"Naga Race?" Kai frowned.

"Yes. From what I know, there is a protector from Naga Race, governing the sea."

"Do you know the identities of all protectors from the sea?"

"I am not sure. I have met three of them, the Naga, Shark King, and the Whale." Ishii shook his head in disappointment.

"That…" Kai looked down while contemplating.

"Even on the land, I have only met two more around here. I met the first one in Russia and the second one in India." Ishii continued. "Protectors don't usually meet each other. Only the Whale is different."

"Do you have a prediction of their number?"

"Hmm…Including you… It's fifteen. That's just my prediction, so I can be wrong."

Kai closed his eyes and opened his mouth. "I have met two protectors other than the one you met. One of them considers the Whale as his mentor."

"I see. I am not really interested in this, so you don't need to tell me about them. Besides, I think I don't have anything to say regarding protectors any more than this as it's a sensitive topic."

"I understand." Kai nodded.

"I just want you to know that I will remain neutral no matter how bad your situation is. After all, unless the Earth becomes unstable, I won't move from here and just enjoy my life here." Ishii laughed. "If you don't have any more questions, I think it's better to meet your precious friends before they are worried about you."

Kai sighed because he also heard what they were talking about in another room. Since Mia asked Haruko to explain it to them, they just simply couldn't trust her just yet, even though Tasha and Ayaka knew her.

After all, they never saw Kai and couldn't meet him during this time, making them a bit wary against her.

"I understand. I will return for today to calm them down. Besides, I think I will ask Miss Mia if I have another question while she teaches me Oni's Language." Kai rose from the floor and lowered his head. "Thank you for your time."

"No, no. I enjoyed our talk too. It's been a while since I last met another protector. Even if it's a baby, a Protector is still a protector." Ishii waved his hand with a smile.

"Let me guide you." Mia also stood up.

Since there might be a weird complication if Kai was spotted alone, she decided to lead him there despite him knowing the way with his ears.

"Thanks." Kai smiled and followed Mia after giving his thanks once again to Ishii.

…

Meanwhile, in the lodging room, Haruko was sweating, trying to explain everything, albeit the others didn't believe her completely.

"I have told you all the things I found here." Haruko sighed.

"Even so, I need to see Kai first before I can trust you." Tasha shook her head helplessly. "I have known you for years, but we have lost contact for almost two years."

"I can't really give you permission to visit him because he is busy right now. I am sure that he will return in a few hours." Haruko scratched the back of his head. "I have told Kai everything…"

"Besides, you have changed so much, so I need to see whether you are lying or not. Even if Kai likes you, I still need to screen you out." Tasha narrowed her eyes.

"Indeed. Even if you are a childhood friend, we only met for a day. Back then, I believed you were genuine, but I couldn't say the same right now." Michelle shook her head in disappointment.

"What do you want me to say?" Haruko let out a long sigh.

"Just lead us to Kai."

"I have told—"

Creak.

Before she complained again, the door was opened as a man's voice echoed in the room. "That's enough, all of you. I am here."

Kai entered the room with Mia coming inside together.

"Kai!" They widened their eyes. Even Haruko was surprised to see him.

"It's been a while." Kai smiled at Haruko before looking at his group. "I am here now. In fact, I have been listening to your conversation since the beginning."

"Ah!" Tasha looked away. "I mean, you can't expect that we will trust everything after getting into this unknown place and locked up without seeing you?"

"I know, I know." Kai smiled and patted her head before looking at Michelle. "You too. Put down the grudge, okay?"

"I just realized that it was hard to accept her because nothing was going on between you. I thought I had put it down and believed everything would be fine, yet, when I met her, I couldn't do it." Michelle sighed.

"It's fine. That's how you are, but can you let me deal with it here?" Kai smiled.

Michelle nodded and took a step back.

He then turned to Ayaka and smiled. "So, how about you?"

"I don't have an opinion. It's not like you are going to change anyway." Ayaka shook her head. "Although I have met her in the past, it was just for a brief moment, so I planned to observe her for a while."

