Invincible Me Only Wants to Slack Off

He conjured a few more novelties from the box like a magician—a spinning top that shot flames, a tiny rocket trailing a colorful tail into the sky, crackling sparklers... He stuffed them all into Kaguya's arms.

"Take them. Play."

Kaguya's eyes lit up even brighter in that instant.

In that moment, all the elegant poise and noble bearing of the Shiongo Family's Young Miss were thrown to the wind.

She slipped off her shoes, padded barefoot across the sand, lit those strange little fireworks, and watched them whir and dance with a sizzling crackle.

Her silvery laughter rang crisp and clear across the empty beach, drowning out the gentle murmur of the waves.

Soon, all dozen or so trinkets had burned through their final brilliance.

Kaguya, still wanting more, ran back to Chen Tian, tilted her face up to look at him, her big eyes sparkling with undisguised anticipation, a smile brimming.

Chen Tian let out a low chuckle, turned, and pulled a square metal firework box from the big cardboard crate.

He jogged over to set it down on the dry sand farther away, then quickly returned, pulling Kaguya back to a safe distance.

They sat side by side on the soft sand. Chen Tian raised his hand and snapped his fingers with a crisp crack.

The fuse on the distant firework box suddenly spat a bright trail of sparks.

With a sharp whistle, the first firework shot a trail of light straight into the ink-blue night sky, exploding at its peak with a thunderous boom! A massive golden-red sphere instantly lit up the entire beach, fine golden sparks cascading down like a rain curtain.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One after another, fireworks of different colors bloomed in the night sky.

Gorgeous chrysanthemum petals, flickering willow branches, dazzling peonies... A riot of brilliant colors illuminated the whole sky, also lighting up the two figures sitting shoulder to shoulder on the beach.

Kaguya tilted her face up, eyes fixed on the grand show put on just for her.

Multicolored light danced and leaped in her pupils like crushed diamonds. A sweet smile lingered at the corners of her lips, pure and content.

The night sky filled with splendor, and the sea breeze carried the unique scent of gunpowder.

As Kaguya watched, her little head gently, tentatively, leaned against Chen Tian's solid arm.

Chen Tian didn't move, letting her lean.

"Tian Jun..." Kaguya's voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the next firework's explosion.

Chen Tian turned his head to look at her.

Kaguya was still gazing at the sky, but the silhouette of her profile looked especially soft in the flickering light of the fireworks.

Her long lashes trembled, and her next words reached Chen Tian's ears clearly, carrying an endless love and dependence:

"Tonight..." She paused, then finally turned her head to meet Chen Tian's gaze. Those deep red eyes were now filled with undisguised emotion and longing.

"I don't want to go home."

P.S. The following plot requires SSSSSSSSSSSSVIP to unlock. Eh, forget it, I won't let you see it anyway. Nyah nyah nyah.

Chapter 47: Good Morning, Kaguya!

?Shiongo Family Study.?

The clock's hand clicked to exactly two o'clock.

Siongo Gaan stared hard at that hand, his face muscles tight, teeth grinding audibly.

The steady swing of the antique pendulum couldn't suppress the volcano in his chest.

"Bastard! Little punk!" He slammed his fist on the desk, making the pen holder jump. "Didn't he say he'd bring Kaguya back late?! Late until two in the morning?!!"

?Gunma Prefecture, Kusatsu Onsen, LaVista Hotel Suite.?

Moonlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling window, spilling onto the wide bed.

Kaguya lay curled on her side, sleeping soundly.

Her cheeks were flushed with post-joy redness, fine beads of sweat on her forehead.

She was sunk deep into the soft duvet, or more accurately, sunk deep into Chen Tian's arms.

Her forehead pressed against the hollow of his neck, one hand resting unconsciously on his chest.

Chen Tian leaned against the headboard, awake. One arm held Kaguya steady, keeping her from slipping. The other held his phone, the screen lit.

A message from "Strongest Sorcerer":

?"How is it? My~ Nero~ kun~ satisfied with my arrangements?~(????)"?

Chen Tian raised an eyebrow, his fingers moving.

?"Hey~ don't be so cold!(;へ:)"?

?"For all the trouble I went through to help you~"?

?"How about helping me take care of a tiny, tiny little curse here?"?

?"Please~~(ノへ￣,)"?

Below was attached a location pin.

The corner of Chen Tian's mouth twitched. He closed his eyes.

An invisible perception instantly spread, piercing through walls and forests, locking onto the cursed spirit writhing with twisted malice at the coordinate point.

Strength? Passable. A Special Grade, nothing more—to him, small fry.

He opened his eyes. Carefully, he slid his arm out from under Kaguya's neck, his movements as gentle as if handling something fragile. He laid her flat, tucking the blanket corners neatly.

Silently, he got out of bed, bare feet pressing into the soft carpet.

The Enma Sword materialized in his hand out of thin air.

He stood on the spacious balcony; the night breeze was cool.

Left hand gripping the sheath, right hand casually resting on the hilt.

A faint scraping sound.

Draw, slash, sheathe.

So fast it felt like an illusion of light and shadow.

The Enma Sword vanished.

Chen Tian turned back inside, soundlessly lying down on the bed.

Kaguya, still dreaming, seemed to sense the familiar warmth and instinctively nuzzled into his arms, letting out a comfortable hum.

