Chapter 157: Cooperation and Prince Qing

Sharing the exact same sentiment as Izumo was Thanatos, who had consistently remained on the sidelines playing the role of a bystander.

Of course, the God of Death and Izumo were experiencing quite different kinds of headaches.

The latter was defeated by his own king’s habitual calm and laid-back reaction, coupled with an instantaneous, intuitive sensation of a somewhat hair-raising, suspicious sense of danger emanating from Kurama, whose smile was overtly gentle and harmless to both humans and animals. Consequently, he felt a headache brought on by an unknown and unidentified threat.

As for the former...

[Tell me, what kind of evil scheme is that guy hatching again?]

Sensing that Kurama's attitude toward a certain Red King was somewhat subtle, Thanatos, completely in the dark and finding the sight almost too painful to watch, silently turned his head away and used a cosmos-based telepathic link to ask Hypnos beside him.

In fact, ever since the group from HOMRA stepped through the door, apart from Kurama, not even Hades had uttered a single word.

Naturally, this was not only because Kurama had acted as the designated foreign liaison from the very beginning of this unconventional plot-subverting squad, but also because the remaining "big shots" simply possessed no great enthusiasm or interest in participating in such unnecessary interpersonal socialization.

However...

This time around, it seemed that the tendency of Hades and the others to disdain socializing with mortals had unexpectedly produced some rather favorable effects. Hadn't the Red Clan members—aside from the Red King Suoh Mikoto, whose emotions never surfaced on his face, and Anna, the equally expressionless little loli—already begun casting probing and doubtful gazes toward Hades and the others? Among them were Izumo, acting as the strategist, and Yata, a shock-troop captain with top-tier combat prowess within the clan.

Sometimes, one does not fear opponents who speak out; rather, what causes unease is when they sit there in complete silence, yet effortlessly project a powerful aura that they "accidentally" failed to fully rein in, potent enough to instill caution in anyone nearby.

Therefore, even though Kurama and Mikoto had been carrying the conversation since the meeting began, occasionally joined by Tatara acting as a diplomatic buffer in the middle, it was unmistakably Hades and the twin gods who commanded an impossible-to-ignore presence. Sitting quietly to the side, they had barely acknowledged the four unfamiliar visitors pouring into the room, sparing them no more than a casual, indifferent lift of an eyelid before treating them as if they didn't exist at all.

As for the Lancer, who would have been incapable of maintaining such aloof composure, he happened to have been dispatched on a confidential mission just before the Red Clan arrived...

It had to be said that this was truly a coincidence dictated by fate (?).

Thus, although he felt a slight pang of emotional guilt toward the friend he had newly made today, when it came to subverting the tracks of destiny—a matter of paramount importance to Kurama—no amount of rapport with Tatara, established in less than a day, could ever sway the demon fox's original resolve.

Slips of a smile touching the corners of his lips, ignoring the suspicious and inquiring gaze directed at him from Thanatos for a brief moment, Kurama smiled at Tatara and the Red King seated before him.

"I didn't expect the 'King' Tatara mentioned to be you. If he had woken up a bit earlier, perhaps the two of you could have met earlier today."

Hearing this, the red-haired man did not react immediately; it was evident that he was somewhat unaccustomed to exchanging such pleasantries.

Instead, Tatara's eyes curved into a warm, gentle smile, and before the atmosphere could turn awkward, he chimed in with perfect timing to respond on his behalf:

"Eh? Could it be that the accidental chance encounter Kurama mentioned earlier actually refers to earlier today?"

Seeing Kurama nod, Tatara opened his eyes wider in apparent curiosity. "Then how did you and the King run into each other? Even if you just passed each other on the street, you wouldn't leave such a deep impression on one another, would you?"

After a moment of thought, he added:

"Of course, I admit that neither the King nor you, Kurama, are the types whose impressions would fade shortly after a casual encounter in a crowd..."

Having said that, he gave a heavy, affirmative nod, as if to reiterate, "Yup! That's exactly how it is!"

Kurama gave a silent, faint chuckle at the remark.

He honestly hadn't expected Tatara to hold such a high opinion of him—nearly on the same pedestal as Suoh Mikoto in his heart. Was this merely polite flattery on the man's part, or did it stem from genuine sincerity?

The demon fox touched his chin in contemplation.

Regardless of which answer was correct, however, he cared little either way.

"Speaking of which, certain things did indeed happen..."

Glancing sideways at the red-haired king and seeing that the man did not seem to mind Tatara knowing about this past episode, Kurama briefly described to Tatara the scene of his chance encounter with Mikoto earlier.

The flaxen-haired young man listened with a continuous, gentle smile.

"The King simply has that kind of temper."

He said with a smiling squint.

"Although he is mostly restrained, there are times when his emotions rise and he simply cannot hold them back."

Especially... when he was not by his side, and even worse, when he was mistakenly led to believe at the time that he would never appear by his side again.

