Chapter 4: The First Day Jun is Not Here (4)
“There are two left… I should go see Xueqing first. Is she alright?”
At that time, to ensure our smooth escape, Xueqing stayed behind alone to face Kaoru Tsukiyose. I didn’t stop her, because I heard about her relationship with Kaoru Tsukiyose from Juncheng.
A part of Kaoru Tsukiyose’s soul was preserved in Xueqing’s body, in a possession state. That’s why Xueqing could unleash such superhuman strength.
So, I believed that even if Kaoru Tsukiyose had been replaced, she wouldn’t harm her own soul…
This was just an irresponsible guess, without any basis.
Moreover, given Xueqing’s stubborn nature when it came to things she cared about, she would have stayed even if I had tried to stop her.
If I hadn’t been injured then, I would have wanted to stay as well…
I really couldn’t put my mind at ease about that child.
Xueqing was the person I worried about the most in this world. The more time I spent with her while taking care of her, the more I felt her ‘purity.’
Love is love, hate is hate—emotions without any impurity.
Her soft, cat-like hair, skin as delicate as a baby’s, small hands and feet; she was so cute it made one want to commit a crime.
She was so cute that even Juncheng would regret it.
“She’s not injured. Miss Shirley, the maid, brought her here. Jiang Xueqing’s situation is very peculiar. We only confirmed yesterday that she was one of the four potential candidates.”
“Did she awaken when facing Kaoru Tsukiyose?”
“It’s likely so, but what exactly happened and what caused her awakening is still uncertain. That maid seems to know something, but she refuses to say anything. It’s now certain that Kaoru Tsukiyose has gained even more terrifying power… She could slice off a corner of a building with just a small knife. That might be related to Xueqing’s ability as a Witch of Calamity, a kind of ‘cutting through everything’.”
I had never witnessed Xueqing ‘at work.’ Following Juncheng’s warning, I had never entered the room said to preserve her body.
The only scene I had witnessed with my own eyes was Lei Qing slaughtering those black monsters, and that alone had shocked me.
Xueqing was there, in an anomaly that completely deviated from my previous life.
“If she’s confined here, she’ll probably cut through all these rooms. No matter what it is, no matter what obstacle, she can cut through it as easily as cutting tofu. She can’t be contained at all. We’ve arranged for her to be in the Control Department’s training grounds. Yan Yang, the maid from Ji Lianbing’s house, is currently…”
“Again…”
“Yes. Honestly, these maids are just too formidable… Although I heard from Akiko that these maids are demons.”
“These few maids alone could form a powerful force. I just don’t know why they would become maids for Ji Lianbing. Is it because they saw through Ji Lianbing being the Witch of Calamity from the start? Hmm…”
With Miss Shirley’s abilities, she probably knew her Young Miss’s true identity in advance.
Perhaps it was to utilize this power?
No, if that were the case, Ji Lianbing’s current rampage should be working to her advantage. She wouldn’t go out of her way to help control her.
“I heard from Lord Juncheng that these maids have no ill intentions. I don’t think we need to be overly cautious; we can treat them normally.”
“Juncheng said that…”
“Yes, they don’t seem to have any ulterior motives. They are simply fulfilling their duties as maids and deeply respect Lord Juncheng, treating him as their Master.”
“Isn’t Juncheng saying that because he’s a maid enthusiast?”
I said that as a joke, but Yu Hui actually took it seriously, pinching her chin and muttering with a frown.
“…That possibility cannot be ruled out…”
Is she that serious?
Relax a little. If you’re always so tense, you won’t be able to last.
I patted Yu Hui’s shoulder with a teasing smile.
“Alright, alright. If Juncheng likes maids, you can wear something for him later. As long as you show a little more skin, he definitely won’t be able to take his eyes off you, just like that cat-ear lingerie you wore last time!”
“Waaah! Z-Zi’ai, what are you saying!”
You were the winner on Qixi Festival, weren’t you?
Never mind, I won’t tease her anymore. This way, she won’t be so serious.
“Heh heh, no matter what kind of cosplay outfit you’re going to show him, you’ll need to find him first, right?”
“Y-Yes!”
“Young people nowadays are truly… or perhaps I should say shameless…”
“I heard that in your dreams, Principal, you were more open.”
“… ”
“I heard you wrote many… ”
book.SFA
“That’s enough!!!”
Yang Nana, who was walking ahead, stomped her foot abruptly. A pair of black wings unfurled behind her, stirring up a strong gust of wind.
My bangs were blown away. I stuck out my tongue and stopped talking.
Her ears were completely red… It seemed she really knew what happened in the dream.
Although I only found out about it after Juncheng let it slip and I interrogated him, I never expected Yang Nana to be in her succubus form in the dream.
Heartless, but not devoid of desire?
Yu Hui pursed her lips and said with admiration mixed with helplessness.
“Is Lord Juncheng’s bluntness manifesting in this form?”
“Well, in my world, people often say I’m venomous… But I’m just stating facts.”
“Some facts don’t need to be said aloud, Zi’ai…”
“You don’t need to call me ‘Lord’.”
