Anime Crossover: My Part-Time Job as a Giant of Light While Studying Abroad in Chiba

hum-

My phone vibrated, and the caller ID read: "Sister".

"..."

"...Hey, sister."

"Hello~ Yukino! Are you hurt?" Yukinoshita Haruno's teasing voice came through the receiver. "I heard the window in your building broke? Did you cry?"

"You're not disappointed," Yukinoshita retorted calmly.

"How indifferent. It's good that you're not hurt." Yang Nai smiled. "However, this incident has indeed caused quite a stir. That giant... even Mother is paying attention to it."

"Mother?"

"Yes. After all, it was an unknown force. Although it was too dark to see clearly at the time, its destructive power was real."

Yukino's voice held a hint of amusement: "Yukino, as a witness, did you see anything interesting? Like... where did that giant come from?"

"...There was a power outage at the time, it was pitch black outside, and it was raining heavily."

Yukinoshita answered calmly, the blurry, glowing figure in her mind, "...I only saw a light, I couldn't see anything else clearly."

"Is that so? What a pity. Well then, let's leave it at that. Is there anything you'd like to say to your older sister, Yukino?"

Unfortunately, no.

"How cold! You should be warmer to your older sister! Anyway, it's been chaotic outside these days, so try to stay home. Bye~"

hang up the phone.

Yukino breathed a slight sigh of relief. She hadn't really seen it clearly; the giant's figure was too blurry in the downpour. But for some reason, she didn't feel that the giant was a threat. That warm light... felt more like protection.

She looked down at the kitten in her arms: "...I hope that giant is on our side."

The phone beeped again, and Yukino glanced at it.

[Hachiman Hikigaya sent you a message.]

After tapping the screen a few times, Yukino Yukinoshita took a deep breath, stood up, and put the kitten into the carrier.

She gently knelt down, her long, smooth hair cascading over her shoulders. She stroked the kitten's head, and the kitten gently rubbed against her palm.

Yukinoshita felt a warmth in her heart and said softly, "Han-chan, be good at home and wait for me to come back."

…………

Right after seeing Hikigaya off, Hong Kai showed Duan Zilian what the extraordinary execution ability of a ronin is.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Be gentle! That's my face!"

From the dimly lit basement came Duan Zilian's pig-like screams.

This place was originally a warehouse used to store coffee beans and old tables and chairs. Now, a space has been temporarily cleared out, a few yoga mats have been laid out, and it has become Duan Zilian's hellish training ground.

Will the enemy avoid your face on the battlefield?

Hong Kai held a rolled-up newspaper in his hand, moving with lightning speed.

*Smack!* The newspaper struck Duan Zilian precisely on the forearm as she tried to block it.

"Too slow!" Hong Kai didn't even move a step, still looking lazy.

“Your movements were full of openings. If that attack had been a monster’s tail, you would be rolling on the ground right now.”

"I'm just a high school student who's practiced Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) for a few days!"

Duan Zilian clutched her arm, wincing in pain.

He retorted, "Besides, uncle, that's not even human speed! You're cheating!"

"I didn't use the power of light, it was just pure physical skill."

Hong Kai shrugged: "If you can't even touch me in my normal state, how are you going to fight those monsters weighing tens of thousands of tons after transforming? Are you going to take all the ultimate attacks with your face?"

“…Damn it.” Duan Zilian gritted his teeth and assumed a fighting stance again. Although he complained, there was no sign of backing down in his eyes. Having experienced despair, he understood the importance of power better than anyone else.

"Again!" Duan Zilian roared and charged forward.

Slap! Slap! Slap! The sound of newspapers whipping flesh and Duan Zilian's screams echoed in the basement.

Sitting on the box next to her, Mirai held a cup of hot tea and watched the scene with a smile: "Keep it up, Duan-kun! That sidestep you did was an improvement!"

"Kaisang, be careful not to hurt him. He needs to watch the shop tonight."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Hong Kai casually waved his hand, and the newspaper stopped like a sword a centimeter in front of Duan Zilian's nose, just like an elegant swordsman completing the final blow: "Alright, ten-minute break."

Duan Zilian collapsed onto the yoga mat, panting heavily, her T-shirt soaked with sweat.

"...This isn't special training, it's torture."

"This is so that you can live."

Hong Kai tossed him a bottle of water: "By the way, was someone ringing the doorbell upstairs just now?"

"Doorbell?" Duan Zilian was stunned for a moment. She had been beaten so badly that she hadn't heard it at all.

"I'll go take a look." Future put down her teacup and ran up the stairs.

A moment later, Future's voice came from the stairwell: "Duan-kun—! Someone's looking for you! It's a very pretty girl!"

"A girl?" Duan Zilian got up from the ground, looking completely bewildered. Who would come looking for him at a time like this?

He wiped his sweat and dragged his aching body up the stairs.

Pushing open the door leading to the first-floor shop, the afternoon sun shone into the coffee shop, and a young girl sat at the table by the window.

Her long black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and she wore a white beret, a blue knit sweater over a white shirt, looking both clean and dignified.

She gazed quietly out the window, sunlight streaming onto her face; the scene was as beautiful as a painting.

Yukinoshita Yukino.

Duan Zilian was stunned, and his heart inexplicably beat faster.

Duan Zilian subconsciously looked down at herself: she was covered in sweat, her hair was a mess, and there were red marks on her arms from being whipped earlier. Her appearance was... simply awful.

"...Uh, Yukinoshita?" Duan Zilian called out tentatively.

