Chapter 129: The Homeless Man, Aoki Tsukasa!

After clearing his absence with Matsuyama Iwa, Aoki Tsukasa made another call to Sora to explain the situation.

Matsuyama Iwa, as expected, grumbled at length about Tsukasa failing to train properly, but Sora was unexpectedly understanding and kept her words brief, only reminding him to come home early.

He took the three puppies to the veterinary clinic, only for the doctor to try and dismiss them, claiming it was past closing time. After much persuasion, a generous tip, and the inherent intimidation of his own face, Tsukasa finally convinced the doctor to stay late with an assistant. Only when his wallet was left alarmingly thin did the sweating doctor finally finish treating Natto’s leg and vaccinating the three puppies.

It really was getting to the point where it cost more to treat a dog than a human!

With most of his hard-earned savings now depleted, Tsukasa looked at the three listless puppies, currently feeling the effects of their shots. He smiled bitterly and ruffled their dirty fur. "You little guys, try not to be a nuisance when you go to your new homes, alright?"

Natto nudged Tsukasa’s palm with its rough little head, then wearily closed its eyes.

Sighing, Tsukasa gathered Natto into his arms, took hold of the leashes for Kuro and Baiwei, and checked the time.

Calculating that Goko Ruri would be finishing her shift soon, he headed toward the café. He didn't go inside to cause a scene; instead, he sat on the curb nearby, leaning against a utility pole and squinting as he waited for her.

After all, it wasn't a cat café, and bringing three grubby puppies inside would have been too much of a disturbance. Even though no one would have dared to say anything to him, Tsukasa didn’t want to be that person.

Natto dozed in and out of sleep in his arms, drooling all over his jacket. Fortunately, it was just the school uniform provided by the System, which would be as good as new after a quick wash.

As he sat there, he felt something digging into his lower back. Reaching behind him, he pulled out the metal bowl he’d used to feed the puppies earlier; he had shoved it into his pocket without thinking and had completely forgotten about it.

Exhausted, he held the bowl up to his face, let out a yawn, and leaned back against the utility pole. His head began to nod, and before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep.

He didn't know how long he had been waiting when a sudden "clink" sounded in his ear.

"Onii-chan! Good luck!"

Tsukasa opened his eyes, blinked in confusion at his surroundings, and realized that a fifty-yen coin had appeared in the metal bowl sitting in front of him.

A cute little girl stood before him, her face beaming with an innocent smile, her hand still frozen in the motion of tossing the coin.

However, as soon as Tsukasa looked up and stared at the girl with a bewildered expression, her smile gradually froze.

Then, the girl’s eyes instantly welled up with tears. She sniffled, stared at his face, and suddenly burst into a loud wail, sprinting toward her family nearby. "Mommy, help! It’s not a homeless person! It’s a monster! I don’t want to be eaten! Waaaah..."

"I..." Tsukasa’s mouth hung slightly open, eyes wide, as he watched the girl dive into her mother’s arms and get carried away at a run.

A passing girl watched the scene, covering her mouth in horror. "Terrifying!"

"What did that guy do to that little girl?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. How could he lay a hand on such a cute little girl?"

"Figures, a homeless person like that can't be normal. He’s so young, too—there must be something seriously wrong with him to have ended up like this."

Tsukasa’s face darkened, and he pulled his collar up, but his gleaming bald head was impossible to hide from the passersby.

"Is he a young guy who got kicked out of a yakuza gang? There are plenty of those these days... but it’s rare to see one end up this low." A middle-aged man sighed, puffing on a cigarette as he recalled his own wilder days. With a look of world-weariness, he pulled a thousand-yen note from his pocket, placed it in the bowl, and gave Tsukasa a thumbs-up. "Hang in there! Everything will get better. The fact that you aren't out stealing or robbing like the others means you're not a lost cause!"

Tsukasa nodded expressionlessly. "Oh, heh, hehehe."

He stood up, pointed to the Wuyang High School emblem on his uniform, and stared straight at the man.

The man scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh, my mistake. Sorry." Then, he scurried away as if fleeing for his life.

