Chapter 135: Reunion

“This is how it happened. Our police, only just brought Masashi back from the U.S. embassy,” Maeda Ryutaro began to slowly explain the reasons behind Masashi’s disappearance, after the emotional reunion.

“I can’t believe this happened,” Rumiko said sorrowfully, holding Masashi’s hand. Rumi, beside her, kept wiping away her tears.

Seeing how heartbroken they were, Lei Yin couldn’t help but feel guilty. He glanced at Maeda, noticing his expression mirrored his own.

Lei Yin’s explanation was simple. The gist of it was that he went to the U.S. to visit a friend he met online, but shortly after landing, he was involved in a car accident. He was taken to a local hospital, but due to severe blood loss, his brain wasn’t getting enough oxygen, which caused him to fall into a coma. He remained in a vegetative state for over a year. After the accident, his documents, wallet, and luggage were stolen, so the U.S. hospital was unable to verify his identity. It wasn’t until recently, when he miraculously woke up, that he was able to contact the U.S. embassy and safely return to Japan.

Although Rumiko and Rumi believed this explanation wholeheartedly, Lei Yin and Maeda knew there were many holes in the story. The biggest issue was that even without identification, Masashi’s clear Asian features would have made it obvious he was a tourist, and a quick check of the airport’s immigration records would have confirmed his identity immediately. There was no way his identity could have been unverified for so long. But Rumiko and Rumi didn’t understand the intricacies of police procedures, and as long as the explanation convinced them, that was enough. This was likely the end of it.

“Masashi, you must be exhausted. Go take a shower and rest,” Rumiko said, her voice finally calming down after a long time.

“Alright, Mom. You should rest too, and you too, Rumi,” Masashi replied. He was indeed tired. After overexerting himself with energy control last night and spending the entire night by Naoko’s bedside, he hadn’t slept at all. If Naoko hadn’t insisted he go rest, he probably would have stayed at the hospital longer.

“Senpai, I’ll prepare hot water for you,” Rumi said, getting up.

“Thank you,” Lei Yin smiled in response.

“No need to thank me,” the girl murmured, too shy to look him in the eye, then hurriedly ran to the bathroom.

Seeing Rumi’s shy behavior, Rumiko chuckled softly.

After his shower, Lei Yin felt much more refreshed.

As he passed Rumi’s room, he noticed the light was still on.

He knocked a few times, and Rumi’s familiar voice came from inside, “Come in.”

Opening the door, he saw Rumi sitting at her desk, a notebook laid open in front of her.

“Senpai,” she said, startled to see him, quickly closing the notebook on the desk.

Seeing her flustered, Lei Yin smiled as he walked over.

“Writing in your diary? Don’t worry, I won’t peek.”

Rumi’s face turned bright red.

Lei Yin pulled out a chair and sat down, watching the girl for a moment before saying, “Looks like the little girl has finally grown up.”

At these words, Rumi’s emotions surged, and tears uncontrollably spilled from her eyes.

“Senpai, I missed you.” Rumi could no longer hold back and suddenly threw herself into his arms, crying loudly.

“I’m sorry.” Apart from that, Lei Yin didn’t know what else to say.

The girl shook her head and said, “No, as long as Senpai… can come back, that’s enough.”

Lei Yin silently stroked her hair, which had grown much longer than it was a year ago.

After she calmed down a little, Lei Yin gently said, “I heard from Maeda that you’ve been busy preparing for the university entrance exams. It’s good that you’re studying hard, but you need to take care of your health, alright?”

“Mm.” The girl, lying in his arms, gently nodded.

Feeling her body growing more mature, Lei Yin thought it wasn’t appropriate to hold her like this, so he gently helped her sit up and wiped the tears from her face with his sleeve.

“Such a crybaby.” After wiping away the tears, Lei Yin smiled and pinched her nose.

The girl stared at his smiling face, mesmerized.

“Alright, get some rest.” Lei Yin stood up.

Following him to the door, the girl looked up at him and, with a hint of longing in her eyes, asked, “Senpai, will I see you again tomorrow?”

