akikan 40. Tanuki. 160-163

Tanuki Rise of the Yokai Clan Chapter 160 Uncle, it's been a while | akikan40 on Patreon

Hello, my name is Rimuru Tempest.

I am sure you remember me as I am reincarnated into a slime.

Frankly, except for being bewildered at first, he didn't feel anything at all, or rather, he might have already given up, so he accepted his fate. However, the good thing is that he wasn't alone. He met someone younger than him and also in the same situation as him. He had already thought of him as someone akin to his nephew.

If there was a difference between them, he was slime, and that nephew of his in this world was a tanuki.

He wasn't sure whose situation was better, but he felt a bit jealous that a nephew of his had a little brother.

Yet, it didn't matter since there was nothing that he could do, and he accepted everything.

Nevertheless, many things happened, especially after he became the leader of a group of hobgoblins and Tempest Wolves.

Yet, this, without a doubt, surprised him as he saw the dirty, small goblins become a cute, sexy goblina... well, well, the goblina aside, when he saw how the goblin became hobgoblins and Direwolves became Tempest Wolf, it stupefied him, especially Ranga, who became so huge. However, all of them told him that Ranga's size was nothing.

Ranga also said so, especially when compared to Tamazuki, his nephew-like existence.

Yes, that is the problem that he is encountering at the moment.

Tamazuki is gone!

Rimuru realized that this guy was more naughty than he had thought, but maybe, it was a normal thing considering Tamazuki was still a young man and he was in his puberty. When he sought stability, he thought that Tamazuki sought excitement.

While he felt worried, there was nothing that he could do except pray and hope that Tamazuki was alright. However, when he thought about Tamazuki's power, Tamazuki should be okay, right?

Nevertheless, he felt curious about Tamazuki's real body. It was said that Tamazuki was like a giant white dog, but was he?

While he was curious, he knew that he had to do something else, especially when he saw the dilapidated and ugly village of the hobgoblins. Even worse, no one knew how to build a village, house, or many others. There was only one solution to this problem, and that was to visit the country to get his hands on craftsmen.

Naturally, Rigurudo told Rimuru that they usually trade with the kobold merchants of The Armed Nations of Dwargon.

"Huh? Tamazuki might be here?"

"Yes." Rigurudo nodded. "I have told him that there are a lot of cute elves in this nation, so he might go there, but he might—"

Rigurudo hadn't finished his words, and he was cut down by Rimuru.

"What—?! Cute erofu?! I mean, there are elves?!"

"Yes. As Dwargon is a nation with various races, there isn't only a human, but dwarf, elf, and many others."

Hearing that, Rimuru made up his mind to visit Dwargon, especially when he heard the word of a dwarf, as he knew that a dwarf was known as a talented craftsman in every story, and it definitely had nothing to do with the elf.

Really!

Believe him!

Nevertheless, he felt that Tamazuki was unfair as Tamazuki didn't wait for him to wake up before he visited Dwargon. If Tamazuki waited for him to wake up, they could visit the elf together, right? However, Tamazuki left him behind!

How cruel!

Was this what the family was about?

Hmph!

When Tamazuki returned, he would scold him!

Still, watching Rimuru, who got emotional, Rigurudo had a hard time explaining that Tamazuki might be in Blumund or Falmuth.

However, Rimuru's trip to Dwargon couldn't be stopped, and he went to visit this dwarf country. Yet, while he completed his objection to getting his hands on the talented craftsmen and also got to meet a group of cute elves, he met a big problem as he was involved in a problem with the minister.

In the end, Rimuru was deported, and he wasn't sure whether he could meet the cute elves anymore. Nevertheless, it wasn't cheap to meet the elves as he needed to pay money to visit their shop.

However, after he returned to the village, everything was good.

With the help of Kaijin, Garm, Dord, and Myrd, their village started to grow. Even though it was only a small growth, compared to before, it was several times better.

Naturally, Rimuru wouldn't be satisfied with this, and he had a big ambition to make his life more comfortable in this world.

However...

"Where the hell is he?!"

Rimuru let out a long sigh, feeling even more worried about Tamazuki as he hadn't met him at all. He had thought it would be easy to find him as Tamazuki's figure was just like a cute, beautiful dog, but it was harder than he had thought.

The rest... how to say... they had a hard time telling Rimuru that Tamazuki might not be in Dwargon and Tamazuki might become a handsome young man instead of his cute dog-like figure.

