Chapter IV
Well hello everybody, yes, it's another chapter of Chaos Pawn of the Gremory, primarily because one of the stories I'm currently working on is out of commission and the other is still in a waiting period, so this is what I'll be working on for a while. So hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I guess it's time for reviewer responses, isn't it?
Bakuto Masaki: Yup, they do know now. We did see that, and that will now be happening.
N.673: I do. I'm not sure I know what you mean by center of the universe but I think I get it. Yes, harem is always a plus. Yeah, I tried to avoid it sounding like he was bragging but it was rather difficult. Remember, he doesn't hate his entire past, there are things and people which he remembers incredibly fondly there are just many that he doesn't like. I hope it didn't come off too much like bragging since that is how it sounded. Either way, hopefully you can ignore it. Yes, mobile devices are a bitch.
Kazuma sat in the dining room of his apartment a few days after explaining his past to Erza and Kuroka.
However, as he sat reading a book he noticed Kuroka watching television in the living room. Narrowing his eyes in thought he got up and walked over to her. "Hey, Kuroka?"
Kuroka blinked and turned to him with a smile. "Nya?"
"I'd like to ask you something."
"Like what, nya?"
Kazuma sat down next to her and asked sternly, "Where did you learn about my past? And don't try to say from me because you knew about my previous name before I said anything."
Kuroka sighed in defeat. "So, you got me, nya. Well, it's simple, nya. I learned it from my leader, nya."
Kazuma folded his arms and asked, "Leader? That would mean you're part of some group, right? Mind explaining who?"
Kuroka put a finger on her chin in thought. "Well…technically I'm not supposed to, nya. You weren't even supposed to know I was here, nya. But, since you know as much as you do now, and you were nice enough to tell me about yourself, I'll give you a little look, nya."
"Okay, so…?"
"Right, right, nya. Ever heard of the Khaos Brigade, nya?"
Kazuma shook his head. "Can't say I have. If it's a group established in the last thousand years I'll have been sealed during the time, so I don't know anything about it."
Kuroka nodded in understanding. "Right, nya. Well I can't tell you much, nya. But I can tell you my leader is interested in you, nya. So I was sent to keep an eye on you, and report back what I learn, nya."
Kazuma flinched angrily.
Kuroka waved a hand. "Don't worry, nya. I haven't said anything about recent events, nya. I don't like sending them info that even I haven't fully checked out, nya. So I didn't send anything about your recent 'transformation' since I didn't fully grasp it, nya."
Kazuma narrowed his eyes. "Will you now?"
"Maybe, nya. Maybe not, nya. Although…if I agree to keep your secrets, will you help me with something, nya?"
Kazuma raised an eyebrow curiously. "And what might that be?"
"Just agree to help me, nya. I'll tell you the details later, nya."
Kazuma sighed as he folded his arms. "I have no idea what I'm getting myself into. I've no intention of agreeing to something to which I don't know the rules."
Kuroka snickered in amusement. "It's nothing bad, nya. I simply want you to help keep me hidden here and let me have some fun, nya."
Kazuma frowned in thought and then folded his arms. "It sounds like you're hiding something, and while I could easily get you to tell me everything I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. However…"
"Nya?"
Kazuma stood up and frowned with his Sharingan active. "…If you do cross me I won't be forgiving."
Kuroka smirked in amusement. "That almost sounds like fun, nya."
Kazuma lightly smirked in response. "Hopefully it doesn't happen. For now it should be fine though."
Kuroka nodded as she returned to watching television.
After that Kazuma made his way back to the kitchen when he noticed Erza walk in with a large box on a dolly. Kazuma blinked in curiosity and asked, "Err, what is…that?"
Erza sighed as she set the box down. "It's Mavis' Gigai."
Mavis appeared to the group and beamed. "My gymguy!?"
Erza twitched an eyebrow. "Gi-ga-i."
"Yes, that. So, how do I use it?"
Erza nodded and responded, "Just possess it like you normally do to Kazuma's body."
Mavis nodded and jumped inside the box.
"Just give it a moment for the Gigai to copy your appearance. Of course I made sure to include your clothes since Gigai don't copy those."
Kazuma raised an eyebrow.
Erza looked at him flatly. "I know what you're thinking and no."
"…Ah…"
After a moment there was a knock from inside the box.
Erza opened it and Mavis stepped out. She looked around and tested the mobility of her new body and then smiled. "I like it. I can feel, smell, and taste again. It's been a long time since I've been able to do that."
Kazuma couldn't help but smile as well when he asked, "So, shall I get that uniform ready?"
Mavis smiled and nodded while Erza raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Uniform?" Erza asked. "How and when did you do that?"
"A few months ago. Mavis was simply desperate to try it out so I had one made for her," Kazuma replied proudly.
Erza twitched an eyebrow in thought. "I…don't even want to know how you got ahold of that…"
Kazuma smirked deviously. "I have my methods."
Erza inched away from him.
Kazuma just snickered as he went into his room.
Mavis followed after him.
