My Young Husband, The Assasin-Chapter 31: A night of chaos

The sound of terrified screams sounded distinctly throughout the large ballroom of the posh hotel.

The surroundings, until now friendly and lively, with laughter and the sound of music by a world-class orchestra specially hired by the hotel, suddenly became tense and chaotic.

All of this was due to the actions of a man wearing a black fox mask and wielding a katana who came to cause trouble and create a huge commotion. The mysterious young man and his henchmen had deliberately disrupted this meeting. Still, the main target of the pale-skinned youth was an elderly man dressed in a white kimono with a mountain pattern.

Killing the old man was not a difficult task for this young man, who had a hobby of painting, even though the elderly man was always closely guarded by numerous large, burly bodyguards. This did not make him lose his courage or feel afraid; instead, it only fueled his determination.

In this gathering of the underworld group, after hiding for so long like a sewer rat, Hiroshi finally dared to steal from his master. It was no surprise that Tetsuya's actions now would spark an uproar, even a war between factions. However, this did not frighten Renji, not because the Ishikawa family was a strong shield that had always protected him, but because he believed in his abilities.

Members of other groups chose to flee, saving themselves and avoiding any involvement with the Ishikawa clan, especially since this act was a form of revenge for Hiroshi's past actions against Renji, the next candidate to lead the Ishikawa family, replacing Kaito Ishikawa, the most feared figure in the underworld.

"Aaaarrrrgggg!!!!" The old man groaned in pain, clutching his left eye, which was bleeding profusely. At the same time, all his henchmen around him lay helpless after being slashed and stabbed with a katana laced with a muscle-paralyzing poison.

"Your life can still be saved if you go to the hospital immediately, Mr. Hiroshi," he said with a fake smile behind his fox mask.

"I will remember all of this and repay you a thousand times over," Hiroshi hissed with hatred.

"Please, I will be waiting for you at the Ishikawa Mansion with Grandfather."

Hiroshi fell silent in shock when the fox-masked young man mentioned the name Ishikawa. This large clan had been highly respected and feared for decades in the underworld. The young man removed his fox mask, revealing his pale face to Hiroshi. "Do you still remember me, Mr. Hiroshi?" he asked with a smile.

Hiroshi's body trembled violently at the sight of Tetsuya standing before him. "Y-you... how is this possible..." he whispered in disbelief.

"How could someone like you do something like this? Don't you have a congenital heart disease since childhood?" Hiroshi shouted, aware of Tetsuya's medical history because he had once been Renji's business partner but had betrayed him with the help of Raiden Hoshino, who sold crucial information to him.

"Indeed, but thanks to the medicine concocted by that terrifying snake-loving man, I can move freely without feeling the pain in my heart because it works faster," Tetsuya explained, revealing a small secret that had been unknown to many.

"So that snake man is still alive? I thought he had died in the fire that destroyed his laboratory."

"He should have, but fortunately, my cousin arrived just in time and managed to save him, although he suffered burns. He survived, and he sends his regards to you. He said, 'Die in the most gruesome way possible,'" Tetsuya said, relaying the message from Tsuchihebi, Hiroshi's former colleague who now worked for Renji.

Tetsuya crouched down, looking at Hiroshi. "This time, I'm letting you live, but at our next meeting, I will definitely kill you," he said coldly, though his lips formed a broad smile that was still terrifying.

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The man who resembled Aira widened his eyes, staring in shock and disbelief at the figure standing in front of him, smiling meaningfully right at the entrance of the apartment.

"You..." he whispered in disbelief.

The man waved his hand. "Hello, long time no see," he greeted with a big smile, welcoming his arrival.

However, his smile quickly disappeared, replaced by a cold and sharp gaze. "Take him and drag him away," he ordered his henchmen standing behind him.

Not willing to be captured and taken away so quickly, he tried to resist. Still, suddenly, the barrel of a gun was pressed against his forehead, freezing him in fear as death seemed to loom right before his eyes, waiting for the grim reaper to come calling.

"Be a good boy and don't resist, or do you want me to put a hole in your forehead?" he threatened seriously, already pulling the trigger and ready to shoot at any moment.

Who in this world wouldn't feel their courage shrink when a gun is pointed at their head, with death so close and the angel of death ready to pull their soul out of their body to meet God?

The two of them locked eyes, now standing on equal footing but in very different conditions.

"What do you want from me?" he asked bravely, even with a gun pointed at his head.

"Simple," he replied with a brief smile. "I just want to take you with me. If you cooperate and don't resist, I promise no one will get hurt, let alone be killed by my men," he answered casually as if the lives of others meant nothing. "So, you're threatening me?" he said sarcastically.

"Well, you could say that, but I'm a good person because I'm not being rough with you," he replied proudly, feeling like a good guy.

