Chapter 43 The Disappointing Hero Threatens
As I blew cigarette smoke, Joichiro-shi blinked at the swirling haze.
Hmm, quite a reaction.
Ah, that feeling of "It's always my turn!" is truly satisfying.
With a resentful gaze, Joichiro-shi inquired,
"You, doing this... finding it enjoyable?"
"Huh?"
"In this match so far... you could easily take me down anytime. Why resort to such torment?"
Haha, what's this old man talking about? Such a ridiculous question.
"Well, Yoshino-san, you understand this enjoyment the best, don't you?"
"Ngh..."
"Well, well, well! What are you so in love with? When you paid at the restaurant, you were mentally torturing me, saying things like 'You lost to Takashi in manly charm' and 'You're scraping together petty cash,' just to amuse yourself, right? You looked like you were having a blast!"
"...Not amusing at all."
"And earlier, hinting at my father and slapping Misa-chan to shut her up? You, who normally do whatever you want with your status and money, how do you have the nerve to spout such nonsense like 'Do you enjoy tormenting people?' when you're put in the receiving end of things?!"
"...Kuh."
"Besides, this judo thing—didn't you join with impure motives just to teach me a lesson? Yet, when it became clear you were going to lose, you start blaming the other person? That's so childish, like a grade schooler throwing a tantrum!!"
Joichiro-shi's face contorts into a 'Gnununu...' at my words.
Man, old man's 'Gnununu face' always gets me.
But you know what?
There's a crucial difference between him and me.
"Though our ways of having fun might be a bit different."
"...?"
Right in front of Joichiro-shi's face, I bring my face close, up to a close distance.
"You enjoy tormenting those weaker than yourself! I enjoy showing those who mistakenly think they're stronger than me. A different kind of pleasure, similar but completely different! Ahahaha!"
Well, that's amusing.
Now, in a fight, he can't beat me, and with words, he can't compete. When it comes to this, the corrupt noble's response has usually been one thing.
Isn't it about time, Joichiro-kun?
After trembling for a moment, Joichiro-shi glared at me.
"You've done all this to me... are you prepared?"
Exactly! These people are foolish! In the end, they always resort to threats!
"Huh? What?"
"You have completely turned me into an enemy... is that okay to take?"
"Huh? Threats?"
To draw out more words, I pretend to be clueless.
"Threats? What are you talking about? If you've come this far, I won't show mercy. Prepare yourself."
"Well, I don't need to prepare."
"Hmph, say what you want."
"Because you're going to die here, that's why."
In response to the casually spoken words, Joichiro-shi's expression turned bewildered.
"Die? Nonsense—"
The moment Joichiro-shi tried to deny my words, I activated the [Intimidation] skill. Joichiro-shi's face contorted in fear in an instant. His left hand remained gripped. Can't escape from a hero, can you?
"I mean, you're going to do something to my father, right? In that case, there's no choice but to kill you... isn't that right?"
No longer the cheerful face from before, his expression vanished. Just looking at him. The trick is to think of the other person as insignificant.
"Uh, no, it's not like that."
"Well, if you threaten people, you should be prepared to be killed in retaliation, right? I reluctantly do it to protect my family, you know?"
It seems he doesn't have that kind of resolve, huh!
Well, his life has somehow been getting by with that until now.
The current situation and the [Intimidation] skill. The combination of these two things likely makes Joichiro-shi feel a strong sense of 'impending death.'
Anyway, good luck, Joichiro-shi.
You have to set the stage before you threaten someone!
Joichiro-shi started to panic as he realized what was happening.
"No, no, it's not like that! I won't bother your family!"
"Oh, but, I can't trust you at all. You said it yourself, right? You are a very bad person. How can I believe your words? You know, I'm a bad person too."
Hehehehe.
How do you like that? Your own words coming back to you.
Isn't it great? Yoshino Joichiro.
I keep talking.
"So if I leave you alone, I'll be worried and I won't be able to sleep at night. So to sleep well, I have to kill you, you see, because I'm a bad person."
"No! No, it's not true! Please forgive me! I, I was wrong, please, please, don't kill me!"
I don't answer his begging and stay quiet for a while.
It was the same with Kunimitsu. Silence is powerful.
When I'm silent, he imagines all kinds of things and gets nervous.
Fear, anxiety, and a little hope, these were his reaction.
He can't think clearly, and his brain is like a maze, with different thoughts running around.
Now, it has been thirty seconds.
But for him, it must have felt like hours, this silence. And it's time for me to broke it.
"──No, I don't trust you. You're going to die."
"Pl, pl, pl, please! I'll do anything! It's true! Help me!"
It works, huh? The "no" from the silence!
This is really "The effect is amazing!"
"Anything? Is that true?"
"Yes, yes!"
Yeah, yeah, good feeling.
No one has ever said "Kill me if you can!" here.
I threw away the cigarette that had already gone out, and lit a new one.
