I suddenly became a yakuza boss.

Like a fleeting moment, or perhaps a brief awakening in a dream, Yukino closed her eyes and fell asleep again.

"...Oh, it was a false alarm."

Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself.

After taking his temperature, Li Xuan looked at the thermometer and saw it was 38 degrees Celsius.

It's a high fever, but you've already sweated. If you use a towel to cool it down, it should be fine.

Li Xuan quietly looked at the girl who also had a connection with him.

In the world, it seemed as if only he and this intelligent girl, who didn't understand the real world, existed.

"...Miss Yukino, can you hear me?"

In the quiet rainy night, Li Xuan asked in a low voice.

"I'm sorry, I lied to you."

"I did lie to you. It wasn't unintentional anymore. It turns out that I planned to lie to you from the very beginning."

Li Xuan sat cross-legged by the fire, his handsome face showing unease and hesitation, and spoke softly.

"I'm just a mortal... I'm actually quite happy... to have met you."

"Cutting off contact is easy to say, but incredibly painful to do."

"But, I lied to you, and that's that. Apologizing hundreds of times probably won't make up for your kindness. You are a kind and beautiful girl. Even though you don't like to talk about your feelings, you were willing to help me because of that bold action and your mistaken belief in my situation. I am grateful to you. You are a person worth getting to know and someone I should repay."

Standing by the campfire, Li Xuan muttered to himself, saying all the things he dared not tell Yukino.

"The Ministry of Service is a wonderful department. Thank you for everything you have done for me. I am so glad that you exist in this world, otherwise I would have fallen into despair."

Li Xuan sincerely thanked Iroha Isshiki, Yukino Yukinoshita, his father, and all the opportunities that brought about by winning the Soubu High School construction project.

The longer they were in contact, the more reluctant they became to separate. The conflict between the underworld and ordinary people created a dangerous tension between them.

However, he never found the answer to how to proceed down this path.

However, a person's path is not determined by others or by heaven and earth, but by the path they themselves forge.

Regardless of black and white, regardless of background.

He was Li Xuan, and his ambition was to be a tutor who taught and nurtured people.

Even a distorted dream is still something called a dream.

......

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

Li Xuan woke up from his dream and found himself sitting there, having slept all night with his arm resting on his back. When he awoke, he had a splitting headache.

As a result, when he opened his eyes, he saw Yukino, who hadn't slept for some time, wrapped in a blanket, looking at him.

"...Second...Miss Yukino, are you awake? How are you feeling? Are you still dizzy?"

Li Xuan was startled and asked in surprise.

"...I ask you, why am I here, and why are you here?"

Yukino Yukinoshita looked terrible. Instead of answering Li Xuan's concerned questions, she seemed troubled by something and asked nervously.

Li Xuan was taken aback and asked, "You don't remember anything?"

Yukino wrapped herself tightly in a blanket, a sign of extreme insecurity and lack of safety. Her expression changed several times in a second as she argued, "I...I think I have a fever. I remember you carried me somewhere, why did we have to spend the night here? What's going on? Explain yourself!"

“You’re not drunk, you have a fever… Do you remember when we were planning to go through a rugged mountain road to get back to your house?”

Li Xuan recounted the entire story to Yukino Yukinoshita in detail.

However, Li Xuan hesitated for a moment when asked how the temperature was measured, but sensing that Yukino seemed to be worried about something, he simply told her.

Yukino Yukinoshita's expression grew increasingly grim as she listened, especially the part about undressing her. Li Xuan described it in great detail, mentioning things like how he painstakingly removed her clothes, how her skin was still oily, and how wonderful it felt to be sweating...

"..." Yukino stared at Li Xuan with an expression that suggested she had lost something.

Even if she didn't believe it 60%, wouldn't her body have been seen naked by this person?

This situation is bad enough.

Even more terrifying, she vaguely heard the horrible words "it was stuffed in" last night.

But she knew for herself that there was nothing wrong with her.

When she woke up, all she saw was this dilapidated house, a pile of fever reducers, a thermometer, and... the figure sitting there asleep, taking care of her all night.

She should have never gone to Li Xuan's house; she should never have gotten into his car...

She had no idea what exactly happened last night, but she was certain that she had seen Li Xuan's face right up to her.

With mixed feelings, Yukino couldn't help but ask, "What should we do now...?"

