Chapter 401: You Guys Are Deliberately Trying to Ruin My Day, Aren't You!
Seven days later.
Lina finally left her residence and set foot once more on the soil of Mishima Island.
Today, she wore a thin, milky-white chiffon blouse, paired with a dark blue denim miniskirt on the lower half. Her ivory-straight, snow-white legs were casually exposed to the air.
She looked both fiery and full of vitality.
In this overly conservative era, she seemed completely out of place.
But on Mishima Island—a diverse, multi-era interwoven island—she didn't feel the slightest bit out of place.
It was just that her walking posture was a bit strange.
"Hey, Lina, still hurting?" Mahiro couldn't help but tease as they walked, only to receive a big eye-roll from Lina. Her fair, distinctly European-American complexion flushed with a faint blush.
"Do you have to be so blunt? I am a girl, after all!"
Mahiro shrugged and said:
"Can't blame me for that. Who told you to provoke me with 'average'? Count how many times you've challenged me."
At the mention of this, Lina's face turned even redder.
Like an ostrich, she lowered her head, trying to bury her face in her chest. Her cascading golden hair just happened to cover her flushed earlobes.
Indeed.
Just as Mahiro had said, over the past few days, she had gone mad to the point of forgetting the world around her.
The word "average" had become a playful term between them.
At first, it was just casual talk.
But later, every time they finished, she would bring it up, using it to provoke him.
Most importantly, she had even taken the initiative to put on lettered stockings and told Mahiro she would teach him English.
If it weren't for the Genetic Potion improving her physique and providing her with a continuous source of recovery, she would have likely perished under such high-intensity activity.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…"
Seeing Lina's shy, girlish demeanor, Mahiro felt a stirring of desire once again.
After all, this was the advantage of a mixed-race beauty.
She fully embodied the best of both bloodlines—the shyness of an Asian and the wildness of a European-American, along with an exotic charm.
"Alright, Mahiro-nii, stop teasing Lina."
Just then, another soft voice gently spoke up.
It was Miyuki.
With a delighted smile on her face, she stood with her hands behind her back, stepping in at just the right moment to mediate, though her eyes were also filled with amusement as she looked at Lina.
As for why she was here?
The reason was simple.
A few days ago, on a whim, she had wanted to go shopping with Lina.
And she just happened to run into Mahiro and Lina in the middle of that kind of activity upon his return.
Perhaps it was because they hadn't seen each other for too long, and there was a heavy longing that needed to be vented. Or perhaps it was because she felt resentful about Lina sneaking around.
So Miyuki said—
"How mean, Mahiro-nii, not coming to find Miyuki."
And then she directly joined the fray.
This raised Lina's level of embarrassment to another tier, akin to a public execution, but it also greatly alleviated the crisis she was facing.
Otherwise, how could Lina even get out of bed now?
"Fine, I won't say anything then."
Mahiro shrugged indifferently, then said seriously:
"In that case, Miyuki, why don't you tell me about all the major events that happened while I was away?"
"Of course, I'd be happy to!"
And so, Miyuki proceeded to recount all the significant events, big and small, that had occurred over the past half year to Mahiro.
First was the news about "No Head Dragon." This international criminal organization had been completely eradicated, and its new young leader, Sun Meilin (Sun Richard), had been captured and imprisoned on Mishima Island.
To be honest, when Mahiro heard this news, he was quite surprised.
Not because of anything related to "No Head Dragon"—he had almost forgotten about that organization entirely.
It was mainly about this Sun Meilin. How could a young girl become the leader of such a massive criminal syndicate?
It was truly unbelievable.
Next was the news regarding Shiba Tatsuya's research project, "Gravity Control Magic-Type Thermonuclear Fusion Reactor 'Stellar Core' Technology," which had been fully completed. This greatly alleviated the world's energy shortage and also allowed the Yotsuba Family to make a fortune.
This, however, was not surprising at all.
After all, he was a prodigy, and he certainly had the ability to pull it off.
Then there was news from the USNA. After its formal dissolution, a technological city was established in California, becoming the new focal point of the USNA.
