Chapter 68 - 68: I Am Invincible

Since Haru had already indicated that they could speak openly, Officer Yuto had no reservations. He laid everything out—how he had discovered the truth and the steps he had taken to keep it hidden. Haru naturally expressed his gratitude. Although it was clear that Officer Yuto had his own motives—expanding his network—his actions had undeniably been a great help. The fact that he had come alone instead of bringing colleagues along showed that he had kept even his fellow officers in the dark. And soon, Yuto's next words confirmed Haru's suspicions. At the moment, only three people within the Metropolitan Police Department knew the truth—him and the two officers who had originally visited Haru. To ensure their silence, he had also promised those two promotions and salary raises. Impressive. Both Haru and Yukino had the same thought at the same time. Combining camaraderie with personal gain—this was a sure way to solidify alliances. At that moment, Yukino finally spoke up. "Officer Yuto, what kind of punishment will that man, Koga, receive?" Yuto assumed she was simply curious and replied with a smile, "Even though he has plenty of connections and knows some powerful people, this time he won't be getting off easily." "Is that all?" Yukino's tone remained calm and indifferent. Yuto hesitated for a moment, then instinctively glanced at Haru. Haru had a good idea of what she was thinking and reassured her, "Don't worry. He'll face severe consequences." Yuto finally caught on and nodded. "Even if he pulls some strings, he was caught leading an armed brawl. Combined with his past record, we have more than enough to put him away—without you even needing to step in." However, Yukino said seriously, "The Yukinoshita family will assist in gathering evidence of his previous crimes. Once we have something, we'll deliver it to you immediately." Haru knew she was doing this for his sake. He took her hand and offered, "Should I help as well?" Yukino shook her head. "I've already asked my mother to handle it. With her efficiency, I expect results soon." Yuto was delighted. "Then I'll count on you." For a police officer, receiving ready-made evidence was like a gift from heaven. And since his goal was a promotion this year, it was no surprise that he was eager to cooperate with both the Amamiya and Yukinoshita families. After finishing his tea, Officer Yuto took his leave. At the doorway, Haru lowered his voice and said, "If you ever get intel on dangerous fugitives, and you don't have a surefire way to capture them, come find me." Yuto assumed Haru was referring to his family's influence and was pleasantly surprised. "Are the Amamiya family willing to assist in investigations?" "No. What I mean is, I can help capture them." "…Are you joking? There's no way I'd let the only son of the Amamiya family take such a risk." "You should think back to Koga and his dozen armed thugs." Hearing this, Yuto's expression grew serious. "Speaking of which, were you injured at all?" Haru rolled up his sleeve, revealing unblemished skin. "What do you think?" Yuto's shock was evident. "Are you telling me you took down more than ten armed men… barehanded?" Haru understood his disbelief. "It wasn't that dramatic. I'm not some superhero—I can't just stand in the middle of a group and defeat them all without a scratch." Yuto's experience told him that such a feat was nearly impossible. But he was also a smart man. Since Haru had given this explanation, he chose to accept it at face value. He knew better than to ask too many questions. With Yukino's earlier offer of assistance and Haru's current display of strength, it was clear—he had just secured powerful allies from two influential families. So when it came to tying up loose ends on this case, he would make sure to handle everything flawlessly. The next day, the legend of "The Hooded Hero" was still a hot topic online. The police had also released more information, confirming that the group who had been beaten down were former gang members. This only fueled the public's admiration. In an era where the news was often filled with absurd and bizarre incidents, this unexpected appearance of a true vigilante thrilled the masses. At school, Haru heard his classmates buzzing about it nonstop. But his focus was elsewhere. Because during the third period, two of his classmates had come to him for help with their studies. After he patiently answered their questions, a notification rang in his mind. [Your skill (Teaching) has reached its max level. It has now evolved into (Hypnosis).] Haru nearly thought he had misheard. Hypnosis? Wasn't that one of the most cliché abilities in certain… questionable genres? In an instant, countless classic works flooded his mind. From manga to anime, from novels to those kinds of special "films"—he had seen it all. [Hypnosis LV1: (1113/100000)] Haru