44 Chapter 40: Love is War
Rise and shine!
Word count: 3.3k! I kept rewriting this chapter until I couldn't take it anymore, but anyway, enjoy!
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He always keeps his sanity intact, not buying her silly excuse about a "yoga class."
Checking out the cow, he mused that this woman is cut from the same cloth as him. Quite impressive, considering the cow boasted thick muscles and fat; finding its pressure point wouldn't be a walk in the park. He knew the kind of assassin group that had this fighting style.
'Garden...' He narrowed his eyes a bit.
"Y-Yanagi-san?"
Minoru turned to Yor, her face seemingly awaiting his response, mostly due to nervousness. He flashed a small smile to mask his nerve-wracking thoughts.
"Put this aside, are you alright?"
"Ah, yes..." Yor played with her fingers, offering an awkward smile.
Reading her body language, Minoru was puzzled about her objective here. Fortunately, he had her close on his radar. For now, he decided to observe. It's only a matter of time before her true intentions become clear, especially with other troublesome individuals present.
"Forger..." Minoru nodded at the guy approaching.
"Yanagi..." Forger nodded back, "I'm sorry for the trouble that my daughter caused." Finishing his sentence, Loid smiled politely, but his thoughts ran deep.
'After years of investigation, I found out that Her Highness's dogs were formerly trained by Ruska Bratva. It's impossible to think that they would follow this man; which means he could be one of them or worse... maybe he's part of the Numbers.'
Loid knew the tales about the Numbers.
The Numbers were an elite group skilled in combat. Rumors had it that these individuals were comparable to an army with a track record of countless kills in history. They spoke thirty languages, could enter any country like it was a public toilet, blend into society like normal people, and take what they wanted, including top-secret assets and the souls of important figures.
'Putting that aside, the world is lucky that these groups work individually. It's a scary fantasy to imagine them working together... I couldn't fathom it. At least they could disable and take down a nation without being traced. And about that man...'
The most legendary among them was 001, the man who had somehow spared his soul. He recalled that, because recently, 001 had taken Russia's top-secret files and killed the Luxemburg First Prince in the US embassy.
Because of that, the US would gather all NATO members to discuss this man alone, mostly fearing an individual surpassing US supremacy. Tough, they had a crazy fantasy; what if the man decided to visit the White House and click the button of the fucking N-word?
But it wasn't his concern, as he no longer carried out missions.
'I am a dead man,' thought Loid.
If that night 001 had pulled the trigger, maybe he would never see Anya again, and he was thankful that Eileen had canceled the mission. Though why?
"What trouble? In fact, I'm surprised that Anya and Ruby brought a lot of help for me," Minoru replied, sensing that this guy was studying him.
"Pssst... Pssst... Oi~" Minoru glanced back, seeing the woman. "Hey, help me get down from here..."
Minoru's demeanor calmed down when he saw Ai looking scared, sitting all alone on the horse, holding the kids.
"Sure, sure..."
The people here from the beginning, besides Yor and Loid, such as Kaguya, Chika, Hitori (passed out), and Shizuka. And it didn't stop there, as Teresa, Alexandra, and Maki arrived, they immediately greeted by the sight of the silver-haired man approaching the woman with a hat, sunglasses, mask, and her purple long hair, holding two kids in her arms.
Minoru was completely focused as he eyed Anya and Ruby. "If I hold the kids with both hands, then I can't help her get down from the horse," he mused aloud. The girls at the back raised their brows in curiosity.
Meanwhile, Ai's face had already reddened with the stares and expressions studying her. She wanted to convey, "Come on! Hurry up!"
"Well, easy," he said with a smirk.
He took Anya first, and she lit up as Minoru placed her around his neck. Anya clenched both her hands and proudly declared, "Ouiiiiiiiiiii! I am Anya Sparrow!" asserting her dominance on Minoru's shoulder.
Ai watched as Minoru took her precious daughter Ruby and held her in his left arm.
She skipped a beat when Minoru looked at her with his amusing eyes, offering his hand. "Did you enjoy your ride?" he asked with a poker face, though she knew he was teasing her.
Ai sighed helplessly as she grabbed his hand, and descended from the horse. She was happy to have his attention despite the questioning looks from the other girls. Who are you? Ai looked at each one of them, thinking, Ahhh, I get it. My husband seems popular. But Ai was confident and trusted his promise not to look at someone else, right?
It was then that Chika couldn't hold her voice anymore. "Sensei~! Please look here!"
When Minoru turned to them, carrying the children with him, it was the ultimate combo killer move! All of them blushed, mouths agape, and their internal thoughts screamed, SO CUTE!
What is the concept of marriage? Metaphorically, marriage is the combination of two or more elements that create harmony. For example, caviar with potato chips, cat ears with a cute girl, and then... Minoru with kids is a perfect and sinful combination.
"C-C-Can I snap your photo? I mean, just one! Just one, pretty please?" Chika asked with excitement.
Minoru was confused as he noticed the increase in the number of students compared to before. He looked at Chika and said, "No." Looking down, Chika held her phone trembling.
"EEEH!? Why!?" Chika eagerly wanted to capture the wholesome moment on her phone.
"Um..." Minoru hummed, feeling a sharp gaze on his back telling him not to do it. "No."
Watching Chika persistently talk about the photo, the others began playing mind games within themselves. Unlike Chika's easygoing personality, they wanted to make their moves as discreetly as possible. Because... their pride wouldn't allow it!
'Now's the perfect time. I'll remind Sensei that he still has something to do. And... I'll ask him to leave the kids to me. It's like telling these hormone-raging pests to step away from him as I... Shinomiya Kaguya still has a business with him. I don't want this, but for the sake of my revenge, I'll cut the weeds before they become a nuisance, like her...'
Kaguya chuckled internally, glancing sideways at Maki.
'Ara~ Does she think I'm not aware of her dirty plan? How naive, Kaguya. This time, I won't let anyone take away my crush like before...'
Maki smirked, determined not to go through another heartbreak.
'Whoah~ This is exactly what I always think about when Anya stays at my place... I think I can help Sensei by holding them for a while. He must be exhausted, right? I just love Anya, so it's alright! I mean, if I marry Sensei, then...'
Teresa brightened at the idea, sensing some competition on her side, she continued...
'Well, as a good wife, I'll let my future husband have some concubines...'
Teresa, with strong noble blood, believed that Minoru would naturally become a noble, and having many women beside him wouldn't be weird – they would just be concubines and not actual wives.
'Marriage! Come on, Shizuka! This is your chance! It's like a letter from God that I can finally have a boyfriend and maybe a happy ending!' Shizuka's eyes lit up with excitement. 'But there are a lot of competitors, huh?'
Sensing something suspicious, Ai looked at the girls.
'What's wrong with them? Are they idiots or something? Look at Ruby! She got her father's hair color, and he's standing in front of you! Well, in the end, I'd win. Haha~!' Ai was convinced of her victory.
Yeah, these women had brain cells that prevented him from having his harem because...
Love is about obsession. Love is the embodiment of greed. Love is confusing, like politics. Sometimes you can get hurt, but you want more because it's so addictive. Love is war!!!!!
Amidst that, Yor looked around and tilted her head, confused by the weird atmosphere. Then she snapped her attention to her skirt.
'No no no! What should I do? Right, let's change it first, b-but I'm too embarrassed.'
After that, someone handed her something. "Miss, you can use this," he said, offering her a dark blue suit. "Um, t-thanks!" Yor blushed a bit as he smiled at her. She looked at him as he walked over to Minoru and decided to ask Minoru first if she could change her clothes.
'Fuck, today feels like it's dragging on forever...' Minoru sighed, glancing at the clock tower. With about 15 minutes left before the event started, he turned to Chika, "It's almost time, get back to work, Fujiwara."
"Ah! Ri-Right!" She walked back to the group as someone approached him.
"Yanagi, I'm sorry for the trouble." Loid apologized, flashing a smile at Anya, "Anya..."
"Chichi~~!"
Handing Anya back to her father, the girls clicked their tongues in annoyance.
"Ahem..." Ai poked his back with her finger.
Understanding what she wanted, Minoru nodded and handed Ruby back to her mother. However, he hesitated as Loid approached. How could he not hold his daughter when Loid was holding his?
"It's been a long time, Forger..."
"Yes... it's been a while..."
Ai observed them as she thought, 'What's with this sudden... competitive vibe?'
Looking at Minoru and Loid, she could sense that something was going on between these guys, and she figured out why.
'Ah... I see. Minoru-kun has this cute side, but it's my first time seeing him with someone else who has a daughter. This is interesting to watch!'
Ai observed the woman with black hair in a dark grey suit and the same man at the Pet Day.
'Don't tell me! This woman is his wife! Ah! I see I see~ It seems I misunderstood something, but now it's clear who she is. Well, since they're both Minoru-kun's friends, that means I can have a friend who is a mother like me! Kyaaaa! I want to ask her about parenting. Yes, that's it! Maybe I should invite her to our house?'
