Shadow's Mission (Continued)

"You've caused trouble for others again, haven't you, Shadow... cough cough!"

"Sister, that... that..."

"No, no need for explanations, have you apologized?"

"...No."

I knew it would be like this.

A look of "I didn't expect this" flashed in his eyes.

Being tongue-tied and kind-hearted is no excuse for not apologizing when you make a mistake. She could apologize on Ying's behalf now, she could even force Ying to apologize, but what if she herself...

She knows her current condition; she says she can live for another month or two, but with illnesses like this, who knows how long it can go before it worsens?

It's perfectly normal for me to close my eyes now and not be able to open them again tomorrow.

Perfect timing...

"Shadow, I told you before that I would teach you how to handle interpersonal relationships... but now that I think about it, no matter how much theory you talk about, it's not as useful as practice... Hmm!"

Zhen vomited a large mouthful of blood mixed with purple particles into the basin next to her.

Kujou Sara, who was standing next to him, quickly came over to wipe Makoto's mouth.

"Huff, huff... Your first lesson now is to learn to bow your head and apologize to others and admit your mistakes without relying on anyone to give you a way out."

There's no point in just apologizing to her, her sister, and her close friends.

"Go and apologize properly to Liu Bai. If you don't know how to start, you can ask someone around you—anyone except me. Have someone record the apology."

Those around them had already sensed something amiss in Zhen's words.

"... General, you will definitely recover." After thinking it over, Sara still chose to speak.

Kujou Sara immediately realized that his shogun's words implied entrusting his son to someone else.

She merely glanced at Kujou Sara, said nothing, and showed no intention of changing her mind, before slowly lying down.

Sara is a very good child. He is upright, considerate of others, and hands-on. He is trusted by his colleagues and subordinates. However, he is too upright and will not rebel against his superiors. He has a strong sense of blind loyalty. If I am not here, and Shadow makes a foolish mistake, this child will probably follow suit.

This girl needs to be properly managed.

"Sara, I have a task for you."

"Your subordinate is here, please give your orders." Sara knelt on one knee.

"Make a cane to supervise Ying. If Ying misbehaves, you can whip her."

"Huh?"

This order left Kujou Sara and Raiden Ei completely bewildered.

But Raiden Makoto ignored their reactions and continued, "Slap her, slap her until she changes. If she doesn't change and it gets back to me... cough cough cough—!"

"I... I obey! Please take care of your health, General!" Sara panicked on the spot.

Raiden Makoto so powerful that it's like saying, "If it reaches my ears, I'll die right here."

Is there any room for her to refuse?

Ying was even more worried about her sister's health and wouldn't say a word against it.

After spitting out blood and lying down, he glanced at his Kamisato Ayaka and Kirara.

... There's no need to add burdens to these young girls.

They just need to be themselves.

... I used to view movies the same way.

If the Yae Miko were here, I really wouldn't mind giving Yae Miko a good workout.

Why did the little fox have to imitate the Kitsune Saiguu?

From the elders' perspective, this little fox deserves a beating; he hasn't been beaten enough.

—Although she knew that her best friend Kitsune Saiguu, was the kind of person who seemed unreliable on the outside but was very dependable on the inside.

However, "looking unreliable" is not a compliment.

And heaven knows how many of the Kitsune Saiguu's skills that little fox learned.

Knock knock.

"Please come in."

"What interesting topics were you all talking about just now?" Kitsune Saiguu entered the room carrying a steaming bowl of fish soup, a contagious smile on his face. "Seriously, it's time to eat. This is freshly made fish soup."

"... What a hearty bowl of fish soup!"

Looking at the fish meat, which was more than a section of the bowl in size and teetering on the edge, I couldn't help but sigh.

"This is Liu Bai's goodwill," Kitsune Saiguu chuckled.

"I've already given up."

Zhen shook her head with a wry smile. She didn't even need to try; she knew for sure that Zhen probably couldn't drink even a tenth of this bowl of soup.

"Eat as much as you can, and I'll take care of the rest. There will definitely be no waste."

Kitsune Saiguu placed the bowl on the bedside table and patted the restless Kirara.

"You guys go downstairs for dinner. I'll take care of the general. As guests, don't keep Liu Bai waiting too long. Oh, and remember to inform Miss Firefly."

