Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 79, "The Incense Chapter: Shi Ming Discusses Heroes Over Wine"

Time flies like an arrow; before they knew it, Inscription had been living in the Wuhe family's house for five days.

Saturday, 8:50 AM, at the Itsuki family residence.

"Oh~ Shido and Kotori, get up and have breakfast!" Ming, wearing an apron, called upstairs with an unprecedented smile and cheerfulness.

Hearing Ming's call, Shido yawned and came out of the room, with Kotori rubbing her eyes as she followed behind. The dining table was laden with a sumptuous breakfast, emitting an enticing aroma.

"Phew~ It's Saturday, let me sleep a little longer, Mr. Ming."

Shido looked at Ming with tired eyes, and Ming understood everything from the subtle look in Shido's eyes.

"Hahaha, still being dragged into playing dating sims by Kotori... my little sister, can't you stop after a week already?"

“Mr. Ming, you don’t understand this kind of fun. Actually, Onii-chan really wants to save that elf, so naturally I have to work harder.”

Kotori, while eating breakfast, replied to Mei as if she were teasing Shido, wearing a black headband.

"Alright, alright, let's eat first." Ming smiled helplessly. Everything seemed so gentle, yet there was a subtle sense of unease.

During his time at the Itsuka residence, Ming did his best to completely hide his original personality and carefully disguised himself as Sawa, a person with a gentle and pleasant demeanor.

Today, Ming exudes endless gentleness in every gesture. When communicating with others, he is very understanding and always knows exactly what the other person is thinking, giving the most considerate response.

Occasionally, Ming would make harmless little jokes like Sawa, instantly lightening the atmosphere.

Whenever that smile appeared on his once cold and menacing face, the curve of his lips and the glint in his eyes were a perfect replica of Sawa's.

If Erya were present at this moment, she would definitely say:

"No, are you sure this person is Ming? Don't kid me, bro. Do you think someone with over two thousand schemes is the kind of person who's gentle? It's all an act!"

After breakfast, the thoughtful Ming collected all the plates and went to the kitchen to wash them.

"Mr. Ming, let me help you too."

"No need, I can handle this little thing, Shido. Don't worry."

Ming turned his head and responded with a smile as pure as lake water. Shido had no choice but to give up. Kotori then left after giving Shido some instructions.

Seeing Ming finish washing the dishes, Shido looked miserable, because he was facing his sister leaving.

"Moral blackmail combined with coercion and enticement"—he was forced to go upstairs to continue playing that torturous dating game in order to train himself.

Just as Shido was dejectedly preparing to head towards the stairs, a clear shout suddenly came from Ming:

"Wait a minute, Shido. I'll talk to Kotori later and say you've trained enough. I'll apply for a leave of absence for you. Don't worry."

"Really! Mr. Ming, you... are a good person, waaaaah."

Upon hearing the sound, Shido turned around excitedly, and as if seeing hope, he gazed deeply into Ming's right eye, which was the only part of his eye that was visible.

Shido's eyes widened; now, he was willing to do anything to escape that torturous love game.

Ming was satisfied with Shido's rapidly increasing favorability towards him, so he gave the gift first and then led Shido out the door.

Before taking Shido out to play, his gaze slowly drifted towards the direction where Shido's room was located.

Ming's eyes were deep and sharp. Just then, he saw Origami cautiously approaching the window, climbing over the windowsill and slipping out. He was about to sneak up and follow her.

Ming then mouthed the message directly, his expression momentarily returning to its original coldness.

"Origami, we've been master and apprentice for a while, and I usually turn a blind eye to you sleeping under someone's bed and putting surveillance cameras on you, but today, please don't follow me."

Origami then froze for a moment, then immediately dashed out of Shido's room in horse form.

9:25 AM, on the commercial street of Tiangong City~

"Wow, so this is how fresh the air is in Tiangong City!"

Shido stretched and walked down the street with Ming, looking exceptionally happy.

"Shido, you seem to be having a lot of fun."

"Yeah, it's been a long time since I've felt this relaxed." Shido's face was beaming with a contented smile.

Ming thought to himself, "This way, it will be easier to achieve my goal."

"Shido, there's a newly opened dessert shop up ahead. I heard their cakes are really good."

The two entered the dessert shop and had just sat down when Ming heard a noisy commotion coming from the alley near the three shops.

"Oh, what happened, Mr. Ming?" someone asked with concern when Ming suddenly stood up.

Ming and Shido slowly walked into the dark and narrow alley. When their eyes fell on what was ahead, they saw three burly, muscular men forming a circle, tightly surrounding a delicate young girl.

The three burly men had menacing faces and ferocious expressions. Their eyes gleamed with greed and obsession, as if they wanted to devour the girl alive.

What came out of their mouths was a string of foul and obscene words.

Seeing this, Shido wanted to rush up and stop him, but Ming waved to Shido, signaling him to stay there, and walked towards the alley.

As Ming approached, he saw three burly men surrounding a young girl. The girl looked terrified but tried to appear calm.

"What are you doing?" Ming asked calmly.

The three burly men turned around, saw Ming's thin frame and sickly pale skin, and burst into laughter.

“Pretty boy, I suggest you mind your own business. This is between us and this little girl.”