"Yeah, yeah." Kai smiled and glanced at Haruko. "You heard that?"

Before waiting for her to reply, Kai looked at Sofia. "How about you, Princess?"

"I am not a princess." She pouted. "Well, I am not yours…yet."

After that, Isabelle and Evan were staring at him from the side until Kai turned his head.

"It's your problem, not mine. Though, I will try to investigate the outside if they don't let me out for a period of time." Isabelle shrugged.

"By the way, how is everyone's body?" Kai asked Evan.

"I have checked everyone. No one has any weird substance in their body. I haven't checked yours though." Evan narrowed his eyes.

Kai nodded before turning to Mia.

"Since I have finished my business here, I will leave you alone first. If you plan to do the thing we've agreed upon, you can return to the room you first woke up in. I will know when you are there." Mia waved her hand as she had put on her mask before entering the room.

Unlike Kai, other people shouldn't know her face because it wasn't supposed to according to the rule.

"Alright. I will meet you later." Kai nodded.

Suddenly, Tasha and the others narrowed their eyes, staring at Kai with a fierce look.

"You are so good. One night is all it takes for you to get her," said Tasha while crossing her arms.

"It's not like what you think. She is just going to teach me something. Although I can't say anything about it, I can promise you that it's not like what you are thinking right now."

"Is that so?" Tasha took a deep breath as her expression returned to normal.

After assuring them, it was time to settle everything with Yajima Haruko.

"It's been a while. How are you?"

"I am good. Though, It's not as busy as you, Mr. Hero."

Kai chuckled. "So…Did you even graduate, Miss Student Council President?" Kai shrugged while looking away.

"Thanks to the situation, I'm not. Well, it's not that important, so why should I care." Haruko shook her head helplessly. "Besides, if I want to join the military, it won't be that hard."

"Heh, It's nice to have a big family as your background, eh?" Michelle playfully teased her.

"Your family is even bigger than my Yajima Family, let alone after getting suppressed by the Katsuragi Family."

"Even so, I don't really utilize my family. I have been doing everything by myself."

"But you can't deny the fact that their influence alone is helping you, right? Besides, you are receiving help from Kai."

"Your mouth has grown nasty after this whole decade." Michelle narrowed her eyes.

"You haven't changed. Still, nasty."

"Hmph." The two looked away while snorting.

"Anyway, what are you planning to do?" Kai asked.

"Right. You can follow us back to the US Base, but I don't think it's possible, no? I mean, you have your family here." Michelle nodded.

"Yes. I am here to hide until the situation has been settled. Though, with your appearance, it will soon become big, especially with how you are aiming Dalian to be your mission. It threw United Asia into chaos a few days ago."

"So, you are not going to come?"

"Although I would like to, it's not possible. First, I should be considered a graduate. Second, whether I am here or there, I will be enlisted in the military. Hence, I am better here because I can spy on the Katsuragi Family, giving you the update everything happened here."

"I will support your decision." Kai nodded. "If you need any help, just call me. I will come here as soon as possible. Besides, I need to settle the problem there first before I can leisurely come to meet you."

Haruko nodded. "I have gotten used to it."

"By the way, that's a bad move, you know. You won't get a chance to get closer to Kai." Ayaka narrowed her eyes.

"It's fine. We still have a long time to spend, so I will just do it if it's not possible now." She shook her head. "This is important, but we have a problem that will shake it, so I choose to be here. Though, if you want it, I can quickly go to the US Base right now."

Kai smiled. "It's fine. I don't want to restrain you just because I want to. Everyone is comfortable in the US Base and I am happy with it because I know they have their own things to do."

"Michelle and your dream have gotten inverted." She smirked, looking at Michelle and Kai. The "Hero" dream was Michelle's, yet, the reality turned out to be different. Michelle was the one supporting Kai.

"That was just a child's dream. I am an adult now."

"Really?" She narrowed her eyes and looked at her chest.

"Are you trying to insult me with that rag? You are not even an adult yet." Michelle snorted.