Chapter 400: Beautiful Girl Takes Care of Your Retirement (Patreon)

Takina Inoue woke from the blackout of defeat. Lately she'd grown all too used to this feeling — the mental blow always hurt worse than the physical fatigue and pain. She wasn't arrogant enough to count herself among the very strongest in Lycoris, but by any measure she was upper-tier.

And yet, despite that strength, she hadn't managed a single win against Makina Irisu — that mischievous girl who looked so innocent and naive about the world.

She'd have gone to any length for victory. If Jhin hadn't expressly banned tampering outside the designated testing grounds, Takina Inoue would probably have unknowingly downed a drink laced with laxatives or sleeping pills by now — a fact Kurumi told her about only afterward.

Fighting style is built from long experience and personal habit. Lycoris trained its agents in urban settings from the very start, so wilderness combat was an entirely unfamiliar arena for Takina Inoue.

She didn't resent Jhin for arranging things this way on purpose. If anything, she was grateful he'd shown her just how limited her combat experience was outside the city.

Replaying today's battle in her mind yet again, Takina Inoue realized that lately she'd been making more and more mistakes she shouldn't be making. The problem left her thoroughly irritated.

How could I make such a basic mistake? Even a rookie wouldn't be this foolish.

She clenched her fists tight, nails biting into her palms with stinging little jolts. Frustration, anger, confusion — it all mixed together like seasonings thrown in at random, tasting so foul it made her want to retch.

After much thought, Takina Inoue finally reached a conclusion: the main reason she kept losing to Makina Irisu was that she hadn't received Jhin's direct guidance.

In that case, I'll ask the Store Manager to take me on as his disciple!

Ignoring the dizziness still lingering in her head, she got up and left the small room set aside for her recovery, jogging straight to the lounge. She shoved the door open and immediately spotted Jhin feeding Makina Irisu.

Takina Inoue walked straight toward him without hesitation, her expression unusually stern. Had the others not already known this was pretty much her default face lately, they might have suspected Jhin had done something to her while she was unconscious and gotten caught red-handed.

"Store Manager!"

Jhin patted Makina Irisu's little head, prompting her to climb down off him. "Oh, Takina, you're awake. No need for such a serious face — win and loss are just part of the job, my lady knight. Try again next time."

"Please accept me as your disciple!" Takina Inoue dropped into a picture-perfect dogeza before him, saying in her flat, emotionless voice, "I know there's a saying back home — 'One day a teacher, forever a father.' If I ever manage to retire from Lycoris, I'll support you for the rest of your life."

"Pfft! Cough, cough—" Chisato spat out her entire mouthful of sports drink. Wiping her chin, she shouted in shock, "T-Takina, what are you even saying?!"

Jhin was just as baffled, unable to figure out how things had suddenly taken this turn. He stepped forward and helped her up. "I don't need you to look after me in my old age. But why the sudden request to be my disciple? Do you want to learn cooking too?"

Takina Inoue's gaze was resolute, her answer firm and clear. "Because Miss Irisu was trained by you. If I go through the same training, I'll definitely be able to beat her!"

The moment she said that, Kazami Kazuki and Nymph both shot her odd looks. They knew exactly why Makina Irisu had kept her winning streak — and yet here was this dead-serious girl declaring she wanted the very same kind of "training"...

"Uh, you don't have to be so formal about it. Fine, I'll agree. Starting tomorrow, you and Chisato swap opponents. Makina, you'll be the one shooting Chisato — same rules as always."

"Got it, big brother." For some reason, a mischievous grin crept across her face as she looked at Takina Inoue.

"Thank you, Teacher!"

It was the first time anyone had ever called him that, and it felt strange. "Maybe don't call me Teacher. I'm not used to it."

Takina Inoue's still-dizzy head gave a sudden throb, and a flash of bashfulness broke through her otherwise blank face as she tested the waters. "F-Father, then?"

Pop! The bottle in Chisato's hand burst from the sheer force of her grip, the smile on her face turning downright chilling.

Ever eager to stir up chaos, Makina Irisu dashed over and clamped both arms around Jhin's waist, glaring daggers at Takina Inoue as she shouted, "You! Are you trying to steal my dad from me?"

Kazami Kazuki was laughing so hard she could barely breathe.

Little brother's side really was never short of entertainment.

Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, she stepped forward and, with all the authority of an older sister, put an end to the farce.

Chisato, thoroughly worked up by the whole spectacle, clung to Jhin like an oversized koala and refused to let go no matter what. He ended up carrying her piggyback, enduring the envious stares of passersby, as the group made their way back to Café LycoReco.

"Hey, Chisato, isn't it about time you got down?"

"No way. My poor little heart's been badly wounded, so today I'm staying wrapped around Jhin-nii all day!" With that, Chisato hitched herself further up his body as if he were a tree trunk, pressing her astonishingly generous chest snugly against the back of his head. The soft warmth and faint fragrance made him feel a few pounds lighter.

"If you keep holding on like this, I won't be able to cook later."

As tempting as Jhin's cooking was, Chisato hesitated only a moment before resolving to stay put anyway. "T-Then we'll just order delivery!"

"And what about your bath?"

"I'll just cover your eyes!"

"You're really acting like flypaper right now."

"Thanks for the compliment!"

Since she had to keep an eye on Takina Inoue — who'd suddenly turned into a rival for "dad" — Makina Irisu went off with her to take a bath, leaving only Kurumi in the lounge, sitting in a chair playing games on her tablet.

Jhin had no choice but to shoot her a look.

Hey, slacker ****, figure out some way to get Chisato off me.

Huh? You made this mess yourself, and now you want me to clean it up for you?

Jhin narrowed his eyes and held up two fingers.

Two new-release games.

Kurumi rolled her eyes and flipped up four fingers in response.

Not enough. Four games.

That's straight-up extortion!

What, don't like it?

She wasn't the least bit intimidated by Jhin's threatening glare, content to kick up her little feet and keep gaming. As a fellow girl, she had plenty of ways to talk Chisato down.

Deal. Hurry up!

Kurumi set down her tablet, thoroughly pleased with herself.

Scored four new games for free again today. How delightful.

"You haven't showered since training, have you? Better be careful he doesn't catch a whiff of that sweat."

That did the trick instantly. Chisato sprang off Jhin as if electrocuted and bolted straight for the bathroom, still shouting as she ran, "Jhin-nii, I'll be right back!"

"All right, spit it out — which games?" Jhin grumbled, tugging at Kurumi's rabbit-ear ribbon hair clip, earning himself a glare, as expected.

"The Elden Ring DLC, the new Bishoujo Mangekyou title, and..."