Chapter 145: I have no choice but to sell my body
It was late at night at St. Freya Academy, and it should have been a peaceful and quiet time, but the lights in Kirataka's room suddenly became brighter.
Kirataka turned on the light, sat up, and saw the girl next to him clearly.
Her hair color is roughly the same as when she was a little fox, with cherry and red intertwined. Her fair cheeks are as smooth as mutton-fat jade, and her skin, which he had just touched, is soft and elastic.
Add to that the unique pair of fox ears and the big tails behind her, well, this is undoubtedly the human form of Higokumaru.
Because he turned on the light and stood up, the girl who was originally sleeping soundly was awakened and opened her eyes in a daze:
"Um... Master~"
"Higokumaru, why are you...?"
Kirataka looked at the girl lying beside him with a look of astonishment.
She was a little fox before he fell asleep, so how come she turned into a human after a few hours?
Could it be... this is the legendary fox's repayment? Turning into a human form to repay you?
Okay, no kidding.
Higokumaru is indeed very cute. The main reason why Kirataka allowed her to sleep with him in the past, besides her own request, was that she was only the size of a doll.
Because of this, he didn't really think of Higokumaru as a "human" - of course, she wasn't a human to begin with.
Ever since Higokumaru appeared and joined this dormitory, she has actually always played the role of the group's favorite.
But now…
Kirataka glanced at the coolly dressed girl next to him in pink.
Although she had woken up, her eyes were still half closed due to sleepiness, and her eyelashes were long and curled.
A pair of arms were wrapped around his arms, and her face was rubbing against his arms, with a bit of coquettishness in her expression.
Probably not much different from Bronya, or even a little smaller.
Now, it is impossible to look at this girl with the same eyes as before.
Of course, leaving herself aside, when Higokumaru transformed into a human form, he couldn't use the doll to cover it up.
A living person appeared in the school, and sooner or later Theresa and the others would know about it.
After a long while, Higokumaru finally woke up completely and sat up while yawning.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes, opened them completely, and asked in a low voice:
"Master, what's wrong?"
"Higokumaru, why are you like this..."
When Kirataka asked this, the girl proudly puffed out her chest, with several big tails swaying behind her:
"It's a brand new Higokumaru. Does the master like it?"
"I like it... No, Higokumaru, can you change back?"
"Of course you can, but Higokumaru doesn't want to change back..."
The girl pouted.
"…If you don't want to change back, forget it. I'll tell others about you later."
Although there is one more person, it's not a big deal.
Theresa's side is quite easy to deal with. As for Otto, he has been very busy with the loss of the Serenity Gem recently and probably doesn't have much energy to pay attention to him.
Even if the Bishop of Schicksal really investigated the matter of Higokumaru, he would probably find it the same as investigating himself and would not be able to find any information about the past - after all, they all appeared in this world abruptly and had no connection with the past.
After the initial shock passed, a question emerged in Kirataka's mind:
That is...why did Higokumaru suddenly grow up?
…
"…So that's the reason."
After listening to the girl's explanation, Kirataka finally understood what had happened.
'Because I have been focusing on cultivating Taixuan Sword Qi and preparing to deal with Cocolia recently, does this little girl feel that she has been left out?'
She even went to RIN for help. What surprised Kirataka was that the big fox was actually willing to help her.
Thinking of this, Kirataka rubbed the girl's head and said with a hint of apology:
"I'm sorry, I have some important things to do recently."
"Nothing, I just want to accompany my master better..."
Higokumaru really liked the feeling of being touched, and the big tail behind her swayed along with it. She continued to act coquettishly in a soft voice.
Kirataka smiled and said:
"It just so happens that you have turned into a human form. I promise you that I will take you out to play after I come back this time."
"Really? Great! I love you the most!"
When Higokumaru heard this, she immediately hugged him happily.
Fun and food are her favorite things.
"Well, I'll take you to see the fireworks display. There will be a lot of delicious food at the festival."