Chen Tian naturally reached out, pulling her back into his embrace, holding her tight. His chin gently brushed against her soft hair.

Everything returned to stillness, broken only by Kaguya's steady breathing.

?Shizuoka Prefecture, Takakusa Mountain, Night.?

The crisp snap of a dry branch breaking cut sharply through the silent forest.

Itadori sidestepped a black claw lashing toward him, the ancient tree behind him instantly shredded into wooden chunks.

"Hey! Fushiguro!" He wiped a streak of blood from his face, his fist blazing with cursed energy. "Summon Mahoraga!"

Ten meters away, Fushiguro's shadow twisted as his hands formed seals. "Don't order me around."

He barked, "Nue!" The giant eagle Shikigami burst forth, lightning crashing down on the hunched figure.

The cursed spirit shrieked like a crying infant.

It was as thin as a mummy, but its skin was covered in writhing black scriptures, every stroke seeping blood.

The most horrifying part was its face—no features, just a crooked smile carved into it with a blade.

"This kind of trash needs Mahoraga?" Nobara hoisted her hammer onto her shoulder, three nails spinning fast between her fingers. "Yuji, are you getting weaker?"

"Shut up!" Fushiguro suddenly snapped. He stared at the spirit's abruptly stiff movements, pupils contracting. "Itadori, close combat! Give me distance for Piercing Ox! Nobara, use Resonance—"

"Got it!"

Itadori's leg muscles bulged, his cursed-energy-wrapped fist slamming toward the spirit's face. Nobara's thrown nails traced silver arcs but froze midair—

A barely audible metallic tremor.

The Special Grade Cursed Spirit, mid-distortion, suddenly stopped.

The black scriptures ceased flowing; its elongated claws hung rigid.

Then, a straight line of light appeared from the top of its head, running down its face, chest, crotch... perfectly splitting it into symmetrical halves.

The spirit toppled apart like knocked-over blocks, the cut smooth as a mirror. Black cursed energy had no time to erupt before being extinguished, its remains scattering into ash.

The three of them froze mid-pose.

"...Huh?" Itadori's fist still hung in the air, his face blank.

Nobara's eyes suddenly lit up, and she clapped her hands together. "Whoa! Is this my idol's slash?!"

She bounced on the spot with excitement. "It's definitely him! This cut! This precision!"

Fushiguro lowered his hand seals, rubbing his tired brow. "Who else could cheat like that?"

He glanced at his phone's signal bars. "Logistics won't be here for at least another hour."

Itadori scratched his head, looking bewildered. "So we... came for nothing?"

He pointed at the dissipating remains on the ground. "Didn't even get a warm-up."

Fushiguro didn't answer. He turned to look into the deep mountain darkness.

Hundreds of corpses gnawed by the cursed spirit were still piled there, each in a kneeling posture.

"Mission continues." Fushiguro's voice was cold as ice. "Set up a barrier at the corpse site and wait for logistics to handle the bodies." He stepped into the dark. "No one's sleeping tonight."

Nobara pouted, pulled out her phone, and snapped a photo of the split spirit. "Sending this to Hana first! @Lord Nero is the coolest!" She jogged after Fushiguro. "Hey, wait for me!"

?Tokyo, Somewhere.?

Satoru Gojo sat cross-legged, staring at the photo Fushiguro had sent of the bisected cursed spirit, a grin spreading across his face.

"Heh~" He tapped the table with his fingertip. "What a tsundere Lord Nero~" His tone dripped with gleeful mockery. He casually forwarded the photo.

?The Next Morning, Kusatsu Onsen Hotel.?

Sunlight climbed over the window frame, spilling onto Kaguya's face.

Her lashes fluttered as she opened her eyes. What met her gaze was Chen Tian's sharply defined jawline, and against her ear, the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat.

Thump... thump... It was as if the sound had unlocked the floodgates of memory.

The scenes from last night came rushing back in an overwhelming tide.

How she had mustered her courage and said to him, "Tonight... I don't want to go home."

How he had, right before her eyes, pulled out that strangely shaped blade from thin air, its edge slicing through the air and tearing open a cross-shaped rift shimmering with bizarre light.

Only last night did she truly understand... pregnancy wasn't simply about hugs and kisses.

It was about being... so tightly and wildly... entangled.

Her body had risen and fallen in waves of scorching heat... tumbling... gasping for breath...

Her hair, plastered to her temples by sweat... her waist gone limp... until she had completely lost consciousness...

"Mm..." A faint, feeble whimper nearly escaped her lips.

Kaguya bit down hard on her lower lip and buried her face deeper into Chen Tian's chest, the tips of her ears burning red as if they might bleed.

Her heart pounded like a drum. She stole a glance upward, trying to see if Chen Tian was awake.

Her gaze collided directly with his deep-set eyes, which had opened at some unknown moment.

Calm. Knowing. And carrying a trace of early-morning languor.

Kaguya's mind went blank. Mortified, she nearly evaporated on the spot. She shoved her face back down, ostrich-like, leaving only the blood-red tips of her ears exposed.

Chen Tian silently curved the corner of his mouth and tightened his arms around her. His chin gently brushed against the soft crown of her head.

"Good morning, Kaguya." His voice carried the lazy huskiness of just waking up.

"G-good... good morning!" Kaguya stammered, her face so hot it felt like it was smoking.

Chen Tian watched her crimson ears and let out a low chuckle. He leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her burning forehead.