Chapter 581: Li Mochou’s Growth

Doujin Artist: “Impressive enough”?

Eriri’s expression went blank; she didn’t quite understand why Konan would offer such a verdict.

By any reasonable measure, Jiraiya’s present level of awareness clearly fell far short of her standard. How could that possibly be called impressive?

Amegakure Village’s Angel: It truly is impressive, because Jiraiya isn’t one of the people gathered in this group. In Amegakure Village he’s only undergone preliminary ideological and labor reeducation. He’s never systematically studied the theories of our various mentors, the way all of us have.

Lazy Kitten: That’s true. Without systematic study of theory, anyone groping their way forward alone is bound to take detours.

Curly-haired Guy: Hmph. And the result of taking detours is smacking into walls.

This is an Actor: Sometimes, smacking into walls is a good thing. If you’ve never walked a road, how can you genuinely believe it leads nowhere? The remaking of society is itself a process of endless trial and error. As long as one’s stance with the masses stays firm, one will always arrive, in the end, on the side of the correct road.

Amegakure Village’s Angel: Exactly, that’s precisely how I see it. That’s why I say he’s already done well.

Doujin Artist: Mm-hm. Compared with certain people in our group, he certainly has done well. Some people can’t even be bothered to glance at the truth when it’s laid right in front of them.

Curly-haired Guy: ? Who’s so lazy? I’ve got it, it must be Wig!

Skirt-Flipping Maniac: And you’ve got the nerve to say that, Gin-san? Eriri-chan was clearly pointing at you, and you go blaming poor Mr. Wig.

Wig Guy: Not wig, Katsura!

Curly-haired Guy: Rubbish! Gin-san is no layabout!

Doujin Artist: Oh? Then how much of the study material Anzen-san uploaded to the group have you actually read, hmm? Have you even finished the Manifesto?

Curly-haired Guy: Ahem, well… I just saw a chubby old auntie fall into a sewer. Got to go rescue her. Talk later.

Doujin Artist: Pfft, falling into a sewer, of all things!

Machete Girl: Gin-san, could your topic changes at least be a LITTLE plausible? Even if such a thing were happening, you, Gin-san, would never trouble yourself to rescue a chubby old aunt!

Katsura Kotonoha heaved a deep sigh. This Sakata Gintoki, did he honestly take them for idiots?

“Satellite link is connected.” Janet, who had been crouching by the fire in the cave, spoke up suddenly, pulling Katsura Kotonoha’s attention over. “The settlement is still about eight hundred meters away, just across the river.”

Across the river, then?

Katsura Kotonoha gazed into the distance, but between the pouring rain, all she could see was a wall of hazy mist. She withdrew her gaze, and her eyes turned back to Janet, her expression wavering.

Pressing onward in these conditions was, by every measure, a dangerous thing to do.

The battle nun wasn’t like her; she was still only human, easily made sick by a soaking in the rain. And no one could say what sort of battle awaited them inside that settlement.

“I know I may only drag you down, but I want to go on.” Janet had seemingly read her thoughts, her eyes firm.

She didn’t want to keep running away, and she didn’t want to give up halfway.

The psychological scars from her last entry into that settlement were far too deep. If she couldn’t face them this time, she would probably never be able to hold her head up again for the rest of her life.

“All right.” Katsura Kotonoha nodded, stepped forward, and took hold of Janet’s arm. “But we’re changing how we travel.”

Curly-haired Guy: Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? In your eyes, is Gin-san really some utterly cold-blooded man?

Skirt-Flipping Maniac: Cold-blooded? No. Filth-minded? Certainly. We all believe you’d rescue a chubby old aunt, mind you, but never with this much urgency. The only thing that could send you rushing to a rescue like this is definitely a beauty.

Saten Ruiko spoke with complete conviction; this girl seemed to have seen straight through Sakata Gintoki’s character long ago.

Awooo.

Message sent, she bit into the burrito in her hand, and her eyes lit up. “Oho, this one’s good!”

“Right?” Beside her, Uiharu Kazari looked rather smug as she smiled. “That’s the fruit of rich experience gathered from tasting burritos at over a dozen shops! Hmm? Isn’t that Misaka-san over there?”

Ruiko followed Kazari’s gaze and saw Misaka Mikoto standing at the mouth of an alley around the corner, staring dead at her.

Uh-oh.

Saten Ruiko’s heart lurched, her expression turning sheepish. After a quick apology to Kazari and a wave off as the girl returned to the dorm, Ruiko drew a breath and walked slowly toward Misaka Mikoto.

Running from this situation would be useless. What was coming would come, sooner or later.

Scarlet Lotus Fairy: The world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer has been put fully back on track. I’m planning to jump through again and keep trying.

Lazy Kitten: Holy, has the Great Ming Dynasty already been toppled?

Doujin Artist: Already? That pace is terrifying, isn’t it?

Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Not entirely toppled yet, but the masses across the whole country have been organized. The next stage I can leave to Ren Yingying and Fei Yan, I’m no longer needed there.

Amegakure Village’s Angel: And Mochou is planning to become a hands-off shopkeeper, is she?

Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Mm. I’ve said all there is to say, and the systems and policies have all been drafted. I’ve left behind two modern weapons production lines as well. If even that can’t bring down this rotten feudal state, then it only means the people’s consciousness is still far from awakened. But that’s no longer my concern. I’ll leave it to the laws of history in that world to develop on their own.

Lazy Kitten: Ah… this. Doesn’t that conflict with our goal of liberating all dimensions, though?

Scarlet Lotus Fairy: I don’t believe it does. Liberation is the goal, certainly, but I don’t believe we need to achieve it in one leap, from the root up. Even if Ren Yingying and Fei Yan’s revolution fails this time, they can still distill the experience and lessons, keep the embers alive, and wait for the next opportunity to arrive.

Doujin Artist: Ohh, right! The goal is the same goal, but there’s more than one way to complete a goal, isn’t there?

Machete Girl: Learned something. I see I’ve been a blockhead all this time.

Amegakure Village’s Angel: Impressive, Mochou! This time, you’ve walked ahead of all of us!

Scarlet Lotus Fairy: Perfectly ordinary. I merely used a few clever shortcuts.

That’s what she said, but inside, Li Mochou was quietly delighted. This group was like a family, and to be recognized by her family now, how could she not be happy?

Curly-haired Guy: Damn, Anzen-style flexing! For that move alone I’ll give you a 6-6-6, fair and square!