pondered how to use this skill. Real-world hypnosis required the subject's full cooperation; otherwise, it wouldn't work. But given how broken [Steel Body] already was, he doubted this ability would be limited by such conditions. Would he need external tools, like the ones used in fiction? More importantly, was this skill active or passive? Because if it was passive, like [Steel Body], that would be a serious problem. Just then, his friend Furukawa walked over. "Amamiya, do you play PUBG? If you do, let's add each other—we can squad up sometime." Forgive me, Furukawa. This is for science. Haru put on a casual smile. "I haven't played in a while, but you guys are in luck—I used to be a pro. I once got 29 kills in a match and won without breaking a sweat." Furukawa and his friend laughed. "Yeah, right. If you could do that, we'd buy you drinks for an entire semester." It didn't work. This time, Haru locked eyes with them, focused his mental energy, and said seriously, "I wasn't lying. I pulled off 29 kills multiple times. I even got invited to join a pro team, but I turned them down to focus on my studies." To complete the act, he let out a regretful sigh. The moment he finished speaking, he noticed it—his friends' eyes froze for a brief second. But in less than a second, Furukawa's face lit up. "You almost became a pro player?! Why didn't you tell us earlier?" His friend groaned, "Damn, the gap between us is too unfair. We haven't even won a single match, and you were already pro-ready?!" "Amamiya, you should've accepted! If you had, we could've gotten VIP seats at your tournaments!" The two grabbed his arms, practically vibrating with excitement. Their commotion attracted attention, and soon, a group gathered around. When Furukawa excitedly repeated Haru's "pro gamer" story, the other classmates burst into laughter. "Come on, that's obviously a joke." "Yeah, last time he said he buried treasure under the karate club." "I could say I'm a professional wrestling champion—would you believe that too?" No one took it seriously. But Furukawa and his friend kept insisting as if they had personally witnessed Haru's gaming career. Even adding fake details on their own. So that's how it works. Haru was thoroughly impressed by his new skill. With [Steel Body] and [Hypnosis] combined… He seemed to be able to do whatever he wanted. Even though several hours had passed—and at one point, he had left their sight for quite a while—the skill's effect was still lingering. So the skill only activates when I completely focus on "lying" or, more accurately, when I genuinely want to convince someone of something. That realization pleased him. At the very least, this wasn't a passive skill. Satisfied, Haru finally told Furukawa and his friend that he had just been joking. The moment he did, they snapped out of it. Neither of them felt anything strange or out of place. "Damn it! We actually believed you?!" "We got excited for nothing—so unfair!" "Exactly! I was already planning to drag you online tonight no matter what and have you carry us to victory. And now you're telling me it was all a joke?" As Haru observed their reactions, he became even more impressed with his new skill. Even though they had no idea they'd been affected, he still made a special trip to the school store to buy them drinks and snacks as an apology gift. This, of course, left both of them bewildered. "Okay, what's going on? Why are you suddenly being so nice to us?" "Because you lent me that game last time. Consider this my way of saying thanks." After figuring out the specifics of [Hypnosis], Haru decided to test another thing. That afternoon, he sought out some struggling classmates and voluntarily helped them with their studies. To his relief, as long as he wasn't actively focusing on lying or persuasion, he could still teach others normally without triggering the skill. So, on their way to the clubroom after school, Haru turned to Yukino with a mysterious expression and declared, "I'm invincible now, Yukino." She gave him a skeptical look. "Again?" "Yes. I'm invincible." Yukino sighed, raising a hand to her forehead, her expression cold and unimpressed—like a tired kindergarten teacher dealing with an overly energetic child. "Alright, then. How about you use your invincible powers to call Auntie Amamiya and ask her to take you to the hospital for a brain scan?" Unfazed by her sarcasm, Haru lowered his voice. "I'm planning to visit the police station tonight." The mention of "police station" instantly wiped the teasing off Yukino's face. Her expression turned serious. "What are you planning to do?" Haru smiled. "I just hope that Mr. Koga might suddenly have a change of heart and decide to confess all his crimes." Yukino stared at him for a long moment before deadpanning, "Maybe I should take you to the hospital. Don't worry about the future—I'll be right there with you."