"Was he expelled?" the passing girl whispered to her friend, her expression full of pity. "He must have gotten into a fight, got kicked out of school, and was too scared to go home, so he started living on the streets. Look, he even has puppies; he can't be a bad person."

"Should we call the police to help him? Maybe we could even be friends with him later on." Her friend’s sympathy was overflowing. After all, just because Tsukasa looked fierce didn't mean he wasn't handsome!

The friend cupped her face, imagining a scene years down the line: she helps Tsukasa return to school, reach the pinnacle of success, and when he becomes a yakuza boss, she is there to light his cigarettes and pour his tea. In her mind, the suave, slick-haired Tsukasa puffed on a cigar, pulled her close, and whispered, "Baby, it’s because of you that I’m where I am today. Tell me, how should I reward you?"

Oh, ho ho ho, the friend’s face grew flushed.

"Yeah, maybe he’ll find his way back and turn over a new leaf." The first girl imagined a beautiful scene of a prodigal son returning: in her vision, the reformed Tsukasa no longer had a shaved head but instead sported the flowing, elegant hair of a shojo manga protagonist, pulling her close and saying, "Baby, thank you for not giving up on me when I was at my lowest."

Oh, ho ho ho, her heart began to race.

The two girls stared at Tsukasa, taking a closer look at his cool, sharp features, and began to giggle foolishly.

Tsukasa’s keen hearing made it impossible to ignore their nonsensical chatter. He silently turned around, pressed his face against the utility pole, and chanted frantically in his mind: *You can't see me, none of you can see me, please just pretend I’m not here.*

"Good work today!" Inside the café, Goko Ruri wearily sent off the last customer, bowed to her seniors in the breakroom, and changed her clothes. As soon as she walked out the front door, she saw Tsukasa standing with his face pressed against a utility pole, looking completely shut off from the world. Not far away, a little girl was being carried away while sobbing, and the surrounding crowd was pointing at Tsukasa.

What on earth is he doing? Three question marks might as well have been hovering over her head.

"Are you...?" Ruri walked over to him cautiously. Tsukasa remained expressionless, his face buried against the pole, wishing he could sink right into it. "It’s nothing. I’ll leave Natto and the others to you. Once Natto’s leg heals in a few days, we’ll figure out how to rehome them."

Ruri looked at his gloomy face, shrank her neck back slightly in fear, and took Natto from his arms. She then took the leashes for Kuro and Baiwei. "Um... Great Demon King, are you really okay?"

Tsukasa sniffled, whether from wounded pride or a lingering cold, he didn't know. He tilted his head back and stared forty-five degrees toward the sky. "I’m fine. I just want some peace and quiet."

"Who's 'Peace and Quiet'?" Ruri asked, curious.

Tsukasa slammed his forehead into the utility pole with a dull thud. "I want to be left alone!"

Ruri let out an awkward laugh, only to notice a small advertisement plastered right on the pole in front of Tsukasa’s face.

"Pro... state? In... fertility?" Seeing the words vaguely visible under where Tsukasa’s head had been blocking the view, Ruri read them aloud.

She stood frozen, and after a long moment, her face turned bright red, as if it were about to drip blood. Clutching Natto and holding the leashes, she bolted away as fast as she could.

"Per, perverted Demon King! Huge pervert! Bald pervert! I’m going to tell your sister about this! Pervert! The perverted Demon King is the worst!"

Tsukasa raised his head slightly, his vision finally focusing. On the advertisement in front of him, a muscular, bald, shirtless man was giving him a thumbs-up: *After treatment, you too can be as strong as me! For infertility and prostate issues, be sure to visit XX Men's Hospital!*

*Go to hell!*

Tsukasa slammed his head back into the pole with a thud, and everything went black.

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PS: Once upon a time, there was a little boy looking for recommendation tickets, walking through the chilly streets on a cold, windy night, clutching his bowl. The indifferent passersby glanced at him briefly before walking away, leaving only the little boy standing there, his voice trembling as he said, "Kind sirs, please spare me a recommendation ticket, sir, please sir!"