Chapter Nine

Daichi let his prior plans for a two-week grace period pass as he originally intended. Several of those days were spent testing, while the remainder was spent reworking his schedule and researching. With standard education now unnecessary and more free time on his hands, he went to work. Asgard piped in cellphone and internet connectivity, among other things, using a combination of science and magic ingenuity, which allowed him full access to his smartphone's functions. His previously allotted education time was reworked into self-study, where he was required to present three projects over the course of every grade cycle in regards to what he had been studying and learning during his time at the academy.

His research over the initial two weeks consisted of as much information as he could glean on magic of all types from Freyja's and the school's library. He started with the simple title and summary of each major magic system, then began slowly working through the intricacies, strengths, and weaknesses in regards to how each system functioned over the course of the following months. The vast majority were unavailable to him without direct instruction similar to what he was receiving in Asgard, but knowledge was power, and he wanted to be as prepared as possible when he initiated his career as a Problem Solver. That was the politically correct title for a bounty hunter. It gave it that edge of Hollywood drama that gods seemed to love.

'I've hired a… Problem Solver.' Stated in a gritty, fifties mafia style voice. That was how he imagined it anyway. The reality was much more boring, at least until things started to explode.

His research over the initial two weeks also consisted of scouring the internet for his recreational hobby of causing mild irritation and inconvenience for anyone he thought would provide him with some amusement. All sorts of flora and fauna began finding its way into strange places around the school, floors became incredibly slippery on random single tiles which changed locations weekly, clothing suddenly vanished or became a size too small or large; the list of simple pranks to play was expansive, and only increased in number as Daichi began mastering simple runic casting.

Naturally, with a functioning cellphone, both Gabriel and Serafall began texting him fairly consistently. They stuck to texting on weekdays and calling on weekends though, as there was only so much that happened to all three of them in their day-to-day affairs, even as a Devil King and Archangel. However, they were fantastic resources for the affairs of the outside world, and of the Christian factions in particular. Listening to the pair of them vent was great stress relief for them, and educational for him. On the flip side, they always loved hearing about whatever recent shenanigans he had been up to that week, or how adorable he got when he geeked out over his most recent projects.

Rossweisse had become a regular fixture around the mansion as well. With his increasing abilities in runes, Daichi required more supervision during practices, and the pair regularly spent hours together in the libraries pouring over various types of magical texts. At least, that was what occurred when Daichi didn't manage to persuade her to assist in some new diabolical scheme he was in the process of concocting. Many of his more intricate pranks, such as the enchanted slipping tiles at the beginning of his reign, were only possible because of her since he did not yet have the skill level required to enchant objects with runes.

It was like this that he slowly slipped into a routine and suddenly found himself seated within the Grove of Barri at the age of six, though he appeared nine. Three years of meditation every single morning had led to this moment. He had long ago lost the fear of the looming presence, nowadays almost finding it comforting. While it initially had been indifferent to his existence, after almost two years it began to almost lazily swirl around him, caressing and embracing him more and more the longer he spent meditating.

This morning began as any other, with Daichi seated before the stone altar. He easily slipped into his trance and began the process of integrating himself into his surroundings. It was a part of the described process he had learned from the reference material he had been provided, and a trick he had finally managed to acquire after a year of practice.

His internal energy seeped outwards, his mind sent adrift with it as it gently touched everything in the area. He had initially been surprised to find the forest wasn't actually lifeless. There were all sorts of animals, creatures, critters, and creepy crawlies that called the place home, they were all simply completely silent. It had initially been incredibly unnerving, but as with all things, Daichi adjusted to it over time. It was during this process that the change commenced. The best he could begin to describe it was as if a sound reminiscent to a lock clicking open resounded through his mind, but also as though a curtain rose to reveal an unseen stage, all while his soul was set adrift amongst a serene yet equally destructive sea, all happening at once.

With a gasp, Daichi was pulled from his trance, Freyja's hands gently resting on his shoulders as she kneeled behind him. He was left panting and sweating from the experience, and she patiently waited as he regained his composure.

"You touched nature's true essence for the first time." Daichi finally steadied his breathing as he turned to rest against the altar, his hands still quivering slightly as he responded to her words.

