Great, now we are dead!

"I mean in the future... do you see him as a man you could date?"

"Dating?"

Chika paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Oh dear, Ruri-chan, are you jealous?"

Liuli's cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly shook her head: "No, I was just... curious."

Chika winked mischievously, leaned close to Ruri's ear, and whispered, "Don't worry, I don't have those kinds of thoughts about Shou!"

Although he is indeed very talented, to me, he's more like... well, a younger brother who will always need my care.

"younger brother?"

Liuli was somewhat surprised.

"Yup!"

Qianhua stood with her hands on her hips, a smug look on her face. "From childhood to adulthood, I've always been the one to play with him and teach him how to relax. Otherwise, he would have turned into a heartless robot who only knows how to work!"

"Lord Ye Shou...does he think so too?"

"Of course! Even though I didn't say it... it's definitely true!"

Chika proudly raised her chin, then revealed a sly smile, "However, if Ruri-chan likes Mamoru, I'll fully support you!"

Seen through!

Liuli's face instantly turned red to her ears, and she glared at her in embarrassment and annoyance.

Qianhua laughed heartily, her laughter ringing out crisply in the quiet mountain forest.

The two continued walking, the moonlight casting long shadows on them. The atmosphere on the mountain path seemed to lighten with their conversation, as if even the chill of the night had been dispelled.

—Plan-through Jpg!

Since Fujiwara Chika has no romantic feelings for Master, it means that her biggest rival has already been eliminated!

Liuli appeared to be smiling modestly, but in reality, she covered the corner of her mouth to hide the uncontrollable smile.

On the other hand, Chika was in a pretty good mood after answering Ruri's question.

Sure enough, this "love detective" was right; the maid liked Ye Shou!

That's wonderful! This has brought them together; it's truly a great deed!

—Hopefully, the good karma I've accumulated will be reflected in pay-to-win games.

Chika smiled with satisfaction as she looked at Ruri, while simultaneously imagining Ye Shou's life "after falling in love" in her mind.

That guy is a workaholic and definitely prioritizes his career, but it just so happens that Ruri is his capable assistant.

The two of them spend every day together, and who knows, they might even have sex before graduation;

Because they are a handsome man and a beautiful woman, their child will definitely grow up to be very beautiful; from their careers to their lives, no matter how you look at it, these two are a perfect match!

Maybe in a few years, when she goes visiting someone's home, she'll see a child as cute as a doll calling her Sister Qianhua.

Ah, that's so nice.

"Ok?"

What could be causing a burning sensation in my eye sockets?

Chika paused for a moment, then quickly wiped the area while Ruri wasn't looking, only to find it was wet.

Then, as if some switch had been flipped, a strange bitter taste came over my mouth...

My nose feels so sore and painful.

what happened?

Why...sigh? Don't I...want to see Xiaoshou with other women?

Chapter 19 Guns Fire and Swords Clash

"First place!"

As she climbed twenty or thirty steps and passed through the dilapidated torii gate, Chika stretched out her arms and loudly proclaimed her victory.

They walked along the mountain path and finally arrived at the dilapidated Nishikida Shrine.

"Although there are no rankings in the test of courage competition, hehe!"

"This shrine is more impressive than I imagined."

Ruri was quite surprised when she came up. Although the shrine in front of her had obviously not been repaired for many years, the size of the area and the foundation structure of the main building showed that it had been prosperous in the past.

The moonlight is now obscured by dark clouds, and the surroundings are shrouded in darkness. Only a few broken stone lanterns in front of the shrine emit a faint light, barely revealing the outline of the shrine under the cover of night.

Light?

Ruri asked in a low voice, "Chika, did you arrange for someone to wait for you at the shrine?"

"Ok?"

Chika was taken aback, then noticed Ruri's gaze and suddenly realized.

"No, but Xiao Shou did bring quite a few people over. It must have been the priests who ordered them."

But the shrine was too quiet, it didn't seem like anyone was there—Ruri pursed her lips, not telling Chika about her concerns.

"It's so quiet?"

Qianhua looked around and realized that something was wrong.

Just then, she vaguely saw a figure standing on the stone steps in front of the shrine entrance in the distance. The figure was indistinct but slender, and looked very much like Ye Shou.

"Mamoru!"

Qianhua's eyes lit up, and she immediately waved and called out, "How come you got here first?"

Just as she was about to step forward, Liuli suddenly grabbed her wrist with such force that she stumbled.

"and many more!"

Liuli's voice was low and rapid, with a rare hint of tension.

"what happened?"

Chika asked in confusion, "Ruri-chan?"

"I should be asking you what's wrong... Who were you greeting?"

"Little Shou!"

"Wake up, Fujiwara Chika."