Yukino Yukinoshita turned her head and looked at him. Her cold eyes swept over him, and her brows furrowed slightly.

"...It seems that Hikigaya-kun's information was accurate."

Yukinoshita's tone was indifferent, as if expressing dissatisfaction: "You are indeed still alive, and it seems... you are living quite intensely."

"fierce?"

Duan Zilian scratched her head awkwardly, "Ah, I was moving things in the basement just now, and I'm a little tired."

"Moving things can cause injuries?" Yukinoshita's gaze lingered on the red marks on his arm. "Is this store abusing its employees? If so, I can help you contact the Labor Standards Inspection Agency."

"No, no, no! This... I bumped into it by accident!" Duan Zilian quickly waved her hands. "Um, what brings you here?"

"It's on my way." Yukinoshita picked up a paper bag from the chair next to her and handed it over.

"I heard your apartment was destroyed and most of your belongings are gone. Here are some extra reference books and notes I bought before. I don't know if you're smart enough to understand them, but losing them is always a hassle."

Duan Zilian took the paper bag; it was heavy.

Upon opening it, I found not only review materials for various subjects, but also several boxes of high-quality liniments for sprains and bruises.

"...What is this?" Duan Zilian took out the box of ointment.

“That was a free gift.” Yukinoshita turned her head and looked out the window. “It was a free gift from the pharmacy during a promotion. I don’t need it anyway, and it would be a waste to throw it away. I might as well give it to some primitive creature that looks like it could fall apart at any moment.”

Tsundere, truly textbook-level tsundere.

Duan Zilian looked at the things in her hands and felt a warm current welling up in her heart.

"...Thanks, Yukinoshita."

Duan Zilian looked at her profile and said sincerely, "You really helped a lot."

"Hmm... I'm actually not used to you being so serious."

Yukino turned her head, her eyes softening slightly: "Since you're still alive, live well and don't worry those around you anymore."

"Mm." Duan Zilian nodded.

Just then, Hong Kai, that clueless old man, came up from the basement.

"Hey kid, have you rested enough? Shall we continue... uh?"

When Hong Kai saw Yukinoshita, he paused for a moment, then, as if remembering something, he gave a hearty smile.

"Oh—it's that girl." Hong Kai nodded. He walked over and patted Duan Zilian on the shoulder.

"You have good taste, young man. Better than I was back then."

"Shut up, Kai-san!" Duan Zilian blushed instantly, wishing she could kick Hong Kai back to the basement.

Xue looked at the man in the leather vest with a wild demeanor, her expression puzzled.

"Who is this...?"

"Ah, he is... a regular here, my... distant relative."

Duan Zilian made up a reason: "He's a little mentally unstable, just ignore him."

"Hey! Who's out of their mind?" Hong Kai protested angrily.

Seeing this chaotic scene, Future, who had been hiding behind the bar, couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.

This is Duan Zilian's new life: a strict mentor, a gentle shop manager, and... a proud and arrogant classmate who specially brought her medicine.

Ah, how wonderful, a beautiful tomorrow.

Chapter 19 The Angels Have Not Yet Descended

Five days later, Soubu High School finally reopened.

Although the century-old cherry blossom tree at the school gate has disappeared, scaffolding is still erected on the exterior wall of the special building, and even the roof of the gymnasium has not been fully repaired, the noise of the students has brought the place back to life.

"Have you heard? That giant's name is Ultraman Tiga!"

"Really? Who gave it that name?"

"It seems to be the Shinomiya Group, but everyone agrees, after all, the name sounds really cool!"

Along the way, all Duan Zilian heard was discussions about "Ultraman Tiga".

It's like you did a really embarrassing cosplay at a comic convention yesterday, and today the whole school is talking about how cool that cosplayer was, and you have to pretend you didn't notice and blend into the crowd listening.

"Shameful play..." Duan Zilian tugged at her backpack strap, lowered her head, and quickly walked through the crowd.

"Duan Zilian!"

A vibrant voice came with a gust of wind, and before he could react, he was slapped hard on the back.

"Pfft—!" Duan Zilian almost spat out a mouthful of blood. Although his ability to withstand blows had improved a lot after several days of special training from Hong Kai, the old injury on his back had not yet fully healed!

"Hiratsuka-sensei..."

Duan Zilian turned around, grinning.

Hiratsuka Shizusa stood there, wearing her signature white lab coat. She looked Duan Zilian up and down, a hint of relaxation in her eyes.

"You look to be in good spirits."

Hiratsuka Shizuka nodded. "I heard you're living in the old town area now? I've been to that coffee shop too. The manager is a pretty nice young man. You're lucky you're not homeless."

"Yes, thanks to you, I've been blessed by Lady Luck."

Duan Zilian smiled wryly, "But teacher, could you please greet me in a gentler way next time? My back is really fragile."

"Stop talking nonsense. Now that you're back, get back to class."

Hiratsuka Shizuka pointed at the school building with her cigarette butt, "Also, don't think that you can skip the classical Chinese homework just because you're suspended for a few days. All the classical Chinese homework assigned in the past five days must be handed in to my office before school ends today. If you miss even one word, you'll have to run ten laps around the track."

“…Devil.” Duan Zilian muttered softly.

"What did you say?"

"Teacher, you look so beautiful today!" Duan Zilian immediately stood at attention and saluted, then slipped into the teaching building like a rabbit.

Watching his retreating figure, Hiratsuka Shizuka shook her head helplessly, then a smile appeared on her lips.