New Profile Bio: I write for myself before I write for others, as such my aim is to write stories that ultimately satisfy me as the author before the thought of pleasing any potential readers come to mind. I have numerous stories that will never see the light of day that please me greatly, this particular one I'm sharing with you due to thinking that others would like to share the experience with me. Be that as it may I have most stories already mapped out in my head, the issue is finding the motivation of putting them onto paper.
I write because the stories I want to read haven't been written. – Yours Truly
AN: Props to MercenaryGrax for motivating and sufficiently guilt tripping me into writing this chapter. I hadn't even bothered starting on it until I got their review.
As for Issei he is not a part of the Main Cast in this story, he is a secondary character that I will probably use for comedic relief most of the time. It is my belief that two harem-seeking protags cannot occupy the same space in time, as such he is not a deuteragonist. If you want to read a story with a deuteragonist you can read my Naruto and One Punch Man crossover Limitless.
I write with white text on black backdrop due to my eyesight, as such you may find the bold and such far more glaring than I do, if so I apologize. Also the site comes with a pre-built color inversion option that allows you to read it as I designed it. It is a little less glaring that way in my opinion.
Chapter III
Things Left Unsaid
-x-
Time was running out, as Naruto pushed his bike against the school gate he didn't bother on courtesy as he balanced himself on top of it and kicked off. The bike toppling over on the sidewalk as he barely managed to vault over the wall.
Hitting the ground running he wasted no time heading towards the door he had use to break in earlier only to find it pried open, practically confirming his suspicions of Katase being in the school building as he was sure he had previously closed it.
12min 36sec remaining
He didn't have time to check the whole school it was simply too big, as such he had been informed by Murayama of the six likeliest possible places she could be; the art room, the gymnasium, the kendo club room, the girls lockers, the roof, and finally their own homeroom.
He only had time to check three of those.
The school was simply too wide and just getting from the gymnasium to the roof would take him around six minutes. He had no clue what Issei and Murayama were doing but he couldn't get in touch with them anymore, something that unnerved him for some reason.
Circumstances being as they were he had decided on the route that he would take prior to arriving here; the art room, the roof, and finally the homeroom. Katase already was armed with a sword and as such could potentially kill herself in any of the aforementioned locations. The three were spread out in such a way that he could reach each one with only about a three minute gap in-between as long as he started with the art room and finished with the roof.
The chances were 50-50…to be honest he was surprised he had even gotten this far so those odds seemed far too kind already.
The problem was the fact that she was armed with a sword while he was armed with only a smartphone, for all he knew Katase might be totally insane at this point following the death of her parents. If she turned her blade against him…it wouldn't be pretty that's for sure.
He would have gone to the kendo club room to hopefully acquire some gear however that would only work if he headed through the alternate route of kendo club room, girl's lockers, and gymnasium. He had briefly considered maybe taking a tree branch with him for self-defense but he didn't want to put her on guard from the moment he showed up. Rather he wanted to present himself in a non-threatening fashion in order to get her to lower her guard.
If he showed up armed it was simply asking for a confrontation. Rather what he needed to do if things went south and she tried to attack him was just run. Naruto like Issei had participated in track and field during middle school due to his parents urging, now Issei might not have bothered with it anymore but he himself had remained at the top of his game since then even after quitting. He wasn't necessarily competitive anymore but he could be regarded as pretty fast nonetheless.
Flight rather than fight was what this situation called for if she tried to confront him instead of listening to any form of reason.
He had to hurry, time was running out.
-x-
"Murayama-san why aren't we going to the school to meet up with Naruto? That's where Katase-san is isn't it?" Issei asked as he marveled at the feeling of Murayama's chest pressing itself against his back as she held onto him from behind. Even if a car were to come and run him over for riding his bike on the middle of the road full speed like this he would die with no regrets. Those heavenly mounds pressing against his back made him pedal as hard as he possibly could so that she would continue to tightly cling onto him.
He was a very easy fellow to order around, if a cute girl told him to get on his bike and drive her somewhere he would be all too quick to comply. The fact that he didn't know where they were going notwithstanding.
"I have a feeling that Naruto-san is hiding something from us, it's strange that one of the first things he asked about was if Katase's family owned a sword. There would be no need to ask such a thing if nothing was wrong. Also the fact that Katase's parents are not being involved in the search for her has me worried. If anyone knows where she may be it's her parents, I think that Naruto-san either wasn't able to meet Katase's parents for some reason or discovered something that led him to believe she wasn't at her house anymore." Murayama explained to Issei, the in-depth analysis instantly serving to remind him how Katase and Murayama were both in the top 10% of their age group academically.
