We're All Bros!

Qian Yuhan, who had somehow become the center of a storm but was only thinking about finding a chance to slip away and kill Evil Soul Masters:

"(╬≖_≖)??" Honestly, sometimes I really can't understand you young people. (눈_눈)

Rakshasa Phantom: "(.-ω-) Today has been so much fun."

"Brother Qian Yuhan!"

Right in front of Xu Tianzhen, who had her arm held out horizontally, Xiao Hongchen slowly came to a stop. He took a deep breath and looked at Qian Yuhan with a solemn expression. 〴⋋_⋌〵

"?"

Just as everyone present thought Xiao Hongchen was about to say something extremely important, or perhaps some weird, suggestive nonsense, he opened his mouth and said something utterly shocking:

"Do you know where the public restroom is?!"

Meng Hongchen: "(ლ`Д́)ლ" Big brother, this is the important thing you were talking about!?

Xu Tianzhen: "(╯°□°)╯" Xiao Hongchen, what on earth are you trying to do?!

Qian Yuhan: "☉-☉?" You're a local from Bright Capital, and you're asking me, an outsider, for directions? Xiao Hongchen, are you in your right mind?!

But then again, if he went along with Xiao Hongchen a little, he might get some free time to kill a few Evil Soul Masters along the way.

So, really, Xiao Hongchen's question wasn't entirely impossible to play along with...

And so, Qian Yuhan pretended to think it over seriously. Under Xiao Hongchen's hopeful gaze, he nodded and said:

"I do. Want me to take you there?ヾ(ﾟ∀ﾟゞ)"

Seeing that Qian Yuhan had caught his drift, Xiao Hongchen silently gave his new buddy a thumbs-up in his heart, d(-_^), then said:

"You bet, bro. Lead the way!"

"I know a shortcut. Follow me!"

With that, Qian Yuhan and Xiao Hongchen disappeared one after the other at the end of the corridor, then vanished into the vast crowd, leaving Meng Hongchen and Xu Tianzhen staring at each other in speechless bewilderment.

Xu Tianzhen: ＼(〇_ｏ)／ They just met, didn't they? Why did they seem like they'd known each other forever?

Meng Hongchen: ヽ(´ー｀)┌ How should I know?! You're the one who brought that handsome guy along!

As they walked down the busy main street, Xiao Hongchen quietly quickened his pace and caught up with Qian Yuhan.

Under Qian Yuhan's wary gaze, Xiao Hongchen showed not the slightest self-awareness of being a stranger. Instead, taking advantage of being a little older in body, he casually slung an arm over Qian Yuhan's shoulder and chuckled:

"So, little bro, wasn't your big brother Xiao a genius for coming up with that plan? It only took a little trick to help you slip away and get a breath of freedom! You'd better thank me properly!"

"ಠ_ಠ?" Qian Yuhan said nothing. He merely looked at Xiao Hongchen meaningfully and said:

"Helping me helped you too, didn't it? I can tell you'd been plotting to sneak out for a long time. Helping me was just a bonus!"

"Hahahaha!" Xiao Hongchen laughed and patted Qian Yuhan's shoulder, neither too lightly nor too hard. "Little bro, you really are an interesting guy. I like you. Come on, let's introduce ourselves properly. I'm Xiao Hongchen, and I'm..."

"I know. You're recognized throughout the Sun Moon Empire and the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy as the greatest genius in a thousand years, a fourteen-year-old Quasi-Soul King and a Soul Engineer genius."

Qian Yuhan recited word for word what he'd heard that morning from a commuting student at the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, when he'd asked for directions.

Though he spoke without a trace of emotion, like he was simply reading from a script...

The elegant wording of his praise more than made up for that tiny little flaw of sounding emotionless.

Listening to Qian Yuhan's utterly impassive yet somehow inexhaustible "professional flattery," Xiao Hongchen outwardly put on an air of modesty:

"Ah, that's nothing at all. (´∀`) Keep it down, keep it down. Those are just meaningless titles my adoring classmates have tacked onto me. I still have plenty of room to improve, so don't put me on such a pedestal! (＞ｙ＜)"

He acted as if all that praise were nothing but insignificant little honors along the road to greatness.

In truth, though, a riot of colorful flowers had already bloomed in Xiao Hongchen's heart. His little consciousness-self, transformed into a miniature Xiao Hongchen, was now in the middle of the flower field, shouting excitedly:

"That's me! (≧∇≦)/ That's me! (≧∇≦)/ Right, the genius you're talking about is me! It is I, Xiao Hongchen! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ If you're good at complimenting me, then keep it coming! ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ"

And so, under Qian Yuhan's deliberate guidance, Xiao Hongchen—who was only one step away from being flattered into a fetus—blundered unprepared into a "random passerby."

The man wore a gray hood and dark clothes, and had an utterly unremarkable face. Even if you tossed him into a crowd, no one would give him a second glance.

This "random passerby" was none other than Lackey No. 1, whom Rakshasa Phantom had marked at the Evil Soul Master hideout not long ago.

"Hey!"

After being abruptly bumped into, Xiao Hongchen's body instinctively took two steps back.

Though the other person had fallen, this sudden annoyance was enough to wipe away the already faint smile on Xiao Hongchen's face.

Xiao Hongchen turned sideways and glanced at the gray-clad man sitting on the ground in displeasure. He reached out as if to help him up and said, "Are you all right? Watch where you're going next time. Not everyone's as kindhearted as Young Master me!"

"Sorry, sorry. I'm fine. You go on, you go on."

As if afraid to come into contact with Xiao Hongchen, the "random passerby" didn't take the hand Xiao Hongchen had offered to help him up. Instead, he bobbed his head and backed away repeatedly, like someone with a guilty conscience.

At first, Xiao Hongchen was merely a little puzzled by the "random passerby's" strange behavior. But then he saw him scramble to his feet without even brushing the dust off his clothes, cover his face as if afraid Xiao Hongchen would recognize him, and turn to run.

That was when Xiao Hongchen finally sensed something was off.

He tried to recall the better part of the gray-clad man's face, which had been revealed by accident as he got up, and murmured:

"Huh, that guy looks... kind of familiar. Have I seen him somewhere before...?"

"Um... do you want to catch up with him and have a look?" Qian Yuhan stood with his arms crossed, wearing a playful expression, and nodded toward the direction the gray-clad man had fled.

Xiao Hongchen frowned in confusion and asked Qian Yuhan, "Catch up with him? Why? I'm not hurt or anything!"