It was said that this city no longer followed the traditional path of magic technology but instead embarked on a journey to explore the human body.
Achieving Mechanical Ascension to extend lifespan.
Many multinational corporations had already begun to intervene and conduct research.
For some reason, when he heard this news, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
Words like Cyberpunk, Night City, Afterlife Bar, and V immediately popped into his mind...
Well, if it really was Night City, he could go there to have some fun and relieve boredom when he had the time.
Unfortunately, it lacked the overt big boss, Saburo Arasaka.
Apart from that, Europe, which had been quiet for a long time, also made a major move.
They established an international mutual aid organization called the "Magician's Mutual Aid Association." Compared to the original International Magic Association, this so-called Magician's Mutual Aid Association placed greater emphasis on human rights and the utilization of magic.
It focused on civilian applications rather than preparing for war, which somewhat alleviated the status of Mages as weapons on the international stage.
This "Magician's Mutual Aid Association" even invited Shiba Tatsuya to serve as a deputy representative.
Originally, they had intended to invite Mahiro, but unfortunately, he wasn't in this world at the time, so they turned to Shiba Tatsuya instead.
"Sigh, I was only gone for less than a year, but it feels like I've been away for over a decade. I can hardly keep up with the changes in the landscape," Mahiro couldn't help but sigh wistfully.
But it didn't really matter.
How the world's landscape changed was almost irrelevant to him now. If anyone wanted to annex Mishima Island, they were welcome to try—if they had the ability.
As for everything else, he didn't really care.
After all, his goal was the stars and the sea!
"Oh, right, Mahiro-nii, there's one last thing... but I think it's best if Auntie tells you about it herself."
"Oh? Is there something even the current head of the prestigious Yotsuba Family can't say?"
"Hmm... Mahiro-nii, please don't tease Miyuki."
Miyuki looked at him with a resentful expression, but she still refused to speak about what she wanted to say.
"Alright, alright. I'll go talk to Maya and Miya about this later."
Mahiro verbally agreed.
For now, what he had to do was simple—liberate Itogami Island from the ring!
Not long after, he arrived at the unopened coastline on the other side of Mishima Island.
After confirming there was enough space between the sea surface and the island, he released Itogami Island.
Boom—
With a deafening roar and towering waves, a massive artificial island filled with technological flair yet subtly incorporating feng shui principles suddenly appeared near Mishima Island.
Along with the Prison Barrier that resembled a monastery.
Itogami Island was like a magnificent spectacle!
And the residents on the island, upon seeing this strange steel island appear, already understood—
Mahiro had returned.
...
The next afternoon.
In the garden of the Yotsuba residence.
On either side of the main seat sat two women with distinct styles—one dignified and intellectual, the other lazy and charming, yet their appearances were strikingly similar.
They were none other than the sisters, Miya Yotsuba and Yotsuba Maya.
Further down were Miyuki and Saegusa Mayumi.
Her smooth, beautiful long hair cascaded straight down to her waist, with two strands of hair at her forehead resting perfectly on the girl's ample chest.
A pair of wine-red eyes quietly observed the half-grown gothic lolita sitting opposite her, Natsuki Minamiya.
Meanwhile, Miyuki smiled gently as she watched the woman in a kimono across from her, Tokoyogi Aya.
Next were C.C., who shared the same hair color as Giada, and the two of them chatted happily in low voices, as if they had met too late.
Beside them was the "Bloody Queen" Elisabeth, with her flamboyant red hair and a white sunhat tilted to one side, appearing exceptionally serene and elegant.
Could this be considered the immortal trio?
And Alpha, who seemed completely detached from everything, silently sipping her tea.
As well as Aurora, with a teardrop mole at the corner of her eye, one eye hidden behind her purple hair, yet observing the overall situation alongside the snow-white Seitenshi.
They were already familiar with one another.
Everyone had gathered together, each holding a cup of black tea.
Although the atmosphere was somewhat hard to describe, it truly resembled a tea party meant for conversation.
"Alright, can you tell me now? What is it that requires you, Mom, to personally speak to me?"
Mahiro was the first to speak.
