The Perils of Recuperation and a Peculiar Apology

On Saturday, that obnoxious relative who had suddenly appeared to claim kinship finally departed. What a cause for celebration!

Because of them, these past few days had been quite arduous for me! Aside from the explosive, cramping pain, I had been unwillingly subjected to various mortifying lectures on female hygiene products, with Leidi herself as the instructor!

‘Seriously, how could she know so much about it?! Doesn’t she still have *her own*?’

‘And do you even know what it feels like to sit alone on a toilet, staring at a menstrual product, crimson and freshly removed from your own body…’

‘Blah, blah, blah—I felt the male part of me mercilessly shatter into a million pieces!!! It was an agonizing, forced imposition of the reality of being a girl, utterly disregarding my feelings!!!’

‘This was simply too much to bear!!!’

…

However…

…

*Ahem*—

There were still some advantages to be had…

Namely—

Ruka sister and Brother Mingdao had declared that I could recuperate this weekend and be excused from training! I wouldn’t have to endure that brutal, soul-crushing “Mixed Doubles Novice Annihilation Package”!!!

Though only temporary, for these two days, I wouldn’t have to worry about being tossed around like a ragdoll as I had last time. Hooray! Hooray!!!

“What are you grinning about…? Your turn. Be careful.” Leidi, with an exasperated expression, rolled the dice for me. This time, it indicated the second block on the eighth layer.

Although I had “officially” been granted a holiday, Leidi’s training was still proceeding as planned, and I was currently accompanying her in a game of Jenga. This particular session was a high-difficulty, fifty-story challenge!

“Don’t underestimate me; this block is quite easy to remove.”

Honestly, why did she always wear that smug, condescending expression when we played Jenga, as if she were certain I would lose…? I truly longed to strike a blow against her confidence once more!

‘Right, during that relative’s visit, my chest had grown considerably! If I could somehow recreate that “accident” from last time, the impact on Leidi would surely be much greater!’

‘Hehehe~~ Don’t blame me, Leidi.’

With my mind brimming with mischievous ideas aimed at Leidi, I slowly and carefully prodded the block. ‘Perfect! I’ll just “accidentally” drop the block onto my chest in a moment~~’

“BANG!!!!”

“Whoa!” we both cried out simultaneously, startled by the sudden, deafening crash as the bedroom door was violently flung open. Leidi and I jumped in fright!

“CRASH—”

‘Ah—!’

‘I hadn’t even had the chance to vex Leidi yet! Who was this rude intruder who had burst in?! The Jenga tower had collapsed!’

“[I’m sorry! I’m truly very sorry!!!]”

“Huh?!” we both uttered, turning our heads to stare blankly at the doorway. The one who had burst in was…

Ruka sister…?!

Ruka sister, who had just burst through the door, looked on the verge of tears, repeatedly bowing her head in apology to Leidi and me. The box she carried in her hand swayed violently with each bow. It appeared to be a pastry box… and at this rate, whatever was inside was likely shattered to smithereens.

“[*Cough, cough*—Perhaps I should explain for her…]”

Having spoken, Brother Mingdao emerged from behind Ruka sister, a wry smile gracing his face.

‘Seriously… what was going on…?’

****

“[So… our location has been discovered by the enemy?]” I asked, looking with a mixture of awkwardness and speechlessness at Ruka sister, who still had her head bowed.

It seemed she had ventured deep into enemy territory alone and then… inexplicably sold us out.

“[Wait, we can’t be certain Prince Aoyama is an enemy yet, can we? And he only has information about us living nearby, right? Things shouldn’t be that bad, should they?]” Leidi maintained a relatively optimistic view of the situation.

Thinking it over, it did seem that, all things considered, the situation wasn’t quite so dire.

“[I agree with Leidi; Ruka, you’re being overly paranoid,]” Brother Mingdao said, gently patting Ruka sister’s head in a comforting gesture.

“[But…]” Ruka sister still seemed deeply worried about something, her head remaining bowed in dejection.

Seeing Ruka sister so consumed by self-reproach, I felt a pang of discomfort myself. Was there anything that could lift her spirits?

‘Hmm?’

‘I think I recall…’

“[Ruka sister, I remember you once said, ‘If it comes down to a fight, we’re sure to win.’ There’s no need to worry about an enemy who poses no threat, right?]” ‘This argument should work, shouldn’t it? Should it?’

“[What if he’s connected to the one who created the monster that attacked you…? We still don’t have a way to deal with that, do we…?]”

“[Uh…]” Ruka sister’s counter-question left me speechless. Indeed, that possibility couldn’t be entirely ruled out. ‘What should I do…? Her words were starting to make me uneasy too…’

“[Ruka sister, worrying about things you don’t even know will only cause unnecessary distress. We simply need to adapt as circumstances unfold. As for combat strength, considering that neither Xiaobai nor I have been attacked for the past two months, the enemy might not be confident in their ability to defeat you. And now, with Brother Mingdao’s additional combat power, they likely wouldn’t dare to act rashly.]” With sound reasoning, Leidi delivered a conclusion that even dispelled my own gloom. ‘Leidi, you’re truly brilliant.’

“[Exactly, Ruka, stop overthinking things. You still have me, don’t you? Relax; you know perfectly well how strong I am, don’t you?]” Brother Mingdao declared, patting his chest confidently. He then gently patted Ruka sister’s back, offering her encouragement.

“[Alright…]” Though she still harbored some reservations, Ruka sister finally lifted her head.

‘Alright, I should also help cheer her up and lighten the mood.’

“[Ruka sister, you brought back some pastries, didn’t you? Let’s all eat them together, okay?! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!]”

As anticipated, I smiled and opened the “pastry box” Ruka sister had brought back. However, the very next second, the contents of the box startled me so profoundly that I collapsed to the floor, my face drained of color.

Leidi was startled by my reaction, while Brother Mingdao quickly leaned over to peer inside the box.

“[Ru-Ruka…]” But now, even Brother Mingdao looked grim, utterly at a loss for words.

Because…

Inside was a skull, not yet completely shattered! And it appeared to be bloody!!!

“[No! No! No! I didn’t kill anyone! That’s ‘Beethoven’ brand chocolate! It’s an apology gift I bought! It’s really delicious!]” Ruka sister frantically stood up to explain to us.

“…”—from me, frozen on the floor.

“…”—from Leidi, stunned on the sofa.

“…”—from Brother Mingdao, leaning on the table, silently pressing a hand to his forehead.

Three pairs of eyes met… then four individuals fell into silence. At that moment, the bedroom felt as though a plump crow was slowly flying overhead, emitting a subtly unsettling caw.

‘I mean…’

‘You were already suspicious…’

‘Then why would you bring an apology gift back from the “enemy”?!’