"Nothing much needs to be done. It's just one night in the middle of nowhere. It seems your fever has gone down. Last night you had a fever of 38 degrees Celsius, and your body was burning hot..."

Li Xuan described the situation last night as critical.

But when Yukino heard "her body is very hot," she reflexively glared at the person.

Li Xuan was completely at a loss and immediately shut up.

This reaction made Yukino believe Li Xuan's words a little more.

Her feelings for this person had always been complicated, and she couldn't really explain them. In this situation, she didn't even know how to both press him for answers and thank him for his care.

"...I'm going back now."

Yukino stood up, took off the blanket, and said to Li Xuan, "I just want to get home as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Li Xuan nodded in agreement.

He packed his things and prepared to set off with Yukino.

"So, you believe me, right? Last night I was really just taking care of you, I didn't do anything to you, you believe me, right?"

Li Xuan was a little uneasy, worried that Yukino might misunderstand, so before driving, he asked her again to confirm.

He then saw Yukino's expression in the passenger seat, her face ashen and her eyes fixed on him silently.

That was an expression of resignation.

"..."

Li Xuan's expression was solemn. "Let's light the fire first."

He would explain once the second young lady calmed down.

In the quiet morning after the rain, the white car, having rested overnight, continued its journey along the valley road, gradually disappearing into the distance...

※※※※

At 10 o'clock, Li Xuan drove back to the vicinity of the residential area.

However, just as he drove close to his house, he saw a figure at the door.

He was a handsome man in his late twenties with stylish, slightly curly hair and well-dressed, exuding the aura of a strong man.

The moment their eyes met, Li Xuan felt a bone-chilling cold.

The car pulled over, and Li Xuan got out, looking at the stranger, and asked, "Sir, who are you looking for?"

"Mr. Nitta, hello, nice to meet you. My name is Yukai, and I am a superintendent of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. I need to speak with you."

The man, wearing round-framed glasses and identifying himself as Right Jie, produced his identification and said...

On the street, Li Xuan was slightly taken aback when he heard the other person's official title.

A police inspector is a very high-ranking officer. What would a police officer like him want?

"What business does the official from the Central Police Station have with me?"

Li Xuan became more wary and asked.

Mr. Right Jie smiled and said, "We suspect there is falsification in your family's household registration. Your sister, no, I should say that girl named Chu, isn't your sister, is she?"

"!!"

Li Xuan's expression changed.

How is this going.

How do professionals know about these unregistered residents?

But strangely, shouldn't this be the responsibility of the Chiba Prefectural Police? Why did it alarm officials in Tokyo?

In the deserted street, Mr. Youjie said, "Mr. Nitta, taking in a minor girl is commendable if it's out of kindness, but if there's any illegal activity involved, you'd better confess truthfully. This girl doesn't belong to you. Can you cooperate and hand her over to our police? Our police will help her find her biological parents."

Li Xuan is at a crossroads, facing the authorities. No matter how powerful the underworld is, it cannot contend with the state apparatus.

However, Li Xuan still rejected the police officer's request, saying, "No, I don't agree to this."

“I want to file a custody lawsuit. My sister is willing to live with me. I adopted Chu. I have also checked the law. As long as the conditions are met, there is absolutely no problem for me to adopt Chu in the name of my family.”

Li Xuan showed no fear as he spoke.

"Really? You're planning to file a lawsuit? You're a gangster leader, do you think the judge will believe your story and your family background?"

Right Jie laughed, seemingly dismissive, and asked.

"How will you know if you don't try? I've made ample preparations."

Li Xuan showed no emotion whatsoever. He changed the subject and asked, "I'm even more curious. Shouldn't this matter be handled by the Chiba police? Why would people from the Central Police Station come here specifically... and even intend to take Hina away?"

Li Xuan harbored doubts, feeling that something was amiss.

However, Right Ring seemed to have no need to hide anything. He stepped forward with an arrogant and composed expression and said, "Because if that girl's superpowers were to cause her to rebel irrationally, it would be a very big deal."

Li Xuan was completely dumbfounded.

"Now you understand, War Demon."

The man smiled and said, "The government has already begun the process of recovering [Original Body] Zero. No matter how powerful you are, you're ultimately just a gangster boss. Don't expect the laws of this country to protect your rights. You should try to persuade Xiaochu to return to the organization..."

No wonder no one in the intelligence community knows the whereabouts of that organization.

An organization researching superpowers for the next fifty years is actually part of a secret plan by the Japanese government...