The Secretly Rich Man

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2171

“Go on ahead,” replied Gerald.

Fast forward to half an hour later, Aiden returned with some food he got from the nearby convenience store. Following that, the trio sat around the table and ate together. Honestly, after eating so much Japanese food, they had started seeing the appeal in its taste. Of course, there was still a pretty big gap between the food here and good old Westoner food…

Regardless, once they finished their meals, the trio returned to their rooms to rest…

Once morning came, Gerald and Master Ghost headed to the training ground’s entrance to wait while Aiden ran off to look for Fujiko. Shortly after, however, the duo came across Ichiro and his secretary instead.

Realizing that Gerald was all packed up to leave, Ichiro told his secretary to wait at the side as he quickly walked toward Gerald before saying, “Oh? Leaving already, brother Gerald?”

“Indeed. My friend’s done with his competition, so I may as well just leave with him,” explained Gerald with a nod.

“I see… It’s a shame that you have to leave before the case gets solved… Regardless, I should mention that while we were investigating earlier this morning, a person apparently left one of the hotels last night! Our surveillance cameras followed him till the point he entered a barren area that was too far for the final camera to capture… In other words, the suspicious

Individual should be long gone now…” muttered Ichiro in a slightly disappointed tone.

“The final surveillance camera? I’m assuming you don’t have any cameras set up in the barren area, then?” asked Gerald despite knowing the answer to his question.

“Well, it wouldn’t make sense to place surveillance cameras in a barren area… Either way, that man probably realized this and used it to his advantage to escape… Still, we do have his picture and some footage of him, so if we manage to issue a tracking warrant, we may be able to track him down!” explained Ichiro who didn’t mind sharing all this with Gerald. After all, it

Was Gerald’s pointers that allowed them to pinpoint the escaping man in the first place.

Nodding in response, Gerald then replied, “I see. All the best in capturing him!”

Honestly, Gerald was finding the situation to be quite funny. After all, with how quick Amare was, Gerald was pretty sure that he could’ve easily evaded the investigation team and left Japan’s borders unnoticed. Even if Amare slipped up and the investigation team found him, they wouldn’t have been able to harm him at all…

Whatever the case was, Ichiro then saluted as he declared, “Thank you, brother Gerald!”

Shortly after, Aiden and Fujiko arrived, and the four got into a car before leaving the training ground for good…

Throughout their journey to the Futaba manor, Gerald kept one hand on the steering wheel while his arm rested against the car’s window. After a brief silence in the car, Gerald eventually said in a casual tone, “You know, an assassin tried to kill me last night. With how capable he was, I have a feeling that he’s from the international assassin list. Due to how pricey it can get to hire such men, I’m assuming he was hired by Kai.”

Naturally, that statement was for Fujiko since Aiden and Master Ghost already knew about this. Regardless, upon hearing that, Fujiko immediately tensed up before scanning Gerald from head to toe as she asked, “Are you hurt?!”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. In fact, I got rid of the assassin as well,” replied Gerald as he shook his head.

Though she was relieved to hear that, Fujiko soon smacked the dashboard before angrily yelling, “The Kanagawas truly have gone too far this time…! First they hired the Hanyus… Now international assassins?!”

“Indeed… How do you plan on settling this?” asked Gerald. In the end, this had to do with the Futabas as well, so it was best to make things as clear as possible…

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2172

“… We should discuss this with my father. With how big the issue’s gotten to the point where Kai’s started hiring international assassins, I’d rather not make the final call on my own…” muttered Fujiko as she shook her head, prompting Gerald to remain silent…

It was around noon when the four of them arrived at the Futaba manor. Thankfully, Gerald didn’t sense any hiding individuals nearby anymore.

Either way, upon stepping out of the car, the group was greeted by the sight of Takuya’s secretary who had been waiting outside for them this entire time. Upon seeing them, the secretary quickly held onto the things Fujiko was carrying before saying, “Miss Fujiko! Mr. Crawford! Do come in! The master’s been waiting for you!”

Simply nodding in response, the group then entered the manor… and soon enough, they came across Takuya who had been waiting for them in the parlor.

Getting to his feet the moment he saw them, Takuya took a brief glance at Aiden and Master Ghost before turning to look at Gerald and exclaiming, “You’re back! I’ve already told my servants to prepare a grand meals so hurry on in! As for the two brothers at the back, just make yourselves at home and join us!”

Nodding in response, the group of five then entered the dining room and sat around the table. Once seated, Fujiko was prompted to say, “Um… There’s something I need to tell you, father…”

“Oh? What is it?” asked Takuya as he turned to look at his daughter.

Before Fujiko could say anything else, Gerald quickly interrupted, “It’s nothing major. It can certainly wait till lunch is over!”

Gerald, for one, knew that if Fujiko told Takuya all this before lunch, Takuya would probably lose his appetite. Telling him a bit later wouldn’t make much of a difference anyway.

Suddenly seeing things from Gerald’s perspective, Fujiko quickly added, “… Yeah, it can definitely wait!”