"Clear."

Kujou Sara readily agreed, grabbing Kirara's tail and dragging the silly, adorable cat demon out.

No one else objected.

"Just enough to eat."

Liu Bai sighed as he looked at the empty soup pot.

The fish soup made from seven or eight fish was almost gone.

"... Thank you for the treat." Sara and Kamisato Ayaka put down their chopsticks and politely nodded to Liu Bai in thanks.

Ying nodded to Liu Bai, a hint of hesitation on her face. "Um... the food was delicious, that..."

Is it a good time to apologize now?

But... where to begin?

"Should I not have questioned you so directly?" or "Should I not have used such a harsh tone?"

Ying was reflecting on things during the meal, and that's how she came to these two conclusions... No, it can't really be called reflection; there's also a bit of experience to summarize.

But now a problem arises.

Where should I begin my apology?

Should you start by apologizing for the serious offense or the minor offense?

What's a good opening line for an apology?

Ying used to be fed by her older sister, but now she has to do it herself, and she feels a little helpless.

As for the apology itself, Ying showed no reluctance.

After the meal, her hand was already healed—the fish soup was even more effective than she had expected.

It can definitely help my sister.

As long as my sister can be cured, I won't say sorry. I'll even let her lie on the cold ground and lick her white shoes. She can do whatever she wants.

Three,

"Liu Bai, is this a sea bass? But it tastes strangely wild, and it's also a bit bigger than I remember. Is it a specialty of the Sky Dome Zone?"

Kamisato Ayaka spoke to Liu Bai.

Eating at the same table effectively reduces the sense of distance between people.

In addition, since she now needs Liu Bai's help, Kamisato Ayaka doesn't mind finding topics to bring them closer.

"Fished in the sea."

"... Huh?"

As an honest and straightforward girl Kamisato Ayaka never expected such an answer.

"Um... bass is a freshwater fish, right?"

"Well, there's a fishing game on the sea outside. When you play the game, it automatically gives you a fishing rod. As long as you can catch something, it's yours. The fish in my house now are all caught by Acheron. And the higher your score, the more strange and weird things you can catch."

"We caught a big squid last time," Acheron said, his tone calm but with a hint of happiness. "I'll catch another one for you guys if we have the chance."

"Wow, that's amazing." The abrupt shift in topic left Kamisato Ayaka completely at a loss for words. "No, maybe I should say... it's truly wondrous?"

"I must say this space is quite wondrous." Sara nodded, finding herself not as resistant to the place as she had imagined. "By the way, Liu Bai, are there any vines here?"

"Should there be?"

This time it was Liu Bai's turn to Kamisato Ayaka —why does this person jump the topic so quickly!

The shadow beside him froze upon hearing this question.

Although she agreed to her sister's orders, she was ultimately not a masochist...

"You could see if you can grab a twig from that patch of grass over there... or even break off a branch if you want to use it to hit someone?"

Liu Bai's intuition told him that Kujou Sara definitely didn't want the rattan to weave baskets.

"... That's true." Sara, resting her chin on her hand.

—So you really were going to hit someone?

Even though he had a vague idea of what was going on, Liu Bai couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Who to hit?

It couldn't possibly be him.

Kamisato Ayaka?

It couldn't be this person either; she's a well-behaved young lady.

Kitsune Saiguu?

That's even more impossible; there's no reason for it. Even Sara couldn't catch this person.

Raiden Ei?

Raiden Makoto doesn't have the bad habit of eating, sleeping, or hitting his sister.

"..."

"Meow?"

As Kirara patted her belly, she noticed Liu Bai's gaze and tilted her head.

"Is there something you need, Liu Bai?"

Hmm... drawing this little cat demon seems quite reasonable.

After all, this girl isn't very good at reading the atmosphere?

"It's alright, are you full?"

"I'm so full! Thank you for the treat!"

Kirara happy.

[Kirara feeling: 3035]

... Kittens are so easy to fool.

"... I'll go upstairs to check on my sister."

Feeling deeply uncomfortable, Ying got up.

I haven't figured out how to apologize yet, let's change the subject and start thinking again.

And why does it seem like the little cat demon is more eloquent than me?