A Morning with Five People and One Fox

Ming Yu had already accepted this reality. He spread his hands and said:

"All right... Anyway, welcome."

And just like that, his life at St. Freya Academy had suddenly become one of living together with three beautiful girls.

The Morning of Five People and One Fox

Morning.

The alarm rang on schedule. Amid the echoing, pleasant light music, Ming Yu climbed out of bed.

After turning off the alarm, he looked out the window and stared blankly for a moment.

Yeah, it still felt a little unreal.

As a former veteran Captain with seven years of experience, and as a transmigrator, he had certainly imagined many scenarios—but no matter what, he had never expected to one day live with three beautiful girls.

Although Yae Sakura, the shrine maiden, had been around before, he would go out during the day for combat training and classes. Now that he was temporarily on break, it felt completely different.

Hmm... Since he was on break, his usual daily boxing practice with Fu Hua had been put on hold as well.

Still, he could not neglect basic physical training.

"298... 299... 300. Whew, good."

After briskly completing three hundred push-ups on the spot, Ming Yu nimbly rose to his feet.

After taking a cold shower in the bathroom, he came out feeling refreshed, got dressed, and opened the window facing the forest.

The morning sun spilled between the trees, and Ming Yu took in the beautiful scenery along with the birdsong and fragrance of flowers.

A breeze blew in from the forest, lifting the droplets that had yet to fully dry from his shower and carrying a trace of coolness.

"Alright, a new day begins."

Shaking out his hands and loosening his shoulders, Ming Yu opened his bedroom door, walked down the stairs, and arrived on the first floor.

Because he usually got up early to practice boxing with Fu Hua, he rose relatively early. At this hour, the three girls were probably still resting.

After entering the kitchen, he skillfully took six eggs from the refrigerator.

He set a pan on the stove and turned on the heat. Once the iron pan began to smoke faintly, he poured in some oil.

—Although his cooking skills had initially been on par with the Kaslana family's, after repeated practice and training, while he could not compare to Mei, he had at least reached the level of an ordinary person.

After all, what could not be mastered through ten repetitions, a hundred repetitions, or even thousands?

Normally, Yae Sakura would make breakfast, but with the arrival of those three girls, she naturally could no longer appear in human form.

Hmm, as for why there were six eggs...

For him, Yae Sakura, Kiana, Bronya, Mei, and the other personality within Mei.

Keeping his eyes on the pan, he held an egg in one hand, tapped it against the rim, then with a crack, the white and yolk slid into the pan.

The eggs sizzled as they fried. Once the whites had cooked to a golden color, Ming Yu skillfully plated them with a spatula, sprinkled on a little salt at the end, and a passable breakfast was complete.

After placing the breakfast on the dining table, he glanced into the living room. A little fox was curled up in a ball, sleeping in its nest.

—Yesterday, the enthusiastic Kiana had made it a nest. Having lost her room, Yae Sakura was temporarily staying in the living room like this.

Ming Yu walked over and placed one plate of eggs in front of her.

He did not know whether foxes could eat eggs, though Yae Sakura was not really a fox in the first place.

The little fox's ears twitched, and she finally got to her feet and stretched lazily.

Seeing that, Ming Yu asked quietly:

"Miss Sakura, are you... getting used to this?"

"It's fine. Changing identities once in a while isn't bad."

Yae Sakura's reply echoed in his mind.

Cute little animals were as beloved as beautiful girls. Aside from Mei, who had already seen her once, the other two girls were also utterly taken with her.

Of course, the way Bronya looked at her was perhaps a little subtle. Maybe she had already realized those were fox ears, not donkey ears.

He turned back and took several bottles of milk from the refrigerator, placing them on the table. At that moment, footsteps sounded from the stairs behind him.

Ming Yu turned around and saw Mei coming downstairs.

She wore only a very loose purple T-shirt on her upper body. Her cheeks were faintly flushed, her long purple hair draped down her back, and the soft curve from her neck to her collarbones was white as frost and snow.

Despite the loose fit, it could not conceal Mei's impressive figure, which far surpassed that of most girls her age.

For her lower half, she wore a simply patterned pleated skirt that barely reached her knees, along with completely bare calves.

Mm, approved.

Beautiful girls had no flaws no matter what they wore. Even if they wore nothing, they still had none.

"Morning, Ming Yu."

Seeing him already in the living room, the purple-haired girl waved, her cheeks somewhat red.

—This was real cohabitation!

