without a reply, leaving Harumizu wondering what was going on.
"Not yet, Shunsui-kun. Please be patient."
Kinoshita Hisashi was also very nervous. He was terrified that the other party's silence might make Fujiwara Shunsui change his mind.
Of course,
what he feared most was losing his usefulness.
After all, betraying a client was never a good thing for anyone.
If Shunsui-kun went back on his word, he would have to silently bear the consequences.
Since he had already offended one side,
he could only swallow his grievances and move on.
*Buzz buzz~*
Kinoshita Hisashi's phone on the table vibrated twice.
A flash of joy immediately crossed his eyes. He hurriedly picked up the phone, unlocked the screen, and said excitedly to Fujiwara Shunsui:
"They replied, Shunsui-kun! The other party replied!"
Kinoshita Hisashi merely helped unlock the phone before handing it over to Fujiwara Shunsui.
[No resistance encountered?]
Clearly,
the other party seemed to know something, but not much.
Harumizu didn't hesitate and typed the response himself.
[Opened the door quietly. Target was fast asleep. Handled with one injection.]
To be honest,
this reply was concise and to the point. If the other party didn't believe it, Fujiwara Shunsui would be out of options. After all, "sedatives" were a staple of kidnappings, and clearly, this group had come prepared.
[Make sure to protect Miya Harukiko. Don't let her get hurt. I will notify you of the trade location at midnight tonight.]
Okay, mission accomplished!
Seeing the reply, Fujiwara Shunsui felt that a major ordeal was finally coming to an end. All he had to do now was wait for the other party to initiate contact.
He then handed the phone back.
"Hisashi-kun, it seems you won't be able to leave for a while. The trade isn't until midnight. Can your brothers handle the boredom?"
Kinoshita Hisashi looked at the message on his phone, feeling somewhat helpless.
However, he fully understood Fujiwara Shunsui's concern.
What if—
he was just thinking 'what if'—
one of them accidentally leaked what happened here to someone else after leaving the room? That was completely beyond his control and might even lead to them screwing over Fujiwara Shunsui.
So he nodded silently.
Seeing that Kinoshita Hisashi had no objections, Harumizu asked the people behind him:
"Does anyone have an objection?"
Once they realized the man sitting before them was a famous big shot from the Sankou-gumi, they lost all their temper, and even their anger vanished.
So when they heard Fujiwara Shunsui's question,
their heads shook frantically like rattle-drums.
Sometimes, the rules of the world were just that simple.
The strong own everything.
"Then go bring the people in the hallway inside to rest."
Nissho Taro was standing behind Fujiwara Shunsui. Hearing Lord Harumizu say this,
he muttered to himself: 'I'm glad you finally remembered there's a whole bunch of people lying scattered outside.'
The men behind Kinoshita Hisashi hesitated upon hearing Fujiwara Shunsui's words.
After all, in times like this, they only took orders from one person,
and that was Kinoshita Hisashi.
Seeing no reaction from Kinoshita Hisashi's men,
Harumizu spoke to Kinoshita again:
"It seems your subordinates have a major problem with me."
Clearly,
Kinoshita Hisashi was the one who was more anxious.
"What are you standing there for? Do whatever Shunsui-kun tells you to do!"
Kinoshita Hisashi felt a bit dazed as he turned to scold them. After this,
would his position as boss still be secure? Would everyone understand his compromise this time?
Thinking of this,
a hint of sadness rose in Kinoshita Hisashi's heart.
He had intended to carve out a new world for himself,
but how could he have run into a max-level boss right after leaving the starter village?
What kind of matchmaking system is this?!
System, I want to restart!!!
With that,
the few men behind Kinoshita Hisashi began jogging toward the door.
Even Kinoshita Hisashi got up to help.
Seeing everyone's expressions, Harumizu didn't forget to add a final word:
"I hope no one gets the idea to run off. It's very easy for the Sankou-gumi to find someone, not to mention Hisashi-kun is still here. Since everyone has chosen to trust me, then just cooperate quietly."
