Vir, at this mont, deeply understood what it ant to be so embarrassed that you’d make yourself look busy just to cope.
After a flurry of pointless activity, he simply gave up.
Why stand here and suffer?
Just leave!
He had to leave!
First, he had to escape those two piercing gazes!
"Alright! Shirahoshi has turned human now, so you don’t need to worry. With protecting her, no one can harm her. Once she recovers, I’ll bring her back."
With that, Vir stepped forward and took Shirahoshi’s hand.
Shirahoshi imdiately lowered her head, blushing like a newlywed bride.
Vir’s vision went dark for a mont.
Great, now it’s official, huh? Forget being called the Deceptive Doctor Vir—I might as well be Pervert King from now on.
As expected, King Neptune, who had still been sowhat skeptical, saw this scene and imdiately changed his expression.
Shirahoshi’s reaction was impossible to fake.
That girl had never been able to lie, even as a child.
Neptune had no objections to this match—whether as a king or a father, Vir was an excellent choice. And judging by Shirahoshi’s reaction, she seed to like him too.
What? How could he tell?
Neptune: The wisdom of experience.
But the only issue was... she was still too young.
After a brief hesitation and so careful phrasing, Neptune looked at Vir with utmost seriousness.
"Dr. Vir, if you truly have feelings for our Shirahoshi... perhaps you could wait a few more years? She’s still young, and I... have so concerns."
Neptune’s words sent Vir into instant overheating and ntal collapse.
anwhile, Shirahoshi was so embarrassed she looked like she wanted to vanish into the ground.
Vir’s eye twitched violently.
I’m really just here to treat her! Really!
Stop misunderstanding !!
I’m not here to court anyone!
"Indeed, Brother Vir, Shirahoshi is still too young." Jinbe added solemnly.
"I know young n have... strong urges, but she’s still a child. It’s better to wait."
Jinbe’s words were the final straw.
Vir refused to stay a second longer!
Grabbing Shirahoshi’s hand, he opened a portal and vanished on the spot.
He couldn’t take it anymore!
As soon as he left, Neptune and Jinbe exchanged resigned sighs.
"That man, Vir... he’s bound to beco an Yonko one day. If he were to marry into the royal family, Fish-Man Island’s rise would be within reach. But his personality... is a bit impatient." Neptune mused, staring at the empty space where they had stood.
Jinbe patted his thigh reassuringly.
"Don’t worry. Brother Vir isn’t that kind of man—I know him well enough."
Neptune imdiately turned to him.
"Then why did you...?"
"That was just a test. He truly has no ulterior motives toward Shirahoshi. But he must have seen sothing in her."
"This could be a good sign. Perhaps this is the opportunity Fish-Man Island has been waiting for—a chance to return to the surface!"
Jinbe’s expression grew solemn.
Peaceful coexistence between fish-n and humans had long been the dream of Fish-Man Island’s people.
And now, that dream might actually co true in the near future—all because of Shirahoshi!
---
Sea Forest.
A lush green adow.
Vir and Shirahoshi appeared out of thin air.
Wiping imaginary sweat from his brow, Vir sighed in exasperation.
What the hell?!
What ’concerns’?! What ’strong urges’?!
Urges my ass!
But now that he was free of those two, he regained control of the situation.
Glancing at Shirahoshi, who was still acting like an ostrich with her head buried, he let go of her hand and spoke bluntly:
"Look where we are, little ostrich!"
Shirahoshi flinched at his words.
She was still lost in the implications of Neptune’s earlier remarks—
She was still too young...
Wait a few more years...
Vir likes her...
All of it was a devastating blow to her innocent heart.
At fourteen, she wasn’t ignorant of such things.
But... did Vir-sama really like her? Why would her father say that?
Even Jinbe-sama had agreed.
Could it really be as they said?
Shirahoshi didn’t know. But her mother, Queen Otohi, had once told her that a girl’s body should never be seen by a man—only her future husband.
So... if Vir-sama had seen her... did that an...?
Lost in her spiraling thoughts, Shirahoshi only snapped back to reality when Vir called her again.
She looked up slowly.
Grass. Trees. Forest. Land.
Fresh air.
Everything felt familiar.
Had she been here before?
Before she could recall, Vir answered for her.
"This is the Sea Forest. We’ll head to the surface soon, but you can say goodbye to your mother first."
His gentle voice unlocked a flood of childhood mories.
Before her confinent, Shirahoshi had often played here with her brothers.
After Queen Otohi’s death, they had also co here to pay their respects.
Now, the scenery overlapped with her mories, and nostalgia washed over her.
Staring at the place she had only ever dread of revisiting, Shirahoshi’s lips trembled.
Tears welled up, but she held them back.
After whispering a soft "thank you" to Vir, she clumsily maneuvered her unfamiliar legs toward Queen Otohi’s grave.
Vir followed a few steps behind, silently observing.
Soon, they arrived before an ornate tombstone.
Shirahoshi reached out and gently touched the engraved stone.
Vir stood by, watching—
When suddenly, a system notification echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You’ve earned 100,000 negative points!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You’ve earned 30,000 negative points!]
Vir: "...?"
Huh? Who’s providing these? Shirahoshi? Impossible—she shouldn’t be generating strong negative emotions right now.
And her strength isn’t high enough to yield 10,000 points anyway.
Most importantly... two notifications at once?
...Could it be Jina?
Has my ’good hand’ already started taking effect?
-----
Read 50 advanced Chapters on my P@treon.
/KakuzuTL
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