202 A Change in Public Opinion

Many Monster now know about Shuya and his companions' hunting expedition, making it impossible for them to launch surprise attacks anymore.

Fighting head-on requires more energy, which is why Shuya and the others are so tired.

Upon returning to Tokyo that day, after everyone accompanied Shuya to Rena's house to deliver Demon Power, they simply stayed overnight at his place.

I'm just too lazy to go home.

After Shuya and the others took a quick shower, they fell asleep.

But Shuya didn't sleep for long before getting up; he had to go to work in the morning.

He's been traveling a lot lately, and he has to catch up on his schedule every time he returns to Tokyo.

Maeda Saori worked hard to coordinate his schedule; if it weren't for Shuya's fame, she would never have allowed him to take leave like that.

Shuya tried to keep his voice down as he went out, but Shizuka Hiratsuka and the others were no ordinary people; how could they not notice him?

Shizuka Hiratsuka and Tsuruko Aoyama, who slept together in the living room, opened their eyes and looked at the door that had just been closed.

"Ms. Hiratsuka, do you think Inoue- kun can hold on?"

Tsuruko Aoyama rested her head on a sofa cushion.

Shizuka Hiratsuka was lying on the futon on the floor.

She closed her eyes and casually said, "It should work, right now."

"Now...?"

Tsuruko Aoyama sighed.

Shizuka Hiratsuka said, "Well, it's his own choice, it's all up to him."

Tsuruko stared blankly at Shuya's room.

Shizuka Hiratsuka lazily scratched her belly. "Your concerned little expression... do you like him?"

Tsuruko Aoyama nodded generously. "It's undeniable that Inoue -kun's desperate struggle and his unwavering efforts in the face of Curse are truly dazzling to me."

"Oh."

Shizuka Hiratsuka responded listlessly and went back to sleep.

It's none of her business.

However, in Shuya's parents' room, Haruno, Motoko Yukino herself:

"Ha, what a womanizer."

Yukino glanced at her furtively, then turned away, too lazy to bother with her.

Section 218, Page 202: Reversal of Public Opinion

Shuya went to Inoue Hikoo's company early in the morning to record.

Because he was too busy, Sakura's recordings were mostly done separately, not with the other voice actors.

After a morning of hard work, Inoue Hikoo told him to rest for a while and then check the recording with the staff.

Shuya took the opportunity to catch up on sleep.

After sleeping for a while, Inoue Hikoo came over when he woke up.

"Shu-chan, your mom's asking how you've been lately."

"Good."

Shuya gave a perfunctory answer.

"..."

Inoue Hikoo scratched his head. "I don't mean to lecture you, but you seem to be too busy lately. You're never around. You don't answer the phone, you're always out and about, and when you come back you're working like crazy. Are you martial arts practitioners really that resilient?"

"Yes."

Shuya nodded.

Inoue Hikoo could tell he was just giving a perfunctory answer, so he shook his head and walked away.

Shuya checked the time, left the company, and took a taxi directly to the TV drama set.

He paid the fare and got out of the car in a daze, yawning as he entered the film set.

"Shuya."

Mai- chan, who was on the same set, noticed him and came over. "You look really tired?"

Shuya sighed, "I'm so busy."

"Oh..."

Mai- chan knew what he was busy with, so she didn't say anything.

Shuya glanced at her and smiled, "You have dark circles under your eyes too? Haven't you been sleeping much lately?"

"Busy."

Mai -chan and Shuya are similar; they haven't had a proper rest in a long time.

Upon seeing her, Shuya remembered something and asked, "By the way, you're in sixth grade, right? Which middle school are you choosing?"

"We didn't even choose a location..."

The two hid in a corner; since they weren't the main characters in this scene, it was relatively easy for them.

After finishing his scenes, Shuya's work for the day was done.

The others are still filming; it'll probably take quite a while.

He didn't leave right away; he wanted to stay and watch Mai- chan act and chat with her, but he was too tired, and he fell asleep while sitting in the corner waiting.

When he woke up again, he found himself resting his head on soft laps.

Shuya turned over and looked up, only to see Mai sleeping soundly with her head against the wall.

A lap pillow...

Shuya noticed the occasional meaningful glances cast at him by the scholars and officials around him.

But no one came to disturb them.

