Wang: 『Uoooah!!! Wahhh!!! Nuaaahh!!』

Wang-san’s loud cry resonates throughout the hospital. Wang-san, who is hugging Jing-san while crying, was truly a brother who cared for his sister. Seeing this, I feel a slight sense of satisfaction. It may be false virtue, but I can genuinely say that it turned out well.

We stepped out for a while and left the two of them alone.

Nagi and I were together for several months, but how many years would it equate to a decade? Surely, there must be a lot of things to talk about. From her sister’s perspective, she may feel as if she had time-travelled, even though she was conscious.

Kai: “Hao-san, we’re going to leave for now. Please tell Wang-san that we will talk again tomorrow.”

Hao: “Kai-san…you…well, I will ask about that tomorrow. I have to express my gratitude to you as well. Thank you.”

Kai: “I’m glad. Also…I think I’ll join. The Battle God Guild.”

Hao: “Wha, really!? That’s wonderful! Truly wonderful! I’m glad…that I won’t be scolded by Li-san.”

The man Hao-san calls Li, or accurately Wei Li. I haven’t met him, but he seems to be an executive of the Dungeon Association in China. The Battle God Guild, the Dungeon Association of China, and the Chinese government are closely connected, so he is like a superior to Hao-san.

In image terms, the Battle God Guild is a guild that seems to be directly under the Chinese government and the Dungeon Association of China, unlike other guilds.

Therefore, they spare no expense to recruit strong members. I don’t know whether it’s characteristic of the country, but the government’s power over the country is probably stronger than in Japan.

Kai: “Well then, Hao-san, I’m going back with the others today. I’ll head to the guild again tomorrow, alright?”

Hao: “Sure, it might become Wang-san’s home, I guess? I will pick you up from the hotel again tomorrow!”

Kai: “Understood, please pass on my regards to Wang-san.”

Nagi and I decided to part ways with Hao-san and his group and meet up with Reina’s group.

Aya: “Kai-san! You surprised me by bringing us here all of a sudden!”

Kai: “Sorry, I thought it would be better if Aya was here to avoid mistakes. Besides, Aya is the one who discovered it, right? It’s about time to announce it?”

Aya: “Yes, the American medical institution we’ve requested has confirmed the effectiveness. They said they’ll let us know once they’ve checked for side effects, so it should be soon. With this, we won’t have to take responsibility if the patient dies a few days later after treatment.”

It seems establishing a treatment is not as simple as I thought. It’s not a world where it’s okay just because they’re healed; you have to monitor their condition and observe their progress. If not, the treatment could be blamed if something happens. It’s a complex issue, but there are certainly people in the world waiting for it, so I hope they announce it soon.

Kai: “How was it? The sightseeing?”

Aya: “Yeah, it was fun to see various things. But more importantly!! Are you really joining the Battle God Guild!? Are you…moving to China?”

We were walking towards the hotel where we planned to stay. Reina and Nagi seemed to be heading there too, so we decided to meet up there.

Kai: “Yeah. I’m thinking of becoming stronger in this country. But I’ll still live in Japan, okay?”

Aya: “Huh? So, that means…”

Kai: “Oh, right. I haven’t explained it to you yet. But I haven’t fully grasped it either. I’ve acquired a new power. It allows me to teleport to the shadow of any creature, anywhere. So, I’m planning to move between Nagi’s shadow and… probably Hao-san’s shadow.”

Aya: “Is it the same power that let you escape from us?”

Kai: “Uh, well, yeah.”

I looked away from Aya, who was trying to smile at me with her eyes not laughing. Speaking of which, I still haven’t answered her about that time.

Aya: “Hehe, it’s okay. I feel like you’ll run away again if I press you any further!”

Kai: “Well, I’m joining the Battle God Guild. But distance doesn’t really matter to me, so don’t worry, see?”

I activated my Lightning power and teleported to Aya’s shadow. Seeing this, Aya laughs in surprise.

Aya: “With this, I can’t run away from you no matter where I am.”

Kai: “I’ll be able to come and help immediately if something happens.”

Aya: “Hehe, but it’s a bit exciting. To think that you might appear at any time…”

Kai: “I’ll make sure to notify you in advance unless it’s an emergency…”

Aya: “It’s okay, I’m always ready. Oh, but…”

With that, Aya whispers in my ear.

Aya: “An erotic mishap might happen, like in the bath…”

Kai: “By the way, can I ask when you usually take a bath!? Just to make sure I avoid it!”

Aya: “Hehe, no.”

Kai: “You won’t tell me!?”

