Tokyo Knights: The Odd Jobs X Files

These wooden plaques are called "ema," a form of wish-making used by the Japanese. People write their wishes on the plaques and place them in front of shrines or temples to pray for divine protection.

Hino Rei glanced at the words on the wooden plaque, hung it on the ema stand, and couldn't help but ask, "Lord... is this someone very important to Akemi-san?"

The wooden plaque bore inscriptions praying for the man called "Daegun".

"Yes."

Akemi Miyano nodded and bowed three times to the ema (votive plaque).

My Lord, please forget me and live a good life...

Unlike Akemi Miyano, Leona didn't even glance at the things she wished for.

She didn't believe in that. If wishes could come true, there wouldn't be so many tragedies in the world. Instead of praying and wishing to something that didn't even exist, she would rather use that time and energy to check her pistol and grenades. On the battlefield, those two things were absolutely reliable.

"Well……"

In a corner of the shrine, Mature and Vice were vomiting.

If shrines are sacred places, then Mature and Vice, as members of the "Orochi Clan," are nothing short of evil. They have an instinctive aversion to places like shrines, to the point that they feel nauseous.

"Mature, Vice, are you alright?"

Charmé went up to comfort the two.

Mature and Vice wiped their mouths with handkerchiefs, determined never to come to such a horrible place again. Seeing that Shermie, also a member of the "Great Serpent Clan," seemed completely unharmed, they couldn't help but ask, "Shermie, are you alright?"

Shermie tilted her head slightly: "I can only say that I feel a little uncomfortable psychologically, but it doesn't seem to affect my physical health."

Mature and Vice: "..."

Okay, you're one of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi," you're powerful enough to be unaffected by this shrine...

Several days later, Mature and Vice once again experienced the inequality within the "Orochi Clan".

Unbeknownst to others, Li Xin and Mao Lixia walked together in the shrine. Both were from the Central Plains and had no interest in these Japanese New Year activities; their participation was simply a matter of following local customs.

"Lisha, the New Year is just over a month away. Will you... come back to my hometown with me?"

Li Xin said to Mao Lixia.

The "New Year" that Li Xin mentioned was not New Year's Day in the Gregorian calendar, but the Lunar New Year. For Li Xin and Mao Lixia, who were both native to the Central Plains, the Lunar New Year was the most important thing.

In the Central Plains, there is an unwritten rule that if a man and a woman visit each other's homes for the Spring Festival, they are basically in a romantic relationship.

This was Mao Lixia's first time accompanying Li Xin back to his hometown, which meant that she was also meeting his parents.

Mao Lixia felt both happy and flustered. She lowered her head and said, "But Ah Xin, will your family... accept me?"

She knew that Laishenglei would definitely be going back with Li Xin. When the two women, hers and Laishenglei, accompanied Li Xin home, how would Li Xin's family view their relationship?

Li Xin was also troubled by this matter.

Although Li Xin lost both his parents at a young age and had no immediate family, the village chief and Secretary Wang could definitely be considered his elders. When Li Xin brought Sheng Lei and Mao Lixia home, they were the two of them who met him as his parents.

The village chief and Secretary Wang had both met Lai Shenglei and were very satisfied with her, wholeheartedly considering her their "daughter-in-law." If Li Xin were to take Mao Lixia back this time, well, Li Xin already had a premonition that he would be beaten to a pulp.

Even so, Li Xin had to take Mao Lixia back. Perhaps their relationship couldn't be made public, but for his closest family, Li Xin still had to let them know about Mao Lixia's existence. This was Li Xin's responsibility as a man.

Sensing Mao Lixia's unease, Li Xin took her hand, interlocked their fingers, and said to her, "Don't worry, no matter what, I will make sure your family accepts you, absolutely!"

Chapter 631 The men of the Li family are capable and fierce!

After finishing his visit to the Fire Cloud Shrine, Li Xin said to everyone in the agency, "I have other things to do, so I won't be going back to the agency yet. Also, I'll be taking a three-day break for New Year's Day. If it's not a very urgent request, please postpone it for now."

"Great!"

Angel jumped up happily, and then heard Li Xin say, "Angel and Ayane, don't go out to play these few days. Stay home and catch up on your studies. You both failed your final exams this semester. If you fail again next semester, you'll have to repeat the year."

Angel, who had just landed on the ground, lost her balance and fell to the ground with a loud thud.

Ayane looked at Angel with a resentful gaze. If Angel hadn't been making such a fuss, Li Xin might not have remembered this matter at all. Now she has to catch up on the lessons as well.