“… I see! Well, then after lunch it is! Speaking of which, I hired a new chef two days ago, and he’s a Westoner! With that said, do tell me whether the food is to your liking later!” replied Takuya who was much too glad to see Gerald home to be bothered by his daughter’s hesitance.

“Definitely!” declared Gerald with a hearty laugh. With that, the group of five chatted happily among themselves for the next half hour till food began being served.

Seeing that they were going to eat soon, Takuya quickly cleared his throat before saying, “Just to make things clear, Gerald’s friends are my friends, so you two won’t have many rules restricting you within the manor. With that said, while I’d love to let you two stay here for a few days and potentially even get someone to guide you around for a tour, the manor’s not exactly the safest place for you to stay in now…”

Takuya, for one, was well aware that he couldn’t afford to bear the responsibility of those two’s injuries if he allowed them to stay here and something happened to them…

Clearing his own throat, Gerald then replied, “…Well, you see, I was planning on letting them stay here for the time being. I’ll have to trouble you to prepare two guest rooms for them that are close to where I’m currently staying…”

“But… You, of all people, should know my family’s current conditions, brother Gerald… If they stay here, there’s a good chance that they’ll…” muttered Takuya, looking rightfully embarrassed.

“Trust me when I say that it’ll be more dangerous for them if they don’t stay here. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they remain safe. Even if something does happen to them, I’ll be the one responsible. None of it will have anything to do with the Futabas!” declared Gerald with a smile.

“… Since you put it that way… Fine. I’ll agree to it! You there, go arrange for two guest rooms close to Mr. Crawford’s room!” ordered Takuya after momentarily hesitating as he looked at his secretary.

Gerald Crawford: The Secretly or invisible Rich Man Chapter 2173

“Understood! ” replied the secretary with a nod before quickly leaving the parlor…

Soon enough, all the dishes were served, and before everyone laid at least a dozen Weston dishes. Aside from the chicken and fish, the rest honestly looked like ordinary home cooked dishes. Even so, just the foods’ smell alone and the way they were presented made everyone aware that this was the work of a top notch chef…

Since all the food had arrived, the smiling Takuya quickly began distributing chopsticks as he said, “Come on, enjoy the food while it’s hot, and tell me if it’s to your liking! Honestly, ever since brother Gerald came, I’ve been growing fonder and fonder of Weston food! Truth be told, I wasn’t even sure if I’d ever get used to Weston food back when Fujiko implored me to try some!”

“See? I told you so! ” replied the pleased Fujiko.

Following that, everyone enjoyed their meals without saying much in between bites. Once all the dishes were finished, Takuya ordered his servants to clear the table and serve them some tea.

After the tea arrived, Takuya turned to look at everyone else at the table before asking, “So… I remember you saying that there was something you wanted to tell me earlier… Now that we’ve had our meals, care to share?”

Sipping on the tea that Takuya had just handed him, Gerald then calmly replied, “Well, I was attacked by an assassin from the international assassin list. I’m assuming he was hired by the Kanagawas.”

Upon hearing that, Takuya was so surprised that he almost dropped the teapot! His hands now trembling, Takuya quickly asked in a hushed tone, “… What?”

“Again, I’m only assuming that it was the Kanagawas, so there’s no need to get too worked up,” replied Gerald with a slight frown.

“How couldn’t I get worked up? In case you’ve forgotten, the two assassins from before are still in this manor!” muttered Takuya after taking in a few deep breaths.

“Speaking of those two, they’re apparently known as Endo and Izumi. They’re both Hanyus sent by Hanyu Ryugu of the Hanyu assassination department. As with the previous case, I have a feeling that the Kanagawas are behind this, though I can’t say for sure,” replied Gerald.

“They’re… Hanyus…?” muttered Takuya as his face turned slightly pale.

in less than a month? Not only had the Hanyus sent people to assassinate his daughter, but they also attempted to assassinate his guest! Had Gerald not been present in those two events, his

family. Why on earth would they hire an international assassin to do their dirty work instead? And since Endo and Izumi went after me instead of Fujiko,

decision may bring harm to us all…” muttered the now frowning Takuya as he leaned against his

both families

do that. After all, while Gerald would certainly be able to guarantee his daughter’s safety, the rest of his family would quickly crumble

prompted to ask, “… What about you, Gerald…? What do you

still an entire family of assassins. With that said, I’ll need

The Secretly or

shook his head with

way he was going to

Gerald in a serious tone, signifying that he wouldn’t joke about something like this. After all, getting the Futabas out of this crisis was his one

protected his daughter and putting

to exterminate the Kanagawas. As for Endo and Izumi,

needed, I would’ve killed them ages ago. Now that we know their identities, however, there’s no reason to continue

I’ll be heading out first. I’ll be back before night,” replied

to?” asked

still have some questions that need answering,” replied Gerald, remembering the promise that old man had made with him back

momentarily taken aback

before that, have you contacted them before, father?” asked Fujiko who just recalled what that old man had said

be in such a poor state today! After all, there are infamous rumors that the Yamashitas

But… that old man said…” muttered Fujiko, clearly at a loss. After all, if her father hadn’t contacted that old man before, why would that old man have said that he had met her

now guess, the old man had probably only stepped in because of

on, why’s the Yamashita family suddenly involved?”

