"Let's go!" Yuxian dusted himself off and stood up. The mission was complete; it was time to reap the rewards.
Curious, Rentaro stepped forward, wanting to open the box and see what the so-called Seven Stars' Relic actually was.
Yuxian stopped him. "Rentaro, don't be so curious. Sometimes, the more you know, the more pain it brings you."
Rentaro paused, stunned for a moment. In the end, he did not open the box, but the questions in his heart only multiplied.
They brought the box to the Ministry of Defense and handed it over to the officials there.
After only a brief wait, they received confirmation that the commission had been completed, and the reward was smoothly deposited into the Tendo Civil Security Company's account.
When Kisaragi Tendo saw the additional digits in the account, she paced back and forth through the office.
The moment Yuxian and the others entered, she dragged them over and pressed them into their seats.
In an exaggerated tone, she said, "The Tendo Civil Security Company finally has money!"
Seeing how beside herself with excitement she was, it was clear just how miserable the company had been before. Still, one billion yen was indeed a huge sum. Most ordinary companies might not earn that much even after many years.
Kisaragi Tendo calmed down slightly and said seriously, "I've decided that everyone will get one hundred million. The remaining two hundred million will be used as company operating funds."
Rentaro raised his hand and asked, "Sis Kisaragi, did you calculate that wrong? There are nine people here. If everyone gets one hundred million, how could there still be two hundred million left?"
Kisaragi Tendo replied with certainty, "I didn't calculate it wrong. There are nine people here, but I heard Rentaro was completely useless, so he doesn't count."
"Hey, hey! I risked my life too! How did I not contribute anything?" Rentaro protested this unfair distribution.
Enju Aihara stood nearby with her hands on her hips and burst into laughter. "Rentaro, I'm rich now! Hurry up and marry me, and I'll share a tiny little bit of my money with you."
The cheerful profit-sharing meeting ended. Since Illya had participated this time as well, Yuxian's side received six hundred million, another massive income.
This time, he decided to find a place in the city to settle down, saving them the trouble of constantly traveling back and forth.
When Rentaro learned of Yuxian's plans, he enthusiastically took them around to look for suitable housing.
He was very familiar with the area. In the end, he found a house not far from his own home. Yuxian thought the environment was decent, so he decided to rent it as a temporary base.
The house was quite large, enough for all six of them to live in without feeling cramped.
This time, they notified Atalanta in advance that they would be staying in the city, telling her not to worry. They also gave her the address so she could find them if anything came up.
Everyone bought some daily necessities and eagerly began decorating their temporary new home.
Looking at the row of beds filling one of the rooms, Yuxian said helplessly, "There are so many empty rooms. Why do you all have to squeeze together?"
"Because Mommy is here!" Jack immediately answered as though it were only natural.
"Mm, being with Master is more fun." Gretel immediately echoed her.
"I... I want to be with everyone." Little Jeanne spoke hesitantly.
"Is Master sending Illya away again?" Illya looked at him with tear-filled eyes. What else could Yuxian possibly say?
Seeing Mash beside him looking like she wanted to say something but held back, he blinked and asked, "Does Mash want to sleep here too?"
"I'll sleep in the room next door!" Mash ran away with her face bright red.
Yuxian silently thought, What a pity.
P.S.:
Mash: Okita-san! Okita-san!
Okita Souji: What is it, Mash?
Mash: Quickly put on this outfit and come meet Senior with me!
Mash: Senior, Miss Okita Alter is here!
Okita Souji: Peerless Sword—Mumei... Mukei Sandan!
Jack, Nightfall, Fog, Dismemberment
Late at night, five people lay sprawled around Yuxian's room. What had originally been a spacious room became rather crowded after an entire row of beds took up the space.
Among them, Gretel's sleeping posture was the most domineering. Though she acted like a little lady during the day, her sleeping habits at night were unusually uninhibited.
She spread herself out, occupying a huge amount of space, squeezing all her little companions off to the side.