Harumizu was someone who craved peaceful negotiations most of all.
When he went to the Higashikawa Club, he had also gone with peaceful intentions.
As the saying goes, 'to subdue the enemy without fighting'—that was probably it!
That was exactly what Fujiwara Shunsui was thinking.
A moment later,
the room was packed with people, including two "unscathed" individuals.
These two new guests were the ones who had been occupying the elevator room, and they had been called back now.
Listening to the rising and falling groans of pain in the room,
Harumizu spoke: "If you're hungry, I can order takeout for everyone. I'm truly sorry about what happened tonight."
If it weren't for the fact that the people on the floor could still open their eyes,
they wouldn't have believed that this was the same man who had just single-handedly beaten them.
If someone didn't know better, they'd think you, Fujiwara Shunsui, were some charitable monk from a temple.
It was one thing to spout high-minded principles,
but he was actually going to be charitable.
Kinoshita Hisashi looked at the men behind him.
They had indeed planned to go out for a few drinks after quickly finishing this job.
He looked at his brothers lying on the floor again.
They could only be sent to the hospital later. However, looking at them now, it seemed Fujiwara Shunsui had held back.
Although some looked like a "bloody mess," there were no life-threatening injuries.
The rest likely just had broken bones.
At this moment,
everyone else in the room felt lucky—lucky that they weren't the ones who had first encountered this jinx, Fujiwara Shunsui.
Seeing his currently smiling and easygoing face,
it was truly hard to imagine how ferociously he had beaten people into this state... *Buzz buzz~*
Kinoshita Hisashi's phone vibrated again. He picked it up and found another text from the other party.
[Original time canceled. In half an hour, come to the public parking lot next to Central Road for the trade. Don't bring anyone else. Just you and one car.]
Fujiwara Shunsui took the phone, read the text, and then pulled out his own phone.
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["Half an hour from now, Central Road public parking lot. Have the Syndicate people get ready."]
Kojou Yuna: ["Understood."]
This was the daily dialogue between Fujiwara Shunsui and Kojou Yuna.
That's why Fujiwara Shunsui's previous strange behavior and messy emoticons had made Kojou Yuna suspicious.
Fujiwara Shunsui had just stood up, preparing to give Taro and Kinoshita Hisashi some instructions,
but Kinoshita Hisashi's phone vibrated once more.
*Buzz buzz~*
[I need to confirm the target is in the car. Update me in real-time every 5 minutes.]
"What's wrong?"
Fujiwara Shunsui saw Kinoshita Hisashi's expression and asked.
Then he looked at the phone being handed over.
"Has the other party seen you before?"
Kinoshita Hisashi looked at Fujiwara Shunsui with utter bewilderment, as if he'd just heard something absurd. He then slowly pulled his hood over his head.
"Shunsui-kun, do you really think anyone would recognize me like this?"
Looking at the man's bright eyes, Harumizu felt like an idiot.
Besides, their line of work was naturally very secretive.
Not every client would be like him, practically demanding to know the color of someone's underwear.
"Alright then, I'll have to keep your phone for the time being."
Harumizu snatched Kinoshita Hisashi's phone, leaving a speechless look on Kinoshita's face.
"Wait for Taro's call. Once I've handled things, you can leave."
Fujiwara Shunsui signaled for Taro to leave his phone number.
"What is it now?"
Seeing Kinoshita Hisashi's constipated expression, Harumizu finally asked with some impatience.
"The only phone we have is the one in your hand."
At this moment, Fujiwara Shunsui felt that this kid, Kinoshita Hisashi, was truly a talent.
He didn't expect them to be so thorough with security for an operation like this.
They had actually done it quite well.
For the first time, he began to appreciate Kinoshita Hisashi's style of doing things from the bottom of his heart.
For his brothers, he was willing to bow his head and assess the situation;
For the client, he was willing to think and prepare thoroughly.
The only shame was that a normal player had run into a cheater like him.
If not for the system's boost,
with this kind of formation and pre-match preparation,
it was a certainty that Nissho Taro would have suffered a loss.
