Hidden Assassin 193

## Volume 3, Cohabitation Era – Chapter 6, Azure Sky Below – Section 193: Pure Soul

**2013-02-08**

Japan, outskirts of Tokyo.

The sun was setting. Two small cars traversed the mountain road surrounded by trees. The driver of the car in front was Amami Masanori, dressed in a white tennis outfit, radiating a sunny aura. In the back seat sat Tsukimi Xun, clad in a red dress, silently observing, her gaze fixed on her white, slender fingers resting on her lap.

In the car behind, the driver was a young man with a healthy, dark tan, clearly having spent a lot of time in the sun this summer. Compared to Amami Masanori, he was rather ordinary. A cylindrical green travel bag sat in the passenger seat. Two women, one big and one small, occupied the back. They looked somewhat similar, making it clear that they were sisters. The older one, probably in her early twenties, wore a neat outfit and was currently resting her chin in her hand, looking quite downcast. The younger one, however, was utterly adorable. Her long hair was tied with a pretty bow, and if Tsukimi Xun was a refined but cold porcelain doll, this girl was a bright-eyed, soft-skinned, cheerful, and adorable doll. She was currently engrossed in a handheld game.

“Bang bang… Ah ah… Woo, I died again.”

She mimicked the game sounds, her mouth moving. After a while, she sighed in disappointment at her loss. The older sister, clearly dissatisfied, glared at her. “Jing, you only know how to play games all day! You’ve been playing all summer! If Mom and Dad knew, they’d lecture you again… They’re counting on you to get into Todai…”

“But I don’t like going to school,” the younger girl mumbled, starting a new game without hesitation. “School’s useless anyway.”

“You can do whatever you want after you graduate,” her sister said.

The younger girl looked up. “Can I get married after I graduate?”

“Married, married… You only think about getting married! Do you think you can just stop doing anything after you get married? You have to wash clothes, cook, clean the floor, tidy up, go out shopping every day…”

“There are maids who can do that.” The younger girl didn’t look up. “Then I can play games all day.”

“…” Her sister was speechless. She groaned and rubbed her forehead, then once again cast her depressed gaze at the figures in the car ahead. Why did her boyfriend have to ride in the same car with another woman? “Hey, Hiroki, I still think we should find a hotel…”

“Please, Yui, relax… This is the fifth time you’ve said that…” The man in the front, Muraki Hiroki, turned back with a smile. “You’re going to be exposed eventually anyway. But what’s wrong with staying at the Tsukimi house for a night? Besides, I was dragged here too. Don’t worry, I’ll protect you!”

Ryoutou Yui rolled her eyes. “I’m afraid you won’t be able to protect yourself…”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry.” The man chuckled, and the view ahead began to open up. The forest gave way to sprawling hills and rice paddies. The outline of the Tsukimi family estate appeared in the distance, and as they drove closer, they noticed a sports car parked by the roadside, not far from the estate’s gate. Two men were leaning against the car, waving at them. One was wearing oversized, colorful clothes, while the other was in a crisp suit and white shirt, holding a red rose, looking like a Prince Charming.

Seeing them, Amami Masanori pulled over to the side of the road. He stepped out of the car, his bright smile contrasting sharply with Xun’s coldness. “Hey, Aki, Munen, what a coincidence.”

“Heh, what a coincidence, what a coincidence.” The Prince Charming, holding the red rose, looked genuinely surprised and patted the sports car behind him. “Munen and I were out hiking, and the car broke down. Imagine our surprise to run into you… Ah, is this the Xun-san who almost became my wife? How wonderful… Please accept this rose, a symbol of my admiration…”

Tsukimi Xun stared at the man, unmoved. Amami Masanori laughed, “Aki, why are you always playing these childish games?”

“Er… Miss Huang is a little girl, although she’s about to lose her loli status, but I can guarantee that if she dates me once before that happens, I can… Hey? Hiroki, what are you doing here? Wow, that cute loli behind you is… No, I mean, this beautiful and cute miss is…”

Amidst Mimamori Aki’s surprise, the other man, Kamisama Munen, also revealed a complex smile. “Muraki Hiroki? I thought you were on a trip?”

“Yeah.” Muraki Hiroki laughed. “I got my wallet stolen in Hokkaido, almost starved to death. Fortunately, I ran into Masanori, who was traveling there. Since there’s a beautiful lady here, I naturally came along. Aki, are you bullying a girl again?”

“Please, when have you ever seen me bully a girl…”

“Since childhood.”

“That’s love.” Mimamori Aki emphasized as if he had been wounded, then walked towards Xun. “Look, such a cute loli soul is about to be tainted by the world, irrevocably heading towards… Ah… Hey…” As he spoke, he thrust the rose in his hand towards Xun’s head like a dream. In that moment, Xun felt trapped, unable to avoid it. The next second, Muraki Hiroki’s large travel bag slammed onto the rose with a loud bang, Mimamori Aki covered his right eye and retreated, looking embarrassed and wronged.

“Sorry… You always approach girls like that, then abandon them. You’re too promiscuous… I overreacted a little…”

“What do you mean, abandon? I’m the most loyal lolicon in the world. How could I abandon a girl I like… Unless she loses her loli purity… Nevermind, nevermind, you wouldn’t understand such profound philosophy, you rotten ojou-sama-con. Since Miss Xun refuses to accept my love, this little girl must be Jing. Hello. I…”

“Are you proposing to me?” Ryoutou Jing, still holding her game console, asked him.