Kazuma came out of his room momentarily however Mavis came out a few minutes later, wearing Kuoh's uniform, the variant with both a vest that covered her button-down shirt and the shoulder-cape.
Mavis smiled and asked, "So, how does it look?"
Kazuma, Erza, and even Kuroka nodded in appreciation.
Kazuma gave a thumbs up and remarked, "Looks good on you."
Kuroka brought a hand to her mouth and snickered deviously. "Ufufufu, though it makes me wonder, nya. Her outfit fits so perfectly, how'd you get her measurements, nya?"
Erza paled and then turned to Kazuma with a scowl.
"Are you trying to make my life a living hell!?" Kazuma shouted angrily.
Erza sighed and then remarked, "Well, regardless of your…methods, Mavis now has a proper Gigai and uniform. Meaning she'll be able to start attending classes if everything else can be set in order."
Kazuma shrugged with a sigh. "Well, that shouldn't be too hard. Only problem now is, how will my body get moved from place to place?"
Erza raised an eyebrow in thought. "Oh! I hadn't thought of that. I suppose you'll need a Soul Candy."
"Uhm…pardon? A piece of candy?"
Erza sighed and shook her head. "Wrong. A Soul Candy. It's an artificial soul condensed down to the size and shape of a small candy ball. It's used by Soul Reapers to leave a Gigai but also put a sort of 'program' inside that Gigai, so that the body isn't left empty or unattended. We'll be using them for that purpose except on your body."
Kazuma began to sweat slightly. "Err…are they…safe to use…on human bodies?"
Erza chuckled in amusement. "Naturally. They pose no danger to you or anyone else. Hmm…what's the best way to put this…do you have any experience with Soul Magic?"
Kazuma tilted his head and nodded. "A little. Something similar to that was used on Vanaheim. Why?"
"A Soul Candy is sort of like that, we remove your soul and put a fake soul in its place, except this soul can be pre-selected and pre-programmed for a number of different functions so that it will exactly match your personality, on the off-chance you need to stay out of your body for long periods of time."
Kazuma scratched his head as he listened. "Hmm…I see. I think I get it. So, where do you get these Soul Candies?"
"You let me worry about that part. We have school again tomorrow, so you worry about getting Mavis in."
Kazuma nodded in agreement and then thought for a moment before frowning. "If you even think of getting me a fruity soul I'll kill you."
Erza blinked in bewilderment. "Fruity…?"
Kazuma just sighed.
It took a couple days for Kazuma to get Mavis accepted into the academy, though once word reached the dean that she was interested in joining, her acceptance seemed instantly approved. Kazuma was curious about that let it slide since it meant less paperwork for him.
Due to her apparent age, and the fact that she had little to no social understanding, she was placed as a first year student, joining the grade below Kazuma and Erza's.
A few days after that Erza decided it was time to get the Soul Candy, since the place she had ordered it from should have had it by then.
One night, however, Erza sat by herself in the dark of night, holding up a small, lighter-like object with four lights on it. The first three of the lights are out. The last light blinks repeatedly. Erza frowned in frustration as she observed it. "There's not much left inside." She then looked at her hand and flexed and tested it a few times. "Not much there either. Guess I'll have to get some when I grab those Soul Candies."
The next day, outside of a small, unassuming shop, two young teens stood outside sweeping.
One was a young-looking girl with a perpetual blush on her cheeks, round purple eyes, log black-purple hair held up in pigtails by pink bands wearing a white t-shirt with the shop's logo on it, a knee-length pink skirt, and plain sandals who was dutifully sweeping the sidewalk outside the shop.
The other, a small boy with wild, bright red hair, and narrow dark eyes who wore a similar white t-shirt as the girl with blue, three-quarter length trousers with the ends turned up, and simple sneakers, however, was not. He was merely playing around, pretending he was a baseball star, swinging his broom around like a baseball bat.
The girl turned to the boy and murmured in a weak voice, "Jinta, you need to stop messing around or Tessai will be angry."
Jinta then turned to the girl annoyed. "Come of it Ururu, I ain't afraid o' Tessai!"
"Yes you are."
Perturbed at her sudden and flat denial, he punished her by rubbing his broom into her hair roughly. "Am not. Besides, you're a lower rank than I am, so you shouldn't talk back to me."
Ururu, still having a broom against her head, argued frantically, "Actually Jinta, I'm three years older than you are…"
The broom was suddenly yanked from Jinta's hands. He turned around angrily to confront the culprit but gulped. "Uhh…h-hey…Erza…"
Erza looked down at the boy. "Hello, Shorty."
Jinta gained an annoyed tic mark.
"Guess you never change, do you?" She then tossed his broom aside and asked, "Is your manager in?"
Jinta scowled and was about to answer when Ururu cut him off, "He is, but he's not awake right now."
Jinta then made his way to the shop and opened the door to let Erza in.
