Chapter 31 Fifteen Years Old (Part 7)

Yao Chuanling woke up at noon the next day. She sat up and looked around the room.

The space was not small, but apart from the bed, there was no other furniture. It looked empty and didn't seem like a place for people to live.

According to her judgment, this is the port mafia's stronghold.

Just as she opened the door, a blonde, blue-eyed girl knocked.

"Sister, you're awake! Alice's here to call you for dinner."

The little girl, who called herself Alice, enthusiastically pulled her outside.

Although she was supposed to be having a meal, she took the wrong turn and ended up in the leader's office after making several detours.

Alice was clearly of high status here, as no one stopped her on her way to the leader's office.

"I'm sorry, Alice accidentally led us the wrong way. Now that we're here, let's invite Rintaro to have dinner together."

She apologized verbally, but her actions were forceful and decisive; she rushed inside before Yao Chuanling could react.

Hearing the noise, the leader sitting at his desk turned around.

The sharp-eyed elf saw him and instantly switched to a smitten expression.

"Alice-chan, what brings you here?"

To be honest, it's a bit like the wolf in sheep's clothing who tricked Little Red Riding Hood.

Yao Chuanling pondered this in her heart, and the more she thought about it, the more similar it seemed.

After all, this "wolf in sheep's clothing" was planning to deceive her.

She'd overheard the trees talking about the new leader's fondness for young girls. Logically, his doting on Alice seemed to fit his character, but from the moment she saw her, Yao Chuanling knew she wasn't human.

It is neither a god like Nakahara Chuuya, nor a shikigami under Abe no Seimei, but a product of a supernatural ability.

This ability is interesting; when I'm bored, I can conjure up a person to keep me company.

Just like Mori Ōgai is now, enjoying an exclusive, pure version for his own amusement.

"Mr. Mori must have brought me here for more than just to see me, right?"

He was entertaining himself, while she stood beside him, bored out of her mind, as if she were being punished.

Since she didn't discuss the matter when she came to see Yao Chuanling, Yao Chuanling had no choice but to urge the progress herself.

"I forgot about my business when I saw Alice-chan," Mori Ougai said regretfully. "Alice-chan is just too charming."

"I've finally met you, Yokawa Rei."

He sat back in the European-style armchair, the red velvet backrest and intricate carvings silently proclaiming that this was his domain.

Alice disappeared sometime during the day.

"Nice to meet you, thank you for remembering me."

Yao Chuan Ling said politely.

Mori Ōgai is the leader that Nakahara Chūya willingly acknowledges. As Chūya's friend, she feels heartbroken but observes him with a scrutinizing gaze.

A little over a year ago, he was just an underground doctor, but he rose to his current position by murdering the previous leader.

But she didn't sense his desire for power; it was as if everything he did was merely a necessity.

Mori Ougai joked, "All the subordinates I've chosen are on good terms with you. Luckily, I only like girls under twelve, otherwise I'd have to compete with them for them."

Putting all other factors aside, Yao Chuanling is indeed a person who is easy to like.

That's the most dangerous thing.

But this bit of goodwill is nothing. If necessary, he is even willing to sacrifice himself to implement his optimal solution.

The leader's eyes were dark and deep, like the calm, still sea at night.

“Mr. Mori, you don’t need to be so wary of me. Although I will not join the Port Mafia, as long as Naka is around, I won’t make things difficult for him.”

Yao Chuanling knew his purpose, but she preferred to keep things simple rather than beat around the bush.

She moved a little to the side, turning her head to look at the intangible Alice behind her.

It seems they plan to kill her after negotiations break down.

"This is not my optimal solution."

Alice landed and stood obediently beside Mori Ōgai.

He had only recently taken office and was short of funds and personnel. Knowing full well that Yao Chuanling would influence those he favored, how could he possibly kill her under such circumstances?

It's one thing for Chuuya, but that kid Dazai Osamu too...

Mori Ougai retorted helplessly, "My best solution has always been for you to join the Port Mafia. At the very least, you should maintain a good relationship with the Port Mafia."

As he spoke, he started to become somewhat irreverent.

"Chuuya or Dazai, which one do you like better?"

What could make a free soul willingly stay? Mori Ōgai thought to himself, emotion is definitely the best solution.

Love is like a vine that binds you to the bone; some people are so deeply entangled in it that they can't move an inch.

"Of course it's Chuuya."

Yaochuan Ling answered decisively.

Isn't it obvious that she and Dazai Osamu had no close relationship?

"Oh?" Mori Ougai said with a smile, amused. "Last night, it was Dazai who carried you back to his room."

Initially, Dazai Osamu intended to take her back to the container, but halfway there, Mori Ōgai invited her to the Port Mafia building.

So that empty room belonged to Osamu Dazai.

How lonely and desolate that would be.

The room's gaudy decorations instantly won over the spirit, who called it a "small shop."

