Chapter 133: Celebrating Hill's Recovery—Murderous Intent Approaches

Qi was beyond speechless regarding the old bald-headed Martial Emperor and the brat Wukong; he couldn't help but wonder if the madmen were back.

As for himself, he went by the alias Kaitian. It wasn't exactly an alias, though; according to information he’d gathered from the madman and the Misaka girl, Kaitian was the name his mother had given him. He had simply chosen to use a name of his own making, and the reason for that was a secret known only to him.

During a lavish dinner, there was a small episode: the child Wukong consumed as much food on his own as the other nine people combined. Meanwhile, a red-haired woman buried her face in her meal, tears welling up in her eyes as if she had never tasted such delicious food before.

Why did this red-haired girl feel so familiar? Yet, his memory insisted that he had never met her.

Walking down the street as dusk settled, Qi sighed and put away his manual, the *Book of Qi*. It still offered no response.

"Little Qi! I’ve been looking for you for ages. Why are you only coming out now?" Leone appeared from behind, giving his shoulder a playful pat.

"I had dinner before coming out. I spent the afternoon in indoor matches. Where did you go?"

"I saw it too. They used Teigu to project all ten match arenas onto the open-air ones. I didn't expect Tatsumi to show up there, too. With so many top-tier powerhouses gathering, this is no small matter. Let's head back and discuss it with the others."

...

"Little Qi, will you marry me?" The moment she saw Qi, Sheele tilted her head and asked.

Faced with a question that had already stunned everyone else, Qi felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles under the rigid gazes and focused attention of the group. "Um, I... did I do something strange? Why... do you want me to... marry you?"

"You took off my clothes and saw my body. The books say that a woman should only have her body seen by her own man; otherwise, she’s a bad woman and won't be able to get married."

"Doesn't that make doctors the most sought-after profession for men? The situation was critical at the time, and besides, I already have a girlfriend," Qi replied with a bitter smile.

"Oh, have you seen her body too?" Sheele asked blankly.

What kind of question was that? "No, I haven't." Qi had to admit that his relationship with Kuroneko was one of pure, spiritual affection, governed by propriety.

"Enough! Little Qi, can't you be more of a man and just be decisive? And Sheele, even if he saw you by accident, you don't have to marry him. Besides, he was just a doctor at the time; it’s no big deal," Mine said, unable to watch any longer.

"Right, right, right! This is the Phoenix blood I found. Take it and see. I’m tired from the matches, and I’ve already had dinner, so I’m going back to my room." Qi blurted this out like a machine gun, tossed a drop of bright red blood onto the table, and turned to run.

The other members of Night Raid didn't pay any mind to his departure; instead, their eyes were fixed on the crystalline red liquid inside the diamond vial.

"Is this... really the blood of a Phoenix? Did Qi actually accomplish something no one has ever done before?" Lubbock stared, wide-eyed and incredulous.

"To be precise, he did it in a single day. It’s truly astonishing. As expected of our all-capable Little Qi," Leone marveled.

"If Little Qi says it is, then it is. Hurry, give it to Sheele," Akame said, solemnly pushing the diamond vial toward Sheele.

"Yes, Sheele, you’ll be recovered in no time. You can go back to being the Sheele who fought alongside us, the one we can trust with our backs," Mine said, excitedly bringing the drop of blood to Sheele's lips.

...

"Little Qi, my body is better now. Thank you for everything you’ve done. I’m so happy to be living with everyone again... Can you open the door?" Sheele stood at the door of Qi’s room, wearing her signature purple cheongsam.

Not far away, a group of people poked their heads out, peeking.

"I’m tired. There’s a fierce battle tomorrow, and you’ve just recovered from a major illness. Get some rest," Qi’s voice came from inside, sounding weary.

"Oh, okay. I’ll go to sleep then." Sheele obediently turned and headed back to her room.

The eavesdropping quartet stared at each other in silence.

"We prepared food and drinks to celebrate Sheele’s rebirth. We can't just let them go to sleep like this," Leone said, rolling her eyes.

"You can't catch Qi, so we have to pull Sheele into drinking. She’s the guest of honor, how can she be absent?" Lubbock said with a mischievous grin.

"I don't drink. Alcohol makes the brain slow and vision blurry, and it doesn't even taste good. I’ll have juice," Mine insisted, shaking her head.

"I’ll have meat," Akame said, swallowing hard.

"No way! Is Sheele’s rebirth not worth more than juice and meat? Everyone is drinking tonight!" Leone dragged the two of them and knocked on Sheele’s door.

"What’s wrong?" Sheele asked, tilting her head.

"Let’s go drink! Haha, it’s rare to have so many people to drink with today—no, it’s rare to be this happy, so let’s all gather together." Leone released Akame and instead dragged Sheele toward the dining hall.

...

"Hmph, although they used methods to mask their scent and tracks, it’s full of flaws before my specialized tracking unit. It was a stroke of genius to arrange surveillance in the civilian district; all I have to do is follow a member of Night Raid to find their base."

"Their strongest boy was already taken out by the Captain, and several other members are dead. Only the legendary Akame is worth noting, but once the others are killed, a mere Akame won't escape the pursuit of my Jaegers."

"Bingo, Night Raid base located." As a member of the Jaegers and the one who modified Seryu’s body, Dr. Stylish began to invade the Night Raid hideout with his unit of modified humans.

"Once I wipe them out, all their Teigu and their bodies will become my personal experimental materials. I’ll be one step closer to my dream of researching and manufacturing Teigu."

...

"Ugh, my head hurts. Right, we stayed up all night drinking to celebrate Sheele’s rebirth. Did I just fall asleep like that?" Leone shook her head as she stepped out of the house toward the outdoor pool, wanting to splash her face with cold water to sober up.

Just as she washed her face, her reflection in the water shifted into a man with disheveled hair and a sinister grin. Leone’s pupils contracted sharply as the man in the water lunged, stabbing a dagger toward her face.

"Got you, Lord Stylish. I, Doro, have already taken care of one," the man who emerged from the water said with a smug, eerie laugh.