However when he did, a tall, muscular, lightly tanned man with dark brown hair in cornrows with sideburns connected to his handlebar mustache with a pair of rectangular glasses hiding his eyes while he wore a tight white shirt with a blue apron, gray pants, and brown shoes looked at Jinta and scolded him. "Jinta, it's not time to open the shop yet." He then looked over Jinta's shoulder and noticed Erza. He hummed for a moment and then remarked, "One moment. Let me wake the boss."
A tall, lean-built man with light skin, grey eyes with messy, light-blonde hair with a few strands framing his face, some hanging between his eyes and chin stubble who was wearing a brown haori which sported a white diamond pattern along the bottom half, along with a dark green shirt and matching pants with geta sandals, a white and green striped bucket hat that shadowed his eyes a fan in his hands, and lastly a wooden cane in his other hand walked through behind the muscular man. "It's alright Tessai, I'm already awake," he said after a yawn. He then walked over to Erza and told her, "Well, we just got stock in from there yesterday, so your order's ready."
Erza nodded in appreciation and then replied, "Also, I'd like the cheapest fuel rods for my spirit communicator and sixty bottles of Soma Fixers as well."
The strangely dressed man nodded in understanding. He then narrowed his eyes and remarked, "You gotta be careful. Excessive use of Soma Fixers to align your soul with that faux body is gonna result in some serious hell once you finally decide to hop out of it."
Erza nodded with a flinch. "Yes, I know. However my integration with this Gigai has been very poor. And sometimes it's hard just to move."
The man then smiled happily. "Want a checkup? I'll make it cheap!"
Erza remarked flatly, "No thanks, Mr. Urahara. How about you just give me that Soul Candy?"
Urahara nodded in understanding and turned to Ururu. "How about you go and grab the Soul Candy for Miss Scarlet? It's in a box that says new items."
Ururu nodded in understanding and ran into the back of the shop.
Ururu arrived at the back of the store, in the box-filled back room, and looked around before find a particular box. Seeing the word "items" on the side she opens the box and pulls out one of the Soul Candy dispensers, one that resembles a cartoon duck.
Ururu arrived back at the front of the store and gave the item to Urahara.
He handed it to Erza who frowns. "Is this really the only one you could get?"
Urahara scratched his neck in exascerbation. "Even getting that one was rough, it's the second most popular version out there." He then narrowed his eyes again and added, "Erza, you can't pretend forever you know."
Kazuma sat in class when Matsuda and Motohama suddenly slammed their hands down on his desk. He looked at them puzzled and swallowed before raising an eyebrow. "Yo, what's up?"
Matsuda frowned and asked, "Dude, where've you been the last few days?"
Kazuma shrugged in response. "Busy. You know, busy busy."
Motohama adjusted his glasses suspiciously. "Is that so? Care to explain this?" He then showed a picture to Kazuma.
Kazuma twitched an eyebrow as he saw it. It was an image of him and Akeno standing at the front gate of the school. 'Son of a…who the…damn…' "I'm not sure I get your drift."
The duo then shouted in unison, "What were you doing standing next to one of Kuoh's Two Great Ladies!?"
Kazuma's eyebrow twitch increased as the rest of the class heard what they had shouted. "Just a coincidence…I was waiting for someone and she was waiting for the other one."
Motohama blinked curiously. "Other one? You mean Rias Gremory?"
Kazuma nodded. "Ah, her."
"How nonchalant you are about this is suspicious."
"Hey, what can I say? I'm not good with names."
Motohama adjusted his glasses suspiciously again. He then sighed and responded, "Whatever you say pal. Though, tell us, were they as good as they look from afar?"
Kazuma smirked and folded his arms proudly. "They're glorious."
Motohama and Matsuda grinned perversely.
"Oh man, I can't believe you got that close to those triple digit boobies! Did you…did you…?" Matsuda asked hopefully.
Kazuma sighed in resignation. "No…no I did not get to touch them. But I did get that close, if only for a short time."
Their discussion was about to continue when the door to the class opened and Erza walked into the room, making a beeline for Kazuma. She grabbed him by the arm, yanked him away and ordered, "Come with me."
Kazuma was dragged along, hopping on one foot as he attempted to balance, replying, "Ah…uhm…y-yes ma'am…"
The door slammed as they left.
Matsuda sweat-dropped and asked Motohama, "Er…did Kazuma just get dragged out of the room by a busty redhead?"
Motohama replied weakly, "I, uh…think he did…"
They immediately ran out the door after them.
Out behind the school building, over by the old school house, Kazuma rubbed his wrist as he looked at Erza annoyed. "Mind explaining why you suddenly burst into class late and drag me out?"
Erza reached into her pocket and pulled out the Soul Candy dispenser and handed it to Kazuma.
Kazuma looked at it puzzled and asked with a raised eyebrow, "Is this…?"
Erza nodded in response. "Yes. It is the dispenser for the Soul Candies."
Kazuma examined it and then asked, "Why's it look like a duck?"
Erza brought a hand to her cheek and sighed in disappointment. "Yes…I know, even I wanted the most popular one, Chappy the Rabbit, instead."
