Journey to Find Heroic Spirits

"I'll get straight to the point then. Do you want to be my companion? I can smell a kindred spirit on you," Hiruko Kage胤 stated his intentions directly.

"Kindred spirit?" Yuxian couldn't help but laugh. He wasn't a pervert. "Are you inviting me to be your companion? Does your employer know about this?"

Hiruko Kage胤 lightly clapped his hands, praising, "What impressive information-gathering abilities. It seems you know quite a lot."

Yuxian was extremely annoyed by Hiruko Kage胤's tone and continued, "I not only know someone hired you, but I also know your objective. Mr. Hiruko Kage胤, formerly of the Eastern Unit of the Ground Self-Defense Force, the 787th Mechanized Special Forces, and the New Human Creation Project."

Hearing Yuxian reveal his background, Hiruko Kage胤 was somewhat surprised, and his tone became more fervent. "I'm even more convinced that you are my kind. You must have also noticed that something is wrong with the state of this Tokyo area."

He took out a case filled with money, about one hundred million, and placed it in front of Yuxian. "This is a small token of my appreciation. After the Great Extinction, only capable humans like us can survive. Let's create a new world together!"

"I won't be polite and will accept this money."

Yuxian ignored Hiruko Kage胤, who was excitedly describing a beautiful future. His eyes were only on the case of money.

Atalanta was already struggling with a shortage of supplies, and with this money, the difficulties in the outer districts would be alleviated. They wouldn't have to worry about supplies for a long time. If the atmosphere weren't so off, he would have awarded Hiruko Kageyasu the title of "Timely Rain."

Yuxian quickly put the case away and handed it to Mash, who was beside him. After doing so, he slowly spoke, "I have no good feelings towards the Tokyo area, but one of my naive and stubborn companions wants to protect every child here. And I've already promised to help her, so I can only offer my apologies regarding your plan."

"Protecting every child? A foolish idea."

"Yes, foolishly cute. But I suddenly feel that helping her achieve this idea is a very interesting thing. It has value because of the difficulty, don't you think?"

After accepting the large sum of money, Yuxian became very happy and couldn't help but chat cheerfully with Hiruko Kageyama.

"Oh, right," Yuxian continued. "Why don't you join us? I guarantee you won't be bored."

Hiruko Kage胤 didn't speak. He quietly looked at Yuxian, and the atmosphere suddenly became quiet, as if the air were about to freeze.

He suddenly burst into laughter, as if he had heard a very funny joke.

Stopping his laughter, he adjusted his gentleman's hat. "Goodbye, Yuxian-kun. It seems you still haven't recognized reality."

Hiruko Kohina had been by his side without speaking, her gaze fixed on Jack.

Only when Hiruko Kage胤 turned around did she ask, "Hey, little one over there, what's your name?"

"We're Jack," Jack replied.

Hiruko Kohina cast a reluctant last glance at Jack before quickly leaving with Hiruko Kage胤.

Yuxian watched the two of them leave and smiled at Jack. "Little Kohina-chan seems to like you."

Jack tilted her head and innocently asked, "Will she come play with us then?"

"You'll have to ask her yourself," Yuxian said, ruffling Jack's head. He didn't know if such an opportunity would arise in the future.

Then, he said to Little Jeanne, "Santa-chan, let's go refill your gift bag!"

"But... but... Master got this money through dishonorable means..." Little Jeanne's expression was conflicted, expressing mild disapproval of how Yuxian obtained the money.

Yuxian asked, "Then what should we do?"

"We should return the money," Little Jeanne's rigid adherence to principles was very similar to Jeanne's. She was supposed to be the younger version of a corrupted Jeanne, but unexpectedly, her personality was more similar to the original Jeanne.

"No! Illya wants to eat steak!" Gretel protested.

"It should be hot pot!" Jack corrected.

"Steak!"

"Hot pot!"

Jack and Gretel started arguing about what to eat again.

Little Jeanne dejectedly gave up the idea of returning the money. Thinking about how she could soon fill her gift bag and deliver gifts to the children in the outer districts, she cast aside her slight displeasure and became happy again.

Yuxian didn't want to disappoint her good intentions, so he smiled and asked, "Then what gift are you going to buy me?"

The three children quickly gathered together, put their heads together, and whispered in discussion.

After reaching a conclusion, Little Jeanne ran back into the mall with a clatter and soon came out carrying a large mattress.

Yuxian slapped his forehead. He finally understood that he would probably have to sleep on the floor from now on.

Mash giggled beside him, covering her mouth.

It took a lot of time to buy things, and they returned to the outer area by midnight.

The children had already gone back to their rooms to sleep. Atalanta was still busy alone. Seeing Yuxian and the others return, she came to greet them.

"Why did you come back so late? I was worried something might have happened." Atalanta's words carried concern and a hint of reproach.

"I'm sorry to have made you worry." Yuxian apologized with a contrite expression. They had had too much fun at the mall and lost track of time.

Seeing the large pile of things they had brought back, Atalanta asked in surprise, "Where did these things come from?"

"We bought them at the mall." Yuxian lowered his head, found the bag of apples in the shopping bag, and handed it to Atalanta. "A gift for you."

"Thank you..." Atalanta shyly accepted the apples. It had been a long time since anyone had given her a gift, and it was her favorite fruit.

She then asked, "Where did you get the money?"

"The Master tricked them into it!" Before Yuxian could answer, Little Jeanne interjected. She was still bothered by how they had obtained the money.

Yuxian immediately extended his hands, pinching her cheeks on both sides and gently pulling them outward.

