CH 8

"A group of little children was excitedly shouting his name and rushing towards him when they saw Ichiyo. He received these little ones with a gentle smile on his face, so as not to let them down.

"Ninjas from Shinobi class, report!" As the head figure of this orphanage, Ichiyo is the real big brother here!

"Medical ninja Ryoko reporting!"

"Eighth Hokage Asuma reporting!"

"Magical girl Nakamura reporting!"

"Strongest Kamen Rider Fujihara reporting!"

"And me! I am Ultraman!"

"I...I am Saiyan Dragon Knight...reporting!"

"There is no Saiyan Dragon Knight, Little Fish is a dummy!"

"..."

Watching the lively and cute performance of the little ones, Ichiyo smiled like a gentle big brother and said, "Little classmates, it's been so long since I last saw you, have you missed me?"

"Missed you!"

"Who am I?"

"Ichiyo onii-chan!"

"Ahh~!"

Feeling pleased, Ichiyo took out the gift box he had hidden behind him and said, "Here, some little snacks I brought for you, let's all try some together. Everyone gets some, don't fight over them, and don't eat too much at once, it's not good for your health, okay?"

"Okay!"

The old lady and the girl with silver blue long hair stood not far away, watching the scene with faint smile on their faces. "Ichiyo is really loved by these children. For so many years, every child who has stayed here will smile and happily shout 'Onii Chan' when they saw him."

"Chiaki, is there something wrong? Why don't you come here and eat some snacks?" Ichiyo looked at the black-haired, black-eyed, white-skinned little doll who was known as Chiaki with a puzzled expression. This little loli was supposed to be the one that caused the most headaches.

As she steps forward, the strong aura emanating from the little girl causes the other little children to subconsciously give her a path.

Then, the little girl grabbed hold of Ichiyo's hand and squeezed it tightly, looking seriously into his eyes as she swore, "I don't want dessert, I just want onii-chan! I want to marry Ichiyo onii-chan! I'll take care of you for the rest of my life!"

Ichiyo's mouth twitched as he looked at the little girl's determined gaze, wondering if he had some kind of bizarre loli-attracting talent or something. That couldn't be right, could it?

"Chiaki, you're only five years old. Can't we just have some dessert and have fun?"

"No!" The little one decisively denied it. "Only someone like Ichiyo onii-chan can give me a sense of security!"

"But I don't feel safe!" Ichiyo's expression began to crumble a bit. "You're only five years old. If someone misunderstands anything, I'll end up in prison!"

Chiaki's pupils lit up and she spoke without thinking, "That would be great! Ichiyo onii-chan can go to prison for eleven years first, then I won't have to worry about you being taken away by some bad woman. When I'm sixteen, we can just go straight to getting married!"

Ichiyo: "..."

No, that's not good either!

The silver-blue-haired woman smiled slightly and looked at the old lady, "You're right, he is quite popular. I'll go prepare the afternoon tea now. Grandma, remember to rest more. I'll take care of those bushes outside the door later."

"Okay, you go." The old lady smiled and nodded, her eyes full of wisdom that sees through everything. This is the experience of a senior.

"Esdeath, you have to work hard. Ichiyo's family situation is not ordinary."

