173 Shuya's Abnormality / 174 The Outbreak

"Oh."

Hyakka Jiang nodded, reluctantly accepting his explanation.

Chapter 189, 173 Shuya's Abnormality (Third Update, Please Subscribe)

Hyakka Jiang's statement isn't entirely wrong.

While Shuya could understand Mai's mother's actions, it didn't mean he could accept them.

Shuya was indeed getting a little annoyed by her defensiveness.

He rationally knew that Mai's mother wasn't targeting him alone, and that Mai was starting to grow up, so it was good for her to be prepared for rumors.

He could come up with a whole host of reasons like these.

But this did not affect his inner imbalance.

I've helped your daughter so much, and this is how you repay me—by being so guarded and protective?

Mai's mother is such a damn annoying person. He's already been very stressed lately because of Rena and the Fox God, and he really doesn't want to see her sullen face anymore.

Since she's so wary, fine.

He thought to himself, "Damn idiot, I'm not putting up with this anymore, go wherever you want."

Don't get me wrong, he doesn't dislike Mai- chan.

But how should I put it... I should say that Shuya isn't as enthusiastic about Mai- chan, who used to be so obedient to her mother, as he used to be.

But what can an outsider like him say when a daughter is expected to listen to her mother?

He couldn't say anything, so he left on his own.

Whatever.

If this hadn't happened, he would have simply taken on some cameo roles and naturally run into the popular Mai- chan.

But now he's turned it all down; he's too lazy to create trouble for himself.

The incident of discord between Shuya and Mai- chan, which Hyakka -chan mentioned, originated from this.

Seeing Shuya's unhappy expression, Sonoo Hyakka wisely kept quiet about it.

She asked, "So, Senior Shu-chan is going to focus on her voice acting career from now on?"

"Not necessarily, let me know when I'm done with my work."

"Finished?"

"It's nothing, just a personal matter."

"Oh, I see."

Sonoo Hyakka was quite good at reading the room, and didn't press him about his private affairs.

Shuya, looked at her and said, "Hyakka -chan, we're already so familiar with each other, you don't need to call me 'senpai'."

"Okay, then I'll call you Shu-chan like everyone else does."

Hyakka Jiang laughed.

"Okay, that's fine then."

Then Shuya casually asked, "How's work been lately?"

"It went very smoothly, speaking of which..."

Shuya and Hyakka spent the afternoon lounging around the office like lazy bums.

As summer vacation passed by, Shuya developed a lot of friendship with the girls other than Mai- chan.

Especially Hyakka -chan, she often appears at the agency, chatting Shuya, and their relationship is progressing smoothly.

Yuan Sheng Baihua also had special feelings for Xiu.

But it wasn't love.

Her background was so similar to his.

The parents' identities, and their own professions.

They are all exactly the same.

She really enjoys sharing her personal journey with Shuya.

Shuya also made time to visit her at the agency to chat and relieve stress.

He's been under a lot of pressure lately.

As the Bon Festival approached, his emotions became increasingly difficult to contain.

This time, with everyone's efforts gathered, there's a high chance we'll uncover the truth.

He felt both anticipation and unease.

Shuya seemed afraid of finding out something bad.

The others who practiced with him all day couldn't possibly have failed to notice his unusual behavior.

Yukino inherited the Snow Woman's power and is very sensitive to controlling her emotions; she was the first to point out that something was wrong.

They would go to the Unfinished Building to practice their skills every night.

That day, Yukino made plans with everyone except Shuya, asking them to arrive early.

Once everyone was present, Yukino asked directly, "Haven't you guys noticed that Inoue -kun's mood has been acting strange lately?"

"Your emotions are off; what kind of emotions are you referring to?"

Shizuka Hiratsuka sipped her drink and asked casually.

Logically speaking, she had known Shuya for the longest time and should have noticed something, but she just didn't care about any of that.

Tsuruko Aoyama pondered, "Yukino refers to Inoue- kun's state when that Rena is mentioned, right?"

