Chapter 525: Escape (1)
Chapter 525: Escape (1)
They were like a permanent fixture, forever standing sentinel for the past year.
The threat of the Hokori family had driven his father to place him and his brother under constant surveillance, akin to a prison. Apart from school, he was not allowed outside of the house.
Even then, he was shadowed by at least one of his father’s men.
“When will this end?” He muttered, feeling a sense of exasperation.
No matter how many times he had begged his father to ease up, the man remained steadfast. While it was clear his intentions were good, that didn’t ease the frustration Katsuya was feeling.
His model deals had been suspended, as well as any extracurricular activities that he wanted to participate in. This of course included dating, something that he enjoyed thoroughly.
Katsuya’s eyes narrowed, his expression turning determined.‘I just want one day, it’s not too much to ask right?’ He thought inwardly.
He moved away from the window and crouched down, pulling a rope from underneath his bed. It was a climbing rope that he managed to smuggle in thanks to the help of his lackeys.
“Today is the day…” He mumbled, a small grin forming on his face.
His room was on the 2nd floor, meaning he would have to rappel out his window in order to avoid the guards at his front door.
Just the thought of escaping the confines of his house filled him with a sense of exhilaration.
He was rather athletic so he had no concerns about going up and down the rope. The only problem was not being discovered after he’d left.
‘No time to think of such things. If I don’t get out now, I might use this rope for something else…’ He thought, letting out a chuckle at his dark joke.
Katsuya moved back to the front window and peeked out, ensuring that the men were still there. After confirming, he moved to the other wall and opened the window, poking his head out for a look.
The height was a little daunting, but he’d already made up his mind to go through with it.
“I need an anchor.”
Out of all the furniture in his room, only the bed fit his needs.
He bent down and easily made a knot, testing its strength a few times before he was satisfied.
This was not a spur of the moment decision, Katsuya had been planning this for quite some time, even studying various knots and climbing techniques on youtube for weeks.
Impressed with his knot tying abilities, he peaked out the window and threw the rope out, watching it descend to the ground.
“Mmm, time to go.”
He placed his chair under the window sill and was about to step up and make his escape, but the sound of the door opening in the next moment caused him to freeze in place.
“Katsu~ I’m bored…” Kiyoshi, his older brother complained as he entered the room.
Yet in the next moment his body froze, his face turning bewildered.
“Bro what are yo—”
In a flash, Katsuya appeared in front of his brother, placing his hand over his mouth and silencing him.
“Shh… I’m escaping. If you can keep your mouth shut, you can come along.” He spoke in an aggressive whisper.
Kiyoshi’s eyes widened in surprise, but he nodded shortly after.
Only after receiving this affirmation did Katsuya remove his hand, feeling his heart beat wildly in his chest. If it was anyone other than his brother who opened his door, he would have been screwed.
“What’s the plan?” Kiyoshi asked, his eyes now dancing with anticipation.
“Just follow my lead.” Katsuya stated.
If they left things too late, it just increased the risk of being caught.
Katsuya returned to the chair and hoisted himself out the window, gripping the rope tightly. He was able to easily rappel down the side of the house before landing gently on his feet.
He looked up, only to see his brother’s worried expression.
“Hurry up.” Katsuya whispered, gesturing for his brother to come down quickly.
What followed could only be described as painful, for both himself and definitely Kiyoshi.
The guy was certainly not athletic, having put on some pounds after finishing school and living a life of luxury. Adding on the fact he wasn’t able to leave the house much over the past year, meant he was not in great shape.
He began to slide down the rope, letting out muffled wails as the suffered from rope burn on his way down.
It was only now that Katsuya remembered why he hadn’t invited his elder brother in the first place.
‘How is he going to climb back up when we’re done?’
The thought caused him to frown deeply before letting out a sigh. It was too late to think of such things, especially when they were on a time limit.
Kiyoshi made it to the bottom, falling flat on his backside and biting his tongue.
“Ow~”
“Shhh. Get up and let’s go.” Katsuya hissed, helping his brother up from the ground.
There was only a little gap between the wall of the house and the fence, meaning they had to shuffle sideways to the front of the house. But this only made him feel more confident that no one would discover the rope hanging out of his window.
Katsuya poked his head out, on the lookout for anyone dressed in black.
“Quick let’s go.” He whispered, heading onto the street and lowering his head.
“Katsu… help.”
He turned, only to see his brother’s body wedged between the house and the fence, causing him to almost facepalm.
‘Why did I bring him…’ He thought helplessly.
Katsuya extended his hand, pulling Kiyoshi out of his predicament. After which, he quickly power walked away from the house.
“W-Wait for me.”