Little Jeanne's face was stretched into a comical shape by Yuxian. She tried to speak again but found her words slurred and unintelligible. She could only glare fiercely at Yuxian.

Mash stepped forward and swatted away Yuxian's "claws." "Senpai, don't bully Jeanne-chan anymore!"

"I'm angry! I'm really angry!" Little Jeanne's face turned red as she said indignantly, "I'm definitely going to tell my future self to get revenge on the Master!"

"Wow! You dare threaten me? Then I'll strike first." Yuxian put on a fierce, menacing act and slowly walked towards Little Jeanne with a sinister grin.

Little Jeanne fearfully retreated step by step.

Seeing this scene, Jack blinked and asked Gretel, "Who should we help?"

"Jack, you're so dumb! Of course, we help the Master!" Gretel said as a matter of course.

Mash quickly grabbed the two eager little ones and scolded loudly, "Senpai, stop fooling around and hurry up and organize these things. It's already so late."

"Alright. I'll let you off the hook for today." Yuxian stopped teasing Little Jeanne, much to her relief.

Yuxian handed the remaining money to Atalanta. "Discuss with Chiron how to use this money to improve the children's lives. If it's not enough, I'll find a way."

Atalanta happily accepted. She had been worried about these children, and with this income, many problems could be solved, putting her mind at ease.

Yuxian then pointed to the remaining items. "These are all gifts for the children. We'll give them out one by one tomorrow during the day."

"No!" Little Jeanne immediately objected.

Yuxian turned his gaze to her. Little Jeanne flinched back but then immediately straightened her chest, refusing to back down and insisting, "I must give out all the gifts tonight."

Mash hesitated and said to her, "It's too late today, let's give them out tomorrow."

Little Jeanne firmly shook her head and said with a serious look, "Santa Claus delivers gifts to everyone at night!"

Yuxian immediately shot her down. "Santa Claus only comes on Christmas night..."

Before he could finish, he felt a murderous aura emanating from Mash beside him and quickly changed his tune. "We can't wake everyone up, we have to deliver them quietly."

Jack raised his hands and said, "We can be quiet and not let anyone find out."

Yuxian didn't want her to deliver the gifts; it felt strange. He pulled Jack and Gretel along. "Delivering gifts is Santa Claus's job, you can't take it. You should go to bed."

He took Jack and Gretel away first, leaving the gift-giving to Little Jeanne. It was her joy, and Yuxian wouldn't take it away from her without permission.

The next day, when the children woke up, they found gifts placed by their beds and were all very surprised.

They discussed the gifts, asking each other what presents their friends had received, their faces beaming with happiness.

Little Jeanne had been busy until very late the previous night and hadn't slept much. She insisted on getting up early, looking a bit tired.

But seeing the smiles on everyone's faces, her sense of accomplishment soared, and she was exceptionally happy. She hummed a tune and greeted everyone with a big smile.

Section 28 Chapter 8: Let's Set a Small Goal, Like Touching Catty's Ears

Early in the morning, Yuxian gathered everyone, preparing to head to the Tendo Private Security Company.

With sufficient funds now, he planned to find a place to stay in the city today to avoid the daily commute.

Just a few steps out the door, they encountered Enju Aihara running towards them in a hurry.

Tears streamed down her face, and she ran past Yuxian and the others without looking up, not turning back even when called.

Mash asked doubtfully, "What's wrong with Enju? She looks like she's crying."

Yuxian had a rough idea of what had happened. Someone had deliberately spread rumors at her school that she was a Cursed Child.

He pondered for a moment, and after some thought, he understood the truth of the matter.

Hiruko Kage胤 now set his sights on Rentaro, figuring he wouldn't pay much attention to Yuxian. It was unlikely Rentaro was the one spreading rumors at Enju's school.

With Hiruko Kage胤 ruled out, the mastermind behind this whole affair became obvious.

Yuxian had initially assumed this was Hiruko Kage胤's doing, but he hadn't expected Kikunojo Tendo to be behind it. He had underestimated Kikunojo Tendo's animosity towards the Cursed Children.

Rentaro Satomi was his adopted son, yet Kikunojo Tendo had gone this far, showing no regard for familial bonds.

However, when he considered his own granddaughter, Kisaragi Tendo, who viewed him as an enemy, it wasn't hard to understand why he treated Rentaro this way.

"Let's go take a look."

After a brief inquiry, Yuxian and the others quickly found Enju. She was hiding in a friend's room, refusing to come out no matter how much they called her.

She was truly heartbroken this time. After finally making so many friends at school, they had all distanced themselves from her because of her identity. It was a severe blow to her young heart.

Sometimes, Yuxian felt Hiruko Kage胤 had a point. These children, fighting desperately to protect this world, were treated so unfairly. It was truly twisted.

As everyone was at a loss, Little Jeanne stepped forward. She was in a particularly good mood today and felt very confident. She volunteered to comfort Enju.

With no better options, it was worth a try.

No one knew what Little Jeanne said to Enju, but they saw her leading Enju outside.

The two walked to the seaside together. Facing the vast ocean, Little Jeanne asked, "Enju-chan, what is your dream?"

Before Enju could answer, she continued, "My dream used to be to see the ocean with my own eyes and play happily on the beach. Later, that dream came true, and I got a new dream, which I'm working hard to achieve now."

Enju looked down, remaining silent. Of course, she had dreams, but she also knew her dreams were unattainable. Dreams were just dreams.

She had always worked hard. Ever since meeting Rentaro Satomi, she had been happy every day. She wished things could stay this way forever.