She asked, "Don't you pay him a salary?"

If he doesn't pay Dazai Osamu's salary, will he also not pay Chuuya's salary?

If I had known this would happen, I would have let Chuuya follow her and paid him whatever salary he wanted.

Mori Ōgai was surprised by her wild imagination and chuckled.

"We, the Hong Kong Triads, do not mistreat our subordinates. It's not our fault that Dazai-kun's cards are often washed away by the water."

The Port Mafia lacks funds for expansion, and the meager salaries of its employees are insignificant. In fact, compared to other companies, the Port Mafia's salaries are among the highest.

"Knock knock—"

It was the deep, resonant sound of a door being knocked on.

The leader knew who it was without even thinking, and sure enough, the next second he heard the person's clear, youthful voice.

"Leader, Nakahara Chuuya requests an audience."

"Come in."

Before meeting Yokawa Rei, Mori Ougai gave instructions to relax the guard, which is why Nakahara Chuuya was able to pass through unimpeded.

In other words, he was just waiting for him to arrive.

With permission granted, Chuuya Nakahara pushed open the door that Alice had closed.

He carefully observed the expressions of the two people, then stood silently and firmly beside Yao Chuanling.

"Don't worry, Naka, Mr. Mori is a very nice person."

She subtly hooked her little finger around Chuuya's and shook it.

The elf was just having a whim and thought it was fun, but Chuuya Nakahara had a much bigger reaction.

"Stop fooling around."

The young man's face flushed red instantly from the gravity manipulation. He lowered his voice and scolded her, his little finger, which was being hooked, twitched almost imperceptibly.

"oh."

Yao Chuanling obediently stood at attention.

Their little tricks naturally didn't escape the old fox's keen eyes.

Alice ran up to the two of them, tilted her head up, and said innocently, "Sisters, you two look like a young couple."

Alice!

Chuuya Nakahara exploded.

She looked puzzled: "A young couple...does that mean two people who have a very good relationship?"

No one had ever mentioned the term "young couple" to her, so she could only answer based on her own understanding.

Abe no Seimei and Izanami wished she would be more mature sooner.

"Then we really are a couple."

Yao Chuanling slammed his fist on the coffin, feeling happy that he had learned a new word.

"Me, Ranpo, Akiko, and all my old friends."

Mori Ougai couldn't help but laugh. Nakahara Chuuya was both helpless and amused. He quickly tugged at Youkawa Rei's sleeve to stop her from continuing.

He silently memorized the names of several people.

"Alright, Chuuya, take Miss Yokawa to lunch first. This afternoon, take her to visit the Port Mafia; it's a mission."

The only adult present controlled the pace and ended the conversation upon seeing this.

He then sincerely said to Yao Chuanling, "Miss Yao Chuan, you are welcome to come to Hong Kong for fun anytime."

The room eventually fell silent, save for the rustling sound of turning the pages of a document.

"It's so good to be young."

The organization's slaves withdrew their gaze from the sphere of light, recalling the scene just now, and couldn't help but sigh.

That was a small lamp that Yaochuan Lingjian gave to him before leaving, because his room was dark.

Young children are always enthusiastic and innocent about the world.

The restaurant in the Hong Kong | Blackie's is very large, occupying an entire floor and divided into several different sections, where you can eat by yourself.

As soon as Yaochuan Ling entered, her attention was drawn to the eight-story-high chocolate waterfall in the very center.

The dessert section is where the most children are.

She was running fast and didn't notice that she bumped into a child, and both of them fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry, are you alright? I didn't mean to."

Realizing she had made a mistake, she quickly stood up and reached out to help the victim.

The child, with half black hair and half white hair, was holding a doll when she pulled him up in surprise.

"Aren't you under my control?"

His special ability, "Brain Hell," is a mind control ability that causes those affected to fall into a hallucination.

That collision just now clearly met the activation conditions, so why didn't it work?

Dazai Osamu was just beside him a moment ago, but he's disappeared somewhere. Since it wasn't nullification caused by No Longer Human, could she also be an anti-ability user?

Yao Chuanling carefully examined him, and finding nothing wrong, she immediately felt relieved.

"It's probably because I'm very strong."

She answered casually.

Spirits are the embodiment of nature, and even in their growth stage, their strength should not be underestimated. Moreover, Izanami placed a protective barrier deep within her consciousness; if anyone were to truly control her, their soul would be devoured by this barrier.

"But this ability of yours is really dangerous. You need to learn how to control it properly."

Yao Chuanling patted his little head and turned to walk towards the chocolate waterfall.

Yumeno Kyusaku followed her like a little tail, taking whatever she took and doing whatever she did.

"Sister, let's play together."

It was rare to find someone who wasn't afraid of him. Yumeno Hisasaku's eyes were bright and he stared at her without blinking, as if he would cry if she disagreed.