Still, there was nothing that he could do, and he could only wait until Tamazuki returned. When he thought of the modern, simplistic house that Tamazuki created, he had to say the tribe-like house he owned, even if it was the best among everyone, was still bad.

Unfortunately, when he woke up, that house disappeared, which made him helpless.

Yet, on this day, when he went to patrol the village by bouncing around using his squishy body, he heard a commotion in the distance. He was curious and went to the source of the noise.

Soon, he saw a figure of several people.

Five humans.

Being chased by a group of monsters.

"Kaval, you bastard! I will really throw you as bait sooner or later!"

"Don't be so cruel, Inugami! Hurry up and kill them!"

'I-Inugami?"

Rimuru was surprised by that name before he looked at the black-haired young man with two katanas on his side.

"..."

Even if he was blind, he could tell that this guy was Japanese!

Wow!

Still, this guy was so handsome that it was infuriating!

Yet, how to say, he felt this young man was familiar somehow. As he was hiding in the bush, no one should see him, but his body was tense when he saw the young man staring in his direction before he smiled.

"..."

Was this young man really Tamazuki?

However, when he saw this young man holding his katana, he couldn't take it out of his eyes.

His technique was so breathtaking at that moment and every monster was slain instantly, cleanly, without any resistance.

"....."

Was this really Tamazuki?

Rimuru wondered, but then he saw the young man looking in his direction.

"Come out! I know that you are there!"

When everyone felt relief, all of their bodies quickly tensed when they heard Tamazuki's voice. After staying with him for so long, they trusted his sense much. If Tamazuki wasn't unfamiliar with this forest, then they might as well make Tamazuki their leader since they might die sooner or later being led by Kaval.

So, his reminder made them ready for the battle as they tried to stare at the figure that was hiding behind the bush.

Being stared at by all the people present, Rimuru started to get nervous. Especially the one that had a mask on her face since her aura was just too intense. He took a deep breath and then walked out from the bush.

"...."

Everyone had prepared for a fierce battle, yet... it was easy to understand their feelings, right?

"My name is Rimuru. I am not a bad slime, you know?"

"..."

Rimuru did his best, but the infuriating young man started to laugh.

"..."

Rimuru could tell that this little bastard was Tamazuki!

Tanuki Rise of the Yokai Clan Chapter 161 The plot is really unstoppable | akikan40 on Patreon

Still, even if they knew each other, they didn't talk to each other, but Rimuru talked with Tamazuki through [Telepathy].

Naturally, Tamazuki also learned this [Telepathy], when Rimuru used it on him.

'Bastard, where the hell have you been playing around?'

'Calm down, Uncle. I have brought a lot of surprises. Also, let's talk later, and don't tell them my real identity since I want to hide my identity as a monster from them for a while.'

'Okay, but you need to explain everything, okay?'

'Okay, okay.'

"....."

Rimuru let out a helpless sigh before he realized that his squishy body had been poked by several people.

"Huh? A talking slime?"

"Really?"

"How can a slime talking?!"

"Do you have a problem with slime?!" Rimuru got annoyed.

Still, Shizu blinked her eyes, then moved closer to Tamazuki and whispered. "Inugami-kun, that's..."

"Yes." Tamazuki nodded. "He should also be coming from Japan."

Shizu confirmed it as the sentence that came out from Rimuru was so familiar.

"Still, why are you sure that this slime came from Japan?" Shizu asked in wonder as the people who came from another world didn't only come from Japan.

"Just say an instinct?"

Nevertheless, when they finished their introduction, the talking slime, Rimuru, brought all of them to the village where he lived.

Still, Rimuru quickly realized the surprise that Tamazuki had talked about, especially when Shizu picked him up and whispered about her origin.

"Eh?"

'Eh?'

'You don't need to say 'Eh?' twice. Calm down, okay?'

"....."

Rimuru had to say that even if Tamazuki was a nephew-like existence to him, this guy was more mature than him.

Also, did Tamazuki become an adventurer somehow?

Frankly, Rimuru had many things to ask, but let's just follow Tamazuki's idea to keep his identity a secret.

---

Unlike before, the village had started to grow.

The buildings were no longer dilapidated and almost destroyed hut-like buildings. Instead, it was like a Yurt, the traditional Mongol house with a shape of a round tent used by nomadic groups.

The inside was clean and comfortable.

Moreover, Rimuru also gave them quite good hospitality as he served grilled meat on the stone grilling for everyone.

