"Tonight?" I kept my voice light. "Something happened?"
"No. Nothing happened." A pause. "I just... I missed you."
"I missed you too. Why don’t we meet outside instead?"
I’d expected her to agree immediately, considering how clingy she was before, but she went quiet.
"Lea, are you sure you’re okay?"
"I’m fine."
"You don’t sound fine."
"Don’t worry about me. I’ll—"
The call ended. I tried calling her again, but she didn’t pick up, which only made me more nervous.
’Damn it.’
Was I really going to sit here after hearing her sound like that?
But going to her house was risky. I still knew next to nothing about her family, and considering how strong she was, I didn’t want to find out what kind of monsters raised her.
’Damn it. If she’s really in trouble, I’m not leaving her alone.’
DING!
[Host, strengthening your Synergy with Lea Han will grant you a bonus EXP.]
That was the final push I needed.
Thirty minutes later, I was standing outside her home.
After ringing the doorbell twice, I stepped back to check the upstairs windows.
That’s when the door finally opened.
"Lea..."
The person standing there clearly wasn’t her.
He looked to be in his forties, with messy brown hair, a worn tank top, and tattoos covering nearly every inch of exposed skin.
’A gangster?’
His eyes traveled from my shoes to my face. Then he took a long drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke straight at me.
"Who the fuck are you, and why are you looking for my daughter?"
[Target level is extremely high.]
’Extremely high?’
What the hell was wrong with this family?
First, a yandere. Now, a gangster?
"Hey! Are you fucking deaf? I asked you a question!"
Before I could answer, his hand shot toward my collar.
I twisted away just in time, putting some distance between us. His speed was impressive, but compared to Furcas’s attacks, I could still follow his movements.
Getting killed multiple times by that damn statue had its benefits.
"Who sent you?"
"Nobody sent me. I’m here for Lea—"
His fist was already coming toward my face.
I tilted my head, narrowly avoiding it.
"Stop. I’m not here to—"
Another punch followed, then another.
’He’s not listening at all!’
I raised my guard and blocked the next strike, though the impact still rattled my arms.
Back in college, I took up boxing to impress a girl whose brother kept threatening to beat me up.
Who would’ve thought my dedication to winning over women would save my life someday?
A jab came toward my face. I slipped it, only for a hook to follow.
Then a low kick.
THUD!
I checked it with my shin and winced.
My Agility was doing most of the work, but this body still couldn’t take much punishment.
He continued attacking, leaving little room for me to counter. However, I noticed his guard hanging unusually wide.
’Big mistake.’
I stepped in and snapped a jab into his face.
His head rocked back slightly, and the cigarette fell from his mouth.
"Not bad, kid."
His next punch came much faster.
THUD!
The impact knocked me back two steps, and before I could recover, another strike grazed my lip.
’Shit!’
Limit Breaker immediately came to mind, followed by Furcas.
But using either of my trump cards against my girlfriend’s father seemed like a terrible waste.
Besides, this wasn’t the first time I dealt with an angry father. One even chased me with a shotgun.
In his defense, he caught me in bed with his twin daughters.
THUD!
That moment of distraction was enough for his fist to slam into my stomach.
"GAH!"
My knees hit the concrete, followed by my hands.
"Huh." He sounded almost disappointed. "You’re too weak to be one of theirs. My bad."
’My bad?’
He said it like we accidentally bumped into each other at the grocery store.
I planted one hand against the concrete and forced myself back up. My stomach protested immediately, but there was no way I was staying on my knees in front of this guy.
"You can really take a punch, huh? So why are you here?"
’Fucking asshole. Did he not hear me earlier?’
There was no point lying anymore. Besides, after using me as a punching bag, I wanted to see his reaction when he found out I was dating his precious daughter.
"I’m her boyfriend," I replied firmly.
He just stared at me, not a twitch on his face.
Then his mouth cracked into a grin, and he started laughing his ass off.
"You?" He wiped his eye with a tattooed knuckle. "A wimp like you, dating my daughter? Kid, do you have a death wish or something?"
Getting called a wimp by the man who’d just folded me in half was difficult to argue with.
