Chapter 2: Morning Antics and Unwanted Responsibilities

Early morning, 5:03 AM.

At this hour, most residents of the city were still deep in slumber, and the chilly outdoor streets were utterly deserted, save for Bai Zhi.

Her face bore the unmistakable signs of profound exhaustion. Evidently, the preceding night had offered her no respite, denying her the much-needed rest she deserved.

However, this weariness was not solely attributable to her lack of sleep. Her battle the previous night with the self-proclaimed Demon Dragon Emperor, a reptilian man, had predictably drawn the attention of the surrounding residents.

To mitigate this particular nuisance, Bai Zhi had spent the entire latter half of the night tirelessly traversing the city, meticulously altering the memories of each eyewitness.

After all, she could hardly knock every single eyewitness unconscious, as she might with those transmigrators from other worlds. As for the trench gouged into the road by the Demon Dragon Emperor’s massive body, Bai Zhi had ultimately failed to devise a satisfactory solution.

Consequently, she had simply resigned herself to fate, letting nature take its course.

She knew that the curious gossipmongers and tabloid journalists would eagerly concoct plausible narratives to explain the trench’s origins, and she was too weary to bother with such an insignificant detail.

It would merely add another entry to the ‘Seven Wonders of San City’ list.

Similar occurrences had hardly been rare in the past, so the city’s residents were likely accustomed to such anomalies by now.

After internally rationalizing her lazy indulgence, Bai Zhi let out a sigh.

‘I long for sleep, to lie in bed, to simply close my eyes…’

For the past two weeks, she had barely managed a single night of undisturbed sleep.

The number of transmigrators from other worlds showed a distinct increase, compelling Bai Zhi to traverse every corner of the city each night.

She was forced to resolve the troubles these otherworldly individuals wrought, subsequently sending these illicit transmigrators back to their original realms.

Coupled with the extensive cleanup required after each incident, all-nighters had become an undeniable constant in Bai Zhi’s current life.

Thus, having only just turned sixteen and poised to gracefully step into her seventeenth year, the innocent Bai Zhi found herself prematurely living the life of an employee slaving away for a predatory company.

She had, incidentally, even acquired an ‘office drone’ work permit, a credential she had never desired.

“One, two, three, four… No way, it’s been two consecutive weeks!”

“Two consecutive weeks… of all-nighters, without a single good night’s sleep…”

Bai Zhi’s thoughts drifted, and she voiced a heartfelt lament.

“Is this truly what someone my age should be enduring!?”

While she understood that some high school seniors preparing for exams in certain regions might indeed follow similar schedules, Bai Zhi was in no mood to empathize with them at that moment.

And yet… despite their daughter’s immense efforts, her utterly unreliable parents were off traveling abroad at this very hour!? At this thought, Bai Zhi’s resentment threatened to boil over.

She lived alone now, her parents currently embarking on a global tour, ostensibly fulfilling their youthful dream of visiting every renowned city across the globe.

Were it not for the substantial living expenses they regularly sent each month, along with a few rather boastful travel photos, Bai Zhi might well have believed her unreliable parents had simply eloped and abandoned her.

Allowing an underage daughter, still of school-going age, to live alone in the city—especially within the current climate where parents universally prioritize academic achievement—made it difficult to discern whether Bai Zhi’s parents were merely carefree or simply lacking common sense.

After a silent internal grumble, much of Bai Zhi’s indignation dissipated, and her agitated mind gradually settled.

“Still, isn’t this far too frequent?”

Bai Zhi muttered softly. Over the past two years, such a high frequency of transmigration incidents had been unprecedented. By now, even someone as oblivious as Bai Zhi had begun to sense that something was amiss.

‘The underlying reason… it must be that White-Robed Figure fellow the reptilian man mentioned, causing all this trouble, right?’

‘Yet, the reptilian man offered no further information, even at the very end…’

The image of that colossal greenish-black monster, all fangs and claws, flashed through her mind once more—how utterly uncouth! Bai Zhi exhaled slowly, then indignantly raised a small, pink fist.

