The Clan Meeting and a Peculiar Ability

“She’s just like that; there’s no need to pay her any mind.”

Xuan Yuanhuai felt a sense of helplessness regarding her second daughter’s temperament; the child was in her rebellious phase, making any attempts at reasoning futile.

“It’s fine, truly,” Aya Tone responded understandingly.

“Next is Li Jia’s younger brother, Huaiming. You must already know the other two, I presume?”

“Indeed,” Aya Tone affirmed with a nod.

These two were prominent business magnates of Yan’an City; how could he possibly not recognize them?

“And then there’s Fire Finch’s father, Huo Linyun.”

“Hello everyone!” Aya Tone greeted each person courteously.

“I am Aya Tone, and this is my daughter, Aya Jiu.”

“Aya Jiu, quickly say hello to the uncles,” Aya Tone prompted, gently bouncing the little darling in his arms.

Little Aya Jiu looked up, her tiny hands subtly clenching into fists—a clear sign of her nervousness.

Her small mouth parted slightly, and she declared in a clear, childlike voice, “I, I am Aya Jiu, and I’m four years old!”

“Hello there,” Wang Simin said with a gentle smile.

Li Huan likewise offered a warm smile in return.

Neither of them exuded the sharp edge typically associated with business titans; instead, they appeared as a kindly elderly couple from next door.

Aya Tone couldn’t help but be secretly astonished.

‘Are all the big shots this amiable these days?’

In truth, he was overthinking things.

Their amiability, after all, was highly dependent on the occasion.

In an external setting, a young man like Aya Tone, merely possessing an outstanding appearance, would barely register in their notice.

Though Wang Simin couldn’t quite grasp why Xuan Yuanhuai was so exceptionally courteous towards this man.

However, anyone treated with such deference by her was certainly not to be underestimated.

Furthermore, the little girl named Aya Jiu was truly adorable.

‘If only I had such an adorable granddaughter, I would have retired long ago to care for her.’

‘Why would I still be enduring the sight of this unfilial daughter every single day!’

[Li Jia: Why am I being dragged into this now…]

“Aya Jiu, come let your auntie hold you.” Seeing little Aya Jiu finally willing to peek out from her father’s embrace, Xuan Yuanhuai reached out and took her.

She had truly yearned to hold this little darling.

“Auntie Xuan Yuan, hasn’t your form of address become rather muddled?”

“Muddled? Not at all! We’ll simply address each other as we please.”

Since Xuan Yuanhuai had spoken so definitively, Aya Tone found it difficult to say much more.

She certainly didn’t look like a mother of two children, and calling her ‘old’ would indeed be inappropriate.

‘Whatever…’

As the three took their seats, their table was finally complete.

Little Aya Jiu, enveloped by the two eager “grandparents,” was utterly doted upon.

Aya Jiu, for her part, was also skilled at charming others, eliciting such undisguised affection from their eyes that it flowed freely.

Consequently, the other guests found themselves rather conspicuously isolated by the two adults and one child.

Li Huan and Huo Linyun, however, were quite alright; they formed their own small circle, already engaged in conversation before the meal was even served.

They had initially hoped to include Aya Tone, but since he neither smoked nor drank, they were left to entertain each other with boasts.

As for Li Jia…

Given her female identity, she had no connection whatsoever to her male counterpart; any excessive familiarity would inevitably invite gossip.

Therefore…

“Do you also enjoy watching magical girl shows?” With the clan meeting yet to begin, Aya Tone, as an outsider, could hardly pull out his phone to play games.

Thus, he could only direct his attention to Huo Wushuang, who was seated beside him.

The girl appeared demure, yet with Fire Finch as a precedent, Aya Tone dared not assume this was her full personality.

“It’s alright, I suppose,” Huo Wushuang replied without lifting her head, her attention still fixed on her phone.

‘Ugh… Girl, with you acting like this, what more can I possibly say?!’

Aya Tone inwardly let out a silent cry.

Yet, he voiced, “Then, do you watch Madoka Magica?”

The fundamental requirement for striking up a conversation is for both parties to discover a shared topic.

