Psychological Observation Record Report

Dong... dong... dong...

The melodious bell tolled like a shepherd's flute, and the entire Dawn City stirred awake after its chime, operating like a well-oiled machine.

The bells of Dawn City rang twice a day—the first toll marked the break of dawn, while the second signaled the curfew deep into the night.

One by one, the doors of the residential district creaked open, and flocks of sheep quietly filed out from their homes.

Some wore raincoats, others donned bamboo hats, instinctively lifting their heads to glance at the distant administrative building. They saw the rare sunlight cleaving through the gloomy dawn, casting dew-kissed halos on the sparse grass.

With gratitude in their hearts, they murmured a silent prayer and offered a small praise for the fine weather today, before trudging out into the misty drizzle.

Knock, knock!

Nagato, with dark circles under his eyes and a trace of weariness on his face, rapped rhythmically on the door.

Before long, he heard Yun Chuan's voice from inside:

"Come in."

Hearing this, Nagato adjusted his expression, letting his face settle back into calm, then pushed open the door.

But upon entering, the first thing he sensed wasn't Yun Chuan—it was a figure hanging from a pull-up bar like a dried salted fish.

Even with his eyes covered, the sense of déjà vu was too strong.

Nagato's gaze turned a bit odd, and he couldn't help but take a long, hard look before walking over to Yun Chuan, who sat at the table.

Drawing closer, he sensed Konan folding paper on one side, while Yun Chuan was bent over, reading a document.

—"Feasibility Report on Greenhouse and Soilless Cultivation Technology Construction."

Even though Nagato couldn't see the document's title, he knew it was something else he couldn't understand.

With practiced ease, he skimmed past it and pulled a paper file from his chest.

"You're early." Yun Chuan set down the document, picked up a cup of hot water beside him, and turned to look at Nagato. "Did you not sleep all night?"

As he spoke, he wiped a trace of crimson from the corner of Nagato's robe with a towel, catching the rusty, metallic scent of blood.

"Had nothing better to do, so I did some interrogating on the side."

Nagato couldn't help but glance sideways at the living room, his tone laced with barely restrained oddity: "How long has he been here?"

On the pull-up bar, Yahiko was hanging with two small iron plates strapped to him, a wad of tissue stuffed up his nose, straining with all his might to do chin-ups. His face was twisted in a grimace of pain, and the floor beneath him was covered in wet patches.

When Nagato first caught sight of Yahiko at the door, he almost thought he was so tired he'd walked into the wrong place.

"About an hour." Yun Chuan didn't look back, letting out a light chuckle. "All that water on the floor is from him secretly pouring it out while drinking."

Hearing this, the corner of Nagato's mouth twitched involuntarily. He felt helpless at his elder brother's twisted sense of humor, and grew even more certain that Yahiko was just an idiot.

"Boss, isn't that enough? I can't take it anymore!"

Seeing Nagato look his way, Yahiko, as if spotting a lifeline, let out a pitiful wail.

Completely ignoring Yahiko's howling, Yun Chuan looked at the file in Nagato's hand and asked, "Did you bring me any good news?"

"Intel on the Lord of the Land of Fire—does that count as good news?"

Nagato placed the report, still faintly stained with blood, beside Yun Chuan's hand, feigning nonchalance: "All those preparations we made went to waste. That guy couldn't even see through an obvious trap. Is he really someone the Lord of the Land of Fire values?"

Given Yun Chuan's nature, how could he have left such a glaring loophole? It was nothing more than a lure to trap the prey.

"Don't underestimate others' intelligence too much. Only fools think everyone else is foolish."

"Mist Capital was too confident in his own abilities and looked down on us, which is why he never expected to fail in some nameless place. I don't want to see you die a ridiculous, silent death either."

Seeing Nagato, who wanted praise but was trying to act mature, Yun Chuan first gave him a measured reminder, then, before disappointment could set in, smiled and patted him: "Still, well done. You didn't let me down."

"'Dawn' can be safely entrusted to you."

Yun Chuan understood kids starved for affection like Yahiko and Nagato all too well.

Sure enough, after hearing his sudden shift in tone, Nagato's originally downturned lips froze. He took a breath, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

Human beings always have a reason to live.

Striving for success is ultimately for someone, fighting tooth and nail is for someone, wanting someone's praise, seeking someone's approval.

Knowing why you live allows you to endure any kind of life.

"Boss, I'm dying here!!" Yahiko's ghostly wail rang out again.

