She watched as Katsuragi Yuki continued to slam the stick down again and again on Kareki Tsunetaka's vital parts.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Katsuragi Yuki's blows rained down continuously on Kareki Tsunetaka's head.
At some point, bright red blood had already pooled onto the floor.
Suddenly, Hikari stopped her. "Hold on a second."
"Eh? What's wrong, Hikari-kun?", Katsuragi Yuki, who had already gotten carried away in her rage, face flushed and eyes bloodshot, immediately stopped when she saw it was Hikari blocking her. She quieted down and listened to him speak.
Hikari didn't answer right away. He crouched down first, shook Kareki Tsunetaka's limp body, then held a finger to the man's nose for a moment.
Seeing his actions, Katsuragi Shouko and her two daughters froze for a second, and then suddenly turned pale, their bodies trembling.
"He's not moving anymore, and he's not making any sound either," Hikari finally explained why he had stopped Yuki.
"No… that can't be?"
"This isn't happening, right?"
Both Katsuragi Shouko and Katsuragi Sayaka had the same thought. One went pale, and the other bit her lip hard.
———
Seeing Hikari's actions, not only were Katsuragi Shouko and Sayaka utterly shocked, even Yuki, who had just been full of excitement, now looked deathly pale, as if awaiting her own judgment.
And under the three women's frightened, tense gazes, Hikari nodded slightly and said, "Yeah. He's dead."
"AHHHH!"
Shouko, Sayaka, and Yuki, mother and daughters, all screamed uncontrollably in unison, their eyes wide in disbelief.
"D-dead?"
"How could he be dead?"
"No way, I beat him to death?"
After all, killing someone was an extremely rare thing. And killing someone with your own hands was beyond imagination. The three Katsuragi girls trembled in horror.
Even Yuki, who had been so wild a moment ago, immediately sobered up.
Now that the adrenaline had faded, fear took over.
She stared at Kareki Tsunetaka's bloody, motionless body on the ground, her lips trembling and her face drained of all color.
Killing someone with your own hands was horrifying enough, but if she really had killed him, then she'd have to go to jail.
No matter the reason, she couldn't possibly escape prison if she'd taken someone's life.
Not just Yuki, Shouko and Sayaka were clearly thinking the same thing. The three looked at one another, seeing only panic and helplessness reflected in each other's eyes.
Seeing how tense they were, Hikari spoke calmly, "Don't panic. Don't be afraid. Calm down first."
His face showed no sign of fluster. After all, he'd seen plenty of dead people, most by his own hand.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason.
Just as Yuki had swung that final blow, a familiar system notification had echoed in his head.
He hadn't actually checked whether Kareki Tsunetaka was still breathing or not.
The reason he knew so quickly was because of that system prompt:
[Ding! Under the host's positive influence, the Katsuragi mother and daughters have personally struck down the culprit, home-staying parasite Kareki Tsunetaka, making a great contribution to the noble cause against bull-headed men and promoting the spirit of pure love. This perfectly aligns with the ideology of true love!]
[Reward: +500 Pure Love Points!]
That prompt made Hikari quite pleased. His efforts at "guidance" hadn't been wasted.
And knowing all this ahead of time, he was naturally calm.
But even with his reassurance, the Katsuragi girls still couldn't settle down.
"But, Hikari-kun, he's already dead!", Sayaka said in a panic.
"Yeah, this is… too much. Someone's dead! We're in huge trouble!", Shouko cried.
"I-I killed him… it's over… it's all over!", Yuki was the most panicked. After all, those last few strikes that killed Kareki Tsunetaka were hers.
If someone had to take the blame, she was the one.
Watching the terrified women, Hikari walked closer, gently patted their shoulders, and said reassuringly, "It's fine. It's not over."
"You're mother and daughters, sisters, so you won't tell anyone about this, right?"
Hearing that, the three quickly nodded, "Mm! We won't tell anyone!"
Hikari nodded back, "Good. Just don't say a word about it. I'll keep your secret too."
Hearing this, the three women exhaled in relief, looking at him with gratitude.
Hikari didn't take credit. In truth, if not for his provocation, the Katsuragi girls probably wouldn't have sought revenge, even with all the vile things Kareki Tsunetaka had done.
And although Kareki Tsunetaka had spent over ten years as a shut-in, his physical condition was so poor that it wasn't hard for Yuki to kill him.
But before they'd started hitting him, Hikari had already struck a few heavy blows himself. Enough to probably leave Kareki Tsunetaka half-dead.
He'd only stopped because he didn't want to kill the man himself in front of the Katsuragi family, that would've made things troublesome later.
Those strikes had landed solidly though.
So while Kareki Tsunetaka's death blow had come from Yuki, Hikari had caused plenty of the damage.
For that reason, and for the 500-point reward, Hikari intended to help the Katsuragi girls handle the aftermath.
They could feel his goodwill, and his clear stance that they were all "in the same boat."
The three women looked at him not only with gratitude, but also growing closeness.
Compared to the fat corpse lying on the floor, Hikari now felt far more like family to them.
Calmed by his presence, Shouko exhaled and said, "Hikari-kun's right. As long as the three of us stay quiet and Hikari-kun helps us, maybe we can cover this up."
"Yeah! We can! Especially with Hikari-kun here!", Yuki nodded eagerly, her small hand clutching at the corner of his shirt, showing just how much she now depended on him.