Tatara silently added in his heart.

Reaching out to tug at the hem of Mikoto's jacket, and watching the man immediately lower his gaze toward him, Tatara unconsciously wore a look of contented satisfaction at the corners of his mouth:

"Yet, even when he was on the verge of a rampage, he still remembered not to drag innocent passersby into it... How should I put it? As expected of the King, wouldn't you say?"

He spoke in a soft voice with bright eyes, and that sparkling gaze, brimming with praise and admiration for the person before him, caused the Red King, locked in eye contact with him, to fall silent for two seconds before rather uncomfortably shifting his gaze away...

"...So, what was that collaboration you mentioned over the phone earlier?"

Whether out of awkwardness or shyness (?!), he rapidly changed the subject.

And the direction of this topic happened to be precisely what Kurama welcomed.

Therefore, the demon fox blinked, offering Tatara a smile full of encouragement (or perhaps bewilderment?) before the latter could speak.

Tatara found the sight quite amusing.

Although the final decision still required the joint nod of Mikoto, who served as the King, and Izumo, who acted as the strategist, Tatara—who had already reached a certain level of tacit understanding with Kurama—did not believe this would pose much difficulty.

Despite differing motives, the ultimate outcome that Kurama's side wished to achieve and the one his own side desired were essentially identical.

Thus, even if Kurama had not given him such a "hint," this collaboration was unlikely to fall through...

Thinking up to this point, Tatara shook his head with a light chuckle, suddenly realizing that this new friend he had made today seemed... far more intriguing than he appeared on the surface.

***

Tokyo Legal Affairs Bureau, Family Registry Division, Division 4.

"Room Chief."

The tall woman pushing open the door paused politely at the entrance. Only after receiving a nod of acknowledgment from the elegant blue-haired young man seated at the desk at the head of the room—whose slender fingers were picking up puzzle pieces one by one and effortlessly snapping them into their correct positions—did she take a few quick strides to stand before his desk.

"The results of Fushimi's reconnaissance team are back. The Red King and his subordinates... have indeed begun to stir."

Tying her long, pale golden-brown hair into an intricate low bun at the nape of her neck, the capable and beautiful woman reported in an even tone while raising the data tablet in her hand to transmit the information directly to her superior.

Soon enough, on the projection screen before the blue-haired youth, images of the members of the Red Clan frequently engaging in activities across various corners of the city ever since the "death" of Tatara began to emerge one after another.

Without exception, the Red Clan members in the footage bore grim expressions, and their methods were noticeably harsher and more reckless than before. Clearly, they had suffered a severe provocation and... lost the conditions that kept them restrained.

The blue-haired young man—the Fourth King, the Blue King Munakata Reisi—put down his puzzle piece, rested his elbows on the desk, and cupped his chin in his folded hands.

"Just stirring?"

A faint smile lingered at the corner of his mouth as his calm gaze swept across the images before him one by one.

"No further radical actions?"

"This..."

Realizing what he was referring to, the tall beauty—Scepter 4 Lieutenant Awashima Seri—frowned slightly.

Prompted by Munakata, she finally noticed the unusual incongruity hidden within this report.

For example—according to the intelligence they had gathered, late last night, Totsuka Tatara, a veteran member of HOMRA, was shot and killed by unidentified individuals on the rooftop of a bar. Two HOMRA members who arrived shortly after, Kusanagi Izumo and Yata Misaki, did not find Totsuka Tatara's body at the scene, but the DV camera left behind faithfully recorded the entire process of Totsuka being shot.

Following that, the Red Clan members quickly rallied and began mobilizing in response to Totsuka Tatara's assassination.

Possessing a heavily pronounced street-gang ethos, the Red Clan HOMRA naturally operated with a style vastly different from Scepter 4, a pseudo-government agency. Their so-called "investigation" naturally could not follow the conventional routes of a gunshot murder case.

Dividing into numerous small squads, the people of HOMRA began scouring the city using their own methods. Based on the latest intelligence acquired, they had already analyzed the bullet that struck Totsuka Tatara and identified the general origin of the murder weapon...

"So at a time like this, shouldn't they be breaking down doors in pursuit of further clues?"

Munakata murmured softly, his slender fingers gently grazing his chin, which was somewhat sharp and handsome for a man:

"Yet, nearly an entire afternoon has passed since they obtained this intelligence, and neither the Red King Suoh Mikoto nor any core members of HOMRA have appeared where they ought to be..."

"Awashima-kun, would you consider this normal?"

Awashima unconsciously shook her head. "...No."

Munakata curved his lips into a faint smile upon hearing this:

"Therefore, what calculation is the Red Clan making this time? And where in the world is the Red King... Suoh Mikoto?"

Narrowing his blue eyes slightly behind transparent lenses, Munakata raised his gaze to look at his frowning, beautiful lieutenant:

"It seems we ought to clarify this point first."

"Awashima-kun."