Chapter 6: The Students

The tug-of-war has already begun.

But before it started, a certain white-haired girl, after receiving a heavy blow from the adult world, completely turned into immovable, non-combustible trash, squatting silently on the sofa with a flushed face, muttering something continuously under her breath.

“Forget it, forget it, forget it.”

Over here is Liu Yuyun. Yes, Mei has already learned the name of this kid who claims to be the current student of the house’s owner.

At this moment, this current student of the house’s owner is engaged in an intense mental duel with his former student (Himeko), which basically means they’re glaring at each other, playing the childish game of “who blinks first.”

“Uh, Major Himeko, about our mission?”

“Put it aside for now. Let me deal with this brat first.”

“Ridiculous! You think you can take me down? I’m known as the perfect wooden person in the whole school!”

“Well, that hardly sounds like an exaggeration, little brother Yuyun.”

“Grr~”

Maybe it’s because Liu Yuyun and Muryouta Himeko just naturally don’t get along, or maybe it’s simply that as a disciple, he dislikes Himeko’s presence, or perhaps it’s just that he isn’t fond of Himeko’s weaponry that can be considered male combat gear.

Anyway, his meaning is simple and direct: “I’m going to go up against you.”

“Ha~”

This makes Mei feel quite troubled. Of course, much of that is because Himeko also starts acting like a stubborn child, engaging with him.

If Liu Yuyun has multiple reasons to confront Himeko, Himeko has only one reason to resist him: she doesn’t accept that this brat is her instructor’s student.

Or to put it another way, what kind of attitude is it for a student to have toward his teacher as if he’s some kind of housekeeper? Big shot, do you want me to clarify the gender?

“Hey, little brother Liu Yuyun, can you listen to your sister for a moment?”

“Okay.”

He answers seriously and quickly but doesn’t look back directly, his eyes locked in continuous battle with Himeko.

“Hey, your eyelids moved, you brat!”

“Same to you! You’re just holding back blinking, your eyeballs must be about to explode, you big-breasted monster.”

“Who are you calling a monster?!”

“Hey hey! Blink! Blink! You’re going to blink!”

“Whyyyyyyyy!”

If Mei only felt a little overwhelmed before, now she really starts to feel a headache coming.

“We’re not bad people.”

“I can see that. That white-haired sister over there may be a bit dumb, but no bad person would be so easily defeated by just a single textbook. And sister, it’s hard for me to associate you with bad people either.”

“What about me?” Himeko raised her eyebrows.

“Monsters don’t have good or bad distinctions! Just defeat them!”

Liu Yuyun answers rather maturely: “But good people who aren’t bad don’t always bring good news. The teacher never talks about his past, but whenever he drinks to the point of blacking out, he recites a long list of names and keeps scolding himself.”

At such a young age, his maturity and delicate concern are hard to imagine. Liu Yuyun continues, his voice full of emotion: “Even idiots can see that the teacher’s past wasn’t easy. I’m not an idiot, so I know you want the teacher to return to his old life or job, and I absolutely won’t allow that!”

“…”

Mei is speechless. She hadn’t expected such a kid, three years younger than herself, to understand so much, possessing such powerful thinking ability and persuasive speech.

“The teacher’s past is already shattered and scarred. So I will protect the teacher from you!”

Such a strong statement is almost unshakable, comparable to steel will. And yet, his motivation is so pure: just to protect his teacher.

“If you’ve already started thinking like that, then you have no right to call yourself his student.”

“What did you say?!”

Himeko suddenly bursts out, reigniting the tense atmosphere to its peak.

“I said that man isn’t fragile enough to just show fatigue once or twice in front of others to be worthy of protection. If you think that, it only shows you don’t really understand him.”

“You speak as if you know him well. I’ve been with him for ten years.”

“If he deliberately hides himself, even twenty years with him won’t reveal his true self.”

Himeko grits her teeth, her wine-red eyes showing strong emotional fluctuation: “That’s who he is. Even those of us trained fully by him don’t completely understand what kind of person he truly is.”

“Then why do you say the person I see isn’t him?”

“Because I’ve seen it too! Sometimes at a bar, drinking until the bar is trashed, sitting in a corner laughing like a fool, crying like a madman. He locks away his entire past, including his true heart. He shares nothing, confides nothing. Lonely as if he’s the only one in the world.”

Her suppressed feelings explode out. The carefully constructed facade of wildness to avoid looking weak in front of him finally crumbles. Himeko almost shouts:

“…So this bastard left, said he’d treat us to drinks, but avoided us for ten years! Didn’t even show up at the funeral!”

“You think I came just to bring him back? I can’t even lie to myself with that. I’m not here to bring him back. Whether he comes back or not is none of my business. With so many fierce characters called back by destiny this time, is he the only one missing? I just want to beat him up real good!”

This is the eruption of pent-up emotion. The roar not only expresses her feelings but also brings a tear of repression to her eye.

“Tch, what am I even saying to you brat.”

Snapping out of it, Himeko immediately returns to her usual self. Yes, her past self—not the deliberately dressed-up rose-like woman this time, but her usual fiery vodka-like boldness.

“Ugh! So annoying!”

Due to discomfort with high heels, she sprains her foot again, kicks off the expensive shoes (almost a week’s salary), throws them by the trash, walks barefoot to the shoe rack, and grabs a pair of men’s slippers to wear.

“Wait.”

Liu Yuyun stops her.

“What now? Not even letting me wear shoes? I say your overprotection is going too far…”

“No, those shoes are broken. About a month ago, when the teacher went mountain climbing, he accidentally cut the sole. The pair next to it is better and should fit you more.”

“…Thanks.”

“Also, change your clothes. The reason you’re called a monster is because that outfit really doesn’t fit your nature… Big sister.”

“Fine, looks like I failed. But I didn’t bring a change of clothes.”

“The teacher’s wardrobe is here. He’s not very tall, so his clothes should fit you. Also, I think men’s clothes suit you better. I think there’s even some mountaineering gear here.”

“…Although I appreciate it, why do I feel this weird sense of defeat?”

Himeko complains a bit, and because she doesn’t understand the so-called teacher and instructor well, Raiden Mei feels she can’t do much in their conversation and feels somewhat frustrated and sidelined.

But she keenly picks up some information from Liu Yuyun’s words.

“By the way, little brother Yuyun, why do we need mountaineering clothes?”

“The teacher is now playing solo wilderness survival in the mountains. If you want to find him, you have to go up there. Of course, if you’re not in a hurry, you can wait.”

“How long?”

“Hmm, let me calculate. The teacher went this Monday. Every time he goes to the mountains, he stays about half a month, no matter the weather… so about nine days left.”

“Do you know exactly where he is?”

Liu Yuyun, still looking for clothes, suddenly looks back with a look that seems to say, “Are you an idiot?” and says:

“How could I possibly know?”

“Huh?”

“After entering the forest, the teacher never stays in one place for more than a day. Usually, after finding a water source, he camps on the third day and then starts hunting for food and begins his survival period. Also, he never uses the same camp twice.”

“So we have to search the whole mountain? Kid, this area covers 2,000 hectares!”

“But there are only a few places with clean water sources, and I know the places to get food. I’ve even been to the teacher’s hunting grounds. His campsites aren’t far from one another, and I happen to know all their locations.”

“So…”

Liu Yuyun takes out some clothes and shoes from the wardrobe, handing them to the three of them.

“Change your clothes. I’ll take you to find the teacher.”