Kazuma twitched his lips with a snicker. "Seriously? That's rather-…"
Kazuma was interrupted when Erza punched him on the head. "Go ahead and try one, just press the duck's head down to swallow a pill."
Kazuma nodded and pressed the top of the dispenser down and a small green pill shot into his mouth. His soul was then shot out of his body as he found himself in his Soul Reaper form.
Erza then looked at his body and explained, "There's now a temporary soul in your body so nobody will know you left."
Kazuma's body then began to move, turned to the two and saluted, remarking in a happy, upbeat tone, "Hello, nice to meet you! My name is Kazuma Soryu, and my favorite phrase is early to bed, early to rise."
Kazuma twitched an eyebrow and demanded, "How is that thing anything like me, huh?!"
Erza was about to respond when her phone began to beep. She looked at it and her eyes widened. "Kazuma, we have to go. There's a Hollow nearby."
"Wait! But what about-!?" Kazuma tried to demand but Erza dragged him away shouting.
"Kazuma" waved to them happily. "It'll be alright! I'll handle everything!" After they were out of sight, though, his face darkened to a cruel grin.
Back at his store, Urahara was looking around the back room when he noticed an opened box on the floor. He raised an eyebrow and investigated the box.
Jinta threw the box down on the floor in front of Ururu. "Look at this!"
Ururu knelt down and answered, "It says Infester Goods."
Jinta snarled and shouted, "No! It says 'Inferior Goods'! And you just sold that to a customer!"
Ururu sighed in shame and hung her head as Jinta began tugging angrily on her bangs.
Urahara grabbed Jinta by the head and pulled him away to stop him.
Tessai then knelt down and looked at the info. "Hmm…this Gikongan will bring trouble."
Urahara nodded in agreement. "Yes, it will. We had better deal with it fast. There's no telling what 'he' might do."
Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta nodded in agreement.
At the same time, "Kazuma" chuckled and then began stretching and testing his muscles. "Yeah, this body's good. Not bad. Let's see what it can really do." Seeing a car next to him he sent a side kick at it and sent it sliding right into a wall.
At that moment, a teacher rounded the corner and saw this. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing!?" she shouted angrily.
"Kazuma" smirked as he walked over to her before she gained a tic mark and thrust her wooden sword at him, "Kazuma" leaping right over her head and onto the roof of the school building with ease.
The teacher gaped at "Kazuma" while he snickered happily and jumped off the old school roof to the ground and took off. "O-…okay…now I've seen everything…"
At the same time in Kazuma's classroom, Tatsuki and Orihime sat down for lunch.
Orihime cheered happily as she prepared her lunch.
Tatsuki, who was sitting complacently, asked intrigued, "What's got you so excited?"
"Lunch!" Orihime replied happily.
"Really? I don't think lunch is really all that important."
Orihime then replied obstinately, "No way! A healthy, young high school girl comes to school specifically to eat lunch!" Orihime then pulled out a large loaf of bread and a can of sweetbean paste. "So, Tatsuki, what'd you bring for lunch?"
Tatsuki chuckled and tussled the orangette's hair and responded playfully, "A normal lunch."
Another student, a girl with elbow-length brown hair that hung down over her face in a multitude of bangs, multiple strands of hair poking out behind her head, and some of it braided in two ponytails that hung on the front of her body, amber eyes, and wearing the female Kuoh uniform with the vest covering her moderate bust, and large, pink-rimmed glasses walked over to the two and asked, "So, mind if I sit with you two?"
Orihime, who had eaten her loaf of bread whole, turned to the girl and answered happily, with food still in her mouth, "Sure Aika."
The now named Aika snickered and then wrapped Orihime in a hug, "Oh you are so adorable, Orihime!"
"Kazuma" then appeared in the window, having jumped up from the ground level.
Everyone in class, specifically Aika, Orihime, Tatsuki, Matsuda, and Motohama, turned to him in shock.
"K-Kazuma…!" Motohama mumbled in shock.
"Yo!" "Kazuma" chirped back with a salute.
Matsuda looked at him and asked, "Uhh…you alright dude?"
"Kazuma" grinned and answered, "Yup, never better."
Suddenly, Sona burst into the room angrily. "Kazuma Soryu! Just what do you think you're doing!?"
"Kazuma" walked over to Sona and smiled at her and grabbed in both of his. "Might I say you're looking quite beautiful today."
Sona's cheeks then lit up red at his words, with the whole class gaping in shock, Matsuda and Motohama particularly amazed. Sona then clenched her fists and snarled, "Don't play with me to get out of your due punishment, Soryu."
"Kazuma" just smirked and jumped over her head and into the hallway.
Sona gasped as he did that, several other students running out into the hallway to watch him.
"What the hell's going on?" Matsuda wondered in amazement.
Motohama adjusted his glasses and recommended, "We should follow him and see what else happens. I think Kazuma's finally lost it."
Matsuda nodded in agreement.
At the same moment, Kazuma swung his blade as a blast of wind hit a Hollow before he dashed forward and sliced its head off, killing it. He then sighed and sheathed his sword on his back. Turning to Erza, he remarked, "I've got a really bad feeling about something."
Erza folded her arms in thought. "Oh? Like what?"
Kazuma scratched his cheek curiously. "Dunno, but it's givin' me chills. Let's head back to the school, I wanna make sure that thing didn't cause trouble."
Back at school, "Kazuma" was certainly causing even more trouble.
He rounded the corner, Matsuda and Motohama on his tail, and came face to face with Rias and Akeno. He looked at Rias and his eyes widened.
Rias and Akeno stopped and noticed him approaching them.
Rias raised an eyebrow and Akeno smirked.
"Kazuma" approached Rias and grabbed her hand and, in a very gentlemanly manner, kissed her hand and then stroked her red hair. "You are looking exquisitely beautiful this morning.
Matsuda and Motohama froze solid. What happened next however, broke them.
Akeno grabbed him by the ear and pulled him away from Rias, demanding in frustration, "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Ow, ow, ow, that hurts!" "Kazuma" shouted in pain.
Akeno pulled down on his ear roughly. "You could try to hide a little bit, Kazu."
"Kazuma" blinked curiously but then noticed Akeno's very generous bosom. He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as he took a step to the side. He was about to speak when he "tripped" and fell forward, face-first into Akeno's breasts.
"AAAHHH!" Matsuda and Motohama shrieked before falling over in a near-dead heap.
Kazuma and Erza were sprinting back to Kuoh, with Erza asking in a huff, "Why are you running like this?! I guarantee the Soul Candy is alright!"
"I don't think so, I've got a seriously foul feeling," Kazuma answered as the two entered Kuoh's grounds.
A feeling that was confirmed when there were a series of shrill shrieks from inside the school.
"Ah, shit," Kazuma cursed as he jumped up to the higher windows.
Kazuma made it into the school to see his body, being controlled by the Gikongan, trying to woo Rias. "Hey! Asshole! Cut that out!"
As he shouted "Kazuma" turned in surprise and saw Kazuma in his Soul Reaper garb. His eyes widened in fear as he ran past Rias and Akeno.
Kazuma ran up to them and the girls looked at him in shock.
"K-Kazu…you're…a Soul Reaper…?" Akeno asked in worry.
Kazuma's eyes widened in surprise. "Y-you can…see me…?"
Rias narrowed her eyes at Kazuma.
He turned to her and paled. He then growled angrily and shoved past the two of them. "S-sorry!" he shouted frantically as he sweat heavily.
Rias and Akeno turned as he past them.
Rias put a hand over her chest and narrowed her eyes in bewilderment.
Matsuda and Motohama could only twitch on the ground limply. "Th-this…must be hell…" they remarked in unison.
"Kazuma" ran towards the stairwell at the back when Erza appeared there, blocking his way. He stopped frightened and then turned around to see Kazuma behind him.
Kazuma panted and snarled, "Alright asshole, you've just destroyed three years of carefully crafted persona. I'm gonna kick your ass as payment."
"Kazuma" looked frantically between the two before realizing that fighting his way out is his only option, so he turned and launched a powerful kick right at Kazuma's midsection.
Kazuma grunted as he felt the full force of the blow. 'Son of a…bitch…this guy hits…like Iphicles…' He then slammed into a wall so hard he formed a small crater.
Rias, Akeno, and the others who had gathered could only look in shock.
Although, to most, "Kazuma" had just kicked the air before causing a crater in the wall, but Rias and Akeno saw the full sight as "Kazuma" kicked Kazuma into a wall.
Rias narrowed her eyes as she thought, 'What is going on here? Why are their two of them?'
Akeno blinked and then realized something before tapping on Rias' shoulder.
"What is it Akeno?" Rias asked, before Akeno whispered something into her ear. Rias' eyes widened before she nodded.
"Kazuma" then ran away from Kazuma and Erza towards the classroom and straight out the window.
Kazuma snarled angrily. "You gotta be kiddin' me." He and Erza ran down the stairs after "Kazuma".
Rias smirked and turned Akeno with a nod, Akeno nodding in return and heading towards the stairs as well.
Kazuma and Erza ran out the door and saw "Kazuma" taking off at incredible foot speeds.
Erza's eyes widened as she thought over the matter. 'There's no way…it can't be.' Watching "Kazuma" lunging up over the school's main gate with ease she grit her teeth. 'It's hard to believe…but it has to be…he's actually a Mod Soul.'
Erza and Kazuma began to leave when they heard a voice call to them.
"Kazu! Erza!"
Kazuma turned to the interloper, Akeno, and shouted, "Don't call me that in public!"
Akeno giggled in amusement. "It's too late for that. He already hit on both Sona Shitori and Rias. He even kissed Rias' hand."
Kazuma grabbed his head in horror. "NNNOOO!" 'No! This can't be! My body came into contact with those wondrous breasts and I wasn't there!? That's! Not! Fair!' "That bastard has to pay for this!"
