Ho Fei-yu was startled. He had originally intended only to heal Katsuo Hanyū's hand to avoid her holding a grudge, which might lead to him being given a hard time during his interaction with Elisa Nishikiori later. He hadn't expected to heal the scar on her face as well.
"Fei... Fei-yu-dono, what's going on? Why has the scar on my face disappeared!?" Katsuo Hanyū continuously touched her own face, her voice trembling with shock. If the title Dono was merely a polite address before, this time it seemed to carry a hint of respect.
Speaking of Katsuo Hanyū, her physical appearance hinted at an extraordinary life story. As long as she could remember, she never knew who her parents were. She grew up in the slums, scavenging for trash and fighting with stray dogs for food. Luckily, she was adopted by a kind person and lived a relatively happy life until she was twelve, excluding her earliest years.
Tragically, fate was not kind to the unfortunate, only adding to their miseries. In the Silver Triangle where she lived, drugs were rampant and gangs were out of control. During a firefight, her adoptive family was caught in the crossfire. A family of five, all but her were killed by a rocket-propelled grenade. The subsequent fire didn't even leave her a chance to collect their bodies.
From then on, Katsuo Hanyū was consumed by hatred. She joined a local gang and became ruthless. Any rival gang member she faced was treated cruelly. Relying on her ferocity, she rose to the position of second-in-command, gaining many loyal subordinates.
By chance, she learned that the two gangs that mistakenly killed her family were connected to her own gang. So, Katsuo Hanyū gathered her loyal subordinates. During a trade, they utterly annihilated one of the rival gangs and immediately went after the other, eliminating many of their members as well.
However, she had violated the unspoken rule of the Silver Triangle: never stab someone during a trade; feel free to do so afterward. Although she didn't know which high-level idiot set this stupid rule, necessity dictates submission. It had become a default rule. Because Katsuo Hanyū broke it, she was hunted by all the gang members.
Fortunately, she had already escaped the Silver Triangle and fled to the West. After three years of gang warfare, knowing nothing else, she reverted to her old ways and joined a mercenary group, beginning another life of licking blood from the blade.
When she was nearly twenty, her previously flat chest suddenly began to grow rapidly, as if injected with hormones, greatly affecting her daily life. She decided to go to Japan to complete one last mission before retiring. Unexpectedly, she was betrayed by someone within her own organization due to a conflict of interest.
After completing the mission, she was about to board the plane. Eight years of grueling experience had given her an ability to sense danger. She noticed something was wrong. In that one or two seconds of hesitation, the plane suddenly exploded. Although she avoided the vital spots, the resulting shockwave still broke many of her bones. She was even struck across the face by scorching hot plane wreckage, but luckily, it didn't pierce her skull.
Enduring the pain, she fled for an unknown distance before passing out. When she woke up, she was lying on a luxurious bed—the biggest and most comfortable bed she had slept in in twenty years. Facing her was Elisa Nishikiori's father, a very kind and gentle man. He didn't ask about her past but had people carefully look after her. After nearly a month of recuperation, Katsuo Hanyū remembered her past. As it happened, Elisa Nishikiori's mother died after a difficult labor giving birth to Elisa Nishikiori. Katsuo Hanyū was a person who always repaid kindness, so she abandoned her former identity, adopted a Japanese name, and became the Nishikiori family's housekeeper. Katsuo Hanyū was actually only around thirty-five years old, but her experiences and appearance made her look older.
"..."
"Hehe, just a family secret medical technique." Ho Fei-yu said, touching his nose.
"Medical technique? Is Fei-yu-dono a descendant of a Chinese Traditional Medicine family!" Katsuo Hanyū nodded as if it all made sense. She knew about China; it was a mystical place, a Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Whether she was in the Silver Triangle or working as a mercenary in the West, she always steered clear of China-related missions, never accepting them. She recalled several mercenaries who, underestimating the risk and tempted by huge bounties, tried to take the plunge. Unsurprisingly, they were never heard from again.
"Something like that."
"Mhm! Thank you for your miraculous cure, Fei-yu-dono! I apologize again for my rudeness just now and beg for your forgiveness!" Although Katsuo Hanyū had been a maid for over ten years, she wasn't so easily fooled by Ho Fei-yu's few words. She was completely convinced now. Naturally, Ho Fei-yu had used his Hypnosis ability. The several maids behind them were all affected as well. If he were alone, he wouldn't be so afraid of his ability being exposed. But now that he had so many people he cared about, even with the protection of the Succubus Aura, he wasn't sure if it could withstand hot weapons and the like. If his loved ones were hurt because of him, he would lose his mind.
"Small matter, no need to say more, Head Maid Katsuo. Let's go quickly, don't keep Elisa waiting." Ho Fei-yu didn't want to dwell on the matter and reminded her.
"Yes, hehe, I apologize, I was too excited and forgot the important matter." Katsuo Hanyū wasn't angry at Ho Fei-yu's urging. She was still happy about the disappearance of the scar on her face. If she hadn't cared about her appearance ten years ago, after being the head maid for so many years, her once cold heart had warmed up. The scar on her face was like a thorn stuck in her heart. Whenever she looked in the mirror, she couldn't help but recall those difficult days. Now, it was gone, allowing her to completely sever ties with the past.
They walked the rest of the way in silence, but Ho Fei-yu could clearly feel that Katsuo Hanyū's footsteps were much lighter, as if a great weight had been lifted.
Knock, knock.
"Miss Elisa, I've brought Fei-yu-dono. May we come in now?" After about two minutes of walking, Ho Fei-yu followed Katsuo Hanyū to a side room. While she was knocking, he looked around the room, which was about the same size as his own apartment. The evils of capitalism!