“Grumble, grumble… I really feel a surge of anger. I definitely should have given that reptilian man a few more punches! Perhaps next time I catch a transmigrator, instead of sending them back immediately, I should knock them out and bring them in for interrogation? But then again, I don’t know any interrogation techniques…”

“Ah~!”

Her thoughts having wandered, she suddenly felt herself collide with something soft and spherical.

“Ugh… this size, this sensation… is that you, Rena?”

Bai Zhi lifted her gaze, and beyond the proudly prominent, rounded peaks, she beheld a handsome face, smiling with a hint of awkwardness and shyness.

“Hmm… while being recognized so quickly makes me happy, I do hope next time it’s by some other distinguishing feature…”

Hearing the familiar voice of the girl above her, Bai Zhi felt a wave of relief wash over her, prompting her to tease playfully:

“I can’t help it, can I? They’re just too prominent; completely impossible to ignore!”

While her words bordered on sophistry, Bai Zhi was not entirely without reason. The girl Bai Zhi called Rena appeared to be of a similar age, and her height was only slightly greater than Bai Zhi’s.

However, unlike Bai Zhi, whose figure was somewhat understated, Rena possessed a formidable pair of ‘pectoral muscles,’ which seemed on the verge of tearing through her thin clothing.

The sheer sense of overflowing power they exuded was unforgettable to anyone who had ever glimpsed them.

“They were fine when you wore armor, but now that you’ve changed clothes, they’re even more conspicuous… Tsk!”

Rena frowned, her gaze catching Bai Zhi’s expression in her peripheral vision, and she grumbled with a hint of displeasure:

“Don’t look at me with such resentful eyes… Besides, didn’t you yourself tell me to ‘change into something less conspicuous’?”

“I did say that, I absolutely did!” Bai Zhi retorted, spreading her hands in exasperation. “But! Haven’t you just become *even more* conspicuous?!”

“There’s nothing I can do.” Rena’s expression was a mix of shyness and helplessness. “Bai Zhi, all your clothes are too small for me.

After searching for ages, I could only find this one that I could barely squeeze into. If only there were something a little looser…”

“Awoooooo!”

Without allowing Rena to finish her sentence, Bai Zhi let out a strange cry and lunged at Rena’s chest.

“Still daring to be so brazen! If they’re such a bother, I’ll just help you burst them!”

“Th-this, what kind of demonic technique is this!?Ah, no, no… St-stop! Bai Zhi! At least wait until we’re back home before…”

“Ooooh-awooooo! Take this!”

***

Moments later, Bai Zhi stood with her hands on her hips, a picture of refreshed satisfaction. In stark contrast, Rena knelt on the ground, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, a suspicious flush creeping across her face.

“Ah, my fatigue has been completely swept away~”

Rena crossed her arms protectively over her chest, her expression somewhat inscrutable.

“Waaah… Holy Light, your knight failed to resist the defilement of an evil one…”

“Don’t say that; it makes me sound like a villain.” Bai Zhi, a cheerful smile gracing her lips, patted Rena’s shoulder, remarking nonchalantly, “It’s just playful roughhousing between close friends, well within safe boundaries, totally safe!”

“How could such aggressive roughhousing even exist!? Waaah… my chest hurts so much.”

Hearing her words, Bai Zhi, contrary to expectations, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“No one else saw us anyway, so you can rest a million times assured!”

“Oh, in that case, I’m relieved…” Rena retorted, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation. “Did you really think I’d say that!? I am a knight in service of the Holy Light, not some frivolous woman, hey!”

Bai Zhi stood by, listening to Rena’s complaints, then feigned thoughtful contemplation for a moment before playfully reminding her with a mischievous grin:

“Oh, really? But someone just said, ‘Ah~ at least wait until we’re back home before!’ Was that also a teaching from the Holy Light?”

“Ugh!”

Rena’s reaction was utterly adorable. Bai Zhi reached out to help the kneeling blonde girl to her feet, but the palm of her outstretched hand was pinched by Rena, eliciting a yelp from her.

“Yaaah~~ Help, the Radiant Knight is assaulting a commoner~~~”

The two girls continued their playful antics and laughter on the deserted morning street. It was only as the sun climbed higher that they finally put aside their childish fun and returned together to Bai Zhi’s home.