No one dared to make a definitive statement about what exactly was going on. So, they could only set aside this matter for now, which further added to Kozuki Oden’s worries.
After his familiar dance routine, he unconsciously passed by Hyogoro’s house.
“Little Oden, what are you looking at? Why not come inside?”
A woman with short curly golden hair greeted Kozuki Oden from the doorway while holding a pipe. She was Hyogoro’s wife, and decades ago, much like Musashi, she was a delinquent girl.
She eventually married the yakuza boss Hyogoro and changed her lifestyle afterward.
“Ah, not today. Toki is waiting for me at home. I’ll head back for now.”
“Is that so? Well, that’s a pity. Come over next time.”
“Sure.”
Kozuki Oden turned around and walked away, but from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a figure – Kojiro – entering Hyogoro’s house carrying a gift box.
Moreover, Hyogoro’s men didn’t stop Kojiro; instead, they welcomed him in with smiles. This stirred a few more hints of suspicion within him.
Yet, this was an ordinary interaction between Kojiro and Hyogoro. Kojiro’s shopping center was facing quite a bit of trouble, with most of the petty thieves being thugs.
And when it came to managing these thugs, Hyogoro’s men were the most effective. Moreover, Hyogoro’s subordinates had passed the age of fighting and killing, so Kojiro could help some of his old comrades find employment, enabling them to lead a respectable life. This is why these interactions keep occurring between the two sides.
Paradise Farm, Setsuna opened the drawer to find a neat row of diaries. Some had plastic wrapping over them, indicating they were new, while others had yellowing covers.
These were her initial diaries. It has been a long time since she left Zou Island, and she was no longer the seven-year-old little wolf. In nearly ten years, she had undergone significant changes, yet the habit of writing in her diary remained.
【December 27, Year 1500, clear skies.
It’s almost been ten years since I left Zou Island. Zeraora trains diligently every day, but it seems like he’s encountered the biggest opponent of his life – height.
I remember that his height has reached 1.8 meters, but recently it seemed to have reached the limit and he couldn’t grow any taller. It’s just up to my chest.
Yanyan is also already very big, but they’re both very cute.】
Yanyan was her Alcremie. Alcremie is much cuter than the average plush doll.
【But there is something different this time. I plan to return to Zou Island for the New Year. It took a lot of effort to convince Zeraora to come with me. Mom would probably really like him, but I’m not so sure about Dad.】
After obtaining a Vivre Card from Inuarashi, she found a way back to Zou Island. However, these past few years, there were always things to do, so she hasn’t gone back. It’s impossible to say that she didn’t miss home.
Being brainwashed like Inuarashi or Nekomamushi, to the extent of forgetting one’s own race and country, people like that were in minority. After closing the diary, Setsuna began packing her things. Going home was a rare opportunity, and she hadn’t decided what to prepare yet.
And today, her neighbor was unusually quiet. There was no sound of a generator, nor the sound of electricity, because at that moment, Zeraora was on Onigashima.
“My lord, I’m going with Setsuna to Zou Island tomorrow.”
“Just go if you want to, it’s not like you won’t come back. Why make such a fuss?”
Zeraora rarely bothers him, but this time when he returned to Onigashima and said something strange to him, he felt it was a little unusual.
“Um…should I bring a gift?”
The reason he came here wasn’t exactly for a simple reason. When Arceus created him, it was with the intention of establishing a connection with the Mink. However, Zeraora is a unique individual.
Fundamentally, loyalty runs deep within him, but apart from that, he possesses independent thinking. He is a unique Mythical Pokémon, not a puppet on a string.
Initially, his interaction with Setsuna had a purpose, but over the past ten years, he had spent nearly a decade with Setsuna day in and day out, witnessing her changes from childhood to adulthood and has developed genuine feelings for her.
Before returning to Zou Island, Setsuna had often talked about her parents. This inadvertently placed a certain pressure on Zeraora, giving him the feeling of being a prospective son-in-law.
Arceus had given him basic knowledge, allowing him to develop his own way of thinking in life. However, this was a complete blind spot in his knowledge.
For creatures created by Arceus, Arceus was their greatest reliance. That’s why he had returned here to seek help.
“Worororo, have you reached this point too, kid? Well, how about you pick a few things from Onigashima’s treasure vault? You should hurry up, I’m quite curious to see what kind of child a cat and a wolf would have. Your offspring shouldn’t be weak either.”
Arceus still hadn’t decided what to have him bring, but Kaido directly handed over Onigashima’s treasure vault to Zeraora.
“But strength is the most important. If things don’t work out, just knock them all down.”
After managing to say something normal, Kaido immediately shifted the conversation to a rather strange topic. After all, he’s someone who values strength above all else. In his view, as long as one has enough strength, many things can be resolved.
The task of picking the gift fell on Zeraora’s shoulders. Minks didn’t eat mammals with fur, so most of the things he picked were preserved overseas specialties.
Just when he was in a dilemma, he ran into Queen. After learning about the situation, Queen promptly took on this task.
“Leave it to me, I’m an expert in this area.”
“You?”
Zeraora gave him a skeptical look. He didn’t quite trust Queen in this matter, as Queen often did outrageous things.
“What’s with that look? I used to be quite the heartthrob when I was young. If I wasn’t worried that I would block other people’s path, I wouldn’t have gained so much weight. Just leave the gifts to me.”
The next day, Setsuna saw Zeraora carrying a large package on his back. From what was visible, there were quite a few strange things inside, along with some mechanical products and the like.
“These are..”
“Gifts. Queen said these things would definitely be useful on Zou Island, so he had me pack them up.”
“Actually, you didn’t have to bring these things.”
“It’s alright. Let’s go. The flight is ready.”
The leader of the Millennial Dragon landed in front of them. For the Millennial Dragons, it was all the same where they celebrated the New Year. However, if they were to take a ship, they probably wouldn’t reach Zou Island this year, so they had to trouble a Millennial Dragon.
The Millennial Dragon’s back was spacious, accommodating both of them and their big packages without affecting its flight. Following the direction indicated by the Vivre Card, they flew toward Zou Island, facing the rising sun.
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