Chapter 23: Loyalty! Devotion!

The bodyguard stood nervously pressed against the wall.

It was his first time stepping onto the Fifth Floor, Princess Yue’s exclusive domain.

That adorable beautiful girl, always shrouded in a cold aura, was now lazily sprawled on the sofa, her red eyes fixed on the TV.

Inside the TV, the news anchor was reporting the Ability Awakening Events that had erupted this morning across several districts around Chiyoda.

“Hattori Koji, right?”

A cold voice suddenly rang out.

“Hi!”

Hattori Koji instantly straightened his back, swallowing the saliva that kept forming from his nerves.

Jiang Jian Yue remembered him well.

After all, in that outdoor restaurant, he’d dared to hurl a chair at a terrifying Devourer G Monster.

Afterward, everyone involved, including himself, was hired by the Jiang Family, and the Police and Tokushu Jishou Taiou Honbu sensibly stopped investigating.

“Begin.”

“R-Right here?”

Hattori Koji hesitated, glancing around the finely decorated bedroom.

“It’s too dangerous here, maybe we should change locations…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Jiang Jian Yue didn’t even bother to move, her entire body sinking deeper into the sofa.

She felt that if she kept lying here for a few more days, she’d completely become a useless person!

Hattori Koji took a deep breath and nodded in acceptance.

Without hesitation, he bit his fingertip.

A crimson gas instantly burst forth, swirling with his intent, condensing into a red light blade with illusory afterimages.

Why!

Why are other people’s abilities so cool!

Look at my Insect Blade, and with this Invisibility Wristwatch too—only shady people would use abilities like these!

Hattori Koji was also affected by the Shock Core this morning, with his Heart Worm already awakened to the Parasitic Larva Stage.

Hattori Koji explained that when activating his ability, he could distinctly feel the presence of a Cocoon.

Even if he couldn’t see it, the image still appeared in his mind.

This only made Jiang Jian Yue even more confused, puzzled about her own condition.

When she used her abilities, she couldn’t sense any so-called “Cocoon” at all.

She wasn’t a Parasite, or a Cicada Shell Host, and even less a Tunjiti.

We still don’t know what the “Monster” Kuninori Tsuruoka spoke of that day meant.

Jiang Jian Yue fell into thought.

Hattori Koji released his ability, but momentarily forgot the proper manners, his gaze locking directly onto Jiang Jian Yue’s mesmerizing face.

He hadn’t come for the Jiang Family’s high salary.

At least, not anymore.

At their first meeting, this cold and ethereal beautiful girl had pointed at him and said alone: “You’re good.”

Hattori Koji fell easily.

For the first time in his career, he felt the urge to die for someone who recognized him.

He vowed to protect Princess Yue.

However, several days passed, and Princess Yue rarely left her room, barely descending the stairs at all.

The Fifth Floor was off-limits to bodyguards, with only a select few having permission to go upstairs.

It was a pity not to see Princess Yue’s graceful appearance.

But Hattori Koji wasn’t some kind of pervert.

He never expected to awaken an ability this morning, and the news was quickly conveyed to Princess Yue by the Morita Butler.

To be able to step onto the Fifth Floor was already a great honor.

To speak with Princess Yue at such a close distance—the excitement even surpassed the thrill of awakening superpowers itself.

As his mind swirled with fantasies—

A stray thought also flashed through Jiang Jian Yue’s mind.

Maybe I should just kill Hattori and copy his ability?

She startled herself with her terrifying idea.

What are you thinking, Jiang Jian Yue!

You’re a despicable, selfish adult, yes, but you’re not a killer!

R-Right?

Well… What’s the difference between Kuninori Tsuruoka and Hattori Koji? To you, they’re both “others.”

No! Kuninori Tsuruoka is a criminal, but Hattori didn’t do anything!

It was like there were two voices warring in her mind—one, a lazy and cold devil, the other, a frantic and angry angel.

“Hattori, are you willing to work for me for the rest of your life?”

Jiang Jian Yue’s face showed none of her inner turmoil.

Expressionless, she lifted her head to look at Hattori Koji.

Hattori Koji hurriedly lowered his head, pounding his fist over his heart.

He shouted without hesitation:

“I’ll prove my loyalty with my actions!”

Are all Japanese people this chuunibyou?

Jiang Jian Yue didn’t entirely trust Hattori Koji, even if he was acting like a die-hard follower now.

The world would only get more chaotic in the future, so gaining another subordinate was probably a good thing.

But there were some things that had to be made clear with Hattori Koji ahead of time.

“You are now a Parasite.”

“There’s a chance you could turn into a Monster.”

“The Monster from the outdoor restaurant… was once a ‘superpower user’ too.”

Jiang Jian Yue picked up the water glass from the coffee table, taking a sip to moisten her throat.

Her degraded language skills had recovered a bit now, but it still took her a long time to form her words.

“If you unfortunately become a Monster, I will kill you.”

Hattori Koji stared, then shook his head.

“If I become like that, it’s just my bad luck… To die by Princess Yue’s hand would be my honor.”

Damn, I let the ‘Princess Yue’ title slip out.

Jiang Jian Yue’s face was unreadable as she lifted the glass again, turning her gaze back to the TV.

Disgusting…

She didn’t want to use that word, but for some reason, Hattori Koji just felt a bit off.

Well… But I’m a very self-aware uncle myself, since this face is enough to arouse desire in others.

So I won’t blame Hattori for it!

After sending Hattori Koji off to Morita, Jiang Jian Yue curled up on the sofa, using the sound from the television as BGM while scrolling through her phone.

Yuki Asahi had just sent her a few LINE messages not long ago.

At the end of episode four, he and Kaori Onishi subdued Masakazu Kinoshita together, so he’d probably finished up other matters by now.

“Senpai, did you encounter any danger?”

“It’s chaotic outside right now. Please take care of yourself.”

This silly boy still thought she was a normal person.

Jiang Jian Yue rolled over and sprawled on the sofa, an unconscious smile curling at her lips.

“Yuki, come save me.”

“Apartment? Or where? I’ll come right away!”

The other side was so flustered by the fake message that he even typed it wrong, clearly in a panic.

“I’m joking. I’m fine.”

“…Senpai, please don’t joke like that again.”

Yuki Asahi sent an angry emoji.

“╮(￣⊿￣”)╭ Yuki’s like an elder, always sending those little yellow beans.”

Last time she chatted with Yuki Asahi at night, he teased her for sounding like a middle-aged man.

Since then, Jiang Jian Yue had paid special attention to her wording, even frequently using emoticons.

“Senpai, emoticons are out of fashion now too…”

“Eh? Really?”

For some reason, chatting with Yuki Asahi made her happy.

It was different from talking with the animals and maggots in the little group—though both were relaxing, she often found herself smiling when she talked with him.

Youth?

Jiang Jian Yue clung to that faint, uncertain emotion.

It almost felt like she was compensating for the painful youth she’d missed in her previous life.