As a Far Eastern fox, you should participate in Far Eastern festivals.
If possible, let's invite Rin, Sakura, and the others along as well.
As people from the ancient Far East, they... should have never participated in the modern Far East Festival, right?
The girl's soft skin pressed against his body, caressing him gently as the body movements progressed, and her small face became flushed with happiness.
"…"
He was not like Liu Xiahui who could remain calm even when a beautiful girl came so close to him, so it was inevitable that he felt a little distracted.
(TL: Liu Xiahui (柳下惠) refers to Zhan Huo, an ancient Chinese figure from the Spring and Autumn period. He was known for his eminent virtue and his actions that symbolized integrity and moral uprightness.)
However, Higokumaru's life experience is truly a blank sheet of paper, and her level of simplicity is even far beyond that of Seele.
She didn't care much about contact between men and women and didn't know anything further, but he couldn't use this to bully her.
So…
Kirataka believed that it was necessary to teach this little girl some basic common sense.
Then, he spoke to the girl beside him in a gentle tone:
"Um, Higokumaru..."
"Um?"
"If you want to maintain this human form, you can no longer sleep in my room."
Kirataka said with a deliberately stern face.
After this, Higokumaru might have to live with other girls or live in a room by herself.
If she slept with him every day, he would have no objection — of course, who would have an objection to a beautiful girl throwing herself at him?
However, some of the girls living together might have some opinions...
"eh, why?"
Higokumaru widened her eyes, not understanding what was going on.
In her opinion, one should sleep with the person one likes.
The reason why she sought out RIN and became what she is now is just to get along better with Kirataka.
Who knew that this didn't have any positive effect, but seemed to have the opposite effect?
The next second, the girl showed a pitiful expression and said:
"Wuuu... Could it be that the master doesn't like Higokumaru anymore?"
This sentence is just like saying that he doesn't want her anymore.
"…"
Kirataka covered his forehead slightly.
The girl's pitiful appearance made his preaching fail after he took the first step.
"It's not that I don't like you, but...uh..."
He has always had no resistance to spoiled and pitiful girls.
Never mind... let's talk about it later.
Kirataka's heart suddenly moved.
Since Higokumaru has already obtained a small part of the Herrscher of Corruption's authority...
Then, can't we try to solve the problem of the chip implanted in Bronya's head by Cocolia?
He had never forced Higokumaru to do anything before, but just let her live and grow naturally.
But now she has indeed gained some power by accident. In this case, perhaps she can let Higokumaru give it a try.
If she could deal with the chip in Bronya's head now, she could take Bronya with her on the subsequent mission to Siberia.
They have to do it now. Thinking of this, Kirataka said to the girl beside him:
"By the way, Higokumaru, I have something to ask of you."
…
It was late at night and Kirataka was not the only one who hadn't slept.
Even from the outside, one could see a faint light flickering in Bronya's room.
Kirataka pulled Higokumaru to the door of Bronya's room, stretched out his hand, and knocked gently.
Soon, the sound of bare feet on the ground was heard from inside, and the silver-haired girl opened the door.
"Kirataka, it's so late, haven't you rested yet?"
"Well, there's something I want to talk to you about."
He nodded.
"...Okay, Bronya understands."
The silver-haired girl opened the door completely, and then her eyes fell on Higokumaru who was holding Kirataka's arm.
"You are...Higokumaru?"
Bronya asked speculatively.
It was late at night, Kirataka wouldn't have kidnapped another girl from somewhere else.
With that cherry red hairstyle and those obvious fox ears and tail, her identity is not difficult to guess.
Like Kirataka, she was also quite surprised that Higokumaru had suddenly "grown up."
"Wait until you come in and talk about it."
The silver-haired girl's room was brightly lit, and the computer on the desk was running at high speed.
If it were any other time, as a night owl, she would probably still be playing video games at this time.
But now, she has no time for entertainment.
Electronic data kept flashing on the computer screen, and Bronya was obviously doing serious work.