Tamazuki also wanted to talk with Rimuru, but it was harder than he had thought.

"Inugami! Inugami! Grill the meat for me!"

"Damn, don't steal the meat that Inugami has baked for me!"

"Eating is a war! It's your fault for lowering your guard!"

Tamazuki was extremely popular with the three.

"....." Rimuru and Shizu.

In the end, Rimuru and Shizu talked with each other about how she could meet Tamazuki.

Yet, was it Rimuru's imagination that Shizu talked about Tamazuki so fondly?

When Shizu talked about him, her voice was soft, as if she was talking to her loved one.

While listening to Shizu, Tamazuki also looked at him, who was close to the cute human adventurer.

"..."

This guy... was he able to achieve a harem-like life like the common protagonist of "Isekai" was?

Rimuru wasn't jealous... no, he was extremely jealous!

Yet, Rimuru knew that he didn't even have a gender, so he could do nothing and just accepted the status quo.

Nevertheless, Shizu also talked about his past to Rimuru as Rumiru told him about his past. Similar to Tamazuki, she thought that Rimuru was coming in the same era as Tamazuki, so she didn't feel that surprised by the development of the country since Tamazuki had told him a lot of things.

Yet, if there was something that made her curious, how did Rimuru and Tamazuki know each other?

It felt like they had known each other from the beginning.

However, Rimuru didn't mention this matter as he had promised Tamazuki not to say anything, so that is what he was going to do. Yet, he had to say Shizu was such a strong person, especially when he heard about Shizu's past, and it made him feel a bit guilty when he thought that he had tried to hide Tamazuki's identity.

Yet, Rimuru decided to leave the matter to Tamazuki.

Nevertheless, Shizu should be a grandma, right?

So, when Rimuru thought that Shizu bore a feeling for Tamazuki, it made him feel conflicted, but Shizu was a beautiful woman, so everything was okay, right?

Age didn't really matter.

All that mattered was love, right?

Especially when Tamazuki was also a monster.

This made Rimuru more curious about what Tamazuki had been doing when he left.

Fortunately, Rimuru's blunt side, who often talked thoughtlessly without thinking of anything, didn't come out. Nevertheless, Shizu didn't seem to hide her affection toward Tamazuki.

Yet, how could she not be?

Shizu didn't have an experience with love since she had stayed alone most of her life. She was afraid of her curse-like power. Her power had robbed many people that she cared about.

If she stayed with someone and felt affection toward them, then lost them once again, she was afraid that her heart might not be able to handle it anymore.

Frankly, she hoped that she wouldn't have this feeling, yet the time she spent with him was kind of different. It was the first time that someone could make her heart flutter yet calm at the same time.

Just staying by his side, even without saying a single word, was enjoyable.

Still...

Shizu looked at Tamazuki, who was so close to Ellen, then shook her head.

"Can you guide me around your village, Slime-san?"

"Of course."

Rimuru nodded, then talked with Tamazuki through a telepath.

Tamazuki nodded and let Rimuru leave with Shizu. Frankly, he had to say, as a doctor, he noticed that Shizu's condition was far from good. He had seen Shizu's power, which was a fire manipulation, but it seemed wherever she used it, her body would be in pain.

Moreover, when he looked at her, she reminded him of Helga, the grandma he saw in the world of Asterisk, yet with a youthful body. By now, he had also mastered Helga's ability, which made him able to change his personal time and age. Naturally, this power was strong as he could make himself move fast by accelerating his time or making him appear as old or younger as he wished.

Still, as he looked at the three idiots, he thought that it was time for them to part. He knew that the best way to get stronger was to stay by Rimuru's side, so that's what he was going to do.

However, when all of them were eating, a sudden explosion stunned all of them.

"Wh-What's happening?"

"Ah, my meat drops on the ground!"

"NOOOOO!"

"Be serious!" Tamazuki knocked the head of the three and then walked out of the tent before he saw an enormous pillar of flame, followed by the three. No one hesitated, and they ran in the direction of this pillar of flame before they saw Shizu was there, surrounded by an intense flame that burnt everything.

As if noticing his presence, Shizu stared in his direction and used all of her to say, "Please-Please leave... I can't suppress it anymore... quickly get away from me..." Even with a feeble voice and pained body, she hoped all of them would leave her as she didn't want to hurt all of them.

However, she soon lost control over her body and went in berserk, burning everything.

Under the intense flame, Tamazuki stared at Rimuru with a helpless gaze.

