Ch'en: "I Think You're Making This Hard for Me..." / The Cat's New Operation

But when the final check-up came back, apart from the injuries they sustained from fighting each other, there wasn't even a concussion. It was as if the beating they suffered at the hands of the girl was just a hallucination...

"So, what exactly happened? Your abilities?" Holding the report in her hand, Chen frowned slightly and came to Senti's side to ask in a low voice.

"What? What's going on? I don't know what you're talking about." Upon hearing this, Senti crossed her arms, turned her head, and said as if she knew nothing.

"Those people, they all said you hit them, and they felt the pain, we saw it too. But they have no injuries on their bodies?" Chen looked at Senti, who was acting like a sulking child, and couldn't help but press his throbbing temples as he patiently explained in a low voice.

"You just need to tell us if there's any connection; we won't pry too much."

"Huh? Couldn't it be that I, your lord, have been more measured in my actions?" Although he could answer, Senti didn't want to.

"That level of skill isn't a matter of knowing when to stop..." Chen looked at Senti, who was treating him like a fool, and felt his head throb even more. "Fine, consider it your ability."

After saying that, she stopped arguing with Senti and turned to tell Hoshiguma, who was not far away, about it so that she could write a report later.

"Tch, why are you asking me if you don't believe me!"

"Your answer is so outrageous, and you're blaming me?" The voice from behind made Chen turn around and say, "I really don't know who's the older sister, you or Griseo."

"Of course it's me! After all, I'm very strong and can protect her..." Although she said that, Senti's words still carried a hint of guilt at the end.

After all, everyone is the same age when comparing time travelers, but when it comes to age based on identity... it's really hard to say.

"?"

Chen keenly caught the hint of guilt in Senti's words. She was taken aback for a moment, then said with a strange expression, "You're not really younger Griseo, are you?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Upon hearing Chen's words, Senti instantly bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"I, the great Herrscher of Reason, am none other Griseo! The real deal! The incredibly powerful older sister!"

"..." sounds more like a child's...

Upon hearing this, Chen remained silent for a moment, muttered something to himself, and then gave Senti an awkward yet polite smile, saying, "Whatever makes you happy..."

To be honest, she had already started reflecting on her last argument. Indeed, one shouldn't be too impulsive...

"Ugh, I'm so bored! When are you going to let me leave?" Senti had been sitting to the side watching Chen and the others work, couldn't help but yawn for what seemed like the umpteenth time. Finally, she turned her head and asked.

"It'll be quick, just wait a little longer." Hearing Senti's complaint, Chen, who was writing something, reassured her without even looking up.

Because of the large number of people involved, this incident has been somewhat complicated to handle.

"If I remember correctly, I've heard that sentence several times already. If you don't give me a clear answer soon, I'm leaving!"

Hearing this, Senti was losing patience, paused, put down his pen, turned to look at her seriously, and said:

"Since you're feeling bored, then we can have a proper chat, Lady Herrscher of Reason."

Chapter 107 Chen: "I feel like you're making things difficult for me..."

"Since you're feeling bored, then we can have a proper chat, Lady Herrscher of Reason."

"Hmm? What's there to talk about with you?" Chen's address made Senti raise an eyebrow slightly, then he waved his hand at her and said.

"Normally, we don't have much to talk about, but there's still a faint connection, isn't there?" Chen paused slightly, then lowered his voice and continued:

"I want to know something about Griseo and even about you all."

"Ha, didn't you talk to Griseo? Didn't she tell you? And why do you think I would tell you?" Senti said with a slight surprise after hearing the second half of Chen's sentence.

"Griseo told me a lot, but that's precisely why I'm even more concerned and confused about some details." Chen ignored the surprise on the person's face and gently shook his head.

"I don't think you'll tell me, but you're bored right now, and I should at least raise my doubts, shouldn't I?"

"Or, you can tell me something you can say, and I'll agree to some conditions within my acceptable limits."

After expressing his thoughts, Chen looked up at Senti, waiting for her reaction.

However, to her surprise, almost as soon as she finished speaking, the person opposite her suddenly lit up and then spoke excitedly.