Although she had indeed entertained some thoughts yesterday when Theresa arranged dormitories for them, she had not dared to show them.

She had not expected Bronya to help her by saying it for her.

Come to think of it, if Bronya and Kiana had not come along, and it had only been her, she would never have had the courage to move in.

"Good morning."

Ming Yu nodded and pointed to the breakfast on the table.

"Breakfast is ready."

Mei froze slightly before saying:

"Eh, it's already done?"

She had gotten up earlier than the other two girls and had originally intended to make breakfast for everyone.

"Yeah. After what happened the day before yesterday, how could I possibly have you make breakfast again, Mei?"

Ming Yu said.

"Uh, I'm actually fine..."

The purple-haired girl said softly.

After Mei had been brought back from the beach to the infirmary, Theresa had arranged for someone to examine her. She had indeed simply taken sleeping pills, and aside from that, there had been no other effects on her body.

After a pause, Mei thanked him again in a gentle tone:

"Thank you again this time, Ming Yu."

Afterward, she had learned from the others what had happened after she lost consciousness.

Including the incident in Changkong City, this was the second time he had saved her.

Just then, the color of one of the girl's eyes shifted, turning blood-red.

Then, in a completely different tone, she asked:

"...Bronya did it, right?"

—The Herrscher of Thunder had logged in.

She had logged in, but not entirely. Judging from those temporarily mismatched eyes, they could probably take turns speaking.

Mei herself might not have noticed, but the other self within her body had watched everything from an observer's perspective. Naturally, she could easily deduce who had drugged her.

At the time, only Mei and Bronya had been in the dormitory. If it was not Bronya, who else could it have been?

Ming Yu did not hide it from Mei, the victim. He merely nodded lightly.

Although he had indeed said he would not tell Theresa and the others about what Bronya had done, Mei, as the direct victim, naturally had the right to know the truth.

"I can guarantee that she won't hurt any of you again."

"...Who ordered Bronya to do it?"

The Herrscher of Thunder asked in a low voice.

Even without asking, she knew Mei's attitude, so she would not go trouble Bronya.

But there had to be someone else behind Bronya, directing her to do these things. That person was who she needed to settle scores with.

"Just as you think. Cocolia was the one who destroyed Changkong City, and she was also the one who sent Mr. Ryoma to prison."

Ming Yu said quietly.

She had destroyed your family, sent your father to prison, turned the city you lived in into ruins, and even tried to capture you, take the Herrscher Core within you, and then kill you.

Between Cocolia and Mei, there was a blood feud in every sense of the word.

"...One day, I'll settle the score with her."

The Herrscher of Thunder said coldly.

That would not be easy. As an Executor obsessed with power and strength, that old fox always placed great importance on her own safety. Finding her location would not be simple.

Even other Anti-Entropy Executors likely could not know her precise whereabouts.

But one day, he would find her and settle the score. Not only for Mei—he would also make Cocolia pay properly for Changkong City.

With that thought, Ming Yu merely nodded slightly.

"When that time comes, I'll be with you."

Then he pointed at the breakfast on the table.

"Alright, eat breakfast first. I prepared two portions for you. I'll go wake Bronya and Kiana."

"No!"

Mei suddenly refused with some nervousness.

"...?"

"You can't eat two portions. If you eat too much, you'll gain weight..."

She explained somewhat aggrievedly.

For girls, managing their figure was quite important.

After all, not every girl was Kiana, blessed with a physique that would not gain weight no matter how much she ate.

"Delicious—!"

A short while later, Kiana, who had been dragged out of bed and was still wearing pure white pajamas, sat at the dining table and gave her evaluation.

Of course, her evaluation for most foods was the same: "Delicious."

"Idiot Kiana, don't talk while eating."

The silver-haired girl beside her said mercilessly.

"I'll talk if I want to, Bronya, Bronya—"

As Kiana spoke, she reached out and pinched her cheeks.

"Mm—"

Bronya's little cheeks suffered merciless abuse, and she could only barely make muffled noises.

This scene was rather fresh to Ming Yu, but judging from Mei's calm reaction nearby, she was already used to it.

Mm, this kind of life was not bad either.

—Like Bronya, he actually liked this relatively peaceful life.

Practicing boxing with Fu Hua, listening to Yae Sakura tell stories of the Far East from five hundred years ago, teasing Mei now and then, messing with Kiana, or playing games with Bronya—it was far more colorful than his former academy life.

But this surface-level peace was destined not to last. There were quite a few people watching them hungrily from the shadows.