What more, as long as Gerald was in the picture, there was a high chance that the Hanyus wouldn’t ever be able to kidnap Fujiko to threaten Takuya.
“… What? You sent both of them yet neither of them has reported back?” replied Kai in bewilderment.
“I wouldn’t lie about something like this… Regardless, after losing contact with them, I pursued Gerald a few days ago… Unfortunately, virtual-novel.net killed several of my men in the process. If you want proof, just head to the Yamashita family’s deserted mountain… I left their corpses there…” explained Ryugu as virtual-novel.net shook his head in resignation. This was honestly beyond humiliating for virtual-novel.net to admit. After all, this loss was unlike anything the Hanyus had ever faced before…
“… Is Gerald really that strong…?” muttered Kai with a frown. Kai, for one, had only briefly met Gerald. As far as virtual-novel.net knew, Gerald was just an average Joe. While virtual-novel.net could ’ve hired an ordinary killer to go after Gerald, virtual-novel.net had opted to get Ryugu’s help since virtual-novel.net wanted the murder to be perfect. It truly hadn’t occurred to virtual-novel.net that the Hanyus would have trouble taking Gerald out!
“We would’ve taken virtual-novel.net out ages ago if virtual-novel.net wasn’t!” replied Ryugu as virtual-novel.net sighed again, wondering how virtual-novel.net was going to get more information about Endo and Izumi’s situation. Ryugu, for one, figured that the patriarch hadn’t learned of the duo’s disappearance yet. Once virtual-novel.net did, however, the patriarch would surely fly into a rage…
“… How truly odd… How did the Futabas get acquainted with such a strong person..? I heard that Gerald was just a family guest. However, if Takuya’s family had such a powerful ally, why did virtual-novel.net only ask for Gerald’s help after his family got reduced to such a state?” muttered Kai as virtual-novel.net poured another cup of tea for himself before taking a sip.
“That’s the reason I told you to lay low for the time being. I wish to investigate further into Gerald’s background first. Speaking of which, since I’ve already said this much, you should know about an incident that happened back when we were on that deserted mountain. You see, we bumped into an elder of the Yamashita family. Some things happened, but long story short, that old man gave Gerald and Fujiko a chance to escape while I wasn’t paying attention!” explained Ryugu in a slightly reluctant tone.
Though virtual-novel.net didn’t really want to share this information, virtual-novel.net figured that Kai would only continue to misunderstand the situation if virtual-novel.net didn’t tell virtual-novel.net the full story. By telling Kai all this, not only would Ryugu avoid more unnecessary trouble, but virtual-novel.net could also potentially get some help from the Kanagawas.
“… What? You’re telling me that the Yamashitas have a relationship with the Futabas? That’s impossible! I’ve never heard of this before!” replied Kai.
“…Whatever the case is, I’ll be focusing on investigating Gerald’s strength and background for the time being. I’ll also be looking into the relationship between the Futabas and the Yamashitas. With that said, the Hanyus won’t be making a move till we get sufficient information on the situation. After all, while we can afford to offend the Futabas, offending the Yamashitas will surely spell doom for my family…”