"Huff… finally made it here. I was really excited to come to this city before, but now that I'm here, I don't even know what to say anymore. It's not as amazing as I imagined." Tossing down a small package, Cai Ya flopped onto the sofa, mumbling to herself.
Standing behind her, Chu Lian rolled her eyes. "That's because back then you still thought of yourself as a proud genius songstress. It's normal to be curious about the most entertainment-developed country in the world."
"Exactly, Sister Cai Ya. If you ask me, it's just that you don't find it interesting anymore, that's why you feel that way," Chu Chu said, after placing her suitcase of clothes in the bedroom and coming out to see Cai Ya's lazy posture.
"I think it's because she's found someone to rely on, so she doesn't care about anything else anymore," Liu Yanran said with a soft laugh, teasing her.
"W-who… who's found someone to rely on?" Cai Ya's body shot upright at those words, her cheeks reddening as she stammered in protest. "I've always been with you guys. Don't you know whether I have someone to rely on or not?"
As she said that, her gaze unconsciously drifted toward Chu Lian, who had gotten up to make tea. There was a tenderness in her eyes that couldn't be hidden no matter how hard she tried.
"Yes, yes, you haven't. I was just talking nonsense," Liu Yanran said seriously, but everyone who heard her could detect the teasing tone behind her words.
"Hey, Cai Ya, you guys go ahead and chat. Lux and I will go tidy up our room first," Ruriko Nana said with a smile. Seeing how lively their conversation was, she pulled Lux Lyle along to sort out their things.
This time's lodging arrangement had them staying two groups per room, though who would stay with whom was entirely up to their own choice.
When they learned about the setup, Chu Lian and Cai Ya had immediately discussed it, and the two quickly agreed to room together with their respective teams.
Zhao Ziming had arranged for them to stay in a luxury multi-person suite, second only to the presidential suite. It was the kind usually reserved for large families or groups.
The suite had two floors, each with four rooms. Every room was spacious, furnished with four beds, allowing the students to decide how they wanted to divide the space.
Of course, for these two teams who were already used to sharing a room, two rooms were more than enough. The rest were simply extras.
Even with five members on Chu Lian's team, it wasn't a problem. When bedtime came, Inori would always sleep beside Chu Lian anyway, so there was never any need for an extra bed.
Although Chu Chu had repeatedly expressed her wish to switch places with Inori so she could sleep beside Chu Lian, both Chu Lian and Inori firmly refused.
Inori's reason was simple—without Chu Lian's presence, she couldn't sleep well.
Chu Lian's reason, however, left Chu Chu heartbroken: "There's no way I'm sleeping next to someone who might sneak attack me in the middle of the night. If you insist on coming over, I'd rather sleep with Xiu'er."
After hearing that, Li Xiu'er even encouraged Chu Chu to keep trying, clearly aiming for Chu Lian's pillow-side position herself. Unfortunately for her, Chu Chu wasn't fooled. She grumbled for a while before hugging her pillow and sulking on the other side.
And so, they ended up with a rather amusing arrangement—Chu Chu slept with Xiu'er under the excuse of "protecting her," while Chu Lian and Inori stuck closely together, leaning on each other as always.
The only one sleeping alone was Kurosaki Satsuki. It wasn't just because of the odd number of people—it was because she herself rejected the idea of sharing a bed with anyone.
Truth be told, after spending so long in solitude, she had grown unaccustomed to close contact with others. Unless Chu Lian used force to make her comply, there was no way to make her accept something she didn't want.
On the other hand, if the white-haired girl truly didn't want to do something, no amount of coercion— even the threat of death—could make her yield.
If she ever did yield, it would only mean that deep down she actually wanted it, but just didn't have the courage to say so. In short—she was being tsundere.
After several days of living together, this unique dynamic had naturally formed among them—a strange yet harmonious way of getting along. It was something others could only envy, but also something impossible to replicate unless one truly stepped into their hearts.
As the girls chatted, they soon began to get busy again. After all, they would be staying here for about a day. Even though it wasn't long, the few who loved cleanliness didn't want the place they lived in to be too messy, so they set about tidying up.
After working for more than half an hour, the two bedrooms were finally cleaned up. Feeling a little tired, the girls sat on the sofa, curling up with cups of tea to rest.
"Interesting… how very interesting…" Suddenly, a deep female voice echoed, as though coming from the darkest corner of the room—illusory, cold, and piercing straight into their hearts.
"Who's there?" Before anyone else could react, Chu Chu had already spoken up. At the same time, faint violet lightning flickered along her arms, ready to unleash a deadly strike the moment the stranger appeared.
Because she always remembered Chu Lian's warnings, Chu Chu was actually the most alert of them all. The moment there was even the slightest movement, she would respond immediately.
"Chu Chu, no need to be so tense. She doesn't seem to have any hostility." Chu Lian stopped her, eyes turning toward the railing of the upper floor. There, under the chandelier's light, a half-transparent silhouette shimmered faintly in and out of sight.
