Stealing Spree

Chapter 2280: This is getting complicated

Ichihara Kengo. The brother of the current head of the Ichihara Family and the one

responsible for cleaning up all the shit that Ichihara Jun did. Despite his stern expression, he looked tired to me as though the weight of his family's issues was etched deep into his furrowed brows.

His intention was clearer and louder than the sound of Koharu hitting the heavy bag. He wasn't here to see his family nor was he here for a casual chat. This was a meeting long overdue.

Although we already met face to face once before, that was still when I was nothing more than a boxing instructor in his eyes. Now, I had this identity of the fearless idiot who dared to get in Ichihara Jun's way by taking Marika from him.

"Welcome home, I'm about to finish cooking, Kengo-san," Ichihara-san greeted him with a smile, acting like she hadn't noticed that his attention wasn't on her. I guess this was her attempt to help me out even if it was subtle like this.

"Prepare tea for us, Natsuha." He said without taking his eyes off of me. His voice was deep and had a certain authority to it that even I couldn't ignore. "And you, sit down. I'd like to have a word with you."

Pretending to be oblivious as to why he wanted to talk to me, I nodded calmly and followed him into the living room. Ichihara-san cast me a helpless glance before retreating to the kitchen to prepare the tea.

As we sat, the atmosphere thickened like the sauce of a stew left to simmer too long.

"May I know the reason for this talk, Sir?"

Kengo's eyes narrowed slightly, but his tone remained even as he replied, "You don't have to play dumb. We both know why we're seated here at this moment. You're pretty clever for your age, I'll give you that."

Yeah. Right. Playing dumb was pretty useless but it still surprised me that he went straight on the offensive. He didn't even wait for me to finish my lesson for Koharu-chan today. Hopefully, those two remained in that room. I did ask Marika to look after the girl but given that this might take long, I didn't know if she could handle it by herself.

"Well, I'm all ears," I replied with a calm smile, crossing my arms over my chest. I dropped all pretense and faced him the way he wanted me to, "I'll be straight to you, sir. If you're looking for my apology to Ichihara Jun, I won't do it. I did what I did knowing who he is or what kind of family he has. And if you're wondering if I have an ulterior motive in becoming Koharu- chan's instructor, please rest assured. I may be foolish in your eyes but I'm not a scum like your nephew."

To keep things short, I aired that all out. I don't expect to just nod and accept all of that but dumping them in one go like this would save us a lot of time circling the same topic over and

over.

Kengo stared at me for a moment, his expression unchanging. It was eerie how still he was, like a statue carved out of granite. Then, his mouth twitched slightly and a chuckle escaped him.

"You're truly brave and quite straightforward. You're indeed different from my nephew. Vastly different." He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. "However, you're also foolish. What gave you the courage to act so brazenly and without regard to the weight of our family's name?"

Did he just praise me? But well, I expected this from him based on my assumption that he was actually more competent than the current head of the family. Alas, the one who inherited everything was his older brother and his nephew was a good-for-nothing.

"I believe you have already observed me enough this past week. My courage came from nothing but my desire to take Marika away. That girl deserved more than that bastard can offer." I replied, keeping my voice calm and respectful despite the accusation.

"From nothing? Then why was I contacted by someone who had ties in the government? Your parents. They're not ordinary citizens, are they?" His narrowed eyes flickered with a hint of amusement. But his face remained stiff as though he was trying to read my expression to find something more.

So, he was truly contacted by them. But not directly. I don't know what the content is but if I base it on the favor I asked from them, it's probably closer in line with telling him not to meddle with our issue.

Yet here he was. In any case, I couldn't help but feel like he deliberately didn't bring Ichihara Jun because he didn't need that buffoon to get a gist of this conversation.

I nodded slightly, "Honestly, I have no idea. But they are indeed influential people. Sir, Mister, or whatever you prefer to be called, I'm aware that their engagement has to do with a transaction. Despite that, I won't give up Marika."

Kengo's eyes gleamed with something akin to respect. "I see. So you're not just a reckless teenager with a crush. You're willing to stand against the Ichihara Family for a girl you barely know."

"Barely? Not really. All I need is to hear her out a few times to understand her situation. Granted it's too complicated for someone like me and it's going to be a hassle on her part but we can both agree that Ichihara Jun won't be able to make a good husband, right? So... I'll take her away from him."

As I delivered that, I noticed Marika's head peeking from the door of the training room. It's a straight view from where I was sitting, after all.

Looks like they already noticed. Furthermore, with our voice loud enough, even Ichihara-san, who was preparing the tea, heard everything.

"Take her away? Do you think a transaction like that is something you can just break? Onoda, you're underestimating not just us but also her family. You should drop the act and obediently let her go back to how she's supposed to be before you meddle."

Upon saying that, a hint of irritation slipped into Kengo's otherwise calm demeanor.

I think I already caught on to what he was trying to do here. He was scaring me off. To give me

the sense of dread of going after an influential family like the Kujou.

But then again, there's probably another reason why he was alone.

"Sir, let's cut to the chase here. I still have to finish your daughter's lesson for today. Are you here to tell me off or are you just trying to fish?" I said, not backing down. Ichihara Kengo's face grew stern but his amusement was becoming more apparent than his attempt to act like a cold, intimidating figurehead. He leaned forward slightly, his fingers tapping against the surface of the coffee table in front of him. "What if I am? What are you going to do about it?"

Hearing that, I couldn't help but scoff at how cheeky he sounded. But then again, maybe that's just his personality. "Nothing. Because nothing will change anyway. The engagement is already over. Your nephew failed to secure her. There's no going back even if you rely on whoever the Kujou would send this coming week. Won't they also see how pathetic Ichihara

Jun is?"

At this point, Ichihara-san returned with the tea as she poured a cup for both of us.

I thanked her and took a sip, but Kengo didn't even glance at her. It's like everything she did was just par for the course for him. Listening to him was a minimum requirement as his wife. "You're right. It's doomed but that's not for you to decide, is it?" He paused for a moment before continuing, the tension in his voice disappearing, "You know what? You're impressive. I didn't expect you to not back down at all. This turns out to be a little educational. A boy your age can have this conviction is quite rare."

This... What is he on about now? And was that another praise?

I looked at him straight, trying to read his expression. But the same as how he couldn't read mine, it's the same for me. He was hard to read and I could infer from the words coming out of

his mouth.

This is getting a little complicated.

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