In the Room of Flowers, Imu fell silent after using some unknown method to suppress the other consciousness. His figure gradually blurred until it completely vanished from the throne.
However, what he didn't know was that when his eyes glowed red, a flash of purple light flickered through Kaito's eyes as he stood beside Shalria.
Sensing something, Kaito turned his head in a certain direction. Shalria, noticing that Kaito suddenly stopped looking at her mid-conversation, couldn't help but ask,
"Kaito, what are you looking at?"
Kaito shook his head and smiled.
"Nothing. Just felt like it's time to go."
"Huh? Leaving already? Why not stay a few more days? I still wanted to take you to see the slave fights!"
"I've got a mission to get back to. As for those slaves you mentioned... I think you should give up that twisted hobby."
"I just enjoy watching them fight. Besides, don't worry—every slave I bought used to be a pirate. I know you're a Marine, I get it."
"At least you're self-aware. Alright, I really have to go. Next time, I'll take you shopping in Sabaody."
"Okay… but you better mean it!"
Shalria was genuinely afraid that once Kaito returned, he'd go back to treating her the same cold way he used to—ignoring her letters, not answering her Den Den Mushi.
She used to be fine with it, knowing Kaito didn't really care for her. But after spending these past couple of days together—especially that night—she'd finally gotten a taste of sweetness.
If Kaito went back to being the way he was before, she wouldn't be able to accept it.
Shalria secretly decided: if he ignored her again, she'd march right into Marine Headquarters and demand an answer from him—why was he being so heartless?
That thought alone made the corners of her mouth curl into a smirk—that smug, punchable look returning to her face.
Sure enough, the moment Kaito saw that expression, he couldn't help but flick her forehead, snapping her out of her daydream.
Shalria didn't dare act up again after the flick. She knew her status as a Celestial Dragon meant nothing in front of Kaito—if anything, it only earned his disdain.
And truthfully, she didn't want anything else interfering in her relationship with Kaito.
What they had now was something she found genuinely fun—an experience she'd never had before in her life. She was enjoying it immensely.
Seeing how obedient Shalria was even after being flicked on the forehead, Kaito felt a little bad.
She'd treated him really well over the past few days, and now that he was leaving, he'd even smacked her around a little before going—it didn't sit right.
Thinking that, Kaito reached into the Door-Door Space and pulled out a small piece of gold. Looking at it in his hand, he muttered,
"Lightning Metallurgy."
Zzt! A dazzling flash of purple lightning crackled across his palm. The heat from the lightning distorted the air around it.
The gold quickly melted under the intense temperature, becoming a pool of molten liquid. Then, it slowly reshaped itself—eventually forming a miniature version of the Flying Thunder God kunai.
A small wisp of black flame appeared in Kaito's palm to rapidly cool it down. Then he took out a paper talisman with the Flying Thunder God seal and tied it to the kunai's hilt.
With that, it was complete.
Shalria watched in a daze as Kaito performed what looked like a magic trick, turning a lump of gold into a strange-looking object. She thought to herself,
"Kaito's ability is amazing… though that thing looks kinda ugly."
Kaito nodded in satisfaction at the mini golden Flying Thunder God kunai in his hand. Not bad craftsmanship, he thought.
Obviously, the kunai was meant for Shalria. But if Kaito had known she just called it ugly in her mind, he probably would've smacked her again.
He handed it to her and said,
"Here, this is for you."
"Huh? It's for me? It's beautiful!"
Shalria hadn't expected a gift from Kaito. She quickly grabbed the tiny kunai and stuffed it tightly into her "space suit," holding it close to her chest like she was afraid he'd take it back.
Seeing how cautious she was, Kaito could only shake his head. Still, he gave her one last instruction.
"You probably won't be in danger, but if something urgent does happen, use that to call me. I'm off."
Shalria nodded vigorously, clutching the kunai to her chest. She opened her mouth, just about to say something—when Kaito's figure flickered and vanished before her eyes.
Frozen in place, Shalria stared at the spot where he disappeared, then weakly muttered,
"You could've at least kissed me goodbye..."
...
Aboard the Six Paths Reincarnation, in Kaito's office—
Kalifa sat at his desk, seriously going through the documents that had been sent from Headquarters over the past few days. She occasionally jotted down notes with a pen, completely accustomed to handling these piles of paperwork for Kaito.
Truthfully, if she wanted to, she could easily use Kaito's authority to pull a lot of strings. But Kalifa had no interest in that kind of thing.
From her perspective, she couldn't offer much help in battle—so she aimed to do her best with the daily administrative tasks.
Ever since the Five Elders "sold" her to Kaito, her life had completely revolved around him.
She knew Kaito had plenty of women around him, but so what? She was the one who spent the most time by his side. Even that Gion couldn't compete with her on that front.
So Kalifa was content with the life she had now.
If she had one complaint... it would be about Ain, currently sitting on the nearby sofa.
Ain had turned into a little Kaito-shadow lately. Even though her presence didn't stop Kalifa from spending time with him, it did make it harder to get him alone.
Of course, Ain had no idea Kalifa was mentally roasting her.
She sat there watching Kalifa with admiration, her eyes full of respect for how capable the woman was. Everything Kalifa touched seemed to fall perfectly into place.
Especially during these past few days when Kaito was away—Ain had seen firsthand how hard Kalifa worked.
Ain had always looked up to Kalifa like a big sister—not because of age, but because compared to her, Ain still felt like a clueless child.
After all, Kalifa had been trained by the World Government itself. Her experience far outweighed Ain's.
As the two girls sat lost in their own thoughts about each other, Kaito suddenly appeared in the room.
Unfortunately, the spot he teleported to was a little awkward—he ended up sitting directly on Kalifa's lap.
Feeling the soft pressure on his back, Kaito leaned in slightly, then looked over to the dazed Ain and said,
"Did this chair get a new cushion? Feels really comfy. Kalifa probably changed it, right? Where is she anyway?"
Ain held her forehead with one hand and sighed.
"The cushion you're sitting on is Kalifa."
Kaito froze, quickly stood up, and turned to see Kalifa's face bright red with embarrassment.
Kalifa gave him a resentful look and opened her mouth to say,
"Boss, you..."
"Stop! Honest mistake—total accident!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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