"I hadn't thought of that…"
"Another thing that has me suspicious is where Naruto-san acquired the information concerning Katase's suicide attempt, she was never close enough to confide such things with him. If she wouldn't tell me then why would she tell him?"
"He said he had it in good authority from someone, he never said it was from Katase" Issei defended, not entirely comfortable with the girl accusing Naruto like that.
Seeing the girl about to open her mouth again, Issei promptly cut her off "Look just like you know Katase I know Naruto, he wouldn't bother getting out of bed and dragging us out on a wild goose chase in the middle of the night if it wasn't serious. With his passive and easygoing personality it would take something of this magnitude just to get him to act at all. If it's a false alarm then great, we only lost a few hours of sleep anyway, but if it's even remotely true…could you live with yourself knowing you could have stopped it?"
That shut her up. Murayama had to agree that Naruto even bothering to help at all was her good fortune. If he wasn't involved no one would have ever even known about Katase's possible suicide attempt before it was too late. The fact where he got the information not withstanding it was already alarming enough that she couldn't get into contact with Katase or her family.
If it was true and Katase was really going to kill herself then she wouldn't even care if Naruto was Katase's secret stalker if that ultimately served to save her life. However there were just so many points about all this that didn't add up, it seemed that all sense of control over the situation had been deprived from her even before she was involved. Slumping forward in defeat much to Issei's perverted delight, she proceeded to keep her silence on her way to Katase's house. One question still prominent in her thoughts…
'Why would he even help us?'
-x-
Bursting into the art room Naruto was met with nearly half a dozen pale faces gazing back at him, instantly making a shiver travel down his spine at the sight. As if everything that had happened so far wasn't disturbing enough.
'Fucking mannequins'
Apparently the art class was working with drawing human figures before they got to work with live models, since it was a chore for anyone to maintain a posture for any significant amount of time without moving the school had purchased several mannequins for the occasion. He had even heard that there even were a pair of anatomically correct models in storage from Issei once. It was one of the few perverted rumors Naruto had heard from him that he wasn't quick to discredit. It would be more sensible than having a nude live model with perverts like Issei around.
Casting a quick scan over the room and not spotting his target he wasted no time in closing the door before hurrying towards his next objective. Naruto was growing nervous, could it be that he had chosen the wrong route or worse she wasn't in the school at all?
Barging into the homeroom which was actually the place he had suspected the most since that and outside the girl's locker rooms were the only two places he had seen Katase, he felt his hopes crash as he found the room to be totally empty.
5min 29sec remaining
He…he had failed, the homeroom was actually his best bet and the reason he had even bothered on this route in the first place. If she wasn't in homeroom he honestly couldn't see her in any of the other places.
To be honest even now he still doubted the possibility of her even being in the school, fact of the matter was she had a sword with her, why would she even bother coming to the school in the middle of the night to kill herself. It was merely wishful thinking on his part that she would be here.
It was fine he supposed, it was a mission of a difficulty far too high for someone like him to accomplish. He could be comforted in the knowledge that he had tried his best, it was only his first mission and an SSS rank at that, more were sure to come in the future. He would just have to treat it as a learning experience and learn from all this.
Having mentally unburdened himself in such a fashion Naruto could feel himself relax as he started heading for the stairs. He had played his part well, however this fairy tale was destined for tragedy long before he stumbled into this empty stage. Stumbling along blindly had gotten him this far, yet it was predestined for failure. Time waited for no one, no matter how determined he may be everyone had their limitations and this was his.
Opening the door to the roof as he completed his preassigned route he came upon a sight that caused his thoughts to come to a stop. There standing at the edge of the roof overlooking a distant horizon was Katase, blade in hand it seemed as if she too had given up and was simply waiting for his timer to count down to her inevitable demise.
Having finally caught sight of the girl that had eluded him for the last three hours a sense of surrealism descended upon him. Seeing her with her back facing him as the wind played with her hair she seemed as elusive as myth and as hard to grasp as smoke.
It all seemed like a cruel joke that the moment he was finally accepted the impossibility of this task a chance presented itself like this before him. A jaded part of his heart couldn't help but imagine her tipping over and shattering like glass the moment he took a step forwards.
