He asked Orochimaru nothing, nor did he wait for Orochimaru to say anything more.
Shinji turned around. "Aunt Mikoto, I'm heading out!"
The girlish expression on Mikoto's face instantly vanished, replaced by worry. "Be careful..."
"Don't worry!"
As his words fell, Shinji vanished on the spot.
A long while later,
Mikoto let out a quiet sigh.
"Come on out."
With a stiff expression and even stiffer legs, Mei Terumi descended the stairs, looking utterly embarrassed.
Shigetsu and Shusui followed behind her...
Mikoto rose, approached her, and warmly took Mei Terumi's hand. "Sorry, I couldn't get him to say it, but he did say 'water' at the end!"
Mei Terumi's mouth twitched. "...Th-thank you, Aunt Mikoto."
"You're welcome!" Mikoto smiled. "I just keep wondering when I'll get to see you two start a family and have a couple of babies. I know Shinji's busy, and so are you, but I can stay home and help look after your children!"
Mei Terumi's eyes trembled in shock as she stared at Mikoto's utterly earnest expression. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.
W-was it really this terrifying?
Was this what being pressured to get married felt like?!
"..."
Land of Rice Fields.
Orochimaru and Hiruko stood inside an enormous laboratory, with a massive nutrient tank at its center.
Inside the glass enclosure, nutrient fluid bubbled around a man with sharp brows and striking eyes. His black hair floated around him, and his brows were tightly furrowed.
His face was full of pain.
A tube was connected to his mouth, and no fewer than thirty or forty tubes and wires from various instruments were attached all over his body.
"How did it go? What did Lord Shinji say?!" Hiruko was drenched in sweat, his eyes filled with terror as he stared fixedly at the