The second year of summer.
Six months before the apocalypse.
This Christmas, the monsters of the apocalypse, the virus of the Byakuya Sect, and the invasion of the Vampires will all arrive.
Qiuyun Yuhe was idling around at home.
He had been expelled from school because of a fight that left his opponent with fractures in the upper body and paralysis in the lower body.
Even though the other guy had started it.
Yet Qiuyun Yuhe had escaped without a single scratch while causing such severe consequences, so the school had expelled him.
The other guy seemed to be an unfavored collateral member of the Goshi Family, and his older brother was actually rather pleased about it, even privately giving Qiuyun Yuhe a large sum of money—more than the medical expenses Qiuyun Nayuki had paid out in compensation.
Qiuyun Nayuki had just sold the house to cover the medical bills, and Qiuyun Yuhe had given the money right to Qiuyun Nayuki.
Qiuyun Nayuki had been quite surprised by this.
However, Qiuyun Yuhe's schooling problem remained unresolved.
With such a formidable battle record, not a single nearby elementary school was willing to take Qiuyun Yuhe in.
Qiuyun Nayuki's heart was filled with worry, but Qiuyun Yuhe declared that this suited him just fine; the main plot would start before long anyway, so it was just the right time to relax in advance.
"You have a new task to complete."
Qiuyun Yuhe tapped on the light screen.
Task: Wander near the Hyakuya Orphanage for two hours
Reward: The light novel "Guren Ichinose: Catastrophe at Sixteen"
Deadline: Before sunset today
What kind of task is this?
Qiuyun Yuhe felt extremely puzzled by this mission.
He had never been back to the Hyakuya Orphanage since returning from Sanguinem, because meeting Saito would be both awkward and dangerous.
Yet now Miku was telling him to wander around the neighborhood, and he had no idea what might happen.
Still, the reward was truly attractive.
It could provide him with a lot of potentially useful information.
He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.
Around 2:20 PM.
Without further ado, Qiuyun Yuhe simply washed up, changed into casual clothes, and walked toward the Hyakuya Orphanage.
Come to think of it, Saito should know that he had returned safely by now; as the largest Jutsu organization in Japan, the Byakuya Sect should at least have that kind of intelligence network.
So why hadn't they come to trouble Qiuyun Yuhe?
When Qiuyun Yuhe had first returned, he lived in daily fear, but for months there had been no movement whatsoever.
As Qiuyun Yuhe walked within a one-kilometer radius of the Hyakuya Orphanage, Miku started the timer.
Is stopping here enough? Then I'll just look around this area.
More than an hour passed quickly, during which Qiuyun Yuhe casually found a stray cat and began petting it while spacing out.
He had helped many cats in the Shibuya area while doing tasks.
By now, his legend was already circulating within the stray cat society of Shibuya.
The big cats would tell the kittens: If you meet a silver-haired boy when you are hungry, don't be afraid; that is an emissary sent by the God of Cats to save you;
If you meet the emissary when you are in trouble, you don't need to worry, because he will help you out of your predicament;
But if you meet the emissary while basking in the sun, please bare your soft belly, for this is the reward the emissary deserves.
Rest assured, the emissary's touch is very gentle, and you won't feel any discomfort at all.
Of course, Qiuyun Yuhe knew nothing of this.
"What a cute little cat!"
Just as Qiuyun Yuhe was zoning out, a sweet voice reached his ears.
Looking toward the sound, Qiuyun Yuhe saw a little girl with grayish-purple hair, looking about seven or eight years old, staring curiously at the little calico cat in his arms that was purring comfortably.
"I'm so envious of you. Small animals run away the moment they see me, yet they're so obedient with you."
Hiiragi Shinoa! It had to be her.
"Hello."
Qiuyun Yuhe politely raised his head and greeted her.
"Ah! It's you, the super-duper violent little snow wolf!"
Seeing the boy's face clearly, Hiiragi Shinoa cried out in surprise.
Qiuyun Yuhe's smile froze.
What kind of new greeting method was this?
Noticing Qiuyun Yuhe's confusion, Hiiragi Shinoa smiled and said:
"Well, you see, I saw you beat up the guy from the Goshi Family."
Qiuyun Yuhe understood.
"But who came up with that nickname?"
