Inoue's hand holding the phone trembled twice.
No, it couldn't be, could it?
This couldn't just be a coincidence, could it?
Inoue's heart was suddenly gripped tightly by an invisible, large hand. Even though he only saw him briefly and didn't get a good look at the boy's face, still… it was strikingly similar!
Inoue lifted his head and looked at the young man again.
At that moment, Haruto put down his phone and walked forward, saying, "I have something to do later, Hiratsuka-sensei, let me wrap this up quickly."
This time, Inoue saw him clearly.
Especially after hearing his words, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, as this person was even considered taboo among the Abe Family's highest ranks!
Haruto stopped, his eyes focused on Inoue, and he asked, "Are you from the Abe Family?"
"Y-Yes, correct!"
Inoue stammered in response, then realized his mistake. He immediately stood upright, straightened his clothes, and in the next moment, took a step straight toward Haruto.
Just as Haruto was about to take action, Inoue suddenly dropped down from his chair and shouted:
"Sir, I was wrong!"
The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly grew strange.
Everyone stared at Inoue, who was acting respectfully, with looks of disbelief on their faces.
Especially the subordinates Inoue had brought along, as well as Haruno and the others, who felt as if they were in a dream.
Mitsuha couldn't help but comment, "Inoue-san, you're being far too humble!"
'What do you know! As the saying goes, you don't hit a smiling person; by taking the initiative to kneel, I might just get through this in one piece! Great people never care about the lives of those below them. This isn't about anything else,' Inoue thought inwardly.
Because he had spent time in the underworld, Inoue knew well that no being was more ruthless than a human.
Human hearts could be truly vile.
They could even force others to do vile things along with them. Therefore, Inoue had never placed too much importance on the Abe Family but rather focused on improving himself.
Inoue lifted his head and slapped himself hard.
Embarrassing?
Reputation was indeed important, but it wasn't worth risking one's life over.
After slapping himself, Inoue thought for a moment and then slapped himself on the other side of his face.
This time, even Hiratsuka couldn't help but comment, "This guy is really shameless."
But she had to admit, it was very effective.
Haruto ignored Inoue; he had already figured out what had happened before he arrived.
Originally, he could have solved it with just a phone call, but that would have left him owing a favor, and a favor is always the hardest debt to repay.
Haruto glanced around the conference room and said, "Anyone unrelated to this matter, please leave."
Seeing that his guards hadn't moved, Inoue grew furious: "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear what Lord Kuromori said? Get out of here!"
Guards: "😐"
A moment later, the conference room fell silent.
Haruto pulled up a chair and sat down, then said, "Inoue, please sit."
Inoue quickly shook his head. How could he dare sit at this moment?
Seeing this, Haruto didn't insist and simply said, "I'm not unreasonable. Tell me, you came to Chiba City and stirred up trouble here. What are you trying to accomplish?"
Inoue gave a faint smile and said, "Actually, this time it was Abe-sama who asked me to come here to seek out Kuromori-sama."
"Hm?"
Seeing the look he was getting, Inoue's heart raced, and he immediately explained the matter directly without wasting any time.
"Kuromori-sama, it's like this. Starting about a month ago, shrines in various locations began experiencing a decline in spiritual energy and a loss of faith."
"At first, it wasn't a big deal. After all, with the changing times, faith-based power has diminished considerably. However, recently a serious issue has emerged."
After saying this, Inoue glanced at Haruno and the others, who were all ears. He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Recently, gods have started disappearing. Therefore, the Abe Family suspects that someone is hunting gods."
"Additionally, some senior Onmyoji made predictions at the cost of their lives."
"The result they predicted was dire."
Inoue took a deep breath and spoke solemnly: "In the near future, a great catastrophe will occur. This catastrophe will affect the entire world. Therefore, Abe-sama suspects that this disaster is likely connected to the disappearance of gods, as investigations reveal that these incidents are occurring globally."
Haruto was silent for a moment and then said, "So, does the Abe Family want me to investigate this?"
Inoue whispered, "Abe-sama wanted to come in person, but the Abe Family said it was improper for him to enter here."
"That's not the issue." Haruto waved his hand and then said, "Alright, I understand the situation."
After a pause, he added, "Just tell him to maintain the status quo. I'll handle the rest."
"Yes!" Inoue replied, looking at him with admiration.
Haruto, without expression, said, "You're a smart man. You should be glad you didn't break the rules here. I'll leave this matter to the Yukinoshita Family. Now, you may leave."
"Yes! Goodbye, Kuromori-sama."
Inoue sighed in relief, then bowed respectfully, retreated step by step, and politely opened and closed the door.
"Yo~"
Hiratsuka patted Haruto on the shoulder and said with a grin, "Didn't expect it, did you? You're amazing."
Haruto replied bluntly, "I told you, leave it to me."
Unhappy, Hiratsuka clenched her fist and asked, "What did you just say? Also, did you really let him go? Without hitting him?"
Haruto looked up, "He's a clever guy. If the Yukinoshita Family goes into business in the future, things will go smoothly. Maybe ten years from now, they'll be a renowned, leading family."
"Is he that capable?" Hiratsuka asked, looking skeptical. "I can tell he's just weak, you're exaggerating!"
After all, they were talking about major wealthy families here!
Haruno gently pulled Hiratsuka over and said softly, "Shizuka, what Kuromori-kun said is true~"
There's an old saying that it's easy to avoid the King of Hell but hard to deal with his little devils.
So, although Inoue might seem insignificant to some, if the Yukinoshita Family takes this opportunity, this reward is enormous!
Haruno looked at Haruto with a bright smile, bowed slightly, and said gratefully, "Kuromori-kun, thank you for this time."
Haruto shook his head and replied, "This matter actually has something to do with me, so there's no need to mention it."
After speaking, he glanced at his hand.