...
Qing Liu, who was seriously cultivating, didn't notice the Little Loli secretly watching and gathering intelligence on him, her opponent, until she walked over. Seeing her pitiful appearance—so cute—Qing Liu couldn't help but chuckle and ask, "When did you get here?"
The Little Loli pouted and said weakly, "J-just now..."
If she had known earlier, she wouldn't have made that bet. Great, she dug a hole for herself.
But she didn't know Qing Liu was such a monster!
Blinking her big eyes, Kurenai Yuhi acted cute and pleaded, "Qing Liu, Qing Liu, I really give up! We don't have to spar tonight, right? I'm the younger sister, and you're the older brother!"
She decisively admitted defeat.
Even the wooden stake was cracked by Qing Liu's punch. With her delicate skin, she would really cry for a long time!
Actually, being the younger sister doesn't seem so bad, does it?
A cute Little Loli acting adorable was a critical hit. Qing Liu muttered "AWSL," smiled, poked Kurenai Yuhi's cheek, and raised an eyebrow, "Heh heh, now you're scared? Weren't you quite confident this morning?"
"I'm scared, I'm scared!" When under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head. Kurenai Yuhi didn't even dare to slap away Qing Liu's poking hand, carefully asking, "Then can we just cancel the sparring tonight?"
"Hmm, of course..." The word "can" was already in his throat, about to slip out, but Qing Liu forcibly held it back.
It was originally just a small bet. Kurenai Yuhi admitting defeat was naturally for the best, eliminating the risk to his Family Hierarchy Status. He would be the older brother, and she would be the younger sister.
But... Qing Liu suddenly noticed a problem: the System hadn't gone 'ding'!
Where was the mission reward?
Kurenai Yuhi... no, didn't Ochiai Rumi admit defeat?
Why hasn't the mission been completed yet?
Could it be that he couldn't exploit this kind of bug?
His heart tightened. Qing Liu called out to the System internally:'System, didn't Kurenai... Ochiai Rumi admit defeat? Why is there no reward?'
[Ding! The mission has not been completed. The reward will only be issued when the Host defeats the challenger Ochiai Rumi!]
'What the hell... Subduing the enemy without fighting is more valuable than defeating them in combat. Fine, if you don't give me a critical hit reward multiplier, but you actually don't count it as mission completion?!'
Qing Liu cursed silently in his heart.
The System really couldn't be relied upon!
[Ding! Please complete the mission requirements to receive the reward!]
The exchange with the System only took a moment. Kurenai Yuhi was still anxiously waiting for Qing Liu's answer; she really didn't want to cry for a long time... But why was Qing Liu being so evasive again?
How annoying!
"..." There was no choice. He had to fulfill the mission requirements, and the stupid System wouldn't accept premature surrender. Qing Liu could only make Kurenai Yuhi suffer a little: "Of course... not!"
"Huh?" Kurenai Yuhi's eyes widened, showing disbelief, shock, and confusion.
Her cute offense actually failed?
This isn't scientific!
"What do you mean, 'Huh'? Acting cute won't work this time." Tapping Kurenai Yuhi's head, Qing Liu feigned seriousness: "A bet is a bet. Even if you surrender, it still needs to proceed. Furthermore..."
"This is also training your willpower. Having your first thought be retreat when encountering a setback is not good!"
For the System reward, what's the harm in making Kurenai Yuhi suffer a little?
Isn't this also for Kurenai Yuhi's own good?
Right?
You can't give up just because you face a setback. You should strive and work hard!
"..." Kurenai Yuhi was almost in tears. That made so much sense!
But she strongly felt that Qing Liu was just trying to solidify his status as the older brother—this was retaliation!!
She was so angry, but she couldn't refute him.
She could only stomp away angrily, sulking by herself... "My foolish little sister, if you want to surpass me, then go out to sea, and I'll leave everything to... Ptooey! If you want to surpass me, then work hard and strive! You will know my painstaking efforts one day..." Qing Liu was in a great mood and started playing with memes.