Tanuki Rise of the Yokai Clan Chapter 162 Bitter | akikan40 on Patreon

Tamazuki had stayed with Shizu for a while, and he knew her condition well. Without a doubt, she was strong, and she was even stronger than the combination of Gido, Kaval, and Ellen.

In conclusion, Tamazuki could tell that Shizu was extremely healthy, but why, when she came here, she suddenly went on berserk?

There was only one answer.

It was the plot.

The plot... what a fucking thing!

When he thought how that kind older woman warmly tried to comfort him every night was being tortured by the flame, he was angry.

Not toward the plot or Rimuru, but at himself, for underestimating everything.

The protagonist's halo might not work on him anymore, especially with [Jupiter], but the plot was different.

The plot wasn't only aimed at the protagonist but at the entire characters in the story.

When their time to serve the plot ended, then they would die or inexplicably enter a crisis.

No one could be saved, and the only one that could stay alive was the protagonist.

Tamazuki thought that by staying by Shizu's side, nothing would happen to her, but that didn't seem to be the case. The moment she left him, even if it was only for a moment, everything happened in an instant, and no one could stop it.

He also couldn't stop it as he wasn't omnipotent. He might know the general plot, but when, where, and how it would happen, he couldn't tell at all since, unlike the story where he was only the observer, in this world, he was the participant.

However, he could think about this matter later as he needed to save Shizu first.

"Shizu-san! Shizu-san!"

"What's happening?"

"Shizu... Shizue Izawa? Don't tell me; she is the ruler of the explosives flames! The strongest fairy controller is hosting the flame fairy Ifrit in her body! Shizue Izawa!"

While Ellen called Shizu so many times, trying to wake her conscious, Kaval was confused, but Gido quickly realized Shizu's identity.

"Tamazuki, we need to save Shizu-san!" Rimuru quickly approached Tamazuki.

"I know, Uncle."

"Please... run away from me... I-I don't want to hurt anyone again..."

Shizu was scared at this moment, especially when she thought that she would burn all the people she cared about again. That thought alone frightened her, especially when she couldn't control the spirit inside her body anymore.

"Don't underestimate me, Shizu-san. I am not weak enough to be defeated by a mere fire spirit."

Maybe, Ifrit was angry by Tamazuki's provocation that it strengthened its power to take over Shizu's body again.

Shizu tried to control Ifrit and suppress it, but as she stared at Tamazuki's eyes, she decided to believe him before she closed her eyes.

Her body then floated, and her entire body was taken over by Ifrit.

Her appearance was no longer of that cute girl; instead, she became the high-level fire spirit of Ifrit.

A flame set ablaze in the surrounding area, burning everything.

"Rimuru-sama!"

"Master!"

The fire startled not only them but all the residents of the village, but fortunately, it seemed that Ifrit only targeted Tamazuki.

"Tamazuki!"

"Inugami!"

Everyone was startled when Ifrit suddenly unleashed a giant fireball at Tamazuki.

However, Tamazuki only calmly cut this giant fireball into several pieces, turning it into nothing.

"....." Everyone.

[Report. Ifrit has taken over Shizue Izawa's body and currently appears in a berserk state]

Even if the [Great Sage] didn't say anything, he could tell that Shizu's condition, but having people confirm it also helped since it made him able to think of the countermeasure quickly.

Unlike before, Shizu could control Ifrit from taking over her body and went on berserk, but with her advanced age, it was impossible for her to do it any longer. The reason why she appeared young was that Ifrit helped her to maintain her appearance, but even if her body and appearance were at the optimum state because of Ifrit, her spirit was otherwise as it was weakened and made her unable to control Ifrit.

Yet, was spirit such an existence?

He had read that the existence of spirit was something that would lend its power to a human. The human that was chosen by the spirit could use the power of the spirit, but the one in front of him tried to take over Shizu's body.

Maybe, there were some circumstances that he didn't know; either way, he had to stop it.

Then, there was only one.

"Uncle, I will stop the fire, so can you use the [Predator] on Ifrit?"

"Huh?" Rimuru was startled, but as he discussed this problem with [Great Sage], he agreed. "I can do it, but what are you going to do with the fire?" The flame was too intense, and he, who was close, felt that he would be burnt by it.

However, soon, Rimuru got the answer.

All the flame that was about to burn everything was moving in a certain direction before they were all absorbed into Tamazuki's body.

"..." Everyone.

While everyone was dumbfounded, the one that surprised the most was Ifrit.

