Fushimi Roku stomped on his hand, pressing the heel on his palm, dangling the dagger above his thumb, and questioned him again, "Where is Tamako?"

"She's not here! She's not here! She's already run away!!" Kujo Hikari wailed, "I-I already told you! Please, don't cut anymore! I beg you... I beg you!"

Fushimi Roku took out his phone from his pocket and called Minamoto Tamako. It still didn't connect, so he swiftly and decisively severed Kujo Hikari's thumb.

"Still lying? You sure have guts!" Fushimi Roku put the knife against Kujo Hikari's neck, "Actually, I don't necessarily have to ask you... If your next answer doesn't satisfy me, your life ends here."

He paused for a moment and repeated, "Where is Tamako?"

Kujo Hikari was in so much pain that he nearly fainted. His face turned pale from blood loss, sweat dripping from his nose, mixing with snot, and his body curled up, looking utterly pathetic.

"I-I'm telling the truth! She really has run away!! She rode a motorcycle off from the second floor! I'm not lying—if you don't believe me, you can ask someone else!" Kujo Hikari shouted, as if suddenly thinking of something, and said extremely excitedly, "Right! Go ask my father! He can prove it!"

Fushimi Roku withdrew the dagger, squatted in front of him, lightly tapping his forehead with the back of the knife, looking thoughtful: "That's strange, then, since Tamako isn't here, why didn't you just tell me directly when I was outside the door earlier?"

Kujo Hikari didn't dare say he meant to intentionally provoke Fushimi Roku. He opened his mouth, letting out a series of meaningless wails mixed with vague pleading sounds.

"And I couldn't get through on the phone either," Fushimi Roku said unhurriedly, "I've been deceived by you all once already, and it was not a pleasant feeling. Honestly, I really don't want to be tricked a second time; it would make me look foolish."

Kujo Hikari's face turned crimson, his neck swelling like a frog's, hissing, "I'm really not lying!!"

"I know." Fushimi Roku nodded, "I can tell."

Kujo Hikari was stunned for a moment, "Then, then why did you..."

Fushimi Roku slightly turned his body, maintaining a crouched position with his body leaning forward, but his face slowly turned towards the room's door behind him: "Just because you're not lying doesn't mean your father won't deceive you… Am I right? Kujo Mutsumi."

He directly addressed the head of the Kujo Family by name, but no one rebuked him on the spot.

Somehow, there were several silhouettes outside the room's door, with Kujo Mutsumi at the forefront. He was still wearing a large kimono, holding a cane, and walked step by step into the room, followed by a few retainers, all armed.

Seeing this, Kujo Hikari suddenly found a backbone, shouting 'Father', reaching out pleadingly, "Save me—Father!"

Fushimi Roku waved his hand, and Kujo Hikari's other ear fell to the ground as well.

"Aaahhhhh!!" Kujo Hikari writhed on the ground in pain. His injuries weren't lethal, nor would they cause him to faint completely, but they were extremely, excruciatingly painful, deepening the fear within him.

Kujo Mutsumi's aged face twitched, and his eyelids flickered. He stopped five or six meters behind Fushimi Roku, lowering his voice, "Enough! That's enough!"

With that, he took out his phone and threw it to Fushimi Roku, "I put you on the blacklist with Tamako's phone, so it couldn't get through. Now if you use a different phone to ask, you'll understand."

Fushimi Roku didn't catch it; the phone bounced twice on the carpet and rolled to his feet.

He glanced down at it, propping his elbows on his knees, maintaining a squatting position, showing a smile with an unclear meaning: "Oh! So, she really isn't here, is that right?"

Kujo Mutsumi keenly sensed something was wrong. He wanted to change his words, but it was too late. Fushimi Roku only needed to see his expression to confirm that Minamoto Tamako truly wasn't here.

"Calm down, it's just a misunderstanding, if we continue, we'll only end in mutual destruction..." Kujo Mutsumi opened his palm, trying to shake hands and reconcile, soothing Fushimi Roku's emotions.

Fushimi Roku stood up, casually pulled a chair over and sat down beside Kujo Hikari. The latter lay on the ground like a dog at his feet, squirming from pain and fear.

Seeing this stance, Kujo Mutsumi thought there was room to talk, so he continued while the iron was hot: "My son was insensible, but he doesn't deserve to die. Please, give this old man some face..."

"What face do you have?" Fushimi Roku interrupted.

Kujo Mutsumi was taken aback; for a moment, he doubted if there was anyone behind him. He looked back to make sure his subordinates were still there, calmed himself, and continued: "Tamako is, after all, my granddaughter..."

"Tamako is Tamako, and you are you. How can they be lumped together? Feel your unshelled egg face, do you deserve to be my girlfriend?"

Fushimi Roku simply stabbed the military knife into the table, letting the knife stand on it, spread his hands, and said, "I'm unarmed now; who dares to shoot?"

Kujo Mutsumi fell silent. He had watched the entire episode through surveillance; every scene was unbelievable, but this man indeed did it—he broke in alone, taking down eight gunmen.

He hadn't killed a single person, proving he still had strength left.

Kujo Mutsumi realized he had no means to deal with Fushimi Roku.

He should have realized this long ago, but the situation was too sudden, too unbelievable, too contrary to common sense, making it difficult for him to accept for a moment.

Kujo Mutsumi quickly adjusted his mindset, accepting the current situation, lowering his attitude, and his tone softened:

"What do you think should be done about this? If it drags on, you wouldn't end well either, right? Tamako might bear a grudge, and the police work would have to stop. You'd be left with a criminal record or become a fugitive for the rest of your life. I suggest we end it here, and I promise, as the Family Head, not to pursue it further..."

He stated the pros and cons clearly.

If it were the old Fushimi Roku, he might have listened and stopped there.

But now, Fushimi Roku had other plans. No matter how eloquent Kujo Hikari was, he remained unmoved, coldly observing, sitting still as if he were a stone sculpture.

Once Kujo Mutsumi was parched and stopped to ask Fushimi Roku's opinion, did he finally take action.

Under everyone's glare, Fushimi Roku pulled out a small hourglass from his pocket, set it upside down on the table, and said, "You have five minutes to defend Kujo Hikari's murder charge."

"..."

"..."

The bedroom stayed silent for five seconds.

Even Kujo Hikari was dumbfounded.

Murder charge? What murder charge?

Kujo Mutsumi couldn't make the connection. He pondered for a long time before realizing what Fushimi Roku meant.

That's right, his son did indeed kill two women, but what does that have to do with Fushimi Roku? Other people's wives and lovers died; what's there to defend?

The hourglass continued to sift away, grain by grain.

Kujo Mutsumi initially wanted to make a joke to lighten the mood, but he noticed Fushimi Roku's gaze on the hourglass and, gripping the cane tightly, a thought involuntarily surfaced in his mind:

'This guy is serious.'

If they couldn't convince him in five minutes, this guy would kill.

A tightness crept up Kujo Mutsumi's throat; he realized he had misunderstood this man all along... What Tamako brought back was not a fox or a hunting dog but a tiger that had tasted human blood.

The situation was stronger than the man, forcing Kujo Mutsumi to open his mouth: "If you kill him, you'll be wanted, and Tamako certainly won't accept you..."

"No, she will send me to prison and wait for me to get out."

Fushimi Roku watched the hourglass and said, "Concealing secrets actually doesn't feel good; I've told her everything, except for this last thing, which I never had the courage to say."

With that, he turned his head, looking at Kujo Mutsumi: "Just right, your son is willing to lend me a helping hand, letting me start over, allowing me to be with her openly. What a happy coincidence... Thanks to you, it allowed me a few days alone, calmly thinking through some matters."

Finally, Kujo Hikari understood that Fushimi Roku truly intended to kill him—if he couldn't provide a reasonable excuse within five minutes, Fushimi Roku would just as easily slit his throat as he had cut off his ear!

Stretching his neck, he desperately crawled towards the table, seeing that a fifth of the hourglass had already passed, meaning there were only four minutes left!

Kujo Hikari collapsed to the ground, pointing at his father and shouted:

"It was him! He made me do the killings!!"

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