“Silly girl, once I come back, I won’t leave again. You’ll be able to see me every day from now on.” He ruffled her hair and smiled as he left the room.

“Senpai, good night.” The girl, standing at the door, smiled through her tears.

※※※

“Lei, when can I be discharged?” Naoko, enjoying the feeling of her lover gently stroking her hair like a cat, softly asked.

“I asked the doctor. As long as they observe you for another week, you can be discharged. But after you leave the hospital, you need to rest strictly and take your medicine on time. Can you be patient for a few more days?” Lei Yin reassured her.

“Mm.” Naoko closed her eyes in response.

Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and raised her head to ask, “Lei, will you continue your studies?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I just suddenly thought of it. I heard that your sister is in her first year at Teikyo University.” Naoko answered.

“Do you think there’s any need for me to continue studying?”

Naoko thought for a while and then shook her head helplessly.

When it came to knowledge, she hadn’t met anyone who could match him. As for wealth, the huge sum he had deposited into her account a year ago said it all. What university student could achieve what he had?

“Tell me, you actually want me to continue studying, right?” Lei Yin asked.

Looking into his eyes, Naoko nodded.

She rested her head back on his chest and softly said, “I know that with your knowledge, you don’t really need to keep studying, but it seems a bit of a waste. There, you’ll meet many people and make more friends.”

“Please, don’t treat me like someone with autism. I know enough people, it’s just that not many are good.” Speaking of autism, he suddenly thought of that little devil, Amy, and wondered how she was doing now.

Hearing his words, Naoko couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ll think about your suggestion. But more than that, there’s something else that’s bothering me.”

“What is it?” Naoko asked curiously.

“With your condition, you might need some time to fully recover. But you know, I’m a healthy, normal man, and the pain of seeing but not being able to eat is unbearable. Naoko, you need to get better soon,” Lei Yin said, lowering his head and gently biting her ear.

“You bad guy…” Naoko blushed deeply and shrank into his embrace.

Perhaps it was the combination of their long separation and the fact they were just reunited, but seeing her so irresistibly shy, Lei Yin immediately had a strong reaction.

Naoko, pressed tightly against him, sensed the change in his body and trembled like a frightened little animal.

Knowing her heart couldn’t take too much stimulation right now, Lei Yin dared not tease her anymore and remained still, holding her.

At that moment, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Naoko, startled, quickly pulled away from Lei Yin’s embrace and hurriedly adjusted her clothes, which were not very disordered.

She glanced at him shyly before calling out towards the door, “Come in.”

A young nurse entered. Lei Yin thought she was here to take Naoko’s temperature or something, so he stepped aside.

However, the nurse spoke to Lei Yin, “Excuse me, are you Mr. Gennai Masashi?”

“I am. What is it?” Lei Yin was a little surprised.

“There are several gentlemen outside who say they need to speak with you. They are waiting in the hallway,” the nurse replied.

“Thank you. Naoko, I’ll be right back.” Lei Yin turned to Naoko.

“Lei, come back quickly.” Concern flashed in Naoko’s eyes.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” He kissed her forehead before leaving the room.

Naoko watched him leave, feeling a little uneasy.

※※※

In the hallway, Lei Yin saw the men who were looking for him.

It was them. Lei Yin smiled faintly at the corner of his mouth.

One of the men was about to speak, but Lei Yin raised his hand to stop him.

“Let’s talk on the rooftop.” After saying that, he led the way towards the rooftop.

The men immediately followed behind him.

Once on the rooftop, four men in black suits quickly closed the door to the rooftop and stood guard there.

Two other men walked toward the edge of the rooftop. One of them took off his sunglasses and suddenly knelt before Lei Yin, hugging his legs and shouting loudly, “Master!”

Chang’an also trembled and took off his hat.

“Master, we’ve finally found you.”

Taking a deep breath, Lei Yin calmed the excitement in his heart and casually pulled Lei Li up.

“Master, I thought you had…” Lei Li cried like a child.

“I didn’t expect to see you all again either,” Lei Yin said, deeply moved.

