Meeting Barus Again

The staff at I-Island seemed to take the shipwreck very seriously, arranging for the victims to stay in a five-star hotel located on the bustling thoroughfare of the hotel building, close to several exhibition halls.

After Jilan and the others confirmed the identities of the victims through facial recognition, the hotel receptionist kindly told them that their expenses at the hotel would be waived during the few days that I-Island was open to the public, and because they had three invitations, they were given three adjacent rooms by default for the six of them.

"We still need to share a room," Jilan said, holding the room key and calmly addressing Ibara Shiozaki. On the ship, it was manageable; she could explain that they had no choice but to share a room. But here, there were no room restrictions. Besides, countless classmates would be coming tomorrow for the expo opening, and knowing she was sharing a room with Ibara Shiozaki would only lead to more misunderstandings.

"Shiozaki, I'll go get another room. Here, take this room key." Jilan made up her mind and handed the room key to Ibara Shiozaki.

However, Jilan's arm was grabbed by Ibara Shiozaki as it reached into the air.

"I don't mind," she said.

"You don't mind, but I do!" Jilan said speechlessly, "I can still afford the room fee, there's no need for you to save money for me."

At that moment, Tsukimi Machi tugged at Ibara Shiozaki's sleeve and whispered, "Shiozaki- kun, why don't you sleep in the same room as the two of us? Ueno share a bed."

Although Komachi and Ueno are high school students, their height is like that of elementary school girls who haven't fully developed. The two of them sleeping in one bed is not only not crowded, but also very spacious.

Is this alright? Jilan looked at Ueno with a questioning gaze, but she had not yet expressed her opinion.

Ueno crossed her arms and irritably pointed to her tiptoes. "Whatever happens, happens. I don't mind sharing a bed with Komachi, and it's perfect that this quiet girl can move around right under my nose. You agree, right, Vines Woman?"

Ibara Shiozaki glanced at Jilan, his eyes looking somewhat forlorn, but he still nodded.

Nakiri handed the luggage and room key to Hisako, then turned to Shiozaki with a smile and said, "It's perfect that Shiozaki- kun shares a room with you two little ones. It saves me from having to worry about that shorty Ueno. I'll leave the two of them to you."

Komachi didn't say anything, but Ueno yelled angrily, "Hey, I'm an upperclassman! How dare you let a first-year student boss me around? What do you take us for?!"

"Shh, don't shout here, it'll just make you look like a little girl throwing a tantrum." Surprisingly, Nakiri didn't seem to have any intention of arguing with Ueno. She shut Ueno with a single sentence and smiled at Jilan, saying, "Jilan- kun, you guys go and rest. I have something to do, so I won't be going up. If you need anything from me, you can ask Hisako; she'll contact me."

Looking at the briefcase in Nakiri's hand, Jilan immediately understood that she was probably looking for a place to put Little Red Riding Hood.

Jilan nodded silently, Kaminari suddenly said, "Nakiri- senpai, Kaminari still wants to see Little Red Riding Hood again. I think you should grant his wish, right?"

Nakiri Jilan a meaningful look, then smiled and nodded, "Of course."

Erina Nakiri left in a hurry, while Jilan, Ueno, and the others took the elevator to their resting room.

The rooms were on the fourth floor of the hotel. Jilan's was 403, Ueno and her two friends' was 404, Hisako and Nakiri's was 405.

Naturally, Jilan pressed the elevator button numbered four. When the elevator reached the third floor, it stopped. Two young women stood at the elevator entrance. When they saw Jilan in the elevator, their eyes lit up. They smiled and nodded at Jilan before entering the elevator.

Jilan stood next to the elevator control panel. He subconsciously glanced at the two people's palms and, seeing that they had applied several layers of makeup, he looked away in disappointment, no longer paying attention to them.

Just as he saw the two people walk in and about to press the close button on the elevator, a burly figure walked past the elevator and straight down the corridor. Jilan's heart skipped a beat, and his finger pressed the button to open the elevator.

"New character, you take them to the bedroom, I'll be back in a bit," Jilan said in an unyielding tone.

"Hey, who's the new character?!" Jilan ignored Hisako Arato's angry shouts and rushed out of the stairwell.

"Should we still wait for that boy?" one of the women asked somewhat awkwardly.

"Honestly, at least call me by my name properly," Hisako Arato thought to herself, turning to the woman who had spoken and nodding, "Ignore him, please close the door."

The burly man in front of Jilan took long strides and reached the corner of the corridor in just a few steps.

Jilan called out to the man, "Captain Barus, please wait!"

The man stopped and turned to look at Jilan, who had been chasing after him. His tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he smiled with delight, "Blonde boy, what a coincidence to see you here!"

As he spoke, he took the initiative to step forward and give Jilan a big hug.

Jilan's breath hitched for a moment. After Barus put her down, she forced a smile, "Captain Barus, what a coincidence, you're staying at this hotel too."

"Captain? Don't call me captain anymore, my ship's gone. Just call me Uncle." Barus chuckled self-deprecatingly, then quickly perked up and put his arm around Jilan's shoulder, laughing heartily, "Boy, you've come at the right time! Let's go to the bar up ahead and get something to drink!"

"It's only eight or nine in the morning, isn't it? Doesn't your stomach hurt from drinking so early in the morning?" Jilan replied, somewhat speechless.

Japan once had a law prohibiting minors from drinking alcohol, but in today's Quirk society, some Quirk inevitably require alcohol to express. Therefore, in order not to hinder social development, the government has now abolished this rule, and using minors to avoid drinking is no longer an option.

"Haha, you're right. Then have breakfast with me!"

Seeing that Barus was very determined, Jilan had no choice but to nod. If he wanted to ask questions, the dining table would be a good place, and besides, he was hungry.

At the end of the corner of this corridor was a restaurant, next to a bar. Barus glanced at the bar with a reluctant look, then turned and pushed open the restaurant door.

"Tomato juice, tortilla chips, fried egg, croissant, and coffee, please." Being a victim meant Jilan was entitled to free room and board, so Jilan ordered a lavish breakfast without hesitation. Jilan handed the menu to the waiter and asked Barus, who was sitting opposite her, "Captain, uh, Uncle, what would you like to eat?"

"Two bottles of whiskey," Barus said, his words immediately surprising.

"Sir, please don't joke around. If you want to drink, please go next door." Faced with Barus's somewhat unreasonable request, the waiter's forehead veins bulged, but he still replied politely.

"Uh, okay, then bring me a medium-rare steak and some red wine."

Although steak and similar foods aren't ideal for breakfast, it's still much better than just drinking alcohol. After the waiter left, Jilan asked, "Uncle Barus, what are you doing here? You're the captain of the Voyager, shouldn't you be dealing with the aftermath?"