No one knew how much time had passed before the office door finally opened. Kaito emerged, holding Kalifa close in his arms.
Kalifa's steps were slightly awkward, and her face still carried a lingering blush, making her look particularly enchanting.
Kaito looked down at the woman in his arms and spoke softly,
"You're not in any shape to move around right now. Let me take you back to your room to rest."
"No, I want to go for a walk with you."
Her voice carried a lazy drawl that made Kaito's heart itch.
Has the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit really changed her that much...?
Still, if Kalifa didn't want to return, then walking around a bit was fine too—besides, it was almost dinner time anyway, and they could eat together.
With that thought, Kaito tightened his hold on Kalifa's waist and headed downstairs.
...
Outside the main building, Kaito immediately spotted Yamato, standing with her head tilted back, looking around, while Ain stood beside her, hands behind her back, tapping the ground with the tip of her foot.
Truthfully, Kaito had already sensed them when they were waiting outside the office earlier. He had even considered using the power of the Op-Op Fruit to warp himself and Kalifa away.
But for some reason, Ain had decided against knocking. Instead, she dragged Yamato away, saving Kaito the trouble.
Still, Kaito couldn't help feeling a bit guilty toward the considerate Ain. Now that he saw her again, he didn't quite know what to say.
As for Yamato, she was automatically filtered out of Kaito's attention.
Ain quickly noticed the pair of Kaito and Kalifa stepping out. Seeing the flirtatious look still lingering on Kalifa's face, she pursed her lips and asked,
"Done with your business?"
Her question left Kaito and Kalifa both a little awkward. The two exchanged a glance before Kaito finally forced himself to answer,
"Yeah... we're done. Sorry to keep you waiting."
The moment he finished speaking, he regretted it.
What the hell kind of answer was that?
Kalifa even shot her boss a sidelong glance, silently scolding him
Could you have made things any more awkward?
Sighing helplessly, she figured it was time for the secretary to take over again.
She gently slipped out of Kaito's embrace and walked over to Ain, locking eyes with her.
Meeting Kalifa's gaze, Ain started to fidget uncomfortably and murmured,
"Kalifa... did I interrupt you two?"
Kalifa hadn't expected such a response. She chuckled, finding Ain absolutely adorable.
With a soft laugh, Kalifa gently took Ain's small hands in her own and said warmly,
"You're one of us. What do you mean 'interrupt'?"
The words "one of us" made Ain freeze. She let out a surprised "Eh?" but before she could say more—
Yamato suddenly butted in,
"Kalifa-san, I'm one of us too! Earlier, Ain-san said you and Sensei were doing some kind of 'special training' and told me not to ask, but I really wanna train with Sensei too! Can you talk to him for me?"
Bonk!
Before Kalifa could reply, Kaito smacked Yamato on the head with a fist. He was utterly speechless.
Even Shalria would've figured out what was going on by now, right?
Kaido... what kind of teacher were you raising this girl to be?!
Yamato clutched the massive bump forming on her forehead, eyes brimming with tears. She felt so wronged.
Is it really so bad to want to work hard?
She looked up at Kaito, ready to voice her grievances—but then she froze.
She had noticed something.
There, on the right side of Kaito's forehead, a horn had sprouted. Her surprise overrode her pain.
"Sensei! Why do you have a horn growing out of your head?!"
Her outburst made Ain finally notice the same thing. Poor girl—she'd been so distracted by what happened in the office that she hadn't even noticed the obvious.
Yamato quickly scooted up close to Kaito, ignoring his look of disdain. She reached out, eager to touch the horn that looked like a piece of art.
Kaito slapped a palm to her face and pushed her back.
Yamato immediately protested, loudly demanding to touch it. But when Kaito gave her a glare with his Rinnegan, she instantly went quiet.
Still, her pout was so exaggerated it looked like she could hang a bottle of soy sauce from it.
Kaito glared back and said coldly,
"This horn isn't something you can touch lightly. If it pricks your skin, you're done for."
He wasn't exaggerating. The horn was still infused with the red poison created by Magellan's Venom-Venom Fruit.
As long as he kept it under control, it was fine to touch. But if it actually pierced skin, the consequences would be dire.
Sure, he could save her, but she'd have to suffer quite a bit first.
Yamato gave a vague nod, seemingly understanding. She, too, felt that the crimson tip of the horn exuded a dangerous aura—it was clear her Sensei wasn't lying.
Seeing that she'd quieted down, Kaito turned to Ain and explained the origin of the horn.
To put it simply—his body evolved alongside his eyes!
As ridiculous as it sounded, Ain accepted it rather easily. After all, this kind of thing happening to Kaito seemed... fitting.
Besides, the horn somehow gave him an exotic kind of charm—it actually made him look cooler.
With those two handled, Kaito was ready to continue his peaceful stroll with Kalifa.
But Kalifa had other ideas.
She insisted on bringing Ain and Yamato along.
She felt like she'd gotten more than enough satisfaction today. Now it'd be nice to hang out as a group—walk around, have some fun.
Since she'd made the call, Kaito naturally agreed. Today, she was the boss. He was the secretary.
And so, the group of four set off toward the shopping street, planning to look around and grab dinner.
...
But it seemed like the day had no intention of giving Kaito any peace.
As he walked with the three women, two familiar voices suddenly rang out—
"Kaito!"
Turning around, Kaito saw Ace and Law rushing over, excitement written all over their faces. When they saw him stop, they ran straight toward him.
Kalifa glanced at the two "little fans" running over and teased,
"Boss, your two fanboys are here."
Kaito gave a helpless smile as his gaze landed on Law.
Since we've run into Law here...
This was the perfect opportunity to give him the Horm-Horm Fruit.
After joining the Marines, Law had seen countless wounded soldiers retired from battle. It had deepened his obsession with medicine—and he had talent too. Many military doctors were full of praise for him.
Kaito had taken notice of that, which was why he'd specially gone to see Ivankov and acquired this gift for him.
The Horm-Horm Fruit, with its healing properties, would surely take Law's medical skills to the next level.
He just hoped Law wouldn't, like Ivankov, develop some... strange applications for it.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo