NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 209: Hidden Motives
Haruto narrowed his eyes, ignoring Daiki's amusement as he climbed the stairs, leaving Ren's battered body behind in a pool of his own blood.
At the top, he was greeted by Ayaka, who handed him a white towel—smiling.
That caught him off guard.
He had expected her to be terrified, to shrink away from him after witnessing the way he had brutalized Ren with a bat.
His face and clothes were still soaked in blood, the metallic scent thick in the air.
But she wasn't afraid.
In fact, there was a strange gleam in her eyes—something unfamiliar.
Something unsettling.
She was looking at him like… like he was someone else.
Like she was gazing at a hero. An idol.
'Is she just relieved?' he wondered as he took the towel. 'Happy that Ren will never lay a hand on her again?'
That made sense. It has to be that.
And yet—deep down, something told him otherwise.
'This… This is the system way of telling me something, that she is hiding something.'
There was something about the way she looked at him.
Something eerily reminiscent of the way she had spoken to him back in the library, when he first got that gnawing sense of unease.
But he pushed the thought aside, rubbing the towel over his face, smearing away the blood.
His mouth tasted bitter—metallic. He could still feel it on his tongue, and he wasn't even sure whose blood it was.
"Haruto, are you alright? You didn't get hurt too badly, did you?" Ayaka asked, her voice gentle, concern etched into her features.
But something felt… off.
Haruto's instincts told him she wasn't really worried. That her words were just courtesy.
"I'm fine, Ayaka." He forced a smile.
"More importantly, Ren can't hurt you anymore." He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"I know." Her lips curled into a soft smile.
"Thank you, Haruto. You've saved me over and over again… I don't even know how to repay you."
Haruto let out a light chuckle, shaking his head. "You don't have to. Don't worry about it."
He winked, pushing down the uneasy feeling that still lingered in his gut.
Then, suddenly—
"You were so cool in the ring."
She leaned in slightly, clasping her hands together, her eyes shining with admiration.
"It felt like… the old you was coming back."
Haruto blinked. "Old me? What do you mean—"
But before he could finish, Arataki's voice cut through their conversation.
"Damn, man, you have no chill." Arataki let out a low whistle.
"But seriously, you lightened my mood! I almost thought you'd end up dead in that underground ring."
Then, with a grin, he added, "And honestly? Watching you beat the hell out of that bastard—felt like I was the one punching and kicking him myself."
Haruto scoffed. "He deserved every second of it. After what he did to your sister and all those other women…" His jaw clenched, his smirk fading for just a moment.
Arataki exhaled his expression a mix of sorrow and relief. His fist came up, giving Haruto's chest a firm but light punch.
"I can finally look those fuckers in the eye with a smile on my face."
Haruto smirked. "Damn, your words are making me tremble. That was so sweet, man."
He let out a joking laugh, only for Arataki to frown and hit his chest even harder.
"Asshole," Arataki muttered.
"Aw, that hurt," Haruto drawled. "You do realize I'm injured, right? That bastard managed to land one or two good hits."
Before Arataki could respond, a voice interrupted them.
"What about the drug?"
Enji had approached, his tone serious, his sharp gaze flicking between the two. His voice was low, just loud enough for their small group to hear.
"Kikuchi never mentioned anything about it," he said.
Haruto exchanged a look with Arataki. It made sense why Enji would be concerned.
As the leader of Karakuri Pierce and soon-to-be head of the Murder of Crows, information like this was his business.
Arataki's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "He didn't tell you? Huh."
He scratched the back of his head. "Well, this batch was just an experiment—small-scale stuff."
He sighed before explaining further. "Since I'm the one who provided them with a lab, I know a little about it."
"The drug, as you saw, makes people stronger, faster. But the real kicker? It completely numbs their pain."
Enji's frown deepened. "And the side effects?"
Arataki's gaze flicked back to Ren, still lying motionless in his pool of blood.
"Once the effect wears off, they feel everything. Twice as much, maybe even more."
His tone was grim. "The drug's still in development. As you can see from Ren, it's… defective."
Enji's expression darkened, his jaw tightening. Arataki noticed the shift immediately and quickly added, "Don't worry. Senior Kikuchi was probably planning to discuss it with you today."
"That doesn't make me feel any better."
Enji let out a heavy sigh, arms crossed as his eyes trailed toward Kikuchi, who was deep in conversation with Daiki.
Arataki gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You're overthinking. There isn't any other leader candidate apart from you."
But Enji barely seemed to hear him. His gaze narrowed, deep in thought.
"…Do you think he knows about our operations?" His voice was quieter now, almost as if he were speaking to himself.
Neither Arataki nor Haruto had an answer for that.
Their eyes tracked Kikuchi as he finished his conversation and strolled toward them, hands in his pockets, his usual relaxed demeanor in place.
"Wahh, that fight was something else, eh?" He let out a low chuckle, his voice easygoing.
"You're lucky that drug is still imperfect. Imagine if the side effects were reduced and the effects lasted longer."
He paused, adjusting his tie with a smirk. "We could make a lot of money with that."
Enji's gaze darkened, his eyes narrowing as he stepped forward. "And why," he asked, his voice laced with quiet tension, "didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
Kikuchi didn't falter. If anything, his smirk widened. "Relax. This is me telling you about the drug." His tone was smooth, unconcerned.
Then, just as casually, his eyes sharpened.
"After all… you've been hiding something from me too, haven't you?"