Little Martial Uncle Jerry, Do You Think I Can Still Improve?

A yellow mouse that could perform acrobatics...?

Hearing her little sister's words, Gokō Ruri felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity for some reason.

It was as though she had heard of a similar existence somewhere before.

But she had no time to think carefully about where that familiarity came from. She hurried over to her two younger sisters and checked on them.

Tamaki seemed alright. She was still in her early childhood and had yet to form any clear concept of demons, monsters, ghosts, and such.

In her eyes, that little mouse even seemed rather cute. She was still wide-eyed, searching the room for where it had gone.

Gokō Hinata, on the other hand, had just turned ten and was at the age where she tended to let her imagination run wild. Perhaps because she had just discovered her sister's secret, she had already made up a whole pile of ghost stories in her little head and scared herself half to death.

The moment Gokō Ruri came over, the little girl could not help but burrow into her sister's arms and burst into tears.

As she cried, she kept saying that she did not want to die, nor did she want her sister to be taken away by demons and ghosts. Gokō Ruri did not even know how to comfort her anymore.

Just then, a small hand holding several tissues suddenly reached over from the side and gently patted Gokō Ruri, seemingly telling her to hurry up and wipe her sister's tears.

Gokō Ruri instinctively said thank you, then took the tissues from the outstretched little hand and began wiping her sister's tears.

But in the next instant, her body stiffened.

Wait, even Tamaki's hand was not this small, right?

She stiffly turned her head to the side and saw a brownish-yellow mouse smiling kindly and cheerfully waving at her.

Before Gokō Ruri, whose mind had instantly crashed under an overwhelming flood of information, could react, Takeda Misae, who had followed behind her, was the first to cry out.

"So it was you, little mouse, causing trouble! The moment I entered the living room, I felt that something was off. I didn't expect it really was you!"

"Little girl, hurry up and take your two sisters out of the living room. Leave this mouse that has turned into a monster to me!"

Gokō Ruri turned around and saw that the Shitamachi Godmother had somehow taken out a long staff again. She was also holding several things that looked like talismans, clearly preparing for a fierce battle with the mouse in her living room.

"W-Wait—" Seeing that the Shitamachi Godmother was about to make a huge scene, Gokō Ruri hurriedly stepped in front of her.

"I know this mouse. It isn't a monster!"

Because she was in such a hurry, her attempt to stop her was a little too forceful, and she nearly pushed the other woman over.

Caught off guard, Takeda Misae staggered several steps before barely steadying herself with the long staff in her hand.

Then, after hearing clearly what Gokō Ruri had just said, a shocked expression appeared on her face as well.

So after all that, you knew this guy? Then why didn't you say so sooner!?

She had gone to all this trouble, setting up a barrier and even digging out her most precious hidden tools, and now Gokō Ruri was telling her it was one of their own?

She looked at Gokō Ruri as if demanding an explanation.

And as Gokō Ruri looked at the little mouse still making provocative gestures on the table, seemingly eager to compete with the Shitamachi Godmother, her head began to ache.

After all the trouble she had gone through tonight, it turned out to be nothing more than a misunderstanding.

She had not realized it before, but the moment she saw Jerry, she remembered.

After all, You Know Who had mentioned Jerry in his Diary more than once. He had even specifically sent out Jerry's photo so that the holders of the Diaries would recognize him, and had told them in the Diary to bow to Jerry whenever they saw him.

Although that sounded like a joke, if they really wanted to be particular about it, this little mouse could indeed be considered their "little martial uncle."

Thinking of the line You Know Who had left in tonight's diary—"I left you some gifts"—so this gift was sending this mouse to her house!

Gokō Ruri nearly collapsed inside when she thought of that.

She rubbed her forehead, then looked helplessly at Jerry, who was still doing a little dance.

"You're... Jerry, right? I'm Black Cat. That guy sent you here, didn't he?"

Jerry whistled at Gokō Ruri, then nodded to indicate that she was right. He had come here to mooch meals for a few days.

Those lifelike movements and expressions immediately made little Tamaki's eyes sparkle.