Erza asked in concern, "Aren't you a little more angered than appropriate?"
"No way! I've spent three years trying to setup the perfect cover for this place! And now that bastard's destroyed it in one day! He has to pay!"
Akeno couldn't help giggling. "Ufufufu, seeing you so enraged like this is enticing, Kazu."
Kazuma looked at her in amusement. "Well, maybe you'll see more later, but for now we gotta pay this bastard back for ruining things for me."
Erza raised a hand and turned to Akeno. "As much as I'm sure you want to pay that Mod-Soul back, for the moment, a civilian will just get in the way."
Kazuma sighed and nodded in agreement.
Akeno put a hand on her cheek and giggled. "Ufufufu, you don't really think I'm helpless do you?" She raised her left hand as bright yellow electricity sparked at her fingertips.
The two Soul Reapers widened their eyes.
"Lightning magic?" Erza asked.
Kazuma shrugged and added, "Well, I'd say we could use the help."
Erza nodded in agreement as she, Kazuma, and Akeno took off to pursue the Mod-Soul.
They eventually found themselves at an old, dilapidated house.
Kazuma looked around and growled. "Damn, where is that bastard?"
Erza looked around and then remarked, "I suppose it seems you have a moratorium."
Kazuma twitched an eyebrow in annoyance. "This really isn't the time for jokes."
Erza raised an eyebrow and added, "I do not see the issue. It seems at most he put his head between-"
"Don't say it!" Kazuma interrupted pained.
"Uhm…I see. At any rate, that and kisses don't seem like much of a problem, I do not see why you are agitated. In fact, in a book I was reading, much more was happening."
Kazuma paled and thought, 'S-seriously…? I do not need another Milla.' "Don't compare the two. Kissing an ordinary classmate is a serious problem. Besides, what the hell kinda books are you reading?!"
Erza answered swiftly, "Men and Women Beneath the Sheets."
Akeno sweat-dropped heavily and Kazuma shouted, "How the hell is that thing here too!?"
Akeno then asked, "Erza, earlier you mentioned that other Kazuma being something called a Mod-Soul. What is that exactly?"
Erza narrowed her eyes as she considered whether to answer her or not.
"I want to know too, so just answer her," Kazuma pushed.
Erza sighed and decided to explain. "There was once a project in the Soul Society called Project Spearhead. The purpose of the project was to make an army to fight against the Hollows, since we were often outnumbered by them. However, the process was to make artificial souls, much like the Gikongan, that enhanced and modified the ability of some part of a human body, before inserting them into the bodies of the dead to use as weapons."
Kazuma narrowed his eyes. "So an army of undead soldiers?"
Erza nodded in response. "So you can see why it was viewed as unethical. The project was shut down and all of the Mod-Souls were ordered destroyed."
"But oversight only extends so far."
"Precisely. Not all of them were destroyed and some of the Mod-Souls ended up in standard circulation. That artificial soul must have been in one of those defective sets."
Kazuma then asked, "So, that also means the Mod-Souls, which, despite being artificial are still souls, were created and destroyed at the convenience of the Soul Society? Are you satisfied with that? With creating something for you own use, and then destroying it?"
Erza raised an eyebrow and then shook her head and sighed. "That is not the point. The scrapping of Mod-Souls was a law instituted by the Soul Society, for the benefit of you humans."
Kazuma sneered in response. "And you Soul Reapers consider yourselves better than devils."
Akeno's eyes widened minutely.
After finishing their conversation the three set off to continue searching for the Mod-Soul.
As they ran, Kazuma snarled and thought. 'I can imagine how he feels, that temporary soul. Being created and then ordered to be destroyed against his will.' Images of Forbesii flashed into his mind, causing Kazuma to grit his teeth. 'Then, finally managing to find a body, only to be pursued yet again. Well…maybe I'm wrong and he's just dicking around. Either way I'm still going to kick his ass. Er, my…ass…his…fuck this…'
'Having trouble?' Ddraig asked.
'Shut up.'
As Kazuma had theorized in the latter half of his thought, the Mod-Soul was running, jumping, and garnering attention as he made a scene around the city, jumping over fences and people's heads, gaining their attention and ire as he moved around. Landing on a tall concrete fence he remarked, "Man, this is great. I love having powers that get people's attention. Although I've heard there are other Mod-Souls with even more power. Geez, can't imagine how great it is for them." He then looked around and noticed a group of three school children sitting a circle playing a video game together. "Hmm…I wonder what they're doing…well they're kids so they'll have to think I'm awesome."
He then jumped from his current fence to a fence behind them and listened as they, unware of his presence, conversed.
One of the kids grumbled, "Man, P.E. sucks."
Another kid added, "Well, we've got video games instead."
All three children laughed together as the first growled. "Aw man, my character isn't doing good. He's gettin' hit too much."
The Mod-Soul then keenly heard as the kid announced, "I'll just delete him and make a better one."
The Mod-Soul gripped the fence so hard it shattered.