In the greater spirit, his power was stronger than any elemental.

The temperature of his flame would vaporize anything instantly, yet those flames were absorbed into Tamazuki's body and did nothing?!

Even if Ifrit was unable to talk, he was completely dumbfounded.

"Wh-What did you do, Tamazuki?" Rimuru couldn't help but ask.

"I learned it."

"Learn? Learn what?"

"Fire manipulation."

"From who?"

"Ifrit."

"....."

[Learning] and [Immune].

These were two skills that Tamazuki owned.

Yet, Rimuru didn't think that Tamazuki would be able to learn Ifrit's fire manipulation instantly!

Then, soon, it was a battle between fire manipulation between Ifrit and Tamazuki, but in the end, Tamazuki won.

All the fire that was unleashed by Ifrit was nullified by Tamazuki.

However, how could Ifrit give up?

Ifrit used everything from [Body Double], creating a copy of himself, and also [Flame Transformation] to become a fire, yet it did nothing.

All that flame was useless in front of Tamazuki.

By then, Tamazuki appeared in front of Ifrit and held his blade.

Ifrit tried to do a desperate action, but at that moment, the world stopped, and it felt his head slide down, cut down. It was elemental, so it was a spiritual life form, which meant, it was impossible for it to be cut down by the sword, yet at that moment, it felt like it was cut.

"Uncle!"

"Here I am!"

Rimuru jumped and then used [Predator]. "Return Shizu-san, bastard!" A dazzling light enveloped Ifrit before it was absorbed into his body.

As if a doll had lost its string, Shizu fell without any energy.

Tamazuki caught her petite, weak body in his arms gently as if afraid that he would break her. Using [Great Sage], he tried to check Shizu's body, and his expression turned ugly as the loss of Ifrit caused her body function to deteriorate so quickly that it wouldn't be weird for her to die in a week.

"...Inugami-kun?"

She opened her eyes lightly. She couldn't see clearly, but she could feel that it was him.

"I am here."

"...thank you. I am glad that I have met you."

She could tell that her death was near, so she wanted to express the feelings she had buried in her heart.

"It might be a short time since we have met each other, but while you are like a bad guy, you have more kindness than anyone..."

While she appeared beautiful... while she could talk... while she could stay alive...

"You might find it strange to hear something like this from... me... but I... I think I like you..."

Her voice was so low, feeble, yet she blushed and showed a satisfied smile, then lost consciousness in his arms.

"....."

Usually, he would be happy, yet this reward felt bitter in his heart.

Tanuki Rise of the Yokai Clan Chapter 163 Stay alive | akikan40 on Patreon

"Tamazuki..."

Even Rimuru didn't expect that Shizu would confess at this moment, or rather, wasn't this a Flag? Wasn't this a Flag where Shizu was confirmed to die? He looked nervously at Tamazuki, but it was hard to gauge his expression when his bangs covered his expression.

"...Uncle, can I leave the rest to you? I will check her condition first."

"Okay, leave the rest to me." Rimuru nodded and decided to leave everything to Tamazuki first. Even though the damage was minimalized by Tamazuki, some panic was inevitable as the power of Ifrit was enough to burn this village to ash. It was fortunate that Tamazuki was there and also learned flame manipulation. Nevertheless, there were too many things that happened, and he knew that he needed to do something, especially in the matter of support.

Moreover, Rimuru also wanted to know about Shizu's condition, so after he called Rigurudo, he went after Tamazuki.

Kaval, Gido, and Ellen also followed, but Tamazuki stopped them since they didn't know anything, and it would disrupt him instead.

"Inugami..." Ellen wanted to say something, but she held it.

After all, Shizu's confession was almost heard by everyone.

Ellen was an elf, and with her ears, how could she miss it?

However, this matter was small compared to Shizu's condition.

Tamazuki brought Shizu to the best tent where Rimuru was living and then put her on the bed.

[Report. Shizue Izawa's condition has been stabilized after you have regressed her age]

Personal time manipulation.

It was the ability that he learned from Helga in the world of Gakusen. Previously, it could only affect his age and his inner time, but with the help of [Great Sage] and "Seisenjutsu Talent," he could develop it so that he could also affect the time of others.

That way, he made Shizu's age become younger, so her weakened condition was erased, and she was as good as when she was young. However, it might be hard to say her condition was as good as before since now; she didn't have Ifrit on her body.