The maid took a deep breath, her already fair face appearing as if coated with a waxy yellow under the dim firelight, and her expression seemed somewhat stiff.

"There is no one in my field of vision in the direction you are facing!"

"……well?"

Qianhua was stunned, but just as Liuli finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind swept through the mountains!

The leaves rustled, and the surrounding temperature seemed to drop several degrees instantly. A strong gust of wind lifted their hair. Chika squinted instinctively as the wind blew, and she vaguely saw something—a dark shadow rushing towards them at incredible speed!

"Get out of the way!"

The maid noticed it too, and suddenly yanked Chika. The dark figure howled and flew past the two of them, staggering off the platform, and a piercing scream immediately rang out.

Aww! Aww!

Bang!

The heavy body rolled on the steps, the sound of which drifted further and further away from the two of them.

"...A wild boar?"

Still shaken, Chika clutched her chest. "I didn't see it clearly, but it sounded like it."

“It’s a wild boar, but…”

Liuli hesitated.

Would Chika really mistake this beast for Ye Shou?

hold head high! ! !

A loud shout came, startling the two of them.

"Is that wild boar coming back?"

After hesitating for a moment, Liuli finally turned on her flashlight and led Qianhua forward.

However, they did not enter the main hall, which was the place where the "figures" had appeared earlier, but instead groped their way into the side hall.

The shrine's interior appeared even more dilapidated than its exterior; the wooden floors creaked, and a damp, decaying smell filled the air. Ruri pulled Chika into a side room and quickly closed the rickety paper door.

"Boom!"

A muffled thud came from outside, as if something had crashed heavily into a pillar of the shrine.

Judging from the noise, it seemed to be a wild boar, which relieved Liuli—wild animals were much easier to deal with than ghosts and spirits.

Qianhua hadn't recovered yet, her heart pounding. Hearing that the wild boar outside hadn't left, she instinctively reached for her phone to contact Ye Shou, but found nothing.

"Oh no, I dropped my phone... It must have been when the wind picked up earlier."

Qianhua whispered some bad news in Liuli's ear, but Liuli remained calm. She had already taken out her phone and was about to contact someone to deal with the wild boar.

As soon as they took it out, the screen suddenly lit up, and the two women immediately held their breath, their hearts even skipping a beat.

Fortunately, no notification sound was heard; it turned out to be a work email address, not Line.

Where are you? Do you need help?

"..."

The two looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

How did Xiao Shou find out about our current situation?

Qianhua's voice was barely audible.

"Well, he's my Master, after all."

Because they were afraid of disturbing the wild boars running around outside, the two huddled together, able to clearly feel each other's body temperature and scent. Whenever they wanted to communicate, they would lean in and whisper in each other's ears—if they weren't in such a dangerous situation, this scene might have excited some otaku.

Liuli quickly sent a message back, and all that was left was to wait.

The wind outside gradually subsided, but it was replaced by an eerie silence, as if even the chirping of insects had disappeared.

"Heave-ho, heave-ho"

Outside the shrine, moonlight finally pierced through the clouds and shone into the dilapidated courtyard.

The enormous beast stood on the platform, its fangs menacing, its heavy breaths exhaling a thin mist of white smoke.

The two women were right; the creature charging towards them was indeed a wild boar, a rather large one, currently wandering aimlessly around the shrine. But judging from its frantic state, it seemed less like it was searching for something and more like a giant headless fly, running around without finding a way out.

As the surrounding environment became quieter, it became increasingly restless, pawing anxiously with its four hooves, even managing to tear up the brick-paved ground.

The moonlight shone on it, and its bulky shape cast a longer, thinner shadow on the ground.

Suddenly, the shadow twisted eerily!

"……what?"

Chika and her companion peered through the crack in the paper door, their eyes wide as they stared at the scene outside, their faces turning deathly pale with fright.

The wild boar's shadow seemed to be torn apart by some invisible force, suddenly lengthened, deformed, and its outline gradually became sharper—ultimately, it transformed into a human shape!

hum!

The light from the stone lantern suddenly shone brightly, illuminating the scene in the courtyard more clearly, and the shadows became clearer than ever before—as if they had "stood up."

The figure appeared to be wielding a two-handed longsword, its posture sharp and fierce, like an ancient warrior. The next second, the shadow suddenly swung its sword through the air.

Swish-!

The air seemed to ring out with the sharp sound of blades cutting through the air. The wild boar let out a shrill cry, but its massive body was useless as its head was chopped off its neck!

"—!"

Chika gasped, almost crying out. Ruri immediately covered her mouth, and Chika reciprocated by covering Ruri's mouth as well. The two were pressed tightly together, their breaths almost stopped.

After a long while, there was no further movement in the courtyard, so Liuli cautiously looked outside.