Kurenai Yuhi would know her older brother's "painstaking efforts" one day. Yep, that's how it is!
Kurenai Yuhi (the father), who had already finished cooking and was about to call Qing Liu and Yūhi Shinnō (the daughter) for dinner, happened to hear this conversation and couldn't help but fall silent: "..."
He decided to retract his statement that "Qing Liu possesses a maturity beyond his years."
Moreover, why was this kid starting to act in ways he couldn't comprehend again?
He couldn't understand what children nowadays were thinking... After dinner.
The sparring began as scheduled.
Back yard.
Qing Liu and Kurenai Yuhi stood opposite each other. One was full of confidence, and the other was also full of confidence.
'Does this little girl have another trump card?' Seeing this, Qing Liu's heart sank, and he didn't dare to be careless. The Little Loli was full of worry this afternoon, so why was she so confident now?
Something was eleven parts wrong out of ten.
Not good, the risk to his Family Hierarchy Status was back!
'Hmph, hmph, I won't cry for long!' Kurenai Yuhi thought confidently, having already figured out what to do.
She wouldn't be punched by Qing Liu and cry for a long time.
As long as she surrendered fast enough, Qing Liu's fist wouldn't be able to make her cry!
Looking at the two youngsters facing each other, Yūhi Shinnō, the witness and referee, spoke up: "Are you both ready? Then begin!"
'Swoosh!'
After making the announcement, his figure flashed away, leaving only the two youngsters in the field!
"I won't let you make me cry!" Kurenai Yuhi was extremely confident, launching an attack on Qing Liu with a serious expression.
"..." Qing Liu truly didn't dare to be careless. Since his Family Hierarchy Status was involved, he had to be cautious.
The small courtyard wasn't large. Kurenai Yuhi jogged toward Qing Liu. Midway, she "seemed" to trip over something, letting out an exaggerated "Oof!" sound as her tiny body fell to the ground with a'splat'... She "laboriously" raised her head and looked at Qing Liu, who was two meters away. Kurenai Yuhi's expression became extremely serious: "Such powerful Earth Release! Qing Liu, you're too strong! You've actually mastered Earth Release Ninjutsu. I am no match for you, I surrender!"
Hehe, she surrendered right in front of the referee. Qing Liu shouldn't punch her and make her cry now, right?
If he dared, Father would definitely intervene to stop him.
Plan successful! She's so smart!
Qing Liu: "..."
Yūhi Shinnō: "..."
Well, no wonder she was so confident; she had already figured out how to surrender.
It was just that her acting was too exaggerated, and the excuse was a bit nonsensical... "Oh, you..." Kurenai Yuhi (the father) didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he found Kurenai Yuhi (the daughter) adorable like this... Flashing to the center, he formally announced, "Kurenai Yuhi was knocked down by Qing Liu's Earth Release! I announce that Qing Liu has won this bet. Starting today, Qing Liu is the older brother, and Kurenai is the younger sister!"
Kurenai Yuhi stopped pretending, jumped up from the ground, and cheered, "Yay!"
"..." Qing Liu, meanwhile, didn't know what to say.
[Ding! Mission complete. Reward being issued...]
Just as Yūhi Shinnō's words fell, the System prompt sounded in Qing Liu's mind, and a piece of information surfaced—it was the related memory of Bakudo #1: Void, including the operation of Spiritual Pressure, the method of release, and the underlying principles... all presented in Qing Liu's mind.
Simply put, if Qing Liu were in the Bleach World, he would have already mastered this Bakudo... Qing Liu pondered internally:'Surrendering in the afternoon was useless, but surrendering tonight worked. What is the standard for mission completion? Time? The referee? Or some other reason?'
The System's criteria for completion must be figured out.
This relates to future missions.
Kurenai brought up the bet, and the time was set for the evening. Surrendering in the afternoon didn't work, but surrendering in the evening completed the mission. Was time the key?
Or was it because of the witness and referee factor?
He could only figure it out slowly later...