The two people walking on the streets of Martial City were eye-catching, but it was on a Saturday morning. Therefore, only a few people were walking around the city. Nicole felt it was a bit of a shame because she would have liked to take advantage of the rumour mill to get ahead.

Once Kaito was introduced at the party in the evening, he would probably have more admirers coming from the woodwork to pursue him. She knew for a fact that she was not the only person who liked Kaito from the stories they heard about the outside world.

​​

"Martial Island is pretty large, but most of our population is located within the city. Of course, some clans prefer to remain outside of the city because of its disruptions. Some emphasize too much on the purity of the mind for their practice." Nicole explained as they walked.

"Why are the people on the island obsessed with martial arts?" Kaito asked casually, although he was interested in the answer.

He asked his uncle the same question, but Taiki was not a forthcoming person. The answer was unsatisfactory. The man had said that he would find out if he did well in the triennial championships. This response confirmed to Kaito his original thought.

There was something fishy going on Martial Island.

Nicole's face changed a little, but she maintained a charming smile. "Don't you think martial arts are exciting? And it is not only about martial arts. It is all the skills that push the body to the limit and help one discover the true potential of humanity."

She laughed a little. "Don't worry. You will eventually understand how amazing life and the world can be with time. As for your question, that is something that can only be known by the inner circle. You are still some distance from it."

Kaito felt like those words were hiding a lot of secrets. His uncle had implied the same vague things on occasion to motivate him to train harder. However, it was still unclear to him what benefits Taiki was promising with his words.

"How do I become a member of the inner circle?" He asked, even though he was not interested in remaining on the island.

His only interest was learning the secrets of his enemies, so he could find a chance to take advantage of their weaknesses.

Nicole hopped in front of Kaito and looked at him while bending slightly to reveal the hint of her cleavage. Kaito paused in his steps since she was right in front of him. She looked at him with focus before speaking.

"You could marry me and become an instant member of the inner circle." She said playfully.

Kaito's face did not change much, but his eyes darkened. He did not like the direction of the conversation. Even though he had not seen Akira in about three months, he was still committed to her.

He would not do something to let her down. The level of trust she had placed on him was great, and he could not play around with it, even as a joke. If he could be open, he would directly tell Nicole that he had a girlfriend, no, a fiancée.

There was no way she had not found his surprise gift by now. All that remained was him asking the question. Of course, he did not plan on allowing her to refuse.

Unfortunately, he could not tell anyone about Akira, especially to a woman like Nicole Jiang. He could see hints of obsession in her eyes that showed that she wanted something from him that he could not give her. If he spoke about Akira, he could not put it past her to find trouble for his little panda fox.

And he could not take that chance because the people from Martial Island did not play by the normal rules. So, since he came to the island, he decided to keep his mouth shut about his real life and wait for an opportune moment to strike.

"No." He said seriously.

Nicole was a little disappointed, even though she knew that it would be Kaito's answer. No one liked to be rejected by their crush. However, she was an adaptable person. She had already prepared her reaction to his response.

"Pfft!" She laughed. "Why are you being so serious?"

She stepped from Kaito's path, and they continued walking. Kaito maintained a stoic expression. He had always thought that Zhong Feng was too boring because of his cold face. However, he wished he could master the skill.

Perhaps, he would not attract people with his face. Even with this narcissistic thought, Kaito still did not change his expression. However, he was thinking how good it would be to be back in a place where he could smile and laugh freely.

"You don't have to worry too much about being a member of the inner circle." Nicole realised she was not going to get another response. "Since you are a member of the Iekami clan, you only need to prove your worth in the triennial championships."

The two people walked until they reached a part of the city with clothing shops. The walk was long, and they could have used an app to get a ride, but Nicole had insisted. She wanted to spend more time with Kaito. Furthermore, Taiki told her to show Kaito around Martial City.

The two people walked into a menswear shop. The shop attendants welcomed them with enthusiasm. Naturally, they recognised Nicole Jiang because she was a sort of celebrity in the area. She was not as popular as the number two beauty who was an artiste, but she had a good following.

"Miss Jiang, welcome." A female attendant took the chance to step closer with a smile. "Are we looking for something for this gentleman?"

The desire for gossip was burning bright in these people's hearts. The key things were this gentleman was unknown, and he was wearing simple activewear. Since most people in elite families were well-known, he was probably from a lower or unranked clan.

If he were someone important, he would be famous with that handsome face.

The more critical thing was that he was shopping with Miss Jiang on a Saturday morning for clothes. The dramatic brains of the shop attendants already filled in the entire drama about the number three beauty having a poor lover, also known as a gigolo.

And if they were buying clothes in the morning, the two had probably spent the night together. Miss Jiang was probably rewarding him with something nice.

Nicole had an idea what they were thinking, and she was a little pleased. Gossip was often spread through the commoners. If they thought she had an affair with Kaito, it was only a matter of time before it reached the ears of the elite families.

Still, she only responded to the attendant aloofly. "Yes. Please bring out everything suitable."

"Right away, Miss Jiang."