Somewhere near the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Sakuya Izayoi stood hidden in the shadows, silently observing the scene before her. Per her dy's orders, she was tasked with keeping an eye on Carl—not just to ensure he was training properly, but also to make sure he wouldn't try to escape. If he did, she would stop time and capture him instantly.

  As she watched, she saw Hong suddenly grab Carl and drag him into the mansion at a speed so fast that Sakuya momentarily questioned whether she had unconsciously used her time stop ability. Narrowing her eyes in mild curiosity, she followed them inside at a careful distance.

  Upon reaching the hallway while hiding, she paused. She saw Hong step inside her room with Carl, closing the door behind them. Any ordinary person might misunderstand the situation like they are doing something, but Sakuya was no naive girl. She knew exactly why Hong had brought Carl to her room.

  Hong had gym training equipment inside.

  That was the only reason.

  Sakuya knew this because she had cleaned Hong's room before and had seen the neatly arranged weights, training mats, and even a wooden dummy for practice. There was nothing inappropriate about it.

  Satisfied with her deduction, she turned away and made her way back to her quarters. She had no interest in eavesdropping on their training. As long as Carl didn't try to escape, her job was done.

  Sakuya paused mid-step, her sharp ears catching the unexpected sound from Hong's room.

  "Ahh..."

  Her eyes narrowed slightly. That... didn't sound like someone in distress. In fact, it sounded suspiciously like someone enjoying themselves a little too much.

  She sighed, pcing a hand on her hip. "Don't tell me..."

  She took one step closer to the door—then stopped herself. No, she had no interest in eavesdropping. She just want to make sure she heard it wrong.

  But then another sound came.

  "Mmhh... that's the spot..."

  Sakuya froze.

  Her dy had asked her to keep an eye on Carl, but she was starting to think she might have walked into something she shouldn't have.

  With a quiet sigh, she turned on her heel and walked away.

  "...I'll just pretend I didn't hear that."

  Just as Sakuya was about to leave, a familiar voice called out from behind her.

  "Sakuya! Have you seen Big Brother?"

  Sakuya turned to see Fndre standing there, her bright red eyes filled with curiosity.

  "Big Sister said he'd be coming here every morning so I could meet him to py."

  Sakuya smiled calmly, though her mind raced. I cannot let her meet him right now...

  Thinking quickly, she knelt down slightly to be at eye level with Fndre. "Lady Fndre, you just missed him! He was here earlier, but Hong is putting him through some very intense training right now. He's completely exhausted."

  Fndre tilted her head. "Training? Like fighting?"

  Sakuya shook her head. "Not exactly. Right now, he's at the... uh... recovery phase. Hong is making sure he can move properly after all that exercise."

  She thought she was just making something up to distract Fndre, but unknowingly, she had spoken the truth. At that very moment, Hong was indeed massaging Carl, helping his body recover after the exhausting training.

  Fndre pouted. "Aww... I wanted to see him."

  Sakuya thought for a moment, then snapped her fingers. "Why don't we prepare a little surprise for him? If you wait just a bit, you can welcome him when he's done."

  Fndre's eyes lit up. "A surprise? That sounds fun!"

  Sakuya nodded. "Exactly. Let's go to the kitchen and get something ready for when he's done training."

  Fndre giggled excitedly. "Okay! Let's go, Sakuya!"

  With that, Sakuya led Fndre away, relieved that she had successfully avoided a very awkward situation. That was too close...

  ...........................

  In the room "Ahh... that feels good..." I sighed, completely giving in to the bliss.

  Hong chuckled at my reaction, her hands still working on my back. "See? If you just endured a little longer, you would've gotten this as a reward."

  I barely managed to grunt in response. My body was so rexed I felt like I was melting into the bed.

  Then, just as I was about to fully surrender to comfort, I realized something.

  Wait a second.

  I snapped my eyes open, my brain kicking back into gear.

  "Hong..." I muttered, my voice sluggish from rexation. "Why do you know how to give a massage this good?"

  Her hands momentarily paused before continuing, this time with a little more force. "What, surprised?"

  "Very," I admitted.

  She let out a hum, as if considering whether to answer. "Well... back when Meiling wasn't my only name, I used to do a lot of things. Some of them included helping out martial artists with their recovery."

  I blinked, trying to make sense of her words. "Wait, wait... are you saying you used to be a doctor or something?"

  She ughed. "No, nothing like that. More like a wandering fighter. But I picked up a few things here and there. Massaging is just one of them."

  A wandering fighter...? That wasn't something you heard every day. And what did she mean by "when Meiling wasn't my only name"?

  Before I could ask more, she suddenly pressed a spot on my shoulder. A sharp jolt of pain shot through me, making me flinch.

  "Ow! What was that for?!" I hissed, gring at her over my shoulder.

  Hong smirked. "Found a tense spot. Don't worry, I'll fix it."

  Before I could protest, she applied pressure again, this time slower, and the pain gradually faded into relief.

  "Ugh..." I groaned, my head dropping back onto the bed. "I'm almost become a sve to your massage, you know."

  She let out a small ugh. "You'll thank me ter."

  I had no idea how long the massage sted, but by the time she finished, I felt like I was floating. My body no longer ached, and even the exhaustion from earlier had mostly disappeared.

  I sat up slowly, stretching my arms. "That was... incredible."

  Hong gave a satisfied nod. "Good. Now you'll be able to handle the real training."

  My entire body froze.

  The real training.

  I had completely forgotten about that.

  "Wait, wait, wait!" I waved my hands in panic. "Shouldn't I get a break after that? Like, I don't know, a full day of rest? Maybe even a week?"

  Hong gave me a deadpan look. "You just got a full recovery massage."

  I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came out.

  Damn it. She had a point.

  I hung my head in despair. "You're really going to make me train after that, huh?"

  Hong smirked. "Of course. Now that your body is fresh, there's no excuse."

  I sighed. There was no escaping this.

  "Alright, fine..." I stood up, rolling my shoulders. "What's next?"

  Hong's smirk widened. "Simple. We start sparring."

  ...

  What.

  I felt my soul leave my body again.