The boys winced and looked up as the Mod-Soul jumped down and glared angrily at them. He raised a leg in the air and was prepared to smash his leg down on the children.
Kazuma, who was nearby, saw as the Mod-Soul was about to slam his leg down on the children. "Damn!" Kazuma decided to act instantly. Clenching his fist, flames began to form around his hand before condensing around his hand. He reared his fist back and lunged at the Mod-Soul.
The Mod-Soul turned as Kazuma's flaming fist slammed into him, then the flames burst forward and sent the Mod-Soul flying as Kazuma shouted, "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
The Mod-Soul grunted as the attack hit him and burst, sending him slamming through the concrete wall nearby, tumbling onto the street on the opposite side.
Kazuma ran through the whole in the wall and snarled at the Mod-Soul. "What the hell's your problem?!"
Back at the Urahara Shop, Urahara was carrying a large object wrapped in bandages when he noticed Ururu timidly step out from behind a shelf.
Ururu looked at him timidly before bowing. "I'm sorry Mister Urahara. I didn't mean to cause trouble."
Urahara smiled and knelt down, reaching out a hand to her.
Ururu flinched, expecting him to hit her, when she was surprised as he rubbed his hand lightly on her head.
Urahara then said warmly, "It doesn't bother me at all. Why are you so timid all the time?" He then hugged the little girl and added, "We are a team. I'll fix everything."
As Ururu began to cry, Tessai and Jinta then walked into the shop, with Tessai reporting, "The preparations are ready, sir."
Urahara nodded and stood up, grabbing a cane as he did.
After that, the group assembled outside with different equipment.
Ururu held the massive, bandage-wrapped object, Jinta held a baseball bat, Tessai with his arms, and Urahara with his cane.
Urahara then ordered, "Alright, let's go collect our merchandise."
The three boys the Mod-Soul had attacked could only watch in perplexed fear as Kazuma, whom they could not see, smashed the Mod-Soul through a wall, making it seem as though some invisible force hit him out of nowhere.
Kazuma, meanwhile, shouted angrily at the Mod-Soul. "What the hell's wrong with you!?"
The Mod-Soul stood up, his clothes, Kazuma's clothes, dirtied and slightly torn, before looking at Kazuma angrily. He wordlessly assumed a fighting stance and rushed at Kazuma, kicking at him.
"I see…so your fighting style focuses mainly on kicks, does it?" Kazuma wondered aloud.
The Mod-Soul turned and sent a lunging kick at Kazuma, but the Substitute Soul Reaper caught the blow, and then twisted his opponent's leg to his, the Mod-Soul's, right side, sending him flipping over before Kazuma reared back another punch and slammed a powerful blow into his gut, sending the Mod-Soul, still in his body, flying across the ground.
"Kazuma" got back up and lunged at the real Kazuma, sending a roundhouse kick at him, which Kazuma dodged easily before crouching down on the ground, extending a leg out to the side, before pushing off with his left leg as his right leg spun around, sending him into a series of aerial, spinning kicks that caught "Kazuma" with three blows, the last of them sending him to the ground as Kazuma shouted, "Swallow Dance!"
Akeno and Erza rounded the corner to see Kazuma's attack send the Mod-Soul crashing to the ground. They watched in surprise as the Mod-Soul slammed into the ground hard while Kazuma came down lightly.
'I had no idea Kazu was such a good fighter, fufu, Prez sure can pick'em,' Akeno thought in amusement.
The Mod-Soul was about to stand up when Akeno raised a hand into the air with a sweet smile on her face. "Why don't you stay down for a little bit longer?" Akeno mused in an overly sweet tone that matched her smile, eerily. Electricity then sparked up from her hand into the air before coming back down and zapping the Mod-Soul.
He twitched for a moment before responding weakly, "Yes, ma'am."
Erza's communicator then began beeping. She pulled it out and shouted to Kazuma, "We need to go! We have orders! A Hollow is about to appear nearby!"
Kazuma turned with a nod and ran off with her while Akeno thought for a moment before smiling and joining them.
The three boys then called for a teacher who came over and looked shocked at the large hole in the wall.
One of the boys reported, "A high school student with brown hair just tried to attack us!"
Another boy added, "Yeah! Then something threw him through the wall!"
The teacher huffed in disbelief and was about to investigate the hole in the wall when she noticed their gaming devices on the ground. She grumbled in annoyance as she picked up the one and took the others from the other boys. "You lot have been playing too many video games!"
The Mod-Soul stood up with his aching body and snarled. "Damn kids. They ruined my buzz. That stupid Soul Reaper wouldn't've beat the crap outta me if they hadn't gotten in the way." He turned to run off when he felt the sensation of a Hollow nearby. He turned to where he sensed it, where the children were, and grumbled, feeling conflicted, before cursing and running to them, figuring the beast would attack the children.
Back at that school, the three boys, for punishment, had been forced by their teacher to stay back and clean up the area where they were playing as the teacher did not believe their story.
However, as they cleaned, a massive, purple and light-blue, caterpillar-like Hollow, which they could not see, appeared behind them.