I was a bit teased by Aya, and feeling vexed, we returned to the hotel. Even though we’re the same age, and Aya is also a novice in love who has never had a boyfriend, she undoubtedly has the upper hand. I wonder where I lost.

Kai: “Here it is. It’s just as expected…it seems quite expensive.”

As expected, the hotel that Hao-san arranged for us is the best in Shanghai. It’s on par with the hotel we stayed at in Okinawa. We met up with Nagi and Reina in the lobby, had dinner at the hotel, and called it a day.

◇ The Next Day

We headed to Wang-san’s place in Hao-san’s car, which came to pick us up. Even though I told Aya’s group that they didn’t need to come, they insisted on coming, so I brought them along.

Kai: “I’m sorry, Hao-san, for bringing everyone.”

Hao: “If you told Wang-san, he would say bring even a hundred people. He said he wanted to tell you directly, but yesterday, he was truly grateful to Kai-san.”

Kai: “It’s all thanks to Aya.”

Hao: “…Yes, indeed.”

Wondering a bit about Hao-san’s ambiguous words, we headed straight to Wang-san’s house.

It took about an hour by car from the hotel, a little away from Shanghai, yet in an area known as the Beverly Hills of Shanghai. That’s where Wang-san’s mansion was located.

As we approached, it was clearly an estate that outclassed the surrounding luxury homes, possibly even larger than the Ryuenji mansion in terms of size alone.

The building was of an intriguing, slightly old-fashioned design, like an ancient Chinese royal palace, not something for one or two people to live in. The garden was wide, and in the huge pond, fish swam and there were even bridges and small boats floating around. It reminded me of a Japanese garden – an elegant house that one would not expect to reside in for just mere millions, it could even exceed a hundred billion.

Hao: “Well, we’ve arrived. Let’s go.”

Nagi: “Big brother, this is amazing.”

Aya: “It’s larger than my house. At this extent in Shanghai… truly befitting the great hero of China.”

Reina: “Kai, it’s really vast. I might get lost, can… can I hold your hand?”

Kai: “Huh? Uhm…”

Aya: “Yes, Reina. This is fine, right? I won’t let go.”

Reina: “But… I didn’t mean Aya…”

Kai: “Hahaha…”

We entered the mansion, which was like a castle. Inside, it was so vast one could easily get lost, but if we continued straight, we could see the main house. A magnificent mansion in harmony with nature, it had an excellent atmosphere and I quite liked it.

And standing before its gates…

Wang: 『I’ve been waiting. Kai-kun, thank you for helping us yesterday. Look, my sister is well now thanks to healing magic.』

Jing: 『Sorry for not being able to greet you yesterday. I am Wei Wang’s sister, Jing Wang. Please, call me Jing. Kai-san.』

Wang-san and his sister, Jing-san, were standing there. Today, as Aya was present, she translated almost simultaneously between Chinese and Japanese, connecting our conversation.

Jing-san, clad in a beautiful dress, bowed to me like a princess.

Kai: “I’m glad to see you’re well. As expected of an A-Rank. You’re already able to stand now.”

Wang: 『Yesterday, she was healed by our Ai-chan, an S-Rank healing magician. So, she’s been rapidly getting better since then.』

We were guided to a large banquet hall. We passed through a corridor with a length the extent of a school hallway to reach a room that was so wide it could house a bowling alley.

There, we sat face to face with Wang-san.

Wang-san and Jing-san, who had been staring straight at me, slowly knelt down and bowed their heads.

Wang: 『First of all, thank you. Kai-kun and Aya-san, for saving my sister. As a representative of the Wang family, I extend my deepest gratitude.』

Jing: 『Kai-san, Aya-san. Thank you for saving my life. I will never forget this favor.』

Wang-san crossed his legs, lowered his head to the floor, fist touching the ground. Beside him, Jing-san also bowed her head in a formal bow.

Kai: “Ah, please raise your head! We didn’t do anything that…”

In a hurry, we tried to lift their heads by their shoulders. But Wang-san didn’t raise his head, he kept it lowered.

Wang: 『No, we can’t thank you enough. You helped me, who doesn’t yet have your trust and who even used threats. I won’t make any excuses, I was desperate. Thank you sincerely.』

Even after that, Wang-san kept his head down, saying it was fine. I had no choice but to accept their feelings of gratitude.

Kai: “I understand. Then… I accept.”

Wang: 『I’m glad. So, I was thinking about what to give you to show my gratitude… Money wouldn’t be a problem for you now, I suppose. So, I thought about the greatest favor I could do for you. Kai-kun, no, Kai!!』

Wang-san gripped my shoulder firmly and looked straight at me.

Wang: 『Let’s swear a pact of brotherhood!』