—She was constantly monitoring and searching for information about Cocolia, trying to further confirm her exact location in Siberia.
"Bronya, you have a biochip in your head, right?"
Kirataka said straight to the point.
The silver-haired girl was silent for two seconds, then nodded slightly.
This is her secret. In theory, only she and Cocolia know about it, and no one else knows about it.
But Kirataka has always been quite mysterious and knows a lot of secret information. She has gotten used to it and did not show much surprise about it.
Kirataka asked:
"Did Cocolia tell you what the chip was used for?"
"...She once said that it was used to assist Bronya in controlling the Project Bunny, and that it could help Bronya better control it."
The silver-haired girl reminisced about the past.
To put it simply, it is an experimental product of Cocolia's new generation of humanoid combat weapons "Valkyrie Project," which improves its combat capability through the assistance of biochips.
But implanting a biochip into the brain is obviously not a low-risk operation. At that time, Bronya, who had just been to the brink of death because of the X-10 experiment, soon underwent this craniotomy at Cocolia's request.
"...If she is a mother who truly loves her daughters, would she really send them to the gates of hell again and again?
Whether it was the X-10 experiment that quantized Seele, or everything she did to Bronya, or even the fusion warrior surgery on a certain pair of vodka twins—
All these things only made Kirataka see Cocolia's crazy pursuit of powerful strength, but not a trace of maternal love.
Thinking of this, Kirataka whispered:
"Yes, that is true from what I understand, but its function is obviously more than that."
Needless to say, Cocolia is a sinister and cunning woman, as she was able to become the leader of the anti-entropy reform faction.
A woman like this would probably find it difficult to completely trust other people, even if... that was her own daughter whom she raised.
For the weapons under her control, she probably has corresponding [backdoors] to prevent them from betraying her.
Leaving aside the Titan series of mechas, the clones of the First Herrscher and subordinates like Bronya who have strong combat power must have vital points that she can control.
"Kirataka, you mean..."
"Well, if I'm guessing correctly, Cocolia should have the authority to forcibly control your actions through the biochip."
Kirataka said in a speculative tone.
Because of this, that woman was able to safely leave Bronya in St. Freya Academy to use as a spy and never thought of taking her back.
Bronya, who has relatively weak combat power, can only give full play to her maximum potential in this position.
Even if Bronya herself is unwilling, Cocolia can forcibly control Bronya at the critical moment to achieve her own goals.
For example, in the original timeline, Wendy and Mei were kidnapped during the Fourth Herrscher incident.
"…"
Bronya fell silent.
She couldn't deny what Kirataka said. Rather, given Cocolia's personality, doing so was in line with her style.
Thinking of this, her favorable impression of Cocolia, which had already fallen to the bottom, dropped further.
"Then... it would be better if Bronya doesn't participate in the Siberia operation later, right?"
Bronya said hesitantly.
As a former killer, she deeply understood how troublesome it was to carry an unstable factor when carrying out a mission.
In the worst case scenario, she might even get in the way of Kirataka.
"No, as long as we can solve the problem of the biochip in your head in advance, we can use this to our advantage."
Kirataka shook his head.
"How to solve it?"
Bronya asked subconsciously.
"Of course, I'll leave it to Higokumaru."
Kirataka smiled and glanced at the fox girl who fell on Bronya's bed.
"So, who exactly is Higokumaru..."
Bronya pondered for a few seconds and asked tentatively.
Of course, she knew that Higokumaru was no ordinary being—a doll-sized creature that appeared out of thin air, could talk and eat was amazing enough in itself.
However, she was not quite sure what Higokumaru was or what abilities it possessed.
But Kirataka came to talk to her about the biochip and brought Higokumaru with him, so Bronya guessed that this was related to her.
Kirataka thought for a moment and explained:
"Well... to put it simply, Higokumaru has a strong talent in hacking, and she might be able to solve the problem of the chip in your head."