"Yea."

"Good. Congratulations." It was with a warm smile that she leaned forward and stroked his head. "You're now officially a Senjutsu user." As if responding to her words, an itching sensation began prickling at the base of his spine. Daichi grit his teeth, digging now sharpened nails into the soft earth beneath him as his third tail sprouted.

"That was just as unpleasant as the first time." He gave a sigh as he slumped back against the stone once more. Freyja pulled him into her lap sideways, cuddling him into her as she stroked his hair and ears.

"You did very well," she complimented. "This is about what we anticipated for the timeframe. The next few years will have you learn to control nature's energy and filter the negative aspects from what you utilize until it's second nature for you." She smiled down on him. "Take a break for today, and don't attempt to access Senjutsu without me there to guide you. Inari told me that, as a Yako, you'll struggle even more with negativity, and giving in to it would be disastrous."

Daichi only nodded in response, already drifting into a pleasant exhausted nap.

He slept the full day away, Freyja assuring a now ten-year-old, and to Daichi's glee already developing, Rossweisse in the meantime that he was fine, just tired from his first success. Her close relationship with him had initially seen her bullied even more than she had been previously, though that stopped a few short weeks after it began. Daichi's prank reprisals against the girls engaged in the acts had been much more malicious than the lighthearted pranks he typically played.

Eventually, he slowly woke late the next morning feeling more alive than ever before. It took him several minutes of placidly laying bundled in his bedding to adjust his senses to handle his new reality.

In addition to an increase in personal power from acquiring his third tail, he could feel the world around him and the energy available to access simply by willing it. He abstained, remembering Freyja's warning from the previous day, but the transparency and ease with which he was able to maintain an awareness of all life and its flows took time for him to adjust and normalize.

The moment he sat up; Freyja was by his side.

"Starting today, your previous self-study time will be devoted to supervised practice. You'll continue meditating in the mornings to enhance your new connection to the world." She looked him over with a critical eye. He could feel her doing something with her power, but hadn't the slightest idea what it could be. "If Inari's estimates were right, you'll have broken through into your fourth tail by the time you've mastered Senjutsu and Touki. Once we've managed to acclimate you to seamlessly utilizing Senjutsu we'll be able to start your Touki training." Daichi nodded along obediently. Despite their friendly relationship, she was an unbelievably powerful goddess, and he more than trusted her knowledge and abilities.

"Where will that put me in a power ranking?"

Freyja's eyes glanced towards the ceiling in thought.

"With your relationships to the Christian factions it might make a bit more sense to use their comparisons. Your power relative to their measurements at four tails and an accomplished Senjutsu and Touki user would likely place you as a weaker High-Class Devil in the case of Hell, or somewhere between a four to six wings Angel." She looked back down at him in consideration. "Though that's mostly from the power and utility coming from Senjutsu and Touki. Your personal reserves will likely be sitting in the upper levels of Mid Class Devils."

Daichi nodded in acceptance. If Yasaka was top of ultimate class at nine tails, it made sense that he'd likely be sitting around High-Class Devils in personal power around tail five, and six would be brushing ultimate class. The qualitative power boost from crossing the seven tails barrier would then put him into low ultimate class. Ascending as a Tenko would make his power level equivalent to a low-level deity, though that was still many years and an adventure to discover the method away.

If he kept his current pace, he should be six tails by the time canon events took place which would give him a healthy advantage over the canon cast and most early enemies if push came to shove. He'd be basing his operations out of Japan after all, so he would inevitably run into them eventually. Freyja broke him out of his internal musing.

"Alright, lazy little fox, it's time to get up and moving. We need to normalize you to your new strength during the morning's training and introduce you to the basics of controlling nature before you accidentally go feral on us." She then popped out of existence and he could soon hear her bustling about the kitchen. Giving one last long stretch, he bounced out of bed and padded over to the bathroom to wash his face and dress in his loose workout clothing. A light breakfast and a short jog later had him performing drills separated from the group under Freyja's watchful eye.

At three tails, the force of his uninhibited blows could likely crack stone with relative ease. It was little wonder how those in the upper echelons of power could casually devastate landscapes in their brawls. The power was necessary to break through their enemy's natural defenses, which also increased with the amount and purity of an individual's energy. Supernatural fights, if all energy parameters were at an equal level, ultimately came down to battles of attrition. In essence, who ran out of energy first. Of course, this could be offset by skill, secret abilities, and other trump cards to be used to whittle down an opponent until a decisive strike could be made.

Once Freyja had been satisfied that he had his increased abilities under some control, she pulled him into a practice room. The first intentional access to nature's energy was the most dangerous for practitioners who were not blessed by innate knowledge and skill with the process like the Nekoshou were.

"In the beginning, you'll access Senjutsu through meditation. Once you've become familiar enough with the process and feel of filtering the negativity, we'll progress to moving meditation and holding the state with gradually increasing distractions until you're capable of maintaining it during combat." Daichi settled into a relaxed seated posture as she spoke. "This process will be time consuming. Once you've mastered continuous channeling, we'll progress to Touki stimulation, manipulation, and its applications." Daichi nodded in acknowledgement, already slipping into a meditative trance. He could feel nature's presence at the edge of his senses, slightly subdued outside of a natural focal point and amidst civilization. Freyja's soft voice smoothly guided his mind without breaking his concentration.

"Good, now you need to pull the energy within you. There will be two distinct sensations, represented differently for everyone. Whichever one you associate with negativity; you need to immediately begin expelling from your vessel as you fill yourself with the positive aspects."

Daichi did as instructed, gently allowing a trickle to begin flowing into him from his surroundings. He had read about the associations previously. For some it was visualization, typically of colors they associated with positive and negative. Another common occurrence was reliving experiences associated with each side. Others were given feelings. This was the case for Daichi.

Positivity was joy, happiness, and love. It was the beauty of appearance and soul. Negativity on the other hand, was strange. Negativity was power. It was seduction, a tempting mistress whispering sweet words of potential, of indulgence and freedom. They were all lies, easily seen through but providing wishful images regardless. His Yako instincts almost had him groaning in desire. It became obvious how dangerous this could have been for any other Yako kitsune. It was everything he wanted, but knew it was wrong, his human past tempering his Yako impulses with wisdom. Freyja's voice was a whisper at the edge of hearing, a murmur of praise at his progress.

"Very good, my little fox. Hold it for as long as you can, I've got you."

He managed six minutes and twenty-four seconds that first day.

A/N:

Allhailthesith – That makes sense. I definitely agree with you. I sent you a PM about it, but for everyone else, just to clarify, I promise I'm not intentionally nerfing individuals or limiting them based off human logic (unless they're human, then they're subject to their universe's rules). I think I mentioned previously that I was pretty thrown off by the ridiculous power creep in canon, so this is my answer to that. I'm not nerfing anyone, I'm nerfing everyone.

But only in the context of power accrual. Sairorg trained for years for his power alongside unlocking Touki without Senjutsu, and he was the only one I felt deserved where he was at the top until the plot driven main characters came along. The Satans and other ultimate class level entities had been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years. No group of punk kids are going to suddenly end up powerful enough to be defeating them in combat, power of legendary titties or not.

Reader0007 – Her mythological appearance had her with this kind of strawberry blonde hair, so I suppose Mirajane as a strawberry blonde wouldn't be too different from how I had her in my mind. I left it pretty open to interpretation so people could pick their own ideal version of her.

Guest – Don't be too concerned with relationships and pairings and what not this early. Everything is going to be slow burn for a while as far as developments go. He's going to have to reach at least somewhat close to their levels of power before his flirting and advances are taken seriously, which I'm pretty sure has been mentioned by at least Gabriel and Freyja. The 'take his virginity' comment in an earlier chapter was half comedic effect, half non serious statement. Even if Serafall did, in the context of the universe it'd just be a super powerful devil taking what she wanted, and nobody would really care. The soonest harem and romance developments are going to come from the more normal supernatural characters, since as you said, nobody that powerful would actually give a shit about an unproven kid. The only reason they've interacted as much as they have is because of the unusual circumstances of his 'birth' and his technical father. He's like a mascot or cute pet right now, but it's laying the foundation for future interaction.

Chapter 10 for Unique is finished, and I've started work on IDW and DH, so expect the next chapters for everything this weekend.