"good."

She readily agreed.

Nakahara Chuuya, who hadn't been keeping an eye on Yokawa Rei for a while, finally spotted his target and came over, only to realize that something terrible was about to happen.

Yumeno Kyusaku is a child who is good at playing pranks. Last time, he accidentally fell for one and was mocked by Dazai Osamu for a whole day.

"Little brother!"

Yumeno Kyusaku, who was even smaller than Nakahara Chuuya, waved enthusiastically.

Yao Chuan Ling imitated him, saying, "So small!"

To prevent Chuuya from getting angry, she stuffed his mouth with a skewer of crispy chocolate fruit.

The two childish kids made a funny face at the same time.

Chuuya Nakahara angrily chewed the strawberry in his mouth and stubbornly said indistinctly, "I'll grow more."

His concerns were valid; wouldn't those two, if they got together, turn the Hong Kong triads upside down?

From that day on, Chuuya Nakahara began his daily life of suffering and persecution within the Port Mafia.

"elder sister."

The little girl, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, was carrying a spicy rabbit head. Her eyes lit up when she saw her.

Gin Akutagawa came to the dessert section with her brother; she herself prefers spicy food.

Ryunosuke Akutagawa followed at a distance, holding a bowl of red bean soup and nodding demurely in acknowledgment.

"Miss Yaochuan."

He considered his relationship with Yao Chuanling to be very superficial, so he addressed her with a distant and polite tone.

He loves sweets and often comes to the dessert section to get red bean soup and fig pastries. He occasionally runs into Yumeno Kyusaku, but this is the first time he's had a large-scale event like today.

"Why are you calling me Miss Yaochuan? Call me older sister."

Yao Chuanling was dissatisfied and pinched his face, squeezing it hard.

These were the brother and sister she almost kidnapped, and they were also the people she met on her very first day in this world.

"I understand. Sister... Sister, please let me go."

Ryunosuke Akutagawa took a step back but still couldn't escape her clutches; his pale face was stained with blood.

She had been kind to him and his sister, and he was the kind of person who would repay kindness, so naturally he wouldn't use his special ability to separate them. He could only stand there holding the plate and let her do as she pleased.

Yumeno Kyusaku gloated from the side: "Isn't this the infamous Ryunosuke Akutagawa? So he's finally met his match."

As one of the few young members of the Port Mafia, Yumeno Kyusaku had heard of this newcomer brought back by Dazai Osamu. He had met him a few times, but the other party had scared him away with Rashomon.

He wasn't so friendly to Yumeno Kyusaku; the black beast lunged straight at him, stopping just a centimeter from his face.

"Ryunosuke, your special ability has improved!"

Compared to last time, his control over Rashomon was much more precise and subtle.

Yao Chuanling never hesitates to praise.

When she was a child, no matter what she studied or how well she did, Izanami would always praise her, saying that she was both smart and eager to learn.

"It is thanks to Mr. Dazai's excellent teaching that I am still far from being able to do as well."

Ryunosuke Akutagawa denied it, but his words were full of reverence for Osamu Dazai.

He hasn't gained Mr. Dazai's approval yet; he needs to work even harder.

"Sister~"

Yumeno Hisaku had tears in his eyes and held her tightly, looking terrified.

That wretched Akutagawa, he never fell for it even once.

"Since we've met, let's eat together."

With her left hand holding Yumeno Kyusaku's hand and her right hand holding Akutagawa Gin's, Yokawa Rei turned to look at Nakahara Chuuya: "Chuuya~"

That way, she won't have a hand to hold her dessert.

In critical moments, we still have to rely on Chunye.

"knew."

Chuuya Nakahara, familiar with the process, used gravity to make the plates float up and line them up in an orderly fashion, following behind them.

This child will buy a dozen identical copies of anything she likes, she said, for her old friends.

Because she had so much stuff, he always helped her carry it back.

Yao Chuanling smiled sweetly at him: "You're so reliable, Xiao Zhong. What would I do without you?"

Ryunosuke Akutagawa, walking alongside Chuuya Nakahara, clearly saw him smirk as he strolled leisurely behind her.

He complained, "All he does is say nice things to make me happy."

"Huh? These are all the truths."

Yaochuan Ling sat to one side with her two children, while Nakahara Chuuya sat directly opposite her.

She rested her chin on her hand, her face full of sincerity.

"Just eat yours."

After spending a lot of time with her, Chuuya Nakahara learned, without being taught, how to change the subject.

"oh."

She took a bite of the spicy rabbit head that Akutagawa Gin had recommended to her, and was so spicy that she was hissing and running all over the table looking for water.

She enjoyed the normal level of spiciness, but unexpectedly, Akutagawa Gin chose the extra spicy version.

"Little Silver, you're a hidden talent."

The elf, with teary eyes, clung to Akutagawa Gin and cried pitifully.