Chapter 112: Finding Kanade Tachibana

Within the room, Yechen’s senses confirmed there were no others present besides the three of them. The vague figure from moments ago had vanished long before he entered. That left only one possibility for the identity of the younger girl: Kotori Itsuka.

"Kotori!" Shiori Itsuka’s cry confirmed his suspicion. Recognizing her sister, Shiori rushed forward, seemingly oblivious to both Yechen’s presence and the raging flames surrounding them.

Yechen intercepted her immediately. Though Shiori possessed minor, unique abilities, they were useless against such an inferno; approaching it would mean certain injury. With her sister just steps away and within reach of salvation, Shiori, only now realizing a stranger was by her side, pounded on Yechen’s chest and shouted, "Let me go! I have to save Kotori!"

Yechen pulled her back. Her youthful face nearly collided with his; as she locked eyes with his starry gaze, her panic abruptly subsided, almost as if she were mesmerized.

"Woo..." With Yechen’s intervention, Shiori managed to avoid the surging flames coiling around Kotori. Leaving Shiori safely to the side, Yechen temporarily dispersed the fire clinging to the girl, though it flared up again almost immediately.

"This is an energy surge caused by suddenly acquiring immense power that she cannot fully control," Yechen realized after the brief contact. He recalled his mission: to help these girls live normal lives. It seemed most of them were struggling with such volatile, uncontrollable power. Yechen felt a headache coming on. While he could forcibly suppress the energy within her using his own, it was not a long-term solution, and he had never studied sealing techniques—his skills were almost entirely combat-oriented.

"Ruoxing, Ruchen, is there any way to seal her power?" Yechen habitually asked the two. Standing near the flames, they shrugged helplessly. "This is a mission; we cannot interfere too much. However, you can use the system to seal it. Since you lack the points, we will count this as your first time using a seal, requiring only 100 points of virtue and 100 points of sin to complete."

"Then do it," Yechen said without hesitation. The billowing flames vanished instantly, replaced by a crimson, flame-like mark on the back of Kotori’s hand that pulsed a few times before fading into her skin. The system’s seal was sophisticated; it did not strip Kotori of her ability to call upon her power, but rather, as she learned to master it, the seal would gradually release more of her strength. It could also be fully released by force if necessary.

With the fiery energy successfully suppressed, Kotori, now cradled in Yechen’s arms, felt an indescribable sense of peace. She gripped his shirt and drifted off to sleep, her breathing steadying.

"How is Kotori?" Shiori asked, noticing that the boy with the strikingly beautiful eyes had been focused solely on saving her sister.

"She’s fine, she’s just asleep," Yechen reassured her. He then noticed the environment was far from suitable for a conversation. Fearing for his safety, Uncle Fan, Saeko Busujima, and the others had entered the house.

"Young Master, are you alright?" Uncle Fan asked. Hakuki, Saeko, and Shiina were all there. They had completely ignored his earlier warning. Had he spoken in a foreign tongue when he told them to wait outside?

"Let’s get out of here first," Yechen said, leading them away from the house, which could collapse at any moment due to the fire.

Once inside the vehicle, Shiori thanked him profusely. These had been the most difficult days for them; they had just received news of their parents' deaths, and today, their only home had burned to the ground. For two girls with no source of income, the future looked bleak—they might not even have a roof over their heads.

"You’re Shiori Itsuka, right?" Yechen went straight to the point. "I understand your situation. It will be very difficult for you now that your house is gone. Why don't you come live with me? My home is large, and there are plenty of spare rooms."

"Eh? Are you sure?" Shiori looked at him in pleasant surprise. In such dire circumstances, receiving help meant not having to worry about survival or shelter, so she accepted immediately.

"Hm? Uncle Fan, keep driving down this street!" As he took the girls in, Yechen suddenly sensed a familiar energy and his eyes widened in surprise. He instructed Uncle Fan to continue forward. He could not be mistaken; it was the power of Kanade Tachibana, the Angel of Light. Through this energy, he pinpointed her location nearby.

On the other side of the street, a hellish scene of raging fire unfolded. A pillar of light descended from the sky, easily tossing a white-haired girl aside. Standing beneath the light were her parents. The girl could already imagine their fate. She looked up at the sky, burning the image of the girl who had unleashed the light into her mind. *Unforgivable. You killed my father and mother. I will kill you—I will kill you with my own hands!* A seed of hatred was planted deep within her heart.

She did not notice that as she landed, a barrier of divine energy had enveloped her parents just before the pillar of light struck. The silver-haired girl who had cast it stood there, her hair swaying, her usually fair face pale from the exhaustion of the effort.

"..." The silver-haired girl remained silent, her expression unchanged. She had acted out of pure kindness. As she collapsed, Yechen caught her. Hakuki watched him curiously. She had been right beside him, yet she had felt his energy manifest in the sky to neutralize the pillar of light for a split second—without that moment, the attack would have struck the couple before Kanade could intervene.

How had Yechen managed to project his power through the air without her noticing, even while standing right next to him? She kept the question to herself; if Yechen didn't volunteer the answer, she wouldn't ask.

"Long time no see, Kanade! You’ve made me search for quite a while," Yechen said. A faint smile touched the girl's expressionless face. "Good evening, Yechen," she whispered.

"Kanade is as kind as ever, willing to go to such lengths to save two strangers," Hakuki said, smiling as she approached.

"I didn't want to see them die," Kanade replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. No one was surprised—that was just how she was. If she lacked that adorable clumsiness and inherent kindness, she wouldn't be Kanade.