That's why he had set his sights on Hanasaku Tenkawa. He had privately investigated her background. Like him, she was wealthy, but Hanasaku Tenkawa's parents were often absent, leaving her severely lacking in affection. Otherwise, she wouldn't have developed a crush on someone as introverted and dark as Ichi Nishida.
Therefore, Reiji Matsuoka initially decided to pursue her gently. If Hanasaku Tenkawa was uncooperative, then he would resort to force.
Reiji Matsuoka planned to use his vast experience to conquer her. He believed that after he was done with Hanasaku Tenkawa, she would become addicted to his skills. Once he tired of her, he could then let those Yasashii (kind) otaku have a turn.
Reiji Matsuoka got up from the bed, shaking his head to try and dispel the uncomfortable feeling. Following his memory, he groped his way to the bathroom. Based on muscle memory, he picked up a washcloth, turned on the faucet, soaked the cloth, and wiped his face.
"How is this possible? Why is my face covered in blood!?"
The cold water helped to sober him up, and the indescribable discomfort lessened. His eyes could finally see clearly. But as soon as he opened them, he saw quite a bit of blood on the washcloth, mixing with the cold water as it flowed into the sink and disappeared.
Reiji Matsuoka looked at the blood on the cloth, and a sudden sense of dread washed over him. He used the cloth to wipe the mirror clean, then looked closely. His face was covered in blood, especially his mouth. As if remembering something, he trembled and slowly opened his mouth wide.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
A sharp scream erupted from his mouth. Reiji Matsuoka looked insane. He violently turned on the faucet, setting the water to full blast, bending over to wash the blood from his face and mouth.
"No, this must be a dream. I must still be sleeping."
"Impossible, impossible."
Reiji Matsuoka was frantic. His blurry memories began to surface. He remembered using his family connections yesterday morning to give Ichi Nishida an excuse to be busy, preventing him from going to the movies with Hanasaku Tenkawa. Then, he had suddenly appeared himself. After a verbal war of words, Hanasaku Tenkawa still refused to go to a hotel with him. He couldn't resist trying to forcefully drag her to a hotel but was beaten up by a boy before he could succeed.
The pain in his face made Reiji Matsuoka pass out immediately. But for some reason, after a while, he suddenly felt something entering his body. A strange sensation spread through him, slowly helping his body recover. He endured the pain, slowly walked home, and collapsed onto his bed to rest.
He didn't know how long he had slept, but a feeling of hunger gnawed at his stomach. His face no longer hurt, but his head was still heavy. Vaguely, he heard sounds at the door, followed by two familiar voices.
But he was too hungry. He desperately wanted to eat. In his hazy state, the two figures transformed into roasted chicken, roasted duck, and delicacies. He only wanted to feast greedily. With strength from nowhere, he straightened his body, like a Gourmand (gluttonous monster), wanting to devour everything.
When he looked back at the crime scene in his memory, the innermost part of his bed, he saw several blood-stained pieces of clothing. Even though the clothes were ripped into shreds, their original form could still be vaguely recognized. Even though Reiji Matsuoka tried to deny it, the facts before his eyes explained everything.
"It's all that damn Hanasaku Tenkawa's fault! If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have been beaten! If she had just accepted it, I wouldn't have lost... If it weren't for her! If it weren't for her! Damn her! Damn her! Ah!!!"
Reiji Matsuoka blamed all the mistakes on Hanasaku Tenkawa, believing it was her fault for not going to the hotel with him. Now, he only wanted revenge against Hanasaku Tenkawa. As for Ho Fei-yu, who had beaten him up, for some reason, he dared not even think about him—it was as if instinct told him to prey on the weak.
"I must get revenge. I must first defile her, and then devour her. Yes, devour her! Hahahahaha!!!"
"Hiss—" Reiji Matsuoka fiercely clawed at the bedsheets with his fingers, trying to alleviate his pain and vent his resentment this way. He didn't notice that his fingernails had grown sharp, leaving terrifying claw marks on the bedsheets.
What was even more bizarre was that a cloud of black mist emerged from his body, eerie and terrifying. If one looked closely, they could see several human-like faces grimly appearing within it. The black mist then slowly floated toward the ceiling and finally disappeared as if it had never existed.
Reiji Matsuoka remembered Ichi Nishida. He knew how to exact his revenge. His once somewhat handsome face was now completely distorted, like a devil from a Western hell.
A conspiracy targeting Hanasaku Tenkawa was quietly underway, while Ho Fei-yu's side was filled with spring colors that couldn't be contained (a literal description of the sexual tension).
Back to Ho Fei-yu, who was seated across from Reika Kurashiki. He looked at the table, which was covered with top-tier Japanese cuisine. Although he hadn't eaten it before, he knew a little about it—things like sushi, unagi (eel) rice, tempura, kaiseki (multi-course) cuisine, Japanese soba, tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet), and yakitori (grilled skewers).
They were all neatly arranged on his table, along with some dishes Ho Fei-yu didn't recognize, but their vibrant colors suggested they tasted good, even if the portions were a bit small.
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for triggering A-Rank Mission: Thwart Reika Kurashiki's Conspiracy. Reward: Moody Blues (The Stand of Leone Abbacchio from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5).]
[Mission Prompt: Reika Kurashiki has analyzed and surmised that the Host possesses supernatural abilities and intends to get the Host drunk to pry information out of him. The Host is requested to prepare. Successfully getting her drunk instead will be considered a mission success. Otherwise, it will be a failure.]
[Mission Failure Penalty: Deduct 1 point from each basic attribute.]
'Holy hell! A Hongmen Feast (a treacherous banquet)!' Ho Fei-yu suddenly heard the System notification in his mind, realizing that Reika Kurashiki had such a scheme. However, using the petty trick of getting someone drunk to extract information was something that only happened in fantasy dramas in his past life on Earth. He hadn't expected to encounter it in this world. Ho Fei-yu thought she would have been better off just using a Honey Trap; he might have confessed everything happily.
Ho Fei-yu looked at the cold, beautiful woman across from him, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curling up. He inexplicably felt the beautiful woman was a little cute for thinking of such a method. If there wasn't a mission, he wouldn't mind getting drunk. It wasn't like he would be eaten. But failing the mission would deduct attribute points. Since he could only add points once a month, losing four points simultaneously meant four months of wasted effort. Moreover, without attribute point support, his invincible Star Platinum would remain gathering dust in the inventory.
It looked like he would just have to inconvenience President Reika Kurashiki instead.