2min 9sec remaining
"Katase…" Naruto called out cautiously, his voice little more than a whisper as if speaking too loudly would push her over the edge. Both in a figurative and literal sense.
Katase seemed to tilt her head to the side for a moment in what he could only perceive as confusion before she turned to face him. Naruto for his part couldn't help the gasp that left his lips at the sight that greeted him.
Katase stood before her just as he remembered her, with short light orange hair that reached just shy of her shoulders and eyes of the same shade, she had often stood out to him simply because of her affinity with his favorite colour. Wearing a simple looking pink top, pajama bottoms, and a pair of fluffy bunny slippers on her feet she looked ready to go to bed rather than kill herself.
However what set him on edge were the lifeless orange eyes that gazed back at him without a shred of human emotion or life. Like a doll's eyes they regarded him without feeling, she not bothering to address him as she simply leveled the blade against him.
His world exploded into color as the system sprung to life in response to the non-verbal challenge.
1v1
Stage: Kuoh Academy (Night)
Possessed Katase vs. Naruto Uzumaki
At the sudden influx of information oddly enough it was the blade that she held in her hands that caught his attention. Covered in a layer of rust it looked positively ancient, it was around 62cm long with a surprisingly intact hilt whose length appeared to be close to 7cm. Contrary to his expectations it wasn't a katana as he half expected coming into this, but a tsurugi – a double-edged sword for ceremonial use. Rather he suspected the blade in front of him might even predate the katana.
It was while he was trying to analyze the sword while digesting what the system had just said about Katase being possessed that his divine vision activated and mocked his every action as it killed any and all hope he held.
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi – Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven (Cursed)
A legendary sword wielded by the god Susanoo after he acquired it from the fourth tail of the ancient eight headed dragon serpent Yamata no Orochi, it served to allow the god Susanoo to curry favor with the goddess Amaterasu after he was expelled from the heavens.
Shinto Faction Legendary Artifact
In an instant he felt his breath be stolen from him as he felt his heart go cold. Representing the virtue of valor the Sword of the Gathering Clouds of Heaven was a blade whose legend was immortalized in Japanese culture. Popularized under the name Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, it as one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan represented a thousand years of tradition and was a physical embodiment of Japanese culture and folklore. This blade before him wasn't only priceless it was also a historic and religious artifact of cultural significance.
Yet that was the last thing on his mind as he cast his gaze upon it, his divine vision allowing him to gaze beneath the supernatural veil that shielded the sword from mortal eyes. Its blade shimmering with an ethereal sheen it seemed to devour the overhead moon as all light was drawn into it. Looking to have been forged from stars it cut the veil of night with all the majesty of an emperor as it challenged him to battle.
Around Katase's still figure slithered eight ghostly serpents; four wrapped around her sword arm before melting into the sword, one besieging each of her other limbs, and a final one draped across her shoulders as it hissed threateningly at him.
It didn't take a very imaginative person to figure out that those serpents related to the possession she was currently undergoing and if said possession was being caused by the cursed Kusanagi then he could only speculate it had something to with the Yamata no Orochi from legend.
The SSS difficulty was suddenly making a whole lot more sense now.
"Katase can you hear me!?" Naruto called out as he tried to get her attention, he not receiving a response but by seeing her tense up at his attempt to reach out to her he was sure that she could hear him. Katase had somehow wandered her way here from her house while under the Orochi's enthrallment so it was clear she was fighting the possession. Maybe she had gone to Kuoh to seek strength from the memories she had left behind here…
"Katase you don't have to do this! Think about Murayama and all the friends that you would be leaving behind if you give up! You can't be selfish about your life, if you were to die then all that you would give them in exchange for their friendship is a lifetime of grief! Keep fighting it and I'll do my best to help you on my end!" Naruto yelled out to Katase in order to hopefully get a reaction out of her as there was no way in hell he was beating her in a straight up fight.
He didn't need the system to tell him that the difficulty level of facing a possessed girl wielding a legendary sword like the Kusunagi would briefly translate to fuck you.
Now he was the first to say that he honestly didn't know how to approach a person about to commit suicide by possession so he could only wing it. The only possession he had seen happened in anime and his experience with suicide was just as poor as it only existed in anime as well. Needless to say this wasn't an anime.
However he could see his words had the intended effect as her expressionless face suddenly twisted in pain, she reaching a hand up to her face as she fought to try to regain control of her body. The ethereal serpents wrapping tighter in response as they further restrained her and bound her will.
