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[Anime] Ch 173: Dealing with the Shinomiyas
🕑 Added 2025-04-15 15:14:15 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Somewhere in a quiet corner of Shuchiin Academy—
The moment Shinomiya Kaguya spotted Hayasaka Ai, her crimson eyes lit up.
She rushed over, grabbing Hayasaka's arm, her face full of nervous energy and anticipation.
"Well? How did it go? Tell me everything!"
Hayasaka looked at her young lady, who had clearly abandoned any trace of her old "ice queen" persona, and felt… weirdly conflicted.
Then she shook her head.
And nodded.
"…"
Kaguya blinked. "Wait—what does that even mean?"
Keeping her expression flat, Hayasaka replied calmly, "President Lynn has no intention of getting back at you~."
"…Huh?"
Kaguya looked puzzled. "He let it go that easily?"
She squinted and gave Hayasaka a full once-over, eyes narrowing. "Hayasaka, don't tell me you used your charms on him?"
Hayasaka rolled her eyes so subtly that it was almost invisible. "I didn't."
"Phew…"
Hearing that, Kaguya sighed in relief and visibly relaxed.
Sure, she'd brought it up herself earlier, but deep down, Hayasaka was the only person she truly trusted—there was no way she'd actually let her make that kind of sacrifice. It's just that she valued herself more.
Seeing Kaguya like this stirred up something in Hayasaka.
She felt… a little touched. All those years of loyalty clearly hadn't been one-sided.
But also… conflicted.
Because the name "Shinomiya" was the very reason her life had become what it was.
And on top of that—She was technically spying on Kaguya for the main family.
Kaguya tilted her head. "If it wasn't your charm, then what did you offer him?"
Hayasaka blinked and snapped back to the present. "Nothing."
"Eh?"
Kaguya looked even more confused. "Nothing at all?"
"Yep." Hayasaka nodded.
"…And he just let it go?"
Kaguya's expression was a mix of confusion and disbelief.
That Lynn guy didn't seem like someone who'd just forgive and forget, right?
Plus… that look in his eyes…
Ugh…
Just thinking about it made her heart skip a beat. And made her feel kind of… off.
Ever since meeting Lynn, she'd been feeling strangely out of sorts. The cold, composed Kaguya she used to be? Practically gone.
Trying to push those thoughts aside, Kaguya pressed on. "So, he didn't say anything else?"
Hayasaka's face remained blank. "Oh, he said something."
"Yeah?!" Kaguya leaned in, hopeful.
"He said…" Hayasaka paused, then repeated his words exactly. "You're not even worth targeting."
"…Huh?"
Kaguya froze, expression locked in place.
"Not worth it?"
"Yep. According to Lynn, you don't even qualify as someone worth his attention."
Just in case Kaguya hadn't heard it right—or maybe misunderstood—Hayasaka helpfully repeated it, even breaking it down a little.
Kaguya bit her lip, her expression growing oddly… hurt.
"…?"
Now it was Hayasaka's turn to be confused.
She'd expected Kaguya to react with anger. Maybe some pride, some hatred, or at the very least a cold huff.
But this?
She looked genuinely upset that Lynn didn't target her?
Hayasaka was shocked.
Had Kaguya been hit with some kind of emotional damage?
Or worse—was this even really Kaguya anymore?
Had she been swapped out?
Possessed?
With all the supernatural stuff she'd seen recently, Hayasaka couldn't help but let her imagination run wild.
Because seriously—
This was not the Kaguya she knew.
Kaguya herself didn't know what she was feeling either.
But that one comment… it stung more than she expected.
Not even qualified to be noticed by him?
Somehow, she'd completely twisted Hayasaka's words in her head, and the more she thought about it, the more flustered she became.
Suddenly, Kaguya grabbed Hayasaka's arm tightly. "Hayasaka, is there any way to make him retaliate against me?"
"…Excuse me?"
