Chapter 591 - 188: Elodie: "Mr. Tachibana! Please Take Me as Your Disciple!

Chapter 591: Chapter 188: Elodie: "Mr. Tachibana! Please Take Me as Your Disciple!

Arima turned his head to look at the sky outside the nearby window.

"Judging by the time, they should be arriving soon."

Tap, tap, tap, tap...

Footsteps approached Aoto’s hospital room from the direction of the corridor once again.

However, compared to the footsteps of Arima and the others from before, these footsteps had a noticeable difference.

Among these footsteps, one was particularly light.

Like the footsteps of a child.

—Could it be...?

Aoto’s eyes widened slightly... he vaguely guessed who had come this time.

The scene that came into Aoto’s view soon confirmed his guess.

Knock, knock, knock—A deep male voice accompanied the knocking: "Lord Inagawa, it’s me. I have brought them here."

"Hmm." Inagawa turned his head to look at the closed door, "Let them in."

The door opened the moment after Inagawa’s words were spoken.

The person who pushed open the door was a muscular man. Aoto recognized him; he was an undercover informant under Inagawa’s command.

This informant did not enter the room. After opening the door, he stepped aside to reveal the three people standing behind him.

The size difference among these three was quite significant, creating a strangely comedic effect when they stood together.

One was an extremely fat, round man with a huge belly pushing the clothes on his upper body forward.

Another was a small, slender girl.

The last was a woman of ordinary height and build.

They were all wearing the kind of kimonos you could find anywhere in the market, with hats so wide-brimmed you couldn’t see their faces.

No need to look at their faces... just by their physiques, Aoto recognized who they were.

Aoto’s eyes widened a bit more in surprise, and before he could greet them, the little girl took off her hat with bright blonde hair and gem-like sky-blue eyes, excitedly calling Aoto’s name as she rushed to his side with small steps:

"Mr. Tachibana!"

It was Elodie.

...

...

"Mr. Tachibana... You saved our family yet again..."

Anthony, sitting respectfully by Aoto’s bedside in an unaccustomed kneeling position, took a deep breath with a surge of emotion.

Having narrowly escaped death once again and being rescued by Aoto once more... Anthony’s gratitude towards Aoto was beyond words.

"Truly... thank you very much..."

Anthony placed his hands on the ground in a respectful manner, bowing deeply to Aoto.

"Mr. Tachibana, thank you..." Elodie’s voice of gratitude followed Anthony’s.

Elodie and Leroy, sitting on Anthony’s left and right, also bowed down, expressing their thanks to Aoto with deep respect and gratitude.

Earlier, after reuniting with Aoto in the hospital room, Anthony first inquired about Aoto’s physical condition, then shamefacedly apologized, saying, "It was truly wrong of us to take so long to visit the hero who saved our family twice."

According to Anthony, he had wanted to visit Aoto as soon as he learned Aoto was hospitalized at Ren Medical Hall.

However, the settlement had been severely damaged in the attack; although their home was fortunate enough to avoid the fire, there were still many chores that required attention.

Their foreign identity made it difficult to move around confidently outside the settlement, so it was best to ask for help from the officials to safely visit Ren Medical Hall.

Thus, one thing led to another, and it wasn’t until today that Elodie’s family finally found the time and opportunity to visit Aoto.

In response to Anthony’s apology, Aoto simply smiled casually, indicating: It’s all right, I understand. There’s no need to apologize for trivial things like this.

Visiting time and duration... These insignificant matters did not concern Aoto at all.

After apologizing, Anthony entered a prolonged "thanking phase."

Aoto was not good at handling gratitude from others.

Whenever someone thanked him truly and sincerely, Aoto felt at a loss, unsure of what to say or do.

In such situations, Aoto’s usual tactic was to squeeze out a smile, saying things like "No need for formalities," "I only did what I should do," or "There’s no need to thank me for such trifles."

At this moment, Aoto resorted to his "three axe handle" strategy to respond to the gratitude from Elodie’s family.

Elodie’s family kept thanking Aoto, while Aoto continuously said, "No need for formalities"... Both sides engaged in this intense "tug-of-war."

Finally — this "tug-of-war" came to a halt at just the right moment.

Having properly thanked their savior this time... Anthony let out a satisfied sigh, showing a relieved expression.

Aoto also shared the same expression of relief, no longer having to deal with thanks from others, which he was not good at.

Aoto wanted to ask about Elodie’s family’s recent situation, so he cleared his throat:

"Mr. Angoulême, you... huh? Miss Angoulême, what’s wrong? Why do you look so strange?"