I'm in Morioh, just joined a chat group for cute girls.

Irisviel's gentle smile froze on her lips, Kitagawa Kaimu's mouth dropped open, and even Medea, who had been indifferent, raised her eyebrows, watching the scene with great interest.

The first to break this deathly silence was Ilya.

"you--!"

①0㈠②②/⒊澪⒐ノ╲

The silver-haired girl reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly bristling with anger.

She jumped away from Gu Ye, her small body trembling slightly with anger, her eyes fixed on the tall woman wearing only a shirt.

"You shameless woman! What are you saying?!"

Ilya's voice was sharp and loud, "Serve me in bed? Big brother doesn't need a woman of unknown origin like you to serve him in bed! Where did you come from, you vixen!"

Esdeath didn't even flinch at Illya's blunt rebuke.

Her gaze calmly passed over Ilya, as if looking at a lifeless ornament, and finally landed on Gu Ye's face, awaiting his judgment.

In the past, any weakling who dared to roar at me like that would now be an ice sculpture.

Esdeath remained unmoved, but she was her master's family.

Weak and noisy, yet protected by its master.

Then just ignore it.

She completely ignored Ilya, who was still angry, and simply repeated to Gu Ye, "Master, what is your decision?"

This complete disregard is more damaging than any retort.

Ilya's face turned bright red with anger.

"enough."

Gu Ye finally spoke up, pressing down on Ilya's shoulder to stop her from taking any further action.

ㄚi0?㈡樲汃⑶檪⑨汃

Then, he looked at Esdeath, his expression somewhat helpless, but more so serious and undeniable.

“Esdeath, listen carefully. First, here, there are no masters and servants. You can call me by my name, Gu Ye.”

He paused, then emphasized his words.

“Secondly, and most importantly, Ilya, and everyone here, are my family, not ‘possessions.’ I don’t want to hear those words from your mouth again.”

"Put away your old rules. Here, you just need to be a regular tenant."

Esdeath's eyes flickered slightly, as if she was processing Gu Ye's words.

A few seconds later, she bowed slightly again.

"...Yes, Lord Gu...Ye."

Qianxun ⑨⑥0①②⑥②⑦ Ridge

She made a small compromise in her form of address: "I understand. So, may I take this to mean that you have refused my request to serve you in bed?"

"...Dinner is ready!"

Gu Ye practically gritted his teeth as he said those words. He grabbed Ilya, who was still sulking, and shouted towards the kitchen with his other hand, "Dinner's ready! I'm starving!"

He didn't want to dwell on this topic for another second.

Of course, we'll talk about that in private.

Chapter 145 Special Milk.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was somewhat strange.

A sumptuous dinner was laid out on the long table, including Japanese stews carefully prepared by Medea, and Mapo Tofu, which Hai Meng enthusiastically tried and which had a rather wild appearance.

However, apart from Hai Meng trying to find topics to liven up the atmosphere, almost no one spoke.

Ilya angrily poked at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, occasionally glancing at Esdeath sitting opposite her out of the corner of her eye.

Esdeath, on the other hand, ate with an elegant demeanor, seemingly oblivious to the oppressive atmosphere around her. She only slightly furrowed her brow after picking up a piece of Mapo Tofu and putting it in her mouth, and then she didn't touch the dish again.

In the midst of this awkward silence, Gu Ye heard the chat group notification sound in his mind.

Oblivionis has sent you a special red envelope.

Gu Ye was taken aback; it was Toyokawa Shoko. He opened the chat interface.

【Oblivionis】: Mr. Gu Ye, um... I suddenly realized that I can't seem to use the treasures you gave me at all.

【Oblivionis】: These...are all assets of dubious origin. No reputable jewelry store or bank is willing to exchange them for me. If I try to sell them, I'll likely be reported to the police as a thief.

【Oblivionis】: Just to be on the safe side... I'll send them back to you via red envelope first. But! Please don't accept them! Just leave them like this for now!

Looking at the long string of text Xiangzi sent, Gu Ye could imagine the blue-haired girl on the other side of the screen, fidgeting and struggling with her inner turmoil.

He smiled somewhat helplessly.

[Weather Forecast]: You really trust me. You just send it over like that, aren't you afraid I'll just take it and pocket it?

The message was sent and received a reply almost instantly.