The fight within raged on just as the one outside commenced.
Her face twisted into a dark expression, Naruto saw as Katase lifted her sword into the air with a venomous glare. She was still a good twenty feet away but when she raised the Kusanagi, the moon reflecting off the blade, he felt as every fiber of his being screamed at him to get away.
He jumped to the right just as the blade fell, a trail of sword light chasing after the blade it stopped so that it ran perpendicular with the ground as it was held before her once more. Her arm held straight as if she were simply practicing kendo, it hadn't even come in contact with the ground. Yet the sight that greeted him defied all logic.
A moment after her hand fell the world seemed to split in two, he looking on in horror as the entire left side of the roof slanted away from him. Then without preamble he observed as thousands of crisscrossing lines slowly formed across the surface of the left side of the roof before light seemed to momentarily pour out of the thousands of cuts made into the stone. This moments before the entire left side of the roof for lack of a better word dematerialized.
Thousands of interconnecting sword slashes seemingly cutting apart all that stood before it to the molecular level. His eyes simply registering it as it having turned into cubes of varying sizes that kept breaking down into smaller pieces as they lay suspended in mid-air before they completely disappeared.
"What the fuck was that Katase!? That was final boss level bullshit, I thought you were restraining that snake bastard!?" Naruto raged with a startled expression as he saw the clean cut that had removed half the roof from existence.
Sending an aggrieved look his way Katase managed to express onto him that she had done so, the fact that she managed to regain some life into her eyes a clear indication that she was giving her all to win the war over her body. Which meant…that attack was her holding back to her utmost.
'Holy shit'
Seeing as she tilted the blade sideways so that the flat side was resting on the palm of her hand, he only had a moment's notice before she carried out a horizontal sweeping motion. Slow and deliberate every single thing before it as it cut the horizon seemed to instantly dematerialize.
Ducking down in a mild panic he observed as everything above his head seemed to fade into nonexistence. The entrance to the roof being cut horizontally in half. If this was her holding back then he suspected that with the true power of Yamata no Orochi everything before her would have been leveled to the ground for miles.
'It's slow…'
The Kusunagi which originally felt as if it were unavoidable and gave the illusion of being impossibly fast was actually far slower than he had anticipated. With his divine vision allowing him to gaze through the multilayered illusions that encompassed the legendary sword, while he still felt as if the sword was impossible to dodge he could easily follow each swing with his untrained eye.
Each swing carried enough strength to level mountains yet it was also burdened by such power, the slower the movement the greater the power it seemed capable of unleashing with each swing. He suspected that each one of those swords of light probably took time to construct, maybe it was simply mere milliseconds but with the unreal number of blades packed into each swing it gave him enough time to observe the stance and predict how she was going to swing the sword.
It gave him enough time to dodge.
He didn't think this flaw existed with the sword itself but that rather it was Katase that had created it through her resistance of the Kusanagi. She was helping him…as such he couldn't disappoint her now could he?
Taking the opportunity he dashed forward just as her horizontal slash finished its arc. Katase was focusing all her effort in restraining the sword movements, noticing this as Naruto observed the sword once more raise into air for another vertical slash he had an idea.
"Katase release your control of your sword arm and focus your attention to your legs, position yourself to face towards the left!"
Just like Katase had divided her focus to remain coherent and control her sword arm, it was likely that the Orochi had done the same. If Naruto was to infer that each of the serpents represented how much focus the Orochi was placing into controlling each limb then it meant that the sword arm was where most of its focus was directed towards. Katase couldn't challenge the combined might of four serpents while she simultaneously struggled to retain her mind from the Orochi's enthrallment, at most she could restrain her actions to a certain degree but that was it.
Now while she couldn't overcome the combined might of four serpents her legs were only bound by a single serpent each, it didn't matter how powerful her swing if she shifted her stance and caused herself to miss.
"Okay" Katase managed to force out as she relinquished control of her sword arm before she redirected her focus to shifting her body abruptly towards the left just as the sword slightly overshot at the sudden lack of resistance. Sprinting forwards to knock the sword out of her hand he was caught off-guard as everything suddenly went white.
That was when he realized his mistake, Katase wasn't simply restraining Kusunagi's movement speed… but its power as well.
