And Nozaki Hakuya also vaguely saw that Miyuri's reaction suggested she was unlikely to accept exchanging herself for the investigation file.
Nozaki Hakuya's eyes flickered for a moment. In the end, he decided to take it slow.
"Fine, let's discuss it more," Nozaki Hakuya sat back down on the sofa, "After all, we were classmates. I don't want Kazuto to rot in jail either."
"But getting involved in this big matter is really risky. How about this, Miyuri, give me a kiss first. I really like you."
"You kiss me first, and I'll help Kazuto!"
"Otherwise, I won't interfere at all!"
Nozaki Hakuya's aim still centered on Miyuri herself.
"You really are—", Hearing this, Miyuri flushed with shame and was about to scold him again.
But at that moment, a figure walked slowly and calmly into the yard.
Seeing someone suddenly arrive, Nozaki Hakuya was startled for some reason.
Worried that Kazuto had returned, he hurriedly picked up the "investigation file" from the table and hugged it to his chest.
Miyuri turned her head and looked at the person who had just appeared.
"Hikari-kun?"
Seeing Hikari walking slowly into the living room, Miyuri was a little surprised.
"Good morning, Aunt Miyuri," Hikari greeted Miyuri with a smile.
He then turned and politely greeted Nozaki Hakuya as well, "Good morning, Uncle Nozaki."
"Good morning," Nozaki Hakuya replied somewhat forcedly. His expression looked off as he stood up, "Miyuri, I have something to do. I'll be going."
With someone else present, Nozaki Hakuya's plan was hard to carry out, so he naturally planned to leave.
But when Miyuri, worried about Kazuto, saw him pick up the "investigation report" and try to leave, she couldn't help standing up, "Wait, don't go yet!"
"Miyuri, you don't have to stop me. I plan to submit this document. Unless you agree to what I just asked!", Hearing Miyuri's attempt to block him, Nozaki Hakuya, full of desire, didn't care there was a third party and continued to show his implicit threat.
Nozaki Hakuya's words made Miyuri very distressed and conflicted.
She knew Nozaki Hakuya's lecherous intentions and could not agree to his request, but she also could not just ignore Kazuto's situation and let him leave.
Just when Miyuri was in deep distress, Hikari suddenly spoke, "Aunt Miyuri, it's fine. Let him go. I'm a bit hungry. I want to eat the breakfast you made."
"No," Miyuri gave a bitter smile and shook her head at Hikari, "This matter is complicated. Hikari-kun, you're still young and might not understand. Wait here. Auntie will make you something to eat soon, okay?"
Miyuri thought Hikari didn't know what had happened and wanted him to leave so she could negotiate with Nozaki Hakuya first.
But Hikari smiled and said, "I know about it. It's about Uncle Kazuto misappropriating public funds for gambling, right? I stood in the yard for a while and heard your conversation with Uncle Nozaki."
"Ah?", Both Miyuri and Nozaki Hakuya were surprised and turned to look at Hikari.
"You heard everything, Hikari-kun?", Nozaki Hakuya's expression showed some panic.
Miyuri's panic, however, was oddly nervous, as if she were afraid Hikari would be angry.
Because Nozaki Hakuya's earlier demand was that she become his lover, or at least kiss him, though she had already refused.
Maybe this was because Hikari had once saved her from Yoshizawa Takeo's threat and told her not to fear those people's threats.
In any case, she preferred Hikari not to hear Nozaki Hakuya's threats more than Kazuto hearing them.
But Hikari only smiled at Miyuri's panic, "Yes, I heard. So Aunt Miyuri, don't worry. Let him go."
"After all, that so-called investigation file about Uncle Kazuto is fake."
Nozaki Hakuya had noticed Miyuri's added panic when Hikari appeared and had assumed his threats had rattled her enough that she might give in. He had been secretly pleased.
But when he heard Hikari's final sentence, Nozaki Hakuya instantly bristled like a cat with its tail stepped on.
He shouted at Hikari, "Hey? Hikari-kun, what nonsense are you talking about? How could my investigation file be fake!"
Miyuri instinctively felt something was off with Hikari's statement.
After all, she had already checked that file earlier, and it seemed fine. Hikari had just arrived and hadn't even read the file. How could he declare it fake?
But out of trust from past times Hikari had rescued her, Miyuri did not speak. Instead, she looked at Nozaki Hakuya with a suspicious gaze.
Seeing Miyuri's attitude begin to change because of this high school kid, Nozaki Hakuya panicked. He turned to Hikari and shouted again, "Hey, Hikari-kun, what exactly do you mean? Why are you spouting nonsense and calling my report fake?"
Hikari ignored Nozaki Hakuya's questioning.
When he noticed Aunt Miyuri looking at him with doubt, Hikari turned and smiled as he explained.
"It's simple. Nozaki Hakuya, you and Uncle Kazuto are colleagues at the same level, right?"
"For an incident involving the misappropriation of hundreds of millions, your company actually put you in charge of the investigation?"
"And the key point is, you usually act like you have a good private relationship with Uncle Kazuto."
"Any sane manager wouldn't appoint you to investigate Uncle Kazuto, right?"
Hearing Hikari, Miyuri's eyes brightened, "Hikari-kun is right! No wonder I felt something was off before!"
While saying this, Hikari walked over to Nozaki Hakuya.
He picked up the very formal-looking file and casually flipped through a few pages.
While Nozaki Hakuya tried hard to think of counterarguments to Hikari's logical points,
Hikari continued, "The official seal on this forged investigation report looks convincing, but you must have taken the company seal and stamped it yourself, right?"
Nozaki Hakuya instinctively retorted, "Nonsense! This was stamped by the chairman himself!"
