Chapter 82: Amano Yuuma's Curiosity
Let's see just how strong this little devil really is…
Watching Haruto face off against the red-haired delinquent, Yuuma smiled faintly, her innocent face twisting into an eerie grin that didn't suit her at all.
"The girl behind me is under my protection."
Haruto didn't waste time—the sooner this was over, the sooner he could get away from this dangerous woman.
He crooked a finger at the redhead, who wore a cold expression. "Gang up on me or fight me one-on-one—just man up and pick one."
The redhead glanced past Haruto at Yuuma.
She was the one who had approached him, promising to be his girlfriend if he beat up this pretty-boy in front of him.
So why did he suddenly look like the villain here?
This deal had been made privately—even if he explained, no one would believe him.
And judging by the woman's demeanor, the redhead doubted she'd keep her word.
Yuuma had no intention of honoring the agreement. Regardless of the outcome, she'd track down the redhead and his gang afterward to erase or alter their memories.
So it didn't matter to her whether he told the truth or not.
The red-haired delinquent pushed aside his underling and said coldly, "Seems we've all been played by that woman, but your attitude really pisses me off..."
Haruto kept his hands in his pockets, wearing a bored expression.
"I told you to make it quick. I'm just here to do a job for money. The rest has nothing to do with me."
He didn't know what reward Akeno Himejima had received for taking on this commission—it probably wasn't money—but the implication was clear enough.
The red-haired delinquent narrowed his eyes, directing a murderous glare at Haruto.
He hated being interrupted most of all. Might as well deal with this pretty boy first, then settle the score with that woman.
Relying on his supernatural abilities, the red-haired delinquent completely dismissed both Haruto and Amano Yuuma as threats.
After all, he couldn't sense any kindred aura from either of them.
What he didn't know was that Haruto and Yuuma's power far surpassed his own. Unless they deliberately leaked their energy, he wouldn't be able to detect it at all.
Nor did it occur to him that someone strong enough to crush him would bother using him for entertainment.
Unfortunately, that was exactly the case.
Yuuma was using him as a stepping stone, which wasn't fundamentally different from toying with him.
Even more unfortunately, Haruto was much stronger than Yuuma had estimated.
Thus, the red-haired delinquent met his Waterloo.
The fight had barely begun when Haruto closed the distance and pummeled him mercilessly before he could even use his signature fire magic.
The delinquent tried to fight back. His physical abilities, enhanced by magical energy, were far superior to an ordinary person's. But against Haruto, they were completely inadequate.
Without even using Basic Body Mastery, Haruto easily knocked out the red-haired delinquent with just speed, strength, and a bit of technique.
The delinquent's cold expression had turned into one of utter bewilderment. Even as he lost consciousness, he couldn't figure out where things had gone wrong.
"Boss!!!"
Seeing their leader down for the count, the young gang members cried out and rushed forward to check on him.
A few of the more loyal ones charged at Haruto, shouting and trying to avenge their boss.
Haruto respected their loyalty—and knocked them out one punch each, sending them to join their red-haired leader in dreamland.
The rest glared furiously but didn't dare attack Haruto.
If they got knocked out too, who would take their fallen boss and comrades to the hospital?
Muttering empty threats to console themselves, the gang members honestly picked up their unconscious friends and ran for the street.
Haruto had no intention of chasing them. He turned to look at the pure and lovely high school girl.
"Miss Amano, I believe this should suffice."
"Thank you, Haruto. These guys have been such a headache for me," Yuuma maintained her fabricated persona, hiding her surprise. "To show my gratitude, let me treat you to a meal."
"No need for that. I was just completing the task Akeno gave me," Haruto said with a smile. "Besides, I'm a devil. Aren't you scared of me at all, Miss Amano?"
"B-because... Haruto is so handsome... I want to spend more time with you."
Yuuma's face flushed red as she looked down at her round-toe leather shoes, perfectly portraying the shyness of an innocent schoolgirl.
Haruto watched with admiration. With acting skills like that, the next Oscars wouldn't be worth watching without her.
