These people wanted him to hand over his weapons without a word, and how could he agree to such a request? He chose to refuse them immediately.
Inaba Tsukiyo and Takagi Saya had entrusted him with the weapons because they trusted him, and he would never betray their trust.
Seeing that they couldn't take the firearms from Hirano Toda's hands through reasoning, these people's eyes narrowed, and they prepared to snatch the items from him.
Just as these people reached out to draw their pistols, a cold glint flashed, a stinging pain came from their hands, and the guns in their hands fell to the ground.
Looking down, they found a blade resting against their necks, a sharpened blade, they didn't know when it had gotten there.
"Gentlemen, may I ask what you intend to do to a member of my squad?"
There was no threat, just like asking if the other party had eaten, not even a hint of killing intent was released.
But the blade slowly approached the other party's neck. If it got any closer, the sharp blade could cut open the other party's neck and end his life.
"You, you… what do you want to do! I'm telling you, I'm a guard of the Takagi family. If you dare to do anything out of line, the Takagi family's guards will not let you off."
Although he was panicking, the man still intended to use his identity as a Takagi family member to pressure Inaba Tsukiyo and make her put away her knife.
However, Inaba Tsukiyo not only didn't put away her knife but also moved it closer by a few points. The man could already feel the stinging pain in his neck; the other party truly intended to kill him.
"The Takagi household? This is indeed the Takagi household, but do you represent it? Don't joke around. A mere guard, yet you speak with such arrogance. Do you really think that if I kill you here, the head of the Takagi family will blame me?"
"I tell you, not only will he not blame me, he will apologize to me. For you threatening members of my team, others will also be implicated. Do you want to try it?"
In such an extraordinary time, the other party would absolutely not provoke a strong person whose capabilities they could not fully grasp, especially one who could single-handedly fight against a large number of Zombies.
However, these people clearly didn't believe Inaba Tsukiyo's words. In their eyes, Inaba Tsukiyo was just like Hirano Toda, merely a child who treated guns and swords as toys.
At this moment, Busujima Saeko also walked over, holding her wooden sword and standing beside Inaba Tsukiyo.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense. The guards accompanying this person all drew their pistols, pointing them at Inaba Tsukiyo.
As soon as Inaba Tsukiyo made any move to harm them, they would open fire.
Facing such a scene, Inaba Tsukiyo slowly opened her eyes, ignoring the people holding guns, and instead looked into the distance.
1P Attack
"Everyone, stop! What are you all doing here?"
Just as the other party was about to pull the trigger, a commanding voice boomed, carrying an irresistible tone that made the faces of the guards who wanted to cause trouble change.
"Pre... President, this is not our business. It's this kid who's treating the gun as a toy and won't let go, so we…"
"Shut up, I will judge this matter with my own eyes. You, step back!"
Under the man's imposing aura, everyone around retreated behind him, except for the soldier still held by Inaba Tsukiyo.
The man walked and stopped about a meter away from Inaba Tsukiyo, his gaze fixed directly on her.
"Miss, could you please put away the weapon in your hand? Your weapon is pointed at the wrong person. You shouldn't use weapons against humans; you should use them against those Corpses."
"Of course I know weapons are for fighting enemies, and those Corpses are just one type of enemy. But anyone who tries to harm the people in the team I lead is also my enemy."
Inaba Tsukiyo smiled faintly. The man's intimidating aura, to her, was like a warm current carried by a breeze—effective for others, but completely useless against her.
"From their words, you must be the leader of this villa, right? Saya's father. I didn't expect our first meeting to be under such circumstances."
"Yes, I've also heard about you from my daughter. But is this incident because of this young man?"
Takagi Soichiro looked at Hirano Toda behind Inaba Tsukiyo, or more accurately, at the weapon in his hand.
"Young man, may I know your name? I am Takagi Soichiro, President of the Yūkoku Isshinkai."
"Hi… Hirano Toda, a second-year B-class student from Fujimi Academy."
Hirano Toda was intimidated by Takagi Soichiro's aura, and he huddled behind Inaba Tsukiyo, speaking with a trembling voice.
Inaba Tsukiyo felt Hirano Toda's obvious trembling and comforted him.
"Don't worry, Fatty. When you're holding a gun, even those Corpses outside are no match for you. And with me here, you don't need to be afraid."
"A gun… a gun… Yes, I don't need to be afraid at all. Why should I be afraid? With Miss Inaba here, there's nothing to worry about."
Recalling Inaba Tsukiyo's heroic stance against the horde of Zombies, Hirano Toda gradually calmed down. He took a deep breath, and his trembling body slowly returned to normal.
Takagi Soichiro quietly watched all of this from the side, nodding in approval at how Inaba Tsukiyo's few words had soothed Hirano Toda's emotions.
"It seems you've been through a lot of hardships before arriving here. However, I still want to ask, do you really not intend to hand over your weapon? Not under any circumstances?"
"No, absolutely not! I won't! I will never hand over the gun! I know I'm useless; at school, others looked at me like a shut-in. Now I've finally become an indispensable force in the team, I've finally found a place where I can exert my strength. I will absolutely not give you the gun!"
"...Oh? Is that so? Firearms are indiscriminate, so I don't know Hirano-kun's exact skill level. But while firearms can protect others, they can also harm them. Do you really have the confidence that the firearm in your hand will always be used to protect others?"
Takagi Soichiro asked. As the President of the Yūkoku Isshinkai, he was well aware of the power firearms could unleash. They were weapons that killed, but also weapons that saved. Could Hirano Toda truly always use his weapon to protect others, or would he, at some point in the future, point the gun at humans and harm his own kind? That was what he wanted to know.
"Heh heh~ What an interesting question, Mr. President."
Before Hirano Toda could answer, Inaba Tsukiyo answered the question for him.
"Your question is just like for us who practice swordsmanship. Swearing verbally means nothing; the most important thing is how he acts. And from leaving Fujimi Academy until now, he has consistently used his talent to protect the rest of the team. His courage deserves everyone's praise; don't treat others as children who need protection."
Inaba Tsukiyo withdrew her weapon, kicked away the annoying guard, and patted Hirano Toda's arm, praising him.
"Tsukiyo-chan is right. Although I really don't want to admit it, if he hadn't stood in front of me back then, I probably would have already become one of those monsters, and by the time you found me, you would have ended my suffering with a single shot, Father."
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 70 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!