After the sun came out, the other recovering Evil Demons, who had been charred black, also screamed as they turned into bubbles and vanished.
After hearing the system's reply, Senju Kyogawa sighed. Evil Demons followed their instincts and ate people, but before they died, they recalled all their memories from when they were alive, and reincarnated with regret and hope.
Perhaps the Evil Demons had originally been ordinary people who lived honest lives, but some sudden disaster had turned them into monsters. They lost their memories and hurt others by instinct. Wasn't that a tragedy in its own way?
While Senju Kyogawa was still lost in thought, the boy with short, unruly black hair suddenly walked up to him and said, "Thank you."
Senju Kyogawa looked up and saw that the boy had fair skin, delicate features, and beautiful black eyes. He could tell the boy would grow up to be a great beauty.
Senju Kyogawa's weakness for good-looking people kicked in. He smiled and replied flirtatiously, "No need to thank me. It was the least I could do. How could I just stand by and watch a monster's tongue 'take liberties' with a beauty?"
Hearing that, the boy's face—which had been pale from fighting for so long—flushed slightly with anger. He opened his mouth, but since Senju Kyogawa had just saved him, he couldn't bring himself to curse at him.
The boy simply turned around, intending to part ways with Senju Kyogawa then and there.
Senju Kyogawa had only just escaped the time-space rift and found a living person. How could he let the boy leave so easily? His Cuddle Points had been stuck at -200 for ages!
That's right, "-200." Ever since Senju Kyogawa had made a contract with Ugly Monster, Ugly Monster could no longer provide him with Cuddle Points. When Senju Kyogawa asked the system why, it only replied, [After the contract is signed, Ugly Monster is considered part of Senju Kyogawa's body. "Oneself" cannot contribute Cuddle Points to "oneself."]
Senju Kyogawa was speechless, but there was nothing he could do about the system's rules, so he had to accept it.
Now that he had finally escaped the time-space rift and encountered someone alive, how could Senju Kyogawa pass up this wonderful chance to earn some Cuddle Points?
"Hey! Wait up, brother! It's dangerous here, and we're both alone. Why don't we team up? It'll be easier to deal with those monsters together." Senju Kyogawa hurried after the boy.
The boy thought for a moment. He remembered how Senju Kyogawa had split the long-tongued Evil Demon in two with a single slash. Even though Senju Kyogawa looked only four or five years old, the boy didn't dare underestimate his strength.
Besides, he really was alone, and this little town full of monsters was dangerous. If he got surrounded again like he had today, it would be hard to handle by himself. So the boy accepted Senju Kyogawa's invitation.
Senju Kyogawa smiled with satisfaction. He knew no one could resist his charm!
"My name's Jingchuan. What's yours?" Senju Kyogawa asked.
"Madara," Madara answered curtly.
In this chaotic era, it was common for ninja to withhold their surnames from strangers. Neither of them seemed interested in asking about the other's surname.
"Madara, you've got quite a few wounds. They'll make it harder to keep going, and the smell of blood might attract monsters. How about I treat you?" Senju Kyogawa asked with a beaming smile.
He was sure Madara wouldn't refuse. Who wanted to go around injured while having to watch out for whatever danger might come next?
Madara didn't refuse, but he gave Senju Kyogawa a doubtful look, clearly questioning his abilities.
Senju Kyogawa's smile stiffened. He held Madara's arm with one hand and placed the other over his wound, using Healing Jutsu. A soft green light appeared, and Madara felt a faint warmth and itchiness in the stinging wound. Then it healed.
The whole process didn't even last a second.
Madara's eyes widened in shock. Now he believed that Senju Kyogawa knew Medical Ninjutsu—and was very good at it.
Senju Kyogawa was shocked too, because...
As soon as his hand touched Madara, the system chimed: [Cuddle Points +7]!
This was the first time Senju Kyogawa had gained "7" Cuddle Points just by touching someone.
Senju Kyogawa was shocked. Senju Kyogawa was confused. Senju Kyogawa suddenly understood!
Could Madara be the manga's protagonist? But the system had said earlier that he'd already met the protagonist...
Leaving aside the two people who were shocked for different reasons, once the sun appeared and its light reached every corner of the little town, many of the monsters wandering around disappeared as they were scorched by the sunlight.
Their disappearance was a huge help to Senju Chenghe, who had been fighting hard.
Senju Chenghe, who hadn't eaten in a day and a night and had survived on Military Ration Pills alone, nearly cried when sunlight spilled down.
At the time, he was locked in a standoff with several monsters and was nearly bitten when his strength gave out. Fortunately, the sunlight came down just then, and he escaped their jaws.
Hungry, thirsty, and exhausted, Senju Chenghe wanted nothing more than to find somewhere to rest and bandage his wounds. Once he'd recovered, he could look for the missing Senju Kyogawa.
On his way to avoid monsters and search for Senju Kyogawa, Senju Chenghe had already seen plenty of food. But he hadn't dared touch any of it, afraid that if he ate the unknown "poison food"—which might be a source of the monsters' infection—he would become one of them.
After resting, Senju Chenghe cautiously walked into the yard of a house. He was about to draw some water from the well to quench his thirst when he heard a noise inside the house behind him.
Thinking another monster had come, Senju Chenghe reflexively threw a kunai.
With a clang, the two kunai collided and fell to the ground.
Senju Chenghe spun around quickly and took a defensive stance, only to find...
"Hey! Brother Chenghe! It's you!" Senju Kyogawa cried, hurrying over to him and looking him up and down.
In the few hours they'd been apart, Senju Chenghe had become a complete mess. His hair was a tangled mess, blood streaks and dust covered his face, and he had injuries all over. His clothes were nearly in tatters.
As soon as Senju Chenghe realized it was Jingchuan, he grabbed him in a tight hug and choked out,
"Jingchuan! It's really you! Thank goodness you're all right! Ever since that 'wall' pulled you in, I've been worried sick! Waaaah..."
Senju Kyogawa hadn't expected a grown man like Senju Chenghe to cry over him. His feelings churned, and he couldn't help being moved.
He shouldn't have done that! He hadn't even considered how dangerous it would be for Senju Chenghe to be left there alone.
Senju Kyogawa had assumed everything would be safe once the sun came out. He hadn't imagined the weather in the Land of Lightning could be so unpredictable.
Madara watched the two, one big and one small, hugging and crying together, and couldn't help rubbing his forehead in exasperation.
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