Hiiragi Shinoa gave a faint smile.
"It was me~ So, doesn't it fit quite well?"
Qiuyun Yuhe was somewhat speechless.
"How does it fit at all, you idiot!"
Hiiragi Shinoa stubbornly stuck to her view.
"It fits in every possible way! When you beat people up, you're super-duper violent, and three guys couldn't stop you. Plus your silver hair looks so good, and you've got such a wild temperament—you're just a little snow wolf cub!"
Hiiragi Shinoa was always straightforward.
For a moment, Qiuyun Yuhe didn't know how to retort.
Seeing Qiuyun Yuhe remain silent, Hiiragi Shinoa assumed the other party approved of the nickname and her talent, so she nodded with satisfaction.
"Hey, little snow wolf, why did you beat up that Goshi?"
"I couldn't stand the sight of him, so I hit him."
"You beat him to the point of paralyzing his lower body just because you couldn't stand the sight of him? Aren't you afraid you won't be able to stand the sight of me, then?"
"Who told him to always look down on me and insult my mother? I originally only slapped him once and knocked out one of his teeth, but then he rushed at me wanting to fight, so I was merely acting in self-defense."
"Eh?!"
Hiiragi Shinoa was somewhat surprised; this little wolf actually dared to claim he wasn't violent.
"Aren't your defensive measures a bit over the top?"
"Is it? Didn't I leave him with his life?"
Now, even Hiiragi Shinoa was genuinely speechless.
Realizing this wasn't a good topic, she pointed at the cat in Qiuyun Yuhe's arms.
"Let me hold it."
Qiuyun Yuhe shook his head.
"It says it doesn't like you."
Hiiragi Shinoa refused to accept this.
"Liar! It didn't even let out a meow."
"Telepathy."
Hiiragi Shinoa was thoroughly infuriated. She pouted in a huff and muttered: *Hmph, who cares...*
Seeing Hiiragi Shinoa's expression, Qiuyun Yuhe couldn't help but find it rather amusing. How cute.
"Here, you can hold it."
Hiiragi Shinoa swept the unhappiness from her face and beamed as she took the kitten. The speed of her mood change deeply shocked Qiuyun Yuhe.
Ah, so soft and comfortable! So this is what cat-petting is like.
Yet the kitten seemed somewhat uneasy in her arms.
Sensing the kitten's struggle, Hiiragi Shinoa handed it back to Qiuyun Yuhe with a hint of disappointment.
"It really doesn't seem to like me much. But thank you; this is my very first time petting a cat, a very happy first experience!"
Qiuyun Yuhe took the kitten back, and it immediately stopped fussing, lying quietly in his arms.
Hiiragi Shinoa felt a twinge of jealousy.
"Honestly, why would a kitten like a violent maniac like you?"
Qiuyun Yuhe glanced at Hiiragi Shinoa and said nothing.
The reason small animals were unwilling to get close to Hiiragi Shinoa was probably because of the aura of Shikama Doji around her.
Once Hiiragi Shinoa deepened her control over Shikama Doji, she would be able to interact with small animals normally.
"Little snow wolf, what's your name, and why are you here?"
"Before asking someone else's name, you should at least state your own."
Hiiragi Shinoa hesitated for a moment, then answered truthfully: "My name is Hiiragi Shinoa."
"Qiuyun Yuhe."
Hiiragi Shinoa noticed that the boy in front of her didn't seem to react at all to her name, which she found rather strange.
"My name is Hiiragi Shinoa, you know."
"You already said that."
"Aren't you surprised? My surname is Hiiragi, after all!"
"Why would I be surprised?"
"The Hiiragi Family! The head of the Imperial Demon Army!"
"So?"
Hiiragi Shinoa blinked in surprise. She realized that this little snow wolf didn't seem to be like other peers who tried to cozy up to her.
"No wonder you dared to beat up someone from the Goshi Family. Turns out you're just an idiot who has zero reverence for the prestigious families."
"We're all human; what makes a prestigious family a tier higher than me? Are you proud of your Hiiragi identity?"
Hearing this, Hiiragi Shinoa hurriedly explained.
"Not really. The Hiiragi Family is the thing I hate most."
Qiuyun Yuhe nodded.
"Well, by your own logic, you're an idiot too."