"And what you're doing to me right now, what is that?" he retorted sarcastically.

"That's because you tried to resist and didn't listen to me," he answered casually, without a hint of guilt.

"Shouldn't you still be in Dubai, Mizuki?"

"Wow, I didn't expect you to know my whereabouts, Raiden. Your informants are quite impressive but, unfortunately, not very smart."

Raiden's fists clenched tightly at his sides, suppressing his anger. He had been tricked, even though he had secretly scouted the area from afar before coming, looking for an opportunity to act. He had made sure that the young man with raven hair was far away and not by Aira's side—the cousin he despised. Even according to his men's information, no guards were watching outside or inside the house.

He had thought that Renji had loosened his surveillance over his wife, but he was mistaken. This was all a trap. Mizuki, one of Renji's most trusted subordinates and his former teammate, had been waiting inside Renji's old apartment. Two days earlier, Renji had moved out, not without reason. He knew Raiden would come looking for Aira and try to force her to return to the Hoshino Mansion.

Renji wasn't foolish enough to leave his beloved pregnant wife completely unsupervised. Unbeknownst to anyone, Renji had secretly ordered his men to watch over Aira from a distance. Instead of wearing the usual black suits like bodyguards, they disguised themselves as ordinary people, blending in with the crowd while secretly carrying out their duties like spies.

Raiden's plan today was foiled thanks to reports from several of Renji's men, who had noticed suspicious activity over the past few weeks. After investigating, it turned out to be the work of Raiden Hoshino, Aira's cousin.

"Considering our good relationship in the past, I'll go easy on you, Raiden."

"So, pointing a gun at my head is what you call going easy? Is that it?" he sneered sarcastically.

Mizuki grinned widely, showing off his sharp, white teeth. "You could say that, but sorry, I'm going to have to do something to you."

With a quick strike, Mizuki hit the back of Raiden's neck, causing the long-haired brunet to collapse unconscious. Meanwhile, Raiden's men could do nothing and were also taken away by Mizuki.

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Sitting comfortably in his car, Renji sipped on a glass of the finest wine, accompanied by the classical music that the orchestra had played at Kairo and Maki's wedding. The music reminded him of the first time he and Aira had reunited as if it had become the background score for their meeting. That was why Renji had grown so fond of classical music—it always brought back memories of that moment.

"Young Master Renji," Fujita called from the passenger seat.

"What is it, Fujita?" Renji asked, taking a sip of his wine.

"Mizuki has successfully captured Raiden Hoshino and his men," Fujita reported, delivering the important news Renji had been waiting for.

Renji smirked. "Take that rat to the base. Please don't kill him or do anything to him. I'll handle him myself," Renji ordered.

"It's better not to dirty your hands. Let us handle it as usual."

"That man has caused me a lot of losses, both in business and by betraying my trust. But what angers me the most is that he dared to lay a hand on Aira, my wife, and even tried to hurt her."

"I understand that you're furious, but—"

"Don't stop me from avenging everything he's done to the woman I love," Renji interrupted coldly.

"Understood."

The back door of the car, where Renji was sitting, opened, and a handsome young man entered. However, the pungent smell of blood clung to him—not his own, but that of the victims of his katana's slashes. Once the young man was inside, the car sped off, leaving the hotel area.

"Why didn't you change your clothes, Tetsuya?" Renji groaned, feeling slightly nauseated by the metallic smell of blood, even though he should have been used to such things by now.

"I didn't bring a change of clothes. Besides, you're the one who told me to do it and asked me to 'create a masterpiece,'" Tetsuya complained.

"True, but at least get rid of that bloodstained suit. The smell is making me dizzy."

"Renji Ishikawa, the most ruthless assassin, feels dizzy from the smell of blood," Tetsuya teased as he removed his jacket. "Didn't you used to bathe in the blood of your victims?" he added.

"Shut up. Don't try to mock me, or I'll kick you out of this car," Renji threatened.

"Tch~ Instead of thanking me or praising me for doing a good job, you want to kick me out," Tetsuya snorted, handing Renji a small box.

"What's this?" Renji asked, looking confused at the small box.

"A little gift for you," Tetsuya replied, removing his black gloves and placing them in a black plastic bag to be washed later.

Renji quickly opened the small box and found a single eyeball inside, with blood splattered around it, indicating it had been freshly removed. "Whose eye is this, Tetsuya?" he asked, both confused and curious.

"Hiroshi's," Tetsuya answered. Tetsuya began pouring wine into his glass. He needed something cold and refreshing after his 'exercise.'

"But why is the pupil red, like our eyes when we're on the 'job'?" Renji asked again, his curiosity piqued as he stared at the eyeball stored in the small black box.

"It seems the old man was the one who killed and took Ryusuke's eyes two years ago," Tetsuya explained, sharing his thoughts while taking a sip of wine to quench his thirst.

"How dare he," Renji hissed, filled with anger upon learning that the main perpetrator behind the brutal murder of his good friend Ryusuke was none other than old man Hiroshi. This must also be connected to Raiden's betrayal.

"Why didn't you gouge out both of his eyes, Tetsuya?" Renji said coldly, his gaze filled with hatred.

"If he dies too quickly, it's no fun. I want to torture him cruelly and kill him slowly. Besides, his blood could be a good addition to my paint stock later," Tetsuya chuckled, grinning widely.

"Whatever, but I want him to pay heavily for what he did to us, especially Ryusuke."

"Don't worry about that. I've already thought of the best way to kill him."

"He has to," Renji added coldly.

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Saki and Issei had prepared the sukiyaki, and all that was left was for their friends from Asahi to arrive. Saki had neatly arranged the dining table, and Aira helped set the tableware.

Ten minutes later, Issei arrived with Arashi, Shintaro, and Fujin. Just as Issei had suspected, the three had been stopped by the building security, who mistook them for troublemakers.

Not long after, Ryuji, Rika, and Hana also arrived. Ten minutes later, Issei came back with Arashi, Shintaro, and Fujin, and sure enough, his suspicion was correct—the three had been barred from entering by the building security, who thought they were troublemakers.

"Wow, I had no idea that kid was this rich," Fujin muttered, looking around the room in awe, which was filled with luxurious and expensive items.

"No wonder you married him, Aira," Shintaro exclaimed.

"Aira isn't a gold digger like you, Shintaro," Arashi retorted, defending her because he knew very well that Aira wasn't that kind of person.

"Enough, let's not talk about unimportant things. Come, sit down," Aira said, inviting them to the dining table that had been prepared.

Fujin's eyes widened in amazement at the luxurious spread on the table. "Looks like we're having a big feast tonight. But why is there no beer or sake? Only canned soda and orange juice," Fujin complained, being a lover of alcoholic drinks.

"Sorry, but I always feel nauseous when I smell alcohol," Aira apologized, looking guilty.

"It's okay, Aira. Don't worry about it," Arashi said, patting Aira's head to cheer her up as she looked downcast.

"Thankfully, our boss isn't here, Arashi," Saki grumbled.

Arashi glanced at Saki. "Are you jealous, spoiled girl? Do you want me to pat your head, too?" he teased, thinking that Saki might be a little jealous.

"N-no! Besides, I already have Issei-kun," Saki replied, wrapping her arm around Issei's and sticking out her tongue to mock Arashi.

Ryuji and Rika arrived together, making them the target of teasing and jokes. Their friends' arrival immediately made the apartment lively, and the party began.

They ate, played, and chatted together, cheerfully spending the long night sharing stories. Before they knew it, the night grew late, and everyone prepared to leave since they had to work the next day.

"Be careful on your way home. Thank you for coming," Aira waved to her friends.

"You're welcome, and thank you for the meal, Aira," Rika replied, waving back. The apartment became quiet again, even though Aira had secretly hoped they would all stay overnight to keep her company.

"It's late. You should sleep. You must be tired, Aira," Saki said with concern.

"But I haven't cleaned up the dining table or tidied up..."

"Don't worry about it. We'll take care of it. You go rest," Issei interjected, who was also staying overnight to keep the two women company, as requested by their boss.

"Thank you. Sorry for troubling you both."

"It's fine, no big deal."

Aira then went to her room to rest, leaving the blonde couple to clean up the dining area. Although she felt terrible, Aira honestly already felt sleepy.

After brushing her teeth, washing her face, and changing into her pajamas, Aira was ready to go to bed when her phone rang. It was Renji calling.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

"Hello," Aira said softly.

(Why aren't you asleep yet, honey?) Renji asked worriedly.

"I invited some friends over for sukiyaki earlier. They just left," Aira explained.

(Did you enjoy the party?)

"Hmm, but it wasn't complete without you."

(You're missing me, honey.)

"Yes, when are you coming home?"

(As soon as possible, my wife. Go to sleep now and dream of me.)

"You too, don't stay up too late. Goodnight, my husband."

(Goodnight, honey, and I love you.) Renji said softly before ending the call. Aira smiled happily, her longing slightly eased.

"I love you too, Anata," Aira replied as she lay down on the bed. Aira slowly closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep, where her beloved was already waiting in her dreams.

A lot had happened today—things that brought tears and stirred emotions—but thanks to her friends, she was able to laugh and forget the sadness in her heart. She hoped tomorrow would be better and more enjoyable than today.

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