Chapter 238: Tohka's Fury, Unknown Hidden Danger
"Thanks for treating us, Little Bro Lin. So, what should Little Bro Lin do next?"
Meeting Yoshino's meaningful gaze, Franklin was momentarily confused.
"What do you mean?"
Yoshino glanced at Tohka across the table, then at Yoshinon sitting beside her, and finally looked seriously at Franklin.
"Little Bro Lin, you can turn spirits into normal humans, right? You just took her outside, and when you came back, she was a normal human.
I picked up some information about that ability from you. Right now, both Yoshinon and I have a lot of affection for you. Little Bro Lin, do you want to give it a try?
It might feel like a loss for you, but if it works, it would save both me and Yoshinon a ton of trouble."
The moment Yoshino finished speaking, Tohka instantly wrapped her arms around Franklin and glared angrily at her.
"No way! Lin has other ways to seal your spiritual power. Kissing and stuff—Lin can only do that with me."
Before Yoshino could respond, Franklin cut in first. "Uh… Tohka, their situation is a little different from yours. If I directly sealed their spiritual power,
Yoshino would completely disappear, leaving only Yoshinon alone. I don't think Yoshinon could bear that."
Hearing Franklin's explanation, Tohka turned her angry glare on him, but the anger gradually turned into hurt. Eventually, tears welled up in her eyes.
"I absolutely can't stand Lin kissing other girls—even if it's to help someone else, I just can't stand it!"
Franklin let out a soft sigh. He had expected this. It was a perfectly normal reaction for a girl. Every teenage girl is possessive—no one wants to share the guy she likes with other women.
But he wasn't the type of man who could be devoted to just one girl. Some things had to be made clear upfront, or they would become a ticking time bomb later.
"Sorry, Tohka. I know this might sound selfish and shameless, but you're not the first girl I've kissed, and you're not the first girl I've liked. In the present world, I already have three girls I like, and you're the fourth."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Tohka's expression froze. Her head dropped, dark aura slowly rising around her before fading away.
In that instant, Franklin clearly felt the spiritual energy inside him reverse flow.
In a flash, Tohka's Divine Authority Spirit Dress · Tenth appeared on her body, and the Annihilation Duke rose from the ground beside her.
"Lin… you lied to me… you lied to me… you lied to me…"
Her spiritual pressure exploded outward. Tables and chairs were sent flying, spiritual energy surging wildly in all directions.
Yoshino quickly scooped up Yoshinon and retreated, her face full of gleeful "this is gonna be good" expression.
Only Yoshinon looked worriedly at Franklin.
"Yoshino… Lin… he'll be okay, right?"
"Don't worry, he's tough. Otherwise I wouldn't be sticking around with Yoshinon. With him here, Yoshinon can stay happy forever. And maybe… Mom…"
Her voice grew quieter until even Yoshinon couldn't hear the last part.
Franklin didn't back away. He stood right beside Tohka, unmoved by the blast of spiritual energy.
"Tohka, calm down a little. You know my ability—I can't belong to just you. But I can promise to always love you, Tohka, and to always stay by your side."
"Shut up… shut up… I don't want to hear it…"
In an instant, Tohka drew the Annihilation Duke and swung it straight at Franklin. White light coated the blade like a layer of sword energy.
This time, Franklin didn't resist—he even lowered his physical defenses on purpose.
Seeing that he wasn't blocking at all, Tohka's pupils shrank, but it was too late to pull back. The sword struck his shoulder squarely.
Feeling the recoil in her hands and seeing only a thin trickle of blood on Franklin's shoulder—with no other damage at all—a nameless rage surged in Tohka's heart. She slashed rapidly with the Annihilation Duke, endless sword energy flying in every direction.
Deep gashes stretched far into the distance behind Franklin, but he still didn't defend himself at all.
Blood flowed slowly, then quickly healed due to his regeneration. Tohka eventually grew exhausted, her swings slowing until she was panting.
Franklin stepped forward, took the Annihilation Duke from her hands, ignoring her weak punches against his chest.
He kissed her hard—not a gentle touch this time, but deep and demanding, pressing further even when she bit him.
He didn't care. Time passed second by second. She went from resisting to responding, and Franklin grew bolder.
Feeling all of Tohka's spiritual power flow back into him once more, he kissed her even more intensely, both of them breathing heavily until Tohka finally went limp and collapsed into his arms.
With a casual wave of his hand, the destroyed family restaurant returned to normal. Franklin gently released her lips and looked softly into her tear-filled eyes.
"I'm sorry, Tohka. The only thing I can promise is that I'll always love you, cherish you, and stay by your side. But I have to save those spirit girls too."
Hearing his words, Tohka wiped away the remaining tears, her expression serious as she looked at him.
"I understand what you mean, Lin. I won't interfere anymore. But you have to promise me one thing—no other women besides the spirits."
Franklin nodded solemnly. "I promise. In this world, I swear it."
Getting the answer she wanted, Tohka turned her head away.
"Go help Yoshinon and Yoshino then. But when it's all done, you have to kiss me again, or I won't forgive you."
Franklin breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He gave her soft cheek a light peck, then stood up, restoring her clothes and fixing his own slashed ones.
Once everything was back to normal, he walked straight toward the two little heads peeking out from outside the restaurant.
"All settled? I almost thought you were gonna get axed."
Seeing Yoshino's grinning face, Franklin helplessly rubbed his forehead. "Is teasing me that fun?"
"Just telling the truth. If you weren't strong enough, you'd one-hundred-percent be dead right now. So, can you help seal our spiritual power now?"
Looking at the two adorable girls in front of him, Franklin crouched down a bit.
"Yeah, I can. Which one of you wants to go first? We've only just met, so my affection for you both is already maxed out, but I'm not sure how you two feel about me."