Regaining his vision he couldn't help but gape at the sight before him, a trench several miles long now cut across Kuoh Academy and the surrounding grounds. Starting from where the blade had fallen it cut through the land and caused all near it to dematerialize as millions upon millions of blades of light danced across the landscape. The overhead clouds having not been spared as they too gave way before such overwhelming might.
Most noticeably he could see that the west wing of the school had been silently split in two… before such might he was nothing more than an ant. He didn't have any time to react as an angry roar tore its way from Katase before two serpents bound themselves to each of Katase's legs. Three remaining wrapped around her sword arm while the one around her neck hissed at him in contempt.
In an instant all control Katase had over the situation was lost, the ground under her exploding as she kicked off at full speed towards him – her blade set to strike. Naruto didn't have time to blink let alone react, all he could think of as she rushed towards him blade in hand was that he had been way over his head going into this.
Fate had simply dealt him a bad hand and he had been foolish enough to go all in.
Closing his eyes in expectation of the pain that was sure to come, he was surprised as he felt something crash into him and knock him onto the ground. The impact knocking the wind out him his eyes snapped open in surprise to meet the sorrowful eyes of Katase.
Currently her left arm was focused in restraining her dominant sword arm as the blade hovered mere inches over his heart. Their overall position was quite compromising as she straddled his waist in order to pin him down, however he had no time to enjoy the situation as he was but a hairsbreadth away from death.
'H-Help me Naruto-kun'
The serpents seemed quite furious at her latest attempt at resisting them before the one that wrapped itself around her neck seemed to look at him thoughtfully for a moment. It's gaze turning sharp.
Spiritual Fortitude Perk was triggered
Mental Fortitude Perk was triggered
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi possession attempt failed.
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi spiritual strength has been halved.
Suddenly the snake seemed to hiss in pain before four of the serpents dissipated into nothingness, not really comprehending what had just happened Naruto knew he had to advantage of it. Not wasting any time he used the only thing he had on hand – his smartphone. Aiming it at Katase's shocked face just as she managed to regain partial control of her body he wasted no time and…
Took a picture.
Now usually this would only serve to commemorate an occasion, however he had turned on the flash when he was taking pictures of both girl's files in the nurse's office. From such close proximity this resulted in Katase being temporarily blinded as a result, her hands instinctively going up as she attempted to shield her eyes from the numerous other flashes that followed. He wasn't conservative in his panic.
Seeing that the Orochi was still reeling from the recoil of its failed possession and that it had unconsciously followed Katase's instinctual reaction to shield her eyes he saw his opportunity. There was only a single snake tying down each of her four limbs at the moment which meant that her sword arm was the weakest it had ever been since he encountered her. Taking his chance he grabbed her sword arm, pried her hand open, and took the sword before she could even react.
Instantly he felt as Katase slumped against his chest in exhaustion, she crumbling atop of him like a puppet with its strings cut. The serpents had vanished and all that remained was a very emotionally and physically exhausted girl.
The Kusanagi on the other hand…
Spiritual Fortitude Perk was triggered
Mental Fortitude Perk was triggered
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi possession attempt failed.
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi spiritual strength has been halved.
Spiritual Fortitude Perk was triggered
Mental Fortitude Perk was triggered
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi possession attempt failed.
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi spiritual strength has been halved.
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi does not have enough spiritual strength to attempt possession.
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi does not have enough spiritual strength to attempt possession.
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi does not have enough spiritual strength to attempt possession.
Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi does not have enough spiritual strength to…
'This fucking sword!'
The message kept repeating endlessly, the damned sword seemed keen to spite him even if it couldn't possess him. He wouldn't humor its attempts, he already knew how to shut it up, after all it couldn't do shit if he wasn't holding it.
Too tired to bother he simply threw the sword across the roof before he continued to lie on his back, the emotional and mental exhaustion of the whole thing having taken a far greater toll on him than he had expected. However now that he had saved Katase he couldn't help but feel relieved, he might not have known Katase very well prior to this but following this whole incident he somehow felt closer to her than ever before.
The fact that she was currently lying on his chest definitely wasn't the reason for such a feeling. Not at all.
Hearing the gentle cries coming from Katase as she sobbed into his chest he knew that she had finally regained her bearings. Yet she didn't let go of him, rather she clung even tighter as if he alone could stop her world from falling apart. Her cries steadily increasing in volume as she relived the horror of the last few hours.
Now Naruto wasn't exactly the best at… comforting people. In his not so humble opinion he thought that role was better reserved for someone like Murayama who could understand what Katase was going through. However Murayama wasn't here at the moment and as such it fell to him to help her get through this. Call it a sense of responsibility derived from saving her life.