Ai nodded at the situation, but she misunderstood that they didn't have anything yet.
"I didn't know you were good at roping cattle. It's a rare sight, Yanagi. Did you learn it somewhere?" Loid asked casually, trying to squeeze some intel out of him.
"Thank you. I've got a good teacher in my neighborhood." Minoru gave him a vague answer, aware of Loid's intentions.
"Ahaha..." Loid laughed warmly, "I guess I couldn't match you in terms of masculinity. Anyway, I'm grateful that you saved Anya, thank you..."
Minoru smiled just a little, wanting to say; don't fuck with me, Twilight. I may have kicked your ass that day, but you're still a damn elite spy in this world.
"Thank you again. But frankly, I'm just saving my future in-law... I thought she'd marry her childhood friend, Aqua, someday..." Minoru said with a smile.
Anya looked at Minoru as he looked at her with a smile, [Don't misunderstand, Twilight. There is no such thing as free in this world. The reason why I kept you alive is so you can watch your daughter marry my son Aqua while I watch your poor face in silence. With that, she'll change her surname to mine and become my daughter, naturally. Maybe we could have a family trip someday and show her around my chateau in France.]
As Minoru contemplated his revenge, Anya gasped, imagining herself as the actual princess like what she watched in an anime.
Kids are simple-minded as Anya raised her hands innocently, smiling brightly, "Ah! Chichi~~~ Anya wants to marry Aqua!" she said cheerfully.
Loid smiled awkwardly, imagining Aqua kissing his daughter in front of his fucking face.
"Ahaha... Anya loves your dad, right?" Loid looked at Minoru with a smile, though there was hostility inside. "I think it's too early for my daughter and Aqua as well."
"Well, she'll become a woman eventually, and my s—nephew is a real genius."
"They still have a long way to go before something like marriage. Speaking of which, I hope Ruby will get a good partner as well." Loid countered.
"About that. I think the day she gets married won't come since there's no man worthy of her..." meaning he'll eliminate any men trying to approach his cute Ruby.
"I guess we're on the same page then..."
"Yeah, we're not..."
As they laughed but remained hostile, Ai had enough of their banter.
She poked his shoulder, "Give her to me."
"Oh, here." Minoru gave up Ruby, satisfied with the cold war.
Loid glanced at the mysterious woman and thought, 'She's the person I saw during Pet Day... whoever she is, she must be close to Saitou-san, as she worried about Ruby. Judging by her body language... both of them know each other.'
At this moment, Ai tried to hide the fact that she didn't know Minoru and that her acting skills were average, so Loid could easily see through it. Yet, he couldn't find any flaws within Minoru.
Yet, on the other side... Shizuka falls into a silent moment.
Why? Just observe these folks. When Minoru hands a cute kid in an animal costume to a handsome man, Yor is chatting with a blonde while holding a kid.
The other side isn't lacking either. Minoru is still talking with a mysterious woman who's holding the bunny costume kid he handed out earlier. Even though Shizuka can't see the woman's expression because of her hat, sunglasses, and mask, they seem genuinely sweet together.
Then, why does she keep ending up alone?
"Sob! Sob! I'm h-heading home..." Shizuka leaves the scene unable to bear this heart-wrenching sight.
'Poor woman... can't someone take her as a bride?' Kaguya, Maki, and Chika share this sentiment as they see Shizuka leaving with tears.
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Clearing his throat, Minoru glanced at Ai and Loid, "As the head of School Affairs in charge of this event, on behalf of the Academy, I'm terribly sorry for what happened to these kids—"
"Yanagi-sensei."
Before Minoru could say something about taking responsibility and compensating them, someone elegantly cut him off—Principal Henry.
"Sir?"
"In this case, I'm the one who caused this mess. Therefore, I'm the one who should be saying those words, Yanagi-sensei." Henry looked at the mysterious woman and the man, "I sincerely apologize!" He bowed 90 degrees.
Loid smiled awkwardly, "Please raise your head, sir. It's my fault too for letting my daughter trespass the school. I'm sorry for that," he said politely.
Ai just nodded twice, afraid of being recognized.
"Such elegant people. But, the CEO herself wants to pay compensation for this."
"No, no, sir. I'm alright if we could settle this matter peacefully. After all, my daughter is completely fine thanks to Yanagi-sensei."
Henry nodded, "If you change your mind, sir?"
"Forger…" Loid smiled, "My name is Loid Forger."
Henry looked at the mysterious woman as she said, "Hoshino…"
"My name is Henry Henderson, the principal of Shuchi'in High. This is my contact number if you need something from me."