Esdeath stopped for a moment upon hearing the old lady's reminder, but she didn't stay for long before continuing to leave.

~~~

Being looked at stubbornly by the loli, Ichiyo was a little embarrassed. Most of these children have experienced trauma in their hearts, and they are most afraid of being denied and abandoned. If he directly refuses, they might have a mental breakdown. But if he accepts it... what a joke, prison food is not so delicious.

Fortunately, Chiaki's words and brave actions immediately made a group of little children imitate her, a group of little loli raised their little hands.

"I want it too! I want to marry Ichiyo onii-chan!"

"Me too, I want to be the first wife!"

Ichiyo: "..."

The bustling noise made the atmosphere no longer serious! Ichiyo took a deep breath and hugged these little lolis with his arms, with a faint smile on his face, he said, "No problem, you all can marry me, and from now on Chiaki is the first wife, Kaori is the second wife, and Ryoko is the third wife. You are all good sisters and have to take care of each other!"

Little lolis like Chiaki, who is mentally mature and have quirky brain circuits, are still a minority. A group of four or five-year-old lolis wouldn't even know what the concept of marriage and wife is, so naturally, there would be no problem. Chiaki, however, flipped over her white eyes and looked at the clueless little lolis around her speechlessly. It seems her plan has failed again.

Several little boys next to them saw that their boss only hugged the weak crying girls and didn't hug them, and they were immediately anxious. With Fujiwara, the little guy, in the lead, they raised their little hands and said enviously, "We want to marry Ichiyo onii-chan too! All girls are crybabies, they are not worthy of marrying onii-chan!"

Ichiyo's mouth twitched as he struggled to keep from biting his tongue, and contorted his face into an indescribable expression.

"Fujiwara, listen, your dad called you home for dinner, be careful of being punished by him!"

Ichiyo said seriously, "In addition, as boys, we are supposed to protect girls. You shouldn't say such things about your sisters. If the strength of boys is not used to protect, it will be meaningless!"

This little brat, if not educated properly, will definitely be a playboy when he grows up!

That's right, Fujiwara is not a child from the orphanage. His family runs a tofu shop nearby. Because this place is a bit remote, this little guy can't find many peers to play with, so he runs over here and plays with the little children in the orphanage every day.

Despite being educated by Ichiyo with a serious expression and his accumulating prestige, Fujiwara still didn't give up. Several little boys nodded their heads in agreement, but Fujiwara remained determined.

"Even so, we still want to marry Ichiyo onii-chan, then we can live together in the future!"

"No no no, you don't want to do that!" Ichiyo's face turned black. Why is this child so determined to cling to marriage?

"Guys, listen to me, as boys, we must be independent and strong, and support our families just like a big umbrella that block the wind and rain. It's wrong to always think about getting married to others, and it's not good for boys to want to marry boys either...!"

"Can boys really not marry boys?"

Fujiwara's small eyes hid a big doubt, wanting to ask to the end.

Ichiyo was silent for a moment. This question...

He doesn't discriminate against homosexuality, but he is definitely a steadfast heterosexual player. Then, how should he answer?

Can boys marry boys?

Will this answer open a new door to the world for this child?

Then, of course, boys can't marry boys?

Will this statement be too harsh for some philosophical people?

Ichiyo crouched on the ground, thinking about how to satisfactorily answer the question when a white, tender arm reaches over his head and grabs the kid by the ear, without waiting for Ichiyo to produce an answer.

"Kid, you said that girls love to cry? That they are weak?"

As a voice sounded from above Sakuraba's head, he looked up to see darkness, as if the light had been swallowed up by the abyss.

Fujiwara looks pale as he watches the blue-haired female demon holding onto his ear, his legs trembling nonstop.

It's over, he forgot about this demon!

"Aren't you very skilled?"

Esdeath watches as the bear cub shakes and its teeth clash. Despite her beauty, she exudes dignity and a queenly aura. "Come, big man," she says. "Practice with this girl."

"I'm very sorry!" Fujiwara sincerely adopts a dogeza posture and says, "Demon... big sister, my dad called me home for dinner. I'll come to play with the others tomorrow!" In a puff of smoke, five-and-a-half-year-old Fujiwara musters all his strength and flees for his life.

Esdeath stood in place and watched the scene without saying anything, just glancing at this group of little children lightly. "Afternoon tea is ready. Go to the kitchen to get it if you want to eat. Don't mess around anymore. Close the door and don't let anyone leave. Wait until dinner is finished before you play!"

Esdeath issued the order and a group of little children quickly took action. Some went to close the door, some were responsible for holding onto Sakuraba's thigh to prevent him from leaving, and others ran directly to the kitchen to bring out everyone's afternoon tea together. Ichiyo faltered for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and rolling up his sleeves to help carry the table and prepare the evening's dishes.

To be honest, Ichiyo had thought that Esdeath was going to spar with him (one-sided beating), but he didn't expect it to be just waiting for dinner. Esdeath was afraid that he would run away.

Throughout his many years after rebirth, Ichiyo can be sure that the world he is in is definitely not a high martial arts world. According to his grandfather, there are indeed a few people in this world who have some superpowers, such as his fiancée's grandfather. He has a superpower called "Exploding Clothes." When he tastes a delicious dish, the deliciousness will be reflected in the speed and degree of his clothes exploding.

Ichiyo also has a fiancee who is said to have the "God's Tongue" talent, a culinary genius, and a superpower. While there are definitely other miscellaneous superpowers in the world, these people are still a minority and most superpowers are not very useful.

In terms of combat power, Sakuraba's most admired person is Esdeath. He has been familiar with Esdeath for more than a year or two, but he can be sure that Esdeath has no superpowers. However, with her ordinary human body, she has managed to increase her combat power to an inhuman level!

Three years ago, a girl from the orphanage was bullied by a group of delinquents who used verbal abuse and even physically hit her. When Esdeath found out, she single-handedly fought the entire group of delinquents! When Ichiyo learned about this, he immediately called the police and ambulance, fearing that Esdeath might get into trouble.

But when he arrived, he found the delinquents lying on the ground, groaning in pain, while Esdeath sat on a small bench next to them, with one foot on the head of the delinquent who had hit the girl from the orphanage. It was clear that Esdeath was unarmed and yet single-handedly defeated the entire group of delinquents, some of whom were armed with baseball bats and pipes.

After that incident, Ichiyo thought for a long time that Esdeath might be a descendant of some ancient martial art family or a genetically enhanced warrior.

~~~

In the desolate wasteland of the end times, a city stands empty and abandoned. 

Lying in the warmth and softness of their blankets, Chito and Yuuri both wear contented expressions. Born in a world without people and exposed to the scorching sun. They are overwhelmed by despair. No one knows who will be the next to die or how long they will survive.

"Living in harmony with despair." This is the most optimistic view one can hold in this world. The girls do not understand why the mysterious deities are helping them, nor do they know how long this assistance will last. But as long as they can live for one more day, they will do their best to live in harmony with despair for that day.

Yuuri, lying on her back and staring at the pitch-black ceiling of the library, asks Chito casually, "Do you think the deities are helping us with these blankets, food, and books for any particular reason?" The two girls have spread their blankets on the ground, a small lamp casting a faint light by their side.

Unlike the optimistic Yuuri, Chito is almost consumed by anxiety and worry about the future. She lies on her side, facing Yuuri, slightly curled up and with her clear, large eyes unconsciously fluttering. "Maybe it's a small act of kindness, maybe they just want to see how we'll survive in this world, or maybe..."

"They want to fatten us up like fish and then eat us!" Yuuri says this completely brainless thought with a thoughtful expression. Thinking about the delicious taste of grilled fish, she misses the fish in the facility and says, "Chito, what do you say we go back and see if that fish is dead yet?"

Chito, whose body is slightly smaller than Yuuri's and much smaller in some aspects, extends a small hand from under the blankets with a calm face...