Chapter 89 - 89: Too Late

At this moment, both Utaha and Megumi could sense the tension in the air. Compared to Hisada Keisuke's carefully crafted facade of sincerity, the anger in Yukino's eyes was unmistakable. "Excuse me, Mr. Hisada, was it? I'm sorry, but I need to interrupt for a moment." Utaha suddenly spoke up. Hisada turned to her. "Yes? What is it, beautiful lady?" Utaha slightly raised her voice, smiling. "The three of us came out today specifically to discuss our club activities. We're at a crucial point in our conversation, so if possible, could you wait until we're finished before asking Yukinoshita for a favor?" Her tone wasn't loud, but it was just enough for the other patrons nearby to hear. Yukino and Utaha had already caught the attention of many male customers in the café. Now, as Utaha spoke with clear reasoning, the situation became evident to everyone. "Hey, buddy, these high school girls finally found time to discuss their club activities. Don't bother them." "Yeah, club activities are serious business. Back in my high school days, my baseball club was aiming for Koshien1." "High school clubs hold the dreams of youth!" A few male customers, already mesmerized by Yukino and Utaha's beauty, eagerly joined in. Even if they couldn't strike up a conversation with the girls, the chance to look good in front of them was too good to pass up. At that moment, the café manager also approached. Seeing that Hisada wasn't sitting with the girls but was instead standing nearby with two tall, imposing men, the manager assumed there was a conflict. He immediately put on a polite smile. "Sir, I'm the manager of this café. Is there anything I can help you with?" Hisada glanced around. Now that a few customers had spoken up, the entire café was watching him. After a brief pause, he chuckled. "I see. My apologies for interrupting." Then, he glanced at Utaha with a smirk. "You're quite the clever young lady." "Thank you for the compliment." Utaha maintained her polite smile. Hisada didn't push the matter further. Instead, he turned to Yukino and left her with a parting remark. "I'll come back to visit once you have some free time, Miss Yukinoshita." With that, he and his men exited the café. Utaha first thanked the customers who had spoken up, then reassured the manager before he returned to work. Yukino had been watching the entire exchange and found herself a little surprised. She was well aware that Utaha had just helped her, but she hadn't expected her to handle it in such a manner. "Thank you, Senpai." Yukino sincerely expressed her gratitude. Utaha waved it off. "It was nothing. Besides, it was obvious you didn't like him." Yukino didn't deny it but instead asked curiously, "I remember that you weren't always this good at handling these kinds of situations, Senpai." Megumi also looked up, intrigued. Utaha sighed. "That's true." "Did you deliberately learn how to? Your approach was really clever and effective." Yukino didn't hold back her praise. Utaha looked even more exasperated. "It's because my latest novel sold too well…" "Oh." Yukino understood immediately. With a bestselling novel, Utaha had likely found herself in far more social situations. Since she hadn't yet reached the level where she could pick and choose which events to attend, it made sense that she had to sharpen her social skills. "New novel?" Megumi hadn't heard about this yet. After a moment of thought, Utaha decided that Megumi was reliable enough to know. Without hesitation, she revealed her pen name—Kasumi Utako. Haru's involvement in promoting Utaha's book remained a secret. "No wonder you're always so busy, Utaha-senpai. But no matter how busy you are, your health should come first." Megumi Kato took a sip of her juice as she spoke. "I know," Utaha replied. A short while later, Utaha excused herself and headed to the restroom. Yukino glanced at her departing figure, admiring how much she had changed. She was undeniably growing into a more capable person. In the Restroom Gone was Utaha's relaxed demeanor from earlier. Her expression had turned serious. "That Hisada guy… When he left, his eyes looked dangerous. And wasn't he threatening Yukinoshita just now?" Utaha pulled out her phone from her bag and quickly dialed Haru's number. She could already guess that Yukino wouldn't tell Haru about this. In a way, "reporting the good news but not the bad" was a universal habit. But she couldn't ignore it. Even though she and Yukino were technically rivals in love, Utaha wouldn't just stand by and watch her get into trouble. Elsewhere Haru had just finished grocery shopping when he got the call. His driver was with him. The driver had mentioned earlier that his wife had come up with two new dishes, and they tasted pretty good, so he recommended them to Haru. Since neither of them had anything else to do, they decided