Soon, he thought of a good explanation.
He turned his head and smiled gently at Ikishima Midari: "Ayanokoji Adult just said that he also very much wishes to meet Kiyotaka Young Master's friend. If Ikishima Midari, you are interested, you can come with us…"
He could tell that Ikishima Midari was fond of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. As long as he said this, she should stay, as this was a good opportunity to meet the parents.
Sure enough, Ikishima Midari's face showed a hint of interest. Before she could speak, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka made the decision for her: "No need, it's already late. She has a curfew at home, and if she doesn't go back, her family will worry."
This was not only a clear refusal but also a warning to the Young Man that if he didn't send her home, her family might also call the police out of worry.
At this, the Young Man's expression immediately turned grim.
He didn't dare to gamble on the truth of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's words. He didn't want to let Ikishima Midari go, but he also worried that her parents would report it if he kept her…
He was caught in a dilemma. Suddenly, a thought struck him, recalling what the private detective had said when reporting the situation to him: "Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and a girl were practicing shooting at a firing range."
"Ikishima Midari, do you like guns?" he asked.
Ikishima Midari sighed when she heard this: "Yes, I really like playing with guns. Unfortunately, I've only ever played with airsoft guns, and I've never played with real guns before…"
The Young Man was overjoyed. He quickly continued: "Ikishima Midari, the place we are going has a firing range, and there are real guns there…"
"I want to go too!" Before he could finish speaking, Ikishima Midari's spirits lifted, and she blurted out.
"It's too late tonight. It's better to play with guns when you have free time." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka subtly tried to persuade her to drop the idea.
"Ayanokoji, these are real guns!" Ikishima Midari excitedly shook Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's arm: "Real guns are a rare item in Japan. If we miss this opportunity, who knows when we'll get another one? I must go with you, you can't stop me!"
"…What about your parents then?" Seeing the excited Ikishima Midari and the bodyguard sitting in the back seat, staring intently at him, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka got a headache.
Usually, Ikishima Midari was quite smart, but as soon as she heard words like 'gun' or 'knife,' she would get excited and completely lose her rationality… Did she not understand his hints, or did she want to touch a gun even if she knew there was danger?
Ikishima Midari deliberately hugged Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and smiled shyly: "It's okay, usually I have a curfew at home, but tonight is an exception! I told my family I wouldn't be coming home tonight…"
Looking at Ikishima Midari's shy and happy smile, the leading Young Man smiled contentedly.
His luck was truly good. He had originally planned to take the risk of being reported to the police by dropping off Ikishima Midari, but he didn't expect this woman to be a gun enthusiast and to have already told her family she wouldn't be coming home.
If they hadn't shown up, this couple would probably have spent the night at the hotel, right?
What a pity, he was the one who broke up the happy time they might have had…
The moment Ikishima Midari spoke, Ayanokoji knew that she was also feigning ignorance. She knew how to cooperate with him, so how could she not know the dangerous situation they were in?
But since she already knew, why didn't she get out of the car? Was playing with guns really that important to her? Even more important than her own life safety?
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka glared at her fiercely.
Once Ikishima Midari said that, there was no turning back. Even if she wanted to get out of the car now, the man in front of her wouldn't let her.
Now, she could only pray that they had no ill intentions towards her.
With unease in his heart, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka feigned calmness and said, "I have one more question. Can I make a phone call? Someone is still waiting for me, and I at least need to tell her my current situation."
"You mean Meari, right?" Ikishima Midari suddenly understood and enthusiastically took out her phone: "Ayanokoji, you can use my phone."
Ikishima Midari said, pulling her phone out of her pocket, but the next moment it was snatched away by a thug.
"What are you doing! You're not going to smash my phone too, are you!" Ikishima Midari was not some delicate girl, and instantly flared up: "You can't afford to replace my phone!"
"Of course not, we're just temporarily holding onto your phone, and we'll definitely return it to you later… Ikishima, can you tell me your phone password? I'll call your friend to inform her."
He took the phone handed to him by the thug and, using the same method, prepared to ask for the password to check Ikishima Midari's phone messages.
But Ikishima Midari was not someone to be bullied. She angrily slammed the window and threatened coldly: "What, you want to see my phone messages?
I'm telling you, my name is Ikishima Midari, and my father is a member of the Diet. I have a lot of state secrets on my phone! You should consider the consequences. Knowing too much, you might lose your head!"
The man's expression became subtle: "Ikishima, is your father a member of the Liberal Democratic Party…?"
Judging by his reaction, he seemed to know who Ikishima Midari's father was.
Ikishima Midari puffed out her chest and retorted angrily: "That's right! Now hurry up and give me back my phone! My dad might call me any minute, do you want to talk to him!?"
He hadn't expected that a random girl he kidnapped would have such a background… The man regretted it.
If only he had known, he would have left Ikishima Midari behind. Now that he knew her identity, dealing with her had become tricky.
He didn't dare to smash her phone to pieces like he did Ayanokoji's, so he could only hand the phone back to her.
He even tried to persuade her nicely: "Ikishima, you can have your phone, but the place we're going next is very secret, so it's best not to call anyone outside and tell them where you're going…"
Seeing that Ikishima Midari completely ignored his words and picked up her phone to make a call, he quickly used his eyes to stop the thug who was about to act against Ikishima Midari, and forced a smile.
"Ikishima, you know that guns are prohibited in this country. We finally managed to get a few guns. If you make a call now, then we'll have no choice but to change our meeting place and not go to the place where the guns are hidden…"
The identity of this leader was unknown, but he accurately grasped what Ikishima Midari cared about.
Sure enough, as soon as he said this, Ikishima Midari turned off her phone and then advised Ayanokoji: "Ayanokoji, why don't you not call Meari? It's already past your agreed time. Maybe she went home because she didn't wait for you? How about you explain to her tomorrow? I believe Meari will understand."
Ikishima Midari had betrayed him so easily…?
Not so.
After Ikishima Midari advised Ayanokoji, she turned her face to the man in the front seat and asked, "The place you mentioned isn't far, is it? You're not taking us to some dangerous place, are you? If it's too far, just let us out of the car."
"No, of course not! It'll only take about an hour to get there, and I'll personally drive you home tonight!" He readily agreed, his attitude very good, even a little subservient.
This was the change after knowing Ikishima Midari's identity; her status made this group hesitant to act.
Originally, this should have been a good thing. If they cooperated, they might have been able to trick them into letting the two of them out of the car.
But unfortunately, although Ikishima Midari was on his side, she also had her own agenda. To get her hands on a gun, she had even started cooperating with these kidnappers to persuade him.
If she had insisted on making a phone call, these people would definitely not have stopped her, but she just casually listened to a reason and put down her phone…
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka sighed in his heart.
…Since I can't make a call, then so be it.
These people are so sensitive about phone calls, so it's better not to do anything to deliberately provoke them. Looking at the current situation, they probably won't harm him.
If they really wanted to act against the two of them, their attitude wouldn't have changed like this when they learned Ikishima Midari's identity.
After all, there's no need to curry favor with a "dead person."
It's just… Ayanokoji felt very sorry for Meari.
He had promised to go on a date with her tonight, but he stood her up.
Meari might still be waiting for him at the movie theater entrance right now.
Perhaps she would still think that he wanted to give her a surprise, which was why he was late. She might even keep texting and calling him, waiting stubbornly at the movie theater entrance.
But unfortunately, he was no longer able to keep the appointment.
If he could return safely, he would definitely explain thoroughly to her and compensate her for her damaged girlish heart.
…If he could return safely.
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