A sharp crack!
Inside the conference room of the Imperial Capital’s White Tiger Guild, Bai Xiao slammed her palm onto the table, glaring furiously at the assembly below.
“Where are they?” she demanded, her voice cutting and cold. “I asked, where are they? Have you all suddenly gone mute?”
“Uh…”
Everyone swallowed hard, their gazes fixed on the alloy podium that had crumbled into dust beneath Bai Xiao’s hand, silently gauging whether their own skulls could withstand such force.
Lin Qingfeng and a few others sat in the back of the room, heads bowed together in a hushed conference.
“Hey, where’s the Captain?”
“I don’t know,” one whispered. “I saw them sitting right at the front when we got back. Didn’t you see them too, Vice Captain?”
Lin Qingfeng rubbed his forehead. He had been seated directly opposite Aya Tone, so of course he knew. “I meant, ‘after’ we got back!”
The others shook their heads, admitting their ignorance.
They had all followed the group, half-asleep on the bus, with no mind to spare for such details.
Hadn’t everyone just headed straight into the guild headquarters?
“You all…” Lin Qingfeng felt a familiar frustration, but then a thought struck him: he was the one who had been closest.
If blame were to be assigned, he would undoubtedly be first in line.
Just then, Mi Xiaoxiao tentatively raised her hand. “Um, I think I saw the Captain buying a plane ticket when we were coming back…”
Throughout the journey, she had been preoccupied with how to apologize to Aya Tone for annoying him during the dungeon raid.
Her eyes, capable of seeing through obstacles, had ‘accidentally’ caught sight of Aya Tone’s actions on their phone upon their return.
At the time, she hadn’t paid it much mind, simply assuming Aya Tone was pre-purchasing a ticket, as it was common knowledge that Aya Tone wasn’t a permanent member of the Imperial Capital Guild.
With the dungeon strategy complete, it was only natural for them to prepare for their departure.
“What?!” Lin Qingfeng gasped sharply, then immediately clamped a hand over his mouth.
‘Their Captain had run off early?’
‘They were utterly doomed. If the Guild Master found out…’
Unfortunately, his sudden outburst was too conspicuous to go unnoticed.
“Vice Captain Lin, it seems you might know where your Captain has gone. Would you care to step forward and enlighten us?”
Bai Xiao’s gaze sliced across half the meeting hall, landing squarely on the still-stunned Lin Qingfeng.
“Uh…”
Suddenly called out, Lin Qingfeng froze.
‘Am I an idiot!’ he thought.
Yet, being singled out in front of so many, he had no choice but to brace himself and stand up.
“Guild Master, the Captain… well, they might have gone home…”
“…”
A hush fell over the entire room, so profound that a dropped pin would have echoed.
The greatest contributor to this operation… had fled?
****
“Hehehe, I wonder if Xiao Jiu will be super excited to see me suddenly~”
In the first-class cabin of a flight from the Imperial Capital to Yan’an City, a white-haired loli swung her small feet, a lollipop dangling from her mouth.
If Lin Qingfeng and the others were there, they would surely recognize this person as Aya Tone, who had made an early escape back home.
Having returned to the White Tiger Building by bus, her eagerness to go home meant she naturally wouldn’t linger.
First class was certainly expensive, but it offered one distinct advantage: availability without prior booking.
Thus, this particular action by a certain individual had thoroughly offended Bai Xiao.
Not only was her bonus gone, but Bai Xiao had originally planned to cover her for the comic con incident.
Now, all that had evaporated like smoke, and she was facing significant deductions!
‘Oh ho~’
****
Yan’an Airport
“Boss! Look! Someone’s using their ability without authorization again!”
“Oh? I’d like to see which insolent scoundrel dares to run wild on my turf!”
The security captain uncrossed his legs and strode to the monitor.
His subordinate, ever so astute, dragged the feed to the scene of the transgression.
On the screen, a figure had just emerged from the arrival gate, then vanished in a flash of white light.
“Excellent! Finally, a chance for a promotion, eh? Zoom in! Record all their features. Whether I get a raise and promotion depends on how big this catch is.”
The “culprit” was clad in a black hoodie, its large hood obscuring their face. Their chest was notably flat, making it impossible to ascertain their gender from these features alone.
However, judging by their build, the person was less than one-and-a-half meters tall.
“She…”
The security captain squinted, a nagging feeling that he had seen this person somewhere before.
“Whack!”
“Boss, why did you hit me?” The subordinate clutched his aching head, a look of injury on his face.
“Nonsense! Not only do I want to hit you, I want to strangle you!”
Seeing his boss’s murderous glare, the subordinate dared not retort.
He chuckled nervously, asking, “Boss, does this person have some kind of background?”
After all, Yan’an Airport was backed by the government; a mere rich second-generation wouldn’t be enough to scare them.
“Rich second-generation? What the hell is that? Open your damn eyes and look closely! Who is she!” The security captain began to seriously consider whether he needed a smarter subordinate.
This one was beyond help, always managing to bring up the most inconvenient topics.
Not long ago, they had been involved in a mix-up with this very ‘adult,’ and this kid clearly hadn’t learned his lesson.
If another blunder occurred, a promotion and raise would be out of the question; his position, at the very least, would definitely be replaced.
The subordinate stared with his wide, innocent eyes, taking another look. “Who is she?”
“A-a-ah, Boss, I’m sorry…”
****
Aya Tone, having reverted from his transformed state, returned to his apartment.
“Click!”
The key turned in the lock. After days of being away on business, he could finally sprawl out on his own ‘dragon bed’ and sleep soundly.
While hotel beds were certainly comfortable, no amount of comfort could compare to the solace of one’s own bed.
“I’m home~” Aya Tone called out, a habitual greeting to the empty apartment.
“Welcome home~” A gentle female voice responded from within.
“!!!” Aya Tone’s motion of kicking off his shoes froze, a cold sweat inexplicably breaking out on his face.
‘How could someone be home!?’
His mind raced, the detective shows he watched as a child finally proving useful.
Today wasn’t the weekend, and it was only a little past four in the afternoon, so Xiao Jiu wouldn’t be back from school yet.
That immediately ruled out Fire Finch and Xiao Jiu.
Big White?
‘No!’
Big White’s voice was neutral, not distinctly feminine like this.
‘Had they been robbed? And by a female thief, no less!?’
Aya Tone cautiously grabbed the wooden sword hidden in a secret compartment in the shoe cabinet—a purchase made on a whim after watching *Sword Art Online*.
It wasn’t sharpened, but it was cool!
‘The countless times he’d imagined a thief breaking in, was it finally time for a real-life practice run?’
Aya Tone thrillingly envisioned his opponent falling beneath his Starburst Stream.
‘So cool!’
In the living room, a woman wearing glasses smiled faintly as she slowly drew a long blade from her waist.
‘It’s been so long since we last met, and the child wants to play such a big game right away. Very well, I’ll indulge him.’
Amidst the flashing blades,
Aya Tone, who had just peeked his head in, stood dumbfounded, holding only the hilt of his ‘Elucidator’.
‘Huh?’
‘What just happened?’
Aya Tone blinked. He seemed to have…
‘Been instantly defeated?’
“Auntie, h-hello,” Aya Tone stammered, recognizing the figure.
He couldn’t help but tremble; with a blade held to his throat, anyone would.
Xuan Yuanhuai offered a gentle smile. “Hello.”
If not for the gleaming blade pressed against his neck, Aya Tone would undoubtedly have found her to be a kind and amiable auntie.
But as it stood…
‘Help, I’m sorry!’