After school, Cornelia and Yang Hui picked up Lelouch and Nunnally and headed to the Ashford residence. Accompanying them was Milly Ashford, Lelouch and Nunnally's senior and the eldest daughter of the Ashford family, who was a year older than Lelouch.
"Prince Yang Hui, are you really as incredible as the rumors say?" Milly asked excitedly. Although she would become a bit of a prankster when she grew up, as a child, she was a lively and open girl, not as restrained as others.
Her parents had been startled at first, fearing she might offend Yang Hui and Cornelia. However, being keen observers, they noticed that neither Cornelia nor Yang Hui disliked Milly's liveliness, so they refrained from reprimanding her to avoid dampening the mood.
"Rumors? What rumors? Why haven't I heard them myself?" Yang Hui asked Milly in return.
"Well... it's... um..." Milly tried hard to recall the rumors she had heard. "That Prince Yang Hui transformed into a superman, capable of anything in the heavens or on earth! They say back in Africa, you just gave a domineering shudder, and the enemy army was so terrified they surrendered immediately!"
"Pfft! Hahaha..." Cornelia clutched her stomach, laughing uproariously. Nunnally covered her mouth as her stomach began to ache from giggling, and even Lelouch, who was trying to maintain a haughty demeanor, couldn't help but turn his head away to hide his smirk.
"Seriously? You believe such exaggerated rumors?" Yang Hui felt it was absurd that Milly would believe something so ridiculous.
"I do!"
"Then I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed." Yang Hui spread his hands. "As you can see, I'm just an ordinary person."
However, hearing Yang Hui call himself an ordinary person made the corner of Cornelia's mouth twitch imperceptibly.
Though the rumors were exaggerated, there was a basis for them. After all, Yang Hui was responsible for more than half of the credit for the victory on the African front. Without him, she didn't know how much longer she would have remained at a stalemate with the E.U. there.
Furthermore, not only did Yang Hui possess explosive personal combat strength and outstanding military command skills, but his ability to design and develop Knightmares was also top-tier in the Empire. The generational upgrades of the Empire's Knightmares had only progressed so quickly because of him.
Extraordinary personal combat power, terrifying military command, and peak scientific research capabilities—combined, calling him a superman wasn't entirely wrong. In any case, he certainly had nothing to do with the word "ordinary."
"Eh!? So it's not true? How disappointing."
"Yeah, if I were really a superman..."
"If you were?" Milly's eyes sparkled with stars, filled with anticipation.
"I'd definitely kidnap the cute little Milly first thing!"
"Oh! Prince Yang Hui, how can you say such things to a lady?" Milly covered her reddening face, acting bashful.
Seeing this scene, Cornelia, Lelouch, and Nunnally all smiled in unison. Yang Hui treated his younger siblings in the Imperial Palace the same way. Though he could be a bit mischievous, he brought warmth to the cold palace.
Arriving at the Ashford home, there was none of the flashiness and extravagance typical of Imperial nobles. Instead, it was quite simple yet filled with an aura of knowledge. This atmosphere made both Cornelia and Yang Hui feel very comfortable.
There weren't many members of the Ashford family. Besides the Academy Director, his wife, and Milly, there was only Milly's uncle, his wife, and their son.
The dinner was not lavish but was very exquisite. During the meal, Cornelia and the Ashford elders discussed some educational matters, avoiding any topics related to the political situation of the Empire.
After dinner, Cornelia and Yang Hui were supposed to leave, but because Nunnally was reluctant to see them go, they decided to stay overnight at the Ashford residence to spend more time with Lelouch and Nunnally.
"Your visit to Japan with Cornelia isn't that simple, is it?" That night, Lelouch asked suddenly. He wasn't worried about Nunnally overhearing; at this time, Nunnally had been dragged off by Milly to play, and Cornelia was there with them.
"Hmm? Why do you ask?" Yang Hui asked back, marveling at whether this was indeed Lelouch—showing flashes of his future self even at such a young age.
"Is the Empire planning to move against Japan? When?" Lelouch didn't answer Yang Hui, continuing with his own questions.
"...What? Are you in such a hurry to go back?" Yang Hui asked Lelouch playfully.
"...Yes, I must go back."
"And then go and make a scene in front of him again, dragging Nunnally into it and getting exiled together with you?"
"Nunnally..." At the mention of Nunnally, the determination and ruthlessness in Lelouch's eyes wavered, but they soon regained their firmness. "I must find out who killed Mother."
"Just you? How will you investigate?" Yang Hui looked up at the starry sky outside the window and asked Lelouch.
"...I will slowly build my own power and then start investigating from the slightest clues..."
"And then get dealt with for no apparent reason?"
"...I won't..."
"You are too arrogant, Lelouch," Yang Hui interrupted.
