A Night’s Aftermath and a Hero’s Revelation

The atmosphere last night was no longer conducive to further discussion.Upon learning the truth, Ruka seemed utterly dispirited.Was she perhaps blaming herself for failing to realize that her two juniors had been in danger?’I should probably pat her head first…’

“Let’s save the rest of the explanation for tomorrow,” I suggested to the two juniors.

“You two should get some rest.”Even though it was the weekend and there were no classes, I still wanted them to sleep early.Though, truthfully, my concern weighed more heavily on Ruka’s behalf…’But I absolutely couldn’t voice that thought.’

“To be honest…” Bai Ping, one of the juniors, paused with a troubled expression.

“When you mentioned that the monster from earlier was captured in Japan… we probably won’t be able to sleep.”‘I could guess what she was worried about.’

“Because we have no idea when we might be attacked…”Just as I suspected.Nevertheless,

“Don’t worry,” I said, smiling at her.

“The monsters won’t come to attack.”I certainly hadn’t exhausted myself to such an absurd degree for nothing.’I felt a slight surge of pride, but it was probably better not to show it; I would only get shy.’

“How can you be so certain that these monsters, undetectable by the barrier, won’t attack us?” Leidi, the black-haired junior, challenged me this time.She seemed quite intelligent.’Wait… I recall she’s European, isn’t she?’

‘Her hair appeared even darker than mine, despite me being Asian…’

“Would you like to guess why I was so exhausted this morning?” I asked with a smile.

‘Surely she could connect the dots.’

“I understand,” she replied after a moment of thought, accepting the suggestion.

“Let’s continue this tomorrow, then.”She truly seemed like a junior with great potential.

“Ruka-jiejie,” Bai Ping addressed Ruka with gentle words.

“Would you like to stay here tonight?”‘Come to think of it, there was something peculiar about this child…’

‘Aside from her gentleness, beauty, and thoughtfulness, there were times when she didn’t quite seem like a girl.’

“Hmm, that’s fine,” Ruka said, smiling at them.

“I’ll sleep with you two, then.”Well, you’ve finally regained your vigor.

“Eh?! No, no, no, the bed would be a bit too cramped for three people.”

“Let’s arrange another room instead.””Huh?”‘Her reaction was quite vehement; would a girl really be so averse to it?’

I glanced at the pristine white princess bed not far away.’For these three petite girls, how could that bed possibly be cramped… it would be spacious enough even with me, wouldn’t it?’

‘…’ ‘…’

‘Was that thought just now a bit scummy of me?’

‘It seems I need to reflect on myself properly…’

“Eh? Ping-chan, you don’t welcome me?” Ruka pouted playfully.

“Jiejie is so sad~”‘Ruka, it’s not good to bully your junior like that with such words; you’re too cunning.’

“Uh—uh—hmm—uh—that—this—” Bai Ping stammered, occasionally tugging at Leidi’s sleeve, growing increasingly fidgety, her expression turning peculiar.’Shy? No, that couldn’t be right.’

‘She had been quite enthusiastic towards me earlier in the morning when I was almost asleep.’

‘There was a strange sense of incongruity about her, difficult to articulate.’

‘Sometimes intimate, sometimes distant? I just felt something was off.’

“Ruka-jiejie, how about we have a pajama party together?” Leidi, unlike the inexplicably flustered Bai Ping, welcomed Ruka with a cheerful grin.

“Great!!!”Ruka, are you a teru teru bozu hanging from the window sill?

‘You’re smiling so brightly.’

“Eh!!!”In contrast, Bai Ping’s expression made me feel a little sorry for her…’Speaking of which, a pajama party, huh—’

‘Hey! What am I thinking!’

‘This is clearly a hint for me to leave quickly, alright? Stop overthinking!’

Feeling a little awkward, I rose from the white sofa.Such high-quality furniture was indeed comfortable to sit on.

“I’ll head back to my previous room, then,” I announced.

“Don’t you all stay up too late playing.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Bai Ping cried out.

“In that case, Leidi and Ruka-jiejie can sleep together, and I’ll sleep with Mao Mingdao-ge!”As if seeking rescue, Bai Ping incoherently stretched out her right hand towards me.No, perhaps she truly was crying for help…

She was already being dragged towards the bed by Ruka and Leidi…

“Men and women should not touch,” I stated, ignoring her tear-filled expression, and silently closed the door.There was truly an indescribable sense of incongruity about that child.

