Aqua immediately tossed the ring aside; he suspected he was being played, but he had no proof. Ryunosuke, for his part, dropped the act and patiently waited for Hoshino Ai to regain consciousness. He had urgent matters to discuss with the idol.
Before long, Ai woke up in her hospital bed. Ryunosuke explained everything that had transpired.
Upon realizing that this man was the one who had saved her family, Ai expressed her deepest gratitude. Ryunosuke seized the opportunity to set his terms.
"My girlfriend dreams of becoming an actress. Would you be willing to mentor her, Hoshino-san?"
This was Ryunosuke's true objective. To him, saving people was merely a byproduct of the small amount of conscience he had left.
Ai stated she had no objections. She told Ryunosuke to bring the girl to her at any time, promising to help. Ryunosuke felt a sense of relief before moving on to the heart of the matter.
"Since you're willing to help my girlfriend, let me clear up the remaining trouble as a token of my thanks. Do you have any clues as to who was behind the attack?"
"If I recall correctly, for a top-tier idol like yourself, your home address is a strictly guarded secret, isn't it? Who leaked it?"
Ryunosuke spoke with heavy intent. Though he knew exactly what had happened, he needed to bait the woman into saying it herself.
On the hospital bed, Ai clenched her fists. Of course, she knew the culprit.
Before the incident, the only person she had shared her address with was the biological father of her children. Aside from him, no one knew where she lived. Ai's face slowly cast into shadow; no one could tell what she was thinking.
Ryunosuke spoke in a flat tone. "It seems you already know something. Could you tell me? Perhaps I can help settle it."
Ai hesitated. She knew the man in front of her carried a firearm, so he was clearly no ordinary person. However, seeing her children still in the room, she chose to remain silent.
Understanding her dilemma, Ryunosuke ushered Ruby and Aqua out of the ward. Now, there were no distractions. Although the two left reluctantly, they realized that as children, there was little they could do to help their mother. They could only rely on this "older brother."
Finally, Ai told him everything. She revealed that the one who knew her address was the father of the children, Kamiki Hikaru.
Having secured the information he needed, Ryunosuke didn't want to waste any more time. Before stepping out, he asked Ai one last question.
"Do you care if the biological father of your children... dies?"
Ai's eyes suddenly turned ice-cold. "That bastard! From the moment he tried to harm my children, I stopped caring whether he lived or died. Do with him what you will."
Satisfied with the answer, Ryunosuke no longer had any reservations. As he exited the ward, his path was immediately blocked by Ruby and Aqua. Both children wore expressions as if they were ready to exact revenge for their mother.
Ryunosuke playfully flicked both their heads. "Grow up peacefully in your mother's arms. Leave matters like this to the adults." He ruffled their small heads.
Aqua scoffed in dissatisfaction. "If you do the math, you might not even be older than us. In my previous life, I was nearly forty."
"Huh? Onii-chan, you were almost forty?" Ruby looked stunned. Although she knew her brother was a reincarnated soul like her, she hadn't expected the age gap to be that vast. In her previous life, Ruby was only fourteen.
Suddenly, Ruby gasped. How did this stranger know they were reincarnations? She stared in horror. The corners of Ryunosuke's mouth curled up; his mischievous side resurfaced as he began to bluff with a dead-serious face.
"My name is Kurosaki Ichigo. I am a Shinigami Daikou (Substitute Soul Reaper). My duty is to maintain peace in the human world and guide souls meant for reincarnation. Like you, for example..." Ryunosuke flicked her forehead.
Ruby covered her reddening forehead and stepped back, but she ignored the pain. Instead, she grabbed the edge of his shirt, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Whoa, a Soul Reaper! Onii-chan! He's a real Soul Reaper!"
Aqua said flatly, "Don't toy with my sister..."
Ryunosuke shrugged, stopping the joke. Realizing she had been teased, Ruby immediately began kicking and hitting his legs in frustration. "Bastard! Scammer! You're a total bastard!"
Ryunosuke felt weary of life. "Technically, you two aren't kids, right? If you add your current ages, you're adults."
"I don't care! I'll beat you to death!" Ruby continued to struggle, but was eventually dragged away by Aqua.
Before leaving, Aqua asked one more time. "Can you really punish that man for Mom?"
He felt little for his biological father, especially since the man had intended to kill their mother. Aqua would never forgive him. Ryunosuke gave a slight nod in response.
Aqua said no more. He forced his sister's head down—she was still protesting—while he himself bowed deeply to Ryunosuke, pleading for help.
Ruby finally lowered her defiant head as well, joining the plea. Because they were small, it was impossible for them to take revenge themselves; they had to rely on him.
Ryunosuke smiled with relief, then turned and waved a hand in farewell. He had intended to do it from the start, so this fit his goals perfectly.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Elsewhere, Hikaru received an email from Ryunosuke. It contained a list of every crime he had committed over the years, including an affair with his teacher's wife that had been discovered, followed by his murder of the teacher in a staged "accident." Fearing his secret would be leaked, he had also eliminated the wife and framed it as a double suicide driven by love.
Hikaru had scrubbed his name clean very effectively. This included Ai's stabbing; he had intentionally given her address to Ryosuke to use someone else's hands to kill, keeping himself spotless. It was a trick he had used successfully many times.
But how had he been found out?
Hikaru stared at the contents of the email in confusion, but decided to go meet the mysterious sender as instructed in the message.
He planned to eliminate the threat quietly. Hikaru opened a black suitcase; inside lay two matte black metal objects.
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