Sayaka, being the more rational one, frowned slightly as she looked at Kareki Tsunetaka's "cooling" body on the floor, "Even if we can keep it secret, he's… dead. What are we going to do with his body?"
Hearing that, Shouko and Yuki both turned toward the huge, bloated corpse, faces tightening with pain and disgust.
At that moment, Hikari said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I know someone at a crematorium, he can make it disappear. No problem."
"Really?", Yuki's eyes lit up, her relief almost making her jump.
Shouko and Sayaka also looked overjoyed. Their trust in Hikari by now was absolute.
They didn't even ask who his contact was or how he'd skip procedures, they just believed he could handle it.
"Hikari-kun, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, the three of us…", Shouko grabbed his hands tightly, looking up at the young man not much older than her daughter. Her beautiful eyes were glistening with tears.
"It's nothing. Just lending a hand. After all, we're neighbors, right?"
He didn't bother considering what the "real" neighbor lying dead might think. He simply wrapped an arm around Shouko's trembling shoulders and gently patted her back.
After all, they'd already shared a fleeting night together, even if by accident , and he wasn't heartless enough to ignore a woman he'd once been with.
Feeling the warmth of his embrace, Shouko couldn't help leaning closer. Her longing resurfaced, not just because of tonight's dependence, but because the memory of that night's fulfillment still haunted her every evening.
After years of loneliness, she was like someone dying of thirst in a desert who had suddenly found a lake of nectar.
After such a long drought, that first sweet rain had left her drunk and addicted. Unable to pull away, unable to close her lips again.
Fortunately, Yuki and Sayaka were still too shaken to notice their mother's behavior. They only thought she was frightened and seeking comfort.
But just as Shouko was savoring the warmth of his arms, Sayaka frowned again and said, "Even if Kareki Tsunetaka's dead and Hikari-kun promises secrecy, what if his friends notice he hasn't been in touch?"
Hikari smiled, but before he could answer, Yuki spoke up first, now much calmer, "Don't worry, Sis. That guy was a total shut-in. He doesn't even have half a friend. No one will notice."
Sayaka shook her head, "True, Kareki Tsunetaka was a hardcore recluse who hadn't stepped outside for over a decade, with zero contact with society. Not a single friend."
"But he does have a father, Kareki Ichiro. What will we do when he comes back?"
"You're right," Shouko agreed, quickly pulling away from Hikari. The three women frowned deeply, worrying about how to deal with Kareki Ichiro.
Interestingly, Sayaka no longer referred to him as "Uncle Kareki" or "Father," but by his full name, and neither Shouko nor Yuki reacted.
Clearly, after all this, they no longer saw him as family.
Still, thinking of him was enough to give them headaches.
He was the one who'd arranged for them to stay here, after all.
And if he learned his son was dead, any sane person would immediately suspect the three of them.
But seeing their troubled faces, Hikari chuckled, "You're overthinking it."
"Huh?", The three looked at him.
Smiling, Shouko asked, "Hikari-kun, what do you mean?"
"It's simple," he explained, "Kareki Tsunetaka and Kareki Ichiro's relationship probably isn't what you imagine. Ichiro doesn't care much for that useless son of his."
All three women froze. Yuki couldn't help saying, "Hikari-kun, I don't mean to doubt you… but Kareki Tsunetaka is still his son. Wouldn't he care at least a little?"
Hikari shook his head, "No. With a personality like that, nobody cares. Think about it, have you ever seen Ichiro contact Tsunetaka? Or Tsunetaka contact him?"
The three thought for a bit, then all shook their heads, "Come to think of it… no."
"Exactly. As far as I know, Tsunetaka never saw anyone, not even his father. And Ichiro doesn't just not care; he hates him. They probably haven't met in years."
"Honestly, even if Ichiro found out Tsunetaka was dead, he'd probably feel relieved. Maybe even happy."
The Katsuragi girls, who valued family deeply, were stunned.
"Really?", murmured Shouko in disbelief.
Sayaka thought for a moment, then nodded, "It does seem like what Hikari-kun said is true."
Yuki agreed, "Yeah. I didn't meet Ichiro many times, but the way he talked about his son was full of disgust. He couldn't even remember his name clearly."
"Right! I remember now, when he asked us to move in here, he told us to contact Kareki Tsunetaka ourselves. He clearly didn't like him," Sayaka added.
"That's good…", Shouko exhaled in relief.
———
Seeing that they were still somewhat uneasy, Hikari said, "Don't worry. I was involved in this too. If Ichiro ever causes trouble, tell me, I'll handle it."
Hearing that, the three women finally relaxed completely.
Though not bound by blood, they now trusted Hikari deeply, even depended on him.
After all, he'd saved them multiple times and proven utterly reliable. Their trust and affection for him had grown immensely.
After discussing the cleanup a bit more, Shouko said, right in front of her daughters, and especially before Hikari, "After what happened, I can't possibly marry Kareki Ichiro anymore. I plan to cancel the engagement."
Her daughters, Sayaka and Yuki, both agreed immediately.
Hikari also nodded slightly.
But even with their support, Shouko still looked troubled.
"How am I supposed to tell Kareki Ichiro that I want to call off the engagement?"
She couldn't exactly say, 'I already have someone in my heart, and got filled up by him by accident…'
No, she definitely couldn't tell him, 'My daughter killed your son', either.
And lying wasn't something she was good at. So the matter of breaking off the engagement left her completely stumped.
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