Even Konan, absorbed in folding paper, couldn't help but look up, hesitating for a moment as she glanced at Yun Chuan, as if wanting to say something.

"Don't mind him. If he has the strength to yell, he has the strength to keep going."

"After eating all that yesterday, doesn't he need to work it off today?"

Catching Konan's gaze, Yun Chuan's face broke into a smile, like a devil incarnate: "Even if he can't do it, he's staying up there."

Yun Chuan didn't spare Yahiko another thought. As long as he didn't relent, Yahiko wasn't coming down from that bar.

Aside from his infectious emotions, that kid's only other virtue might be his tenacity.

If you had to put it one way—call it charisma, call it stubbornness—it wasn't that Yun Chuan feared he couldn't get back up; it was that he feared he wouldn't let himself be helped.

Besides, this was just basic physical training. A few hours of chin-ups, a few hundred reps on the barbell, then running outside until he was dehydrated—nothing more.

At worst, he'd just groan and whine from muscle soreness at night, but with sufficient nutrition, it wasn't enough to actually train Yahiko to the point of collapse.

"Maybe you should let him broaden his horizons?"

After a moment's thought, Yun Chuan turned his head to look at Nagato, tilting his chin toward Yahiko in a gesture.

Nagato didn't say anything either, just nodded and walked over.

"Red-haired gloomy brat! What do you want?"

Seeing Nagato approach, Yahiko stopped his wailing, stretched his goofy face into a grimace, and shouted, "I'm warning you, don't think you can take advantage of me like last time! I'll kick you straight in the face, you know..."

Before he could finish, Nagato's next move made his eyes go wide.

Nagato walked over to the three large iron plates Yun Chuan had been using, reached down to grip the bottom one, and with a steady stance, channeled power from his legs through his waist. With a soft clink, he lifted the massive iron plate.

"The blacksmith added some special heavy metals into those," came Yun Chuan's casual explanation from behind. "Can't forge weapons with them, but they're suitable for training."

Nagato held the plate against his chest for over ten seconds, his face flushing slightly red, before setting it back down.

"Works well," he nodded, then glanced sideways at Yahiko, whose face was frozen in utter disbelief, and sneered at the tiny iron plates strapped to him. "That little one's passable as a pastime too."

With that, Nagato walked over to the pull-up bar, bent down, looked up at Yahiko's reddened, strained face, and, under the other's horrified gaze, picked up the water bottle at his feet and stuffed it into his pocket.

"I'll be going now." A hint of a smile crept onto Nagato's lips, along with a familiar touch of mischief.

But just as he was about to step out the door, Yun Chuan seemed to remember something.

"Oh, and don't forget to send that guy's head to the Land of Fire's Daimyo Estate as a greeting gift."

"Also, rest up when you get back. We're going on a trip tomorrow—I'll take you to visit some relatives."

Nagato's steps faltered for a moment, then he waved his hand without turning back, signaling he understood, and strode out.

It was only then that Yahiko snapped back from the shock of what he'd just witnessed.

"Hey! Hey hey! Bastard! What do you mean by that?! Get back here and explain yourself!!"

Yahiko hung from the bar, shouting loudly, kicking and thrashing at Nagato's retreating back, his face flushed with humiliation and anger.

But in his mind, he recalled the earlier scene—how he'd tried out of curiosity to move those three iron plates, only to strain himself red-faced and fail.

He'd stubbornly pushed until his veins nearly burst, and only when Yun Chuan called him to stop did he realize his nose was bleeding.

Who knew how Yun Chuan managed to hang those things on his legs while doing pull-ups!

He'd thought that aside from Yun Chuan, that human-shaped monster, no one else could possibly move those things—but Nagato had just shattered that hope.

"Damn red-haired gloomy muscle brat!" Yahiko gritted his teeth, tensed his arms, and pulled himself up with a twisted, furious face, shouting, "I'm never giving up!!"

Thud!

Watching Nagato's slender figure disappear from sight, Yun Chuan's fingers tapped lightly on the desk as the smile gradually faded from his face.

After a moment of contemplation, Yun Chuan pulled a sealed file from the drawer and turned to look at Yahiko, who was lying flat on the ground like a faded, lifeless salted fish.

"Don't drink water right after intense exercise." He pulled out the documents from the file and beckoned to Yahiko. "Come here, I'll show you something."

The file was labeled: Third Psychological Observation Record Report for Active Dawn Members.

The first document bore the name "Tsukimiri Nagato," and the reporter column had only four words.

—"Psychological Physician."