# 623
Chapter 624: Siblings
Late at night.
The Yodogawa River rushed along its channel, and on the streets on both sides, a handful of pedestrians walked by in haste, as if everyone was hurrying home.
Just then, in a shadowy corner by the riverbank, a hand suddenly reached out from the rushing water, grabbing onto a protruding brick.
Then, a figure pulled themselves out of the river and landed steadily on the shore with a soft splash.
Lin Qiye, soaked through, stood in the darkness. Water dripped from the hem of his windbreaker as he placed a black case on the ground, reached up to remove the Sun Wukong mask from his face, and let out a long breath.
After the massive blade had fallen beneath the Miyazaki Bridge, he had immediately used 【Night Blink】 to teleport two kilometers away into the river. Under the mysterious gaze that was searching for him, he had remained as still as a stone, drifting along with the Yodogawa current for quite some time.
The moment he activated 【Night Blink】, he had wanted to teleport directly to the banks on either side, but on second thought, he didn't know where the attacker was, and he wasn't familiar with the surrounding environment. If he rashly returned to the shore and got found by the enemy during the "One, Two, Three, Red Light" game, he would be in grave danger.
So he preferred to drift in the river rather than return directly to the shore. At least in the water, all traces of him could be well hidden.
Lin Qiye looked around. He had no idea where in Osaka he currently was. After a moment of hesitation, he walked toward a pedestrian nearby.
"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to Dotonbori?"
The pedestrian saw Lin Qiye, soaked through, and first froze in surprise, then kindly pointed out a direction.
Lin Qiye's top priority was to reunite with Yuzuri Nana, who had been separated from him. But he had already given all his money to the taxi driver, so taking a cab was out of the question. Fortunately, it wasn't far from Dotonbori—even walking would get him there quickly.
As he walked, Lin Qiye recalled the blade that had descended from the sky.
That slash was certainly not something an ordinary person could accomplish. And if it had been an Oracle Envoy, the attacker should have appeared publicly to receive worship... Combined with the black blade, Lin Qiye deduced that the attacker was likely one of the masters of the Nine Magatsu Blades.
The intent was also clear—to kill him.
However, when that blade descended, he hadn't detected any suspicious presence within his spiritual感知 range. Perhaps the enemy's Magatsu Blade could exert its ability across an extremely long distance?
Who was this person who had struck at him?
Lin Qiye thought long and hard. The only person who had both a grudge against him and had been on the Miyazaki Bridge was probably Kansagawa Tsukasa.
This young lord of the Kansagawa family was actually also a Magatsu Blade master...
After a long while, Lin Qiye finally arrived at the entrance to Dotonbori.
Even though it was late at night, this street filled with modern atmosphere looked bustling. Though there weren't many pedestrians, the countless neon signs on both sides still lit up the dark night sky, dazzling to the eye.
Lin Qiye scanned the surroundings with his spiritual感知, then turned and walked in a certain direction.
Beside a brightly lit street, a small alley wound and twisted. Even those brilliant neon lights couldn't reach this dark and narrow path. It was like the neglected shadow of this street, existing alone in the darkness.
In the corner of this alley, a little girl dressed in an old cherry blossom kimono curled up beside a trash can, head buried in her knees, seemingly asleep.
A helpless smile appeared on Lin Qiye's face. He gently nudged the little girl.
"Yuzuri Nana, wake up."
Yuzuri Nana was like a startled kitten, instantly waking from her slumber. Her body instinctively recoiled, arms raised protectively in front of her.
When she saw the person in front of her, she first froze, then bit her lip, opened her arms, and hugged Lin Qiye tightly. Her eyes were slightly red.
"Seven Night Brother, I thought you wouldn't come back..." Her soft voice carried a hint of a sob as she spoke into Lin Qiye's ear.
"Had some trouble, but it's all sorted out now."
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Good." Yuzuri Nana nodded. "I did as you said, dodged the cameras and ran here, then waited the whole time without going anywhere."
"Did anyone find you?"
"Not on the way here. But while I was hiding here, there was an uncle. He saw me looking pitiful here and wanted to invite me to eat something at his shop, but I didn't go."
"Are you hungry?"
"Hungry." Yuzuri Nana said quietly. "But it's fine, I'm used to it... Don't think I'm small, but I'm actually quite good at handling hunger."
Feeling the warmth of Yuzuri Nana's small frame, Lin Qiye's heart ached.
This child's life... has been too harsh.
Yuzuri Nana felt that Lin Qiye was soaked through. She sniffed carefully and looked up in confusion.
"Did you go take a bath in a sewer?"
Lin Qiye: ...
Lin Qiye stood up and glanced around. "Come on, let me take you to eat first. I still owe you that Kobe beef."
Yuzuri Nana blinked. "Do you still have money?"
"...No."
"Then are you going to take me to eat without paying?"
"..."
Lin Qiye scratched his head, about to say something, when a figure suddenly appeared at the entrance of the alley.
"Oh? How did another person show up?"
It was a middle-aged man in a black sequined suit. He wore polished leather shoes, his black hair slicked back meticulously, the hair oil so shiny it reflected the neon signs on the street. In the pocket of that sequined suit, there was also a red rose, looking both flashy and flamboyant.
In his elegant hands, he carried a tray with a bowl of miso soup and a plate of steaming tonkatsu rice.
"If there are two of you, it might not be enough to eat..." The uncle scratched the back of his head with a troubled expression.
Lin Qiye turned to look at Yuzuri Nana questioningly.
"He's the uncle who wanted me to eat at his shop before." Yuzuri Nana recognized him immediately.
"Little girl, who's he to you?" The uncle eyed Lin Qiye, who was carrying two black cases and wearing a black windbreaker with an icy expression, suspiciously.
"He..." Yuzuri Nana thought for a moment. "He's my brother."
"So that's why you wouldn't come eat at my shop with me—you were waiting for your brother." The uncle had an expression of sudden realization. He turned to look at Lin Qiye with some displeasure.
"Hey, you! How can you not take care of your own sister properly? I saw her crouching here all afternoon. How pitiful for a little girl!"
Lin Qiye's expression was somewhat awkward.
The uncle looked at the soaked Lin Qiye, then at the shabbily dressed Yuzuri Nana, and sighed helplessly.
"You two—if you don't have money for food, just come to my shop and eat whatever you want... The kitchen has a lot of leftover ingredients today, and it'd be a waste to throw them away. Uncle won't charge you."
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New Year's Eve, fifth update of the night. Wishing all readers a Happy New Year~
It's the new year, Sanjiu wants a red envelope, is that too much to ask? (Dog head)