He did not directly mention the name "Herrscher of Corruption." This term was still an unfamiliar name to Bronya. It would be better to explain to her the power of Higokumaru directly.
The so-called Herrscher of Corruption is exactly such an existence.
In the field of Internet and electronics, it is almost invincible and is like the end of the world.
Even if it is the memory of the Thirteen Flame Chaser of [Elysian Realm], there is no way to deal with it without relying on physical destruction, which shows its ability in the field of electronics.
If not for this, Kirataka would not expect to rely on the 12th Divine Key, Jizo Mitama, to deal with that guy Otto in the future.
Of course, the power of Corruption is not limited to the network data level. The complete Herrscher of Corruption can also spread viruses through the air to infect humans, but its efficiency is far less than Corruption through the network.
And now, even if Higokumaru has only obtained a small part of the power, it should be more than enough to deal with the biological chip in Bronya's head.
"Higokumaru, come here."
Kirataka waved his hand and called the girl over.
Afterwards, he explained Bronya's situation and his thoughts in detail to Higokumaru.
Specifically, without letting Cocolia realize that the biochip has been tampered with, its remote control ability is abolished, while the chip's combat amplification ability for Bronya is retained, making it something that only benefits Bronya.
In this way, Cocolia will not be able to use her authority to force Bronya to do anything.
After listening to Kirataka's request, Higokumaru nodded, indicating that he could do it.
But then, the girl raised another finger and added:
"Of course you can, but I have one condition!"
"Well, go ahead."
Kirataka nodded.
What kind of conditions could this simple little girl offer? He didn't take it too seriously.
Based on his understanding of Higokumaru, all she would bring up would be fried tofu, fried tofu, and more fried tofu…
Well, this little fox is really easy to deal with and raise.
Unfortunately, he miscalculated this time.
Higokumaru smiled adorably and then said in a coquettish tone:
"I have to sleep with my master every day!"
Higokumaru is still brooding over what Kirataka said in the room earlier and is now trying hard to prevent Kirataka from leaving her with the other girls.
Although the other older sisters were very nice to her and she liked them very much, she really only wanted to sleep with Kirataka.
"…"
Kirataka heard this, coughed twice, and confirmed:
"Does it have to be this way?"
"Yes, definitely, and for sure!"
The girl nodded vigorously several times.
"...All right."
Kirataka nodded helplessly.
In order to solve the problem of the chip in Bronya's head, he had to sell his body.
This is for Bronya, yes, it's for Bronya.
All in all, at the cost of Kirataka's little "sacrifice," Higokumaru began to solve the chip problem in Bronya.
"Sister Bronya, come on, close your eyes."
Higokumaru walked briskly to the side of the silver-haired girl.
Bronya closed her eyes obediently and then felt a soft finger touching the center of her forehead.
The cherry pink light flashed for a moment, and the adjustment was completed.
"Okay, it's done."
Higokumaru withdrew her hand and said easily.
For her, who possesses the authority of the Herrscher of Corruption, this kind of thing is just a small matter.
"…"
Bronya didn't notice any changes.
After all, they only hacked into the biochip and modified some underlying rules, rather than repairing her brain, so there wouldn't be much change in her perception.
In short, now that the business is done, let's go back to our rooms and rest.
Kirataka took Higokumaru's hand and was about to take her back to his room.
Before leaving, he glanced at the computer on the table that was still running and said:
"Go to bed early, Bronya. It's not good for girls to stay up too late."
Even if you are collecting information for future operations, you cannot miss out on the necessary rest.
The key is to conserve your energy and stay in good condition.
Bronya nodded, then raised the corners of her mouth slightly, forming a beautiful arc, and said to him before closing the door:
"Rather than worrying about Bronya, Kirataka, you should think carefully about how to explain to Mei and Seele later."
(TL: Hey there! If you're enjoying this fanfic and want to get early access to more chapters or explore some of my other works, feel free to swing by my Patreon. You'll find plenty of advanced updates and maybe even some exclusive content waiting for you~
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