CHAPTER 245: EVERYTHING COME INTO PLACE EVENTUALLY

Haruto was too shocked to react. His mind reeled as he pieced everything together. ’So... the person I killed in the past... it was Ayaka’s mother.’

’But then, why did Ayaka call Ren her savior?’ The thought gnawed at him. ’Was it to cover for me?’ Since, as Chiyo mentioned, the real killer was never found...

The memory ended abruptly, snapping him back to reality. He was in his living room once more, his body drenched in cold sweat.

"This is nonsense..." he muttered, rubbing his temples. "And the person that won’t leave me alone... was I talking about Jin?"

He stood up, intending to head to the temple when his phone suddenly rang. Pulling it from his pocket, he saw Enji’s name flashing on the screen.

He answered. "What is it, Enji?"

"The stage is set," Enji’s voice came through, serious and low. "But... are you sure you want to go alone?"

Haruto’s eyes widened before a smirk played on his lips. "Yeah. You’re already at Ren’s hideout, right? Just stay there and wait for my signal."

"Be careful, Haruto. Don’t throw your life away for nothing," Enji warned, concern lacing his words.

Haruto chuckled. "Relax. I’m not that easy to kill."

"At least take a pistol from Rin for protection," Enji insisted. "Anyway, I have to go. Old Futto’s on his way to your place with the documents."

"And the police? Are they cooperating?" Haruto asked, absentmindedly tapping his fingers against the table.

"Yeah... but don’t worry. If they back out, we’ll find another way."

With that, Enji ended the call. Haruto let out a deep breath, excitement thrumming in his veins. His heart pounded with anticipation.

His gaze shifted to Rin, who was asleep beside him, her head resting on the coffee table. He reached out and tapped her shoulder.

She stirred with a groggy groan. "The fuck, man...?"

"Rin, they’re ready. Give me one of your guns," Haruto said bluntly, ignoring her irritation.

Rin blinked, then widened her eyes. "I’m coming with you. And if you refuse, I’ll tell Asuka."

Haruto’s brow twitched. "What the—"

Recently, Rin and Asuka had developed a twisted bond, feeding off each other’s sharp tongues and ruthless wit. Together, they were an unbeatable duo when it came to breaking people down mentally.

Both of them were Haruto’s personal nightmares.

"Tch, should’ve never let you two interact," he grumbled to himself, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

"Fine," he relented with a sigh. "But don’t do anything dumb. No—don’t say anything. Don’t even move unless I tell you to."

Rin was already on her feet, slipping on her black leather jacket. "Move it, you snail! Let’s go!"

Haruto rolled his eyes but followed without another word.

As they stepped outside, Old Futto’s car was already parked out front. He blinked in surprise at the sight of Haruto and Rin together.

"Ah, there you are. I was about to call you," Old Futto greeted, lifting his head slightly.

"Yo, that was fast," Haruto said, raising a hand in acknowledgment, while Rin had already slipped into the car without a word.

"Yeah, I’m excited! And nervous..." Old Futto admitted before turning to Rin. "Wait—she’s coming? I thought you wanted to keep her connection with us under wraps."

Haruto raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? They already know, don’t they? Their guys saw her with Chiyo."

"Nah, Enji took care of them all. You’re safe... for now," Old Futto replied.

Haruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Right. Hold on, I need to grab something first."

Rin rolled down the window, scowling. "Tch! Don’t waste my time!" she snapped.

Ignoring her, Haruto ran back inside, giggling to himself. He finally had a way to get back at that rude woman.

When he returned, he was carrying a full-body animal costume—gray and black, the headpiece resembling a familiar creature. With a smug grin, he tossed the headpiece to Rin.

She caught it and frowned. "A fucking gorilla?!"

"Well, it suits you," Haruto chuckled, earning a laugh from Old Futto as well. "Anyway, if you wanna come with me, you gotta wear it."

"Won’t this make us even more suspicious?!" Rin shot back, glaring.

"And? Honestly, at this point, that bastard already knows my intentions," Haruto sighed. "So just put it on."

Rin looked like she wanted to argue, but before she could, Haruto shoved the entire gorilla costume through the window, effectively cutting off her complaints.

Then, without another word, he slid into the passenger seat beside Old Futto, who silently gave him a high five.

After a while on the road, they finally arrived at their destination—a tattered building that looked abandoned long ago.

The walls were crumbling, windows broken, yet one room on the third floor still had its lights on.

Haruto stepped out of the car, glancing up at that lit window—the meeting place. His heart pounded in his chest, a mix of excitement and unease swelling inside him.

’What if the negotiation didn’t go in my favor?’

"Don’t worry," Old Futto said, placing a reassuring hand on Haruto’s shoulder. "Kikuchi’s men are nearby. He won’t let us die."

Haruto frowned. "I thought he didn’t want his connection to us known."

"Yeah, I thought so too. But we’re crows—a flock of murderers. We don’t just leave each other behind," Old Futto said with quiet confidence.

Haruto smiled. "You’ve changed."

In the past, Old Futto would’ve been too scared to even set foot near a place like this. Yet here he was, standing beside Haruto, closer to death than life itself.

Old Futto smirked. "Guess I’m still flexible for an old man, huh?"

They chuckled together, but their laughter doubled when Rin finally stepped out of the car—fully dressed in the gorilla costume.

"This thing’s not bad," Rin muttered, adjusting the oversized sleeves. "Lets me hide more weapons."

"Sounds more like a threat than an observation," Haruto quipped.

Rin ignored him and strode toward the building first, the ridiculous sight of her gorilla-clad figure making it hard to take the situation seriously.

Haruto sighed, gripping the bag in his hand—inside was a laptop and the necessary documents for the negotiation.

’If things go south, at least let me be the only one to die,’ he prayed silently. He didn’t want to drag anyone else into this mess, into bloody gang war.

’Then again... it’s impossible to avoid war at this point.’

With that grim thought, he exhaled and followed Rin inside.