Ming sneered, and the burly man in the lead was sent flying before he could even see Ming's movements. He bypassed the girl and crashed into the wall. Shido seemed to hear a crisp sound of bones breaking at that moment.

The other two burly men's eyes widened in shock, their faces showing fear. But soon, enraged, they charged at Ming, fists swung. Ming dodged the attacks with ease, then swiftly struck back, knocking the two men to the ground with a few punches, groaning and unable to get up.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Ming gratefully, "Thank you... thank you, big brother!"

Ming nodded slightly, a gentle smile on his face. "It's alright, you should go home now."

The girl responded and quickly left. Shido stepped forward, looking at Ming with admiration.

"Mr. Ming, you're amazing!"

"It's nothing," Ming simply smiled.

The two walked out of the alley, but Ming looked at the thugs in the alley with displeasure, who hadn't even destroyed their tools. After all, he still had to maintain the image of a gentle older brother in front of Shido, so he couldn't just take action directly.

After the clock quietly struck 10 o'clock, Ming and Shido strolled leisurely and unknowingly arrived near the Heavenly Palace Square.

From afar, a magnificent building stands there—that is the venue for the indoor concert.

Above, a poster of Izayoi Miku was still hanging. Ming looked at the poster and sat next to Shido.

"Shido, would you like to go to a concert? It could be good for your training."

Shido hesitated after hearing this, after all, he had heard that this idol only allowed girls into his concerts.

"It's alright, Shido, I have a way." A mysterious smile appeared on Ming's lips.

He took out his phone and simply sent Miku a message: "I'm going to your concert. Don't come looking for me. Contact me directly." Then he put his phone away and prepared to take Shido inside.

The two arrived at the entrance of the concert venue, where a security guard stopped them. Shido's heart tightened; he thought, "So it really won't work after all."

However, a moment later, the security guard received a message, and his tone changed dramatically as he bowed respectfully, "It's you, Whitelist Master. I'll let you through immediately. Please go to the VIP room that Miku-sama has prepared for you!"

Not long ago, in the dressing room, Miku was getting ready to go on stage~

'Ding! '

"Ah! It's Lord [Flame Beast]! About two weeks ago, the one-way communicator that we got when we entered the girls' high school in Longdan rang!"

Mei Jiu stood up lightly, and before she could even tighten her dress, she hurriedly picked up her phone and trembled with excitement as she looked at the message Ming had sent.

"Lord [Flame Beast] has finally decided to come to my concert! Although I won't be able to see his face, I... I must perform well!"

Thinking it over, she chose to abandon the dress she originally selected to lure ordinary fans, and her entire body was enveloped in light as the [Divine Might Spirit Attire - Ninth Edition] slowly revealed itself.

On the other side, after entering the VIP room, Shido curiously looked around at the extremely luxurious decorations and the brandy on the table.

"Wow! Mr. Ming, who exactly are you...?"

"It's nothing, I'm just using my connections to pull some strings. With your sister's status as a commander, she should be able to bring you in, right?"

With a gentle smile, Ming explained to Shido that the concert was about to begin, and Miku Izayoi's beautiful voice filled the air.

Shido sat quietly, his eyes slightly closed, completely immersed in the beautiful world of music. The melodious tune seemed to possess a magical power, making people unconsciously feel happy.

However, at that moment, Ming, who was sitting to the side, suddenly broke the silence.

Ming's expression shifted slightly, instantly becoming serious. He turned to look at Shido and asked solemnly:

"Shido, I want to ask you what you think of that spirit that appeared not long ago—the Princess. What is she like? She's clearly a disaster, yet you think she can be saved."

Ming cared a lot about this issue; he wanted to know Shido's true thoughts.

Shido tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on Ming, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"Huh? What you just said is different from what Kotori told me before. Could it be... that you two think so alike... Aren't you both from Ratatosk?"

As he spoke, Shido carefully examined Ming, who had suddenly become strange.

"We agree, but I'd like to hear your perspective, Shido. You can refuse, then you won't have to do all that training anymore, right?"

Ming said this, as if he were bewitching someone, "Is it a sense of justice? Or something else... If it's about taking responsibility, you can simply refuse. If the sky falls, there will be someone taller to hold it up. Shido, why do you have to shoulder the burden yourself?"

"........."

Shido first lowered his head and remained silent, as if deep in thought, then raised his head to look at Ming before slowly speaking:

"Are you concerned about me, Mr. Ming?"

"I guess so. I just feel it's not good to put such a heavy burden on a young boy like you."

Upon hearing this, Shido quickly shook his head and looked directly at Ming with a determined gaze.

"No, it's not a sense of justice... more like sympathy, isn't it?"

"pity?"

"Yes, because I was an orphan when I was little. At first, I was very similar to that child you called 'Princess'. I saw the loneliness in her eyes before she was adopted by her parents. She was even being hunted down. I couldn't bear to let her continue to suffer."

Ming listened quietly to Shido's words, remained silent for a moment, and a complicated look flashed in his eyes, as if he saw the shadow of Sawa in him.

“I see, so it is sympathy... That’s quite the kind of thought you would have.”

Half an hour later, the concert ended and Ming took Shido to continue relaxing.

However, Mei's attitude towards Shido has changed from someone he needs to use to... a boy worthy of respect.