"Tell me, how exactly should I deal with you?"
Sousuke, who had been angered to the point of laughter, squatted down, grabbed Hayato by the hair, yanked his head up to face him, and asked in a voice laced with open malice.
"Please give me an hour to prepare. I can definitely pay back all the money," Hayato stammered in a panic.
"Hmm. Someone like you saves money?"
Kitahara Sousuke didn't reveal his identity and was mildly surprised that this kind of scumbag had anything resembling savings. He had assumed someone like Hayato would have already thrown all his money into that bottomless pit.
Faced with Sousuke's question, Hayato didn't dare hold anything back. After a moment of hesitation, he spilled everything.
"It's my girlfriend. She saved up some money for our marriage. At least ten million yen."
"Oh, a girlfriend, huh?"
Sousuke sounded indifferent. His gaze briefly shifted toward Yoshida Saki, then returned. This so-called girlfriend was likely just another poor girl caught in the web of his lies. There was also a high chance she was being controlled by drugs.
"What if I were to say that isn't enough?" Sousuke asked coldly.
Hayato was about to protest that he didn't owe that much when a sudden jolt from his hair made him swallow his words without a sound.
Sousuke stared down at him, fully embracing the role Hayato had mistaken him for, and said threateningly, "Considering the interest and inflation and everything else, ten million still isn't enough, right?"
"I'll find another way!" Hayato blurted out, finally learning his lesson. Right now, surviving came first. He had to say whatever it took.
"Like having your woman use her body to make up the difference?" Sousuke asked suddenly, his tone disturbingly curious. "You'd be willing?"
Hayato looked up, surprised by the suggestion.
Slap.
What greeted him was a swift and merciless slap across the face.
This hit was far heavier than the playful slaps from earlier. It sent his mind spinning, his ears ringing, and stars exploding in his vision. He froze in place, stunned.
His skull felt like it might crack open. And the worst part? He didn't even know what he had said wrong.
In his eyes, using his girlfriend's body to pay off debts, or worse, to trade for more drugs, was perfectly normal. In their world, this happened all the time. It was just another part of the business.
Now, slapped out of nowhere, Hayato didn't dare say a word. He just felt pitifully wronged.
Sousuke didn't bother hitting him again. Forcing himself not to look at the pathetic wreck on the ground, he slowly stood up.
"I absolutely can't let this guy off the hook. I have to destroy him," Kitahara Sousuke thought grimly, wearing a calm expression that barely hid the fury behind it.
Japan, as a developed country, made the death penalty hard to apply. And legally speaking, Hayato hadn't taken anyone's life. He was just the pusher, the one who guided others into the irreversible abyss of addiction.
But if Sousuke let him live, he himself would feel sick.
Yoshida Saki was just one of the many fools this man had tricked. From his practiced behavior earlier, it was clear he'd already ruined countless lives.
People who wanted to get better had no chance. Yet scum like him got to keep living in comfort, leeching off women and hiding behind fake charm. If this was justice, then the world had gone blind.
With these thoughts running through his head, Sousuke kept a neutral face as he gave his next command.
"Get up."
Wearing a mask, his expression was unreadable. It took a few seconds for him to calm down again.
He gave Hayato a nudge to the face with his foot, signaling him to stand before they continued talking.
"Thank you... thank you so much..." Hayato said, thinking he had been given a second chance.
He stood up shakily, feeling as if his bones were all about to break. Of course, that was just his imagination.
Because he had misunderstood Sousuke's identity, he didn't dare even think about revenge. Right now, Hayato resembled a lapdog, cautiously observing this silent and intimidating stranger.
He desperately tried to figure out how to lick his boots just right, how to convince him to grant a little more time.
Hayato knew that the dealers he owed weren't the forgiving type. If he failed to pay up, they wouldn't hesitate to dump him into Tokyo Bay in a concrete block.
But he was broke. The money he made at the bar had long since been wasted on drugs and empty pleasures. He was out of time and out of options.
His girlfriend's secret savings weren't enough. He needed something more.
Yoshida Saki, still nearby, remained silent. She hadn't said a word since the scene began.
She didn't even know Sousuke had just saved her life. In fact, it was likely this entire experience would scar her for the rest of her life.
Not that it mattered. Kitahara Sousuke had never cared about gratitude.
He turned and looked at the dazed girl, still sitting blankly on the ground.
"What are you still doing here? Aren't you going home?"
Sousuke frowned as he glanced at her with thinly veiled irritation.
"You're the one who told me to stay!" Yoshida Saki screamed in her mind, but dared not say aloud.
Given permission to leave, she cast one last glance at Hayato, filled with sympathy, then clutched her now damp skirt and ran off under Sousuke's sharp gaze.
Hayato didn't dare utter a word about the girl slipping away.
Sousuke simply watched the foolish girl's back disappear into the distance and sighed internally.
"Come to think of it, this isn't over. That idiot's father is probably her sugar daddy. If things follow the usual course, he'll target her sooner or later. Once it gets exposed, her mother will throw her out."
"Her ending might still be just as tragic as the one I remember."
The thought gave Sousuke a headache. But now that he had gotten involved, it felt pointless to stop halfway.
"Whatever. I'll think about it more once I'm back at school. Might as well see it through. No need to rush."
With that, he turned his eyes back to Hayato, who stood frozen in fear.
Sousuke tilted his head slightly and said in a calm but cold voice,
"I've thought of a way to deal with you. You should thank me."
---