"Uh, um—Mai Kanda—can you please not call me that? There are people watching!" Shawn Young stammered, utterly embarrassed.
"Yes, of course, Shawn-kun. From now on, you are the master of Mai Kanda. If you ever need anything, just ask and I'll do my best for you. Please take good care of me." Mai Kanda bowed deeply, lowering her head respectfully to Shawn as she spoke.
"Uh, Mai, I’m really not used to you calling me ‘master.’ It just sounds so awkward—" Shawn Young was clearly flustered, especially with Minnie Wang and Helen standing right beside him. They watched with big, beautiful eyes, half amused and half teasing.
"But you really are my master now. From now on, I’ll only listen to your orders, no one else’s. Please look after me, Shawn-kun. I’m counting on you!" Mai Kanda said, bowing even lower in front of him.
"Oh—she’s just too adorable! Shawn, how can you be so heartless and not accept her? If I were a guy, I’d be head over heels! Look at her—Mai Kanda’s got the looks, the body, the skills, she’s top-tier! Compared to her, Helen and I are just plain wallpaper!" Minnie Wang sighed softly, her tone gentle but clearly tinged with jealousy.
Mai Kanda, however, seemed unfazed, smiling sweetly at Minnie Wang. "Thank you for the compliment, beautiful lady. I’ll do my best to serve Shawn-kun and make sure he’s always satisfied."
"Oh—this is killing me—" Minnie Wang couldn’t help but rub her forehead and sigh. She really felt defeated by Mai Kanda, and with her dazzling, charming smile, she just couldn’t get mad at her.
"Uh, alright, I’ll definitely find something for you to do, but you’d better cooperate with me—" Shawn Young was thoroughly flustered by Mai Kanda’s sultry voice and her irresistible beauty. His heart raced, and a wild impulse nearly made him want to "take care" of her right then and there.
"Ahem!" Minnie Wang and Helen couldn’t take it anymore and both coughed at the same time. They exchanged glances, seeing the same weird look in each other’s eyes.
"Hey, Mr. Young, why do I keep feeling like you’re some kind of human trafficker lately?" Helen couldn’t help teasing.
"Me? No way! Helen, don’t say that. It’s not my fault—Mai insisted I take her in, what else could I do?" Shawn Young’s face turned red as he hurried to explain.
"Hehe, you just couldn’t bear to let this gorgeous beauty off herself, right?" Minnie Wang still sounded a little jealous.
"Uh, anyway, Mai’s one of us now. She’s so strong—it might actually be a good thing for us!" Shawn Young said, trying to sound pragmatic.
"Uh, but will she really help us? Like, if we have to go up against the Iga Shinobi Clan? Would she really—" Helen was clearly skeptical.
"Absolutely! From now on, I’m no longer with the Iga Shinobi Clan—I belong to Shawn-kun. Whatever he says is an absolute command for me. I have no ties to the Iga Clan anymore. If Shawn-kun really wants me to take on the Iga Clan, even if it means killing the clan leader, I’ll obey without question!" Mai Kanda answered Helen’s doubts with unwavering determination.
"Oh, that’s good! Hope you keep your word!" Helen had nothing else to say.
At that moment, Shawn Young suddenly remembered something important, so he asked Mai Kanda, "By the way, Mai, why are you all targeting Charles Morin? And it’s not just Japanese ninjas—even the top masters from our Chinese Dragon-Tiger Ranking and foreign professional assassins are involved! Is Charles Morin really worth so many factions joining forces against him?"
Mai Kanda shook her head and said, "We’re not really after Charles Morin. We just want to use him to threaten the Morin Family! If we really wanted to take him out, he’d be dead already!"
"Uh—so you’re targeting the Morin Family?! Do they have beef with all these factions, or did they piss someone off?" Shawn Young asked curiously.
"Oh, the Morin Family doesn’t have any grudges or beef with our factions at all. And the mastermind who hired us doesn’t have any direct vendetta against them either!" Mai Kanda explained.
"Huh? So who’s the mastermind? Why does he want to go after the Morin Family?" Shawn Young asked, still curious.
Mai Kanda shook her head. "I’m not really sure. Even though I’m a special ninja, the one who accepts missions is the Iga Shinobi Clan’s leader, Hattori Saizo. People like me and the other ninjas aren’t allowed to ask questions—once the leader gives an order, we just have to follow it."
"Wait—so you don’t actually know that much about it?!" Minnie Wang couldn’t help blurting out, sounding surprised.
"Yeah, I really don’t know much about the inside story—but I do know that the Japan National Intelligence Agency used the Nine Chrysanthemums Society to contact the Iga Shinobi Clan’s leader and handed part of a top-secret mission over for them to handle! One of the main parts of the mission was to sneak into China and use the kidnapping of Charles Morin to threaten the Morin Family!" Mai Kanda suddenly revealed an astonishing piece of insider info.
"What?! Even the Japan National Intelligence Agency is involved?!" Helen exclaimed in shock.
"Uh—so what’s the deal with the Japan National Intelligence Agency? And what’s this top-secret mission?" Shawn Young asked, frowning. He figured if intelligence agencies were involved, there must be a huge conspiracy brewing!
"Oh—the Japan National Intelligence Agency is the most powerful department in Japan’s intelligence headquarters, and the biggest military-political spy agency in the country. It’s famous all over Asia and the world. With support from the Japanese government, right-wing politicians, and big financial groups, this organization is not only powerful but also loaded with cash—way more dangerous than Japan’s wartime ‘Tokko’ secret police! If they’re behind this top-secret mission, it’s definitely no joke!" Helen explained, drawing on her special forces background.
"Uh—this is just too weird. How did the Morin Family get mixed up with such a powerful Japanese intelligence agency? Mai, what’s really going on here?" Shawn Young was completely baffled.
"Sorry, Shawn-kun, this is all I know. The rest is top secret—I’m not authorized to know any more. I’m really sorry—" Mai Kanda bowed apologetically to Shawn.
Seeing her expression, Shawn Young realized she genuinely didn’t know the details. He nodded gently and said, "Oh—it’s fine. I’ll go revive Charles Morin first."
Suddenly, Mai Kanda said, "Shawn-kun, the Morin Family’s patriarch, Samuel Morin, definitely knows what’s going on! If you get the chance, you should ask him!"
"You’re right, Mai. Now that everything seems connected to the Morin Family, Samuel Morin should know the truth. I’ll make sure to ask him about all this when I get the chance!" Shawn Young nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, let’s do that! This is getting more and more exciting—I want to go watch the drama too, hehe—" Helen, always up for adventure, was clearly interested in the action.
"Well, since you’re all going, I don’t want to be left alone on the boat. I’m coming too!" Minnie Wang felt a bit anxious, but as she watched Mai Kanda stick close to Shawn Young, she was especially uneasy. Her woman’s intuition told her—if she so much as looked away, Shawn would be fooling around with Mai in no time! The way those two kept exchanging flirty glances was just way too suspicious!