to pick out the ingredients together at the supermarket. Just as Haru got into the car and sat down, he noticed the caller ID and was a little puzzled. "Utaha? Calling me at dinner time? Don't tell me your family wants to invite me over for a meal again?" he joked as he answered. "Haru, this is important." Her tone was unusually serious. Haru immediately dropped his playful attitude. "Alright, go ahead." By the time Utaha had finished explaining everything, the smile had completely disappeared from Haru's face. His voice, however, remained calm. "So it's the youngest son of the Hisada family? I've met him before. Not an easy person to deal with." "What about Yukinoshita?" "No need to tell her. I'll take care of it." "…What exactly are you planning to do?" Utaha didn't seem entirely convinced and hesitated before agreeing. "What else? It's just a minor issue. We'll sit down, have some tea, and talk things out—if talking works." "That's good, then. I won't mention this to Yukinoshita." "Enjoy your evening. I need to head home and cook dinner." "Um… If you have time, can I visit your place?" "Of course. But another day." After Hanging Up Haru looked at the driver. "Take me home first. You're having dinner with me tonight. After that, I'll change clothes, and you'll drive me to Shinjuku." The driver silently adjusted the car's direction. Haru closed his eyes, deep in thought. Back when he handed Hisada jun gen to the police, he had taken precautions and gathered information on the entire Hisada family. He had been aware that Hisada Keisuke had been trying to track him down, both online and in real life, but he hadn't cared much. After all, on the surface, there was no direct conflict between them. Worst case scenario, it would just escalate to the point where their families had to meet, sit down, and have a "civilized" discussion. But now that the guy had set his sights on Yukino, things were different. After dinner, as the sky darkened, Haru got back into the car, now dressed differently. He put on his mask and told the driver, "This time, park somewhere without surveillance cameras." "Understood." Haru already knew where Hisada Keisuke's villa was, along with his other residences. But he didn't want to waste time searching each location one by one. Since Hisada was so desperate to catch "the Hooded Vigilante," he had likely stationed people in Kabukicho, where Haru had been spotted several times before. It was the easiest way for him to receive intel from informants. In Kabukicho After arriving at his destination, Haru heightened his focus. With [Auto-Aim Lv6], locating surveillance cameras and identifying blind spots was effortless. He purposely wandered the streets for a while, quickly drawing attention. However, because of his high profile, plenty of people had cosplayed as him in the past, casually roaming the streets. This made the bystanders hesitant, unsure if he was the real deal or just another imitator. "You've spotted me, haven't you? Why aren't you calling for the reward?" Haru stopped in his tracks and turned to face the hesitant crowd behind him, his voice low and deep. "…Are you the real Hooded Vigilante or just a cosplayer?" The bystanders weren't sure. "Of course, I'm real." As soon as they heard that, some people became visibly excited and quickly pulled out their phones to make a call. It didn't take long for four large men to rush over. Just as Haru expected, Hisada Keisuke had stationed people nearby. The four men stared at Haru for a few seconds, their expressions cautious and doubtful. "…You're not another fake, are you? We've already run into three impostors in the past two days." "Where is Hisada Keisuke right now? I need to see him immediately." The moment Haru said those words, the expressions of the four men instantly changed. They had only asked the public to help find the Hooded Vigilante—they had never mentioned their boss's name. "It's really him!" One of them quickly gestured to his companions, signaling for them to go pay the informants while he stayed behind to handle the situation. Two of his comrades immediately understood and left to make the payment. The remaining man, still wary, kept his eyes locked on Haru. "Our boss wants to meet you. We hope you'll cooperate and come with us." "Am I actually meeting Hisada Keisuke, or are you planning to take me somewhere isolated?" Haru asked. The man didn't answer. Haru nodded slightly. "So it's not to meet Hisada Keisuke, then I have no reason to go with you." Hearing this, the man shot a look at his companions who had just finished paying. The two figures swiftly closed in on Haru from behind. There were countless reports online about the Hooded Vigilante's incredible combat skills. They clearly didn't want to face him head-on. The man in front of Haru had planned to start a conversation to distract him, but