In the eyes of Shizu, Ifrit's existence might be like a curse, but it was also the one who gave her power.

In other words, the reason why Shizu could still stay alive until now was Ifrit.

Without Ifrit, she would be dying.

Watching her, who slept soundly on the bed, he wondered what he should do. For him, getting rewards from the women was enough, but he realized that each of those heroines had their own problems.

It was like Claudia before, who wished to die and almost made him wage war on the entire world.

Leaving Claudia might be okay, abandoning her and letting her die, especially when he didn't really have that strong feeling toward her, yet maybe, once again, he realized that he was really a softie.

It was the same case with Shizu, who was sleeping in front of him.

Shizu was already at an advanced age, and even if he made her body younger, it was already at the limit.

In the end, a human was a human.

Their lifespan was limited, no matter how he tried to make her younger.

Even if their lifespan was possibly extended, the change in their emotions and bodies was inevitable.

After all, unlike a youkai, monster, elf, and any other spirit lifeforms, a human was such an existence.

By now, he could guess more or less that Shizu should have two years' worth of life.

[Affirmative. Shizue Izawa can only live for two years]

"..."

Tamazuki rubbed his face, and he wondered what he should do.

Should he just let her live for two years and die as a human-like she wishes for?

Or should he help her extend her life but change her race because of his selfishness since he doesn't want her to die?

He really wondered what he should do.

Frankly, he didn't have strong feelings toward this woman, but just watching her dying in two years would make a bitter feeling in his mouth.

Still, was there a way for a human to extend their natural lifespan and live forever?

[Affirmative. Such a method is possible]

If so, then how?

With his knowledge and [Great Sage], he quickly found several ways to extend Shizu's lifespan.

The first was Majinization, a method to turn her into a monster.

This should have been the method used to extend Shizu's life originally, as she had an Ifrit on her body. Originally, if she wished to merge with Ifrit, then she would become a Majin and extend her lifespan, but she didn't want that since she wished to die as a human, and she felt her power was nothing but a curse.

The second method was to possess the body of someone. By using magic, Shizu could steal the body of someone and transmigrate it into that person's body.

However, with those two methods, it was impossible for Shizu to agree as she was kind. She also wasn't greedy with her life, so those methods were impossible to implement.

Then, the third, which was the last, was to evolve.

Similar to other races, a human could also evolve through arduous training or life and death threats, evolving them to a higher existence known as Enlightened, Saint, or Divine Human. To become one among that existence was the only way for a human to extend their lifespan naturally.

The Enlightened and Saint aside, the Divine Human was almost impossible to achieve since it was only the True Hero that could achieve it.

However, Shizu wasn't a True Hero, and she had been living until now, yet she was unable to become either Enlightened or Saint, showing her limited talent.

For him, it was sad, but what could he do?

Not everyone was like him or Rimuru, who had an incredible cheat.

If he didn't meet this woman, then he wouldn't be troubled at this moment.

"You really make a lot of trouble for me."

He lightly touched her bangs helplessly, but at this moment, he didn't give up.

Was there any other way?

[Affirtive. You can wait for her to pass away and reincarnate her by using life and death magic]

"..."

He let out a sigh. 'Great Sage, next time, don't ever suggest such a method.'

[Affirmative]

Maybe, it realized and felt the feeling of its host that it agreed without saying anything.

He knew that [Great Sage] wasn't wrong, and it was a normal thing for it to suggest something like that as it was only born late. [Great Sage] didn't know right and wrong, and instead of getting angry, he should teach it.

Frankly, such a method was possible, and if [Great Sage] told him so, then a life and death magic existed, and he could learn it without any problem, but if he waited until Shizu died, then reincarnate her, he felt that something might change inside him. He felt that his existence might become hideous and that he couldn't bear it anymore. He might be a villain and a scoundrel, but he still had a bottom line.

[Affirmative. Everything has been recorded for future reference]

Good.

Tamazuki stared at Shizu and knew that she only wished to become a human, so that's what he was going to do.

If any method that he could think of was impossible, then he would create a new one or search for a method in another world.

It might be impossible for others, but not for him.

He was going to make her stay alive, accompany him, and become part of his harem. He was selfish for doing this, but wasn't she even more selfish for confessing to him at the end of her life?

So, don't blame him for being selfish and wanting her to stay alive.

Staring at her sleeping face, he saw his hand was held by her subconsciously. As for whether it was a coincidence or any other, he wasn't sure, but for now, he just stayed there and accompanied her.