Chapter 256: Searching

When Lei Yin returned to his apartment from Zhang Mingyu’s place, it was already past 10 PM.

As soon as he stepped into the living room, he noticed a young girl curled up on the sofa, fast asleep.

Slightly puzzled, Lei Yin walked over and gently shook her awake. “Rumi, wake up.”

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, the kendo girl slowly sat up and said, “Senpai, you’re back.”

“Why are you here? Are you alone?” Lei Yin asked.

“You forgot, didn’t you? You promised to practice with me today,” Rumi replied.

Only then did Lei Yin recall that he had indeed agreed to practice with her last week. However, he had been so preoccupied with asking Sakurai Mion to start handling matters related to the restaurant and meeting Zhang Mingyu that it had slipped his mind.

Looking at the girl who had waited all evening for him, Lei Yin felt a pang of guilt. “I’m sorry. I had some things to deal with and forgot. Why didn’t you call to remind me?”

Smiling, Rumi said, “I thought you might be busy, so I didn’t want to bother you. It’s okay; we can practice next time.”

Seeing her innocent smile, Lei Yin couldn’t help but smile back. Almost instinctively, he reached out and gently patted her head.

Feeling this long-missed gesture, Rumi’s nose suddenly tingled, and she quickly lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.

Lei Yin didn’t notice her reaction. Instead, he glanced at the time and said, “It’s already late. Let me take you home.”

Rather than answering immediately, Rumi lowered her head shyly and said, “Senpai, how about I cook something for you to eat?”

Lei Yin reflexively began to find an excuse to decline, but seeing the hopeful look on her face, he relented. “Alright, but don’t make too much.”

Rumi instantly brightened up. “Wait here! It won’t take long.”

“Take your time; there’s no rush,” Lei Yin said as he picked up the remote to turn on the TV. But before he could finish, Rumi had already hurried off to the kitchen.

Lei Yin chuckled and casually flipped through the TV channels.

About ten minutes later, Rumi came out of the kitchen carefully, wearing an apron and carrying a tray with a bowl of noodles.

Placing the bowl on the table, she said, “Senpai, it’s ready.”

“Aren’t you eating?” Lei Yin asked, picking up his chopsticks.

Rumi shook her head and sat quietly by the table, watching his face intently.

After taking a few bites, Lei Yin suddenly gave her a curious look.

“Is it terrible?” Rumi asked nervously.

“It seems I underestimated you. This is really good,” Lei Yin said with a smile.

“Really?” Rumi asked again, unsure.

“I never lie to kids,” Lei Yin chuckled as he gently pinched her cheek.

Finally reassured, Rumi broke into a genuine, happy smile. Resting her chin in her hands, she watched him eat with a contented expression.

Once Lei Yin finished the entire bowl, Rumi quickly stood up and took it to the kitchen to wash.

While washing the dishes, she couldn’t help but smile brightly. It was the first time her cooking had been sincerely praised by her senpai, and the thought filled her with joy.

From outside the kitchen, Lei Yin called, “Rumi, let me take you home. It’s very late now.”

“Alright, I’ll finish up quickly!” she replied. She hurriedly rinsed the bowl and chopsticks, dried them with a cloth, and then came out of the kitchen.

“All set, let’s go.”

“Your apron,” Lei Yin said, pointing at it.

Blushing, Rumi stuck out her tongue and quickly went back to the kitchen to remove the apron and hang it up.

Walking along the street, feeling the cool evening breeze, Rumi suddenly said excitedly, “It feels like it’s been such a long time since I walked alone with you, senpai. I really missed this.”

Lei Yin smiled and asked, “Have you gotten used to life now?”

“Pretty much. But compared to high school, it feels way too easy. We only have a few classes a day, and the rest of the time is for self-study. It feels more like a constant holiday than school.”

“That’s because you were too busy before. You had classes during the day and tutoring at night. It’s just taking you some time to adjust. Isn’t it nice to have more time to do your own things? How are the kendo club practices going? Are they tough?”

“Not really, it’s manageable,” Rumi said. Then, with a sly glint in her eye, she added, “Oh, by the way, senpai, you promised to help me get back to my previous level. You’ll have to practice with me more from now on, and no more skipping out like tonight!”

