Zhao Yao nodded vehemently in response.
"It's been nice. In fact, I think Tokyo is a great place. I intend to buy a second home here so I can visit regularly."
To himself, he thought, "It doesn't hurt that the good citizens of Tokyo all seem to be in need of my help."
Hanako was pleasantly surprised by this.
"Are you serious?" she started, "How much is your budget? I can help you with this. I have a couple friends in the property business."
The two of them began discussing this enthusiastically. When Zhao Yao revealed that he was comfortable spending a few billion dollars on the new property, Hanako shot him a suspicious look.
"You seem to have struck it rich all of a sudden. How? Did you sell Lightning?" she accused.
"What? Of course not!" Zhao Yao retorted, "Lightning is having the time of his life with me. He's even fathered a dozen kids."
"Really?"
It was obvious that Hanako did not believe his words. To convince her, Zhao Yao opened his mouth and spat Lightning onto the restaurant table.
The Pallas's Cat appeared, but he was not alone. He was mounted behind a cat with long, white fur. Lightning froze when he took in the sudden change of environment, but he shrugged it off and began twitching his body. He made a few jerking motions before collapsing onto the white cat, a lazy grin spread across his face.
While he was perfectly happy not knowing what was going on, the white cat had descended into panic.
"Ah!" she screamed, "Where are we? Zhao Yao! Send me back! Now!"
Zhao Yao chuckled awkwardly, "Of course. Come on, let's go."
Then, he opened his mouth. The white cat sprung into it instantly, returning to the extradimensional belly.
Without his partner, Lightning found himself falling face first onto the restaurant table. He shifted so that he could lay on his back.
"What do you want this time, Zhao Yao?" he asked impatiently, picking his nose, "What enemy did you meet this time that requires my assistance? You've really got to learn to read the room. You can't just summon me when I'm obviously busy."
"Lightning!" Hanako scolded shrilly, pinching the top of his head, "What was that?!"
She then turned to glare at Zhao Yao.
"You promised to take care of him! All you've done is lead him astray!" she exclaimed.
Zhao Yao laughed nervously. He explained, "Oh, that's not true. What you just saw was a rarity. He isn't usually like this. I mean, just look at him. He's short and fat and it's not every day that a cat falls for him."
Hanako's hands shot up so she could cover Lightning's ears.
"Stop it, Zhao Yao! That's not true!" she cried, "How can you say something so hurtful to Lightning? You'll put a dent on his self-esteem."
With that, she let go of the cat's ears and began stroking his head instead.
"Don't listen to that silly man, Lightning," she said soothingly, "You are, and will always be, the coolest and most handsome cat to me."
Baiquan, who had been watching them curiously throughout the exchange, was sorely tempted to open his Mystic Eyes of Direct Death so he could verify how large Lightning's weakness was.
Soon, the food came and the conversation continued. The joy of reunion lifted the atmosphere as the merry band of friends began to catch up with one another. Only Matsuo remained sullen-faced. He was terribly troubled by all that spirit army business.
Hanako joined him in looking miserable when the boys asked her if she was returning to China.
Zhao Yao and Baiquan exchanged glances.
"What's wrong? Are you facing some kind of trouble?" Zhao Yao asked point-blank.
Hanako laughed, but there was no joy in her voice. When she spoke, she did so gently.
"To be honest, I really like China. There's just something about the Chinese that's special. You have so much energy and enthusiasm and you're free to be exactly who you are. Unfortunately, I don't think I can return to China."
"Huh?" Zhao Yao wondered aloud, "Weren't you pursuing your master's degree in China? You're not going to finish it?"
Hanako nodded. "That's correct. I've already withdrawn from the university. The thing is…"
She hesitated.
"I'm getting married."
"Ah!" Zhao Yao exclaimed.
He quickly recovered from the initial surprise and looked at the space above Hanako's head.
"Damn. There's still no mission," he thought to himself.
He brushed his disappointment aside and tried digging for more information.
"Are you getting married of your free will?" he questioned, "Did you family force you into this? Do you need my help? Let's be honest - I doubt even the whole of Tokyo can take me down."
Baiquan nodded in agreement. "Hanako, if you need help, all you have to do is ask. If you do not want to get married, we'll take you back to China with us."
A smile graced Hanako's lips at their words. She covered my mouth daintily as she began to giggle.
"Thank you for your concern. There's no need to worry. I've thought through this carefully and I've made my decision. There's no problem," she explained.
"Really?" Zhao Yao asked, eyeing the top of her head again, "You know there's no need to hide anything from us, right? Just say the word and we'll deal with it."
"Yes, it's really fine," Hanako responded, shaking her head with a laugh, "The man I'm marrying is capable and responsible. He's a good guy."
"Is that so?" Zhao Yao retorted, sidling up to her.
In a quiet voice, he said, "You don't have to be shy about what you want. As long as you provide us with a little monetary compensation, we'll do anything for you. I can switch his sexual orientation around so he's no longer interested in women. In fact, I can turn him into a woman. I have a legion of professionals who can get all of that done. All changes are not harmful and can be reverted at any point in time."
As he rambled on, his eyes were firmly latched on the top of Hanako's head, longing for the appearance of the exclamation mark.
Unfortunately, it never showed up.
Hanako smiled at him. "Seriously, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."
That was, of course, a lie.
Hanako did not want to marry Katsuhira Hattori. However, she believed that resistance was futile. The Hattori and Kujyo families were like forces of nature that controlled everything, from politics to commerce. With the backing of the Special Higher Police and the Storm Organisation, no one dared defy them.
They were like unbudging mountains that made Hanako feel as helpless as an ant.
She did not doubt Zhao Yao at all, but there was just no way he could face off with Japan's most powerful. She was not going to allow him to get hurt for trying to help her.
She gave him a good-natured smile.
"If you guys want to, you're welcome to attend my wedding. I'm sure you've not been to a traditional Japanese ceremony?"
"Yeah."
Zhao Yao moved away from her when he realized that there really was no mission here. He relaxed against his chair and said, "Anyway, just remember that if you ever need help, we're one call away."
At the hospital, the condition that Katsuhira Hattori was in was a bit of a shock for the doctors on duty. They sent him for surgery immediately.
An elderly man was seated outside the surgical ward. He wore the most severe expression on his face. Bodyguards dressed head-to-toe in black surrounded him. Even with his eyes closed, authority radiated from him.
Hideki Kujyo appeared at the end of the corridor. He hurried down the hallway and bowed deeply when he saw the elderly man.
The man was Katsuhira Hattori's father, Aoyama Hattori, the commissioner general of the Japanese police force.
Aoyama Hattori spared a glance in Hideki's direction. He did not bother with pleasantries, diving straight into the issue at hand instead.
"The lower half of Katsuhira's body had been severely maimed. The doctor said he is lucky to have made it out alive. He might have kept his life, but he would never make a complete recovery."
Hideki was stunned by the news. When he heard that Katsuhira had been hospitalized, he never expected it to be for something so serious.
Who in their right mind would attack the Katsuhira Hittori unprovoked? He had even targeted his private parts. Just how much animosity lay between them?