Jack turned over, but her hand found nothing beside her.
She opened her drowsy eyes and discovered that Gretel had squeezed her into the very corner. She immediately wanted to squeeze her way back to Yuxian's side.
Just then, she suddenly felt as though someone was watching her, and she instantly became fully awake.
There was nothing unusual in the room. The door was tightly locked, the curtains over the windows had been drawn, and in the pitch-black space, only their breathing could be heard.
Jack quietly walked to the window and gently pulled back a corner of the curtain to look outside.
The sky was covered in dark clouds that night. Neither the moon nor the stars offered even the faintest light. A thin mist blanketed the entire city, and visibility was poor.
As she gazed at the faintly visible high-rises in the distance, her instincts told her that someone over there was watching this room.
She entered a stealthy state, intending to leap out the window and investigate.
Before she could move, she seemed to remember something. She hurriedly took off her cute pajamas, neatly placed them on the bed, and revealed a black cloak beneath them.
The cloak looked old, its ragged edges riddled with holes. It was so tattered that even if it were thrown by the roadside, no one would bother picking it up.
Jack had not worn this outfit in a long time. Yuxian did not like her dressed like this; he preferred Jack in cute, pretty clothes suited for a little girl.
Little Jack listened to Mommy very well, but right now she thought this outfit was better, because this way she would not dirty her other pretty clothes.
She leaped out the window and landed without a sound, her feet swiftly carrying her through the city.
The night was her domain.
Especially tonight, with no moon or starlight, a sky thick with clouds, damp moisture in the air, and a light mist covering the entire city, she felt completely at home.
Her steps were swift, yet she made no sound at all. Like a silent, formless ghost, no one could detect her trace.
The faint breeze stirred up by her running brushed over the faces of people traveling through the night, and the chilly wind made them pull their coats tighter around themselves.
Jack's target was clear. She raced directly toward a high-rise. Her instincts had sensed malice in that watching gaze, which was why she had come alone in the middle of the night.
No one could hurt their Mommy. No one. Whoever dared try, they would kill.
In Jack's limited memories, Yuxian was the person who had treated her best. She depended on him deeply. Although she did not know why she felt that way, she was happy, and she liked it.
"Found you."
On the roof of the high-rise stood a man in black, facing the direction of the house Yuxian had rented and observing it from afar.
Several tools lay beside him. It was clear that he was a nightwalker engaged in dark work. He was the one monitoring Yuxian's room.
Jack did not strike immediately. She slowly approached him and silently stood behind the man in black, lingering there like his shadow.
The man in black was completely unaware of Jack's arrival and continued his surveillance.
Jack tilted her little head, drew two daggers, and held them in reverse grips as she considered where to start.
At that moment, the man in black took out his phone and answered a call. He addressed the other party respectfully. "My lord!"
A low voice came from the phone speaker. "How is the investigation going?"
"My lord, I have already found out where they are staying. They did not return to the Outer District. They rented a house in the city and are all living there now. There are six people in total—two adults and four children."
The man in black respectfully reported Yuxian's group's situation. His body unconsciously straightened, as if the lord he spoke of were standing right before him.
Jack, who had been about to act, slowed down again. She listened quietly, her sharp hearing allowing her to clearly make out the voice coming from the phone.
Her mind raced at that moment, and she immediately realized that the person on the other end was the true enemy—the more dangerous enemy.
The other side remained silent for a long time. The man in black did not dare urge him. He stood there rigidly without moving, waiting for his lord's orders.
Finally, the voice came through again. "Do not attract their attention. Find a suitable opportunity and quietly eliminate them... somewhere secluded."
"Yes, my lord!"
With a beep, the other side hung up.
The man in black let out a long breath. Even over the phone, his lord's authority made him nervous.
After putting away his phone, he prepared to continue monitoring Yuxian's house. Suddenly, a thick fog rose around him, and the scenery shifted. He found himself in an unfamiliar environment.