After blowing smoke in his face again, I handed the cigarette to Joichiro-shi.
Joichiro-shi, who took the cigarette, had a puzzled expression on his face.
"...?"
"Well, then, burn your eyeball with that. I'm nice, so you can choose which eye. Of course, both are fine too?"
And then, silence again.
Joichiro-shi couldn't understand the meaning of the words for a while. After comparing me and the cigarette several times, he let out a foolish voice.
"...Eh?"
"Hey, I'm telling you to burn your eyeballs. If you're willing to go that far, I'll trust you."
"W-Well, that's..."
"Haaa? Didn't you say you'd do anything earlier? Then do it! If you don't do it..."
I leaned in, grinning.
"Because I still can't trust you—die."
Then, silence again. Joichiro-shi's body began to shake more than before. As if controlled, he lifted the cigarette in front of his face.
"Well, if you shake so much, you can't aim properly, right? In that case, you can use both hands."
I released the hands that had been restrained until then. Joichiro-shi, with his freed hand, supported the hand holding the cigarette.
"Ah, ahh, ahhhh!"
Screaming, he brought the cigarette close to his face. Sizzle!
Along with the sound, the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
──But I grabbed just before it hit his eye, and it vanished in my hand.
Simultaneously, I released the [Intimidation] skill.
"Haa! Haa! Haa! Haa!"
"No way, Yoshino-san! What's gotten into you for real!"
"Haa! Haa! Haa! Haa...?"
"Hey, it's a joke! Just kidding!"
"Joke?"
I placed my hand on Yoshino-shi's shoulder, wearing a smile.
"Because Yoshino-san said something about doing something to my father, that's a 'joke', right?"
"J...joke?"
"Huh? Did I get it wrong?"
"No! Um, yes! Uh, that was a joke! I really don't have any intention of doing something!"
"Exactly, right? So even though I meant it as a joke, trying to burn your eyes with a cigarette, that was some realistic acting! Your dedication to jokes is on another level! Truly an Olympic-level athlete!"
"Th-thank you so much."
Hehehe, good job, Joichiro-kun.
If you weren't Misa-chan's dad, there might have been a bit more to it.
Me seriously trying to push Misa's dad? No way, man. I'm not into that, nah, nah, nah, hahaha.
"Haha, hahaha..."
"So, I've got some stuff I'd like to ask Yoshino-san about... Is that cool? Of course, if you're not okay with it..."
"No! If there's anything I can do, I'll make sure to do it! Just tell me without hesitation!"
"Got it, first off, can we drop the formal language?"
"Huh, but..."
"I said stop it."
"Ye, yes, no, um..."
What's with this weak Raoh-like vibe? Oh well.
"First, like I mentioned earlier, support for Misa-chan's future life. Please handle that properly."
"Underst... no, got it."
"And about Takashi... Yoshino, you're covering the expenses this time, right?"
"Yeah, th...that's right."
Th, th, that's right, huh? What a way to use it. Oh well.
"If that's the case, I really don't like the idea of bankruptcy or some silly escape plan... Do you have any good ideas?"
"Takashi-kun, well..."
After thinking for a while, Joichiro-shi seemed to come up with something and told me.
"Our affiliated company has a seafood processing division... If he get involved in deep-sea fishing through that connection, I don't think he'll entertain strange thoughts..."
"That's a nice idea! Truly impressive!"
"Is, is that so?"
"Yes, I don't have that kind of connection, so I really appreciate it!"
Hehehe, after threatening, praise and stretch. Well, that's about it for now.
"Then, Yoshino-san! Please help me like that!"
"Oh, I know."
"Well then, please stand up for a moment."
"...?"
In response to my words, Joichiro-chi stood up. He probably still has some fear, but he should be more relieved than earlier. Hey hey, don't let your guard down too much?
"So, really, I'm terribly sorry, but..."
"W-what is it?"
"A match is a match, so..."
"Huh?"
“Alright, excuse me!”
"Huh? Huh?"
I grabbed Joichiro-shi's back collar and the sleeves with a sweeping motion, then threw him with a hip toss.
Bangggg! He slammed onto the floor without tatami, making a dull sound. Joichiro-shi, caught off guard, couldn't even take a proper defensive stance and was thrown, once again rolling his eyes.
Ignoring the twitching Joichiro-shi, I mimicked the winning pose of my mentor in spirit, Street Fighter's Master Ryu, crossed my arms, and turned to the side.
Player Higashimura Tadayuki!
Ippoonnnnnn!
Hello, we have a new project about someone who has returned from an isekai. The main character is a hero who has defeated the Demon Lord. However, for some reason, the human-demon war has resumed and will take place in the MC's original world. The MC, unaware of this, meets a Saint from that world and asks them to join the war. But what does the MC say? They refuse. Is it because their love was rejected by the princess when they adventured together in the past or are they simply fed up? And are the MC will join later? You can find out by clicking on the following => [Link]
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