After Li Xin left, Mao Lixia said to everyone, "I'm going to buy groceries on the way, so I won't be going back with you all. Goodbye."

Watching the two leave one after the other, Angel pouted unhappily: "Uncle made me go to tutoring, but he secretly took Sister Lisha to play instead. That's too much!"

Although Li Xin did not publicly acknowledge their relationship, the sweet and affectionate atmosphere between the two was obvious to everyone, not even to Miyano Akemi who had been through it herself, but even to Angel.

However, since Li Xin didn't make this public, everyone just pretended not to know.

Mao Lixia quickened her pace and soon caught up with Li Xin, who was waiting not far away. After the two met up, they prepared to go find Lai Sheng Lei and have another New Year's worship with her.

Previous New Year's shrine visits were group activities organized by the office, but this visit was a private event.

At Cat's Eye Cafe, Kisugi Rui was already dressed and wearing light makeup. Kisugi Ai, who was eating a sandwich, looked at Kisugi Rui, who was fixing her clothes in front of the mirror, and said, "Big sister, what are you going to do? Are you going on a date with Shin-chan?"

"Yes, Ashin, Lixia, and I are going to the New Year's shrine together."

Tears of the next life replied casually.

"Lisha? Is that the big-breasted maid from Ashin's agency?"

After a moment's recollection, Ai recalled that she still remembered Maurice, after all, she was quite old.

"Lisha is from the same hometown as Ashin and works for him as a maid!"

The phrase "tears of the next life" corrects the idea of ​​"love in the next life."

You didn't deny having big breasts, did you?

Lai Sheng Ai stuck out her tongue in her mind, then realized something: "Big sister, why are you taking her with you when you go to the temple with Brother Xin?"

It's normal for couples to visit shrines together during the New Year's "Hatsumode" (first shrine visit of the year), but why bring along a third wheel? If you're going to bring someone, it should be your beloved sister-in-law!

"I forgot to tell you, Lisha and Ashin are already together."

Tears for the next life, love for the next life.

"Oh, I see..."

Lai Sheng Ai suddenly realized, "Oh, it's because he's with Ashin! No wonder... what a load of rubbish!"

"Big sister, you're mistaken, aren't you?"

The idea that "love in the next life" and "tears in the next life" was a slip of the tongue.

"No, I said Ashin and Lixia are already together, and their relationship is the same as my relationship with Ashin."

Lai Sheng Lei pursed her lips, feeling that they were a little dry, and then picked up a lip balm and applied it to her lips.

"What are you talking about, sister?!"

Kiyoshi Ai excitedly patted Kiyoshi Rui on the shoulder, causing Kiyoshi Rui's lip balm to tremble and smear onto her cheek.

"Xiao Ai!"

Lai Sheng Lei glared at her mischievous little sister with an unfriendly expression.

In the past, when Kisei Ai heard Kisei Rui speak in this tone, she would have cowered and knelt down and apologized as usual. But this time, Kisei Ai stood up!

"Big sister, Brother Xin is seeing someone else, and you still want to go out with her!"

In the next life, love stares wide-eyed at tears in the next life.

"It's a New Year's shrine visit."

Tears of the Next Life corrects the saying about love in the next life once again.

"They're all the same! And that's not the point!"

Lai Sheng Ai Cai was too lazy to get entangled in such trivial matters, so she went straight to the point: "Big sister, you said that Brother A Xin is dating someone else, what's going on!"

The crucial point is that that person wasn't even himself!

Reluctantly, Lai Sheng Lei could only tell Lai Sheng Ai how Li Xin and Mao Lixia ended up in this relationship.

And, there's this other trick up your sleeve...

Lai Shengai stared wide-eyed, wanting to take notes, but then she thought about her meager abilities and realized that losing them wouldn't be a big loss...

"...In short, the matter between Ashin and Lixia is a fait accompli, and I can't let Ashin be a heartless and irresponsible man, so I have no choice but to accept Lixia."

Tears of the Next Life explained to Love of the Next Life.

"But, but..."

Although Lai Sheng Lei's words were reasonable, Lai Sheng Ai still couldn't accept the fact that Li Xin had other women besides his eldest sister, especially since that woman wasn't her.

It's one thing for the eldest sister to drink the first sip, she accepted it, but it's another thing for her not to get a second sip!

After thinking for a moment, Lai Sheng Ai asked Lai Sheng Lei, "Big sister, have you talked to Dad about this?"