【Oblivionis】: You...you're a good person. You wouldn't do that...right?

【Oblivionis】: No problem! I'll pack up all the oil paintings from our world and send them to you! Consider it... consider it a storage fee!

Gu Ye looked at the sentence "You're a good person" and felt like he'd been given a cold shoulder. However, the suggestion that followed really piqued his interest.

[Weather Forecast]: Transaction completed.

……

In a small, cramped apartment.

Shoko Toyokawa leaned against the cold wall and slowly slid down to the ground.

The room was dark; the only light source came from the screen of her smartphone.

The soft white light illuminated her pale and tired face.

She had just finished her conversation with Gu Ye.

Looking at the concise "deal" in the chat history, her tense nerves relaxed a little.

Entrusting priceless treasures to a man from another world whom you've only met once... Toyokawa Shoko, are you crazy?

She had considered other options.

For example, could you ask someone else in the group?

In Akame's world, the monetary system seems to be stuck in ancient times, and the gold and silver coins are completely unusable in her world.

Although Mei and Vishdale also live in modern society, according to their descriptions, the level of technology and historical process there are completely different from their own, and the currency there is most likely not circulated.

After much thought, Gu Ye is the most likely "safe haven".

He's a good person... That's how I feel about spending time with Gu Ye these past few days.

Xiangzi took a deep breath and exited the chat group interface.

As soon as the phone signal was restored, notifications that had been piling up for days came flooding in.

On the screen, the red badge number for missed calls jumped rapidly from single digits to three digits.

She opened the call log, her fingertips trembling as she swiped upwards.

【Triangle Chuhua (128)】

【Wakaba Mutsumi (97)】

【Hailing(35)】

【band……】

Customer Service Center (15)

[Haneoka Academy Academic Affairs Office (8)]

【Grandfather (3)】

……

A long list of names and numbers represents the anxiety and worry these people have felt over the past few days.

She could imagine Chu Hua's frantic reaction, and she could imagine Mu silently dialing the phone again and again.

Her finger continued to slide upwards, almost to the bottom of the list.

She stopped.

No.

The name that should have appeared, and should have appeared, was not on the list.

not a single one.

Toyokawa Shoko stared at that blank space for a very long time, until her eyes became a little sore.

She slowly, very slowly, tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a smile that was even uglier than a grimace.

It turned out to be the case.

Is this how you see me?

Even if I disappeared and died out there, you wouldn't care in the slightest... right, Father?

The last illusory shackle called "family affection" quietly broke at this moment.

The hole in my chest seemed bigger, but strangely, it also felt... lighter.

The heavy burden of "family" and "responsibility" that had been carried for so long vanished at this moment.

She is no longer anyone's daughter, no longer anyone's pawn.

She was just Toyokawa Shoko.

The resolve settled like a rock deep within the stillness of my heart.

She wanted to live, and to prove to all those who had abandoned and looked down on her that she could live well without anyone's charity.

She didn't give all the treasures to Gu Ye; she left behind an inconspicuous but valuable sapphire.

This money will be the starting capital for her comeback.

She stood up and turned on the dim lamp in the room.

First, she called the customer service center back and resigned from the job in the simplest terms.

Then there was the school, where I fabricated a reason of "a sudden change in my family situation" to request a long leave of absence.

She calmly handled each trivial matter, peeling away her past self little by little.

Finally, her finger hovered over a name.

【Triangle Emergence】

She took a deep breath and pressed the dial button.

The call was answered almost instantly, and Chu Hua's voice, trembling with tears and overwhelming joy, came through the receiver: "Xiangzi!? Is that you, Xiangzi! You finally called back! Where have you been these past few days?! Do you know how worried I've been?!"

Hearing her dear friend's familiar voice, a warmth flowed through Xiangzi's frozen heart. But she had no time to dwell on her emotions.

"Chuhua,"

Her voice was calm, yet carried an unprecedented firmness: "Listen to me."

"Let's... form a band."

"It's a brand new band, just for us—Ave Mujica!"

"I need you."

……

The first night after the imperial trip was spent in a delicate balance.

Esdeath naturally proposed to sleep with Gu Ye, fulfilling her duty as a "servant".

Before Gu Ye could even speak, the suggestion was suppressed by the female members of the family.