Suddenly, I reverted to my former arrogant self.
No, it's even worse!
Upon seeing Qiji, he let out a cold snort.
Then, he raised his chin and looked Saki Qiji up and down with disdain.
After finishing, he arrogantly dropped a sentence—
"On the day of the Academy Grand Tournament, you'd better pray that you don't lose too badly to me."
I'm incredibly strong right now!
Moreover, it will become stronger every week!
"???"
Even Qiji was dumbfounded.
If I remember correctly, wasn't this person just recently beaten up by himself until he cried uncontrollably?
It's only been a few days, and they're already acting up again?
The wind stopped and the rain cleared; did she feel confident again?
Qiji completely bewildered.
I really want to ask her, where does your confidence come from?
Me?
Upon further reflection, Qiji realized that it really might be him.
He in the Sea of Consciousness...
That's alright then.
In any case, Qiji does indeed need to become Suyo.
After all, only a sufficiently strong opponent is worthy of being used to highlight him.
When the time comes for the awakening Echo, and the powerful blows are delivered, it won't seem like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
After lunch.
Huomu, Liuli, Setsuna, and Bai Lili, the four little ones, gathered once again on the Qiji rooftop.
For a moment, Qiji was even a little puzzled. When did his sleeping place become their common room?
Is this... okay?
The group gathered together, discussing where they should go during the holiday.
In Setsuna, they eagerly raised their hands to propose:
"Let's go to Cloud Harbor Beach! I've been working part-time at a travel agency these past few days, and they've launched an amazing activity!"
Go to that beach, admission is free, and they even include one night's food and lodging!
Upon hearing this, Qiji was about to say that he had plans for the next few days and it wouldn't be convenient for him.
But when he heard the word "beach," he suddenly paused.
An idea uncontrollably surfaced—
Etc!
Could this be...?
The legendary "swimsuit comeback," right?!
It seems he has no choice but to go.
After all, in anime series, swimsuit episodes often have a significant amount of screen time, sometimes even spanning multiple episodes!
It's full of interactive shots and potential plot foreshadowing.
As the saying goes, wherever there's a camera lens, there's Qiji!
Upon hearing Setsuna's suggestion, Liuli, Huomu, and Bai Lili thought about it and all nodded in agreement.
Then, all four of them turned their attention to Qiji.
Undoubtedly, everyone was waiting for him, the absolute core of the team, to make the final decision.
Qiji nodded. "I have no objection."
Upon hearing this, everyone cheered with relief and began excitedly discussing their beach trip the next day.
City of Kindling.
Echo Association.
Special Affairs Office.
Is everything arranged?
Zhuyin looked up from the mountain of documents, rubbed his temples, and looked at his subordinate.
"The arrangements are all set, sir. The common people are incredibly enthusiastic about the free trip; the number of sign-ups far exceeds expectations."
Where is that guy?
"He's already on vacation and won't be back for over a month. Our people will make sure he has a great time."
"Well done," Zhuyin praised, then buried his head back in his desk.
The subordinate remained silent for a moment, seemingly hesitant, before finally speaking in a low voice:
"My lord, the director of the Civil Welfare Institute publicly accused you of being... a devil at the internal meeting this morning. Should we... warn her?"
Upon hearing Zhuyin, Zhuyin did not look up, and said calmly, "She's right."
"Can..."
As if guessing what his subordinate was about to say, Zhuyin interrupted him:
"Someone always has to play the devil."
Letting kind-hearted people make the decisions will only lead to more casualties.
Therefore, I will carry out the instructions.
I will bear all the consequences myself.
"But sir, I'm afraid that..." The subordinate's voice was full of worry.
Zhuyin guessed what his subordinate meant, but smiled dismissively:
"Are you afraid that if things are exposed, they will kill me to appease public anger?"
Putting aside the fact that the World Purification Society and Deep Blue City will take the blame for this, we'll have to deal with it.
Even if the plan is exposed, what does it matter if I give my life to them, as long as the plan succeeds?
Since I can, for the sake of the City of Kindling, issue an order that could cause the deaths of thousands upon thousands of potentially innocent civilians...
Then what is it about myself that I cannot die?
Rather, my own death was part of my plan.
So you don't need to worry too much about me.
"Yes..."
The subordinate's Adam's apple bobbed, but he ultimately just bowed deeply and left the office.
It was late at night when I finished processing the last document.
Zhuyin stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the brightly lit, seemingly prosperous City of Kindling.
In recent months, the rifts near the City of Kindling have been erupting more and more frequently, and there have been unusual occurrences where high-level Void Beast have emerged from low-level rifts.
This is precisely a sign that "Consciousness Pollution" is accumulating and intensifying among the lower classes.
The Echo Association's usual approach is to continuously send more people to clear the rifts and kill the Void Beast, but this is only a temporary solution.
Moreover, it wasted a great deal of valuable human and material resources, which further weakened the forces that could actually be deployed to the front lines.
He had a better plan—
Amputation.
The main sources of "Consciousness Pollution":
The vast majority of civilians, who are unaware and unable to purify Echo from their own pollution, are "cleaned out" and then "controlled."
Therefore, the overall level of Consciousness Pollution can be effectively alleviated quickly, and the abnormal outbreaks of fissures will also decrease.
Only by making drastic sacrifices can the City of Kindling have a true future!
If no one dares to be the villain, then he shall be the villain.
Zhuyin closed his eyes, the lamplight outside the window casting flickering shadows on his face.
He was certain he was ready, prepared to bear everything for the City of Kindling.
the next day.
When Qiji and his group arrived at the beach, they were immediately shocked by the huge crowd of people before them.
"W-why are there so many people?!" Huomu was dumbfounded.
"Because it's free..." Setsuna learning more details, she whispered to everyone, "Furthermore, with your ticket, you can also get a box of eggs and participate in a lucky draw after the event."
"No wonder." Liuli said, casually stuffing her ticket into Qiji's hand.
"Then, does that mean I don't need to change into my swimsuit?" Bai Lili's focus was on this matter.
The girl often felt inferior and troubled because her chest size was different from other girls.
So she really doesn't want to wear a swimsuit or anything like that...
As for Qiji and Huomu, they both looked at Setsuna and said in unison:
Where can I get the eggs? Where can I participate in the prize draw?
Setsuna was prepared for this, and upon hearing this, she pulled out an activity guide from her small bag and handed it to the two of them:
"Look, it's written here."
But not today. I have to stay here all day. I can only go to the service desk tomorrow night to collect my ticket and participate in the lucky draw.
"Tomorrow, okay..." Huomu scratched his head, looking at the crowded beach.
"But with so many people, how are we supposed to have fun? There won't even be enough room!"
Setsuna a moment, she felt a little embarrassed, after all, this was the place she had suggested, but it had turned out like this.
Bai Lili to the side, suddenly raised her little hand, her eyes lighting up:
"How about we go to the amusement park? My house is in the nearby commercial area, and it seems like there are several!"
"Is it free?" Huomu immediately grasped the crux of the question.
"I guess...?" Bai Liuli tilted her head, unsure. "Anyway, I've never seen them take money."
"That's great! Let's go!"
An indoor amusement park means air conditioning, games, and no need to be exposed to the sun or squeezed into a sardine can!
The others naturally had no objections.
Thus, what Qiji had envisioned as a swimsuit shoot was aborted before it even began, turning into an indoor amusement park trip.
He didn't even have a chance to show off his perfect eight-pack abs.
What a pity, what a pity.
The amusement park is enormous and decorated like a dream castle.