Hayasaka's poker face almost cracked. "Miss Kaguya… are you broken?"
Were you cursed or something?
Kaguya blinked, realizing what she just said—and then blushed hard.
Clearly, she knew she'd just let something super embarrassing slip out.
"Ahem. Never mind. Forget I said anything."
She quickly tried to revert to her old cold, stoic self.
But…
There was no going back now.
Hayasaka gave her a long, complicated look.
She could see right through the fake front Kaguya was trying to put up.
Yeah… Kaguya was definitely broken.
Wanting to be targeted on purpose?
Was this some new masochistic awakening?
Still—
Even if Lynn had said she "wasn't worth it," he clearly had plans for the Shinomiya family.
So in the end, Kaguya was still getting caught up in it.
Maybe not in the way she expected, but… close enough?
Of course, Hayasaka wasn't going to mention that to her.
And she definitely wasn't going to report it to Shinomiya Oko.
Just like how she never told him that his original plan—having Kaguya approach Lynn—backfired and ended in them offending a supernatural powerhouse.
Someone with powers like that… maybe they really could change her boring, predictable life.
Maybe…
Even break the chains tying her down.
That thought made Hayasaka squint thoughtfully. Then she said, "If there's nothing else, Miss Kaguya, I'll take my leave."
Kaguya absentmindedly nodded. "Mhm."
She was too busy thinking—desperately wondering what she could do to change the way Lynn saw her. How to earn the right to even be in his eyes.
...
A little while later—
Hayasaka found a quiet spot and sent a message to her mother.
["Mom, has anything strange been going on with the main family lately?"]
A moment later, she got a reply from her mother.
["Huh? "How do you know about that??"]
Hayasaka's heart skipped a beat. Instead of texting, she decided to call her mom directly.
"Mom, Something happened? What's going on?"
"Hmm uh…"
"Mom?!"
"Okay, okay, jeez~"
With a bit of exasperation, Hayasaka's mom lowered her voice and whispered: "Ai-chan… have you ever seen a three-headed dog covered in black fire?"
Hayasaka's eyes went wide. Her fingers clenched the phone tightly.
A three-headed dog… covered in black flames?
Moments later—
Hayasaka stood there dazed.
She had expected a crisis—something along the lines of financial attacks, secret leaks, media storms, legal takedowns…
But instead?
Lynn went straight for a supernatural beatdown?!
---
At that exact moment—At the Shinomiya estate.
BOOM! BOOM!
The entire place began to shake violently!
"What's going on?!"
One of the Shinomiya members shouted in shock.
"Is this… an earthquake again?!"
Others looked around nervously, trying to make sense of it.
But then—
A wave of scorching heat blasted through the air!
"ROOOAAAR!!"
A deafening roar ripped through the silence, shaking the very walls of the estate!
"!!"
Everyone froze for a second, then turned toward the direction of that monstrous sound.
And in the next instant—
A towering creature—easily the size of a small building—stepped into view. Its body was wreathed in black hellfire, and it had three heads.
A literal hellhound.
Someone nervously swallowed, and it was like that sound lit a fuse.
"D-Demon!!"
"A monster!! We're under attack!!"
Panic exploded throughout the compound.
People screamed in terror, scrambling to flee in every direction.
But as they tried to bolt through the side exits—
BZZZZT!
A transparent barrier shimmered into existence, sealing the entire estate.
BANG!
One guy ran full speed into the barrier, hitting it, and was slammed to the ground like a ragdoll.
"Ow, what the hell?!"
"Damn it!"
"Why can't we get out?!"
He pounded against the invisible wall, like trying to punch through solid steel.
He wasn't alone—everyone else who tried was met with the same invisible prison.
There was no escape.
As realization set in, all eyes turned toward the monstrous, flaming hellhound.
And despair began to spread like wildfire.
— — —
Elsewhere—
"Master! We've got a situation!"
The shout snapped Shinomiya Gan'an out of his haze—he was connected to a breathing machine just to stay alive.