“Master, why did you take so long to find us? I really missed you. If it weren’t for receiving a call from Akamatsu Ryuichiro, I wouldn’t have known you were back.” Lei Li finally managed to stop his tears.

“It’s not that I didn’t want to find you, but I couldn’t,” Lei Yin sighed as he spoke.

Neither Chang’an nor Lei Li made a sound, waiting for his next words.

“In the last battle, I used a power I shouldn’t have. Although I successfully killed many people, my body was nearly destroyed by that power. Later, for some unknown reason, I didn’t die, but instead washed up on a fishing village near Boston. I was lucky enough to be saved by someone.

Although I survived, my meridians were shattered by that power, and I was bedridden for over a year. The most critical part was that my brain was severely damaged, and I lost all of my memories. It wasn’t until six months ago that I started to recover my memories, and then I was able to cultivate and repair my damaged meridians one by one. Half a month ago, I finally repaired all my meridians and returned to Japan.”

Hearing his story, both Chang’an and Lei Li’s expressions shifted constantly.

“Master, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault,” Lei Li said after a long silence, his voice heavy with regret.

Lei Yin glanced at him and scratched his chin. “Do you remember what I said last time? That once you’re out, I’m going to give you a good scolding to ease your guilty conscience. Come on, let’s have a proper bonding moment, master and disciple.” With that, Lei Yin dragged him to the other side of the rooftop.

“Master… please, no…” Lei Li called out, being dragged along.

Lei Yin ignored him and continued pulling him into a corner.

“Ah, master, please don’t slap my face!” Soon, Lei Li’s screams echoed from the corner.

Chang’an smiled without speaking, while the four men guarding the door exchanged strange looks.

Ten minutes later, Lei Li, his face swollen and looking like a pig’s head, miserably walked back to Lei Yin.

“Master, you went too far! How am I supposed to face people like this?” Lei Li touched his face, a drop of greenish tear rolling from the corner of his eye.

“This is to give you a chance to stay at home and reflect, so you stop running around all the time.” Lei Yin shot him a glare.

Lei Li immediately fell silent.

“My lord, you’ve worked hard,” Chang’an said with a smile.

“It’s fine. This brat’s not much use, but he’s tough, so he feels pretty good to hit,” Lei Yin replied casually.

Lei Li could only smile wryly at Chang’an’s teasing. However, after being thoroughly beaten by his master, he actually felt a lot better. Could it be that he has masochistic tendencies?

“Master, how could you lose your memory if you were just possessing this kid’s body?” After a while, Lei Li asked a question.

Lei Yin glanced at him, leaning against the railing. “Do you know why people get angry? It’s because the brain gets stimulated, causing an increase in adrenaline. Simply put, much of human emotion, desires, and feelings are influenced by physiology. Even though I’m a spirit, when I possess a body, it’s not just controlling it but fusing with it. If the body I’m possessing is severely brain damaged, like an idiot, then, until that body is destroyed, I’m stuck in that idiot’s body too. So, if my current body suffers brain damage, memory loss is completely normal. In a spirit form, without physical influence, I am in a state of desirelessness, what Buddhists call ‘no self, no form.'”

“Thank goodness, you’re finally back, Master,” Lei Li sighed in relief.

“You guys are too obvious when you come looking for me. I’ll come to find you tonight,” Lei Yin said.

“My lord, we’ll discuss things in detail tonight. Here are your phone and ID,” Chang’an handed him a bundle of items.

Lei Yin took the package without a second thought. During missions, personal belongings weren’t allowed in case they were lost or traced back, so everything was kept with Chang’an.

“Master, we’ll head out now,” Lei Li said.

“I’ll call you tonight,” Lei Yin nodded.

After they left, Lei Yin returned to the hospital room.

Seeing Lei Yin return unharmed, Naoko was overjoyed.

“I told you I’d be back soon. You worry too much,” Lei Yin gently touched her face.

“Lei, I was really scared,” Naoko’s eyes shimmered with tears.

“I’ll never leave you again,” Lei Yin leaned down and kissed her cherry lips.

Feeling that familiar warmth again, Naoko responded gently, tears still flowing down her face.