Arisu's Resolve

"Flame Dragon Armor—combine!"

"Combine what? I've been at this all afternoon. Don't wake me up!"

Instead, Chabashira Sae answered with an aggrieved scolding.

"Ahem. Forget it. I'll sleep a little longer."

Seeing that Chabashira Sae wasn't looking his way, Ye Yunchuan pretended to be calm and crawled back into his den.

"Wait, why can't I summon the armor with this Fire Shadow Stone?"

Ye Yunchuan then brought up the system panel.

"Damn, I knew there was a catch! I got the five Light and Shadow Stones way too easily. Turns out I need the corresponding bloodline to use them!"

Ye Yunchuan was speechless. He hadn't expected the system to have set a trap for him.

Otherwise, there was no way it would have handed him the five powerful Light and Shadow Stones so easily.

After all, the five Light and Shadow Stones could summon five sets of armor.

And when the five elements were united, they could summon the Emperor Armor, which embodied the will of Heaven.

This was undoubtedly a reward that surpassed S-rank.

There was no way he could have obtained it so easily.

"But it seems like there's still a way to acquire the bloodline of Five Elements Village. If I wear the Light and Shadow Stones often and let them irradiate me for a long time, I might be able to transform into someone with the corresponding bloodline."

Of course, that was only Ye Yunchuan's guess.

Even if it worked, he didn't have that long to wait for his bloodline to change into a Five Elements bloodline.

But more surprising than the five Light and Shadow Stones was that Chabashira-sensei had actually drawn such an amazing item.

Ye Yunchuan couldn't help glancing at the mature older woman a few more times.

"Hmm? Is there something on my face?"

Apparently noticing Ye Yunchuan's gaze, Chabashira Sae opened her eyes while catching up on sleep.

"No. I just think you're amazing, Chabashira-sensei."

"Huh?" Chabashira Sae's pretty face turned slightly red. For some reason, she felt like Ye Yunchuan was teasing her.

She couldn't help glaring at him and saying,

"I'm not as amazing as you. Just how many girlfriends do you have, you little brat?"

"Are you curious, sensei?"

Ye Yunchuan suddenly leaned close to Chabashira Sae.

"Wouldn't any woman be curious about something like that?"

Chabashira Sae struggled to avert her gaze.

He might be a troublemaker, but there was no denying the kid was handsome.

When it came to looks, no one would dare claim to be second to Ye Yunchuan.

"Then would you be sad if I told you I had a whole bunch of women, sensei?"

Ye Yunchuan asked with a smile.

"Uh... I wouldn't feel much. It's not hard to guess you're that kind of person!"

Chabashira Sae rolled her eyes.

"Uh..."

Ye Yunchuan had meant to comfort Chabashira Sae, but now he was at a loss for words.

"You little rascal! I'm going to punish you!"

Annoyed, Ye Yunchuan pounced on Chabashira Sae.

Although he'd already completed the mission, he still found the charm of a mature woman hard to resist.

"Ah, stop it, you brat! Someone's going to die if you keep this up!"

"Someone has already died, Chabashira-sensei. And don't call me a brat. Take this!"

"Damn it, why are you so good at this?!"

With Ye Yunchuan having found her weakness, Chabashira Sae was both embarrassed and angry.

"Welcome back, Yunchuan."

Shiina Hiyori was the first to come greet Ye Yunchuan when she saw him return.

"Oh? You brought another woman home, and she's a teacher, too."

Unlike the sweet-natured Shiina, Sakayanagi Arisu immediately started needling Ye Yunchuan.

"Do you still want dinner?"

Ye Yunchuan glared at her.

At that, Sakayanagi Arisu pouted and pretended to be afraid.

"I'm scared, I'm scared. I won't provoke you, so don't leave me hungry."

"Is it just me, or do you two seem to be getting along better?"

Seeing them chatting so happily, Shiina couldn't help feeling suspicious.

"Yeah, a little. This womanizing scumbag is planning to dote on me alone, so you'd better watch out."

Perhaps she was testing the waters on purpose, but Sakayanagi Arisu suddenly said that.

"Is that so? Does Classmate Sakayanagi plan to become the Empress?"

Shiina Hiyori frowned slightly.

"That's what she thinks."

Ye Yunchuan said bluntly, and Sakayanagi Arisu's expression changed dramatically.

She'd only been testing the waters.

