Chapter 113: Taking in Shiori and Kotori

The great fire caused immense devastation; the entire street was burned down, and there were several casualties. Since the cause of the fire could not be determined, it was officially classified as an accident. Of course, Ye Chen paid no mind to this. By then, he had already returned to his vast courtyard, accompanied by Rikka Kanade and the newly rescued girl.

From Kanade’s words, Ye Chen learned that her assigned identity was remarkably simple—almost lazily so. She was merely set as the cousin of Orihime Tsubasa, the girl who had arrived today. Furthermore, only the memories of Orihime’s family had been altered. Nothing else had been arranged. This explained why Ye Chen had been unable to locate Kanade during that time. Additionally, Kanade’s reserved nature meant she rarely spoke or left the house, and only the Orihime family knew her. It was only by chance that Ye Chen found her today.

“Ruo Xing, Ruo Chen? Do you have anything to explain?” With a smile, Ye Chen gently pinched the cheeks of the two girls, pulling them outward softly. He refrained from being harsh, yet the two young girls looked as if they’d been wronged, their eyes brimming with tears. This softened Ye Chen’s resolve, as he hadn’t intended to scold them too severely.

“Wuwu, we’re so… sorry…” Their pitiful apologies left Ye Chen helpless. He released his grip and lightly tapped their heads. “This time I’ll let it slide, but next time won’t be so easy!”

“Yes, sir!” As soon as Ye Chen withdrew his hands, the girls’ tears vanished instantly, their spirits revived as they responded crisply. Ye Chen gave them a weary glance, realizing he’d been tricked, then began introducing everyone to each other.

Strictly speaking, Poison Island Yaizi and Shiina had met Kanade before but had never truly known her; they only knew her name. On the other hand, both were quite familiar with Kanade—Yaizi had cared for her extensively, and Shiina had been her rival in the afterlife. Shiina and Yaizi were meeting for the first time in this world; both considered themselves competent subordinates but had little interaction. Moreover, Shiori and others did not know them either, so introductions were in order.

“Let’s all get acquainted again. I am Ye Chen; you can just call me Ye Chen. There’s also someone named Ye Xing, but he’s a bit shy and rarely comes out, so don’t pay him much mind.” As the central figure, Ye Chen led by introducing himself.

His words were heard clearly by Ye Xing, who was cultivating nearby. Instantly displeased, he shouted in his mind, “Who’s shy? Don’t make things up!”

Ye Chen mentioned Ye Xing’s existence only to prepare Shiori and the others for the future. Shiori nodded uncertainly, not fully understanding the last part, but knew to address the young man as Ye Chen.

“Hello, I’m Poison Island Yaizi. Just call me Yaizi, and I look forward to working with you.” Trained in etiquette from childhood, Yaizi extended her hand warmly to Shiori. Most others already knew her, so this introduction was primarily for Shiori.

“Ah, hello. I’m Mikawa Shiori. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Perhaps due to Yaizi’s mature aura, Shiori appeared somewhat reserved as she shook Yaizi’s hand.

“Hi, I’m Rikka Kanade,” Kanade said calmly. Beside her, Shirahime added, “Hello, I’m Shirahime. Don’t be fooled by Kanade’s demeanor; she’s just a bit clumsy but truly welcomes you.”

Kanade nodded in agreement. After Shiori greeted them again, she turned to the red-eyed girl standing silently behind Ye Chen. Noticing her gaze, Shiina lifted the scarf around her neck and muttered, “How shallow!”

“Ow!” The next moment, Ye Chen lightly flicked her forehead, causing her to cutely cover her head with both hands.

“Give me a proper introduction!” Ye Chen sighed again, wondering why everyone resorted to playing the pity card on him.

“Shiina Edori.” At Ye Chen’s urging, Shiina obediently stated her name. As for Fan Bo, he remained silent—he considered himself a butler and felt it inappropriate to interrupt during introductions.

“From today onward, you will all live here. If anything is inconvenient, just ask Fan Bo for help. No matter the matter, he can handle it perfectly.” Following Ye Chen’s gaze at Fan Bo, Shiori said this. Fan Bo bowed lightly in response, leaving her unsure how to react.

“Well then, Fan Bo, I’ll leave the adoption matters regarding Shiori and Kotori to you!”

“Master’s adoption procedures were completed ten minutes ago. The two ladies’ rooms have been prepared near your quarters. Also, Miss Kotori and another Orihime girl have just awakened,” Fan Bo reported to Ye Chen.

“Kotori’s awake? Where?” Concerned for her sister, Shiori immediately wanted to check on Kotori. However, she realized the house was too vast, and finding Kotori’s room was daunting. She cast a pleading look at Ye Chen and Shirahime.

“Fan Bo, take her to see Kotori,” Ye Chen said, understanding Shiori’s predicament.

“Certainly. Miss Shiori, please follow me,” Fan Bo replied and led Shiori toward Kotori’s room.

“Hehe, your concern for your sister reminds me a lot of C.C.!” Shirahime noted, finding Shiori’s flustered figure strangely familiar, overlapping with the image of another green-haired girl in her mind. C.C. had been just as anxious when Ye Xingchen was injured.

After saying this, Shirahime noticed Ye Chen’s mood darken. Hugging him, she rubbed her face against his and said, “Don’t be sad. When you look like this, I always feel that C.C. means more to you than I do. That makes me really angry!”

Pouting her delicate nose, Shirahime took Ye Chen’s hand and hurried after Shiori and the others. Kanade did not follow but asked Yaizi to guide her to Orihime Tsubasa’s room. Since Kanade had known Orihime longer and was her nominal elder cousin, the ever-dutiful Kanade felt it was her duty as an elder sister to take good care of her.

Behind Shiori and Fan Bo, Ye Chen and Shirahime arrived at Kotori’s room. Shiori sat beside the bed, holding Kotori in her arms and gently comforting her troubled mind. The fire had frightened Kotori greatly. Whispering soothing words, Shiori recounted the recent events.

Gradually, Kotori understood that she had been adopted by the boy who had rescued her earlier. She felt no resistance and harbored a faint affection for Ye Chen.