My Young Husband, The Assasin

The soft sound of breathing echoed in Renji's ears, like a beautiful melody in the stillness of the night, bringing great comfort to his heart, signalling that the woman beside him was sleeping soundly and not having any nightmares.

His eyes gently looked at the woman with black hair, dressed in hospital clothes, with part of her body covered by a light blue blanket. It wasn't too thick, but enough to keep her warm.

The traces of tears were still clearly visible on both of her chubby cheeks, which always blushed like the colour of plums.

His gaze shifted to her belly, and his hand slowly reached out to touch her stomach with a smile full of happiness. "Grow well. Tou-san loves you." He whispered, filled with sincerity.

Unbeknownst to him, Fujita, standing outside the ward, peered through a small window in the door, also feeling happy about Aira's pregnancy.

The door to Aira's room opened, and Renji stepped out, causing Fujita and some of his subordinates to approach with concern.

"Where are you going at this hour?" Fujita asked politely.

"There's something I need to do. In the meantime, make sure to take good care of Aira. Don't let her escape, or your lives will be at risk." Renji threatened seriously, causing several people to lower their heads in fear of looking at him.

"Yes, Young Master. I will take good care of Miss Aira. You don't need to worry."

"Hmm." Renji murmured before leaving.

Driving his car at high speed, Renji headed to an upscale apartment complex in the centre of Tokyo.

It didn't take long to reach his destination. Renji's luxurious car was neatly parked in the basement of the apartment building.

As he walked toward the entrance, Renji accidentally crossed paths with two security guards on patrol, who greeted him politely and with great respect, as subordinates would to a superior.

This was not unusual, considering the 40-story building was an asset owned by the Ishikawa family. The late father had built it as a luxurious, elite apartment complex, one of which was occupied by his cousin, Tetsuya Ishikawa.

Renji took the elevator to the 30th floor. After walking a short distance from the elevator, Renji stopped and stared at the apartment number marked near the entrance—88.

Without knocking or pressing the doorbell to ask for permission, Renji entered by placing a metallic black card, similar to an ATM card, against the door. The card contained a special chip that could open all the apartments' doors. This was intentionally made for emergencies, and there were only three cards, one of which he held.

Renji casually walked into his cousin Tetsuya Ishikawa's apartment. Once inside, his eyes were treated to various paintings neatly displayed on the walls in different sizes and subjects, as if he were in an art gallery.

Without asking for permission or considering the proper manners of visiting someone's home, especially at such an early hour, Renji casually entered the bedroom and turned on the lights, not caring whether his actions disturbed the homeowner.

His dark eyes stared directly at the bed, where a pale-skinned man with black hair, wearing a long black shirt, was fast asleep on his back with his hands resting on his stomach.

"Tetsuya!" He shouted, waking him up.

"Aaa~" Tetsuya groaned as he turned his back to Renji, pulling the blanket back over himself, covering his entire body.

Tetsuya didn't care and was too lazy to respond to Renji's shout, which sounded like a broken alarm clock, especially since he had only been asleep for a few hours after travelling from England and finishing Renji's task.

Couldn't his cousin let him rest after giving him such a heavy task? Plus, tomorrow afternoon, he had to attend the opening of a friend's restaurant.

Feeling his shout wasn't practical, Renji forcibly yanked the blanket, which was Tetsuya's last defence. "Get up, Tetsuya!" Renji shouted. Reluctantly and with a hint of annoyance, Tetsuya struggled to open his eyes.

"Renji!!" he groaned, frustrated because his sleep was disturbed.

"Wake up, lazybones, it's already morning." Renji pulled Tetsuya's arm to get him to sit up and stop sleeping.

"What time is it?" Tetsuya asked hoarsely, his eyes half-closed from still being sleepy.

"04:20 am." Renji replied casually, glancing at his expensive watch.

"Oh my God!! Renji!!" Tetsuya tugged at his hair in frustration, annoyed by Renji's behaviour, which had always been strange and irritating, never changing. Thank goodness they were cousins; otherwise, he would have already called security to kick him out.

