"Hyaaat!"
"Why are you swinging your hoe again!?"
Matthew quickly backed away from Kai the moment that man tried to kill him. His face twisted in irritation at Kai, who wore an expression of complete innocence.
"You're my enemy, so of course I'll try to defeat you, right?"
"That's true… you and I are indeed enemies… but why are you trying to defeat me with a hoe!? Don't you realize how pointless that is!?"
"Tsk! Noisy!"
"Huh!?"
Matthew tried to restrain himself from punching Kai's face with his right hand, which now bulged with veins.
"Calm down, Matthew… if you lose your temper, you'll be defeated. Just think of him as a child… yes, just a child…"
"Who are you calling a child?! Hyaaat!"
"Why are you swinging your hoe again!? Stop that!"
After enjoying the sight of Matthew's irritated face, Kai finally put his hoe away. He then crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked at Matthew with a condescending gaze.
"So, what are you doing here? You weren't invited! Get out!"
A throbbing cross-shaped vein appeared on Matthew's forehead. Even though he was furious with Kai's antics, he still managed to suppress his anger. He let out a deep sigh, then sat down calmly.
"I am the owner of this entire place, so of course I will come to check on its condition."
Matthew said this while wearing a smug expression, resting his right leg on top of his left, and flashing a mocking grin at Kai.
Seeing this only made Kai stare at him strangely. Then he suddenly raised his hand and shouted loudly:
"SOMEONE! CAN SOMEONE CONTACT THE MENTAL HOSPITAL?! IT SEEMS ONE OF THEIR PATIENTS HAS RUN AWAY!"
"Who are you calling a mental hospital patient!?"
After he finished shouting, Kai turned his gaze back to Matthew.
"You said you own this place, right? But this place belongs to Mr. Pete over there, not you! If you want to hallucinate, go do it somewhere else… you just look crazy standing here!"
Kai said, pointing at Pete. Pete beamed proudly when Kai pointed him out—he was glad Kai defended him and his humble diner.
"Heh! By 'this place' I don't mean that shabby old diner—you fools. I mean the entire village."
Matthew said, casting a contemptuous look at everyone around him. That, of course, made them all angry—especially Pete and his family—because Matthew had insulted their beloved home.
"Ahem! Sorry to interrupt!"
All eyes turned to the woman who had just spoken. They looked at her with curiosity.
"Oh, Anna… have you finished checking the area?"
Matthew looked pleased at the sight of the woman named Anna.
Kai studied her. Anna was dressed like an office woman—probably because she actually was one. A name tag on her left chest read "Anna" with "Secretary" beneath it, so she was likely Matthew's personal secretary. Kai felt a twinge of envy at that.
He looked closer at her face. She was very beautiful. Her blue eyes were cold enough to freeze anyone's heart, and her black hair was styled in that typical secretary way that made her job obvious at a glance. She clearly looked unapproachable—like she'd put up walls that kept people away.
"Now, you—"
But Kai easily breached that wall and stood right in front of her before anyone, including Anna, realized it.
"W-what?!"
Anna asked, startled and panicked.
"Will you marry me?!"
Kai blurted, grabbing her right hand with both of his.
"Drop dead, you! You damn playboy!"
Duaaaggggh!
Kai's body went flying and slammed into the diner wall after taking a devastating kick from Claire. Her face was flushed red with anger as she glared furiously at him.
"What on earth are you thinking at a time like this!? Don't you have any sense of shame!?"
Claire scolded him harshly, gripping his collar tightly. Kai could only surrender to his fate, too scared to fight back against Claire's terrifying aura.
While Claire was chewing him out, Anna glanced down at her right hand—the one Kai had just grabbed.
"So… does anyone here have some disinfectant?"
She asked with a disgusted look, shaking her hand as if trying to fling off something filthy clinging to her.
"Ehhhhh!"
Kai was shocked by her words. He never imagined he would be compared to a germ.
"Why do you look so shocked? Don't you realize your behavior was even filthier than a germ's?"
"Th-that's… impossible!"
Claire finally released Kai, seeing his face pale as he struggled to recover from the shock of Anna's insult.
Meanwhile, Matthew could only stare at Kai in bewilderment. 'What is wrong with this guy?' he wondered.
"Hey, weirdo… it seems you don't like the idea of me ruling this place."
Matthew said as he strode toward Kai. Kai quickly snapped out of his shock when he saw the smug man standing in front of him.
"Of course I don't… why should someone like you become the ruler here? For your information, I'm the one who'll rule this place!"
"Who in their right mind would ever make you the ruler!?"
Duagh!
Kai was struck again by Claire, leaving a bump swelling on his head. Matthew just stared at Kai, look even more confused than before.
"If you really don't like it, then I'll challenge you!"
Matthew declared, trying to forget what he had just witnessed. Kai looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"A challenge?"
"Yes… if you can clear my challenge, then I'll give up this place and let this boring village rot away just as you all wish!"
After Matthew said this, he and Kai locked eyes, their gazes showing they were both dead serious.
"Why should I accept a challenge from you? Who do you think you are, anyway?!"
"Huh!?"
But Kai's words instantly shattered the serious atmosphere. Matthew's face twisted into a dumbfounded expression, unable to believe the response he had just heard. He realized he never should have held himself back from punching this man.