"Auntie Katsuo? If Fei-yu-kun is here, both of you come in~" Elisa Nishikiori's clear voice came from inside, though it sounded a little tired.
"Fei-yu-dono, please." Katsuo Hanyū bowed slightly, indicating he should enter.
Ho Fei-yu nodded, turned the doorknob, and opened the door.
Before he even stepped inside, a faint scent of a young girl, mixed with a hint of perfume, greeted him. Ho Fei-yu focused his eyes: a pure and beautiful blue-haired girl, wearing a gray-white dress adorned with countless white diamonds, was gracefully dancing on the wide, snowy-white ice, swaying her lithe body like a willow branch. She moved like a butterfly dancing in the wind, light and swift.
He was stunned. The girl possessed a more sacred aura than when he first met her, like a Flower Fairy.
"Fei-yu-kun! Fei-yu-kun!!" Before he knew it, Elisa Nishikiori was standing in front of Ho Fei-yu. Seeing Ho Fei-yu lost in thought, the girl smiled brightly and waved her hand in front of his eyes.
"Eh!?? Auntie Katsuo, your face is healed!" The girl then looked at Katsuo Hanyū. She was long used to the brutal scar on her head maid's face and wasn't afraid of it, but now that she saw her mother-like head maid without the scar, shock and curiosity flooded her heart. She spoke with excitement and joy.
"Hehe, this is all thanks to Fei-yu-dono. His miraculous cure easily healed my face." Katsuo Hanyū touched her perfectly restored face, smiling, and cast a grateful look towards Ho Fei-yu.
"Wow! Fei-yu-kun healed it~" Elisa Nishikiori looked back at Ho Fei-yu, her tone full of disbelief. Ho Fei-yu had already snapped out of his daze and simply nodded when he heard Elisa Nishikiori's words.
"Thank you, Fei-yu-kun~ I can't believe the problem that bothered Auntie Katsuo for years has been solved. Auntie Katsuo is even prettier now~" Elisa Nishikiori held Ho Fei-yu's hand and thanked him gratefully. Feeling the girl's soft, boneless hands, a ripple spread through Ho Fei-yu's heart.
"Ahem, Young Mistress, mind your manners."
"Oh~ I forgot in my excitement. Hehe, I'll be careful next time~" Before Ho Fei-yu could reply, Katsuo Hanyū, who was watching, quickly reminded her upon seeing the scene. Although she was grateful to Ho Fei-yu, she didn't want Elisa Nishikiori to give herself away so casually. At the very least... she needed to be tested. Elisa Nishikiori smiled playfully and immediately let go of his hand. However, she felt much more confident that Ho Fei-yu could help her.
"Auntie Katsuo, you can leave now. I need Fei-yu-kun to correct my posture. Father will be very happy when he sees your scar is gone." Elisa Nishikiori chatted briefly with Katsuo Hanyū, then began to urge her to leave, feeling a great deal of pressure and urgency.
"Well... alright. I'll wait outside. If you need anything, just call for me." Katsuo Hanyū hesitated, but remembering Ho Fei-yu had just healed her face, she felt awkward expressing any doubt in front of him. She could only agree.
"Mhm mhm~" Elisa Nishikiori nodded, urging Katsuo Hanyū until she left the ice rink room, closing the door behind her.
"Fei-yu-kun, please help me look at how I can improve my acting and dancing." Elisa Nishikiori glided to Ho Fei-yu, spun around, lifting her skirt to reveal her flesh-colored safety shorts, and looked at Ho Fei-yu expectantly.
"Well... Elisa, why don't you try skating one more time? I'll look for any flaws." Ho Fei-yu was a little awkward. He knew nothing about dancing or acting. He had only assumed that the heroines in the Train series were somewhat obsessed and could be helped with lustful methods. But when asked directly, he didn't know how to answer. He could only stall for time.
"Oh, okay. I'll skate again. Fei-yu-kun, please watch carefully." Elisa Nishikiori instructed Ho Fei-yu, then glided to the center and began her performance again.
Ho Fei-yu didn't focus his attention on Elisa Nishikiori. Instead, he looked around the ice rink room. He had noticed earlier that the walls were lined with things. Upon closer inspection, he realized they were fruits, even ones out of season. Seriously... most absurdly, there was even a bed. This... The evils of capitalism!!
Ho Fei-yu sighed inwardly again before turning his gaze to Elisa Nishikiori. The girl moved swiftly and soared high like a startled magpie at night. Her beautiful dance posture was gentle and graceful. Her agile, swift movements were as light as the wind. The whole sequence was flawless, with only a slight awkwardness in the middle. It was no wonder she was chosen to represent St. Hua Girls' Academy.
"Hoo—hoo—Fei-yu-kun, did you notice the problem?" The girl's pale forehead was covered in fine sweat. She glided breathlessly to Ho Fei-yu, her expression weary as she asked.
"Elisa, actually, I feel like you're just lacking a bit of confidence. If you were a little more confident, there wouldn't be any pro..."
"Impossible. My teacher says my acting is still a bit rusty. Even though I've trained every day until around eleven this past few weeks, my teacher still says the same thing the next day, so I must have a problem. Fei-yu-kun, please be serious!" Ho Fei-yu was interrupted before he could finish. Hearing the girl's serious words and seeing her tired but determined face, his heart was slightly moved. He was definitely attracted to a girl like this.
"Alright, Elisa. My method next might be a little unexpected, or perhaps special. If you can't handle it, just tell me to stop, okay?"
"Mhm mhm! What should I do then?" Elisa Nishikiori nodded obediently, looking expectant.
"Ahem, first, go and sit on the bed."