Little Town Boy (1)

Illinois, on the outskirts of Chicago, Cassell University.

In the conference hall of Norton Hall, the summer debate jointly organized by the college's two major student organizations was halfway through.

The relationship between Cassell College's two major organizations might not have been one of fire and water, irreconcilable enemies, but they were at least as incompatible as ice and charcoal, and neither side could stand the sight of the other. After all, only one side could sit atop the throne of Cassell's number one organization, so naturally they competed fiercely every day in the name of civilized rivalry.

Showing up at someone's door for a debate match was already a very polite way to settle things. In previous years, this would not even have counted as a warm-up; at most, it was the "courtesy" before "force." If a single spark flew during a debate, everyone might pull out knives and guns and slap them onto the table for further discussion.

But something went wrong today. The originally tense atmosphere between the two groups had been eased by an unexpected incident, and Student Union members and Lionheart Club members stared at one another.

"Hey, hey, girl, what happened? What did they do last night? Settle things with a duel?"

Nono winked suggestively at Susie. Under the table, she slipped off her combat boot and mischievously reached her toes toward the other girl's long white-stockinged leg beneath her ice-blue plaid skirt, rubbing against it with nimble little circles.

Unlike the Student Union and Lionheart Club members who had come properly dressed for the debate, Miss Chen rested her cheek on one hand, making no effort to hide her laziness. The tips of her red hair curled around her forefinger, and she was still chewing cherry-flavored licorice candy.

Her outfit was completely out of place among the others and matched neither side's style. She wore red-and-white casual clothes and a baseball cap, with silver four-leaf-clover earrings dangling from her ears. She looked as calm and relaxed as if she had come out to admire flowers on a picnic.

People who did not know her might have gasped at her distinctive style and thought, "A red-haired witch really is a red-haired witch. She has such presence." Those who knew her understood that the witch had probably forgotten to set an alarm this morning and overslept. By the time she remembered there was a debate challenge today, it was too late to put on formal attire.

"I don't know, and even if I did, I couldn't tell you." Susie gave the ever-bolder girl a cool look. "The debate isn't over. We're opponents right now. It's too early for whispering."

"Fine, fine, little miss... Miss Susie, tonight I've decided to launch a lightning raid on your bed and observe the terrifyingly serious Lionheart Club vice president up close. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll win every battle." Nono declared war in the dark with an equally solemn expression, while her foot kept moving. "Surrender now, and I'll be lenient with you."

"When have you ever not climbed onto my bed at night and rolled around in the blankets..." Susie lowered her head helplessly and returned to reading the debate materials.

The two of them had been lavishly praised by the News Department more than once as Cassell's model roommates and best friends of the year. At least one of them—the witch—felt she deserved the honor without question.

"Both leaders have been taken out, Susie. You're too serious and too adorable. You don't need to hold up the Lionheart Club's image now."

Nono played with her wine-red hair, her fingertips seeming to flow through fiery light. Then she lowered her eyes, apparently lost in thought.

"This is the first time in history that the Student Union president and Lionheart Club president have fallen asleep while facing off," someone whispered in the hall.

"Yeah, it's the first time I've seen the president sleep so soundly. I used to think he didn't sleep at all, or that he could kill people in his sleep like that Eastern Emperor Wu."

"The president isn't an alien. Of course he sleeps... Your absurd Byron-style remark is as incomprehensible as saying, 'She's a goddess, so she doesn't use the bathroom.'"

"Byron-style usually refers to romantic rebels like Childe Harold in Childe Harold's Pilgrimage or Don Juan in Don Juan. Your description isn't very fitting. The president is more like one of Melville's solitary wanderers."

As Chu Zihang slept, he even seemed somewhat fragile. His short hair was black and neat. His hands were long and elegant, as though made solely to play an instrument. He looked like the boy next door from high school, entirely lacking the icy pressure and Executive Department chill he carried when awake.

Susie, clutching the papers, turned her head now and then. Quite a few people were doing the same.

Beneath that heavy armor was a big boy next door. Many Lionheart Club newcomers were realizing this for the first time. Since entering the college, they had grown up listening to the epic tales of the "Super A-Rank." To them, this was simply... unbelievable.

This year's Student Union leader, Caesar, sat with his eyes closed on a sofa before a brick fireplace. His breathing was faint. The flames in the fireplace burned brightly, casting red and yellow light as shadows rushed across the marble floor tiles.