"Still so impulsive after all these days." The shadowy figure disappeared, only to reappear on the other side of the balcony, her voice calm yet cold as she looked down at them.
"I'd rather be impulsive than a sneaky coward like you," Chu Chu muttered, curling her lips in disdain.
"Heh… little girl, I'm not hiding on purpose. This is simply my race's natural ability—just like your lightning power, it's an instinct. What you see now is already me being generous. If I truly wanted to conceal myself, none of you would even sense where I am."
Her voice shifted again, this time sounding directly behind Chu Chu.
But when Chu Chu turned to look, the figure had vanished once more—as if she had never existed.
This mysterious and unpredictable ability sent a chill down everyone's spine.
She moved as if through Teleport—so swift and elusive that no one could guard against it.
If she truly meant them harm, none of them—save for Chu Lian—would have had any chance of escaping.
Lightning flared once again around Chu Chu's hands; Inori drew the pistol strapped to her thigh, her gaze sharp and focused on their surroundings; Kurosaki Satsuki moved with quiet precision, unsheathing her twin katanas and activating her Ghost Concealment, blending seamlessly into the environment.
Everyone looked ready for battle—even Cai Ya, Li Xiu'er, and Liu Yanran, the three who lacked combat abilities, as well as the ever-calm Ruriko Nana and Lux Lyle, who had concealed their own strength.
Only Chu Lian remained composed as ever. Though she was inwardly shocked by the figure's ability, she didn't show it. Instead, she said, "I didn't expect you to have been following us all this time. That was my mistake."
"I had to see for myself what kind of person the Daughter of Fate truly was—the one for whom I sacrificed so much just to capture." The shadow no longer flickered about. Perhaps realizing that if she continued, the tense girls below would attack, she returned to her original spot, her tone cool but measured.
"After following me for several days, have you come to any conclusions?" Chu Lian asked calmly, her right hand casually resting against her chest—but in truth, she was gripping the Key of Seven Illusions, ready to summon the Seven Illusions Bow at the first sign of danger.
"If you summon that bow, I'll have no choice but to leave," the shadow said, her voice steady yet edged with caution.
Although Chu Lian's movements were subtle, the specter who had been watching her so closely for days noticed them instantly. Especially after witnessing that battle in Tokyo's neon night, she knew well the terrifying might of that bow.
She could still feel the annihilating power radiating from it—that world-ending energy that made even her soul tremble.
Even with only a tenth of her strength left, she knew that even at full power, she couldn't withstand the oppressive force emanating from that weapon.
It was like a lesser lifeform standing before a supreme predator—its very soul crying out in instinctive terror.
The stronger one's power, the greater the pressure they could endure—but also, the stronger the pressure they would have to face. And she knew clearly—she had no confidence she could withstand the Seven Illusions Bow's unleashed might.
Just then, Tina—who had been napping on Chu Lian's shoulder—suddenly opened her eyes. Rising to stand on all fours, she fixed her glowing gaze on the shadowy figure. In those eyes surged an immense, suffocating pressure.
"Underworld Watcher…" the specter gasped, her voice trembling as the faint green light in Tina's eyes gleamed like the sharpest blade. Unable to contain herself, she let out a shrill cry.
As an undead herself, she understood better than anyone the terror of a being with such a gift. The Underworld Watchers were born as the natural nemeses of the undead—two races that stood eternally opposed.
If an undead were to slay such a being and devour its soul, their strength would increase immensely. But for most undead, in the eyes of an Underworld Watcher, they were nothing more than prey—inescapable prey.
Were it not for her iron will holding back her instinct to flee, she would have vanished into nothingness the very next second.
Witnessing this, Chu Lian glanced at Tina—who was calmly licking her paw atop her shoulder—and finally realized just how terrifying the little creature truly was beneath its adorable appearance.
"Don't let it look at me again… I only came to deliver a message. Once I'm done, I'll leave," the shadow's voice quivered, all trace of her earlier confidence gone.
"Tina, be good. Don't scare her. I need to hear what she has to say." Chu Lian hesitated for a moment, then gently lifted Tina into her arms, stroking her small head and speaking softly.
"Alright, speak. What's your purpose for appearing here?" Raising her head, Chu Lian met the shadow's gaze. The tension from before was gone—after all, with Tina, the ultimate counter to undead beings, she no longer felt any pressure.
"Those three people—two of them are undead, and one is a fallen martial artist. The undead you can handle, but that fallen martial artist… she's beyond your current strength. Judge the situation carefully."
Now that Tina's immediate threat had subsided, the shadow regained her composure. After glancing around once more, she finished speaking, and her body gradually faded under the light, vanishing completely. The cold aura that had filled the room also dissipated, confirming her departure.
"Hah… finally gone. That was close…" Chu Lian exhaled deeply, feeling the heavy weight in her chest lift at last.
"Big Sis, who was that?" Chu Chu asked, dispersing the lightning around her hands. She wiped the sweat from her forehead but couldn't suppress her curiosity.
"An undead… a descendant of the Death God's clan," Chu Lian said softly, her gaze lingering on the spot where the shadow had disappeared.