NABC Page 197
Page 197
“Our boss needs to rest too. If we keep causing trouble, we'll end up like those two unreasonable devilish ladies from before.”
190 Her words were barbed and pointed.
Everyone understood without saying that tonight's battle had been too intense, and the leader probably wouldn't have much energy left after dealing with Rias and the others.
Moreover, there were too many people.
With too many monks and too little porridge, no one wants to suffer losses in the chaos.
Rather than fighting tooth and nail tonight, it's better for each of us to rest and recuperate; there's plenty of time in the future.
Soon, the girls in the living room dispersed, and the large space returned to tranquility, leaving only the cups and plates on the table that had not yet been cleared away.
Everything seemed so peaceful, so natural.
However, the war had just begun in the shadows.
The sound of water stopped in Nami's room.
She came out wrapped in a bath towel, drying her long, wet orange hair, still carrying the moisture and fragrance of her shower.
But when she saw the scene in the room, the smug expression on her face instantly froze.
Saeko Busujima was sitting on her bed, holding her ever-present sword, Murata, in her arms, slowly wiping the blade with a white cloth.
"Zezi?"
Nami frowned, her tone revealing undisguised wariness.
Why are you here? I remember your room was at the other end of the hallway.
"I'm waiting for you."
Saeko Busujima didn't even raise her head, her voice was flat, and she didn't pause her wiping motion at all.
"Wait for me?" Nami walked to her dressing table, picked up the hair dryer, and it started buzzing.
(dabi) What are you waiting for me for? I don't remember us agreeing to sleep together.
As she dried her hair, she stared intently at the purple-haired figure on the bed through the mirror.
Saeko Busujima finally stopped what she was doing. She raised her head, and her sharp eyes flashed with a chilling light under the lamp.
"Nami, I am a woman too."
"what?"
Nami turned off the hairdryer, turned around, put her hands on her hips, and glared at her angrily.
"Of course you're a woman! But what does that have to do with you coming into my room?"
"I also like strong members of the opposite sex."
Saeko put her sword aside, stood up, and walked step by step toward Nami.
She was wearing only a loose silk nightgown, which outlined her breathtaking curves as she moved.
"It's true that we can follow the boss around, but as his subordinates, we also have to take care of his nightlife."
Nightlife?
Nami felt like she had heard the biggest joke in the world.
"Saeko, stop joking! Don't you usually like fighting, killing and stuff like that? When did you become interested in this kind of thing? Is there anything else on your mind besides fighting and having fun?"
"Then was then, and the present is now."
Saeko's expression remained unchanged, but her tone became more forceful.
“In the past, I couldn’t meet a man for whom I would willingly give everything. But the boss is different.”
She walked up to Nami and looked down at her.
"And Nami, don't think I can't see through your little schemes."
"I...I don't have any ulterior motives!"
Nami took a step back, feeling a little guilty.
"You treat the boss like your most precious treasure and want to possess him all to yourself."
Saeko's voice was soft, yet every word pierced the heart.
"Your possessiveness is exactly the same as your desire for money."
"I don't!"
Nami retorted loudly, but her shifty eyes betrayed her.
"So, you're going to join this war too?" Nami asked through gritted teeth.
“This is not war.” Saeko shook her head. “This is service. It is the natural belonging of the weak to the strong, and the absolute loyalty of the followers to their leader.”
She paused, then spoke.
"Of course, if you insist on calling it a war, then I will certainly not be absent."
Nami was completely speechless.
She discovered that she couldn't argue with this woman at all.
This battle maniac, once she gets serious, possesses a stubbornness and a sense of entitlement that makes her even more difficult to deal with than her own shrewdness and calculation.
"Fine! You can go even if you want!"
Nami took a deep breath and changed her perspective. "What about the others? Gil, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and that pair of Shizuka Marikawa and Rika Minami! Even that newcomer, Miko Yotsuya! Don't they have any ideas? If we rush over now, we'll only be seen as the ones who stick their necks out!"
This was her delaying tactic.
"Them? They're hesitating."
Saeko hits the nail on the head,
"They are still bound by worldly morality and shame. We, on the other hand, have long since abandoned those boring things."
Saeko's lips curled into a cold smile.
"It's precisely because they're hesitating that we must act first. Only the first to taste victory can set the rules for the future. You should understand this better than I do, Nami."
Nami's heart skipped a beat.
That's right, the first to strike wins, the last to strike suffers!
How could I have forgotten such a simple truth!
She looked at Saeko, whose eyes showed no sign of backing down.
She knew that tonight, she wouldn't be able to shake off this companion, or rather, her competitor.
"it is good!"
Nami made up her mind.
"We'll go together! But it's a deal: we're allies for now! Once we get to the boss's room, we'll see who does what!"
"can."
Saeko nodded.
The two reached a fragile agreement.
Nami quickly changed into one of her treasured, figure-flattering nightgowns.
Saeko simply straightened her silk nightgown.
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing a burning fighting spirit in each other's eyes.
Nami tiptoed to the door, and like a thief, gently and carefully opened it a crack.
She peeked out and peered down the corridor.
Right now.
[Crunch—]
A soft sound came from the other end of the corridor.
Nami and Saeko froze simultaneously.
They saw that Shizuka Marikawa's door was also open.
Nan Lixiang's tall figure peeked out first. She looked around warily, then made a "safe" gesture to the people in the room.
Immediately afterwards, Shizuka Marikawa, looking exceptionally alluring in a pink lace nightgown, emerged with a flushed face.
Nanri gave her an encouraging smile, then mouthed two words to her.
【come on. 】
Then, Nan Lixiang pointed her finger towards the end of the corridor, to the unspoken destination of everyone—Zhou Ye's room.
Eyes facing each other.
The air froze at this moment.
Nami and Saeko's faces were filled with shock and annoyance at having their plans disrupted.
When Nanri Kaori, who was at the other end of the corridor, saw them, she was first taken aback, then revealed a smile full of provocation and "So you're the same way."
Chapter 166 An Unexpected Encounter in the Corridor
In the narrow corridor, the air almost solidified.
Nami, Saeko Busujima, Rika Minami, and Shizuka Marikawa—four people in two teams—unexpectedly meet on the only path leading to their ultimate goal.
Time seemed to have been paused at this moment.
Nami's pretty face was filled with the anger of her "plan being exposed" and the resentment of "her treasure being coveted." She was grinding her teeth so hard they were almost ground to powder, and she was roaring wildly in her heart.
[Damn it! There are so many philanderers!]
[They all act so proper on ordinary days, but now they've all shown their true colors! Did they have to pick tonight? Are they deliberately trying to cause trouble?!]
Saeko Busujima behind her remained expressionless, but the hand resting on the hilt of her sword said it all. To her, these were merely a few obstacles to be cleared on the road to her goal.
At the other end of the corridor, Nanri Kaori displayed a completely different posture. With her arms crossed, her tall, voluptuous figure leaned against the wall, a smug, self-assured smile playing on her lips, a smile brimming with provocation, as if to say, "What a coincidence, you're here too?"