Shuya had already told everyone everything, and then Shizuka Hiratsuka revealed that he liked Rena, something she had kept hidden from him.

The two immediately got into a fight.

In short, everyone knows about this.

"So Miss Tsuruko also feels something's not right?"

Yukino asked.

Haruno chimed in, "I've encountered that before too. His expression was so... terrifying!"

She waved her hand in a large circle, as if to illustrate the extent of Shuya's anger.

Shizuka Hiratsuka Yukino, Haruno, and Tsuruko talk, and remembered something as well.

She nodded and said, "Yes. I often tease him about this, and he's like a powder keg that explodes at the slightest touch. There's definitely something going on!"

Motoko said, "No, it's just that your tone was too harsh..."

"Ugh, what a hassle."

Shizuka Hiratsuka was very annoyed. "Then I'll find someone with authority to ask."

She then made a phone call, "Hello, Ms. Hanazawa? This is Hiratsuka. Can I ask you something...?"

A moment later, Shizuka Hiratsuka realized something was wrong. She said to everyone, "I just asked his mother, and it turns out that even his parents give him the cold shoulder when they criticize him."

Yukino pondered, "This is very unusual. Given Inoue -kun's personality, even if he doesn't like this topic, he shouldn't be angry with his parents."

Tsuruko Aoyama thought for a moment, "Hiratsuka- san, you've known Inoue- kun the longest, have you ever met that Rena?"

"Without."

Shizuka Hiratsuka shook her head.

Then she added, "But she should be an ordinary person, otherwise he definitely would have said something."

Motoko thought for a moment, then frowned and said, "Maybe we're overthinking it?"

"Um..."

Everyone fell into deep thought.

Shizuka Hiratsuka said impatiently, "What's there to think about! Just listen to me, we'll start the inspection later!"

She immediately made arrangements and waited for Shuya to appear.

A while later, Shuya arrived.

He didn't know what they were discussing, but he walked casually onto the rooftop and greeted them normally.

As he stepped onto the rooftop, a sudden sense of unease arose within him.

Just as he was about to react, he heard a loud shout, "Attack!"

In the corner, Yukino's eyes flashed blue light, the temperature around Shuya plummeted, and ice crystal chains appeared around him, binding him.

"What, a surprise training exercise?"

Shuya asked in bewilderment, while simultaneously unleashing his energy to impact the chains.

Soon someone else made a move.

The Aoyama Sisters rushed out and locked his hands in their grip, their anger immediately mounting.

Haruno also playfully sent out Shikigami to hug his legs.

With their combined efforts, Shuya was unable to resist for a time.

He could only watch as Shizuka Hiratsuka walked over with a strange laugh.

Hehehehe.

"Ms. Hiratsuka, please attend to important matters."

Tsuruko offered a reminder.

"Cut."

Shizuka Hiratsuka reluctantly fell silent and placed a hand on Shuya's forehead.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you trying to do? I'm telling you, I'm a minor, this is illegal!"

But Shuya's words were of no use.

The special aura generated by Shizuka Hiratsuka's Heavenly Demon Body had already blasted into Shuya's body, sweeping him inside and out.

This process is not comfortable.

It wasn't pain, but rather the feeling of foreign energy entering my body—a truly disgusting sensation.

After a thorough examination, Shizuka Hiratsuka crossed her arms and pondered. The people who had been restraining Shuya released him and tossed him to the ground, leaving him to sit up and gag, clutching his stomach.

They looked at Shizuka Hiratsuka.

Shizuka Hiratsuka looked back at them with a serious expression.

Then---

She scratched the back of her head and chuckled foolishly, "Couldn't find the reason? Maybe he really is alright?"

Everyone: "???"

What was with that expression you made just now?

P. S.: I'm up late at night...

P. S. 2: By the way, how high is your tolerance for stress?

Section 190, page 174: Onset

"What's with that look? I genuinely can't find anything wrong with him."