Chapter 105: The Girl: Advantage, Me!

Gin glanced at the girl crouched in the corner of the Tsukuyomi space, clutching her head in shame. The cringe-worthy second-hand embarrassment of her dark personality's chuuni theatrics had clearly left quite an impression on her worldview.

But… why hadn't Hikari been affected by her dark personality like the others?Gin mentally rewound everything that had happened during this mission, his eyes wandering until they landed on the girl's figure—and more specifically, on the dark green cloak draped around her shoulders.

That thing… what was its effect again?

Lowering his gaze, he pulled up his system inventory and found the item. Only one copy. It was the one she was wearing now.

With no other choice, Gin walked over and patted Hikari's head, pretending to comfort her while actually checking the item info.

Before she could even look up, he'd already withdrawn his hand. A line of text appeared in his mind:[Mercury]: Activates when controlled, granting temporary control immunity and faster chakra refinement. (One trigger per day.)

"Gin…?"

Hikari peeked up at him with watery eyes, her voice soft and pitiful."There's something strange inside me… you're not going to just leave me like this, right?"

"How could I? Don't worry. I'll take care of you from now on."

His mind elsewhere, Gin blurted out the words without thinking. He didn't even notice how red her face turned, how she ducked her head and drew shy little circles on the mirrored floor with her toe.

Guess I'll have to find a nice white wedding kimono after all…

So that was it—she could suppress the dark personality thanks to the Mercury cloak. But he only had one. How would he suppress Uncle's dark persona?

Unwilling to give up, he dug through his system bag again.He ignored the towering pile of gold bricks—just numbers—and dove into the equipment pile."Cloak… cloak… wait, here's one! …Nope, purple. Useless."

He tossed the purple one aside and kept rummaging."White one? Oh yeah, the one I gave Uncle…"

He pulled out the white cloak and frowned at its meager description. System gear was never that simple—there had to be more.

[Magic Resist Cloak]: Slightly boosts stamina, accelerates chakra recovery. (Can be combined.)

Can be combined? Since when?

Gin picked up the cloak and eyed another piece of gear in the pile: a blue chainmail vest. He held them both, pondering how to combine them.

"Combination detected. Proceed?"

The long-absent system voice chimed in. Without wasting time, Gin clicked "Yes" in his mind.

A blue glow flared. When it faded, a heavy grayish-white armor etched with dark red patterns clattered onto the floor:[Gargoyle Plate]: Enhances constitution, resistance. Resistance scales with number of enemies. (PS: A lone hero's best friend.)

So it really worked!He'd drawn this piece before and left it collecting dust—useless compared to others in team battles. But it might be a good gift for his older cousin.

If combining worked, then Mercury could probably be crafted too. He asked the system cautiously:"Hey… system?"

"Here~"

Why did it sound so smug?

"What's the recipe for Mercury?"

"Magic Resist Cloak + Crit Gloves."

Concise and clear. Not like the system's usual cryptic antics.

Without delay, he pulled out the spiked, coffee-colored leather gloves:[Crit Gloves]: 20% chance to deal critical damage.

In reality, only a moment had passed outside. Hikari had just lifted her tearful eyes toward him, staring dreamily.

"Hikari, I figured it out. Let's go."

"Okay~"

She stood obediently. Red light flashed in her eyes and the two exited the Tsukuyomi space.

Gin wasted no time—he pulled out the gloves and slapped them against Uncle's white cloak. Blue light flared, and when it dimmed, a dark green cloak identical to Hikari's now rested on Tajima's shoulders.

As expected.

Gin nodded in satisfaction. "Alright. You can release the Tsukuyomi now."

Though curious about his unorthodox methods, Hikari obediently canceled her genjutsu.

"Whew…"

Tajima's vacant eyes regained their sharpness. Before he could speak, his knees buckled.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

"I didn't do anything!" Hikari panicked, looking flustered.

"No… it's fine. That thing drained me. I'll recover."

Sure enough, the warmth seeping into him from the cloak gradually restored his strength.

"Gin… why can't I feel that thing anymore?"

Gin smirked, arms crossed. "Because of me, of course. You're welcome."

Tajima frowned. "Why is my cloak… green?"

"See for yourself," Gin said, gesturing at the cloak.

Tajima finally noticed the dark green silk replacing his former luxurious white cloak.

"What… is this?"

"That's what you get for having me on your team." Gin spread his hands and launched into his tall tale. "I told you before—I paid good money to get these made by the famed smith Seimei of the Craftsmen's Country. That cloak of yours? Suppresses negative emotions."

"But… it used to be white."

"That's just one piece of the set. When combined properly, it reveals its true form."

Gin's face remained straight as he spun his lie.

"Fascinating. It's like the Uchiha fan—imbued with unique power," Tajima muttered, smoothing the cloak.

Meanwhile, Hikari clutched her own cloak and smiled dreamily, her cheeks faintly pink.

"The mission's over. Let's head home," Tajima declared.

He paused, a shadow in his eyes. "As for Yao and that strange black creature… keep it quiet for now. We'll figure it out back at the clan."

On the way back, Hikari suddenly asked, a little too casually, "Gin… who do you live with?"

"Hm? Oh, there's a brat at home. A Senju kid I captured. He cooks, cleans, and if he misbehaves, I spank him."

Tajima, walking ahead, listened silently. That Senju boy from six years ago… He decided to let it slide—for Gin's sake.

Behind him, Hikari whispered to herself, "A boy, huh…?"

She straightened her back, her budding figure showing faint curves, and smiled confidently.

"No problem. Advantage… me."

(End of Chapter)

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