“Huh?” Mimamori Aki, squatting down, was momentarily confused about the connection between his current action and a proposal.

“Okay, I accept, but you have to talk to my parents in a few days, okay.” Ryoutou Jing took the rose from him. “Although we’ve already promised to marry each other, we still need to ask our parents. If they don’t agree, we can elope. But you have to promise me that I can stay at home until I become an adult, that you’ll hire a maid to help with housework, that you’ll let me play games at home, and that we can’t have babies until I’m an adult…”

Ryoutou Jing’s voice was clear, and she rattled off so much that Ryoutou Yui slapped her on the back of the head in embarrassment. The little girl immediately started to tear up. Mimamori Aki was clearly dumbfounded. He stood up, looking dejected. “Er… Munen, I’m heartbroken. Let’s go…” Just then, the iron gate of the estate opened, and a group of Tsukimi family members walked towards them.

“Mimamori Aki.” Xun spoke softly, and Mimamori Aki, standing by the sports car, turned back in surprise.

“One day, I’ll kill you. And your father.” Her voice was flat, as if she were reciting multiplication tables in class, not threatening to kill. Once she finished, she turned and walked towards the estate. Amami Masanori shrugged. Mimamori Aki blinked innocently, his face a picture of misery.

“Hey, please, can you just kill my dad, not me? Hey… I can be a traitor, you know.”

Tsukimi Xun walked away, and the group of Tsukimi family members approached. The leading young man looked at Xun’s back, then bowed to Amami Masanori. “Amami-kun, thank you for your journey.” Amami Masanori smiled and returned the bow. “Heh, don’t mention it. Bentarou. By the way, you must have come in first in the family exam this time.”

“No, because Uncle said Xun would be back in these few days, so he deliberately postponed the exam. He decided to have Xun participate in the test this time.”

“Huh?” Amami Masanori was taken aback, then laughed helplessly. “Although Xun is eager to go back to Jiang Hai, but… she still has some time. Test away.”

As if sensing something in Amami Masanori’s words, the man named Bentarou bowed again. “I understand your care for Xun, but flowers that haven’t experienced the wind and rain cannot grow into towering trees. We believe Xun is still a member of the Tsukimi family, and she must contribute to the family’s honor. Please understand this, Amami-kun.”

“Oh… I understand, I understand. It’s fine, I understand.”

The Tsukimi clan, as an ancient ninja family, had become extremely complex in modern times, with intricate webs of interests. As the daughter of the head of the family, Tsukimi Xun had never been particularly strong in her cultivation. She was also very introverted and not well-liked. Now, due to Amami Masanori, the upper echelon of the Tsukimi family could be said to have abandoned Xun. In essence, they used Xun to exchange for the assistance of the Takamagahara. Therefore, after that, Amami Masanori sent Xun to China. When she returned, he took her sightseeing without any objection. But in the lower ranks of the Tsukimi family, while numerous young people were diligently cultivating, Xun was allowed to go to China, enjoy complete freedom, or rather, go on vacation. And because of Amami Masanori, she received great attention. This was simply unbearable for many.

Among them, some envied Xun, while others envied Amami Masanori because of Xun’s beauty and coldness. But in the end, it all came down to Xun. The Tsukimi family held a ninja exam every summer, and Amami Masanori deliberately brought Xun to Hokkaido to avoid this. On one hand, he didn’t want her to be harassed. On the other hand, he didn’t want anyone to see Xun’s incredible progress. Although the name Tulip had already spread widely in the dark world, Gu Jiaming was Tulip, and Xun was training with Tulip. He kept this secret, even from Takamagahara.

After all, whether it was the Tsukimi family or Takamagahara, if they found out about this, they might do something foolish. And Gu Jiaming’s wrath would surely fall upon him. He couldn’t help but sigh, thinking about how he had twice defeated the formidable practitioners of Yuan Lai Chao Chuang. It was something to worry about. Now, hearing Bentarou’s words, which were laced with a hint of provocation, and connecting it all, he couldn’t help but sigh. Oh well, if you want to be abused, be abused. I hate these big families…

Whether in cars or on foot, everyone walked towards the estate. The Tsukimi family members kept glaring at Mimamori Aki and Kamisama Munen. Amami Masanori and Muraki Hiroki greeted them before entering. Ryoutou Jing held the rose. “You must come and see me, okay… Ah… Sister, stop hitting me…”

Watching the group disappear, Mimamori Aki sat in the “broken down” sports car. He pulled the control lever, and the car smoothly drove onto the road, speeding away.

“Did you notice anything?” Kamisama Munen asked, sitting in the passenger seat.

“I saw two pure lolis, two pure souls…”

“Cut it out.”

“My face was hit by Muraki Hiroki, and you say cut it out? Is your cold-blooded killing program making you lose all compassion? My god, only the purity of lolis can redeem your corrupted soul…”

“Stop talking nonsense. How is Tsukimi Xun?”

“Hmm, I can’t tell.” Mimamori Aki shook his head, then smiled. “But she’s definitely stronger than the information says. As expected of someone who almost became my fiancee. I’m very happy.”

“So, she’s really learning from Tulip?”

“Ah ah, I have to meet the person who could defeat Yuan Lai Shi, but she’s destined not to be a loli. To be honest, the two named Ye Ling Jing and Liu Huai Sha in the investigative information are very attractive…”

“I’m only attracted to mature women.” Kamisama Munen revealed a bloodthirsty smile. “If I have the chance, I really want to meet her… Jian Suyan.”

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