Regardless, I’ll be off now. If anything happens, I’ll be sure to

sigh of relief before

as Gerald headed outside, Fujiko quickly got up as well as she

scratch the back of his head as

Ghost who were still

this happened without us being there. With that said, there’s no point in asking about the situation from us, patriarch

Crawford: The Secretly or invisible

first, then. If there’s anything you need, just tell me,” replied Takuya, who knew that he

quickly got into one of the Futaba cars and began driving to

Fujiko couldn’t help but look at Gerald as she asked, “You… really don’t know

living in her manor and she had known him for about a

you and your family are locals and you hardly know anything about them. What makes you think I’d know anything about the Yamashitas? To be quite frank, I’m heading there to learn more about that old man myself,” replied Gerald as

Still, if we had the Yamashitas supporting us, things would definitely go much smoother…” muttered Fujiko with a sigh. Even though she was the ‘Queen of Soldiers’, she was still much

may be difficult, I’m willing to fight through it all,” replied

was then when the duo finally saw the barren

Gerald parked the car there. They were now in Yamashita territory, and

the territory, both of them realized that the corpses had been cleared away. Though the tang of blood no longer remained, upon paying closer attention, dry bloodstains still remained on the ground. Unless the

there was little chance for the stains to be trodden on as well, thus leaving the stains visible for much

traditional Japanese garments came running over to the two.

the Futaba family. I’m here to pay your family a visit,” replied Fujiko in

please leave at once. If the elders realize that you ’re here, we’ll surely be punished!” replied the same

that, allow me to explain a bit further. You see, we came here a few days ago and ended up fighting with the Hanyus at this very spot. Back then, an old gentleman stepped in to help us settle things, and he told

with a cultivating family back

dressed and what they said, it seemed that they were still upholding traditions that had been passed down

So you’re the Westoner who killed all those Hanyu assassins?” replied the man, feeling

and only,” said Gerald

as I report this, then. Actually, before that… If you wish to fight next time, please don’t do it here… We spent an entire day clearing this place up, you

apologize for all the trouble,” replied Gerald with a

They’re nearly impossible to remove…” said the man as he pointed at the stains while shaking his

that, the eight

The Secretly or invisible Rich Man

later, the man returned alone before saying, “Elder has

you for sending him the message,” replied Gerald as he placed his palm and fist together before entering the

the old man’s home. Since the man hadn’t guided them

door open, he made sure to whisper, “Speaking of which, once we meet the old man, don’t say a thing.

it,” replied Fujiko

parlor where the old man could be seen sitting

Knowing that the old man could speak in the Weston language and

asked the old man as he turned to

as he sat

you here to ask about why I helped you back then?” asked the old man as he served some tea to both Gerald

replied Gerald who saw

to have another conflict with that man. After all, you had already killed several of his men by that point, and I didn’t want to have to clean up more bodies. So there you have it, the reason I allowed you to sneak off,” explained the old man with a smile as he stroked

all?” asked Gerald

time. Either way, since you’re already here, why don’t you have some tea with me?” asked the old man as he gestured at the teacup before

before saying, “… Could you look around

replied Fujiko as she got to her

to look at the old man before calmly saying, “Now that we’re alone, you can say anything you want…

surprisingly know quite a lot, kid!”

that you were a Westoner before we left. How couldn’t I figure that there was more to

our territory… With

not wrong,”

want you two to get into too much trouble is true,” said the

as far as I know, the Yamashitas hardly have any contact with the

know

Secretly or

have the Herculean

only chuckle awkwardly. Though the old man had seen through him, he didn’t really want to admit it. After all, Gerald was well aware that talented and capable people

I’m just glad that you know how to conceal your

before finally asking, “Who… exactly are you, old man…? I’m sure you’re not just the elder of the

Yamashita family? How had he gotten involved in this family rumored to have ninjas? And how did he even know about the Herculean Primordial Spirit? Not

question, the old man’s tone suddenly became serious as

in response, the old man then sighed as his cloudy eyes momentarily hinted that he was reminiscing… And shortly after, the old man said, “Well… For one, I knew your grandfather pretty well back then… We used to travel together in Weston many years ago, you know? Unfortunately, we ended up parting ways due to our differing opinions… Truth be told, when I first saw you, I almost thought

down to

You know Daryl?” replied Gerald as he instantly frowned. With how tightly he was holding onto the now quivering teacup, the old man felt that if Gerald gripped any

…

grandfather, no? Why are you

much prefer not to have a grandfather like him,” replied Gerald with

kind old man before he disappeared from his life, the revelation that

to ask, “Is… there some

about him, old man… Either way, I’m just wondering if you helped us back then due to the fact that I’m Daryl’s grandson?” replied Gerald as he raised his hand to stop the

I helped you is because