Chapter 21
After leaving Shishiba to handle that woman, I arrived at the palace's main hall. It was massive and undeniably beautiful. At the top of a grand red staircase was a wall with a painting of koi fish, depicted in the style of old Japanese art. The intricate details and rich colours stood out, but something felt off.
The place was eerily quiet.
Ignoring the eerie feeling, I lifted my right foot onto the stair—
Thwk!
A sharp pain shot through my leg as something struck it—a kunai.
I barely had time to react before a barrage of them rained down. I leapt backwards, dodging the onslaught, but before I could land, a figure jumped out of the shadows and seized my face.
Then—boom.
My back slammed through the wooden wall, splintering it into pieces. Before I could react, the figure kept moving, dragging my face through the rubble and straight into the next room.
CRACK!
A sudden force sent me hurtling upward, crashing through the wooden ceiling as it shattered around me.
Let me breathe, damn it! I screamed internally, struggling to get up—only to be interrupted by another impact to my face, sending me flying once again.
Okay... fine.
I twisted midair, digging my fingers into the wooden ceiling to stop myself from crashing. The momentum pulled at my body, my muscles straining against the force. Then, with a sharp exhale, I released my grip and dropped to the floor, landing on my feet.
Shit, they disappeared again... I exhaled sharply, cursing myself. I should've paid more attention in those damn "detecting murderous intent" classes.
I scanned the room, checking for any openings—any possible angle for an attack. The only ways in were the hole in the wall and the door..but still there were no signs of movement or any other thing ... Did they think I died ?? No, they probably going to get some backup
A faint gasp broke the silence behind me.
"Eek..."
I turned my head. A woman in a kimono stood there, eyes wide with fear. From the heavy layers of makeup and the way she carried herself, it was obvious—she was a prostitute.
"How much?" I asked.
The woman hesitated, avoiding my gaze. "Y-you should ask Ryuukou-sama."
I walked over to a wooden chair and sat down, gesturing for her to come closer. "I don't know who that is… Come here, let me have a look at you for a second."
She stepped closer, concern written on her face. "Mister, you're bleeding!"
Bleeding? I touched my forehead and felt the warm, sticky liquid.
Shit. No wonder I was feeling dizzy.
"Hold on, I'll go grab my first aid kit—"
Before she could turn, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer.
"I'll be fine," I muttered, fishing a cigarette from my pocket and lighting it with a candle I had picked up from the ground. "What's your name?"
"I... I don't think we're supposed to—"
"You're an assassin, aren't you?" I cut her off, exhaling a trail of smoke. "And an important one, from the looks of it."
Her eyes widened. "How did you—"
"Doesn't matter." I took another drag, exhaling slowly. "Show me the goods."
A smirk tugged at her lips. "Pfft... Hah. You're amazing," she said, sitting on my lap. "Name's Li Hua..and what's with the oil ? ""
Before I could respond, the door burst open with a loud BANG!
A group of large men in suits stormed in, their expressions tight with hostility.
"Step away from that woman, outsider," one of them barked. "She is reserved for our lord. We can't allow you to touch her."
I barely spared them a glance, flicking the ash from my cigarette. "So what?" I exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Get lost."
" You piece of ahit I was trying to be nice because you're a kid," the goon shouted while pulling a gun from his pant
But before he could do anything, kasumi throwed the candle stick right into his eyes. " Ackk !
" wha!! "The men behind all staggered back as they saw their leader roll in ground from pain
" Hey ... is this supposed to be a pleasure paradise?? I won't feel any pleasure from burly girls with green pussy...I'm here for girl with pink puss-...Great personality so get lost " Kasumi exhaled, glancing down at Li Hua, who was still sitting in his lap, watching him with a deadpan expression
She tilted her head. "How old are you?"
Kasumi stiffened. Shit! Do I really sound that childish?
"I'll be 18 in fourteen months," he muttered.
Li Hua's expression shifted as she stood up, dusting herself off. "I see." She let out a sigh, shaking her head. "What was I even thinking?"
Turning her back to him, she spoke without looking. "Please leave, child… You're no match for the Lord."
Then, out of nowhere, a deep, thunderous sound—like a herd of elephants marching in unison—reverberated through the palace. The ground trembled beneath our feet.
"OH NO!" Li Hua gasped, reaching for my hand. "Hurry up and leave!"
I didn't respond. Instead, I casually pulled out a bundle of cigarettes, stuffing them into my mouth.
"Haak?" I mumbled, my voice barely audible over the rumbling, my words muffled by the cigarettes.
"There he is, Master. I personally brought him here," a massive figure with heavy makeup pointed a finger at me.
Behind her stood Yanagi, flanked by a group of women dressed in ninja-style kimonos.
"Oh, well done, Kyoko," Yanagi said, patting her head with a satisfied smile. "Now leave."
The girls all filed out, including the monster. Li Hua turned to leave as well.
" Why are you leaving your customer li hua ?? "
She stiffened at the sound of Ryuukou's voice. "Ryuukou-sama, that's not the cas—"
Before she could finish, Kasumi grabbed her and pulled her closer.
"What do you think you're doing?" she whispered ro kasumi, eyes darting toward Yanagi.
"You shouldn't be afraid of him," Kasumi murmured, his grip firm. "I'm much stronger than you think."
Li Hua blinked, momentarily caught off guard by his confidence.
Yanagi, standing near the unconscious man by the door, chuckled. "You handle yourself pretty well," he remarked, his gaze settling on Kasumi.
" dont talk to me. You dirty piece of trash," Kasumi shot back, his voice cold.
Yanagi smirked. "Ah, you must be upset about the teacher's corpse. And your colleague's face—well, that was just unfortunate."
Kasumi's eyes narrowed. "Why did you defile their bodies?"
Yanagi's grin widened, unbothered. "A gun would've been enough to kill him, sure. But I wanted to see how the human body reacts to a large iron skewer. As for your friend..." He shrugged. "I needed a test subject for my new martial art. He just happened to be there."
Kasumi smirked, placing his cigarette in the corner of his mouth. "So the target is just some pathetic brat? Only kids play with their food."
He raised his right hand, lazily signalling for Yanagi to come at him. "I don't feel like getting up to fight someone like you."
Yanagi's expression darkened. "A brat?!"
Li Hua started sweating as she caught the shift in Yanagi's demeanour. Her gaze flickered to Kasumi, who still held her tightly with his left hand, unfazed.
"Your palm against my fist... Let's play," Kasumi taunted.
"What?" Yanagi narrowed his eyes, still confused.
"I just said I want to play with you. Well? Come on. Come on, come on!!" Kasumi's voice rose with excitement.
Yanagi's lips curled into a smile. "Oh? Your delirium is quite amusing. Do you think your fist is superior to my palm?"
"Or maybe," he continued, "you're acting cocky because you supposedly killed Natto? Everyone in the underground knows he's still alive. Your arrogance is unbelievable."
Kasumi chuckled. "There's nothing unbelievable about it. I might be wounded, but I only need one arm and one leg to toy with you. Get it? Now bring it on, pipsqueak."
Yanagi's eyes flashed with anger. "I'll make you regret those words."