Exposure

After saying goodbye to Chairman Sakayanagi and his daughter, Rinya checked the time. It seemed much earlier than he'd expected.

Since his next appointment was with Matsushita Chiaki, he thought of how she'd always arrived early to wait for him. Now that he had some free time, he didn't mind waiting for her early for once.

When he reached the familiar entrance to the love hotel, Rinya was just about to step inside when he spotted a slender man sitting with the girl he'd been waiting for. He couldn't help feeling a little puzzled.

"Heh. Interesting."

After a brief silence, Rinya smiled faintly, as if he'd suddenly understood something, then walked straight in without hesitation.

He made sure the other two didn't see him. Instead, he sat down at a table on the other side and quietly listened in.

"Junior, you'd better think carefully before you answer." The slender man produced a surveillance photo and looked at her with a mocking glint in his eyes.

Matsushita Chiaki stared at the photo of herself heading toward the gym. Though she was surprised to learn there'd been a camera at that corner, she understood how serious the situation was and kept up her playful act.

"Hey, hey, senpai."

"How could you take such an ugly picture of a beauty like me? Which camera caught this?"

"Come on, it's going to give people the wrong idea."

As she spoke, the girl even put on an expression of obvious disgust.

The slender man scoffed contemptuously at the sight, then lowered his voice and sneered, "Heh. I didn't realize you were such a good actress, junior."

"But I don't mind telling you: we've gone through every surveillance recording from the three days before that incident."

"Sorry, but you're the only one who went to the gym."

"So I suggest you admit it, and tell me who you contacted after discovering the secret."

The slender man picked up a picture of an apartment building and paused before continuing in a quiet voice, "Otherwise, I imagine your parents back home might run into some trouble."

"You...!"

"Bastard!"

"What the hell do you want?"

At the sight of the photo, Matsushita could no longer sit still. She sprang to her feet and slammed her hand on the table, shouting.

Her clear, ringing voice immediately drew the attention of everyone around them.

As the other customers looked on in confusion, the slender man calmly grabbed the girl's wrist and smiled at the onlookers as he explained, "I'm sorry for the trouble. I upset my girlfriend."

Thinking it was just a lovers' quarrel, the customers smiled knowingly and said nothing more.

"Let go of me... Let go, you bastard!" The girl gritted her teeth and glared at him.

But when she tried to pull free, the slender man only tightened his grip. Holding the photo in his other hand, he wore a smug expression and taunted her, "Are you sure you want to say that?"

"You..."

Matsushita Chiaki knew he had something to hold over her. Though her heart ached, she took a deep breath and did her best to stay calm.

She understood that the most important thing now was to confirm her parents were safe, then get in touch with her uncle outside the school and ask him for help.

As for the insignificant nobody in front of her, there was no need to make a scene over him.

Suppressing her nausea at the feeling of his hand around her wrist, the girl suddenly sat back down, her expression going blank.

"Oh? Why'd you stop struggling?" the slender man asked, puzzled.

"Hmph."

"I don't want to waste time talking with you. Just tell me," Matsushita Chiaki said, staring intently at him.

"Tell you what? Didn't I show you everything?" The slender man looked confused.

After noticing the slight change in his expression as he faltered, Matsushita felt a wave of relief.

Looks like they only know my family's address.

They haven't made a move yet.

My parents should be fine.

To verify her guess, the girl deliberately asked, "I can tell you, but first you have to tell me how my parents are."

"Heh. Still trying to trick me, little junior?"

"Sorry. Once you tell us and we've confirmed it, we'll naturally ensure your parents' safety."

Matsushita's face remained livid, but inwardly, she couldn't help sneering. Heh. Why tell me so much? Is he afraid I won't figure it out otherwise?

An idiot like him wants to go after Yeye? Hmph.

Meanwhile, Rinya, whose hearing was exceptionally sharp, had heard everything. He found it amusing, and while he admired the girl's clever handling of the situation, a chill surged through the restaurant the instant his eyes opened fully.

The silent, inexplicable chill made the customers uneasy, and they hurried out of the restaurant.

Matsushita Chiaki immediately sensed the familiar presence. Excited, she realized she should change locations to make it easier for Yeye to act.

Since they were in a public place and she couldn't say what she really wanted to, the girl suggested finding somewhere quiet to talk.

The slender man readily agreed, his expression lecherous.

He'd already looked into her background. Against a beautiful girl with no martial arts skills, he was a sixth-degree judo practitioner. He was more than happy to go somewhere like a grove or a park and hear her out.

"Let's go, then..." Matsushita Chiaki said, continuing her listless act.

"Sure. Haha."

Watching the two of them leave, Rinya stepped outside but didn't follow them directly. Instead, he quickly vanished into the darkness nearby.

The wind was bitterly cold, and the moon had sunk low beneath a sparse scattering of stars.

At a coastal park, the girl finally decided they'd found a suitable place, despite the nauseating feeling around her wrist.

She turned toward him, still gripping her wrist, and snapped angrily, "I'm ready to talk. Let go of me already."

"No rush~"

The wind tonight felt unusually cold, but after checking once more that no one was around, the slender man grew bold.

His hand began to wander from her wrist. Grinning lewdly, he said, "First, you can keep me..."

Crack! The muffled sound of a bone breaking rang out.

The slender man's words cut off. He turned his head stiffly like a machine, staring in disbelief at the hand he'd just used to grip the girl's wrist. It had been twisted a full 360 degrees.

"Ah!!!"

After a brief moment of numbness came an endless flood of searing pain.

"Keep you company for what? I'd like to hear."

A low, mocking voice, cold as ice, suddenly sounded in the man's ear.

The moment he turned around in horror, he saw a pair of blood-red eyes, more terrifying than a demon's, glaring at him with the most dreadful coldness in the world.

"G-Ghost..." the man mumbled incoherently, his mind blank.

Crack!

The next moment, the sound of another bone breaking rang out.

"Ugh!!!"

Overcome by the intense pain, the man passed out completely.

Just as Rinya was about to reach out again, Matsushita Chiaki—who'd just finished calling her parents—immediately stepped in front of him, her face full of concern.

"Yeye, if you really have to kill him, let me do it~"

Looking at the girl trembling before him, who might never have killed even a chicken or a duck with her own hands, Rinya gently pulled her into his arms. After a brief silence, he could only manage two words.

"Thank you..."

"Hmph. Don't be so formal with me again, understand?" the girl murmured softly in his arms.

"Mm. Okay," Rinya replied gently.

"What about him, then...?"

"I'm actually not in a hurry to kill him." Rinya looked down at the man on the ground, his blood-red eyes flickering.

"Is that so? I'll leave it to you~" the girl replied sweetly.

By now, Rinya had already come up with a new plan.

Since they're so eager to find out who's responsible, I think I'll have to trouble your father's subordinates again, Ayanokoji.

The boy smiled faintly.

Night fell. When the man was roused with a splash of cold water, his mind was already completely shattered. He had the honor of becoming the first person on whom Rinya had ever used mild mind hypnosis.