On the next day, Fang Li stepped out of the room at dawn and headed toward the living room.
Since the room had been occupied, Fang Li hadn't slept much. He had merely dozed off in a chair for a few hours before waking up.
Arcueid was still asleep. It was unclear whether it was due to the exhaustion from last night's battle draining her power, or if her conversation with Fang Li had triggered some sort of change in her mood, causing the True Ancestor Princess to remain hidden under the covers, unwilling to emerge.
In this situation, Fang Li chose not to pay attention to the willful Hime-sama and left the room, heading straight to the living room.
However, upon reaching the living room, Fang Li received some unexpected news.
"Shiki is missing?" Fang Li exclaimed in surprise.
Hisui, who rarely showed any emotion, had a worried expression on her face. She nodded and said, "When I went to wake Young Master Shiki this morning, he was already gone."
"Fang Li San," Kohaku said in a probing tone, "Could it be that Young Master Shiki didn't come back last night at all?"
Tohno Akiha, who was sitting on the couch in the living room, didn't say anything. She simply stared intently at Fang Li. Although her expression revealed no particular emotion, her imposing manner made it clear that she could not be easily dismissed.
Then, Tohno Akiha addressed Fang Li with a firm question.
"What exactly happened last night?"
The tone of interrogation was unmistakable.
Clearly, Tohno Akiha's dissatisfaction had reached its peak.
In response, Fang Li could only helplessly shrug his shoulders. Instead of answering directly, he turned to Hisui and asked a question.
"Are Shiki's uniform and schoolbag still in his room?"
Upon hearing this, Hisui was momentarily startled. She then quietly left the living room, seemingly to check Tohno Shiki's room.
After a while, Hisui returned to the living room and answered Fang Li's question.
"Young Master Shiki's uniform and schoolbag are not in his room."
In that case, it was obvious where Tohno Shiki had gone.
"He probably went straight to school."
Fang Li came to this conclusion immediately.
"If needed, you can call the school to inquire."
Hearing Fang Li's suggestion, Tohno Akiha seemed to calm down. After contemplating for a moment, she shook her head.
"Forget it." Tohno Akiha sighed and said, "It seems that Elder Brother has something on his mind. If he doesn't want to talk about it, it's better to leave him alone for a while."
Even as she said this, it was evident that Tohno Akiha was still somewhat uneasy.
Thus, Tohno Akiha raised her head, fixed her gaze on Fang Li, and said, "You should go to the school and keep an eye on Elder Brother. At least make sure he doesn't do anything reckless."
"Me?" Fang Li chuckled, feeling genuinely amused.
Facing Tohno Akiha's gaze, Fang Li slightly curled the corner of his mouth and said:
"Are you really sure you want me to look after your Elder Brother?"
With just a single sentence, both Kohaku and Hisui held their breath.
After all, the implication in Fang Li's words was quite obvious.
"My identity isn't exactly the type that should inspire complete trust. Shiki's unusual behavior started last night, and I was present then." Fang Li shrugged and said to Tohno Akiha, "Don't you suspect that I might have done something?"
This was entirely possible, wasn't it?
Even disregarding the issue of Fang Li's identity, Shiki was with Fang Li last night when they acted together, and this morning, this situation arose.
Therefore, it would be reasonable to attribute some responsibility to Fang Li, wouldn't it?
However, Tohno Akiha, despite her seemingly stern demeanor, showed no intention of targeting Fang Li.
No matter how much one wanted to genuinely address the matter of Nanaya, it had already exceeded the limits of tolerance, right?
Fang Li was simply trying to convey this meaning.
Tohno Akiha, however, did not understand this.
Instead, Tohno Akiha wore a look of unspoken anguish.
Then, Tohno Akiha spoke quietly.
"...Regarding the issues Elder Brother is troubled by, I can more or less guess at some of it."
In truth, it wasn't that difficult to guess.
As the head of a major conglomerate with numerous branch families, Tohno Akiha, who manages the Tohno family, would have inevitably received some hints about what was happening in Misaki Town.
Therefore, Tohno Akiha knew that Vampires were ravaging Misaki Town, causing many deaths.
Considering the existence of Arcueid, Fang Li, and Tohno Shiki's activities at night, and the fact that Tohno Shiki is a survivor of the Nanaya Clan, Tohno Akiha had long suspected something.
"And, I consider myself to have a certain degree of discernment," Tohno Akiha said firmly to Fang Li. "If you really do engage in such underhanded activities behind the scenes, then I must have misjudged you."
In other words, Tohno Akiha was telling Fang Li that her choice to trust him was based on her judgment.
If this judgment was wrong, then it would be her mistake.
All other factors were secondary to this.
Thus, Fang Li finally let out a wry smile as he spoke. "Your pride is much greater than I imagined."
Hearing this, Tohno Akiha simply replied. "It's because I am the head of the Tohno family."
The conversation ended with this statement, filled with strong will.
Afterward, Fang Li left the Tohno residence and headed to Tohno Shiki's school.
---
This was Fang Li's second visit to the school.
The last time Fang Li came here, it was to pick up Tohno Shiki.
This time, Fang Li was also here for Tohno Shiki.
Walking along the paths of the campus, Fang Li couldn't help but sigh.
"Perhaps what 'That Person' said wasn't entirely wrong?"
He refers to the mysterious traveler he met on the grass when he first arrived in this world.
At that time, the traveler had said:
"You are very similar. This much I can assert."
By now, it's unnecessary to elaborate.
The person the traveler was referring to, who was similar to Fang Li, is Tohno Shiki.
Fang Li had previously denied this point when talking with Tohno Shiki upon returning to the Tohno residence, believing that he and Tohno Shiki were different.
However, the enigmatic traveler who had encountered both Tohno Shiki and Fang Li also said:
"Perhaps you have a connection with that child that I do not know about?"
This statement, Fang Li had to agree with.
Although being a servant at the Tohno family was Fang Li's choice.
In order to closely interact with Tohno Shiki and see if Ryougi Shiki's presence in this world was to observe this kindred spirit.
But before that, Fang Li had come to the Tohno residence due to Tohno Akiha's invitation.
"So, this could also be considered fate?"
As Fang Li thought about this, a familiar voice reached his ears, causing him to stop in his tracks.
...
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