Chapter 133: The Neighbor Across the Hall Is a Shrine Maiden

It was six o’clock in the afternoon.

"Ding-dong." The doorbell rang, and both Akame and Mikasa looked toward the door.

"It’s likely just someone from the neighborhood. I’ll handle it; put your weapons away," Haku whispered.

The two exchanged a glance and stowed their weapons in a prearranged spot. Haku opened the door to find two young girls standing outside.

"Hello, I’m Yun Xue, and I live right across from you. I saw you move in, and since you’ll be staying here for a while, I thought I’d bring these snacks as a small welcome gift. Please let me know if you need anything," Yun Xue said with a smile.

"Are you a student at Shengyu High? I’m a freshman, Haku," Haku replied softly. She had an excellent memory, and since Yun Xue stood out, she was easy to remember.

"Haku... wait, are you that genius Go player?!" Yun Xue’s eyes widened, and she exclaimed in surprise.

"Please, come in," Haku said after a moment’s hesitation, ushering Yun Xue and Qin Yue into the apartment.

...

In Yun Xuan’s room.

"What did you say? They’ve come to China?" Yun Xuan was taken aback after receiving a call from Wuyin Haku.

"Yes. China is outside Wuyin’s surveillance network, making a full-scale search nearly impossible," Haku said in a low voice.

"I understand. Leave this to me," Yun Xuan frowned.

China was vast, and Wuyin’s influence was limited to the island nation; they lacked the reach to track people’s movements freely.

With the search paused, Yun Xuan opened his exchange list and redeemed the novel *My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected* for 1,000 points. It was a title he had collected in his past life, though he regretted that the twelfth volume had never been released. He had first encountered the series through its anime adaptation. What, truly, was youth? The answer: a daily life filled with both laughter and tears. The first season wasn't particularly outstanding, but the protagonist’s actions left a deep impression, and having never seen such a lead character before, curiosity drew him into the second season. The second season was brilliant, and the art style had improved, though it was a pity the protagonist never made a definitive choice in the end—perhaps that was simply the nature of youth.

The success of *Another* was evident; it was already trending online, with the physical release scheduled for October. Whether it would receive an anime adaptation depended entirely on book sales. As a debut novel, Yun Xuan had already achieved a great deal.

"I’ll wait a bit longer, until this one is finished," Yun Xuan thought, deciding to hold off on uploading the new series.

He stretched and began catching up on classic anime.

...

That night.

"Brother, did you know? The person living across from us is that genius Go player, Haku. She lives with several other girls, and it seems they came from the island nation," Yun Xue said while having dinner, recalling the afternoon’s events.

"What did you say?" Yun Xuan paused. Haku was living right across from him? Was she looking for him? No, she was likely hiding from Wuyin.

Realizing this, Yun Xuan gave a wry smile. What a stroke of luck—it was like searching for something everywhere, only to find it right under his nose.

After a quick meal, he returned to his room, flew up to the roof, and activated the stealth mode on his power armor. Using thermal imaging, he scanned the apartment opposite and spotted five individuals.

"I wonder if she was summoned by that shrine maiden's assistant," Yun Xuan mused. He observed carefully, and before long, he saw a woman walk to the doorway.

"The power of a shrine maiden..." Yun Xuan sensed an energy signature identical to the one Igarashi Hanazuki possessed. His eyes lit up; there was no doubt this was the assistant.

"If that’s the case, this will be much simpler," Yun Xuan smiled and returned to his room.

...

The next morning, Yun Xuan rose early and took Qin Yue, Yun Xue, and Lin Qingyu to school. Haku, living across the hall, had likely not yet left.

Upon arriving at school, Yun Xuan slipped into a secluded area, deployed his android double, and set it to standby. Donning his power armor, he entered stealth mode and flew to the corner of a nearby alleyway.

Less than a minute later, the shrine maiden's assistant appeared.

"Combat mode!" Bing Xue commanded, freezing time.

Yun Xuan drew his tranquilizer gun and fired several rounds at the assistant. Time resumed, and before the woman’s defenses could even activate, the darts struck home.

Yun Xuan caught the unconscious woman and took to the sky, and Bing Xue vanished. High above, Research Institute No. 258 remained hidden. As for the risk of falling? Unless struck by a colossal aerial beast, it was perfectly secure.

He brought the assistant to the energy containment chamber and fastened a suppression bracelet on her. It was far superior to a standard limiter, effectively severing her connection to her own power.

While the limiter he gave Yun Zhongxian merely reined in his strength, the containment bracelet rendered the assistant unable to feel her own power at all.

Having finished, Yun Xuan returned to school, stowing his armor and deactivating the android. Fortunately, no one had come looking for him during his absence.

The orientation ceremony proceeded smoothly. After most of the performances, it was time for the student representative’s speech. Yun Xuan took the stage, scanned the freshmen, and locked eyes with the calm, composed Haku.

"As you can see, I haven’t prepared a long-winded speech. I have only one thing to say: now that you are at Shengyu High, don’t forget that you are a part of this institution. In the future, this school may become even more brilliant because of you. Thank you." Yun Xuan kept it brief and walked off.

The audience fell silent for a moment before a tidal wave of applause erupted. Even Haku was surprised; it was the shortest speech she had ever heard.

The ceremony concluded with a marathon speech by Qin Yun. Yun Xuan nearly fell asleep, struggling to stay awake until the event finally ended at eleven.

...

In Class 2-1, students took their seats according to the name tags. Yun Xuan sat by the window, watching the scenery outside.

The homeroom teacher had also changed to a stunning newcomer surnamed Cang, known informally as "Teacher Cang." She possessed an angelic face and a devilish figure, though her overall rating was only a six.

The homeroom meeting was simple: electing class representatives and introducing themselves. Yun Xuan felt Teacher Cang’s gaze lingering on him, and the other girls in class looked at him with undisguised admiration.

As the winner of the Star-Moon Cup and a renowned artist—not to mention one of the authors of the October hit *Puella Magi Madoka Magica*—Yun Xuan’s reputation was immeasurable.

Lin Qingyu was eventually elected class representative, as his grades were excellent, and Yun Xuan had no interest in the role.

As soon as class ended, boys gathered to chat, while several girls approached Yun Xuan. Before they could ask a question, they were intimidated by Qin Yue, who stood by his side. Liu Mengyan blocked the other side, and with Yun Xue sitting in front, he was effectively surrounded.

Yun Xuan looked out the window. It seemed life was going to be troublesome from here on out.