"Really? You'll agree to some conditions? Then you can't go back on your word! I've already heard you!" Senti's face was full of excitement, and she looked at Chen eagerly, afraid that she would change her mind.

"..."

Chen looked at the person in front of him, whose boredom had vanished and whose expression had instantly become excited, paused for a moment, and then gave a serious reminder.

"These conditions must be within my acceptable range, and they cannot violate public order and good morals, much less involve any illegal acts!"

"You have quite a few demands. I'll just ask you one thing: let's have a private sparring session later, okay?" Hearing Chen's serious reminder, Senti curled her lip indifferently and said.

"Agree and I'll answer your questions!"

"... You just want to beat me up, don't you?" Chen saw through Senti's plan almost immediately, and said speechlessly, "Hitting someone is illegal, even if it's under the guise of a friendly spar."

"How could that be? I don't do anything illegal. Just tell me if you agree or not." Senti chuckled, then cleared her throat twice and continued, "Well, agreeing won't hurt you. You might even gain something!"

"..."

"OK."

After much deliberation, Chen gritted his teeth and agreed to Senti's conditions in order to satisfy his own doubts.

Although she didn't have that kind of fetish, she could barely tolerate being beaten without any external injuries.

And with Griseo around, this guy probably won't go too far, right...?

"Yay!" Upon hearing Chen's agreement, Senti couldn't help but let out a small cheer, then, as if remembering something, she suddenly turned into a fierce warning:

"The contract is now in effect. If you dare to go back on your word, you'll face the punishment of the great Herrscher of Reason!"

"I understand... I won't go back on my word. But please remember, I only agreed to a friendly spar." Chen emphasized the words "friendly spar" at the end.

To be honest, the happier the person in front of him was smiling, the more uneasy Chen felt, and an ominous premonition always lingered in his heart.

"Yes, yes, don't worry, I won't do anything to you~" As she spoke, Senti narrowed her eyes slightly and waved to Chen with a cheerful expression.

Her previous bad mood rebounded the moment the agreement was reached, and she became happy again. Was this the thrill of about to get revenge?

Chen shook his head slightly, dispelling the ominous premonition in his heart, and said with a serious expression, "Forget it, let's put the sparring aside for now. Let's talk about what I want to ask."

"Does Griseo have many older sisters? And what kind of people are you? Are you part of an organization?"

Chen didn't voice all his questions at once, but carefully selected three to begin asking.

"What? It's just that kind of question? You could have asked Griseo, she would have told you."

"Of course, you've already promised me, you can't go back on your word!"

After giving the "warning" again, Senti reached out and touched his chin, thought for a moment, and then spoke again, saying, "First of all, yes, in a sense, Griseo does have many people who can be called older sisters."

"The second question is really hard for me to answer... I can only say that most of them are human. As for the last one, there aren't any now, but who knows in the future?"

"After all, if we really had some kind of organization behind us, we wouldn't have let Griseo stay with your sister in the first place."

"..."

Senti's casual answer caused Chen's brain, who had been listening attentively, to momentarily freeze, forcing him to lower his head and carefully sort out the information.

What does it mean to be someone who can be called an older sister? And what does it mean to be mostly human? Are there non-human beings too? And what kind of being is someone who isn't human?

Thinking of this, the word "god" couldn't help but pop into Chen's mind... But after glancing at the person who was crossing their legs, she dismissed the unfounded thought. It was impossible, no matter how you looked at it.

Finally, after carefully reviewing the information revealed in Senti's words, Chen raised her head again and continued to ask, "Then how did you become sisters with Griseo? And what is the little one's race...?"

"Don't try to fool me with that nonsense about him being my biological son!" Chen, who was gradually getting to know Senti's personality, quickly added after asking his new question.

"What, can't we be biological children?" Senti retorted unhappily after hearing Chen's subsequent words.

"Hmm... then you might have a genetic mutation in your family." After stroking his chin and remaining silent for a while, Chen couldn't help but speak slowly.

Although she knew she shouldn't provoke this guy right now, she couldn't help herself... Maybe it's just that they're incompatible.

"???"

"You! Who are you calling a genetic mutation?!" Just as Chen had predicted, Senti immediately lost her temper after she said that.

