Chapter 79: Unable to Stay Here Any Longer (Vote Requested)

Yosuke Ueno had spent a sleepless night, uncertain of whom to turn to. Miko had merely said that Da Lang and their mother went out together, intending to take a walk around the area to see if they could find any clues. Yet he waited until ten, then eleven o'clock, and still no one had returned.

In his mind, Yosuke Ueno pictured countless dramatic scenarios. Was it the North City Society? Or some other force? Should he call the police? He had no idea what kind of suffering Da Lang might be enduring now. It must be painful, he thought. After a whole night of torment, surely he was exhausted. There wouldn’t be any food—he must be starving, too. Yosuke regretted not rushing out earlier; after noon, when they still hadn’t returned, he went out once more but failed to find that yakuza named Yuta Irie. He didn’t even have his phone.

With dark circles under his eyes and his jaw clenched, Yosuke Ueno wondered what to do. If Miko woke up and found her mother absent, she’d be terrified, wouldn’t she? Poor child, so young and already without a father, and now her mother was in trouble. The more he thought, the sadder he became; his eyes, already raw from lack of sleep, brimmed with tears.

Just then, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from the door. Yosuke stared blankly in that direction. Apart from himself, only Da Lang and Sister Runa had keys. Could they have escaped danger? He scrambled up, heart pounding, and there they were.

He wiped his eyes. "It’s been all night. Are you both unhurt?"

Runa Onodera paused, then bowed. "Good morning." She removed her shoes, clasped her hands, and trotted off to the bedroom.

Yosuke watched her in confusion. Passing by him, her face was flushed, yet she looked radiant.

Da Lang smiled wryly. "Why are you crying?"

"What happened, really?" Yosuke sensed something was amiss.

"Nothing happened," Da Lang replied lightly, stepping beside him, then pausing. "You haven’t guessed?"

Yosuke was bewildered. "Wasn’t yesterday’s plan dangerous? I only calmed down when Miko said you had dinner at home. But then you left again; I thought you’d be targeted after such a risky move in the afternoon! Isn’t that the case?"

"That’s a reasonable assumption." Da Lang patted his shoulder. "Sorry to have worried you. By the way, how’s Miko’s school enrollment?"

"Since I handled it, of course it’s fine!"

"Thank you. You haven’t slept all night, have you? Eat breakfast and get some rest. Once you wake, take Runa and Miko to the school and finalize things while the iron is hot."

Stretching, Da Lang headed to his room.

Yosuke remained puzzled. Wasn’t it as he’d guessed? Then why hadn’t they come home all night?

Recalling Sister Runa’s demeanor, a sudden flash struck deep within him—ten thousand points of critical damage struck overhead.

Of course, Yosuke, you fool. How did you not consider this possibility? After all, it was Da Lang. Even he could see Runa felt differently about Da Lang; how could Da Lang not notice? Maybe Da Lang had harbored these feelings for a while, and simply waited until she grew more captivating.

Watching Da Lang’s languid silhouette and the closed doors, Yosuke walked silently to the center of the living room and sat down.

He couldn’t stay here anymore.

Though he knew Da Lang was skilled with women, Sister Runa wasn’t like the girls who went out for fun. Though he knew she secretly admired and liked Da Lang, could things really move so quickly?

Yosuke felt redundant in this “family.” He couldn’t stay, not even with the free rent. He sighed deeply. Ever since Da Lang took him out to experience Tokyo’s real nightlife, Da Lang had become oddly restrained, busy with work. Since Runa moved in, his heart was set on her.

Muttering, Yosuke said, "Yosuke, it’s time to move out and grow up on your own."

He couldn’t stay here; from now on, he’d have to rely on himself.

Suddenly, the ringing phone startled him. He answered, hearing laughter on the other end. "Did I wake you? Revenge, ha ha ha..."

"Who are you?" Yosuke asked, baffled.

"Uh... isn’t this Da Lang? The number’s right."

"Hold on, I’ll get him." Yosuke went to Da Lang’s door and knocked. "Da Lang, phone for you."

Honestly, if Miko weren’t still asleep, he’d have shouted it out in his frustration.

Da Lang, about to settle back for a nap, was forced up again. He answered lazily, "Hello? Who is it?"

"Knew I’d wake you, didn’t I? Ha ha ha! Revenge!"

Da Lang recognized the voice—how childish.

"Professor Shana, that’s a bit immature, isn’t it?"

Yosuke’s ears perked up. Ueda Shana? The voice matched, but why call her professor?

"Uh... who answered just now?" Ueda Shana, realizing she’d been odd, changed the subject.

"Yosuke Ueno. You saw him at Sumitomo before—same class as me. We live together."

"So it was him? Seems a bit temperamental; I woke him up..." Shana muttered, then quickly shifted topics. "Anyway, for research purposes, it’s fine. I found an economics professor who wants to know what equipment you plan to install, which is important. I guess it can’t compromise the school’s security. What is it?"