While filming continued busily outside, the two seemed completely isolated from the world in this small corner.

Shuya didn't care what others thought.

... It seems I was really too tired; I didn't even notice when I was moved onto your lap.

Shuya sighed and didn't get up for the time being.

Mai- chan's lap pillow isn't something she can enjoy all the time, so of course she wants to stay a little longer.

Shuya rested his head on her soft thighs, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep again.

Soon, his breathing slowed down.

Shuya and Mai- chan slept for about an hour before being woken up by their phones.

She set an alarm because she couldn't sleep too long.

Shuya reluctantly got up:

Thanks.

"I only did this because I felt sorry for you, please don't misunderstand."

Mai- chan replied haughtily, and then tried to get up, but swayed and couldn't stand up.

She made a face and said, "My legs are numb."

Let me rub it for you.

Shuya reached out and pressed his hand on her thigh, which was covered by pantyhose, and massaged it with his breath.

Mai didn't think there was anything wrong at first, but after remembering that she was on a film set, she quickly looked around.

Shuya then remembered this and looked around.

Then, the two saw Mai's mother's deep gaze in the distance, staring intently at Shuya's hand that was pressing on Mai's leg.

Shuya: "..."

Mai- chan. "..."

Mai- chan gave a "Oh no!" look, Shuya smiled sheepishly and withdrew his hand.

Mai's mother walked quickly and took Mai- chan away.

Before leaving, Mai winked at Shuya, looking a little annoyed, but when Mai's mother looked at her, her face instantly went expressionless.

Ah, what an interesting woman.

After resting Shuya went home.

He was busy with work for the next few days and didn't get much rest.

Occasionally, Monster would come to his door to fight, disturbing his peace and quiet.

Fortunately, the previous situation of large numbers of Monster challenging them did not occur again; they came in small groups of a few at a time.

Now, Shuya's combat power has soared after many real battles, and no demon can defeat him. Instead, they all become power banks that automatically come to his door.

That's a nice side income.

Shuya had little contact with the superhumans in Japan until now, through the hunting operation, he has officially made his debut on this stage.

The worship of the strong is human nature, and Monster transformed from humans are no exception.

Surprisingly, some of the Monster have become supporters of Shuya.

And his teammates also became famous.

Shizuka Hiratsuka and the Aoyama Sisters were already well-known, but the Yukinoshita Sisters rose to fame overnight.

Having honed their skills through battles, Yukino and Haruno's Power of Will has grown rapidly, and each possesses a remarkable lineage, making them quite formidable.

One of them is a descendant of the Snow Woman, and the other is Fox Spirit Successor (the Monster don't know the truth, but it doesn't really matter).

The Monster treated them as their own and saw them as rising stars among the new generation of Monster, and they surprisingly gained the support of a large number of Monster.

The scenario that Shuya had anticipated—that he would become an enemy of Monster —did not happen at all.

The nature of hunting activities has gradually changed over time.

The Monster are all actively preparing for battle, awaiting their challenge.

If he defeats Shuya and the others, he will become an object of worship for all the demons.

The power of awe can also be absorbed from Monster.

Even if you can't win, as long as you have a brilliant performance in the battle, you will receive a lot of praise, and this praise will bring you a lot of respect.

Shuya's hunting expeditions gradually turned into a kind of walking opportunity, leaving him speechless.

But this is undoubtedly a good change. Shuya didn't really want things to get too tense with the Monster. He had no choice but to drain their Demon Power, so making peace would be the best outcome.

Then, the hunt officially turned into a challenge.

During his break, Shuya calculated that he had only extended Rena's life by one year so far.

Her own lifespan, plus the lifespans of the Fox God and Shuya, minus the time spent, leaves her with approximately two years of life remaining.

After Shuya calculated it, he felt utterly hopeless.

He led his men to sweep across half of Japan, yet he didn't achieve any good results.

Shuya secluded himself for a day, then tried to invite the powerful Monster he had defeated to come and check on Rena while she slept.

These great Monster actually came.

They did develop feelings for Shuya, but it's also possible that his wife and daughter were influencing them.

After each of them investigated Rena's Curse using their own methods, they could only shake their heads and look at Shuya with pity.

Shuya had no choice but to thank them repeatedly and see them off.