“No, please allow me to call you that. This way, I can more clearly realize that you and Lord Juncheng are the same existence, and when you play the role of Lord Juncheng later, I can more habitually switch my address.”
“Is that so? Then, as you wish.”
Yu Hui used to treat me and Juncheng as different people. In fact, most people who knew Juncheng did. But now, Yu Hui probably wants to treat me and Juncheng as the same person, or rather, consider me Juncheng’s ‘clone.’
Mmm-hmm, that’s good.
After taking the elevator back to the ground floor again, we left the Black Azure Pavilion and headed towards the Control Department building to see Xueqing.
Upon arriving at the training grounds on the sixth floor, we finally saw Xueqing.
The glint of swords and flashes of sabers flickered. Xueqing seemed to be teleporting, appearing in different locations every second. Her opponent, a maid, was already tattered all over. Her maid outfit and stockings were torn. The weapons in her hands were used and discarded, with countless weapons scattered on the ground, most of them damaged or incomplete. I even saw firearms and bullets…
But there were no corpses.
No corpses meant no one had died.
At that moment, I understood. Xueqing just wanted to vent.
Outside the arena, a group of people were engaged in various tasks. Some were manufacturing weapons on the spot and supplying them into the training grounds. Others were maintaining the barrier. When the barrier was broken and the walls were damaged, some people would be assigned to quickly repair them. Others were treating the injured.
Just as we entered, a man in a green military uniform shouted in a rough voice.
“Alright! That’s enough! Break time is over! The next person, prepare to enter!”
Then, I heard protests from nearby people.
“Huh? Isn’t break time still five minutes away!”
“No— I don’t want to go in again! My hair is all gone!”
“Yeah! Yeah! Please, just a little… My skirt is, uh, no, I mean, I’ll be in optimal condition in a moment!”
It was truly speechless.
The burly man’s veins bulged as he roared at the top of his lungs.
“You perverts just want to see the maid outfits disappear! Get up, all of you! You useless trash combined wouldn’t last as long as Maid-chan! Anyone who hasn’t lasted more than thirty minutes in these ten rounds will be transferred to the ‘Otherworldliness Countermeasures Division’!”
“No, no, no, no, no, no?!” xN
Screams of agony echoed.
“Or you go in bare-handed, get stripped naked by the white-haired witch, and then run ten laps around Black Street’s main road with your bare… you choose!”
“We sincerely apologize! We’ll start preparing immediately!”
The previously lax members immediately prepared their equipment and lined up neatly, ready to enter.
“This isn’t so much a sparring session as it is a disaster drill…”
Hearing my complaint, the military man walking towards us said nonchalantly.
“That’s one of the Four Calamities. It’s practically a B-rank anomalous disaster. Fortunately, that little girl doesn’t seem to intend to kill, only to destroy weapons and the other party’s equipment. Otherwise… well, of course, some unlucky people get injured, but overall, it can be considered a good drill.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Greedy Wolf.”
“It’s nothing. It’s just a good opportunity to retrain this useless bunch.”
“The elites of the Control Department would cry if they heard you call them trash.”
“Hmph, they are trash to begin with. They can’t even compare to a maid. Such weaklings… Oh, are you Zi’ai An?”
The man called Greedy Wolf asked me.
“Yes, I am Zi’ai An.”
“I am the head of the Control Department. You can call me Greedy Wolf. We failed to protect your safety this time, putting you in danger and even causing you injury. This is a failure in our work. On behalf of all members of the Control Department, I sincerely apologize. Please state any requests you may have, and we will do our best to compensate you.”
I didn’t expect this man, who seemed so wild, to bow so solemnly and apologize to me.
So, contrary to his appearance, he’s a very polite person.
“No, that’s alright… I’m here to see Xueqing.”
“As you can see, Jiang Xueqing, an external employee, is currently attacking indiscriminately. Although she won’t kill anyone, rushing in will result in…”
“It’s alright.”
“It’s fine, Greedy Wolf. Zi’ai is different. Let her go in.”
“…Very well.”
Greedy Wolf hesitated for a long time before reluctantly agreeing. So, I was decided to be the next person to enter the training grounds.
However, I was asked to wear equipment and have some magic and blessings cast on me… It was unnecessary, really. Because Xueqing wouldn’t hurt me.
Besides, I just wanted to say a word to her.
Under the surprised gazes of other members of the Control Department, I walked through the opened barrier entrance into the training grounds and headed straight for the center of the area.
When I reached a suitable position, I took a deep breath and shouted her name.
“Xueqing!”
There was no response; the fight continued.
“I’m going to find Juncheng! Are you coming?!”
*Clang—*
It wasn’t the katana in the Ponytail Maid’s hand that broke, but the small dagger in Xueqing’s hand, which had destroyed countless weapons.
Both sides stopped simultaneously. The maid sighed in relief and sheathed her katana.
Xueqing dropped the dagger in her hand and nodded at me. “Coming.”
Before I could respond, people outside the arena let out screams.
“Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, eh?! xN”
Heh heh, I told you so.
Xueqing is a very simple child.