Every Student Union member knew this was his favorite position for "commanding from the rear." Yet now he was unconscious, occasionally frowning without awareness. The hunting knife Dictator lay slanted across the sofa, while the Gattuso Family's phoenix crest hung from the dome directly above Caesar and the blade.

Tokyo. Genji Heavy Industries stood amid the drizzling night rain, the most majestic steel giant in the neon jungle.

"Young Master, are you awake? The surgery was a success. You're already the Genji Family's number one young lady in Tokyo, a genuine rose of the main family."

"Cut it out. Don't make jokes like that about the Young Master while he's unconscious."

"Was that a joke, Yaksha? That was the voice of my heart! If the Young Master were a tall, cool-faced JK young lady with an overwhelming sense of justice, could you keep yourself under control? I definitely couldn't. I'd kneel down and become her Shiba Inu... If it really happened, I'd even go find Principal Angers and duel him with blades!"

"Hiss, I couldn't keep myself under control either. Draw your blade, Crow."

"Just what I was thinking. A beauty belongs only to the strong. The dog tag for the Young Master's number one Shiba Inu warrior will be mine."

"You two... I'm already awake."

The first thing Gen Chisei saw upon waking was the clock and hourglass on the desk. Then he saw Crow and Yaksha's rather comical expressions, with Sakura standing behind them, looking deeply concerned and hesitant to speak.

It felt like he had had a very long dream...

Yet he could not remember a single detail from it.

The Amaterasu of the Snake-Branch Eight Families pressed a hand to his forehead at his desk, then braced himself against it and rose. The iron-framed windows of the office reflected Tokyo's blurred rainy scenery. From his angle, the entire city seemed to be shrouded inside an hourglass filled upside down with rainwater.

His mind felt unexpectedly clear after the deep sleep. Ever since taking on the family's heavy burden, he had rarely dreamed. Certain memories did not make for pleasant dreams, and he was happy to devote more of his time to overtime work instead.

"Did I suddenly fall asleep in my office while processing documents?" Gen Chisei found it strange, but he did not dwell on it or mention it.

"Have you figured out the Akagumi situation? Has there been any progress on Manjiki's drug supply in Kamakura?" He cast aside the distracting thoughts.

"Uh... not for now. Patriarch Longma believes the intelligence about Manjiki's activities in Kamakura is a smokescreen. Trading in a place like Tsurugaoka Hachimangu would be too stupid, too unbelievable. But just in case, the Fuma Family has sent people to verify the résumés of the priests there."

"What about their other hideouts in Kanagawa? Could Kamakura simply be a stop along the way... for example, Sagami Bay, with all its ports?"

"Young Master, you're wise. We can't rule that out. Those bastards do enjoy playing cat and mouse."

Crow scratched his head as though he had remembered something.

"There's one more thing, Young Master. I'm not sure whether I should bring it up."

It felt like a minor matter, but it also felt as though it could be a loophole.

He was Gen Chisei's retainer and fancied himself an adviser. Since he knew of certain issues, he could not simply leave them unmentioned.

"If it should be said, say it. If it shouldn't, don't. If you don't want to say it, go do your job."

"It's about the young lady."

"Speak."

Only after receiving permission did Crow finally speak with a strange expression.

"Last week, something went missing from the young lady's room. Those nurses couldn't find it and were getting a little scared. After all, it's confidential and heavily secured. Outsiders can't get involved."

Gen Chisei froze for a moment, and his eyes sharpened at once. "What was missing? One of her toys, or... a blood sample?"

"It seemed... it seemed to be one of the young lady's little yellow ducks."

"Lu! Ming! Fei!"

"I had Chen Wenwen notify you yesterday. Not only did you refuse to repent, you skipped class too. You didn't show up for the entire day."

"Are you made of a scale weight? Look at that attitude of yours."

"I saw your grades improving a little these past few months and thought you had finally developed some sense of honor... Bring in your guardian!"

"Yes, yes, right, right, mm-hmm, okay, Teacher, don't worry, Teacher. Definitely next time. I'll handle it when I get home."

Slowly making his way out of the teachers' office, Lu Mingfei tipped back his head and yawned in the early morning, carrying a half-finished cup of soy milk in his hand.

He strolled through the school corridor, deliberately putting on a lazy appearance so he would not feel quite so worried inside.

Far more terrifying things than a teacher's reprimand had happened in his dreams, so he did not take his math teacher's words too seriously.

Besides, he had the personality of an ostrich and skin as thick as a city wall. The reason he was worried was that he had encountered the greatest real-world crisis of his life—he was out of money.