Awkwardly rubbing her back in what he hoped was a comforting fashion he said the first thing that came to mind, "You are quite the hard girl to get ahold of Katase"
That seemed to have the desired effect as her cries died down before she looked up at him with a confused expression, her tear-stained face making for a heartbreaking sight.
Scratching his face awkwardly at how intently she was staring at him he decided to press on, "You know you look much prettier with a smile, a happy Katase is the best Katase."
She seemed to stare at him blankly for a moment before she broke into a smile at the corniness of it all, the way he said it so seriously all too amusing to her.
"Baka, don't tell me you came all this way to flirt with me with such cheesy pick-up lines" Katase laughed as she looked at him with a sad smile, her thoughts far too burdened to smile from the bottom of her heart.
Feeling the flow of the conversation turning in his favor he grew more confident as his smile turned slightly teasing. "Well I mean yeah, what else does a dashing young man such as myself have to do at one in the morning?"
"Sleep"
"…Touché, how about this then; I'm actually a nighttime vigilante that hunts down supernatural beings from another world. Ever since I was young I could see ghosts, setting me apart from other kids my age. However one day my life completely changed when I uncovered the existence of hungry and tormented spirits that prey upon the innocent, those vengeful spirits are known to humans as…hollows."
"That's the plot summary for Bleach!" Katase tsukkomied, the fact that she had almost believed him for a moment due to her own personal experience far more embarrassing than she would admit.
"So you do like anime…interesting, here I thought you were the kendo princess of Kuoh. To think that such an upright studious girl is really a closet otaku. For shame Katase-chan." Naruto rebuked with a fake disappointed expression, he inwardly amused that even now that Katase had stopped crying she had made no effort to get off of him.
Maybe Katase wasn't just an otaku but a closet pervert too. They certainly had a lot in common if that was the case.
Katase however could barely follow the conversation as Naruto transitioned from one thing to another so quickly it barely gave her time to think. One moment he was flirting with her and the next he was calling her an otaku, yet the conversation felt so natural that it startled her. It was as if they had been friends for years, rather than classmates that barely talked to one another.
"I-Its mainstream, everyone knows about Bleach even if they don't watch anime." Katase weakly defended herself as one of her most well-kept secrets came out to light.
"Oh really, then Katase what sort of anime do you consider not to be mainstream? Unless of course you consider all anime that aren't a part of pop culture to be trash…" Naruto said as he trailed off at the end, leaving the meaning clear that if she didn't say anything then all other anime were garbage.
"W-well…I really liked Madoka Magica…" Katase admitted as she shyly defended one of her favorite anime from being called trash.
"Hmm, did you say something? Speak up Katase, the wind is louder than you." Naruto said in an all too annoying fashion.
"I said that I like Puella Magi Madoka Magica! I was raised on magical girl cartoons so I can appreciate what they did with the show!" A flushed Katase exclaimed, she speaking out with all the protectiveness of a lioness protecting her young.
"Madoka Magica huh…never heard of it" Naruto dismissively proclaimed as he turned away from her, leaving a flustered and disbelieving Katase in his wake.
"What do you mean you haven't heard of it? It may not necessarily have been one of the most popular of anime, but it was still pretty well received." Katase said in disbelief, surprised that the boy in front of her hadn't even heard of it.
"How could I have heard of it? I mean it's not mainstream and I haven't heard anyone mention it so it must obviously be trash."
"Madoka Magica is not trash, it is an underappreciated piece of art that is as overlooked as the Monogatari series. If anything it's the fault of mainstream anime that such amazing works are often overlooked. After all even an idiot can understand the plot of Bleach but it takes some intellect to comprehend the subtle references of anime like Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series." Katase said as she went full blown defensive mode, driving her finger into his chest to accentuate her points as she graced him with the cutest frown he had ever seen.
Leaning closer to her she backed off in surprise as she was suddenly reminded of their close proximity, their faces only inches apart he looked at her with a serious expression.
"W-what, you want to fight?" Katase asked a tad bit apprehensive about the sudden shift in mood, maybe she been a bit too vocal about her opinions.
"I'm sorry…"
'What…'
"I'm sorry for not being a little bit faster. I'm sorry for not knowing what to say. I'm sorry I couldn't give you the happily ever after you wanted…and most of all I'm sorry that I never got to know how amazing you were." Naruto said softly as he rested a hand gently over her cheek, it only taking her a moment to realize what he meant.
