Netori: I Shall Steal All Of My Enemies' Women For Revenge!

Without thinking, Haruto bolted toward her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with concern as he handed her his handkerchief.

Chiyo hurried to her side, helping to wipe away the sticky mess.

"What the hell, Ren?" Haruto barked, glaring daggers at the other man.

Ren sighed, his expression bored and dismissive. "This isn't your business. Oi, useless, let's go." He snapped his fingers at Ayaka.

Ayaka flinched, hesitating as she glanced between Ren and Haruto. But as she stepped toward that bastard, Haruto caught her wrist, his grip firm yet gentle.

"Don't go," he said, his voice steady and resolute. "Just stay with me."

Ayaka's eyes filled with uncertainty, her gaze shifting between the two men. Finally, she lowered her head, trembling as she clung to Haruto's shirt.

"I'll go with you," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Haruto let out a breath of relief, his hand instinctively moving to shield her from Ren.

Ren scoffed, his lips curling into a sneer. "Cih, you bitch. You'll get your punishment later," he spat venomously.

Ayaka flinched, her grip on Haruto's shirt tightening as she tried to stifle her trembling.

"Shut up," Haruto snapped, his tone like steel. "No one's getting punished here."

Ren stepped forward until their faces were just inches apart, his smirk daring. "Or what?"

Haruto's jaw tightened, his muscles coiled as if ready to strike. "Or I'll make you my punching bag in the underground ring," he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Ren's smirk faltered for a moment, but he quickly masked it with a scoff. "Tch, whatever," he muttered, turning to leave. He grabbed Erika's arm, pulling her along.

But Haruto wasn't done. "Wait, Erika!" he called, stretching his hand toward her. "You too—come with me."

Erika stopped, her dark eyes meeting his. For a moment, she seemed to waver, her lips parting as if to speak.

But then she glanced at Ren, whose expression darkened with fury. Her resolve crumbled, and she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Haruto," she said softly, her voice tinged with regret.

Before Haruto could respond, Ren tugged her forward, and they disappeared into the crowd, leaving him standing there with Chiyo and Ayaka.

Haruto clenched his fists, his chest tightening with frustration.

For now, all he could do was focus on Ayaka, who was still trembling beside him. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Let's get out of here," he said gently, his voice steady despite the storm brewing inside him.

After some discussion, they decided to divide tasks: Haruto would find something warm for Ayaka to wear, while Chiyo accompanied her to the restroom to clean up the sticky soda.

Haruto wandered through a nearby store, grabbing the first jacket he found that seemed suitable for a woman.

It was slim pickings, but he made do. Walking back to the restroom, he knocked lightly on the door.

"Here. I found this jacket nearby. Please use it," he said.

The door opened slightly, and Chiyo reached out, taking the jacket with a small smile of thanks before closing it again.

Leaning against the wall, Haruto found his mind wandering to how he would explain all of this to Arataki.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice the restroom door opening until Chiyo and Ayaka stepped out.

Ayaka clung to Chiyo's side, visibly embarrassed. She wore a Ponpon character jacket, complete with a penguin design, which made her look like she was wearing a costume.

Haruto's lips twitched, barely suppressing a laugh.

Chiyo shot him a warning glare and elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't you dare laugh," she muttered.

Haruto straightened up and shook his head. "I'm not. Let's get going."

Ayaka hesitated, bowing her head slightly. "I… I think I just want to go home. Thank you for everything."

"Ah, don't go yet. Why don't you come with us?" Haruto suggested. He turned to Chiyo with a questioning look.

"We're pretty much done with our little date, right?"

Chiyo nodded warmly. "Of course. Just tell us your address, and we'll take you home after."

The kindness in Chiyo's tone seemed to reassure Ayaka, and she eventually agreed.

Haruto couldn't help but notice how gentle and attentive Chiyo was toward Ayaka, and his curiosity about their connection deepened.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

'I'll have to ask Chiyo about this later,' he thought as they made their way to the parking lot.

During the ride, Chiyo continued chatting with Ayaka, her soothing voice filling the car. She had even moved to the backseat to sit with her, leaving Haruto to drive alone in the front.

Through the rearview mirror, Haruto watched Chiyo's caring expressions, suspecting Ayaka had gone through something terrible.

When they finally arrived at Ayaka's house, Chiyo returned to the passenger seat, letting out a tired sigh.

"Ah, that poor girl," she murmured. "What happened to Ito? He used to be such a cheerful, good child…"

Haruto kept his eyes on the road. "The past is the past."

"By the way, Chiyo, has Ayaka been through something bad before? You seem to really care about her."

Chiyo played with her fingers, a faint frown crossing her face. "You really don't remember, do you? Your memory is so bad, Haruto."

"Sorry about that," he said with an awkward laugh.

Chiyo's expression turned somber as she began to recount the past. "Ayaka's mom, Mrs. Yoshida… she wasn't a good mother."

"She locked Ayaka in the basement for years. None of us in the village knew because Mrs. Yoshida claimed Ayaka had gone to live with her father."

Haruto frowned deeply. "That's awful." it was the same of what Ayaka told him, so she indeed wasn't lying about her past.

Chiyo nodded. "It was only discovered when Mrs. Yoshida killed someone in the village. She murdered a worker from the Ito family."

Haruto's hands tightened on the steering wheel as he glanced at her. "Wait… seriously? Someone from the Ito family? But why?"

"Yes. But no one know why." Chiyo's voice grew heavy with emotion.

"That's when the police got involved. But by the time they found Mrs. Yoshida, she was already dead. They found Ayaka in the basement—she was so thin and filthy… It was heartbreaking."

Haruto's brows knitted as pieces of Ayaka's story began to clash in his mind. She had claimed Ren saved her, but Chiyo's version painted a different picture.

'Unless… maybe Ren really did save her,' he thought grimly.

A theory formed in his mind—what if Ren had been the one to kill Mrs. Yoshida? It wouldn't be out of character for someone as dangerous and unhinged as Ren.

That thought left Haruto unsettled as they drove away, his mind racing with questions he couldn't yet answer.

"Did the police find Ren with her?" Haruto pressed, his curiosity tinged with unease.

Chiyo tilted her head, confusion flickering in her expression. "Huh? Of course not. The police only found Ayaka alone in the basement," she replied.

Haruto furrowed his brows, a knot forming in his chest. The truth was unraveling into something far more complex than he had anticipated.

The odd connection between Ayaka and Ren raised questions that neither Chiyo nor the villagers could answer.

Only Ayaka or Ren held the key to this tangled mystery. Read the latest on empire