Chapter 18

At this hour, Baki would typically be preparing for sleep. However, right now, it was a struggle to stay awake. 'Don't let the drowsiness set in.'

Baki's gaze swept over the five death row prisoners before him like a sharp blade. He couldn't ascertain their strength, but the one he desired to face the most was undoubtedly Rei.

Much like the death row prisoners introduced by Tokugawa, this individual didn't seem concerned with martial ethics. The thought of Rei resorting to tricks or ambush tactics made Baki's inner demon run rampant. For an average person, taking a punch like that might prove fatal.

Once the five death row prisoners had departed, Kaoru approached Baki. Despite being only three years older than Baki, Kaoru stood a full head taller. "It's been taken care of. Those three won't trouble the world again."

As the leader of the underworld organization, Hanayama Group, Kaoru was no stranger to such matters. Yet, he couldn't help but be a little surprised. "I never thought I'd see the day you'd take such action."

Baki waved it off. "It's merely the cost of losing. I'm heading back. See you next time."

Lose.

The word rolled off Baki's tongue, and Tokugawa and the others cast him a sideways glance.

This guy had just defeated them, claiming the championship of the Underground Gladiatorial Arena. And now, he'd been bested in less than two days? Had he squared off against someone even more formidable?

...

On the other side, the little hamster clutched a large bottle of Coke, her tiny face rubbing against it repeatedly. "Coke, finally!" Rei, on the other hand, had only purchased a bottle of mineral water. Courtesy of [Photosynthesis], the sweetness of the water was amplified greatly in Rei's mouth.

"Alright, that's five hundred and fifty yen," the cashier lady announced. Little Umaru retrieved six hundred yen notes, from her pocket. She leapt up, placing them on the counter. "I'll pay for it." The cashier didn't bat an eye. She retrieved a fifty yen note and handed it to Rei. "Your daught-sister, is so adorable."

She had intended to say "your daughter," but upon seeing Rei's high school uniform, the cashier lady immediately rephrased her statement.

Little Umaru nodded, her posture exuding confidence. The compliment from the cashier lady pleased her, and she knew she'd be called cute for a day or two. Rei didn't object; he had accompanied Little Umaru this far, so sharing a bottle of mineral water was not too much to ask.

"Little Umaru, would you like me to carry that for you?" Rei inquired, eyeing the large bottle of Coke, which was about the same height as Little Umaru.

"Don't bother, senior. If it's just Coke, I can handle it even if I grab two more bottles!" Little Umaru declared energetically, jumping to the front of the apartment.

As the dimly lit corridor came into view, Little Umaru halted.

Standing behind her, Rei fished out his mobile phone from his pocket and activated the flashlight.

In an instant, the pale yellow light illuminated the corridor, dispelling the darkness.

"Senior is the best!" Raising her little fist, little Umaru overcame her shyness and leapt directly up the steps.

Around the corner on the third floor, a man in gray attire stood there. He watched the corridor with an anxious expression, torn between searching for Little Umaru and waiting for her to return on her own. But in the next moment, this dilemma was resolved on its own.

The voice of Little Umaru echoed from inside the corridor.

Seeing Little Umaru reappear after half an hour, Taihei Doma's heart finally eased.

"Brother?" The little hamster leapt in front of Taihei, holding the Coke high. "Brother, I brought back the Coke! Thanks to Senior Rei."

"Senior Rei?" Taihei turned back and saw Rei switching off the flashlight on his mobile phone, slowly emerging from the darkness. "Good evening, Mr. Landlord."

"I'm so sorry. My little sister caused you trouble!" Taihei apologized directly to Rei.

Rei waved his hand: "It's not a big deal. Little Umaru invited me for a drink, after all."

"This is the first time Little Umaru has gone out alone at night to buy something. What if she encountered a bad person? Thank you, Rei." The more Taihei spoke, the more exaggerated he became. He grabbed Rei's hand and shook it up and down.

In the next moment, Rei sat cross-legged in the living room of the Doma family, watching TV with Little Umaru.

On the TV, the legendary story of Luffy, the Pirate King, was playing.

"Baam! Baam! Whoosh!" Umaru reverted to her original form, stood up from the bed, and attempted to imitate the actions of the Pirate King from the TV.

Taihei, who was cooking in the kitchen, saw Umaru's action and quickly said, "Umaru, don't jump on the bed."

Upon hearing Taihei's words, Umaru, the beautiful girl who stood at 160cm, transformed again into a little hamster less than a meter tall. She hopped around on the bed, vigorously waving her fists, and shouted along with the voice on the TV: "Hahaha! I will be the next pirate king! Mark my words!"

A scene like this, if placed at school, would be absolutely explosive.

Umaru, who consistently excelled academically and had been the top student in her grade for years, turned out to be an otaku.

"Little Umaru, since we have a guest at home, why don't you share the Coke you just bought?" Taihei called out to Umaru from the kitchen. "The cups have been washed."

Upon hearing this, Umaru nodded. She climbed out of bed, fetched two glasses from the kitchen, trotted to the coffee table, solemnly unscrewed the cap of the Coke bottle, and poured it for Rei and herself.

"Cheers, senior!"

"Cheers~"

Taihei brought a pot of sukiyaki, generously filled with ingredients, to the table in the living room. He plugged in the power supply at the bottom of the pot, and soon a tantalizing aroma, unique to sukiyaki, filled the air.

"Sorry, there's nothing extravagant, but I happened to have some ingredients at home, so I made sukiyaki." Taihei handed a bowl and chopsticks to Rei and Little Umaru, explained.

"It's already very generous. I just went to buy a bottle of water with Little Umaru, so you didn't need to go through so much trouble," Rei said, picking up a piece of beef from the pot and savoring it.

It had been a week since he'd last eaten such a large piece of meat. In other words, Rei hadn't eaten anything until his Starvation Skill was fully upgraded. Hunger would gradually build up with exercise, which was why he could level up the Starvation Skill in just a few days.

After finishing the Coke in her cup, Umaru, now in her human form, returned to the table.

Sitting there with composure, she expressed her gratitude to Rei: "Thank you very much, senior!"

This dignified demeanor lasted for only two minutes before she deflated again, transforming back into a little hamster.

"Little Umaru, are you usually this casual when you have a guest?"

"What's the harm? The senior isn't just anyone," Little Umaru pouted. Then, she thought of something and said, "By the way, senior, would you like to come and play games with me after we eat? It's called 'New World Online'."

As a pro player with expert proficiency in the game, Rei was extremely familiar with it. These days, he relied on the game to quickly level up his skills. He'd even invested a considerable amount to purchase a game helmet.

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