Jobless Rising! ~I’ve Become a NEET. I Acquired Lewd Skills and Lived a Life of Sex in the Other World and in Japan. Before I Knew it, I Was Impregnating A Harem of Ladies?!~

Chapter 69: A Mysterious High Schooler…!? Extortion Again

Weaving through the gaps between buildings, I was led into a dark, deserted alley. When we reached a slightly open space, Ishitate turned to me.

“Wait here for a bit.”

“What, calling for backup or something?”

“Let’s clear up any misunderstandings first. We’re not here to fight you.”

“Huh…?”

What’s this? I thought we’d be throwing punches right about now. I was ready to beat them down quick and chase after Kurumi.

…Wait, when did my thoughts get this violent…!?

“What do you want? Are you guys just that bored?”

“…We’re under the umbrella of a certain organization.”

“Come again?”

“We pay a cut of our profits to them, and in return, they make things easier for us to operate in Tokyo. Recently, someone from that group told us about you.”

I’m totally lost. Sounds vaguely like they’re tied to some crime syndicate, but that’s all I’m getting.

“…Looks like they’re here. Hear the details from them.”

From the opposite direction we came, a young guy approached.

Age… high schooler, maybe? Feels weird for Ishitate to call him “someone important”…

“Mahara-san, good work.”

“Yeah, you did well getting him here, huh?”

He really looks like a high schooler… And that cloth bag he’s carrying? Gotta be a wooden sword in there, right?

“You’re Kougou, huh? Hmph, you look like some scrawny nobody. Why’s a guy like you…?”

Ishitate and the others were clearly deferring to him. Even Kida seemed tense, trying not to be rude.

“…Why’s a high schooler hanging out in a place like this?”

“Haha, nice one. You really don’t know anything, do you?”

“Obviously. I was dragged here against my will.”

What’s this guy on about?

The guy called Mahara motioned for Ishitate and the others to back off.

“I’m Mahara Ryonosuke, part of the Tényōshū. That name ring a bell?”

“…Oh. One of Minato’s buddies or something?”

The Tényōshū, descendants of the Onmyōryō from Heian-era Kyoto, where folks like Abe no Seimei worked. They’re the field operatives, still purging Oni energy to this day.

Tényō Development is a front company for Tényōshū members to hide their identities.

They’ve got deep ties with the government, both back then and now, handling land development projects as government contractors.

“…! You…!”

“What?”

“To call the peerless genius Kokuryouin Minato-sama… by her first name like that…!”

Mahara Ryonosuke suddenly flared with anger, glaring at me.

“What? Minato herself didn’t care when I called her that.”

“Trash like you doesn’t get to casually use her first name…! And Minato-sama, of all people…! Choosing some random nobody as her retainer…!”

…Aha, I get it now. This is one of those situations.

“What, you’re just pissed I became Minato’s retainer, huh?”

“Obviously! It was supposed to be me…! Me, the next head of the Mahara family, at Minato-sama’s side…! And some nobody from nowhere steals that from me…!? To be the retainer of the genius Kokuryouin Minato-sama…!? Unforgivable…!”

Ugh, another annoying guy. He’s probably like Minato, purging Oni energy with that Kyōshin technique.

Meanwhile, I’ve got no such skills. To him, a mere commoner like me being close to Minato must be infuriating.

“…If you’ve got a problem, take it up with Minato, who picked me. I don’t have time to deal with a kid’s tantrum. If that’s all, I’m out.”

This is ridiculous. He’s barking up the wrong tree.

But Mahara Ryonosuke opened his cloth bag and pulled out a Japanese sword.

…Wait, what!? A real Japanese sword!?

“Kukuku…! If you’re good enough to be Minato-sama’s retainer… you must be strong enough to beat me even when I’m serious…!”

Mahara Ryonosuke unsheathed the blade. No doubt about it—a real, unblunted Japanese sword.

“Kaaa…!”

The air crackled with tension. I could feel the dangerous vibe.

Ishitate and the others watched from a distance, but even they seemed cowed by Mahara’s presence despite the gap.

“Kougou Touya…! I’ll test whether you’re worthy of being Minato-sama’s retainer myself…!”

“Huh!? I told you, that’s none of your business! What gives you the right…?”

“Shut up! If you die here, that just proves you’re not worthy! It’ll show you don’t deserve to be Minato-sama’s retainer…!”

“!!”

Fast! He closed the distance in the blink of an eye…!

“Kiei!”

Mahara Ryonosuke swung with a clean, unwavering strike. But…!

“Don’t use a weapon on an unarmed guy!!”

I waited until the sword was close, then twisted my body vertically, stepping forward half a pace. As the blade passed, I drove my left fist, packed with power, into Mahara’s torso.

“Nbuobeh!?”

I twisted my fist upward, digging into him. It sank in perfectly. Then…

“Oraaa!”

I swung my fist straight up. Mahara let go of the sword and flew high into the air.

Whoa… humans can fly that far?

Maybe my heightened libido boosted my physical abilities. Cui-san did say my strength correlates with my sex drive.

Mahara hit the ground with a dull thud, motionless. Well, he’s probably not dead.

(Thank god I’m Cui’s contractor…! A real sword like that would’ve freaked out anyone normal…!)

What a dangerous kid…! Not just dangerous, but picking a fight with me over nothing…!

Still pissed, I picked up Mahara’s dropped sword. Feeling its surprising weight, I sheathed it and put it back in the cloth bag. Just then, Ishitate spoke up.

“Damn, bro… Didn’t think you’d take down Mahara-san that easily…”

“What’s with that ‘I’m not involved’ face? You dragged me into this mess…! You’re responsible too, aren’t you!?”

“Huh…!?”

“What!?”

Ruining my hot night with Kurumi…! If she’s not in the mood when I get to her place, how’re you gonna make up for it…!?

Fueled by lustful rage, I glared straight at Ishitate.

“S-Sorry…! H-Here, take this and let it slide…”

Ishitate pulled a stack of 10,000-yen bills from his wallet.

…Whoops, I ended up extorting them again. Now who’s the thug? But whatever.

“Fine, I’ll let it go. But! If you send anyone near Kurumi’s place, I won’t forgive you…!”

“Y-Yeah…”

I’m the kind of guy who takes what he can get! Who knows if Ishitate earned this money legit? I’ll put these bills to good use!

Pocketing the cash I got through half-threats, I started walking away.

“Hey…! W-What’re you doing with Mahara-san’s sword…!?”

“Huh? Selling it.”

“What!?”

“What’s with the ‘what’? This guy came at me with a sword! He’s a total brat…! I’d love to complain to his parents, but they’re probably no good either…! I’m taking this sword as compensation.”

I need every yen I can get! Kukeke…! A real Japanese sword should fetch a nice price…!

In the end, I made a decent chunk in no time—not bad!

Feeling good, I hopped in a taxi, messaged Kurumi, and headed to her place.