He had been too late.
Resting her hand atop his own as tears started to flow freely down her face she couldn't help but feel her emotions get the better of her, however different from her previous sorrow and heartbreak all she could feel now was regret.
Like a shooting star he had shown up out of the blue and brought light to her dark world, playing the part of her knight in shining armor he had exceeded her every expectation. He was silly, funny, and kind. He had resonated with her in a way she could hardly describe. They could have been friends…perhaps even something more if given the chance. Her vision darkening she couldn't help but gaze into his sapphire blue eyes as her thoughts drifted to a tomorrow that couldn't be.
This was goodbye.
"Don't cry, you look prettier with a smile…so won't you smile for me Katase." Naruto whispered as he too grew teary eyed, his heart bleeding at this loss for reasons he could hardly understand.
'No, I don't want to go. I want to stay…'
Such heartfelt cries remained silent as she graced him with the brightest smile she could muster amidst her tears.
'So damn beautiful' Naruto thought at the sight before him, it was his sin to see this smile fade.
"You will always be my biggest what if…" Naruto admitted, his voice nothing more than a whisper.
"As will you be mine" Katase admitted surprising the blonde, before his eyes softened in understanding as he looked at her tear streaked face.
'I see, I think I now understand why the system assigned me such an unreasonable quest…'
Before they knew it the distance between the two became non-existent as their lips met in a tender and innocent kiss. This short three hour romance…he would take it to heart. He had never been as afraid to open his eyes as he was at this moment, the fear that she would be gone by the time he did so enough to take his breath away.
There were so many things left unsaid, however that one kiss helped express their thoughts much more than any number of words seemed capable of.
Breaking the kiss what he heard her whisper in his ear was a thousand times better than a thousand farewells, far more meaningful than a mere goodbye.
"Thank you…"
Just like that Katase shattered in his arms, she turning into motes of light as her body overburdened by the power that only a god could properly wield finally gave way. Knowing it was coming made it no less painful when it happened.
This was their game over.
Opening his eyes he found himself alone, the stars overhead the sole witness of what had transpired here tonight. Sitting up he couldn't help but feel older, as if his childish nature had perished along with the girl that had stolen his first kiss. A tad bit more mature because of what he went through he couldn't help but feel resentful over the situation, he had given it his all yet it wasn't enough.
He felt angry. Angry at himself for being too late, angry at the system for assigning him such a bullshit quest, and angry at Katase for being so amazing that he couldn't help but feel like this in the first place. It just wasn't fair.
He should be stronger than this…so why was it that he couldn't stop crying? Why was he falling apart over a girl he hardly knew? He shouldn't feel this way, yet it felt as if he lost something today. As if Katase had taken a part of him along with her when she went to greet her parents in the afterlife.
If he could have another chance at doing all this over again he would make things right, such a foolish thought flittered across his mind before he fell into sorrowful contemplation.
He would move past this and be a better man for it, he had some real introspection to go through when he got home. He had hidden behind his shell of a persona for far too long, trying to live up to others expectations while in the public eye. No longer! From now on he would be himself regardless of what others thought!
This power he had…it could help people and prevent tragedies like what transpired today. If he had this power even six hours earlier not only could he have saved Katase but maybe even her parents as well. It was painful…so very painful to experience such loss and he never wanted to go through something like this ever again.
Be it for better or worse this was his new reality.
Life wasn't a game, it was his mistake to treat it as such. Everyone loses at some point, the important thing was what one took away from failure.
Slapping his cheeks as he got ahold of himself, he buried his feelings and regret deep inside as all men learned to do and stood up. A small part of his mind whispered to him that everything that had transpired tonight didn't make sense…that it was likely nothing more than a dream and that he would wake up tomorrow and see Katase sitting at her desk just like yesterday.
But he knew…that kiss was enough to overturn all notion that this was a dream.
It was time to go home, he would test his luck with the next quest that the system assigned him. He would just treat this as the lesson the system likely intended it to be.
Walking towards the stairs leading down from the roof he idly thought on how all this damage to the school would be handled. Well considering the massive ravine now cutting across the school it was likely that it would be treated as a natural disaster. School would likely be suspended and everyone would probably have to relocate while repairs were underway. How troublesome…
Just as he took the first step down the stairs however the sound of the system rang across his ears.