"Big Sis, Big Sis, do you know this little mouse?"

Not only Tamaki—even Gokō Hinata could not help taking another look. Then the worldview she had only just begun rebuilding collapsed once more.

So her sister really was not an ordinary person after all!

Gokō Ruri sighed in distress. After finally sending her two younger sisters back to their own room, she returned to the living room and said to the Shitamachi Godmother, "Godmother, this mouse's situation is rather complicated. Kaguya knows about it too, so I'll explain it to her first."

She then took out her phone and reported everything that had happened here in the group chat, even taking a photo of Jerry.

This little guy was truly intelligent. When he saw her taking a picture, he even deliberately cooperated with the camera.

Very soon, Takeda Misae received a call from Shinomiya Kaguya.

For the moment, it was not important how Shinomiya Kaguya reassured her over the phone. In any case, the compensation was undoubtedly generous.

After taking the call, aside from looking rather strangely at the little mouse that had its ears perked up and was eavesdropping on her conversation, Takeda Misae did not say anything else.

Afterward, she did not even have a cup of tea before saying that she needed to return to the Shinomiya Family and report back to Lady Kaguya.

Throughout the entire process, she showed no other expression. She did not even mention the Magic Orbs and jade stones that Jerry had "picked up" earlier, as though she had already tacitly accepted that they had been given to him.

Only Gokō Ruri, who had caused such a huge misunderstanding, felt too embarrassed to let it go. She insisted on accompanying Takeda Misae to the nearby station, apologizing repeatedly along the way. Only after seeing her off did she return home dejectedly.

But the moment she got home, she saw that her little martial uncle had taken her two younger sisters back into the living room while she had been out.

Tamaki was now sitting there with sparkling eyes, feeding him orange slices one segment at a time.

Hinata, meanwhile, was respectfully posing as though worshipping him, apparently treating Jerry as some kind of deity.

As for Jerry, he leisurely enjoyed the service of her two sisters, comfortably lying on the table while eating fruit and watching television.

Chapter 88: Little Martial Uncle Jerry, Do You Think I Can Still Improve?

"You Know Who sent this mouse out?"

"But why did he send it to Black Cat's house first?"

After seeing the photos and videos Gokō Ruri had posted, this was what many Diary holders in the group chat found puzzling.

After all, based on what You Know Who had written in his diary, he had been traveling out of town these past few days and was already preparing to return to Tokyo.

"Although Chiba is indeed only half an hour from Tokyo by train, why did he dump Jerry at Black Cat's house instead of at the home of one of the girls who already lives in Tokyo? And how is You Know Who supposed to retrieve the mouse afterward?"

UMR was the first to offer her opinion.

"Why don't we find a way to install a miniature tracker on him while he isn't paying attention? Then, when You Know Who comes to pick him up, couldn't we follow the trail and find where he is?"

However, this idea was quickly rejected.

It was Yukinoshita, the one You Know Who had called half the nation.

"If You Know Who hadn't even prepared for something like that, how could he possibly have let Jerry out?"

"If you really did that, aren't you afraid he might have a special 'surprise' prepared specifically for those of you who follow the trail?"

Yukinoshita's words immediately discouraged many of the girls in the group.

The diary You Know Who had been writing these past few days had already brought plenty of people enormous "surprises."

For example, Shinomiya Kaguya. For example, Kasumigaoka Utaha.

If they investigated all the way to the end and uncovered a pile of their own "embarrassing history," they would truly be asking for trouble.

Still, some girls suggested that they could try directly getting information about You Know Who from Jerry.

After all, no matter what, he was only a mouse. Seeing how much he enjoyed himself in the video, perhaps if they took good care of him, he might switch from You Know Who's side to theirs.

Compared with the previous idea, this one seemed much more feasible.

What if this little mouse was not all that steadfast after all?

However, Gokō Ruri remained pessimistic about it.

Because in her eyes, Jerry was simply too clever.

"I feel like Jerry's personality might be fairly similar to You Know Who's. They're both the type with a somewhat twisted sense of humor. Even if you really get something out of him, it might be false information deliberately fabricated by him."

