“You’re right. I really don’t have any reason to interfere.”

Kameda had been in the yakuza business for years. He wasn’t an idiot, either. When someone gave him a way out, he had no reason to reject it and make things worse.

Once Kameda severed his ties with the other two, Yohei Takagi’s face turned ashen. He knew they’d lost this battle—completely and utterly.

The Ayumu Kuro no of the past had been impulsive and combative. If a problem could be solved with his fists, he’d never waste words on it. But the current Ayumu could bend without breaking, and he had both courage and strategy.

They had truly lost.

However, Tatsuya Inoue, who had nearly been beaten senseless by Ayumu, didn’t have Takagi’s self-awareness. The moment Kameda tried to distance himself from them, Inoue immediately roared at the top of his lungs.

“Kameda! You were the one who ordered us to capture this girl! You even said you’d send her out to entertain customers and make AVs! And now you’re claiming this has nothing to do with you?”

Inoue’s revelation made the veins on Ayumu’s forehead bulge again.

He could more or less guess what these people had intended. But hearing one of the culprits admit it aloud still filled him with extraordinary rage.

Ayumu wasn’t the only one who got angry. Kameda was furious too.

His reconciliation with Ayumu had been possible only because Ayumu had given him enough face. But Inoue was far too stupid. He didn’t know how to conduct himself like Ayumu did, and now he even dared to bite back at Kameda.

It made Kameda feel that his yakuza background had been treated with contempt.

“I told you. If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll knock out the teeth you have left! Looks like you took my words for a fart!”

This time, Kameda didn’t seem to be making an empty threat. He really strode toward Inoue, preparing to lay hands on him.

Ayumu’s presence and ruthlessness had made Kameda hesitate to fight him directly, leaving him frustrated. But teaching a piece of trash like Inoue a lesson was still well within his ability.

When Inoue saw that Kameda truly meant to attack, he panicked. He turned around and ran.

With Inoue fleeing, Takagi and Kameda also left one after another. Only Ayumu remained at the entrance of the internet café, supporting Hina Mizuno.

That meant the farce of the night had finally ended.

All that remained was the cleanup. The first thing to do was wake Hina Mizuno.

“Mizuno, Mizuno…” Ayumu called her name again and again.

“Mizuno, wake up!”

…

Night had given her eyes of darkness. Why not use them to seek the light?

In the end, Hina Mizuno woke up, because a dazzling ray of sunlight had entered her heart.

The moment Hina saw Ayumu’s handsome face so close to hers, she suddenly collapsed against his shoulder and burst into tears.

Ayumu was completely stunned by her reaction. He couldn’t possibly guess that she was actually crying tears of joy.

Hina was a helpless girl who couldn’t even fight off a chicken. Faced with three men harboring malicious intentions, she must have felt utterly desperate.

Ayumu could understand why she had broken down in tears. But he had no idea how to comfort the poor girl.

After thinking it over and over, Ayumu wondered if he should pat her head and offer some reassurance. Yet when he raised his hand, he started worrying that it might be rude.

After agonizing over it for a while, Ayumu’s emotions finally defeated his reason. He placed his hand on Hina’s little head and gently stroked it.

Hina didn’t show the resistance or disgust he had expected. Instead, she seemed to enjoy it immensely.

Ayumu stroked her hair several times. Her sobs did indeed grow quieter, almost inaudible. The effect was absurdly good.

Then Ayumu felt Hina becoming even bolder. She actually began burrowing deeper into his arms.

That development was more than Ayumu could handle.

Men and women were supposed to keep their distance. Yet Hina kept rubbing herself against him, completely destroying the worldview of a straight man that Ayumu had spent more than forty years building.

In his panic, Ayumu pushed Hina away.

Through the gap in her bangs, he met her resentful gaze.

Ayumu’s heart pounded wildly. The sensation of that soft body suddenly falling into his arms had been far too stimulating.

“Are you hurt?” Ayumu asked with concern, conveniently changing the subject.

“Thank you for coming to save me in time, Ayumu. That’s why I’m safe and sound.”

Hina thanked him from the bottom of her heart. But her words made Ayumu notice something.

Her way of addressing him had changed.

She had gone from “Kuro no” to “Ayumu.”

She had said it naturally, as if she hadn’t realized there was anything unusual about it. In other words, Hina had subconsciously accepted that their relationship had grown closer, so she had taken the initiative to call him by his given name.

It was clearly a sign that her feelings for him had deepened.

Yet Ayumu only found it incredibly troublesome.

He had planned to do nothing but bury himself in his studies. In just a few days, however, he had already become deeply involved with two girls.

That was definitely not a good sign.

“Mizuno, you live in this internet café?”

Although Hina’s way of addressing him had changed, Ayumu had no intention of following her lead and changing how he addressed her.

He pretended not to notice and continued using the same form of address as always.

Naturally, Hina saw through his little trick. She felt a little disappointed inside, but she knew some things couldn’t be rushed.

“Would you like me to show you?” Hina asked tentatively.

This time, Hina didn’t act bashful or awkward out of low self-esteem. Instead, she took the initiative and invited Ayumu to see where she lived.

As she spoke, Hina led him to booth 38, where she stayed.

When she opened the door, the first thing Ayumu saw was a pink bra and panties hanging from the wall to dry.

He immediately turned his face away.

He more or less understood. Every time Hina washed her clothes in the laundry room, she had no choice but to hang them inside her booth.

Hina felt both embarrassed and annoyed by Ayumu’s self-restraint. She truly couldn’t understand why he didn’t seem curious about a girl’s underwear at all.

Could it be that he had seen too much already?

Only after Hina put all her underwear away did she invite Ayumu inside.

Ayumu followed her example. He took off his shoes, put them into a bag, and carried them into the booth.

The booth was tiny. With two people standing inside, it immediately felt cramped.

And with one man and one woman confined in such a small space, the atmosphere became unmistakably suggestive.

“Are you planning to become a voice actress someday?”

As Ayumu looked around the booth, he naturally noticed the books on the table.

He was rather surprised. He hadn’t expected the shy and insecure Hina to have such a clear goal in life.

“Yes. If I become a voice actress, people won’t be able to see my face.”

Well, it turned out Hina’s choice was connected to her introverted personality after all.

Ayumu had seen her entire face. He thought Hina was actually quite cute, especially her expressive eyes. They were like two tiny black holes, impossible to escape once you looked into them.

“Actually, Mizuno, you’re pretty cute. Don’t put yourself down.”

“Really?”

Hina excitedly swept the bangs from her forehead with both hands. Her large eyes stared fixedly at Ayumu, brimming with hope.

She stared so intently that Ayumu felt awkward and couldn’t look away.

“Really,” Ayumu answered sincerely.

“Mizuno, it’s far too dangerous for a girl to live in an internet café. Why don’t you stay at my place tonight? We can discuss your situation there.”

When Ayumu saw that Hina was about to become overwhelmingly excited by his answer, he hurried to finish the important matter before she could fully let her emotions loose.

He had carefully considered the proposal. A girl living alone in an internet café really wasn’t safe. They needed to reconsider her living arrangements.

Ayumu didn’t realize that what he considered a serious and practical suggestion had only made Hina even more excited.