He put down his empty teacup and turned his gaze to Yotsuba Maya beside him.
"Actually, it's nothing too serious."
Yotsuba Maya set down her teacup, looking at the red lipstick mark left on the cup's surface. The corners of her lips curled slightly as she smiled:
"It's just that your recent actions were too bold, little Mahiro, which made some of the old-timers above unhappy. For example, one of the former sponsors of the Yotsuba Family... well, that's not quite accurate—one of the former sponsors of the Fourth Research Institute, Toudou Aoba, expressed dissatisfaction with your actions~"
"Sponsors? Didn't the Yotsuba Family abandon that long ago?" Mahiro asked, puzzled.
"Not exactly."
This time, it was Miya Yotsuba who spoke, as if she didn't want to fall behind.
However, with these two sisters speaking from left and right, and their voices being highly similar, it felt as if one person was playing two roles.
But Yotsuba Miya paid no heed to Mahiro's feelings and began speaking on her own:
"Our Yotsuba Family originally started with the surname 'Sima' before later changing it to Yotsuba. You should know this, little Mahiro, right?"
"Yes, I know."
Shiba Miori had mentioned this a long time ago, and he had also conducted detailed research into the Yotsuba Family's history.
Although the Yotsuba Family has many branch families, their ancestors indeed bore the surname 'Sima' before changing it after joining the Fourth Research Institute.
Hearing his answer, Yotsuba Maya nodded in satisfaction.
"In that case, you should also know about the uniqueness of the Yotsuba Family among the many research institutes, right?"
"Uniqueness?"
Mahiro couldn't react immediately, but after a moment of thought, he nodded and replied:
"I know."
The greatest uniqueness of the Yotsuba Family lies in the fact that among the Ten Master Clans and the ten research institutes, the Yotsuba Family is the only lineage born within the Fourth Research Institute. The other institutes more or less retained multiple families.
For example, the former Shippou Family and the Saegusa Family originated from the same research institute.
This was also why Shippou Takuma harbored such great hostility toward the Saegusa Family back then.
They came from the same research institute, so why did the Saegusa Family get to join the Ten Master Clans while the Shippou Family could only remain as one of the Eighteen Supplementary Families?
But the Yotsuba Family is different.
They are the sole successful product of the Fourth Research Institute, an irreplaceable existence.
"And precisely because of the Yotsuba Family's uniqueness—being born with powerful specialized magic calculation fields and innate mental interference abilities—the Yotsuba Family once had many investors. Although after my younger sister Maya took over, she used various means to eliminate many who tried to influence the Yotsuba Family, there was ultimately one nearly forgotten sponsor."
"Are you saying that person is Toudou Aoba?"
"Yes, that's right."
Yotsuba Maya confirmed Mahiro's guess, but this made Mahiro feel somewhat amused.
"So, you've gone on such a long-winded explanation just to introduce me to this Toudou Aoba?"
Everyone present could hear the dissatisfaction in Mahiro's tone.
Those who could intervene, like Natsuki Minamiya, didn't understand the background and couldn't interject.
Miyuki, as the family head, knew some of the inside story, but she didn't want to persuade her brother Mahiro, so all responsibility fell on the two Yotsuba sisters.
In the end, it was Yotsuba Maya who lightly sipped her black tea before speaking:
"No, it's just casual conversation for this tea party."
Her reasoning was sound, and Mahiro couldn't refute it.
"Fine, let's talk about what this Toudou Aoba wants."
"He wants to reclaim Mishima Island and have the Yotsuba Family return to Japanese politics with all research materials, with all achievements belonging to the Japanese government. In exchange, Toudou Aoba will adopt Lina as his foster daughter, granting her the Toudou surname and a legitimate identity."
Yotsuba Maya spoke unhurriedly, her tone calm as if she were discussing something unrelated to the Yotsuba Family.
The current Yotsuba Family has essentially completely broken free from Japan's control, existing more like an independent nation.
Coupled with the full support and cooperation of Japan's magical community, even if the Japanese political world wanted to intervene, they couldn't.
So, they began to seek alternative approaches.
