One shouldn't look at things from only one side. Everything has two sides. Although the possibility of learning jutsu independently was limited, the benefits of Omni-Chakra outweighed the drawbacks.
At the very least, once his chakra control reached a certain level and he no longer needed hand seals to cast jutsu, it wouldn't just be "clap hands and shout whatever comes." It would be "clap hands, zero-switch release of all elements!" When Hashirama Senju clapped his hands, he mostly shouted Wood Style. Shane was different. Seven nature transformations—guess which one I'm casting after I clap?
"Is this your room? Where's the woman who was with you during the day? Isn't she your girlfriend?" Anna didn't see anyone else in the room.
"You mean Olivia? She's not my girlfriend. She's my driver, and my friend."
"Driver? Someone needs a driver for a Ford?"
"..."
Shane shrugged. Olivia really should hear this.
See that?
The broken Ford got dissed!
"Make yourself comfortable. I'll go out and book a room for you." Shane used the Transformation Jutsu to turn into a local man and headed for the door.
"I... I'm not staying here?"
Anna hadn't expected Shane to book a separate room for her.
"If you stay here, where do I stay?"
"Stay here too."
"Keep dreaming!"
Shane curled his lip and tossed his head, walking out the door with a touch of tsundere arrogance.
"..."
"Me? Keep dreaming?!!!"
Anna had met plenty of weirdos, but this was the first time she'd met someone as weird as Shane.
He claimed to like supernatural creatures, yet killed them without mercy or care. Then he turned around and said in all seriousness that he wanted to be friends with supernatural creatures?
There probably aren't many supernatural creatures who dare to be your friend, right?
If you get into an argument, do you point at them and ask, "Do you also want to dance?"
Which supernatural creature dares to argue with you?!
Being your friend is life-threatening. I really don't know which werewolf is so bold to be friends with you. And that Olivia? Being a driver for a weirdo like Shane must be hard work, right?
After roasting him internally for a while, Anna's anxiety and worry about the unknown gradually subsided. She looked down, gently stroking the Daylight Ring on her finger, then glanced at the messy luggage spread out nearby. Frowning slightly, she walked over.
She wasn't a neat freak, nor did she have OCD.
But since she was going to follow this weirdo, rely on him for protection, and rely on him to save her mother, she had to show her value. Being messy wasn't it—didn't he just go book her a room? So organizing things and doing some odd jobs was all she could think of for now.
Not long after, Shane returned.
"Here's your room key. I won't be leaving Brooklyn for the next few days, so you'll have to suffer staying in your room. By the way, if you get hungry, don't go out to hunt. I'll take care of it for you." Shane handed over the key card and gave instructions, then added seriously, "Since you're working for me and traveling with me now, there's one point I hope you remember firmly. Regardless of the reason, you cannot harm the people around me. At least while you're working for me, it is absolutely forbidden."
"You mean Olivia? As long as she doesn't provoke me, I... Okay, okay, I got it. I promise I won't hurt her." Anna wanted to say "if she doesn't provoke me, I won't hurt her," but Shane's gaze was too sharp, so she helplessly corrected herself.
You're the boss, you call the shots!
Anna didn't know what kind of person Shane really was yet. Before this, her basis for action was Shane's mysterious and powerful strength.
Obey the strong—that's common sense!
"There's plenty of stuff in the suitcase you can use. Pick whatever, use whatever. Olivia won't mind. In the future, when we buy things, you'll get your share too. If there's anything you want to buy, you can tell me. Olivia's spending skills are average, mine are average too. Hope you, this 'Old Ghost,' can help out."
"Old... Old Ghost?"
"Old Vampire."
"..."
"I'm going to my room."
Anna's face turned dark as she clutched the key card and stormed out.
Earlier, Anna's comment about a Ford needing a driver had the style of an "Old Yin-Yang Master" (master of sarcasm). But Shane's "Old Ghost" retort was definitely superior in terms of pure damage.
Although Anna was old in age, she looked young! Inside that century-old body lived a soul that matched her appearance. Even if vampires didn't care about age, and the concept of age was hard to apply to vampire appearances—who isn't a baby at heart?
If she couldn't beat him, Anna really wanted to show Shane what an "Old Ghost" vampire should look like!
Shane took a shower. Afterward, he texted Olivia to tell her what happened. After all, Anna had joined their journey to find supernatural creatures starting today and become one of them. Olivia needed to know, and get a preliminary understanding of her new colleague.
Olivia wasn't asleep yet and called him directly.
Shane chatted with her for over an hour, recounting what happened after he went to the appointment, mentioning Anna's situation and the conflict with Camille. Finally, the three Shadow Clones dispelled one after another, and the returning memories caused a powerful mental shock. Unable to hold on any longer, he hung up and went to sleep.
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