24. Unnatural Strategy

Inside the Tokugawa Society's branch office, a throng of suited yakuza thugs dashed about in chaos, chasing after the wildly spinning boss lady in the corridor.

At the front was Sakura Motobu, leading the charge and shouting as she ran, “Your name’s Chen Shang, right? Put the young lady down! We promise to let you go!”

She had no idea what trick this man had used to reduce their young mistress to such a state, but if she didn’t intervene soon, the young lady’s head would surely be battered bloody against the ceiling.

“Write a guarantee, then!” Chen Shang yelled in return, still gripping Chiyo’s right ankle as he spun her through the air. The frequency with which the young lady was spinning above nearly left his head spinning as well.

But he dared not let go—Yasougi Chiyo was his only bargaining chip.

The thugs of the Tokugawa Society stood beneath the ceiling, stamping their feet anxiously as they watched. Even though they’d learned from Sakura Motobu that their boss lady was airborne thanks to this male high schooler, no one dared fire a gun at him. If their shots accidentally hit the young mistress, even being stabbed a hundred times and dumped into the irradiated bay known as “Divine Neon Tritium” wouldn’t be enough to atone.

“This is… way too weird. Maybe we should call the cops…” one thug muttered, scratching his shiny bald head in confusion.

Immediately, a colleague smacked him on the skull. “We’re yakuza, you idiot! Are you trying to help the police with their arrest quota?!”

Sakura Motobu raised her lady’s pistol, aiming for a long time at the pair colliding with the ceiling, but in the end, she lowered her weapon.

“If this doesn’t work, we’ll have to call in the assassins from headquarters,” she said through gritted teeth, helpless. The situation was so surreal that even a hardened yakuza like Sakura Motobu had no idea how to proceed.

No one knew how long Chen Shang had been spinning Chiyo through the air; she’d already smashed several holes in the ceiling with her head. Then, without warning, Chiyo’s body convulsed violently and, like a helicopter out of fuel, dropped straight to the floor.

“Seriously? That’s it?” Chen Shang rubbed his sore backside and staggered to his feet, dizzy.

He’d counted on the young lady flying a little longer to buy himself more time to negotiate.

But within seconds, a dozen gun barrels were aimed at his chest. Sakura Motobu barked, “Hands up!”

With no other choice, Chen Shang raised his hands. “Don’t shoot, I’m sorry.”

A few thugs rushed forward and pinned him down, while Sakura Motobu hurried to Chiyo’s side.

“Young lady, are you all right?” Sakura supported her by the shoulders.

Chiyo’s face was ashen, her expression thoroughly wrecked. Her body trembled, clearly still suffering the aftereffects of her wild flight.

As she slowly opened her eyes, Chen Shang’s gaze met hers.

The instant their eyes met, Chiyo shrank back like a frightened chick—a clear sign of fear.

Leaving Yasougi Chiyo bugged for too long would cause random errors in her AI logic—a variable Chen Shang had been counting on.

In the world of Night Axis City, people from the East Capital were notorious for bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and the Tokugawa Society—the biggest yakuza organization in Arakawa Ward—was no exception.

Only by throwing the Tokugawa Society into utter chaos and making these gangsters afraid did Chen Shang have any hope of escaping. Even if it meant earning their lasting enmity, he had no choice. Any sign of weakness or timidity before these yakuza, and they’d devour him without hesitation.

But now, it seemed he might’ve gone a bit too far.

—Did I break her? That… shouldn’t be possible.

Chen Shang felt a twinge of unease. He hadn’t meant to do this, but the girl seemed to hold a grudge. If he took one wrong step, he’d probably end up stabbed and tossed into the bay.

To prepare himself for whatever was coming, Chen Shang pulled up the [Character] panel to check Yasougi Chiyo’s favorability rating.

He braced himself for a negative forty—for “Hatred.”

[Character: “Yakuza Camellia” Yasougi Chiyo]

[Favorability: Error/100]

—Error? A bug?

Chen Shang stared at the glaring “Error,” unsure what to make of it.

Yasougi Chiyo was clearly out of sorts, her face twitching with rapidly shifting expressions. If Sakura Motobu hadn’t been holding her, every thug present would’ve seen their boss lady’s disgrace.

Time passed, and eventually Chiyo’s symptoms seemed to ease. She staggered to her feet.

At the same time, “Error” on Chen Shang’s panel began to flicker, as if trying to resolve into a number.

Chiyo snorted coldly, snatched the lady’s pistol from Sakura, and strode toward Chen Shang.

—No way… did I go too far?

Chen Shang couldn’t help but suck in a breath. The effects of his calming hormone were fading, and anxiety began to creep in.

If Yasougi Chiyo really meant to shoot him, he’d have to talk his way out—he knew enough insider information to bamboozle a young girl.

Yasougi Chiyo stopped before him. Pinned to the floor by two thugs, Chen Shang could barely glimpse the shiny leather boots before his eyes.

He heard her icy voice above him: “Take him to the basement.”

On the [Character] panel, Chiyo’s favorability finally shifted from “Error” to a number: 51.

Chen Shang had no time to be shocked before two burly men hauled him away, dumping him onto the basement floor.

“Everyone else, out,” Chiyo commanded. The room was cleared, leaving only the two of them.

Sakura Motobu, though visibly worried, could only obey, waiting by the door.

Chen Shang had barely climbed to his feet before Chiyo locked the door behind her.

“What is she planning?” Chen Shang’s nerves prickled.

He’d expected her to shoot him, but instead she spared his life and locked them in together?

—Has she really lost her mind?

Seeing “51/100” on the system panel, Chen Shang felt as if reality had turned surreal.

All he’d done was force a bug in Yasougi Chiyo’s AI for twenty minutes, breaking her logic and—somehow—raising her favorability to 51?

For this young mistress, a favorability of 50 was a watershed.

Sure enough, Chiyo’s eyes grew misty, her cheeks flushing as she stepped closer.

Chen Shang steeled himself to use his “ankle grab” trick to bug her again, but he was uneasy—her gaze was that of a predatory woman savoring her prey.

“Young lady, it’s not proper for a man and woman to be alone like this,” Chen Shang said, frowning and trying to edge away.

But Chiyo closed the distance in a flash, seizing his forearm with strength befitting her five-point power stat.

Since it wasn’t a lethal attack, his [Crisis Sense] skill didn’t activate; he was trapped.

Chiyo extended a finger with her other hand, lifting his chin in a dominating gesture.

Their eyes met, and at last Chen Shang saw the burning desire in hers.

—This is unmistakable affection! I’m being entangled by this woman!

The atmosphere thickened with ambiguity, the whole scene taking on the flavor of “the domineering lady boss falls for me.”

After a long silence, Chiyo spoke first: “You’re a very special man. Stay at the Tokugawa Society—become my subordinate.”

Yet the tone was unmistakably that of a confession in disguise.

Chen Shang could only sigh, spreading his hands. “As you can see, I’m a law-abiding high school student. I can’t join an illegal organization.”

“I’m not giving you a choice!” Chiyo retorted, her flushed face drawing even closer.

Sensing danger, Chen Shang acted fast, aiming a kick at Chiyo’s right ankle.

She recoiled in fright, letting go and retreating to the corner.

“No! Don’t—don’t do that!” The recently imperious young mistress crumbled instantly, hugging herself and trembling like a frightened child.

Seeing her triggered by the mere threat to her ankle, Chen Shang was momentarily at a loss.

“I feel like the real villain here… She was the one who started all this…” he muttered.

After a moment’s thought, he approached Chiyo and murmured reassuringly, “All right, I won’t kick your ankle again.”

“You… you promise?” Her voice was shaky, eyes pleading.

“I promise, I promise!” Chen Shang replied instantly. “It’s getting late—if I don’t go home, my family will worry. Let’s talk more another time, all right?”

“You… you’re really leaving?” Chiyo sounded reluctant.

“I am. My little sister’s probably already about to call the police.” He gently took her hand, calming her.

“In that case… I’ll have Sister Motobu drive you home!”

Clinging tightly to his hand, Chiyo finally seemed to recover from her right-ankle PTSD.

“No problem, young lady. See you next time,” Chen Shang said, patting her softly on the back as he unlocked the door and left.

The whole experience was bizarre, but it seemed he’d made it out of the Tokugawa Society in one piece.

Yet as he stepped out, a sharp rush of wind whistled past his ear.

His [Crisis Sense] activated. Time slowed to a crawl, nearly stopping.

In that frozen moment, he saw the thugs in the hallway rushing toward him in slow motion.

At his side, Sakura Motobu, eyes burning with fury, swung a machete at him.

Chen Shang snorted, twisting aside to dodge.

Time returned to normal.

Sakura Motobu stared in shock as her ambush missed. Seizing the opening, Chen Shang stepped in and landed an uppercut on her chin.

With a grunt, her machete clattered to the floor, and she staggered back, clutching her jaw.

“So you’re the one who slapped me earlier? Get lost!” Chen Shang sneered, flipping her a not-so-friendly gesture.

“You insolent brat! What did you do to the young lady?” Sakura Motobu shouted, reaching for the machete.

Just then, Yasougi Chiyo emerged, her expression regaining its former icy pride. “Enough!”

“Young lady!” Sakura cried, anxiously scanning her for injuries.

“I’m fine,” Chiyo said, shaking her head. She gave a clear order:

“Sister Motobu, drive him home.”