The Gemini Princess wants me to confess my feelings!

Harufumi Hino said, "I will follow your instructions."

"I know this matter doesn't have much to do with you, but I'm sorry to have let you take the blame," said Team Leader Suruga. "If you have any requests, you can tell me now."

Harufumi Hino shook his head and said, "I don't have any requests."

"How could you not have made any requests?" Team Leader Suruga's tone was unfriendly, as if he were reprimanding a junior who was being too polite.

Seeing his father's displeasure, Hino Harufumi had no choice but to start thinking. As he thought, he actually remembered something he wanted to do.

He said, "Father, the main family asked me to split up and set up another group under you, but I didn't go because I was grateful for your kindness. This was my decision, not the young master's instruction."

Suruga, the team leader, paused slightly. He looked at Hino Harufumi, then suddenly laughed and tapped the two large characters on his back with his knuckles: "I have never doubted you."

There are many different stories about Hino Harufumi.

Many people believe that Hino Harufumi was sent by the young master to monitor and control the Suruga Group. The fact that he parachuted in his sworn brother, a powerful member of the group who had grown up with him, to directly take charge of "personnel" speaks volumes.

However, Hino Harufumi himself never thought that way, nor did he ever betray any of the Suruga Group's interests to the young master.

In the past, such loyalty could not be expressed openly, but now that he was leaving, it was finally appropriate to speak frankly. He said, "Many brothers joined the group through my connections, and their loyalty to the old man is equally evident."

He worried that after he left, these brothers might never be given important positions again.

"The people you lead are all key personnel," Team Leader Suruga immediately assured him.

Harufumi Hino nodded and said, "Then I have no other requests."

Having "met" Hino Harufumi's request, Team Leader Suruga naturally began to state his own: "Is the work I asked you to hand over before all done properly?"

Harufumi Hino wasn't actually in charge of any work; he had no access to the core business of the group. The so-called handover work could only be that one thing.

He said, "We have basically figured out the situation of the Kirihara family."

"Tell me about it," said Suruga, sitting up straight.

"I've already had someone write down the details and submitted them to you. Have you received them?" Hino Harufumi said.

Suruga, the group leader, said, "I know. I'm asking you whether you've found anything else about the Mishima Group besides what's written in the books."

Hino Harufumi fell silent, met Suruga's hopeful gaze, gritted his teeth, and said, "Yes, but the young master requires me to go back and report the information directly to him. Before that, this kind of information cannot be mentioned to anyone."

Suruga, the team leader, fell silent. He stared at Hino Harufumi for a long time, his disappointment evident on his face.

After a long pause, Suruga, the group leader, said with a mix of sigh and disappointment, "Since it was the young master's wish, you should have answered 'no' just now."

The old man seemed to relent, which made Hino Harufumi breathe a sigh of relief and say, "Your understanding is the best thing that can happen."

Suruga, the team leader, said, "Kid, before you leave, do me a favor."

"Please speak."

With a blank expression, Suruga, the group leader, abruptly said, "Go and kill Kirihara Akira."

Hino Harufumi's expression froze.

The two men stared at each other, a tense atmosphere filling the office.

After a moment, Team Leader Suruga laughed and said, "I was just kidding."

Hino Harufumi didn't feel relaxed at all; he knew that Suruga-gumi leader had been absolutely serious just now.

"It's not appropriate to have someone who's about to leave doing this kind of work," said Team Leader Suruga. "Like you said, there are many capable people in the team. Let them handle this task."

"Dad!"

"Stop talking, let's go," said Team Leader Suruga. "Being an ordinary citizen from now on is fine too."

Harufumi Hino closed his eyes in pain.

This is a threat: if he doesn't take the mission, the promises that Chief Suruga just made about his brothers will be null and void.

This is a difficult problem where you can't have it both ways.

You must be loyal and righteous.

Hino Harufumi would not betray, would not betray Suruga Daichi, and would not betray the young master. Therefore, he could only remain silent and would not use the information that the young master had explicitly forbidden to be circulated to make a deal.

So he only had two paths before him: either leave and let his former brothers embrace their own destinies, or... embark on a path of no return.

Hino Harufumi walked out of the office, lit a cigarette, and looked up at the sweltering, reddish sky.

He lifted his foot and walked slowly, trying to dispel the gloom in his heart.

The bustling areas are mostly shopping streets comprised of fish stalls, butcher shops, cooked food shops, and general stores.

Are we really going to go all the way? To slaughter an ordinary citizen?

Once he embarked on a path of no return, such tranquility was no longer relevant to him.

With his mind in a tangled knot, Hino Harufumi unknowingly walked to a small park.

A boy sat on a swing in the park, holding a book on his lap, engrossed in reading. The golden afterglow of the setting sun shone on his handsome, slender face, as if weighing it down, making his eyelashes tremble slightly.

The literary youth is like a painting. If a young girl in love or an aunt with a special fetish saw him, she would probably be tempted. Unfortunately, Hino Harufumi is a straight man.

He glanced at the boy a couple more times, simply because he felt like he had seen the boy somewhere before; he looked somewhat familiar.

Harufumi Hino shook his head and prepared to leave.

Just then, the boy suddenly spoke up: "Mr. Hino Harufumi, is that right?"

Hino Harufumi frowned, looked directly at the boy, and asked, "Do you know me?"

The boy found it strange and actually asked in return, "You don't recognize me?"

Why should I get to know you?

The boy closed his book, stood up from the swing, and said, "Because I am Kirihara Akira."

"..." Hino Harufumi's face contorted in shock, his mind going blank for a moment.

He asked Kirihara Akira, "What are your intentions?"

"What you really want to ask is why I came to you," Kirihara Akira said with a smile. "In your industry, there are not only the high and mighty underworld figures, but also many guys who make a living below you, such as black market dealers, Yorozuya (odd jobs shops), and middlemen."

You're used to buying intelligence from them, but you forget how unreliable they are. The very act of asking them for information becomes information they're selling.

Kirihara Akira has the face of a young man, but his style is old-fashioned, and this contrast makes Hino Harufumi uncomfortable.

Harufumi Hino said, "They will pay the price for this."

Kirihara Akira was being deliberately mysterious; in reality, he knew nothing about Tokyo's so-called underground forces. He only knew about Hino Harufumi through Mori Shizue and Kisaragi Shiori.

However, the channels did not hinder his purpose.

The simple opening remarks stunned Hino Harufumi, and Kirihara Akira went straight to the point: "I'm here today to discuss a deal with you."