Lei Yin smiled wryly. “Didn’t you just say it was fine earlier? You’re such a fickle little rascal. I guess if I hadn’t eaten that bowl of noodles, you wouldn’t be so bold to hold me accountable. Looks like I’ll have to be careful when eating your cooking from now on.”

Rumi couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Rumi giggled for a moment before clinging to Lei Yin’s arm playfully. “Senpai, tell me a story! I heard from Kazumi about your version of The Three Little Pigs. She said it was hilarious. Can you tell me one too?”

Lei Yin shook his head, feigning seriousness. “That’s probably not a good idea. The last time I told Kazumi a story, I dreamt of Hans Christian Andersen acting like a mafia boss, leading a gang of fairy tale characters to settle the score with me. We fought all night before I finally drove them away. But the scariest one was Snow White—she showed up in a swimsuit trying to seduce me into eating her poisoned apple from back then. Luckily, I don’t eat things other people have bitten into, so I didn’t fall for it.”

Rumi clutched her stomach, laughing uncontrollably.

※※※

“Kuang Dao-ojisan, why isn’t Mom back yet? She said last night she’d come home for dinner,” Baby asked, her tone tinged with worry.

“How would I know? Didn’t you call her phone just now? What did she say?” Kuang Dao replied, not looking up from his newspaper.

“She turned her phone off.”

“Maybe something came up.”

“But… ugh, are you even listening to me?!” Baby fumed, shaking his arm in frustration.

“Hey, how would I know where your mom is? Complaining to me won’t help,” Kuang Dao sighed, putting the newspaper down.

Annoyed, Baby made a face at him before running off to the kitchen to find their housekeeper, Rie.

Kuang Dao glanced at the time before setting the newspaper aside. He stood and headed for the door, preparing for his nightly training session.

By around 11 PM, Kuang Dao returned to the apartment drenched in sweat after practicing on the rooftop.

As he entered, he noticed Rie sitting absentmindedly on the couch, so lost in thought that she didn’t even realize he’d arrived.

Unconcerned, he went to his room to grab fresh clothes and stepped into the bathroom.

When he came out after his shower, Rie, who had just stood up from the couch, suddenly gasped in surprise. “Kuang Dao-san, when did you get back?”

“I’ve been back for a while. I even finished showering. What’s wrong? You look like you’ve lost your soul,” he said, grabbing a beer from the fridge.

Rie sighed, clearly distressed. “I’m worried about Mrs. Tani. I tried calling her again, but her phone is still off. I even called the hotel, and they said she left around 5 PM. Do you think something happened to her?”

Kuang Dao responded with a question. “What do you want to do about it?”

Rie shook her head helplessly. “I don’t know. I thought about calling the police, but it hasn’t been 48 hours, so they won’t take it seriously. I’m just really worried about her. And Miss Baby—she only just went to bed after I coaxed her for so long.”

Kuang Dao didn’t say anything, sipping his beer in silence.

After a moment, he drained the can and stood up. “Fine, I’ll be nosy for once. Consider it payback for letting me freeload here. Once I leave, make sure you don’t let anyone else in, no matter what.”

“Got it. Please be careful, Kuang Dao-san.” Rie’s eyes filled with gratitude as she looked at him.

Uncomfortable with her expression, Kuang Dao cleared his throat and quickly strode out of the apartment.

※※※

When the blindfold was removed, Tani Akiko slowly opened her eyes.

In the dim light, she vaguely saw a group of men sitting in front of her. The poor lighting obscured their faces.

“Good evening, Ms. Tani,” said a deep voice from one of the men, a portly figure seated at the front.

“I don’t think it’s a good evening at all. What do you want?” Akiko retorted coldly.

The man chuckled. “We invited you here today to discuss a business matter.”

“Do you always invite people for business discussions this way?” Akiko snapped.

Earlier, as she drove out of her hotel, these men had ambushed her at the intersection. They had forced her car to a stop, smashed the window, dragged her out, and shoved her into another vehicle. Afterward, they had bound and blindfolded her before bringing her to this location.