****

“Wakey-wakey~ Number Two.” Ruka’s voice was soft, and she smiled, leaning in for a morning kiss.’Did she think I hadn’t noticed?’

‘I had been awake for ages, waiting for him.’

I twisted away~A muffled ‘poof’ sound echoed right by the pillow.

“Why!” Ruka exclaimed.

“Why can you dodge even with your eyes closed! How many times has this happened?!”

“If we start with morning kisses before marriage… I’d be embarrassed,” I said, smiling as I sat up and scratched my cheek.

“Then let’s go register right away! I’m already sixteen this year!” Like a kitten, she threw herself into my arms, her face flushed.

“The legal marriage age for males in China is twenty-two, you know…”

“Ugh… I have to wait two more years…” she sighed, rolling her eyes at me from within my embrace.

“Heh—heheh—” I chuckled wryly, stroking her head.

“My apologies, please wait two more years for me.”

After we had finished washing up, Ruka led me to the dining room.’That table was remarkably large.’

Ruka and I sat side-by-side, directly across from the two juniors.I hadn’t expected a Chinese breakfast; had it been specially arranged?

‘The juniors were quite thoughtful, weren’t they?’

Hmph—stop putting on airs, me; I need to reflect on that.

Glancing across the extraordinarily long table, the two juniors’ mental states were truly poles apart…Ruka and Leidi both looked radiant.

But how had Bai Ping acquired those dark circles, so utterly out of place with her beautiful face?

‘Girls generally wouldn’t stay up late for beauty’s sake, would they?’

‘The sense of incongruity I felt towards this child only intensified.’

After the meal, we returned to the room where we had conversed last night.’Having been startled yesterday, I had initially imagined it to be a more formal place, like an office.’

‘To be honest, I wasn’t entirely comfortable with a boudoir so brimming with feminine charm…’

“Mingdao-ge,” Bai Ping began, sandwiched between Ruka and Leidi.

“Can we continue last night’s topic?”‘Speaking of which… her respectful address for me had returned again…’

‘It felt a little incongruous.’

“Mm,” I replied with a wide grin.’I had accomplished something quite extraordinary yesterday; I truly wished someone would praise me.’

“Number Two,” Ruka interjected.

“First, explain why the monsters definitely won’t attack.”‘Ruka was clearly concerned; it was best to put her mind completely at ease.’

“Because I’ve captured all the monsters in Japan and its surrounding waters,” I declared.

“Eh?!!!” all three exclaimed simultaneously.They all propped themselves on the table, rising to their feet with looks of utter shock.’This reaction was excellent; I liked it—it carried a hint of admiration.’

“How did you manage that?!”

“Ruka,” I explained, “as soon as I arrived in Japan, I swiftly re-established a barrier.”

“I forcibly lowered the ‘evil’ warning threshold to a level where it could detect those specific monsters, then conducted a thorough, carpet-style search.”

“Wait!” Ruka interrupted.

“Our barrier’s standard is already quite low, isn’t it?!”

“If you lowered it further, it should detect even minor human disturbances like brawls, shouldn’t it?” Ruka’s astonishment at my actions was palpable.

My lips unconsciously curled into a wide grin, and I laughed.

“Exactly!” I confirmed.

“The capture process was truly exhausting!”

“I missed countless times!”‘However, for your safety, it was entirely worth it.’

‘Praise me, praise me, quickly praise me~’

“So that’s why you were… Wait, how did you even get to Japan?!” Ruka’s expression grew even more astonished.

“You arrived before the plane even took off, didn’t you?!”‘She must have figured it out.’

I glanced over, and the juniors also wore expressions of ‘inexpressible surprise’.’Ah, I was practically swelling with pride!’

“I deployed a ‘Corridor’ and flew straight here!” I explained.

“I actually arrived in Japan last night!”

“Hold on!” Leidi suddenly interjected, as if a thought had struck her.

“A straight line?! That means you crossed the East China Sea over its widest point, didn’t you?!”

“You covered a distance of over 3,000 kilometers in a single night?!”

“Yes!!!” I replied with a beaming, energetic smile.

Turning to Ruka, I saw her adorable face was frozen, mouth agape.’For you, I am invincible!’

‘Come on, praise me!’