"Is that so? Miss Amano is quite cute too."
Yuuma lifted her head, her large, beautiful eyes gazing hopefully at Haruto. "Then..."
"So, I'm going home." Haruto turned away without hesitation, speaking in a serious tone. "It wouldn't be good if I ended up falling for Miss Amano."
Yuuma watched Haruto's retreating back with interest, her light footsteps following after him.
Haruto's wariness of her was unusual. Moreover, their earlier battle had ended too quickly—she had only managed to determine that Haruto was B-rank, gaining no other useful information.
After following for a while and seeing that Haruto truly had no intention of engaging with her, Yuuma stopped in her tracks, abandoning her curiosity.
As a servant, Haruto's strength was already at B-rank, meaning his master had to be at least A-rank—possibly even higher.
An A-rank opponent was someone Yuuma couldn't handle alone unless she called upon her superiors.
Kuoh Town was under the Gremory family's jurisdiction, but that didn't mean other factions weren't present.
Yuuma had other missions in Kuoh Town. If she provoked the Gremory family out of mere curiosity, her future operations would undoubtedly be affected—hardly worth the trouble.
Sensing Yuuma's presence fade away, Haruto slowly exhaled.
Her appearance signaled that the gears of fate had already begun turning. If he couldn't come up with a solution soon, he would have to give up on the Boosted Gear.
He couldn't possibly use a forbidden technique to forcibly extract the Boosted Gear from Issei after its awakening.
That would mean killing Issei. Sacred Gears had wills of their own—whether it would even submit to him aside, indiscriminate murder wasn't in his nature.
Besides, Haruto didn't dislike Issei. In fact, he somewhat admired his straightforward personality.
To put it bluntly, Issei was simple-minded, easy to fool, held no grudges, and valued relationships.
Killing someone like that would weigh too heavily on Haruto's conscience.
And if Rias and the others found out, he wouldn't be able to stay in Kuoh Academy—or even Kuoh Town—anymore. All the connections he had built would crumble in an instant.
For a weapon that might not even be usable, the risk simply wasn't worth it.
Haruto always remembered that his foundation was his dual cultivation ability.
The Boosted Gear was indeed powerful, but it was just one of the thirteen Sacred Gears. His innate dual cultivation ability was truly one-of-a-kind.
After completing his commission, Haruto welcomed the weekend.
The matter of supplementing his lightning affinity was temporarily set aside—Akeno's stance made it clear that there was no hope for now.
On Saturday, Haruto went on a hot spring trip with Reina and the others. Of course, once they arrived, it quickly turned into a no-holds-barred party, leaving the waitress who delivered their meals blushing furiously.
If she hadn't escaped in time, the mischievous Ruri would have dragged her down beneath Haruto.
Naturally, this led to hot spring play, and only when the four of them could no longer close their legs did the trip finally come to an end.
On Sunday, Haruto still couldn't rest, busy helping Sakura and the Takamine sisters improve their strength.
He also didn't forget to visit the Miyajima Dojo to continue refining his swordsmanship.
For two days, he spent nearly all his time on women. If not for his dual cultivation ability, even the strongest physique would have been drained dry.
Monday. Haruto yawned as he followed the crowd into the spacious indoor gymnasium for the weekly morning assembly.
Standing in line, he subconsciously rubbed his lower back.
The lack of sleep was real, though his back wasn't actually sore—it was just that he'd been moving around too much these past couple of days, leaving him with the constant urge to massage it.
The assembly was the same old routine as always. After listening for a few sentences, Haruto lost interest.
If it weren't for Sona Sitri standing at the podium, he would've closed his eyes by now.
At the start of the new week, Sona had finally made an appearance—though he still didn't know if Rias had returned yet.
Haruto instinctively glanced toward the second-year section. He didn't spot the fiery crimson hair he was looking for, but suddenly, his vision was engulfed in darkness.
Kuro? What was this little thing doing here?
He stared in surprise at the small black sphere fluttering before him, continuously transmitting information into his mind.
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