"Pick someone up?" Fang Li's eyebrows immediately shot up when he heard this.
This reaction was immediately noticed by Tohno Akiha who had been watching him the whole time.
"What?" Tohno Akiha asked directly. "Do you have any questions?"
"There are many questions," Fang Li replied without any reservation. Even though he was employed as a butler and Tohno Akiha was his employer, his attitude remained unchanged. "Yesterday, Kohaku briefly mentioned that your elder brother might move in today. Is he the one you want me to pick up?"
Tohno Akiha did not immediately react to Fang Li's words. Instead, she picked up the tea on the table and sipped at it leisurely.
However, Fang Li noticed that Tohno Akiha's attention was not really focused here, as if she was hesitating about something.
Drinking tea was both a way to hide her thoughts and a way to gain time.
For Tohno Akiha was still hesitating.
Hesitating whether or not to tell Fang Li about the person he had to pick up.
Of course, Tohno Akiha was not one to be indecisive.
After a while, this acting lord of the Tohno family seemed to have made up her mind. She put down the teacup in her hand and looked directly at Fang Li.
"Before that, I would like to ask you a question."
Tohno Akiha started the important conversation with this sentence.
"Besides you, are there any other survivors of the Nanaya Clan?"
The air suddenly became tense.
At that moment, Kohaku and Hisui seemed to react to Tohno Akiha's words. Although they said nothing, a subtle tension radiated from their bodies.
This was only natural.
Although Tohno Akiha's determination led her to accept Fang Li into the Tohno family, the fact remained that this young girl's father had wiped out the Nanaya Clan.
Given this fact, inviting the sole survivor of a demon hunter clan that had been destroyed by her family was already a highly risky move.
Who knew if Fang Li would use this opportunity to harm Tohno Akiha and seek revenge?
Of course, Tohno Akiha understood this.
Nevertheless, she brought Fang Li into the Tohno family.
It's not that Tohno Akiha wasn't afraid of revenge.
Rather, after deciding to make amends with Fang Li, if Tohno Akiha continued to be wary of him and didn't accept him sincerely, how could she hope to resolve past grievances?
Resolving grudges isn't just a matter of words; it requires action.
Tohno Akiha's straightforward approach was to show Fang Li that she really wanted to make things right.
However, bringing up such a grievance on the very first day could make any onlooker sweat nervously.
One wrong move could touch Fang Li's sore spot and cause hatred to arise.
Unfortunately, that's just an objective analysis.
In reality, Fang Li had no reason to harbor hatred.
So, Fang Li met Tohno Akiha's gaze and pretended to be confused.
"The Nanaya Clan has only one survivor, me. Could it be that as the head of the Tohno family, you don't even know that?"
Yes.
Only one survivor.
At least, that's how it appeared on the surface.
The existence of the former Nanaya Shiki had been erased, and he had been transformed into Tohno Shiki within the Tohno family.
Therefore, in the eyes of those who knew, the Nanaya Clan was left with only this one survivor who miraculously escaped the massacre and was pursued by Tohno Makihisa for several years.
As for the existence of Nanaya Shiki, it was a thing of the past.
Fang Li knew this.
He knew why Tohno Akiha asked him this question.
She just wanted to confirm whether Fang Li knew about the existence of another survivor of the Nanaya Clan.
"..."
Tohno Akiha closed her eyes slightly.
When she opened them again, the confusion was gone.
"That's right, the Nanaya Clan has only one survivor."
This statement seemed to be directed at both Fang Li and herself.
"In the future, the Nanaya Clan will also have only one survivor."
Only those who knew Tohno Shiki's true identity could understand the meaning behind these words.
At this moment, Tohno Akiha had made her decision.
Nanaya Shiki no longer existed.
The only one who existed in this world was the person who was the eldest son of the Tohno family—Tohno Shiki.
"When I was young, my elder brother was sent to a branch family to be raised."
Tohno Akiha finally delved into the main topic, beginning her explanation.
And as Tohno Akiha explained, Fang Li outwardly remained calm, but internally, he was increasingly surprised.
There was no helping it.
Until this moment, Fang Li had not realized that the special identity arranged for him by the Main God's Dimension had more than just a slight impact.
In the world of "Burning-Eyed Shana," those whose Power of Existence had been devoured would have all traces of their existence erased.
Whether it was in others' memories or objects that could prove their existence, everything would disappear without a trace.
For instance, a room would become an unused space if the person no longer existed, naturally losing the aura of someone having lived there, with photos, beds, and even textbooks issued by the school disappearing.
In other words, it was a hypothesis of "what if this person never existed," and the world would operate in a way that made it a reality, making those around them act accordingly.
Now, as a counterexample, Fang Li's existence was implanted into this world by the Main God's Dimension, making it a hypothesis of "what if this person existed," thus turning it into reality.
As a result, many things changed due to this special identity.
Because a survivor from the Nanaya Clan escaped, Tohno Makihisa, fearing the power of the Nanaya Clan, pursued him for several years.
This fact caused the first major change: Tohno Makihisa rarely returned to the Tohno household due to his pursuit of the Nanaya Clan's last survivor.
"Frankly, after that, until my father's death, I could count the number of times I saw him on one hand."
Tohno Akiha explained this to Fang Li.
"However, my father finally decided to consider me as the heir of the Tohno family, while my older brother was sent to live with the branch family for eight full years.
It was only natural.
After all, Tohno Shiki was not a direct descendant of the Tohno family, so he could not inherit the family's legacy.
"Now that my father has passed away, I hope you can bring him back to live in the main house.
That was the reason behind everything.
...
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