And then…

“No.”

“…”

Excellent, the conversation had instantly collapsed.

Nevertheless, this setback didn’t deter Aya Tone; there had to be a topic somewhere, he merely needed to adjust his approach.

“In that case, which character do you like?”

Perhaps finding Aya Tone somewhat bothersome, Huo Wushuang paused her video.

With a perfectly serious expression, she addressed Aya Tone, “It’s not that I *like* watching magical girls; it’s just that my awakened ability happens to be related to them.”

‘Oh ho!’

Aya Tone’s eyes lit up.

‘You should have said so earlier! This is right up my alley!’

“What kind of ability is it? Would you mind telling me?”

“Monster Executive.” She maintained her serious expression.

“Heh heh, a rather interesting ability…” ‘My apologies, I’ve clearly intruded.’

Aya Tone offered an awkward smile, deciding it would be best not to press the matter further.

It seemed he truly had no common ground with this ‘Executive,’ and their conversation abruptly ceased.

Free from Aya Tone’s interjections, Huo Wushuang resumed her study of monster abilities, using them as reference.

The power of a Monster Executive was by no means weak; their defeats against magical girls were solely due to that accursed power of ‘bonds.’

Huo Wushuang secretly made a mental note of this.

Though she wasn’t sure what purpose this note would serve, she recorded it nonetheless…

“What kind of ability do you think would be effective against magical girls?”

Huo Wushuang suddenly inquired, her face utterly serious.

“Well, tentacles, of course…” Aya Tone blurted out the words before his brain had even processed them.

‘There’s no helping it; this knowledge is simply etched into my very genes.’

“Oh, tentacles? Noted.” Huo Wushuang nodded thoughtfully.

‘Don’t actually note that down! Hey!’ Aya Tone silently despaired.

****

At the stroke of noon, the sun hung high in the sky, radiating a scorching and dazzling brilliance.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, descending unreservedly and showering the earth with boundless heat.

At this moment, a ball of flame descended from the blazing sun, transforming into a petite Vermilion Bird that circled Sparrow God Village.

With each majestic beat of the Vermilion Bird’s fiery wings, a single flame drifted downwards.

The boisterous crowd collectively held their breath, silently observing the Vermilion Bird in the heavens.

Whenever a flame landed before them, they would instinctively reach out to catch it, pressing it to their hearts.

By the time they unfurled their hands once more, the flame they held had already vanished without a trace.

This was a sacred ritual belonging to Sparrow God Village.

Legend claimed that the Vermilion Bird’s flames would cleanse their souls and fortify their bodies.

For those with fire-based abilities, there was even a chance of evolution.

Yet, these were mere legends; for so many years, no fortunate individual had ever emerged.

This particular segment was part of the annual clan meeting, and over time, it had simply become a tradition.

The Vermilion Bird slowly descended, finally transforming into the likeness of Fire Finch.

“Don’t just stand there gawking, let’s eat!”

As expected, the moment Fire Finch spoke, the solemn atmosphere that had permeated the air instantly dissipated.

“Oh oh oh oh!”

Everyone raised their wine glasses, offering a toast to the main table at the front.

Noticing that those around him had raised their glasses, Aya Tone likewise stood, holding his cup high.

Little Aya Jiu pouted, rubbing her tiny hands together, her face a picture of discontent.

Her milk cup was in her backpack, and Xuan Yuanhuai, fearing the tiny girl might spill it if she stood on the stool, hadn’t poured her any drink.

‘No toast, unhappy!’

Aya Tone offered a knowing smile, then retrieved the special milk cup from his backpack and handed it to her.

“Hehehe~”

Little Aya Jiu, having received her milk cup, happily tugged on Xuan Yuanhuai’s clothes, using the leverage to stand up.

Raising her milk cup, she chirped in a sweet, childish voice, “Cheers~”

This delighted the others, who promptly extended their own cups, clinking them against her tiny milk cup.

Seated at the head of the main table, Fire Finch glanced their way with a knowing look, a captivating smile gracing her lips.

…