"Are you going to kill me?"
"Kill you?" He shook his head. "Listen, kid. I don’t have to do that."
He pulled out another cigarette and took a drag.
"She’s more than capable of doing it herself. If I were you, I’d run while you still can."
’Why does that sound like genuine advice?’
Behind him, the door creaked.
Lea stood in her pajamas, her hair loose around her shoulders.
Her eyes moved from my bleeding lip to the way I was clutching my stomach.
"Dad! What did you do to him?!"
"Oh, hey, princess." He waved his cigarette hand over his shoulder. "Don’t worry about this. Just a little misunderstanding with a stray kid."
"He’s not a stray kid!" She stepped outside. "He’s my boyfriend!"
"Yeah, he mentioned that. I was just about to..."
His shoulders went rigid after he turned to face her.
"Lea. Sweetheart. Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You hit him."
"It was a light hit. Barely a tap. Ask him, he’s fine, right, kid?"
I said nothing and clutched my stomach.
"I’m telling Mom!"
The cigarette fell from his mouth. "You wouldn’t."
"I’m telling Mom everything. The punching. The smoking in the house. The gambling."
"Okay, okay, okay!"
Before I could blink, two huge hands grabbed me under the armpits and hauled me upright.
"Easy there, buddy! Easy! Look at you, standing! Great posture!" He started dusting off my shirt, each pat landing right on a bruise.
"Does this hurt? Don’t answer that. Of course it doesn’t. You’re a tough kid. I could tell right away."
’One minute ago, you called me a wimp.’
He turned toward Lea and began apologizing.
"Please don’t tell your mom! You know what she does to me when she gets upset, right?"
I actually felt sorry for the guy. He probably married a very difficult woman—
’Wait.’
Why did this suddenly feel like a glimpse into my future?
"Right!" He clapped his hands together. "Well! Would you look at the time? I have something very important to do."
He pulled a thick roll of cash from his pocket and pressed it into my hand. It was heavier than it looked. Whatever he did for a living, it clearly wasn’t a day job.
"Take her out. Anywhere she wants. A nice restaurant. A movie. A boat. I don’t care. Just make sure she has a great time!"
He leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"And tell her I was nice."
"Dad! Are you trying to buy yourself out of this?"
"What? No! It’s a gift! A gesture! A fatherly—"
"You beat him up. And then you bribed him?"
"LEA, SWEETHEART, I LOVE YOU! DON’T TELL YOUR MOM!"
And then he was gone.
I’m not exaggerating. One second he was standing in front of me. The next, there was a gust of wind, a distant car door slamming, and an engine roaring down the street.
Lea stood there with her cheeks puffed out, glaring in the direction her father disappeared.
"Raven, you’re bleeding!" She hurried over. "Did he hurt you? Where does it hurt?"
"Everywhere. But mostly my pride."
"I’ll kill him," she said gently while wiping my lip with her sleeve.
I wasn’t sure whether to be touched or afraid.
"I’ll kill him," she repeated.
"Please don’t. I just got his permission to date you. Sort of."
Her ears turned pink, and she tried to hide her smile.
[Lea Han’s Loyalty Increased.]
[Loyalty: Committed → Dedicated]
My experience points jumped, but not enough to level up. Our synergy grew much stronger, though.
[Limit Breaker (Minor) has been enhanced.]
[Effect: The boost to your physical attributes during activation has increased]
[Duration: 1 → 2 Minutes]
[Side Effect: 24 → 18 Hours]
The pain was worth it after all.
I was in a very good mood, so I was about to pat her on the head when she suddenly stiffened.
’Huh?’
I followed her gaze to see what caught her attention.
A woman was walking toward us.
The resemblance to Lea was obvious. They had similar features and the same eyes, although this woman was much taller, with long pink hair tied into a ponytail.
And while Lea was naturally cute, her mother was more of the hot-mom type.
Normally, I would’ve appreciated the view.
But something else caught my attention.
She was carrying a bag, and red droplets were dripping from the bottom.
’Is that blood?’
She noticed us.
Her eyes landed on me before moving toward Lea.
"Mom, I can explain—"