Da Lang perked up. "Just two things: a phone, and something called a Bloomberg Terminal—only a monitor and keyboard, just for displaying financial market data."

"Oh... I’ll tell the professor."

"Thanks. If it works, I’ll treat you to a lavish meal!"

"Really, I wanted to get back at you for yesterday morning, and now you call me childish! A lavish meal isn’t enough!"

"Looks like Professor Shana wants to see me more often?" Da Lang teased, grinning.

"Shush! Who wants to see you, you rogue? You’d better prepare a proper gift to thank me!"

"Understood!" Da Lang replied earnestly.

After hanging up, he saw Yosuke’s complicated expression.

"You and Miss Ueda...?"

"You heard it. I’m planning to find a room at the Kendo Club to install some equipment, so when school starts, I can access data and send instructions from campus."

Yawning, he added, "Didn’t sleep enough last night. You go rest, too."

...Not enough sleep.

Yosuke shook his head. It was indeed time for bed. Who cared about Da Lang and Ueda Shana? Who cared about Da Lang and Sister Runa’s relationship? From now on, he wouldn’t feel comfortable joining Da Lang for ‘hunting’ excursions. He’d have to rely on himself.

He went to his room and collapsed into sleep. After a while, Runa Onodera crept out, holding her breath, heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Miko, so she’d have something to eat when she woke.

Passing Da Lang’s door, Runa glanced inside, her eyes sparkling.

He... must be tired, too. Let him rest.

But why didn’t she feel tired at all? She felt especially energetic.

Runa tiptoed into the kitchen, humming a cheerful tune. The sun had just fully risen, its light flooding the room.

For the first time in years, she felt utterly content.

...

Da Lang tried to nap again, but was disturbed once more. This time, it was Chang Le Kudo on the line.

"Da Lang, you said more funds would be coming in—so much, really?" The voice was plaintive. "Yesterday your assistant told me to wait till today as you instructed. So much money sat idle for a day—a huge loss!"

"Assistant?" Da Lang paused at the term, then cast a meaningful glance at Runa Onodera.

Runa, just released from her inner turmoil after a night of passion, lowered her head in embarrassment. Da Lang had come home briefly in the afternoon, and before leaving, told her to postpone any calls to the next day; she’d somehow used the title ‘assistant’ as an excuse.

"Life is more important. No need to chase every penny," Da Lang replied lazily. "There’s 1.2 billion yen in new funds, making the previous positions completely safe. Also, use part of it to open new positions."

Previously, they’d used high leverage. This time, the funds borrowed from Kinoshita Shufu—except for 300 million reserved in the bank for future use—would be allocated to make currency market investments more reasonable and safer.

The more capital one had, the less one gambled like a reckless speculator.

Da Lang could play like a gambler and reap handsome rewards, but he couldn’t always be so conspicuous in the financial markets. Otherwise, he’d disrupt the larger trends and lose the ability to profit steadily over time.

This time, the strategy was for a longer cycle. Next, he’d need to find a reliable and professional person to handle financial investments. With the stock market about to enter a multi-year bull phase, he had to prepare accordingly.

Once Da Lang gave his instructions, Ichiro Kawasaki at Nomura Securities sprang into action. Seeing Da Lang increase his positions, albeit at much lower leverage, Kawasaki’s experience told him the overall market judgment was unchanged, only the strategy more cautious.

This was perfectly normal, proving Da Lang wasn’t a reckless gambler. After all, yesterday’s new positions had insane leverage. Clearly, Da Lang knew what he was doing—now, another 1.2 billion yen had flowed in.

No more need for hesitation. Kawasaki quickly followed suit, full of anticipation.

This round, following this formidable new hunter, there was plenty to gain.

After setting everything up, Kawasaki contacted Nick Sada.

"Nick, that machine you sold hasn’t actually been delivered to Da Lang yet, has it?" He remembered there was to be a delivery and setup period.

"Kawasaki-senpai, yes, we’re still waiting for Da Lang to confirm the installation location. Why?"

"So, Da Lang hasn’t used the machine yet?"

"Why wouldn’t he? Actually, four days ago Da Lang came to our office, used it for half a day, and checked a lot of information!"

"Really?" Kawasaki’s interest was piqued. "What information did he look up?"

"Senpai, I shouldn’t hide things from you, but company rules apply," Nick replied breezily. "Is it because Da Lang made hefty gains in the past two days? Our terminal is truly useful..."

Kawasaki was uncertain. "Looks like I should ask the department head to pay attention."

Soon after his call with Kawasaki ended, Nick Sada dialed Da Lang again.

Da Lang sighed—peace was elusive.

"The location is nearly sorted. I’m the one buying, so I care more than you! When there’s a result, you’ll be notified immediately." Muttering, Da Lang hung up and was overwhelmed by sleepiness.

He sighed again after hanging up.

Then, a pair of hands gently pressed his temples, kneading softly.

Behind him, he felt a delicate warmth.