Who could have guessed that Ye Yunchuan would expose her without giving her the slightest consideration?

"I see. If I remember correctly, Classmate Sakayanagi was admitted to Ikusei High School with the top score in her year. I don't mind letting you become the Empress."

To Sakayanagi Arisu's surprise, Shiina Hiyori wasn't jealous at all. It seemed she didn't care about the position of Empress in the slightest.

"But..."

Shiina Hiyori clearly hadn't finished speaking.

"I trust Classmate Sakayanagi's ability, but can you guarantee that you love Yunchuan more than I do?"

"..." Sakayanagi immediately fell silent. After a moment, she looked resolute.

"When it comes to loving him, I definitely don't love him as much as you do. But at this point, he's the only one I have left to rely on.

"So.

"No matter what Yunchuan wants to do or obtain in the future, I'll help him by any means necessary!"

"Good enough. From today onward, you're the Empress!"

"Huh?!"

Sakayanagi Arisu was completely bewildered.

She couldn't understand what was going through Shiina's head that she could say something like that.

"Surprised?"

Shiina Hiyori couldn't help laughing.

"How should I put it..." Shiina Hiyori thought for a moment, resting her index finger against her lips, then continued:

"I really love reading. Whenever I have nothing to do, I just want to stay in the library and read. If there weren't anyone else around who could take on the duties of Empress, I wouldn't have wanted to get involved in so much, either.

"Actually, I should be thanking you. Thank you for setting me free.

"But don't slack off just because I've said this, Classmate Sakayanagi. I'll be keeping an eye on you. If you can't keep Yunchuan happy, I'll step in!"

"It can work like that?"

Sakayanagi Arisu was still a little stunned.

When Ye Yunchuan exposed her, she'd expected a huge fight. She hadn't imagined Shiina Hiyori would be so generous and give up the position of Empress so readily.

But she was Sakayanagi, and she quickly recovered. Her expression grew serious.

"From now on, we're family. I'll do my best for this family!"

"Good. It seems you're ready, Arisu."

Noticing Sakayanagi Arisu's resolve, Shiina Hiyori was surprised, but even happier.

She had the ability to be Empress, too, but she fell short of Sakayanagi.

That wasn't the point, though.

The point was that she wasn't ruthless enough.

As the Empress who would one day help Ye Yunchuan control the entire organization, she clearly didn't measure up.

She'd originally planned to force herself to change, but Sakayanagi Arisu's arrival made her give up on that idea.

She simply wasn't a ruthless person, and forcing herself to change would only backfire.

"Thank you, Yunchuan!"

After dinner, when they were alone, Shiina Hiyori suddenly hugged Ye Yunchuan from behind.

"?!" Ye Yunchuan was taken aback. After a moment of silence, he took Shiina Hiyori's hand.

"I thought you'd hate me. Aren't you angry that I gave Sakayanagi your position as Empress?"

Though Shiina Hiyori had given the position of Empress to Sakayanagi, Ye Yunchuan knew he was the one behind it.

If he hadn't deliberately indulged her, Sakayanagi Arisu wouldn't have dared to test Shiina.

"I do hate you a little. You promised to dote on me alone, but you broke your promise."

Sakayanagi Arisu's voice suddenly turned low. Hearing that, Ye Yunchuan fell silent, too.

Only now did he realize that a man's vows meant nothing, whether they were his own or someone else's.

"But I also understand you were protecting me, Yunchuan. If you'd let Sakayanagi and me compete, I would've lost even more miserably."

Shiina Hiyori sighed softly.

In truth, it wasn't Ye Yunchuan's fault.

It all came down to her not being strong enough. If she'd been as capable and ruthless as Sakayanagi—

Then even if she'd willingly given up the position of Empress, Sakayanagi wouldn't have been able to take it from her.

"Sorry, Shiina. The truth is, if I'd doted on you without holding back, you wouldn't have lost."

Ye Yunchuan turned and hugged Shiina.

"Honestly, this is why I say you can't be a foolish ruler, Yunchuan. You're too rational."

"Are you disappointed in me?"

"No. We're family. I wouldn't sacrifice the stability of the family just to make myself happy, so there's no need to feel guilty anymore."

The girl buried her face against Ye Yunchuan's chest.

Although he'd broken his promise to her, Shiina still understood his reasons.

"You're overthinking it. I'm not feeling guilty!"