Momousagi and Chaton

"Gion, it looks like there's something going on over there. Shall we go take a look?" Chaton said ingratiatingly as he followed closely behind Momousagi.

Momousagi sighed helplessly. "Chaton, don't you have anything to do today?"

Rear Admiral Momousagi had grown unbearably annoyed by Rear Admiral Chaton's pursuit, so she had used a walk as an excuse to get out. Yet she had never expected him to follow her too.

Chaton grinned, revealing a row of uneven teeth. "No matter how important it is, it can't be more important than you, Gion."

"...Let's go take a look."

Momousagi was equally helpless when it came to this fanatical suitor of hers.

She had told him more than once, but his enthusiasm had never diminished. Counting confessions alone, she had already rejected Chaton forty-two times.

Sometimes, she got so angry that she wanted to beat him up. But whenever they sparred, Chaton would deliberately hold back and lose to her, making it hard for her to hit him too hard.

If he were not actually a decent person, and if their relationship as fellow Rear Admirals were not so difficult to make awkward, Momousagi might have even gone to Sister Tsuru for help.

From the surrounding conversations, Chaton quickly figured out what had happened here.

"So it's just a few brats fighting. Nothing worth watching. Gion, why don't we head to the back street? I heard a pretty good dessert shop opened there recently."

"No. I'd rather see what this batch of the Elite Camp is capable of," Momousagi said blandly.

"Fine, I'll clear a path for you." Chaton straightened his back, wiped the playful grin from his face, and coughed heavily. "Ahem, ahem!"

Chaton's voice was exceptionally loud, drawing frequent glances.

"Damn, who's coughing that loudly? Don't tell me he has Amber Lead Disease?"

Chaton's entire face darkened.

"R-Rear Admiral Chaton!"

"And Rear Admiral Momousagi!"

The previously bustling scene fell silent in an instant.

The young man who had been so bold just moments ago silently lowered his head.

The crowd naturally spread apart to both sides, clearing a path for them. That was the benefit of reputation.

"Alright, Gion, let's go in."

When Chaton looked at Momousagi, the ingratiating smile returned to his face.

The Marines were already used to this. After all, Rear Admiral Chaton's reputation as the Marine Headquarters' biggest simp was well known.

At the center of the field, four Marines simultaneously drew their Navy Swords, exchanged glances, and charged Lin Qi together.

Bang—

A bullet shot straight toward Mosiri.

"Such a petty trick. Judging from the trajectory, the target is... my thigh!"

Mosiri revealed a smug smile and precisely slashed the bullet aside with a clang.

"Why is there another one?!"

However, in the next instant, Mosiri discovered in horror that another bullet had been hidden behind the one he had deflected.

Unfortunately, in that Flash of Lightning, he had no time to draw back his sword and block the other bullet. It struck him squarely on the nose.

Clang—

His longsword fell to the ground. Mosiri clutched his nose, which had been reddened by the practice round, and hopped around in pain.

It turned out that Lin Qi had drawn his Dual Pistols and fired both at the same time. The two gunshots had nearly blended into one, making it sound like only a single shot had been fired.

"What a crafty brat. His marksmanship is pretty good, though," Momousagi said with a smile.

Seeing Momousagi smile, Chaton's opinion of Lin Qi improved as well.

The others were even more shocked when they saw Mosiri defeated.

"Seriously? One of them got taken down right at the start? Is Lin Qi really that fierce?" a man exclaimed.

"I've got a feeling Mosiri and the others are in for a miserable time."

At the center of the field, Mosiri walked reluctantly to the side with reddened eyes.

If that bullet had been real, he would already be dead.

After emptying his guns, Lin Qi swiftly tossed them aside.

It could not be helped. In this world, Firearms had to be reloaded after firing a single round. With enemies already upon him, where would he find the time to reload?

"Fall!"

"Die!"

Three Navy Swords slashed down from different directions. Lin Qi's gaze sharpened. "Shave!"

His figure vanished from where he stood as if he had teleported, leaving only streaks of afterimages behind.

Their attacks missed, and the three men were stunned. "So fast!"

"Shave."

Lin Qi appeared beside the buzz-cut man like a ghost and drove a heavy punch into his side.

If it had only been beginner-level Shave, he definitely could not have used it twice in succession. But his Shave had already been upgraded with an item from the shop.

"Urgh—"

The buzz-cut man was sent flying, rolled twice across the ground, and retched violently the moment he propped up his upper body, as though he were about to vomit bile.

"Shave?" Momousagi looked at Chaton questioningly. "If I remember correctly, the Elite Camp only begins teaching the Six Powers in their second week. Today..."

Chaton finished her sentence. "Based on the Elite Camp selection dates each year, this is their ninth day since joining."

"Only one day."

Chaton was also stunned. Back then, it had taken him half a week to learn Shave. Did that not mean this brat's talent surpassed even his?

Momousagi smiled. "It seems Teacher Zephyr has found us a pretty good junior."

Never underestimate the influence of a retired Admiral, especially one who had served as an instructor for sixteen years.

Among the current Marine High Command, nearly sixty percent had been taught by Zephyr.

"Amazing. He's already taken down half of them. Lin Qi is insanely strong."

"Looks like we can't provoke him in the future. I don't want to get beaten into a pig's head."

Lin Qi's consecutive defeats of two opponents sent the crowd into an uproar.

Yosef stared in horror at his fallen Companions, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Lin Qi.

"Hey, that thing you used just now was Shave, right? It definitely was, right?!"

Lin Qi nodded indifferently.

"Damn it, we haven't even learned Geppo yet, and you've already mastered Shave???" Yosef was utterly terrified. What kind of monster was this? And they had actually wanted to pick a fight with such a monster.

They had even deliberately chosen an environment where Geppo could not be used. In his eyes, they must have looked like clowns.

Yosef locked eyes with his sole remaining Companion, as if asking:

"Are we still fighting?"

"Fight my ass!"

The two men obediently tossed away their Navy Swords and shouted, "We surrender!"

Lin Qi smiled as he looked at the discarded Navy Swords. "Did I say I accepted your surrender?"

"W-We surrendered already. Isn't that enough?"

Yosef felt like crying without tears. Was he destined to take a brutal beating today?

"Of course not. You were the ones who wanted to fight, and now you're the ones who want to surrender. How could it be that easy?"

As Lin Qi's hand kept drawing closer, Yosef and the other man shut their eyes in fear.

The beating they imagined never came. Lin Qi merely patted them twice on the tops of their heads.

"Your lives are your own. Don't be impulsive next time, and don't let a few words from others goad you into acting as the spearhead. That's a very dangerous thing to do, especially on the battlefield."

"Sorry, Brother Lin Qi!" The two men burst into tears, moved beyond measure and completely won over by his magnanimity.

They really were crying their eyes out. Their tears sprayed out like fountains, making Lin Qi marvel once again at the wonders of the human body in this world.