Chapter 12 – A Man's Faith
Face is important for a man, but sometimes, even more important than face… is faith.
Take Ryota Hida, for instance—a self-proclaimed future pirate king of the streets. His dream was to become a robber feared by all, and every petty mugging was a stepping stone on his path to becoming a legendary outlaw.
As they say, every profession has its master. He would become the master of robbers.
Ryota snatched the bank card from his lackey, placed it back into the purse, zipped it shut, and tossed it back to the woman.
"Put the bag on your shoulder," he said seriously. "Let's run through this whole thing properly from the top."
"…"
The woman blinked in confusion. As the daughter of the Yuto family, she had seen her fair share of criminals—but never such a bizarre one.
Still, she obediently slung the bag over her shoulder and asked in a quiet voice, "Like this?"
"Yeah."
Ryota nodded, then pressed his knife to her throat and said menacingly, "Give me your bank card."
"Alright…"
She calmly pulled the card from her bag and stated clearly, "There's a million yen on it. PIN is 5687."
"…!"
Her total composure was like a slap to Ryota's dignity. He placed the card back in her bag, zipped it up slowly, and growled:
"What's with that calm face?! Aren't you supposed to panic?! Don't you think I won't hurt you?! Get scared already! We're robbers, not beggars!"
"Y-Yes!" she stammered, finally trembling. "This… This is all I have… The card and ID are all in here. Please don't hurt me…"
She handed the bag to him again with shaking hands.
Satisfied now, Ryota smiled. He took the bag and waved to his underlings to leave.
But just two steps out of the alley, a boy in a hospital gown appeared in front of them.
Ryota was about to toss out a smug line—when Tatsuro interrupted:
"This is a robbery! Put the bag down or else I won't be polite!"
Yes. This was Tatsuro's brilliant money-making strategy: rob the robbers. They get arrested, and he gets paid. Who would ever believe that a little kid stole a purse from four grown thugs?
"…"
Silence.
Then all three of Ryota's underlings burst into hysterical laughter.
"Hahaha! What the hell are you saying, brat? Go home and suck your thumb!"
"Yeah! And what's with the hospital gown? Did you escape from a psych ward or something?!"
"Want us to send you back ourselves?!"
Surprisingly, Ryota didn't mock him. Instead, he saw something in the boy—a reflection of his younger self.
"Hey, kid. Wanna join me?" he said, warmly. "Stick with me and I'll raise you to be the next king of robbers!"
"…"
Tatsuro was speechless. Is this guy… actually delusional? Just because I'm in a hospital gown doesn't mean I'm crazy.
Still, for the fun of it, he played along.
"Really, boss?"
"Of course! From now on, you're my fifth brother!"
Wow, this is getting wild.
The other three were utterly done, staring at Ryota like he'd gone senile.
Tatsuro knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and said solemnly, "My name is Lü Bu. Since you've taken me in, let me repay your kindness by calling you… Father!"
"Good!" Ryota said without hesitation. "I've got no kids of my own anyway. From now on, you're my adopted son!"
"Father!"
"Son!"
"Father!!"
"Son!!"
Back and forth they went like a melodramatic soap opera. The three goons stood frozen, feeling completely disconnected from reality.
As Ryota stepped closer with open arms, Tatsuro threw a punch that sent him crumpling to the ground.
Ryota gasped, clutching his gut. The bag fell from his hands.
"Why… Son… Why would you hit me?!"
Tatsuro snorted, picked up the bag, fished out the loose cash, and zipped it closed again. He didn't touch the bank card—because that was personal property. He was robbing robbers, not civilians.
He sneered, "I, Lü Bu, specialize in stabbing my foster fathers."
"You—!!"
Before Ryota could say more, his underlings rushed over, shouting:
"You dare hurt our boss?! You're dead, kid!"
"We'll show you how real gangsters fight!"
"Get him!"
Ryota was touched. His boys had his back! He started to rise, only to see them all get knocked down within seconds. And the kid?
Completely unharmed.
"…You still wanna go?" Tatsuro asked, beckoning to Ryota.
"…N-No, I think there's been a misunderstanding. We'll be leaving now."
Ryota's voice trembled. *Where the hell did this monster come from?! A kid who can take down four grown men?! We need to run—NOW.
The other three, also battered and bruised, scrambled away like cockroaches.
As they disappeared, Tatsuro calmly pocketed the loose bills and approached the woman.
"Here's your bag. Can you check if anything's missing?"
"Thank you… You're amazing," she said. She was still dazed, but deeply grateful. This scrawny kid had just taken down four armed men in seconds. Stronger than her family's bodyguards, that was for sure.
Maybe he'd make a great personal bodyguard…
Tatsuro looked at her seriously. "Are you sure nothing's missing? Should we call the police? They ran fast, but maybe they left something behind?"
"No, everything's here."
She checked again and smiled. "Bank card, ID—nothing missing."
What the hell? You're serious, huh?
Tatsuro was stunned. He had just taken a wad of cash out of that bag… and she didn't notice?
Should I put it back?
He hesitated, then sighed. If I take her money, I might feel guilty. Better just return it.
"I guess I'm just too kind."
Why the hell am I so handsome?!
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