'A-City , Sylvia's Villa'
In the living room of the villa, Fang Li was once again sitting on the floor, carefully wiping down Bo Xie, which was fixed in its nodachi form. Ever since it had been locked in that state, his usual maintenance routine had become a bit more complicated.
Previously, he had only needed to clean a standard weapon. Now, he had to wipe down the entire two-meter-long nodachi from end to end. It was naturally much more of a chore.
Still, it was only a matter of spending a little extra time, so Fang Li didn't really mind. After all, Bo Xie had become an indispensable part of his combat strength, and there was no way he would neglect its upkeep.
On the other hand, Moon Blade was gradually becoming unable to keep up with his growth. After all, it was only a Fourth-Rank weapon.
Although the weapon itself hardly mattered once Fang Li activated his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, since anything could kill if it struck a Death Line, there were now very few opponents who actually required him to rely on the Mystic Eyes to win.
And whenever such an opponent did appear, they were usually powerful enough that he would simply draw Bo Xie instead. As a result, Moon Blade had become increasingly overshadowed. Fang Li had even begun considering whether it was time to sell it off.
Just then, playful laughter drifted over from the bathroom.
"Fubuki, your figure really is amazing..."
"D-Don't keep staring...! Yours isn't exactly small either!"
"But it's still not as impressive as yours."
"Th-That's only because I'm older! You'll definitely grow more too!"
"But right now you're still winning. Men probably can't stop looking there, can they?"
"If anyone dares, I'll gouge their eyes out! Ah, Don't touch!"
"Hehe, what a cute reaction. You usually act so tough, but you're so shy at times like this. Don't tell me you've never had a boyfriend?"
"A boyfriend? Forget dating, even if there were the slightest sign of it, my sister would beat him half to death... I-I told you to stop touching!"
The lively banter echoed throughout the house.
Fang Li, who had been polishing Bo Xie in the living room, paused for a moment. His expression immediately darkened.
'Did those two forget there's still a grown man living in this house?'
He had already been irritated that his grand ambition of pinning the world's greatest diva down in broad daylight had been interrupted earlier. Now, these two women were acting as if he didn't even exist. Not only were they happily taking a bath together, but they were also making enough playful noise to let anyone's imagination run wild.
If Fubuki hadn't been in there as well, Fang Li would have barged into the bathroom long ago to thoroughly tease Sylvia. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became.
'Why did we even bring that woman back?'
If Fubuki weren't here, he could shamelessly cuddle up with Sylvia and enjoy a proper bath together. Combined with how his plans for the day had already been ruined because of her, his opinion of Fubuki was only sliding further downhill.
Truthfully, Fang Li didn't have much interest in Fubuki.
She wasn't like Index, who had been treated as a living library, manipulated and coveted by countless people, burdened with memories lasting only a single year, and rarely allowed to live a peaceful life. Nor was she like Misaka Mikoto, who had been forced to stop the slaughter of twenty thousand Sisters, even at the cost of her own life.
Compared to those girls, Fubuki's obsession was simply her desire to surpass her older sister. Lacking the raw ability to do so, she had gradually become consumed by feelings of inferiority and self-inflicted suffering.
To preserve the first place she had finally achieved, she willingly remained in B-Class. She founded the Blizzard Group, recruiting large numbers of B-Class heroes in hopes of overcoming her independently acting older sister through sheer numbers.
There was nothing inherently wrong with that. However, to recruit heroes she considered promising into the Blizzard Group, she would resort to intimidation. If they refused, she would pressure them until they were unable to continue working as heroes. That could only be described as selfish.
In that case, why should Fang Li concern himself with her problems?
Of course, Fubuki wasn't a bad person. Although her methods were extreme, she genuinely cared about her subordinates. Earlier, when they were attacked by the Demon-level Mysterious Being, she had been willing to face it head-on just to save her companions. But not being a bad person didn't necessarily make her a good one.
In a way, she was rather similar to Fang Li himself. That was precisely why Fang Li understood: people who were neither wholly good nor wholly bad had no right to expect others to solve their problems for them.
Because of that, Fang Li had no particular thoughts regarding Fubuki. He had neither any intention of helping her nor any desire to interfere. There was simply no reason to.
Just as Sylvia had once said, Fang Li was indifferent to tragedy, but he would never ignore it. Up until now, he had reached out to help many people. But Fubuki wasn't living through a tragedy. Her struggle was merely her own obsession, a family matter. There was no reason for outsiders to get involved.
As a result, the only impression Fang Li had left of Fubuki was the series of unpleasant events she'd caused throughout the day.
'She should just hurry up and go home...' That was his only thought.
Unfortunately, even that wish failed to come true.
---
Not long afterward, the two women finally emerged from the bathroom.
Since there was company present, Sylvia naturally wasn't wrapped in nothing but a towel. Fubuki was even more fully dressed, her clothes perfectly neat.
Only the lingering traces of moisture and warm steam clinging to her skin hinted that she had just finished bathing. Combined with her voluptuous figure, any ordinary man present would probably find it difficult not to steal a glance.
Sitting down on the sofa, Fubuki looked seriously at Fang Li. "Please... teach me how to become stronger. No matter what method it takes... I want to become stronger."
Her words made it abundantly clear just how deep her obsession ran. Perhaps realizing that Fang Li's opinion carried more weight with Sylvia than her own requests did, Fubuki no longer asked Sylvia directly. Instead, she turned to Fang Li.
Unfortunately for her, she had asked the wrong person.
"Leaving aside whether Sylvia can even make an Esper like you any stronger..." Fang Li continued wiping Bo Xie without looking up. "Even if she could... what exactly do you intend to offer us?"
"I can pay," Fubuki had clearly prepared this answer in advance. Staring directly at Fang Li, she said, "Money, items, or anything else. As long as it's something I can do... I'm willing to do it."
"Then tell me," Fang Li spoke bluntly. "Money, items, or whatever else... what exactly are you capable of offering?"
"I..."
Fubuki fell silent.
With a single question, Fang Li had left her completely speechless.
(End Of This Chapter)
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