"It's still early in the morning, Renji! If you have something to discuss, do it later. I'm still sleepy." Tetsuya laid back on the bed and prepared to go back to sleep.

With a quick breath, Renji's dark eyes narrowed sharply. "Get up, or I'll withdraw all my funds for your art exhibition in France next month." Renji threatened.

Tetsuya immediately sat up, glaring at Renji. "Can you stop always threatening me?"

"It's my specialty." Renji replied proudly.

Tetsuya could only give in. There was no point in being angry; it would just be a waste of energy. The pale-skinned young man asked Renji to sit and wait in the living room while he went to wash his face and brush his teeth, not wanting Renji to cover his nose when talking to him because of the bad breath.

Two cups of hot coffee were placed on the table, with white steam rising from the cups containing dark liquid that emitted a distinct aroma.

"First, I apologize for disturbing your sleep." Renji said with a slightly guilty tone.

Tetsuya responded casually while sipping his coffee, which was slightly bitter, just like life, which could sometimes be bitter. "What's so important that you need to say? Is it about work?" Tetsuya asked, curious.

"No." Renji answered flatly.

"Then what?" Tetsuya asked again, growing even more curious.

"I've gotten a girl pregnant, and I want to marry her." Renji answered with a serious expression.

"Cough..." Tetsuya choked on his drink.

Tetsuya's face was filled with shock and disbelief. "Are you crazy, Renji!" he shouted, placing his ceramic cup on the table.

"Watch your words, Tetsuya Ishikawa!" Renji snapped angrily.

The pale-skinned young man rubbed his forehead, feeling dizzy from the lack of sleep and shock at his cousin's actions. This time, Renji had given him a headache, and he could have a heart attack from this incredible situation.

Tetsuya sighed heavily. "Are you sure about your decision?"

"Yes."

"Don't you want to reconsider your school and your position as the future head of the Ishikawa family?" Tetsuya warned, fearing Renji might make a hasty decision and regret it later.

"I don't care about that." Renji responded indifferently.

"Then think about their safety if that old man finds out about this." Tetsuya hinted at the most influential figure in the Ishikawa family and the one Renji hated the most.

Renji's hand clenched tightly, holding back the anger that suddenly rose within him. "If he dares to touch them, I will make sure the Ishikawa mansion is reduced to rubble along with that old man's arrogance." Renji hissed with hatred, remembering his grandfather, who was responsible for the dark incident ten years ago.

Tetsuya fell silent, watching Renji's expression, making him dare not say a word because he accidentally mentioned the dark incident that happened to all of Renji's family, which left deep scars, stings, traumatized and could not be forgotten at any time.

After the massacre, Renji, once cheerful and friendly, disappeared, and in his place was a cold, arrogant, and ruthless person who felt no pity for anyone he considered an obstacle or opponent in his path to success.

All of this resulted from the upbringing of Kaito Ishikawa, the grandfather. But after hearing that Renji wanted to marry and take responsibility for his actions, Tetsuya felt a little relieved because his cousin had changed, becoming more human and no longer living like before.

"Alright, if you're ready for all the risks, I can't say anything else. I can only support you."

"Thank you. And I hope you'll help me prepare for the wedding and come as a witness."

"No problem. So, when and where will the wedding take place?" Tetsuya asked, wanting to clear his schedule for Renji's wedding, knowing he was swamped.

"Next week, in Fukushima Prefecture, Aira's birthplace."

Tetsuya's eyes widened in shock when Renji mentioned Aira's name, which, if he remembered correctly, was the ex-girlfriend of Kairo Kenzaki, a friend from his university days.

"You mean Aira Hoshino, the employee at Asahi Café?" Tetsuya asked, confirming his suspicion.

"Yes." Renji answered quickly.

Tetsuya immediately slapped his forehead lightly, feeling incredibly shocked because it turned out that the girl Renji wanted to marry was the same age as him.

Renji's taste was extraordinary, and he hadn't expected that the woman who could conquer Renji's cold heart was the ex-girlfriend of his school friend.

The world was indeed tiny.

…