This was her first time having such intimate contact with a man.
She could clearly feel the broad, warm chest behind her.
She could clearly smell that pleasant, reassuring scent coming from him.
Her heart was racing.
Cloud, as an experienced connoisseur, had long since noticed the girl's unusual state.
Yet he continued in that "veteran physician" professional tone, conducting his "lesson."
"Relax, Goniko. Sink your qi to your dantian. Imagine that you are the wind, and the wind is you. You can soar freely through the sky, or howl wildly through mountain valleys..."
Under his guidance, Goniko gradually forgot her embarrassment.
She became immersed in that... wondrous sensation.
She felt as if she had truly transformed into a wisp of breeze.
A cyan current of air began spiraling and dancing uncontrollably around her body.
"Very good, just like that." Cloud praised. "Now, try to concentrate it at your fingertip."
Goniko slowly raised her hand.
That cyan airflow obediently wound around her fingertip, eventually forming a small, constantly rotating cyan tornado.
"I... I did it!"
Goniko opened her eyes in delighted surprise, gazing at her fingertip creation with a childlike, joyful smile.
That smile—pure, radiant, like a rainbow after the rain—made the entire training room pale in comparison.
Watching her happy face, Cloud couldn't help but smile along.
He suddenly felt that this "raising" style approach was actually quite nice?
[Ding! Detected significant increase in Bond Target Goniko's affection toward Host!]
[Current Affection: 85 (Deep Dependence)!]
[System Dirty Talk Mode activated: Oh my! Host, not bad at all! This hands-on teaching really is the ultimate weapon for building relationships! Look at that girl—her face is so red! Her heart's about to leap out of her chest! I'm telling you, strike while the iron's hot! Right now, push her against the wall and give her a kabedon! Guaranteed instant max affection!]
Cloud: "..."
System, could you please NOT come out and ruin the mood during my "sacred" teaching moment?!
However...
He looked at the innocent maiden before him—so excited by her success, gazing at him with eyes full of "worship" and "dependence."
He felt that maybe... this time... the system's suggestion wasn't entirely without merit?
...
Just as Cloud was immersed in the joy of being a "model teacher," enjoying the pure, sweet, slightly ambiguous "daily lessons" with Goniko—
A phone call, like your boss texting "you there?" at 3 AM, instantly shattered the warm atmosphere.
Caller ID: "Loyal Dog Ryuji."
Cloud looked at this nickname he'd personally assigned, the corner of his mouth curving upward as he answered.
"Boss!" From the other end came Ryuji Yamazaki's signature voice—slightly neurotic and manic, yet currently filled with respect. "That matter you assigned—we've got a lead!"
Hearing this, Cloud's gaze sharpened. He signaled to Goniko, who was practicing condensing "wind blades" nearby, to take a break.
"Report."
"Yes sir!" Yamazaki's voice immediately became like a formal work report. "According to the intelligence network of our Hell Corporation spanning the globe, dozens of formidable fighters have indeed mysteriously disappeared worldwide recently."
"Hell Corporation?" Cloud interrupted. "That company name... is quite something."
"Hehe, you flatter me, Boss!" Yamazaki let out his signature mad laugh but quickly reined it in. "I had South Town's most famous feng shui master calculate this name! He said my destiny carries madness, so the company name needs some fierce energy to hold things down. That way, we can ring the bell at NASDAQ in the future!"
Cloud: "..."
You're a yakuza company and you want to ring the NASDAQ bell? Are you ringing the bell or the death knell?
"Get to the point," Cloud rubbed his temples.
"Yes, Boss!" Yamazaki immediately returned to seriousness. "We've discovered that all these missing fighters share one common trait—they all possess, to varying degrees, special bloodlines or supernatural abilities. For example, some are fire manipulators, some are lightning espers, and there's even one who's a druid that can communicate with animals."
"And all the trails leading to them ultimately point to... shell companies registered in the Cayman Islands, with virtual idols as legal representatives, whose primary business is metaverse real estate."
"Our people cracked open one peripheral transport operative. He confessed that these companies all belong to... an extremely large, mysterious organization with cutting-edge biotechnology."
"That organization's name is..."
Yamazaki's voice deliberately dropped, filled with wariness.
"—NESTS."
NESTS.
When he heard this name, Cloud's gaze instantly turned cold and sharp.
Finally... surfacing, are you?
"Good." Cloud said evenly. "Ryuji, keep digging. I want everything on this NESTS—from their organizational structure to what they had for dinner in their cafeteria last night. Money is no object."
"Understood, Boss!" Yamazaki's voice was filled with fired-up excitement. "Mission will be accomplished! For the great revival of Hell Corporation!"
After hanging up, Cloud fell into contemplation.
It seemed the peaceful days were truly coming to an end.
NESTS was moving faster than he'd anticipated.
...
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