Chapter One Hundred Thirty: Sikong Yanyue Wants…

Across from an abandoned beach in Xibite, a little-known nation of Europe’s YDL, lay an equally obscure island. It was not particularly large, yet everyone who knew of its existence would never dare offend or attempt to occupy it. Even the people in power within the YDL national system turned a blind eye to the island.

There was only one reason: this was the headquarters of the world’s number-one assassin organization, Butterfly.

Though the island appeared to be thick with trees and lush with vegetation, concealed beneath that blanket of green was a heavily guarded, enormous base equipped with anti-radar shielding. Without question, its facilities were extravagantly luxurious as well.

At that moment, inside the bedroom belonging exclusively to Xue Tianai, leader of Butterfly—also known by the title Phantom Butterfly—there was a young woman. No, “girl” might have been more appropriate. She was unmistakably a petite little doll, with twin ponytails and a delicate, perfectly proportioned figure dressed in the kind of JK uniform that would drive countless otaku wild. Paired with those irresistibly alluring flesh-colored stockings, her charm was overwhelming.

Four Palaces Yanyue was sprawled across Xue Tianai’s bed, rubbing her adorable, tender little face against his pillow. In her arms, she clutched a long body pillow—one she had commissioned herself, featuring a life-sized chibi version of Xue Tianai.

“Yanyue, you’re about to drool all over it…”

Sitting in a chair beside the bed was a slender, flat-chested girl with silver hair. Her pale-blue eyes were fixed on Four Palaces Yanyue as she spoke in a calm, utterly toneless voice.

“Ah... Qiong, I’m going crazy...” Four Palaces Yanyue sat up on the bed while hugging Xue Tianai’s chibi body pillow, her lips pursed into a pout.

“Honestly, I fail to understand what your going crazy has to do with your current behavior as a lewd woman.” Qiong’s face remained devoid of emotion as she quietly watched Yanyue.

“Of course they’re related! I feel awful when I can’t see Tianai! Even the scent he left behind on his bed has faded so much...!”

Four Palaces Yanyue spoke in an aggrieved tone.

“Ever since Aiai left, you’ve been sleeping here every day. Naturally, his scent would be covered by the fragrance on your body, Yanyue.”

“Hey... Qiong, couldn’t you put that a little more tactfully?”

Four Palaces Yanyue held the body pillow out toward Qiong.

“And besides, Qiong, don’t you come to Tianai’s room every day too?”

“No, I don’t...”

A faint blush appeared on Qiong’s porcelain-white face. She hurriedly turned away and denied it.

“Today was merely a coincidence. I happened to run into Yanyue. I do not come here every day...”

“Oh, really?”

Four Palaces Yanyue would never believe such nonsense. After gently setting the body pillow aside, she leaned toward Qiong with a mischievous smile.

“Then why does my little Qiong have such a red face?”

In truth, Yanyue liked Qiong much better this way. Qiong’s usual expressionless, icy demeanor was still as cute as a doll, but it lacked a great deal of charm. Qiong was much more entertaining when her face showed a little emotion.

Unfortunately, the only time Qiong’s impassive expression ever changed was when Xue Tianai was mentioned.

“Yes. Yanyue must have been mistaken just now. I was not blushing.”

The flush had evidently already faded from Qiong’s face. She turned her immaculate, snow-white features back toward Yanyue and spoke with perfect composure.

“Then perhaps I was mistaken...”

Four Palaces Yanyue touched her chin with one small hand and nodded. Then, in an instant, her expression changed, and she called out:

“Tianai!”

At the sound of Tianai’s name, Qiong’s little face flushed again, though she quickly returned to normal.

“Yanyue, even if you miss Aiai, you should not suddenly shout his name like that.”

“I do miss him, but now I think I’ve discovered something even more interesting...”

Four Palaces Yanyue covered her mischievously smiling mouth, then suddenly called out again:

“Tianai!”

Sure enough, Qiong’s expression changed once more. The change was extremely subtle, but Qiong’s face was so pale that even the slightest blush was obvious. A moment later, her expression returned to normal.

“Tianai!”

Qiong’s face flushed again, then returned to normal.

“Tianai!”

Her face reddened, then settled back into its usual calm.

“Tianai!”

Her face reddened, then returned to normal.

“Tianai!”

Her face reddened, then returned to normal.

“Tianai!”

Her face reddened, then returned to normal.

“Yanyue, stop making fun of me...”

Qiong planted both hands on her hips and glared at Four Palaces Yanyue as though she were angry. Yet aside from the blush that kept appearing and disappearing, her face still showed no other emotion.

“Hahahaha... I’m sorry, I’m sorry! It just seemed far too amusing for a moment...”