Katase (Lover)
Passion Level 4
Sentiment Max
+5000 affection
+5 love points
Naruto's eyes widened at the sudden announcement, her name may be grayed out but it was definitely Katase! The system had awarded him for advancing his relationship with her to a higher level, now he wasn't sure about the whole lover designation as they had only shared a single kiss but he wasn't complaining. Also if the system was registering the advancement in their relationship then it would stand to reason…
Mission 2: The Beginning Completed!
Mission Awards:
Title – Mortal Savior
Katase
Additional Rewards:
Titles:
Title – The Strategist
Title – Heart Breaker
Perks:
Perk – The Savior
Perk – Disposition of the Ancients
Item/Other:
Item – Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi (Sealed)
3 Achievements Unlocked – Trophy viewer has been updated
Scene Unlocked – Kuoh Academy (Night)
Stats Points distributed
Error
Error
Error
Error
Error
Error: Award Katase is currently unavailable. Request replacement or challenge query in order to continue.
His grin was so large it threatened to split his face, he knew the system wouldn't let him down! Replacement? A person couldn't be replaced! Katase was irreplaceable!
Game Over? Ha, it was only round two!
Punching the button that said to challenge query, he saw as the world suddenly seemed to pause in response as a loading screen appeared in front of him.
Query challenged – Claim made over award Katase against Admin.
Primordial Death has accepted the challenge.
Mission 3: The Darkest Night – Nightfall
Survive for Eight Hours
Rewards:
Katase (Undying)
Heavenly Law – Death
Titles:
Title: The Anomaly
Title: Heaven Defying
Title: Survivor
Title: Mortal God
Title: Subjugator of Reapers
Perks:
Perk: Death's Favor – Resistance to Instant Death
Perk: Eyes of the Shinigami
Perk: Subjugator of Reapers
Perk: False Death
Perk: Immolation
Perk: The Anomaly
Items/Other:
Item: Death's Robe Fragment
Item: Death's Tears (x3)
Item: Death's Breath (x25)
850000 monie upon completion
50000 affection
20 love points
Ha, survive eight hours, he could that in his sleep! This went far beyond a mission, this time it was personal! It wasn't because the awesome sounding Mortal God title that he had accepted, not at all! Nor was his decision heavily influenced by the massive amount of rewards that would be given to him if he succeeded. He was a man of upright character, he would not be swayed so easily.
After all just the 850000 monie alone translated to a massive 8.5 million yen...a figure that was awfully tempting. However even amidst the numerous rewards there was no doubt that Katase was first and foremost amongst them, everything else was just a bonus.
He just needed to survive, he would just stick to his policy of running away first and asking questions later while dealing with anything that might be thrown his way. So he only had one thing to say to the blatant challenge…
"Bring it on!"
Mission 3: The Darkest Night – Nightfall Accepted
-x-
Author's Notes:
Naruto finally makes use of that charisma stat as he manages to talk circles around Katase and even steals a kiss from her. Super Effective if I do say myself, the fact that he ate all the stat boosting mints he got from the tutorial prior to confronting her notwithstanding.
Charisma makes others more easily attached to him but it also has the adverse effect of making him more easily attached to others. Double-Edged Sword.
He probably should have increased his intelligence stat a bit more though…Mission Three has to be ridiculously hard to have such good rewards. Needless to say he's probably in for a rude awakening next chapter.
Chapter Notes: Flavor Text (Perks and Titles)
Title – Mortal Savior
Description: Your benevolent and magnanimous nature can move the hearts of mortals. You who saved a person against impossible odds has shown a determination that god's would envy and that mortals can't help but admire. You have snatched a person from the jaws of death…
Perk: The Savior
Charisma +5
Your charm and charisma is twice as effective on mortals. Humans are more easily compelled to listen to you. Missions related to saving others has an increased likelihood of appearing. Standing with Heaven increased. Karma increased.
-x-
Title: Strategist
Description: Your nerve is such that you can stare death in the face unflinchingly, you who have faced off against foes of far greater power emerged victorious due to your quick wit and intellect. Your intellect can overcome differences in strength, others would do well not to underestimate you. No matter how strong they may be…
Perk – Disposition of the Ancients
Intellect +3
You have greater mastery over your facial expressions and you can better control the flow of a conversation. Your acting ability has increased. Others are more likely to listen to you and your lies are more easily believed. Your understanding of warfare in general and strategic planning is increased.