Faced with this sudden, unknown change, panic filled him. He vigilantly raised his weapon, guarding against a possible attack.
"You can't hurt Mommy!"
A little girl's voice appeared behind him. He hurriedly turned around, wanting to see who she was.
He successfully saw the little girl's face.
At the same time, filthy blood splattered with wet, tearing sounds, and internal organs scattered everywhere with squelching noises. His consciousness gradually faded.
Yet in his desperate final moments, what he saw was an angelically pure smile.
The thick fog dispersed. Jack sat on the edge of the rooftop, her feet constantly swinging in the air. Before her was a drop of dozens of meters; one careless move and she could fall.
If Yuxian saw her, he would definitely scold her and tell her that this was extremely dangerous.
Behind her lay the man in black's dismembered corpse. Yet strangely, his face showed no distortion from pain. Instead, it gave the eerie impression that he had died very peacefully.
As Jack swung her dangling legs, she cupped her cheeks in both hands and muttered softly, "Where are you?"
Suddenly, she stopped swinging her legs, performed a backflip, and landed steadily on the rooftop again. Her eyes sparkled as she said, "Jack found you."
A gust of wind passed by. Jack was gone from the rooftop, leaving behind only the man in black's mangled corpse.
Mommy Will Be Protected by Us
Kikunojo Tendo, Seitenshi's aide and the most powerful man in the Tokyo Area, had ascended to the highest seat available to a politician.
Ever since his wife died in the Gastrea War ten years ago, he had hated all Gastrea.
He hated the Cursed Children infected with the Gastrea virus just as much—children who would eventually become Gastrea.
Seitenshi wanted to enact the New Gastrea Law, attempting to grant those Cursed Children equal social status.
Kikunojo Tendo said nothing on the surface, but he was fiercely opposed to it in secret. To that end, he had even hired Hiruko Kagetane to provoke a great disturbance and bring about a great extinction.
But Hiruko Kagetane had failed. Yuxian's group had recovered the Seven Stars' Relic, resolving his carefully planned conspiracy without causing the slightest ripple.
He had no choice but to take an enormous political risk once more and secretly switch out the Seven Stars' Relic, which infuriated him.
This time, he absolutely would not allow anyone to ruin his plans again. Yuxian and the others had become an obstacle in his path, thorns in his flesh and eyesores to be removed.
Kikunojo Tendo sat quietly on his knees in the room. He had always lived alone. He had arranged for his son to be killed, all his grandsons held important positions, and his granddaughter regarded him as an enemy, leaving this home together with the adopted Rentaro.
This was the Tendo Style dojo, located in the very center of the Tokyo Area's urban district, in the most prime location imaginable. Yet he could only live here alone in solitude.
He had heard rumors of changes in the Outer District, but they were unimportant. In his eyes, those children were nothing more than monsters, insignificant.
Yuxian and the others, on the other hand, had to be dealt with. He would not allow uncontrollable people to exist.
Kikunojo Tendo used the power in his hands to send people to handle the matter. Now, he only needed to wait quietly for the results.
It was already very late at night.
The entire Tendo Style dojo was utterly silent, so quiet it was terrifying. Even the chirping of insects was barely audible.
Kikunojo Tendo sharply sensed that something was wrong with his surroundings. He did not move, but his entire mind became highly alert.
As the current head of the Tendo Style, he was extremely skilled, and his awareness of danger was equally sharp.
An eerie fog rose within the room, and the surrounding scenery began to change.
Kikunojo Tendo was not affected by these illusions. He sat there calmly and motionlessly, as though everything around him had nothing to do with him.
"Are you the one who wants to hurt Mommy?"
Jack's voice rang out from within the mist. After hearing Kikunojo Tendo's voice through the phone, she had found it somewhat familiar. Only after thinking for a long time did she remember hearing it on television before.
Kikunojo Tendo's residence was not difficult to locate, but Jack had still spent quite some time finding it.
Before you continue