"One, two, three, fall!"
The young man finished the countdown and looked at a few people casually.
A second passed, then two.
Why hadn't the others fallen?
He glanced at the approaching people, his expression changing slightly as he murmured, "Could it be a blank round? I didn't load the tranquilizer dart."
Thinking this, the young man regained his confidence.
"So, it was a blank round. No wonder you didn't fall to the ground."
As he spoke, he pointed the gun at his own hand and pulled the trigger. "If you thought you could scare me, well, I—"
*WHOOSH*
The young man's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at his hand and saw the tranquilizer dart embedded there.
Wait, wasn't this supposed to be a blank?
Hiratsuka couldn't help but complain, "Is this guy an idiot?"
Haruto agreed, "Foolish."
Thinking it was a blank and deciding to try it on himself—whatever his mindset, it was incredibly foolish!
It's like someone who doesn't believe a bus pole will catch his hand or that he can remove a lightbulb after putting it in his mouth, so he just has to try.
No doubt, there are fools in this world.
Some people even believe that after trying it once, they'll manage to get it out and try again!
Once, when Haruto went to a supermarket, he encountered a red-haired girl who literally put a lightbulb in her mouth in public.
When a man helped solve the issue, she still looked upset, wearing an expression of disbelief.
Whether or not the red-haired girl was convinced, Haruto certainly was.
Elsewhere…
In a conference room, Haruno and two important members of the Yukinoshita family faced a group of others.
Haruno looked at the man across from her with cold and disgusted eyes. "Inoue-sama, we will not agree to your terms. Please leave immediately!"
"Oh?"
Inoue raised an eyebrow, gently swirling the wine glass in his hand, and looked amused. "Haruno-san, are you saying our relationship has soured?"
As a henchman of the Abe family, yes, he was one, and he admitted it.
But so what?
In the Abe family, he was an underling, but who would dare call him that outside?
Once, he had dreamed and aspired to something better.
However, harsh reality made him choose this path, and it turned out he was right. He now lived a well-nourished life, without repeating the same routine at the club every day.
Life was better than 99% of the world.
Even if someone pointed at him and called him a dog, he wouldn't mind.
Because he drank top-class wine while watching others fall.
That's right.
He could lose face, but others couldn't afford to offend him.
Due to his pride being trampled harshly, he cared deeply about matters of respect.
Certainly, he wouldn't play around in this way. After all, this was Chiba City territory.
However, he discovered a small spiritual vein underground beneath the Yukinoshita family's villa.
Though tiny, it depended on the person. For the Abe family, it might be insignificant, but it held value for him and some other minor onmyoji families.
He had reached the pinnacle of life in the eyes of ordinary people, yet he wasn't satisfied, and he now sought something more.
To become a powerful onmyoji.
Inoue lit a cigarette, exhaled slowly, and spoke calmly, "Haruno-san, I came to Chiba City for something very important, and I don't want to waste much time on you."
"Five million. You move, and that's the end."
"Furthermore…"
Inoue touched the strange dark ring on his finger and spoke softly, "I don't want to resort to special means. You know the consequences."
He didn't dare offend certain people, so he could have taken it by force but instead offered her some money.
Indeed, five million wasn't much, and the Yukinoshita villa was even less significant.
But allowing them to earn a little was surely a great honor for the Yukinoshita family, right?
Haruno's gaze fell on Inoue's ring, her face paling slightly as she unconsciously grasped the sofa.
Because what was within the ring had left many in comas, and even hospitals couldn't diagnose it.
If this continued, would her mother…
Haruno paused for a moment. They'd discussed this issue several times, but unfortunately, the outcome remained the same.
But she couldn't delay any longer.
Haruno sighed inwardly, lowered her head, and said, "I understand, Inoue-sama. Please sign the contract."
*BANG*
Just then, a guard knocked on the conference room door. The guard also fell to the ground, unable to rise.
The scene immediately shocked everyone.
"Haruno, I'm here!"
Under everyone's gaze, Hiratsuka stepped in.
"Shizuka."
Haruno came to her senses, stood up, and exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you here?"
Did Hiratsuka call?
Thinking this, Haruno's vision darkened.
Inoue frowned, intending to order someone to throw them out, but he suddenly noticed a young man looking at his phone behind the fierce woman.
Why did he look familiar?
As he looked at the guard and was about to act, Inoue suddenly shouted, "Wait a moment!"
Then, under everyone's gaze, Inoue pulled out his phone, raised it, and aimed it at himself.
*CLICK*
A camera click sounded.
Ignoring the strange looks, he didn't enjoy taking selfies but wanted to log into an onmyoji app. He'd reached his current status not only due to luck but also because he was cautious and constantly reminded himself to stay humble.
After all, what if he offended someone he couldn't afford to?
His good days might disappear, and his future might be ruined!
Inoue wasted no time, quickly finding the post he'd saved and pinned at the top—[The Top Ten Beings Not to Mess With: Be Cautious!].
Upon opening it, Inoue's gaze landed on the character information listed above.
—
[Name: Kuromori Haruto]
[Age: 17(?)]
[Identity: High school student (?)]
[Address: ** (undisclosed)]
[Likes: ??? (Recent observations suggest a strong interest in the opposite sex. For relationship building, a cute, naive girl is recommended. Additionally, the Miyamizu family is heavily cursed here, ***)]
[Introduction: The mysterious boy who solved the Lost Space Ichinose incident a year ago, suspected to be the terminator of the "Sky Rift" incident in Chiba City ten years ago]
[Power: ???]
[Danger Level: ???]
—
And then there was a very clear picture.
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