Mr. Knight in shining armor, gentle and beautiful as jade.
Obata Yui looked at Mu Xiaoxiao, not knowing why these words flashed through her heart. Her emotions immediately calmed. Her panic, nervousness, fear—all disappeared. She had blind confidence in him.
No matter what happened, Mu-kun could handle it. Even if Himemiya Tsuyoshi looked stronger.
Mu Xiaoxiao and Himemiya Tsuyoshi locked eyes. Their gazes intertwined. Sparks clashed.
Tsuyoshi frowned. This guy was looking up at him from the bottom of the stairs with a smile, but his eyes and aura... gave off a condescending air.
Looking down on him. Like an ant.
Those annoying eyes. This guy seemed much harder to deal with than that goody-two-shoes Yoshida Kaoru. But even so, he couldn't be his opponent.
"Are you that Mu-kun?"
Mu Xiaoxiao raised the corners of his mouth and didn't answer. He just licked his lips. "You saw it just now, didn't you? Makoto... your sister is amazing~"
"!!!"
'This guy!'
"Very well. You've managed to piss me off."
"Piss you off? And then?" Mu Xiaoxiao twitched an eyebrow and smiled provocatively. "You power up? Awaken something? What, you gonna use the power of friendship—oh wait, the power of family?"
Click...
Click...
Click...
Watching him step up the stairs one by one, Himemiya Tsuyoshi's face flashed with ferocity. He moved. The muscles in his body bulged. His sideways fist became a sharp blur in the air, aimed at his head.
That punch—without a concussion, it wouldn't end well.
Whoosh—
But it was all in vain.
'Gone?!'
Himemiya Tsuyoshi's pupils shrank to pinpricks. He didn't even see how this guy disappeared. Mu Xiaoxiao appeared behind him.
Boom—!!!
[Strength]: 15
[Agility]: 10
[Wisdom]: 9
[Physique]: 15
This was Himemiya Tsuyoshi's stat panel. In terms of attributes alone, he wasn't weaker than Mu Xiaoxiao. He really was a sports student... [Absolute Control] couldn't be used when attributes were equal to or weaker than the target.
If this were back when he'd first crossed over, before attacking Chisato, he probably couldn't have done anything to him. But now it was different. He didn't just rely on attributes and [Absolute Control] .
And... he had time!
"Bastard!!!"
He spun around. His fist hit air again. Mu Xiaoxiao, appearing beside him like a ghost, kicked Tsuyoshi hard to the ground.
The power of time let him play with Tsuyoshi in the palm of his hand. This was power that could rule the world. Of course, it could also be used for more mundane things. After greatly improving his mental power, his time abilities were more refined.
"Mu-kun~"
Obata Yui showed an excited smile. She came to the boy's side and hugged his arm without any shyness. She clamped his arm with her chest and squeezed, releasing the fear she'd felt moments ago.
"I heard you wanted to touch my woman?" Mu Xiaoxiao placed one hand on Obata Yui and stepped on Tsuyoshi's arm with one foot. He sneered. "You've got guts."
Crack—
"Ah—!!!!"
'Bones. His bones are broken.'
"Yui-senpai, are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Obata Yui glanced at Himemiya Tsuyoshi, wailing in pain. She shook her head and said shyly, "Mu-kun, you came just in time..."
'Mu-kun called me his woman.' She'd known it was true, but it still made her shy.
But she was a little happy...
'He does value me. Not just in bed... not just that kind of relationship.'
"Originally, as Makoto's brother, I shouldn't go too far. But you had to touch things you shouldn't." Mu Xiaoxiao's eyes narrowed. "Not just Yui-senpai, but also last night... You haven't forgotten, have you, brother-in-law?"
"Huff... huff..."
Tsuyoshi panted like an ox, his face red. He stared at Mu Xiaoxiao with bloodshot eyes, veins bulging on his forehead. Lucky for him, no one was around—otherwise, this would have caused quite a scene.
"Last night... could it be you..." Realization dawned. His expression twisted.
"That's right. Not just Makoto, but Yui-senpai too. My women aren't for others to touch." Mu Xiaoxiao's eyes flashed coldly. "Even if they're just tools."
'Tools? That's not me, right?' Obata Yui tilted her head. 'Hmm, it couldn't be me. It must be that girl Makoto.'
"So, even if you are my brother-in-law, I can only say sorry. Besides, Makoto hates and despises you anyway." Mu Xiaoxiao's smile gradually turned vicious. In his eyes, he looked like a demon.
"What—what are you doing to me?!"
Forgetting his broken arm, Tsuyoshi felt weakness flooding through his limbs. He'd always been confident in his body. Even kicked, he should have been able to fight back.
But now... pinned to the ground, he found his strength and stamina constantly draining. He couldn't fight back at all!
"This is what happens when you touch my woman. Remember it well." Mu Xiaoxiao's eyes flickered. From the moment he'd started speaking, he'd activated his time ability.
Life Drain!
[Strength]: 15 → 7
[Agility]: 10 → 5
[Wisdom]: 9 → 6
[Physique]: 15 → 5
His stats plummeted. Visible fatigue and age appeared on Himemiya Tsuyoshi's face. His young, healthy body aged rapidly, metabolism accelerating uncontrollably.
The cells in his body... were reaching the end of their lives.
Five years. Ten years. Twenty years. Fifty years!!
"You... you... uh... huff..."
Obata Yui was dumbfounded. She watched this classmate's hair gray, his skin wrinkle—right before her eyes. From a strong young man to an old man.
The girl shrank into Mu Xiaoxiao's arms.
"Mu-kun, he—he's..."
"It's fine. I just took his lifespan." Mu Xiaoxiao crouched down and smiled at Himemiya Tsuyoshi, who couldn't even lift his hand. "Tsuyoshi, how does it feel to have your life slip away?"
"Thanks for the fifty-plus years you contributed. By the way, that lifespan will let us live longer, so... I really appreciate your selfless donation."
'Lifespan?'
'He can do that kind of thing?!' Obata Yui was stunned.
The ancient Himemiya Tsuyoshi was even more shaken. His lifespan—stolen. His body so weak and old. He'd never experienced this feeling. This life that could end at any moment—a candle in the wind.
"Devil! You—you're a devil!!" Himemiya Tsuyoshi had to take three breaths to get out a single word. He stretched out a trembling hand. "Don't—don't take any more of my life! I was wrong! It was my fault!"
"Makoto and Obata Yui—I'll never touch your women again! Please, please let me go! Give me back my life! I'm Makoto's brother—I'll give her to you, I'll—"
Tears and snot streamed down his face. Hard to imagine this arrogant man could be so pathetic.
From teenager to old man—no one could accept that.
Too little, too late.
"Just spend your last few months in pain, despair, and fear..."
"Noooooooo!!!!"
Watching Mu Xiaoxiao walk away with the beautiful girl in his arms, ignoring his screams, struggles, pleas—Tsuyoshi lay on the ground like a lump of mud. Nothing could change.
At that moment, on the edge of despair, he saw hell.