"..."
"No matter how smart you are, you are still a child. The Empire is not a game of house where a child can figure out how deep the water is."
"...I still have you..."
"I won't become your pawn, Lelouch."
"...We can cooperate..."
"Cooperation requires equality between both parties. What qualifications do you have to cooperate with me?"
"I..." Lelouch opened his mouth but found himself speechless. He indeed lacked the qualifications to stand on equal footing with Yang Hui. What could he possibly provide to Yang Hui?
Nothing at all!
Even the intellect he took pride in was something Yang Hui didn't particularly value.
"Help me..."
"..." Yang Hui withdrew his gaze from the stars and looked at Lelouch, a gentle smile on his face as he placed his hand on Lelouch's head. "You've finally found the correct answer, Lelouch."
Yang Hui was a man who valued emotions. If Lelouch had wanted Yang Hui to be his pawn from the start, Yang Hui would never have agreed; he would not be anyone's pawn. Later, Lelouch wanted to cooperate, but he simply didn't have the standing for it.
Now, Lelouch had finally found the correct answer—the only answer that would make Yang Hui willing to help him. That was family. Lelouch was Yang Hui's brother; if he asked as a younger brother asking his elder brother, Yang Hui could not refuse.
"...I'm sorry, I..."
"You've been like this since you were little, Lelouch," Yang Hui said, rubbing Lelouch's head. "The world can be viewed as a chessboard, and everyone can be treated as pawns, but... the world is not a chessboard, and not everyone will become a pawn. The world in your eyes... should not just be a world composed of black and white squares and pieces."
"..."
"I will help you investigate the truth of that incident. But until I find the truth, don't worry about other things and just focus on your studies," Yang Hui said, retracting his hand.
"I can help!"
"Wait until you graduate from school. And... with that small frame of yours, what can you do?" Yang Hui turned playful again, eyeing Lelouch teasingly.
"You! Hmph!" Lelouch remained tsundere, but he remembered everything Yang Hui said. His physical fitness was indeed too poor; he would remember to exercise.
"Alright, go find Nunnally and the others."
"Yeah."
Happy times always pass quickly. After the joy, the theme of life was replaced by the reluctance of parting. Cornelia and Yang Hui weren't here just to play; they had their own work to do. After sending Lelouch and Nunnally to school, they parted ways.
Returning to the consulate in the Settlement, the temporary head official rushed over to report. The Japanese officials said they wanted to meet Cornelia and Yang Hui today. On one hand, they wanted to apologize and take custody of the "pirates" captured by Britannia; on the other hand, they were eager to discuss the joint military exercise.
To be honest, the Japanese had been quite arrogant at first, believing the Britannia Empire's forces were beatable. Who would have thought that the entire fleet sent to "greet" them would be captured completely without firing a single shot? This had nearly paralyzed the high-ranking Japanese officials with fear.
The Japanese were like that—self-important, bullying the weak but fearing the strong. In a word: "base."
So, having the Imperial fleet that terrified them anchored off the coast of Japan made them lose sleep. They wanted to finish the joint military exercise as quickly as possible and send them away.
"The journey was long and tiring, and we aren't quite used to the climate of this country yet. We need to rest for two days."
Since the Japanese were the ones in a hurry, Cornelia naturally saw no reason to rush. Letting them stew for a few days while she took a good rest wasn't a bad idea.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Although the Japanese side was pushing hard, the newly appointed temporary official was observant. Seeing that Cornelia intended to string the Japanese along, and not wanting to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, he obeyed Cornelia's command without asking a single question.
"Heh, weaklings who bully the weak but fear the strong," Cornelia sneered.
"This country has always been like this, even more shameless," Yang Hui said, spreading his hands.
"That's why I really like the name you have for them—little runts. They are only fit to be slaves; they can never become true demons."
"Sister, how many days do you plan to stall?"
"Seven or eight days. It's rare to get a rest. Perhaps I've been influenced by you; relaxing like this occasionally is actually quite nice." Cornelia stretched comfortably. In the past, she only focused on the battlefield, giving herself no time to rest. As soon as one battle ended and she returned home, she would head to the next battlefield within two or three days.
Now she realized that appropriate rest was quite comfortable, unlike the heavy burden she used to carry on her shoulders.
"I'm not taking the blame for this, Sister." Yang Hui rolled his eyes. Though he knew Cornelia had been influenced by him, he would never admit it.
"What? Is the 'Nightmare' of the Empire afraid to own up to his actions?" Cornelia asked teasingly.
"I'm not resting right now, you know," Yang Hui said, spreading his hands.
"What?"
"Even if it's a small nation, a lion uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit. I've already sent people to gather intelligence."
"I see. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated?"
"Exactly. This country... still has a few people worth noting."