Both of them accepted his card. Then, Loid parted ways after a few words with both Henry and Minoru. Loid glanced at Teresa, nodded at her, and then left with Anya.
Henry looked at Minoru, impressed by what he had done. "Yanagi-sensei."
"Yes, sir?"
"I'm glad that there's someone as elegant as you left in this world. I can rest easy now…"
With that, Henry left, leaving Minoru wondering what the heck he was talking about. As Henry walked away, it didn't stop, as there were students not far from here.
"Sensei!"
Minoru spotted a group of students—specifically Kaguya, Maki, Chika, Teresa, and Alexandra. The sound of his dogs' panting drew closer. Oh, and don't forget about Ai; she's still in the picture. What the hell is happening here?
"Fuc—"
Just as he was about to unleash a string of curses, he caught himself, aware that his daughter was present. Not gonna drop an F-bomb in front of her. He glanced to make sure Ruby hadn't caught wind of it.
Ai giggled at him, "She's out cold, don't worry…" Ai whispered, earning a relieved sigh from him.
His family was safe, crisis averted, but that relief came at a cost—a heavy one.
"Ehh!?" Ai exclaimed as Minoru seemed to lose his balance, on the brink of a fall.
"Sensei!!!"
Everyone rushed to his aid, but a mysterious woman swooped in, catching him in a hug.
"Ack!" Feeling his weight in her embrace, Ai asked in panic, "Hey! A-Are you alright?" It was an odd sight; Minoru was never like this, and now he seemed a bit... pained.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Still in her hug, he stole a glance at Ruby to ensure she was still sleeping, then slowly stood up. "…thanks." He whispered.
'Fuck! Fuck! Shit, my ass. It's the fucking worst day for horse riding!'
When Minoru began to calm down, the insane adrenaline rush stabilized, and the pain he had been holding back hit him with a vengeance! If Ai hadn't caught him, he'd end up in an even more embarrassing situation. As expected, having a wife is something else.
"Yanagi-sensei… are you alright?" Teresa, with a mix of concern and warmth in her voice. He escaped Ai's hug and faced her.
"I'm fine. Just stumbled over dog poop."
"Dog…" She looked at his dogs, "Ah! Right…" Teresa then turned her attention to Ai and the kid hiding her face in the woman's embrace.
Kaguya, Maki, and Teresa pondered the mysterious woman hugging their sensei after his sudden fall. Who is she? And why did Minoru entrust that kid to her? Her body language... suggested a close connection with him—sus.
Under her disguise, Ai squinted her eyes at them, smirking at the sight.
'Oh well, that's cute~ But, I wouldn't share my hubby, 'cause Hoshino Ai is a very, very, very greedy person. Tehe~!'
Ai asserted her dominance! An independent career woman who ran away from an orphanage in the countryside to Tokyo and struggled alone in the harsh entertainment industry. To keep herself safe, she gained insight to assess things around her.
Minoru is a sinful man who always seems to go around saving women's lives. Of course, she's not naive; Minoru didn't save her alone in his whole life. Still, Minoru is a man with strong commitment.
'How troublesome, nee~ I want to scream that he's my children's father, but it's not the time to reveal that to the world. Well, let's finish that song and retire~!'
Instead of dwelling on negative thoughts and jealousy, Ai kept herself focused on self-suggestions, ensuring she wouldn't lose to anyone. She would shine as the brightest star for her husband and children. After all, she wanted to protect her family because she loved them unconditionally.
The mysterious woman seemed to exude a majestic aura, leaving them dumbfounded. They wondered why this person appeared to transform into something else—something captivating—despite covering up her identity.
"Then, excuse me…" She walked away, her hair dancing in the gentle wind.
Even though she was still figuring out how to be a good wife and mother, she left with the confidence that their young family wouldn't easily crumble when faced with obstacles—just viewing them as minor inconveniences.
'Heh... what a scary woman.' Minoru smirked internally, watching Ai's slender shoulders recede.
But the job wasn't done; he glanced at the cows, now an eyesore.
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A/N:
I wrote this chapter the best I could. I tried to leave some mystery about who this unknown woman was; they'll try to figure out who she is as the story unfolds.
I think It would be dumb for Minoru to spill about his family since he's got loads of enemies, right? So, this is the best I could do, while I made him overpower, I didn't make him flawless. Anyway, what do you think?
P.S. I might write another chapter for tomorrow and conclude the volume. And I promise, the plot will be more focused on his relationship with Ai and the kids.