"This one……"

Tears of the Next Life hesitated.

She could easily deal with love and tears in the afterlife, but she really owed Michael a proper explanation.

"What do you want to talk to me about?"

A voice suddenly came from behind them, and the two sisters turned around to see Michael.

Today is the first day of the new year, and Michael naturally wants to spend it with his daughters. He has missed many new years with his daughters, so he certainly won't miss the next one.

"father!"

When Lai Sheng Ai saw Michael, she couldn't help but shout with joy, her voice filled with delight.

"dad……"

When Lai Sheng cried out "Dad" again, he was overjoyed, but also a little apprehensive.

Michael affectionately patted Kisaki Ai's head, then looked at Kisaki Rui: "Rui, is there something you want to tell Daddy?"

After hesitating for a moment, Lai Sheng Lei quickly made up her mind, stepped forward and said, "Yes, I have something to say to you, Dad."

He then told Michael about Li Xin and Maurice.

Michael was clearly taken aback by what his daughter was about to tell him. He paused for a moment, then asked Lei, "Xiao Lei, have you thought this through? Have you thought about sharing a man with other women? Have you thought about sharing the love of the man you like with other women? Have you thought all of this through?"

Lai Sheng Lei nodded, then said, "I've thought it through, and I'm willing to accept it."

"Is it because Ashin has helped our family a lot and saved my life that you're accommodating him?"

Michael continued to ask.

"No, that's absolutely not true."

He shook his head, tears streaming down his face, and with great determination.

If she wanted to repay Li Xin's kindness, she could have done so in other ways. Even if she gave all her property to Li Xin, Lai Sheng Lei wouldn't have hesitated. But Lai Sheng Lei wouldn't repay him with her own love and marriage. That would be disrespectful to her own life and to Li Xin.

If Lai Shenglei offers her body to repay Li Xin's kindness, and then one day someone else saves her life and the lives of her entire family, should she also offer herself? Then what difference would there be between her and a prostitute?

When Lai Sheng Lei first had relations with Li Xin, impulsiveness was definitely the primary factor. At that time, Li Xin was about to do something very dangerous, and Lai Sheng Lei was worried that Li Xin would be in danger and that she would lose him forever. In order not to leave any regrets, she took the initiative.

In this matter, what moved Lai Sheng Lei was always her love and affection for Li Xin, not gratitude.

The decision to share Li Xin with Mori was the result of careful consideration by Rui Kisugi. Giving up Li Xin was something she simply couldn't do, and ostracizing or driving Mori away might alienate her and Li Xin, thus damaging their relationship. Therefore, keeping Mori became the best option.

"Okay, I understand. I respect your choice."

Michael nodded slightly: "Xiao Lei, your family will always be your support. No matter what happens, you need to understand that your family will only be your help, not your obstacle. So, if you've made up your mind, then go ahead and do it. Dad will always support you."

"dad……"

Tears welled up in Lai Sheng's eyes. She never expected to receive her father's support. She had even prepared herself for her father to be disappointed in her.

Michael smiled and said to Laishenglei, "Dad is just getting old, but he's not a stubborn old man! Compared to worldly views, what's more important than my daughter's happiness!"

That's absolutely true. Michael wasn't someone who would be influenced by worldly prejudices. If he were, he should have raised his right arm at a 45-degree angle, fingers together, and shouted "Heil Hitler" when he was young, instead of becoming an unfortunate painter who was hunted down for protecting artworks that had nothing to do with him.

Similarly, Rui Kisugi's mother, Marie, was not a conventional woman.

A young lady who had never left the protection of her family dared to travel thousands of miles to a foreign land during a turbulent era, just to find her true love. In that era and in that social atmosphere, Marie's ability to do such a thing would probably have drawn a hundred times more criticism than Rui Kisei.

Therefore, Michael couldn't really criticize the tears of the afterlife. He couldn't possibly oppose feudalism when he was young, and then become more feudal than anyone else when he got old, could he?

"That's right!"

Michael seemed to remember something and asked Lai Shenglei, "Little Lei, do you and Axin have any problems with your sex life?"

In sociological psychology, love is generated by the combination of the sexual desire system (sexual drive), the attraction system (romantic infatuation), and the attachment system (emotional connection). Only when all three systems are stable can love be perfect. If one of them is missing, love is not so stable. If only one of them is present, love is even more precarious.

If Laishenglei and Lixin cannot satisfy each other in their sex life, it will be detrimental to their relationship in the long run, and may even affect their other two aspects.