"So if any of you are interested in him, you can find some time to come to my house and try taking him away. My house is tiny, and it can't accommodate such a great deity." Gokō Ruri said this in the group chat, then looked at Jerry, who was teasing Tamaki on the table, and could not help sighing.

Normally, it was nearly time for both her sisters to sleep. As long as she said a word, they would obediently go to bed.

But Jerry was still watching television without any intention of resting. After hesitating for a long while, she finally carefully asked Jerry on the table.

"Um... Little Martial Uncle, it's getting late, and Tamaki and Hinata are about due for bed. How about I send them to sleep first, then come back and continue watching television with you?"

Hearing that, Jerry glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was ten thirty at night.

At Miyauchi Hiyage's place, the king of staying up late, ten thirty was only the beginning of nightlife.

But Jerry was a guest now, so he naturally had to follow local customs.

Children really should go to bed early.

With that thought, Jerry stood up from the table and gently patted Tamaki's little head.

Then he used his body language to tell her that she needed to get plenty of rest, and that she could come play with him after she woke up.

However, Tamaki, who had encountered a magical mouse like Jerry for the first time in her life, was clearly still especially awake and did not feel sleepy in the slightest.

But that sort of thing could not stump Jerry.

Seeing that Tamaki still wanted to keep playing with him, Jerry rubbed his round chin with his hand and remembered that Ripple Breathing seemed to have a method for making people fall asleep quickly.

The next moment, a flickering blue electric arc appeared in his hand.

Gokō Hinata's eyes immediately widened.

That was it!

The electric arc she had seen coming from her sister's hand that night was exactly this, except it had not been this color, nor had it looked as natural and beautiful as what this little mouse displayed.

Then, in the next instant, she watched Jerry gently place his hand, glowing with electric arcs, on Tamaki's little hand.

In barely over ten seconds, Tamaki began yawning unconsciously, then quietly fell asleep against the side of the table.

Gokō Hinata stared at everything in shock, then hurriedly turned to her sister, seemingly asking whether her sister could do that too.

Gokō Ruri felt rather embarrassed.

Of course she knew that technique. During their first gathering, You Know Who had taught it to them.

Anyone who had already begun learning Ripple Chi Kung could master that little trick with a single Reading Point.

However, although she had learned it, she was nowhere near Jerry's level of proficiency.

If she did it, it might take three, four, or even five minutes to achieve what Jerry had done in a little over ten seconds.

At that moment, she deeply understood what You Know Who had meant in his Diary when he said, "Jerry's research into Ripple is progressing quickly."

Jerry had only arrived in this world a few days ago, and unlike the girls, he did not have Reading Points to assist him. Yet his understanding and application of Ripple Breathing had clearly already completely surpassed theirs.

A mouse from another world had such terrifying talent!

Gokō Ruri could not help feeling stirred inside.

As a longtime chuunibyou sufferer, although she felt her condition was probably not as serious as the Evil Eye in the group chat, her fascination with special powers like Ripple Breathing and Spiritual Power ranked among the highest of all the girls who had received diaries.

Unfortunately, her talent in this regard was truly hard to praise.

She did not know why You Know Who had sent Jerry to her house. She had even just told the group chat to have someone else come and try taking Jerry away.

But thinking about it now, wouldn't it be nice if Jerry stayed at her house?

How much could a little mouse possibly eat? Her family was somewhat poor, but it was not as though one extra mouth would bankrupt them.

She could completely use this time to find a way to learn more Ripple Breathing techniques from Jerry!

Unlike the girls in the group chat whose mentality was constantly messed with by You Know Who, she did not care that much about his identity.

Even though he had posted a pile of character illustrations of her in the diary that looked somewhat embarrassing, she had only blushed a little and did not think they counted as any kind of embarrassing history.

She had even secretly begun buying materials to make a God Cat Mode outfit.

Therefore, all she wanted now was to quickly send her two younger sisters back to their room, then properly build a relationship with her little martial uncle.