Moments later—
A frail, elderly man with pale skin and medium-length hair sat at the head of the room, leaning heavily on a cane.
Breathing tube still attached to his nose, he looked like just sitting upright took every ounce of strength he had.
This man… was the head of the Shinomiya family. Shinomiya Gan'an.
And yet…
Despite holding massive wealth and being the head of one of Japan's most powerful families, he now looked utterly powerless.
It seemed money really couldn't buy everything.
Sweat rolled down his forehead—Shinomiya Gan'an couldn't hide how rattled he was.
Behind him, every member of the Shinomiya family had their heads bowed, trembling in silence.
The whole place was dead quiet—frozen in fear.
And the reason for this?
Was the woman who had just casually walked through the front gates like she owned the place.
And also—
"ROOOAAR—!!"
Outside, that hellhound continued to breathe waves of infernal heat, distorting the air itself.
"You've heard of the Lynn Group, haven't you?"
Yukinoshita Haruno sat at the head seat, calm and collected.
Shinomiya Gan'an stiffened.
Wasn't that…?
The up-and-coming company everyone was talking about?
And because its assets were incredibly rare and valuable, lots of people had been eyeing it.
The Shinomiya family included.
But—He never expected the real owner to come knocking like this!
Especially with such insane power!
"My deepest apologies. The Shinomiya family acted out of line," Gan'an said immediately, bowing his head.
Even on the brink of death, the old man knew when to yield. He went full dogeza without hesitation.
If he'd known Lynn's group was backed by the supernatural, he never would've even thought of touching them.
No matter how strong the Shinomiyas were… they were just human.
And that hellhound? Yeah, not a joke.
Behind him, all the family members followed his lead and dropped into dogeza.
The flawless dogeza once offered to them by others—they now performed it themselves.
Haruno paused for a moment, surprised.
She hadn't expected the head of a giant financial empire like the Shinomiyas to fold that quickly.
She had come in ready to cause a scene, but now… it all felt a bit boring.
With a wave of her hand, she muttered, "I'm not some villain, y'know."
"I'll give you a day. Prepare the full transfer paperwork for all Shinomiya assets."
With that, she stood up.
"From today onward… the Shinomiya family will be just a servant of the Lynn Group."
"!!!"
Gan'an and the rest of the family snapped their heads up.
"Servant…"
"Our entire assets?!"
Gan'an's voice shook. Was their glorious house really going to be handed over just like that?
"How about—"
Haruno's voice turned icy. "You got a problem with that?"
The moment the words left her mouth—
BOOOOM!!
The hellhound outside flared up, the infernal flames erupting even higher!
The entire compound was drowned in blistering heat!
The air itself began to ripple and twist under the pressure.
Gan'an's eyes widened in horror at the hellish scene.
And then—
"AAAAAHHHHH!!"
Several family members screamed in agony, bodies writhing, faces contorted in pain!
Even Gan'an's body twitched—his skin prickled like it was being burned.
Everyone else winced, some clutching their heads as if their very souls were being scorched.
Gan'an gritted his teeth and shouted, "We submit! The Shinomiya family is willing to become your servant!"
One show of power was all it took for him to fully grasp reality.
That thing outside? There was no way the Shinomiyas could deal with something like that.
Haruno looked down at him, expression blank.
"This is fire from hell," she said coldly. "Only those stained with heavy sins will feel its pain."
"I'll let this fire test every member of the Shinomiya family."
"Only those who survive its judgment… deserve to live."
Gan'an's mouth fell open, but before he could speak again—
"Oh, right."
Haruno suddenly tapped her forehead, then chuckled, "To be honest, I was planning on dealing with the Shinomiya family through normal business means."
"But…"
"You have such a lovely daughter."
Gan'an's eyes bulged in shock—he instantly understood what she meant.
.
.
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Comments
Jiang Chen
Muahahahaha😈👍😎☠