Unexpectedly, Mahiro's response was even more decisive and astonishing.
"No problem."
"Mahiro-ni?!"
Miyuki's eyes widened slightly, her hand holding the teacup frozen mid-air, her face filled with disbelief.
She never expected Mahiro-ni would agree to such a shameless and unreasonable request!
Even C.C. couldn't help but frown, looking at him and asking:
"Hey! Are you serious?!"
Even Natsuki Minamiya, who had just arrived in this world and didn't understand the intricacies, felt this didn't seem like something Mahiro should or would agree to.
Could he have some leverage in their hands?
But what use would that be?
Only the two Vampires, one Progenitor and one Progenitor, one naive and one calm, spoke up:
"I can help you kill them~"
"I can help too."
Hmm, strangely fitting.
However, Mahiro gave them a look that said, "Stay calm."
Then he looked back at his aunt and his biological mother, asking:
"But before that, I have a few questions. First, I want to ask, does that Toudou Aoba have three heads and six arms?"
"Nope, just the ordinary one head and two arms," Yotsuba Maya replied, mimicking his tone.
"Alright, how many lives does he have?"
"One."
This time, it was Yotsuba Maya.
"Good, continue. Is he hard to kill?"
"Not at all, just like an ordinary person."
Yotsuba Maya picked up her teacup at the right moment.
But the next second, the teacup in Mahiro's hand slammed onto the table, shattering into powder!
"Damn it! Since he doesn't have three heads and six arms, only has one life, and isn't even hard to kill, what gives him the right to take things from me?! Is it because his face is thick? Because his belly is big? Or because he doesn't bathe?!"
Mahiro was almost laughing in anger.
"I've seen shameless people, I've seen people with no shame, but someone this shameless and utterly without shame—this is the first time!"
"No, I'm in a terrible mood. I'm going to kill him right now!"
"Does he think having the surname Toudou makes him special?! These damn politicians, if we don't teach them a lesson, they really won't know their place, will they? They dare come pluck hairs from the King of Hell himself—looks like they're really tired of living! Hanging themselves like the God of Longevity, thinking their lives are too long, huh?!"
Mahiro cursed and stood up, ready to leave.
He truly never expected to run into such a huge annoyance right after returning.
However, the Yotsuba sisters seemed to have anticipated Mahiro's reaction long ago, their alluring red lips curling into a pleased smile.
Just as he was about to leave, Yotsuba Maya spoke softly:
"Come back, little Mahiro. Someone has already taken care of this matter."
"Who? Don't tell me it's the Kuroba Family. They can't handle this matter. I need to go personally and make them die in the most painful, most despairing way..."
"It's Esdeath~"
Hearing that name, Mahiro's footsteps immediately halted.
"Oh, it's Esdeath. Then it's fine."
Like a Sichuan opera face change, his expression instantly returned to calm as he silently sat down at the tea table. The butler Hayama beside him served him a fresh cup of tea.
As for Esdeath, he still held her in high regard.
Even though her current strength might not match his, one had to admit this woman absolutely had her own unique methods when it came to torture.
If she dared claim second place, no one could call themselves first!
Yotsuba Maya continued:
"Esdeath took your assassination squad to handle it. They should be back soon."
"Hmm..." Mahiro nodded silently.
"I also sent Delta over to cause some chaos," Alpha added.
"..."
"For support and reception, our Lion King Organization's Shamanic War Dancers will handle it."
"Hmm... Huh?!"
This time, he sharply raised his head to look at Hinado, who was sitting quietly at the tea table like a barely noticeable presence.
"Why is the Lion King Organization involved too? Didn't you just arrive less than a day ago?!"
Hinado didn't answer, maintaining her silence.
Mahiro then looked at Alpha and the others.
With a strange expression, he asked:
"So, you all planned this in advance, right?"
No one answered, which essentially meant confirmation.
"Since you've already sent people to handle it, why tell me? Are you deliberately trying to annoy me when you have nothing better to do?"
He looked at them again with dead-fish eyes.
They remained silent, eyes lowered as if studying their own noses and hearts.
Again, this was essentially confirmation!