Hikari smiled, "Is that so? Let's say it was stamped by the chairman. But this report clearly states the investigation was jointly issued by the company and the police. Yet earlier you said you were the only person responsible."
"I…", Nozaki Hakuya began to stammer.
Before he could answer, Hikari added, "Also, the gambling site URL listed in your report for Kazuto is wrong."
"How could—", Sweat beaded on Nozaki Hakuya's forehead.
"Besides, I have a friend who works at Richter Technology. From what I know, the instruments you mentioned in your file are not sold to the public by Richter."
Hikari's perfect memory recalled a chat from when he helped Louisa, the student council president of Seika Academy. He smiled slightly.
Nozaki Hakuya, who never expected Hikari to even know the company he had invented for the fake procurement, was astonished.
Seeing Nozaki Hakuya speechless, Hikari casually closed the so-called "investigation report" and chuckled.
"In short, your so-called investigation report is full of holes."
Hearing Hikari dismantle the report point by point while Nozaki Hakuya could not muster a reply, Miyuri stared at Hikari in disbelief.
Was this nephew of hers only just over ten and in high school?
Not only was he smart and handsome, he also knew so much.
A strong, indescribable feeling rose in her heart. The young figure standing before her suddenly seemed taller and brighter, like a magnet pulling at her gaze.
For some reason, her heart seemed to race like never before.
While Miyuri was dazed, Nozaki Hakuya finally snapped out of his stupor.
He snatched the report back from Hikari's hand and stubbornly said, "Nonsense! You brat, you're talking nonsense!"
"You're full of lies. You don't know what you're talking about! You're just a lousy high schooler. What do you know!"
Clutching the report tightly, Nozaki Hakuya's body trembled.
He had known his fake report plan might not succeed.
But he never expected a high schooler to completely expose him.
Under Hikari's meticulous logic, all his plans and words were exposed. He could barely respond.
If Hikari had not come to the countryside only a few days ago, Nozaki Hakuya suspected Hikari might have seen everything months earlier when the plan was being made.
And Miyuri, who had always trusted Hikari, seeing Nozaki Hakuya now flustered and panicked, was now one hundred percent certain.
This so-called "investigation report" was forged from the start to finish.
Nozaki Hakuya had been coveting her and tried to use such a scheme to force her into complying.
Thinking of Nozaki Hakuya's deception and coercion, Miyuri filled with anger.
"Nozaki Hakuya, you really are disgusting!", Miyuri pointed at him and shouted.
Nozaki Hakuya's face had turned pale, his lips trembling, clutching the fake file and unable to speak.
Miyuri continued, "Kazuto has always treated you well, yet you forged a criminal report about him?"
"Even worse, you keep saying you like me, but you wanted to use this forged report to deceive and threaten me, forcing me to be your lover?"
"You're an animal, worse than a beast!"
"Say something! Weren't you so good at talking and threatening just now?"
Miyuri pressed forward, relentlessly accusing and questioning Nozaki Hakuya.
But with his plot fully exposed and no comeback left, Nozaki Hakuya could only back away, swallowing hard and sinking into silence.
"Disgusting! Disgusting! Disgusting! You're as disgusting as a roach!"
If she had fallen into his trap and given herself to Nozaki Hakuya, he would forever hold that over her and torment her. The thought made Miyuri furious.
A flash of blind anger rose. Miyuri grabbed a full cup of hot tea from the table and hurled it at this repulsive man.
"Ah!"
Scalded by the hot tea, Nozaki Hakuya screamed in pain.
The high temperature burned his cheeks and neck red, even causing blisters.
Seeing the woman he idolized strike him and look at him with revulsion, Nozaki Hakuya felt utterly hopeless.
The pain in his heart was deeper than the pain on his body. Veins popped on his forehead, his eyes bloodshot.
But Miyuri was still furious, and Hikari watched him.
Guilty and in no position to fight back, Nozaki Hakuya grabbed his briefcase and fled outside as fast as he could.
Without a word, he ran out of Miyuri's living room like a beaten dog.
When Nozaki Hakuya finally disappeared from sight, Miyuri's heaving chest gradually calmed.
"Hikari-kun, thank goodness you were here. If not, Auntie would have been tricked," Miyuri, still shaken, looked at Hikari with gratitude in her eyes.
"It's nothing," Hikari waved his hand.
"Hikari-kun, you're even more amazing than Auntie thought. You just heard a bit and figured out it was fake. You're much smarter than Auntie," Miyuri's tone carried a note of admiration.
"It was nothing. That guy's flaws were too many, and I happen to have a friend who knows that company," Hikari smiled modestly at Aunt Miyuri's praise.
"Ha! Auntie is an idiot for not noticing the holes. It's all thanks to Hikari-kun being so smart. By the way, you said you were hungry. Auntie will go down to the kitchen and make you something to eat," Miyuri, restraining her urge to chat more with Hikari, smiled.
"Okay," Hikari nodded and took the tea Miyuri handed him.
"Sit back in the living room. I'll bring your noodles when they're ready."
After saying that, Miyuri turned and walked toward the kitchen.
Hikari sat on the sofa and checked the reward the pure love system had issued after he had exposed Nozaki Hakuya's plot.
———
Miyuri smiled as she crossed the yard and entered the kitchen.
She had been terribly shocked by Nozaki Hakuya's claim that her fiance Natsuki Kazuto had misappropriated funds for gambling. But after Hikari exposed the plot as fabricated, the clouds cleared and her mood improved considerably.
[T/N: I have started doing another fanfic— "Frieren: A Journey of the Demon King". It is a quite relaxing and humorous read, give it a go. Have a great read~]