FI CH 30

Chapter 30: Sentinel-Guide Prohibition (III)

Bai Hua had a very restful sleep and felt much better in spirit. However, when he woke up and saw Kurosawa’s face so close to his, he got startled. He froze for a moment before realizing he was still in his room. As the memories of last night came flooding back, he couldn’t help but feel terribly embarrassed.

Kurosawa was already awake and even had the mood to tease him, “Awake? Didn’t lose your memory, did you?”

“Mm.”

“Then can you let go now?” Kurosawa moved his arm slightly.

Only then did Bai Hua notice that he had been clinging tightly to Kurosawa’s arm. He quickly let go.

Kurosawa sat up. Since his pajamas had been torn apart by Bai Hua the night before, he simply didn’t bother wearing a top. Bai Hua’s gaze was naturally drawn to Kurosawa’s bare back—the stretch from the shoulder blades down to his slender waist was the sexiest line. He couldn’t help but let his eyes trail lower, fixating on his buttocks and wondering what it might feel like to touch them. He recalled the sensation of Kurosawa’s skin under his hand the previous night…

Kurosawa walked over to the wardrobe, apparently intending to change, unfazed by Bai Hua’s presence. “Do you have a habit of cuddling people in your sleep?”

Bai Hua snapped out of his daze at that remark and quickly averted his gaze. “No.”

Then he felt like his reaction had been too obvious. In the past, he wouldn’t have cared about something like this, but now he could no longer treat Kurosawa with the same indifference. He had, indeed, developed feelings. He knew he should leave, but doing so at this moment would feel like running away.

Bai Hua had never agonized over something like this before, yet somehow this kind of dilemma now felt terribly foolish.

Not knowing what to do, he simply endured the awkward atmosphere and kept sneaking glances in Kurosawa’s direction. Finally, when Kurosawa finished getting dressed, Bai Hua said, “I’ll be going now.”

Kurosawa didn’t turn around, only let out a quiet “mm.”

As Bai Hua left the room, Kurosawa caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye of a fluffy little creature trailing behind Bai Hua—it was his spirit animal.

Lately, Bai Hua’s spirit animal had been appearing far too frequently. Kurosawa was now almost certain—Bai Hua had fallen for him.

After that night, Bai Hua’s mood no longer seemed as gloomy as before. Perhaps he had come to terms with things, or maybe he’d realized that forcing himself when the timing wasn’t right was completely meaningless.

He still paid attention to Lin Yuan’s every move, only now with a calmer, more composed mindset.

A week later, the Sentinel-Guide Association developed a temporary vaccine that could suppress the emotional instability, and the situation gradually began to stabilize. At the same time, they received intelligence from the Southwest Division claiming they had located Lin Yuan and his group’s base of operations.

Having learned from past experience, the Sentinel and Guide Guilds were far more cautious this time. Yet, after deliberation, they decided to send a small team to scout out the area.

Since Bai Hua was still under restriction and unable to take on missions, and An Shi remained in the hospital for observation due to the virus, the responsibility of this mission fell to the second-ranking sentinel—He He.

If it had been any other mission, Bai Hua might not have been too worried. But because the enemy was Lin Yuan, he knew all too well how dangerous this mission was. After some hesitation, he couldn’t help but call He He to warn him.

He He merely said, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

Bai Hua tried to say more, but He He interrupted, “This mission can’t be declined. You know that. It’s just a reconnaissance—I’ll be back soon.”

But He He never returned.

Their entire team lost contact upon landing—just like what had happened to Bai Hua and the others back in the rainforest.

The emotional calm Bai Hua had so painstakingly maintained was once again disturbed by this looming sense of dread.

Kurosawa, noticing Bai Hua’s growing agitation over the past few days, asked, “You’re worried about him?”

“He’s a good friend of mine,” Bai Hua said with a frown, then sighed, “He basically went in my place.”

Kurosawa looked at him for a long moment, then suddenly asked, “Do you want to go?”

“Hm?”

“To rescue him,” Kurosawa said. “No matter what obstacles you face?”

Bai Hua almost didn’t even hesitate and immediately replied, “Yes.”

Kurosawa nodded. “Okay.”

After saying that single word, Kurosawa didn’t say anything more. Bai Hua couldn’t figure out what he meant, but he didn’t press the issue either.

That question, however, was answered the very next day.

Somehow, Kurosawa managed to get in touch with high-ranking officers in the Allied Forces and emphasized how dangerous Lin Yuan truly was, including what they’d seen in the battlefield memory. He never explicitly stated that Lin Yuan was a dark sentinel and even concealed the truth behind Feng Xu’s death—he only objectively recounted what they had witnessed. Kurosawa didn’t enjoy exposing others’ dirty secrets, but during the conversation, he suddenly realized—Lin Yuan’s identity as a dark sentinel, though classified, wasn’t entirely unknown. In fact, it was likely deliberately covered up by certain parties.

A thought struck him—why not use this information as a bargaining chip to obtain permission for a rescue mission?

The request was approved quickly.

The Sentinel and Guide Guilds didn’t raise much objection. The Sentinel-Guide Association, on the other hand, reacted strongly. A group of people stormed into Bai Hua and Kurosawa’s residence, trying to persuade and pressure them into backing down.

Bai Hua was startled by the commotion at first, then realized what Kurosawa had done.

Kurosawa glanced at the group and said with a firmer tone than usual, “If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility.”

Kurosawa had always left a good impression—calm and reliable. No one had ever seen him speak in such a forceful way before, and for a moment, they didn’t know how to respond.

One person, perhaps speaking without thinking, blurted out, “And how exactly are you going to take responsibility?”

Kurosawa looked at Bai Hua, then turned to the others and said, “We’ll bond.”

Bai Hua froze. Even if bonding was a natural thing between sentinels and guides, having it discussed so publicly was still embarrassing. But he understood why Kurosawa had said it—he did it for him.

A few people started murmuring on the side:

“It’s not just about that…”

“But this… this is too risky…”

“What if something happens during the mission…”

Kurosawa cut them off. “Aside from the fact that the location might be a bit more exposed, I don’t see why we wouldn’t be able to protect ourselves.”

That line nearly made everyone’s jaws drop.

Was he implying that if necessary… they would have outdoor bonding?

Kurosawa continued, “If Bai Hua and I don’t go, do you have anyone better?”

That final line silenced everyone. It was a brutal truth. A recent enemy attack and the virus outbreak had left both guilds severely weakened—they couldn’t spare more capable personnel. And if the rescue team sent wasn’t strong enough and got trapped instead, it would only make things worse.

In the end, even though the Sentinel-Guide Association didn’t approve, the matter was settled.

Once those people left, Bai Hua looked at Kurosawa. “That… was the difficulty you were talking about?”

Kurosawa chuckled. “Well, I already said it. I can’t take it back now.”

(To be continued…)