Morning arrived.
The scent of sakura lingered in the air as Luo Qing slowly opened his eyes.
Just like the night before, the Raiden Shogun's ample chest still dominated his line of sight, blocking out almost everything else. A slight tilt of his head would have him crashing right into it (a phenomenon commonly known as "milk collision").
"You're awake?"
"Ah..."
Luo Qing quickly scooted back a bit, sitting up to check himself over.
Good, all the essential parts were still intact.
And there were no... strange fluids lingering anywhere.
It seemed the Raiden Shogun hadn't done anything to him while he was asleep.
"Did you stay in that same position all night?"
Luo Qing looked her over, noticing that she was still kneeling on the tatami mat exactly as she had been the previous evening.
"Yes..."
"Keeping one posture for too long isn't good; you could try changing it up now and then..."
"Huh?"
"Uh, nothing,"
Luo Qing muttered awkwardly, shaking his head. Then he continued,
"Alright, Shogun, I need to head back. Could you open the portal for me?"
"Going back to Tatarasuna?"
"Yeah, there are still a few things I need to wrap up over there."
"Mm..."
The Raiden Shogun nodded slightly. She hesitated for a moment before offering a word of caution.
"The one inside may be in an unstable mood right now. Are you sure you want to go in now?"
"Unstable mood?"
Luo Qing assumed Ei had simply gotten emotional over another light novel, so he didn't think much of it. With a wave of his hand, he declared confidently,
"I'm not afraid. Come on, Shogun, let me in!"
"..."
"Alright then..."
With a gentle motion, the Raiden Shogun opened the entrance to the Plane of Euthymia and sent Luo Qing inside.
The moment he arrived, a flash of steel caught his eye. Before he could fully process it, Ei was already there, both hands raised as she brought a gleaming sword down towards his face.
"?!"
Luo Qing froze, stunned.
Weren't you supposed to be reading a light novel? Why the hell are you trying to chop me up the moment I walk in?!
"What did I do to you this time?"
He hastily summoned his Lithic Spear, blocking the strike.
Having been hacked at by both the Raiden Shogun and Ei so many times, his spear was now covered in battle scars—etched with nicks and dents from countless clashes.
"Hmph, you know what you did!"
Ei's voice was cold.
"Wait... didn't I hear this yesterday too?"
Luo Qing thought, bewildered.
Another fierce exchange ensued—swords clashing with the spear, chaos erupting within the Plane of Euthymia.
Having fought the Raiden Shogun the day before, Luo Qing wasn't eager to go another round with Ei today. He quickly activated his Emotion Cards, throwing a dozen of them at Ei to disrupt her focus. As she wavered, he leapt onto the toilet portal and transported himself back to Tatarasuna.
"Luo Qing, you wretched man!"
Ei's voice trembled with fury as she struggled to break free from the effects of the Emotion Cards. Glaring at the spot where Luo Qing had vanished, she thought for a moment.
I can't just let him get away...
Raising her hips slightly, she plopped down on the toilet seat.
Ding! Etherial entities cannot be transported. Please try again.
A strange mechanical voice echoed from the toilet, signaling the failure of the teleportation.
"Etherial entities cannot be transported?"
Ei's brow furrowed.
Did that mean only the Shogun's physical puppet could use it?
So this thing was tailored specifically for Luo Qing?!
"..."
For a moment, Ei seriously considered slicing the toilet in half.
...
Meanwhile, in Tatarasuna
A familiar flushing sound heralded Luo Qing's return as he emerged from the toilet, startling Teresa so badly that she spilled her rice porridge all over the ground.
"Lord Luo Qing?"
Teresa looked at him in a daze, still clutching the bowl.
"What's with that expression? Haven't you seen someone come out of a toilet before?"
"N-No, never..."
Teresa stammered, quickly lowering her head to continue eating what remained of her porridge.
Although, with the way Luo Qing had dramatically appeared, there wasn't much left in her bowl.
"Pour me a bowl too."
Luo Qing plopped down beside her.
"Oh, o-okay..."
Teresa hurriedly set down her bowl, spooning another serving of rice porridge from the pot and handing it to Luo Qing.
"Did anything happen after I left last night?"
"No,"
Teresa said while sipping her porridge, clearly annoyed.
"It's just that the Resistance played their music all night long. It was impossible to sleep, and now my skin feels all dull and tired because of it..."
"All night?"
Luo Qing was a bit surprised.
No wonder my notifications kept popping up with frustration points throughout the night...
It turned out the Resistance had kept the captured Shogunate soldiers dancing nonstop!
As he pondered, a loudspeaker blared from Nazuchi Beach, filling the air with that familiar, obnoxious song.
Luo Qing glanced in the direction of the Resistance camp.
There, lined up in front of the camp, stood the Shogunate soldiers he'd captured the day before—still clad in nothing but their shorts—dancing in formation towards the Shogunate camp.
Unlike Luo Qing's casual oversight, the Resistance troops had lined the formation with archers and spear-wielding soldiers, ready to strike at any moment if someone tried to flee.
Looking at his interface, Luo Qing noticed a steady stream of frustration points rolling in.
It wasn't just from the dancing prisoners, but also from Kujou Sara's troops—even she herself occasionally triggered a notification.
The system seemed to count any frustration stemming from events Luo Qing set in motion, no matter who experienced it.
So the bigger the chaos Luo Qing created, the more frustration points he raked in.
Of course, not everyone felt frustrated. Just like in the Shogunate army, some soldiers were there out of loyalty to the Raiden Shogun, while others were simply slacking off to collect their paychecks.
Not everyone reacted the same way—there would always be those who found joy in the chaos, hoping it would escalate.
"Alright, it's time to get to work."
"O-Okay..."
Teresa quickly gulped down the last of her porridge, snuffed out the campfire, and followed Luo Qing toward the Shogunate camp.
"Lord Luo Qing, what are we doing today?"
"You'll see soon enough..."
...
Shogunate Camp
Kujou Sara clenched her fists tightly as she watched her soldiers, still in their dance formation, swaying in front of the Resistance camp.
Despite their numerical advantage, with enough forces to crush the Resistance, Sara held back from giving the order to attack.
Luo Qing's presence alone was enough to deter her. She knew he was powerful enough to hold off their entire force by himself.
Having already reported the situation to the Raiden Shogun, all Sara could do now was bide her time, waiting for the Shogun to deal with Luo Qing personally.
"Lady Sara, are we really not attacking today?"
Her advisor's voice carried confusion. With the Resistance openly taunting them, how could their commander endure it?
"There will be no attack orders today. Return to training..."
But before she could finish, Luo Qing sauntered into the camp.
"What are you doing here again?"
Kujou Sara's voice was cold. She was a straightforward person and had nothing but disdain for traitors like Luo Qing.
"Why, I'm here to ease your worries, Lady Kujou~"
---
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!
Posture and water check! Remember this is a fan translation!
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