"You wretched bastard, do you still want to know the answers to these questions or not?!"

"Yes." Looking at the angry Senti, Chen nodded calmly and honestly.

"Then apologize to me! And shout three times, 'The great Herrscher of Reason is the most powerful and genetically superior being in the world!' After that, this matter is over."

"..."

As soon as Senti made his request, the already nearly empty office fell into silence.

"..."

"I feel like you're making things difficult for me..."

Chapter 108 The Cat's New Move

"I feel like you're making things difficult for me..." After a long silence, Chen finally managed to utter these words.

"?"

"You idiot, asking you to apologize is making things difficult for you!?" Senti Shi retorted with considerable displeasure.

"No, an apology is fine." Chen rolled his eyes, speechless. "But that next request is just making things difficult for me. Are you some kind of child?"

"What's wrong with a child? Did the child eat your rice? Just tell me or not!" Senti retorted confidently, hands on her hips, after hearing Chen's complaints.

"I won't say, I already know quite a bit of information anyway. I'll ask Griseo about the rest next time." Chen Qing narrowed her eyes and said, looking at the person in front of her who seemed certain that she would call out.

After saying that, she stopped looking at Senti, turned around and sat back down, picking up the pen she had just put down and continuing to work, as if she hadn't been the one asking the question.

"?"

"You, how could you give up so quickly! What happened to your persistence? Aren't you even curious about the answers to those questions anymore!" Senti said, somewhat exasperated, as Chen ignored her and went back to work.

"I'm curious, but you won't tell me." Hearing the words from behind, Chen replied without turning around, "Oh, right, since you broke the agreement first, then the sparring thing is..."

"No! You already promised me!"

Senti, guessing what Chen was about to say, quickly interrupted.

"But you promised me, didn't you Herrscher of Reason?" Chen, who was interrupted, was not angry. He simply turned his head slightly and smiled calmly at Senti, reminding her.

"Tch, I'll remember this." After realizing Chen's trick, Senti scoffed unhappily, adding another point to her mental tally, before speaking again:

"The reason we are Griseo's sisters is because her father was our predecessor. So after her parents passed away, we have been taking care of her."

"As for Griseo's race, I can only say it's human."

Having said that, Senti slightly turned her head away, no longer looking at this annoying guy who kept provoking her. Damn it, just you wait, you're finished during the sparring session! She'll definitely teach him a lesson and show him the power of the Herrscher of Reason!!

As for Chen's two questions, she answered with a mixture of truth and lies. After all, the agreement didn't say that she couldn't lie, let alone that it wasn't a lie in a certain sense.

"..."

Upon hearing the unexpected answer, Chen, with his back to Senti, couldn't help but frown slightly, a complex mix of emotions and heartache in his eyes.

Honestly, she hadn't expected that the seemingly well-cared-for and loving little child would actually be an orphan. Even Talulah hadn't told her this in her letter, only mentioning that the child was temporarily being fostered by her...

Furthermore, through Senti's response this time, Chen also realized that he had misunderstood his previous answer. When someone said that there is no organization now, it may simply mean that it no longer exists or has been disbanded.

After all, how can one have the concept of a senior if they haven't been in an organization or place before?

After carefully noting down all the details of the conversation, Chen turned his head and asked again, "If that's the case, why did Griseo have a relationship with Talulah? And how much do you know about my sister?"

"Seriously? Why are you asking me this kind of thing?" Faced with Chen's repeated questioning, Senti reluctantly began to explain without turning her head.

"Let me think about it. Their meeting can only be described as fate. Due to some events, Griseo was temporarily separated from us, and then by chance, she saved your sister's friend and ended up staying there voluntarily."

"As for your sister's matter, I do know a little... but for things like this, you should ask her yourself."

"Okay, and one more thing..."

"Why do you have so many questions!"

"It's an agreement, Herrscher of Reason."

"Tsk!"

On the other side, Swire family—

Compared to Hoshiguma, who was diligently working, and Chen, who had the energy to outwit people and extract information, Swire's mental state was much worse.

At this moment, she was unusually listless, curled up on her sofa, staring blankly at the chandelier in the living room, lost in thought.