Purity Not Yet Comparable to Holding a Diamond

Entering the clothing store, Zuke took a quick glance around and immediately spotted Yoshihiro Kira browsing clothes by the shelves.

Yoshihiro Kira looked a bit younger than in the original work, though signs of aging were still apparent. He was dressed in a somewhat worn-out suit, appearing rather ordinary.

It was hard to imagine that such an unassuming tourist would be carrying a fortune that could be life-changing for a typical household.

Zuke glanced at the store staff, who didn't seem interested in assisting Yoshihiro Kira—after all, he didn't look like a wealthy person.

This made things easier for Zuke. If the staff had been surrounding Yoshihiro, getting close would have been inconvenient.

Slowly stepping up behind Kira, Zuke took a pistol from his pocket—a gun he'd confiscated from a low-level thug.

In many countries during the 1980s, the wealth gap led to social unrest, and it became common for those who lived in the shadows to possess firearms.

Egypt was no exception. When facing a thug earlier, the man had pulled out this very gun to threaten Zuke, but Zuke had caught the bullet mid-air, terrifying him.

The gun naturally ended up in Zuke's hands. While it didn't increase his combat power, he figured it might come in handy at some point.

Like right now.

"Mr. Kira, please don't make a sound. Stay quiet."

Pressing the muzzle against Kira's spine, Zuke leaned close, speaking in a low, threatening voice.

"You wouldn't want your spine shattered by a bullet, would you?"

Indeed, the gun served as an effective tool to directly threaten Kira.

If this weren't in a clothing store, Zuke could have simply used brute force, like stomping a hole in the concrete floor—a move that would certainly have frightened Kira.

But here in the store, if he did that, the staff would call the police, and the ensuing investigation would draw attention from Dio's forces.

So, a silent threat with a gun was the best choice—Kira, a regular person, naturally understood the power of a firearm.

"Wha…?"

Kira's heart raced as he felt something cold press against his back.

Although an ordinary Japanese citizen, Kira was familiar with guns from TV and magazines.

The cold, cylindrical object against his back was likely a gun barrel. While it could be something else like a metal pipe, he dared not risk it being a fake.

"Uh?"

Perhaps noticing the unusual interaction between Zuke and Kira, a store clerk turned their head.

"We're acquaintances, just saying hi. Don't worry about it."

Zuke lied with a straight face, as if he weren't threatening Kira at all.

Evidently, the staff bought it—they likely assumed that, as fellow Asians, the two must know each other.

If Kira knew what the staff was thinking, he would likely curse.

"Alright, please come outside with me, Mr. Kira."

After dismissing the clerk, Zuke gestured toward the door, signaling for Kira to leave the store with him, preparing to take him somewhere secluded.

"Our... position. People will notice you're threatening me once we're outside."

Kira swallowed nervously, his voice trembling, trying to dissuade Zuke, fearing he'd meet an ill fate if taken away.

And he was right—walking close behind Kira in the street would indeed look suspicious. A person pressed against another from behind would draw attention.

Curious officers might approach, potentially noticing Zuke holding a gun to Kira's back.

"True. In that case, Mr. Kira, look."

Realizing this, Zuke removed the gun and casually slung an arm around Kira's shoulder, as if they were old friends.

With his left arm around Kira's neck, Zuke raised his right hand, revealing a genuine gun.

As Kira wondered why Zuke was showing him the gun, Zuke gripped it tightly.

Crunch.

The solid black metal twisted instantly, bullets spilling out onto the floor as Kira broke into a cold sweat.

"Get it? If I wanted, I could twist your neck just as easily."

Zuke grinned, holding Kira's shoulder like a friend.

"Play along, and come quietly."

Without a single shot fired, Zuke's display of strength brought even more pressure to Kira.

That seemingly ordinary right hand had crushed the gun into twisted scrap. Kira had no illusions about his neck being sturdier than the gun.

Now, with Zuke's arm around his shoulder, he knew one wrong move could end disastrously.

And so, the two left the store together, an odd pair but less conspicuous than a direct threat.

The staff inside looked at them, bewildered, as the pair left without purchasing anything.

By the time they'd notice the broken gun parts and bullets on the floor, Zuke would have already led Kira to an empty alley to strip him of all valuables.

To be continued…

Dear readers, this is a new piece of fiction, so please donate your power stones so it can reach the maximum audience. I will be grateful for your magnanimous acts.

By the way, guys, I have never deleted a review posted on any of my translation projects as I take criticism as advice rather than an offence, but yesterday, I received two 1-star ratings. One dude is famous for giving multiple 1-star ratings on famous works on the platform, and the other gave one star just cuz there was no harem tag?(The story is Harem btw). After thinking about the situation, I deleted their reviews. I am open to the opinion of you guys on this matter, so do let me know over how to deal with such troll reviews in the future.