“Frankly, we didn’t want to resort to such rough methods, but you’re an incredibly difficult person to get ahold of. That’s why we had no choice. Let’s get to the point, shall we? We’re here to talk business.”

“What business?”

“We want to buy your hotel. As for the price, we’re prepared to offer you a very fair deal.”

Akiko sneered. “As I suspected, you’re with Yamato Real Estate.”

The man neither confirmed nor denied this. “Who we are isn’t important. The important thing is—are you willing to sell?”

“Here’s my answer: no, I’m not selling. And let me warn you—if you don’t let me go, my family will report me missing. The police will easily trace this back to you.”

The man suddenly burst out laughing, and to Tani Akiko, his laughter sounded as unpleasant as a toad croaking during mating season.

“Ms. Taniguchi, you misunderstand,” he said. “We have no intention of detaining you for more than 24 hours. Since you won’t cooperate, we’ll have to ask you to perform a little play for us.”

As soon as he finished speaking, two men standing next to him approached Tani Akiko. They were wearing only shorts and black hoods, leaving only their eyes visible. One of them held a syringe in his hand.

When Tani Akiko saw the syringe, her face turned pale. “What are you trying to do?” she shouted.

The man explained, “Allow me to introduce your assistants for this performance. The syringe contains a mix of potent aphrodisiacs and hallucinogens. These will ensure you’re fully immersed in your role. Oh, and I almost forgot—we have a special co-star.” At this, he clapped his hands.

Moments later, another man, also wearing a black hood, dragged something into the room. Tani Akiko strained to see and realized it was a large iron cage containing a Doberman as tall as a man’s waist.

“This specially trained dog is your co-star,” the man said. “By the way, once the performance is over, we’ll distribute photos and videos of your ‘act’ online and in your local area. We’ll make sure to post them near your hotel and your daughter’s school as a token of our gratitude.”

Understanding their intentions, Tani Akiko’s face turned deathly pale. “You bastards! This is a crime!” she screamed.

The man slammed his hand on the table, sneering. “You brought this on yourself, you bitch. If you’d sold the hotel to us earlier, none of this would’ve happened. Strip her clothes off and see if she’s still this stubborn.”

Tani Akiko struggled desperately, but with her hands tied behind her back, she couldn’t stop the two burly men. In moments, they ripped off her dress, exposing her shapely figure.

“Hold her down,” the man ordered. 

The hooded men roughly pinned her to the chair.

The rotund man approached, also wearing a black hood. “Who would’ve thought this woman had such a great figure? What a waste to leave her to just anyone. Here’s your last chance—will you sell or not?” he sneered, ignoring the murderous glare in her eyes as his rough fingers caressed her neck and slowly moved downward.

This time, Tani Akiko didn’t refuse outright. She understood that these men were capable of anything. Regret flooded her for underestimating their ruthlessness. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how she would face the world if those “performance” photos and videos were made public. Worse, she feared the lasting impact on her daughter, who would bear the brunt of society’s judgment because of her.

With tears welling up, she prepared to concede when, suddenly, the door was kicked open with a deafening crash. A figure strolled into the room as if he owned the place.

Everyone was momentarily paralyzed by the unexpected interruption. The man standing near the cage was the first to react, reaching for the gun at his waist. However, before he could draw, his vision went black, accompanied by the sound of his nose breaking.

The intruder grabbed a chair and swung it violently, knocking the guard unconscious. The rotund man panicked and shouted to the other two men, “Take him down!”

The two half-naked men charged at the intruder.

“Disgusting!” Kuang Dao spat, unwilling to fight them barehanded. As the men rushed him, he grabbed another chair and swung it horizontally.

With a loud crack, both men were sent sprawling to the ground. The one who took the full force of the blow fainted instantly, while the other lay motionless.

“You—who are you? Don’t do anything rash!” The rotund man, unarmed and alone, stammered as he tried to negotiate.

Kuang Dao approached him and delivered a hard kick to his stomach, sending the man flying.

When Kuang Dao turned toward her, Tani Akiko finally recognized him. Relief washed over her as she let out a deep breath.

Note: still confused on how to properly use honorifics. So now I’ve decided, I’ll use English equivalent honorifics when adults are talking.