The next morning, Kuchiba Hiro woke up, washed up, and ate breakfast as usual before heading to school with his bag. There was no sign of anything unusual on his face, as if the police visit and that eerie contract from yesterday were just small interludes in his life that hadn't caused much of a stir in his heart.
He had indeed been a bit worried at first, especially fearing that someone might stop at nothing and use his father to threaten him. But his father was like a guiding light to him, always finding a way to dispel his concerns.
His father had said, "Hiro, you don't need to worry about me too much. If something really happens to me, it only means the other party is dead set on killing you, and there's no room for maneuver. You should know the rules of the underworld: 'Misfortune does not extend to family.' This rule exists not because those people are moral, but because once you touch someone's family, it means a fight to the death with no possibility of reconciliation."
His father patted his shoulder, his eyes deep, and said, "Anyone who wants to move against you has to weigh things first. Once they remove me, your 'restraint,' what kind of 'invincible person'—unscrupulous and driven solely by revenge—will they release? At that point, rules, agreements, and the apocalypse will all be bullshit in your eyes; you'll just drag everyone to hell with you. Very few people can afford that consequence."
Kuchiba Hiro thought about it carefully and realized it made sense. If someone came looking for trouble with him personally, he might weigh the pros and cons and consider the gravity of the situation. But if anyone dared to touch his father, they would truly be crossing his absolute bottom line. At that point, whether his father lived or died, there would only be one outcome... a fight to the death. He would throw all considerations of the big picture and consequences to the back of his mind until he tore his enemies to shreds. This kind of ruthlessness from someone with nothing to lose was itself a powerful deterrent.
Once he figured this out, he felt much more at ease.
At school, the morning classes passed peacefully. The light screen in the sky did not appear again, as if yesterday's clamor was just a dream.
When the bell rang for lunch, Kuchiba Hiro followed the crowd to the cafeteria, bought his favorite bento, found a corner by the window, and sat down, preparing to enjoy his meal alone.
The light screen incident didn't seem to have brought any substantive changes to his school life. He still had no friends, was still used to being alone, and... deep down, he actually enjoyed this state of being.
He didn't like interacting with people too much, not because he hated humans or was so antisocial that he couldn't communicate. It stemmed more from his early experiences in society.
During his days working part-time, he had grown accustomed to the entanglement of interests and the hypocrisy between people. In his view, besides the few people he truly cared about and who truly cared about him, all other interpersonal relationships could essentially be summarized and driven by "interest" and "power." Since that was the case, why bother putting effort into maintaining superficial social connections? Who would really care about whom?
Just as he was silently enjoying his lunch and the peace of his solitude, a cold female voice rang out nearby, calling his name.
"Kuchiba-kun."
Kuchiba Hiro's chewing stopped, and he turned his head somewhat mechanically. Standing by his table was Yukinoshita Yukino.
He almost subconsciously frowned, and the food in his mouth instantly didn't taste as good. One major reason he didn't socialize was that he extremely disliked being disturbed when he was relaxing alone and enjoying the peace.
It felt as if the comfort zone he had carefully constructed had been forcibly torn open, which was very disruptive to his state of mind.
He looked at Yukino without speaking, but the undisguised annoyance on his face and the expression of "seeing you makes me feel terrible" clearly conveyed his attitude.
Yukino clearly hadn't expected to receive such a "welcome." Yesterday, she had followed Kuchiba Hiro's suggestion and summoned the courage to confess her inner feelings and grievances to her family. Although her family didn't give an immediate, warm response, she could clearly feel that the cold, calculating atmosphere in the family seemed to have softened a bit; at least the channels of communication had been opened.
She felt grateful toward Kuchiba Hiro, so she had specially prepared a thank-you gift today, while also harboring a faint... thought that they might become friends?
However, Kuchiba Hiro's current cold, annoyed, and even slightly rejecting gaze was a far cry from the image in her memory of the person yesterday who was willing to analyze her heart and give advice. It left her momentarily stunned and at a loss.
She didn't know that by inadvertently choosing to disturb him during his meal, she had stepped right into Kuchiba Hiro's "minefield."
Yukino forced herself to calm down and maintain a surface level of etiquette. Bowing slightly to express her gratitude, she said, "Kuchiba-kun, thank you for your guidance yesterday." Then, gently placing a small, exquisitely wrapped gift box on the table, she added, "This is a small token of my appreciation. Please, you must accept it."
Kuchiba Hiro didn't even look at the gift box and rejected her directly, saying in a stiff tone, "No need."
He had two reasons for refusing: first, he was genuinely unhappy about being disturbed; second, he didn't want to have anything to do with the Yukinoshita Family at all. He had only agreed to give her guidance yesterday for Hiratsuka Shizuka's sake! Who knew if the mess in her family would escalate and cause trouble later? He didn't want to be involved; when the time came to "settle accounts" for her family's sins, he didn't want any blood splattering on him.
Seeing Kuchiba Hiro's attitude was so resolute, even carrying a forceful rejection that kept people at a distance, all of Yukino's prepared words got stuck in her throat. Looking at his non-negotiable gaze, she could only awkwardly and dejectedly take back the gift box.
"Then... excuse me," she said in a low voice, her face unable to hide her disappointment as she turned and left.
Kuchiba Hiro watched her back disappear at the cafeteria entrance before picking up his chopsticks again to continue eating his bento, which had already cooled down a bit. Occasional curious glances were cast his way, but he was completely oblivious, or rather, he simply didn't care. He immersed himself back into his own world, as if the small interlude just now was merely a pebble thrown into a lake; once the ripples passed, the surface would eventually return to calm.
His life was better off alone. Quiet and worry-free.
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