The meeting about investigating the Exaltists concluded swiftly.
The entire discussion had revolved around Uchiha. As for the suggestion to seek Uchiha's help, Zhong Yan's response was to try to get him involved.
But as everyone gradually began to show signs of dependence on Uchiha, Zhong Yan suddenly realized that if things continued this way, his identity would inevitably be exposed. After all, there was no guarantee every one of his actions would remain perfectly disguised.
Not to mention, his interactions with the others as Uchiha had been increasing noticeably—making exposure all the more likely.
Still, there was no helping it. Zhong Yan couldn't put the group's safety at risk just to maintain secrecy. If necessary, he was willing to reveal himself.
Fortunately, that moment had yet to arrive. With the meeting over, both the Phaeton siblings and the Cunning Hares immediately suspended all their active commissions.
This meant one thing: Zhong Yan was about to enjoy a rare stretch of peace—a kind of life he had never experienced since crossing over into this world.
No missions. No financial pressure. The only thing he had to worry about was the upcoming final exams. Honestly, that kind of mundane concern felt a little foreign to him.
Then again, he did need the rest. Summoning the complete Susanoo had drained far more of his power than he ever imagined.
Sure enough, even an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan wasn't enough to recklessly pull off certain feats.
If only he could awaken the Rinnegan, it would change everything. But in the system's shop, the number of items required to unlock the Rinnegan was more than all he had ever spent combined.
After redeeming the Shadow Clone technique, he hadn't exchanged for anything else. Yet even with all he had saved, he wasn't even halfway to the Rinnegan. At this pace, it would take two more years.
Two years. Not terribly long, but definitely not short—especially when a war could break out at any moment. Two years was far too long.
Zhong Yan wasn't worried about himself. What truly concerned him was Belle and the others.
They were too kindhearted. Any threat to innocent civilians, they would confront head-on with everything they had. And in doing so, they often faced unforeseen dangers.
Zhong Yan couldn't guarantee he'd always be there to save them. That's why he needed to prepare backups—at the very least, give them the means to fight back when things went wrong.
...
Nearly half a month had passed since that fateful battle.
On this day, Zhong Yan paid a visit to the hospital to check on Ellen. Anby, who had also been hospitalized, had already been discharged a few days ago after making a full recovery.
Ellen, however, had suffered far more severe injuries to her arm. Even with the Shark Thirens' famously terrifying regeneration, her healing would still take time.
As a side note—after escaping the Hollow, Corin and Rina had evaded further pursuit from the Creators. The moment they learned Ellen's location; they rushed to the hospital to visit her.
They arrived after Zhong Yan's visit, so the two sides didn't cross paths—entirely expected.
Afterward, Corin and Rina resumed their duties. As maids serving their master, they didn't have the freedom to act on their own.
As for Lycaon, the most capable butler from Victoria Housekeeping Co., he was now responsible for looking after Ellen.
So, Zhong Yan couldn't avoid running into him during his visit.
"Mr. Zhong Yan, this is your fourth visit to see Ellen in less than a month." Lycaon chuckled the moment he saw Zhong Yan walk through the door.
On the hospital bed, Ellen was enjoying a nutritious lunch provided by the hospital. She had been digging in enthusiastically—until she saw Zhong Yan enter.
Her entire demeanor shifted. She began eating in dainty, careful bites, as elegant as a refined lady.
"I never asked him to visit me," she muttered while slipping a bite into her mouth, trying to sound annoyed.
It was classic tsundere behavior. Zhong Yan simply smiled, said nothing, and sat by the bed, gently examining Ellen's still-recovering arm.
"I heard from the doctor you're in the final stage of recovery. Probably less than half a month left, right?" he said, brushing his fingers along her arm with a mock-regretful tone. "What a shame. With an injury this bad, there's a good chance you'll be left with a scar. That'd really ruin the aesthetics."
Ellen's eyes widened in panic. She quickly put down her utensils and snapped, "It won't scar! It won't ruin anything! I asked the doctor! Don't underestimate a Shark Thiren's healing factor!"
Clearly, Ellen cared a lot about her appearance—especially around Zhong Yan. Otherwise, she wouldn't have reacted so hastily.
"Ellen, no need to get worked up. Mr. Zhong Yan is just teasing you. Look at his face—it says it all," Lycaon said, stepping in to calm her down.
When she saw the smug little smirk on Zhong Yan's face, she groaned in disgust. "Ugh, I knew you were still that annoying jerk."
Some things never changed—Ellen was still Ellen. Even with her act exposed, she managed to stay in character.
Or perhaps... it was this version of Ellen that felt most genuine.
"All right, all right, don't be mad. I brought you a gift today—it's your favorite: a shark," Zhong Yan said as he pulled several items from a shopping bag.
Among them was a shark plush toy. Nothing fancy at first glance, but anything given by Zhong Yan held priceless sentimental value for Ellen.
Especially since she adored sharks—almost everything in her home was shark-themed.
Besides the plush, he also brought some of her favorite snacks, which lit up her appetite. She promptly abandoned her half-eaten lunch and devoured every last treat he'd brought.
Shark Thiren appetites were clearly on a whole different level.
But as Zhong Yan and Ellen exchanged laughs, neither noticed the intensity in Lycaon's gaze.
From behind those composed eyes... flickered a trace of silent suspicion.
It wasn't the first time he'd suspected that Zhong Yan was Uchiha.