Four Palaces Yanyue wiped tears from the corners of her eyes with one hand while clutching her aching stomach with the other.

“Honestly, Yanyue, stop laughing. You’re being so mean...”

“Sorry, sorry. But Qiong, you’re almost unbearably cute... If I were Tianai and had seen you looking like that just now, I would have pulled you into my arms, thrown you onto the bed, and pinned you beneath me. Then I’d play with your beautiful silver hair, kiss that flawless little face, and finally take off your clothes. First, I’d admire how pure-colored underwear looked against your snow-white skin, and then I’d ******, before finally *******.”

“...”

Qiong said nothing. She simply reached up from the bed, grabbed the body pillow Yanyue had just set aside, and buried her thoroughly flushed face in its softness.

Though Qiong’s skin was as white as snow, she was still a member of the dark world. Naturally, she understood such matters as well.

Just as Four Palaces Yanyue’s words grew more and more outrageous, and Qiong’s cheeks grew hotter and hotter, a knock suddenly sounded at the bedroom door.

Yanyue immediately shut her mouth. Qiong’s expression instantly returned to its usual blank state as well, and she placed the body pillow back on the bed. The two petite girls then settled into their original positions.

“Come in. The door isn’t locked,” Four Palaces Yanyue said after clearing her throat.

“I knew you’d be here the moment I guessed.”

The instant the words left his mouth, the bedroom door opened. Wes walked in from outside with a smile and addressed Four Palaces Yanyue. Then he noticed Qiong in the room and looked slightly surprised.

“Qiong, you’re here too?”

Wes—full name Wes Riley—was a piano prodigy renowned throughout the world. That was merely his public identity, however. His true identity was the Butterfly operative known by the codename King Swallowtail. With an S-plus strength rating, he was the fifth-ranked assassin in the world.

“Mm...”

Qiong merely nodded lightly without saying anything else.

“Hey, piano-playing bastard, from the way you put it, are you looking for me?”

Four Palaces Yanyue showed Wes no courtesy whatsoever and asked the question bluntly.

“...”

The corner of Wes’s mouth twitched.

This little girl was becoming more and more insolent toward an old veteran like him. She had gone from calling him “Senior Wes,” to simply “Wes,” and now to “piano-playing bastard.” Clearly, the Boss had spoiled her rotten, and she was becoming more lawless by the day.

“Ah... yes, twin-tailed old hag. I came to find you.”

Wes replied just as rudely. If she insisted on calling him a piano-playing bastard, he certainly could not allow himself to lose face.

“Who are you calling an old hag? I’m not even twenty!”

Four Palaces Yanyue’s twin ponytails seemed to bristle instantly. This was the first time anyone had dared call her an old hag.

“Besides, Tianai really likes my twin ponytails... Be careful, or I’ll call him and report you!”

“All right, all right, I surrender... I’d rather not have the Boss dock my year-end bonus over something like this.”

Wes had no desire to waste too much time bantering. He quickly waved his hands in surrender.

“Tch. Good. You’d better know your place!”

Four Palaces Yanyue spoke with the triumphant air of a victor.

“Otherwise, I’ll have Qiong report you to Tianai too! Oh, right, piano-playing bastard, what did you want with me?”

“The Boss sent me information on someone and asked me to investigate her.”

Wes took out his phone and tapped the screen a few times before continuing.

“But I have a bounty mission to carry out immediately, so I don’t have time. You investigate her for the Boss instead. Qiong happens to be here too, and for her, this should be a piece of cake.”

“Hey, hey, hey... Why would Tianai contact you instead of sending me a message?”

Four Palaces Yanyue complained at once, but obediently pulled out her own phone. After looking at the image Wes had sent her, her eyes widened. There was even a hint of jealousy in her voice.

“Tianai wants to investigate a woman? Why?”

She seemed eager to find someone with whom she could share her irritation, so Yanyue held the phone up in front of Qiong.

“Look, Qiong. Tianai actually wants to investigate another woman...”

“Mm...”

Qiong’s face remained expressionless, but her eyes honestly stayed fixed on the photograph displayed on Yanyue’s phone.

“It probably isn’t what you two think. The Boss doesn’t seem interested in this woman.”

Wes was already preparing to leave.

“All right, I’m heading out. Heh, that’s an A-rank bounty. Once you’ve finished investigating her, call the Boss yourselves.”

With that, the door to Xue Tianai’s bedroom closed once again.

“Qiong, I want to kill the woman in that photograph...”

Four Palaces Yanyue was still staring intently at the woman in the picture. The woman was leaning intimately against a man’s arm—and without a doubt, that arm belonged to Xue Tianai.

“Mm...”

Qiong nodded lightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.