before he could say a word— Haru suddenly lowered his stance and dodged at lightning speed. The two men lunging at him from behind completely missed their mark. "Watch out!" The leader instinctively shouted. But it was already too late. Haru swung his arm casually—his movements appearing effortless. Yet when the back of his hand struck the man on the left in the chest, the impact sent him flying sideways. He crashed onto the ground with a muffled groan of pain before losing consciousness. The man on the right, terrified, immediately backed away, trying to put some distance between them. Haru didn't chase after him. He simply observed the remaining three. "A few hundred bucks a month. Are you really willing to risk your lives for that?" The three men stiffened, unsure how to respond. Especially now, as more and more onlookers gathered around, some even excitedly pulling out their phones to record. "Get him together!" The leader clenched his teeth and rushed toward Haru first. He was fast. But he flew even faster. With a single kick, Haru sent him soaring through the air. The second man tried to use the moment to launch his own attack, but Haru easily caught his incoming fist. With what seemed like a casual flick of his wrist— CRACK. The sound of bones snapping echoed sharply. The man screamed in agony, clutching his arm as he collapsed onto the ground. The last man was utterly paralyzed with fear. He stood frozen for five whole seconds but still couldn't summon the courage to attack. "That was amazing! The internet wasn't exaggerating—Hooded Vigilante is insanely strong!" "Go, Hooded Vigilante! They may have paid us, but we're still rooting for you!" "Boring. I want to see some real bloodshed." The crowd erupted into cheers, shouts, and laughter. Yet despite all this commotion, no one called the police. Seeing that even more people were gathering to watch, Haru swiftly grabbed the only man who hadn't attacked him. Like lifting a helpless kitten, he picked him up and dashed away. "Chase him!" Some of the onlookers tried to follow. But Haru's speed was unreal. Even while carrying a fully grown man, he moved so fast that within mere seconds, he had vanished completely from sight. A few moments later, Haru landed effortlessly onto a rooftop, still holding the pale-faced man by the collar. "Y-You're not going to throw me off, are you?" The man trembled violently, his voice barely more than a whisper. He had just witnessed Haru leap twice—kicking off midair to propel himself even higher—until he landed on the rooftop of a four-story building. Was this guy even human? Regret flooded his mind. "One month's pay for risking my life... He was right. I should've run when I had the chance." Faced with this terrifying reality, the man immediately spilled everything about Hisada Keisuke's whereabouts without hesitation. Since he was so cooperative, Haru didn't make things any harder for him. Just as he was about to leave, the man's phone suddenly rang. Haru, ever polite, reminded him, "You should answer that." "I-I don't dare..." "No. You do." "...!" Shaking, the man pulled out his phone and glanced at the caller ID—his face turning even more nervous. "I-It's Mrs. Hisada." Haru nodded. "Pick up." The man looked utterly miserable but obediently pressed the speakerphone button. The moment the call connected, an irritated female voice burst through. "What the hell are you guys doing?! You know Keisuke hasn't been acting normal lately—so why the hell are you following him in his nonsense?!" "Mrs. Hisada, I—" "Where is he? Tell that idiot to get his ass home. And stop trying to track down that Hooded Vigilante! I did my research—the guy isn't normal. Even the police are covering up information about him. You'll never find him." "...Uh, Mrs. Hisada… Actually, I'm with the Hooded Vigilante right now." "..." Silence. Haru could hear the woman's sharp intake of breath. Followed by a long pause—then a quick, composed exhale. "Put him on." Haru took the phone. "Hello." Hearing the unfamiliar voice, the woman spoke quickly, yet with clear articulation. "You're the Hooded Man, correct? I sincerely apologize for my son's reckless actions. Rest assured, I will ensure he stops bothering you immediately. Let's put an end to this matter." "Of course, if you feel uncomfortable about this, we can arrange a meeting. Whatever concerns you have, feel free to bring them up. Who knows? We might even become friends." Haru glanced at the trembling man beside him and replied calmly, "It's too late." "What?" The woman's voice carried a trace of confusion. "It's already too late. Make sure to send your son to the hospital later." With that, he ended the call. Without hesitation, Haru casually tossed the phone off the rooftop. The device shattered upon impact. (Generally refers to the two annual high school baseball tournaments)