"Give him your phone."
Fujiwara Shunsui signaled Taro.
"Tell me your password."
"0811."
Kinoshita Hisashi answered while taking the phone Fujiwara Shunsui handed him.
"I'll call you then, and you can leave. As for your phone, you can wait for me to get home and give it back to you."
"Fine!"
Kinoshita Hisashi was very cooperative. He was finally going to say goodbye to this jinx.
It truly felt like anyone who met him was cursed.
Fujiwara Shunsui led Taro out the door.
With a *bang*,
the door was closed.
The moment Taro closed the door, he couldn't hold back his curiosity.
"Are we really going to let them go? Aren't we losing out too much?"
"How are we losing out?"
Hearing Fujiwara Shunsui's counter-question, Taro rubbed his bald head. It did seem to be the case.
So many of them came looking for trouble, and so many of them ended up down.
Instead, Lord Harumizu was still alive and kicking in front of him.
Sigh, how frustrating!
He didn't even get a single chance to show off.
"Then do we really not need to keep an eye on them?"
Hearing Nissho Taro's question,
he fell back into deep thought.
Although the matter seemed to be resolved,
if he took Miya Harukiko and Nissho Taro and just left,
what if Kinoshita Hisashi had a sudden change of heart
and pulled a fast one on Fujiwara Shunsui by kidnapping Kojou Yuna?
Even though Kojou Yuna had something to protect herself now,
she couldn't withstand their numbers.
What if Yuna-chan was caught because she was too soft-hearted?
Who could he complain to then?
So, Fujiwara Shunsui had an idea.
"Later, I'll be in one car with Kiko-chan, and you'll be in another with Yuna-chan. We're all going. I want to see exactly who this other party is."
After returning next door,
Kojou Yuna was on the phone,
clearly arranging some matters.
When Harumizu came in, she immediately wrapped things up and looked at him.
Fujiwara Shunsui then proceeded to lay out his entire plan in front of everyone.
...
"No way!"
The first to jump out in opposition was Kojou Yuna. Since the group that came to kidnap them had guns, there was no way to be sure if the person they were meeting would have them too.
If they did, it would mean their lives were in danger.
"What? I'm the target?"
The next person to be dazed was Miya Harukiko.
It was only just now
that she realized all those thugs had come for her. Before, she had thought they were all there for revenge against Shunsui-kun.
"Am I really the target?"
Miya Harukiko asked again, as if wanting to be sure.
Harumizu didn't notice Miya Harukiko's mood and said somewhat nonchalantly:
"Don't worry, Kiko-chan. I will definitely protect you."
Hearing Harumizu say this, Kiko-chan felt a bit downcast, but she still held back Sister Yuna, who wanted to keep speaking.
"I'm not worried about that. I'll cooperate!"
Looking at Miya Harukiko, who was holding her back, Kojou Yuna also knew that once the two of them had decided on something, she wouldn't be able to change it.
"We're leaving now."
Walking to the door of 603,
Fujiwara Shunsui knocked and got a car key.
Then he went down to the underground garage and prepared to drive away.
Just then,
Fujiwara Shunsui's phone rang.
*Ding—*
Nakamura Aoi: [Brother Shunsui, where are you guys going?]
Looking at the text on his phone, Fujiwara Shunsui thought: 'How could I have forgotten about this?'
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["We have some things to handle, so we're all heading out. By the way, there's something I need to trouble you with."]
Nakamura Aoi: ["It's no trouble, just say it!"]
Fujiwara Shunsui: ["Help me keep an eye on the surveillance. If those people try to leave, you must call and let me know!"]
Nakamura Aoi: ["Mission guaranteed! ∠(°ゝ°)"]
Looking at the emoticon Nakamura Aoi sent,
and looking at Miya Harukiko lying in the back seat,
he turned back and said:
"Don't worry, Kiko. You're one of the people I care about most. I won't let you get hurt! Don't be nervous. When the time comes, just stay in the car and don't come out!"