When he had been kicked out of the house, he had not taken the four hundred yuan he had saved under his bed. He only had seventy yuan left in his pocket. Even if he made do by sleeping at an internet café, a night would cost at least twenty. Add three meals a day, and in two days he would be out on the streets.

If he did not find a way to make money soon, he would have to dig through trash cans just to find something hot to eat.

Wasn't that too miserable?

Lu Mingfei subconsciously pinched his own face. He could feel the power in his blood, as though it might turn into swords and blades at any moment. His Golden Eyes stirred with the urge to ignite, but his reason restrained them in time.

The increase in his bloodline within the dream had affected reality as well. But in reality, it had originally seemed as though some kind of lock had been placed on him, leaving him nowhere near as overpowered as he was in the dream. The only obvious changes were that his appearance had become more refined, his grades had improved somewhat, and his body had barely surpassed the limits of ordinary humans.

The Word Spirit: Blood Sickle he had played so many tricks with in the dream could not even be cast in reality.

But ever since the Genji Heavy Industries instance had "ended perfectly" yesterday, he could clearly feel that his real self had undergone a transformation—a world-shaking transformation. Today, he... truly possessed all the strength of that S-Rank Mixed-Blood from the dream.

He could even bring game items into reality.

He had no idea how that worked.

Pure idealism?

As long as he achieved what his dream self considered a perfect ending, as long as his thoughts were unblocked, could he maintain the same strength in reality that he possessed in the dream?

Or had some completely unknown change occurred in this world?

Logically, with this kind of strength, he should not have needed to worry about money anymore. But if he exposed himself in the real world, he might attract the violent organizations Gen Chisei and Chu Zihang had mentioned. If a conflict broke out, he might not be able to restrain that restless... brutality in his heart.

He did not know when it had begun. Perhaps the dreams had prolonged his adolescent delusions, but whenever the pressure became too great, he often felt the urge to think, End it. End my life.

This was different from taking the lives of Deadpools. That devilish thought left him melancholy and afraid, terrified that he might commit an irreversible mistake.

Rather than fearing being targeted by violent organizations, he was more afraid of himself when he had nowhere left to go.

He possessed immense power, yet imposed restrictions on himself in everything he did, forever hesitating and looking back. Lu Mingfei, you really are a bottle of orange soda... The boy gave a self-mocking snort, picked up the plastic trash from the ground, and tossed it accurately into the trash can.

A beautiful three-pointer.

What should he do?

He did not know. He did not want to think about it, yet he had no choice but to think.

So the more Lu Mingfei thought, the more depressed he became.

Just as he was considering which trash cans had the best cost-performance ratio, a strange low murmur from the equipment room as he passed made his ears twitch.

The voices had been deliberately lowered, and he could not hear them clearly.

Word Spirit: Blood Sickle.

A silent breeze stirred. In a non-enclosed space, its hearing enhancement was not as effective as the lower-ranked Word Spirit Kamaitachi, which had no offensive capability, but it was not far behind either. If he did not seek destructive power, then even the slightest movement of wind or grass within range could not escape him.

"The S-Rank target has long shown suspected signs of bloodline awakening. Aren't we monitoring him from a little too close?"

"It's not that scary. I've been watching him for eight and a half years. I got married, had children, taught students, and played mahjong every day. Life has been completely peaceful... He merely has the tendency; he hasn't truly awakened. That was the school's judgment two months ago, the principal's judgment. When a sharp sword leaves its sheath, its presence would never be limited to this."

"Mm. It's normal for an unawakened S-Rank to have somewhat better physical abilities. An S-Rank is still an S-Rank. At present, he's showing at most a level slightly above C-Rank."

"So what if he notices our movements? His bloodline may be as exceptional as the confidential files say, but he just came of age and has received no elite education... He'll be easy to fool. If enough time passes and he finds no new clues, he'll think the old ones were just illusions."

"Working as faculty at this school is frustrating enough. Stay too long, and it feels like your body and brain are degrading... Do you think he still likes that girl named Chen Wenwen?"

"No. I'll bet ten bottles of Nutrition Express that aside from liking to sleep in class, the S-Rank has lived this year like an ascetic monk at Voronezh Monastery—pure and free of desire. His chastity is beyond reproach."

"Hey, why are you betting Nutrition Express again?"

"If the S-Rank likes drinking it so much, there must be a reason. Nutrition Express mixed with Finlandia Vodka really packs a punch."

"I'm in. Two pieces of Original Recipe Chicken."

The massive amount of information hit him, and Lu Mingfei's face stiffened.

Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit...