Campione: Strongest# 422: Pure Poison!

A spring night, around ten o’clock.

A cold breeze swept through the streets of Tokyo.

A young man in an impeccable formal suit swayed as he walked, a stark figure against the bustling city. The wind chilled Kazuhiko Asagami’s body, but an even deeper cold had settled around his heart.

Time rewound to an hour ago.

Haru, after ordering Masako to arrange the double date, had fallen strangely silent for a few minutes before continuing.

“If you succeed in getting Ryougi Kaname to bring Ryougi Shiki, I will guarantee you the position of head of the Asagami family.”

Masako trembled, a feverish flush rising on her deathly pale face.

The Asagami family, like any traditional Japanese clan, had always been ruled by men. Since being transformed into an androgynous state, she had been consumed by desperation. To lose the chance to compete for power and be destined to become the plaything of some young master... if not for her fear of Haru’s power and the torment that might follow death, she would have already taken her own life.

And now, he was promising her leadership of the family.

To Masako, it was a miracle—a gift from heaven.

As long as she obtained control of the Asagami family, even if she had to marry Ryougi Kaname, she could at least live with a measure of power, rather than becoming a mere decorative object like most women in her social class.

As for the tradition of the Asagami family never being ruled by a woman? Was that even an obstacle for the demon king standing before her?

“Yes!” Her desperation transformed into fierce resolve. Masako bowed deeply and accepted.

However, what was a miraculous opportunity for Masako was a death sentence in Kazuhiko’s eyes. He was now the only direct male descendant of the main family.

If Masako succeeded, what would become of him? Worse, he had been the one to facilitate Masako’s new relationship with Ryougi Kaname. Knowing his ruthless ‘older brother,’ if Masako took power, he knew his end would be a grim one.

“My lord...” Kazuhiko lifted his head to plead, but the words died in his throat as he met Haru's cold, merciless, deep gray eyes.

Gulp—!

Kazuhiko’s eyes widened. He swallowed hard and silently lowered his head, fear coiling in his gut.

Even an hour later, he couldn't forget those lifeless pupils, which had looked at him as if he were already a corpse. An indescribable terror was constantly corroding his spirit.

————

Colorful neon lights cast a kaleidoscopic glow on the wet pavement.

Kazuhiko walked aimlessly. As he rounded a corner, a cacophony of music, laughter, and hawkers' calls rose around him. The air, thick with a mixture of perfume, street food, and stale alcohol, hit him. He lifted his pale face, his eyes empty.

“This is...!”

Bars, cafes, and restaurants occupied half the shops. The other half was Shinjuku’s famous specialty—brothels.

“Shinjuku’s Kabukicho?” Kazuhiko muttered. As a scion of a prominent family, of course he knew this infamous red-light district.

“Maybe I can...” Hollowed out by fear, Kazuhiko’s gaze swept through the crowd, searching for a target.

“Found it.” He locked onto a figure.

It was a young man in a neat black suit with impeccably combed hair, standing straight by the roadside, handing out flyers. Kazuhiko walked quickly towards him. He wasn't attracted to men; his tastes were strictly for women. The reason he sought out this young man was simple.

“Do you have any high-quality goods? The best,” he said, his voice flat.

In Kabukicho, a man dressed so formally and handing out flyers was almost certainly a pimp.

The man in the suit glanced at him. Seeing his high-end suit, he keenly sensed a client who was either rich or noble.

“Yes, of course. Here is their information,” the man said with a slick smile, sensing an easy mark. He skillfully produced a portfolio of his highest-end girls. Being a pimp these days required a certain finesse; you had to match the product to the customer.

When they encountered someone like Kazuhiko, who looked like he was on the verge of ruin and out for one last destructive fling, they knew to fleece him for all he was worth. The price the man quoted was several times the normal rate.

Driven by a self-destructive urge, Kazuhiko took the portfolio. When he flipped to the first page, his eyes landed on the photo of a black-haired woman, and he was instantly captivated.

“This one.”

“Ah, an excellent eye. She’s been our most popular girl for the past month,” the man said, his voice dripping with praise.

Under the man’s guidance, Kazuhiko was led to a clean love hotel suite. After waiting for half an hour, the door opened.

A black-haired woman walked in. When she saw him, her pupils constricted almost imperceptibly.

“You’re here. Let’s get started,” Kazuhiko said impatiently, pulling her toward the bed.

“Wait, stop it, you brat—”

Lost in his own haze of fear and desperation, Kazuhiko ignored her resistance. He knew women like her were controlled by the gangs. As long as he paid, he could do whatever he wanted. So, he held nothing back, venting all the bestial desires that his terror had unleashed.

An hour later, Kazuhiko was jolted back to reality by a furious roar.

“Kazuhiko Asagami!”

“You know me?” he panted, looking down at the woman beneath him in surprise.

“I’m your father!”

“Heh? Is that what the ‘industry’ is into these days?” Kazuhiko’s lip twitched in a sneer.

“...”

He raised an eyebrow. The more he looked, the more familiar her features seemed. That feeling... it was eerily similar to his older brother, the now-long-haired Masako Asagami.

The striking resemblance, combined with her earlier words—Kazuhiko, whose entire perception of gender had just been shattered, swallowed hard.

“You are—?” he asked, his voice trembling.