The creature laughed mischievously as it towered over them.
Kazuma, Erza, and Akeno were unknowingly running in the wrong direction when Erza's phone beeped again.
She pulled it out and mashed a few buttons before scowling. "This thing's been acting up lately. I wonder if its batteries are running low."
Kazuma noticed the new Chappy charm on her phone and scolded, "If you had time to order that thing you should've ordered a new battery too."
Completely ignoring him, Erza remarked, "I can't sense the Hollow's location either."
The Hollow lurched back to attack the children when the Mod-Soul suddenly burst from the opposite side of the fence and slammed his knee into its face, causing the creature to slam on the ground below, sending the children flying from the impact.
After a moment the children came to their senses and looked around to see "Kazuma" standing nearby. Though they couldn't see the massive Hollow next to him and became afraid, thinking he was back for blood.
Instead, the Mod-Soul let out a war cry before charging at the Hollow.
The beast regained its sense and stood up straight again as the Mod-Soul charged. Several of its many legs extended and shot towards the Mod-Soul.
He dodged the first few, but was sliced across the shoulder by the next as he jumped at the caterpillar-like creature.
The children, having seen the effects of the Hollow despite not seeing it, seeing "Kazuma" jump around seemingly like a man possessed, and then seeing him become injured for no apparent reason took off in fear.
Erza and Kazuma arrived near enough to the school to see the Mod-Soul being attacked by the Hollow. Kazuma snarled in anger and disappeared in a sudden burst of wind.
Erza stopped both from surprise and from the force of air moving. 'Th-that speed…that could outpace the Flash Step.'
The Hollow looked down at the Mod-Soul and sneered, "Why don't you mind your own business, human? Instead of interrupting my meal." The beast then sent another of its extendable legs at him from behind and slammed him into a wall.
Another leg began careening for the Mod-Soul, who winced as it approached.
However, moments before it struck, Kazuma appeared from another burst of wind and hacked off the end of the leg, causing the Hollow to shriek in pain and retract the leg.
The Mod-Soul stood up bruised and asked, "Why did you save me?"
Kazuma paused for a moment before turning to him. "Don't be so conceited. I did do that to save you. Don't forget that's my friggin' body getting hacked up. Jumping back inside that thing is gonna hurt like a bitch thanks to your stupid ass."
"Well sor-ry Mr. Perfect!"
Kazuma twitched an eyebrow in response. "Look spitball-!"
"Did you just call me spitball?! What's that even mean!?"
Kazuma and the Mod-Soul butted heads as Kazuma shouted back, "You're a little ball of candy to be spit on the ground!"
The Mod-Soul lurched back angrily and then snarled off to the side. "Whatever. The only reason I'm fighting anyway is because your sorry ass is so damn slow!"
Kazuma gained a tic mark and retorted, "Oh shut the hell up! Last time I checked you're supposed to be a combat soul anyway, so why do you suck so hard?!"
The Hollow roared angrily at being ignored and charged at them.
Kazuma and the Mod-Soul then shouted in unison, "Stay outta this!"
The Mod-Soul charged at the Hollow and jumped up, slamming a powerful kick on its head.
Kazuma charged forward, his sword on his back again, before lunging forward with a series of powerful punches to the Hollow's face, cracking its mask, before hitting it with an uppercut as he shouted, "Talon Storm!"
The Hollow was hit so hard that it landed on the rooftop of the school, Kazuma and the Mod-Soul nodding to each other as they jumped up there.
After seeing Kazuma and the Mod-Soul send the Hollow to the rooftop, Erza and Akeno, both of whom had arrived just then, ran to join their fight.
Kazuma and the Mod-Soul stared down the confused Hollow as it righted itself before looking at the two of them. "Heh, you two are very annoying. Though I will enjoy eating your soul, Soul Reaper."
Kazuma sneered as he looked at the Hollow. "Sorry pal, I'm not on the menu!"
The Hollow howled again as it sent multiple legs at Kazuma and the Mod-Soul, intent on spearing them.
However, when its attack would've struck, it was suddenly engulfed in electricity before lurching back in pain.
Kazuma glanced behind him and smirked. "Well, well, nice of you two ladies to join us."
The Mod-Soul blinked curiously and turned around to see Akeno and Erza behind them. He gulped slightly, afraid Akeno would zap him, before looking back at the Hollow.
Erza then recommended, "Kazuma, I think that's enough goofing around, you need to finish this thing off."
Kazuma nodded as the Hollow stood back up. Scowling, he charged forward, launching out a series of kunai at the beast.
The blades struck the creature on the abdomen, causing it to shriek again.
Kazuma smirked as he tugged on the metal wires connected to the kunai. "Let's see how you like this." Blue electric energy began flowing from his hand, through the wires, and into the Hollow, causing it to howl once more as it was assaulted with volleys of electricity.
Akeno observed this and giggled happily to herself, unconsciously bringing a hand to her face as she smiled. "My, my, so creative."
Erza and the Mod-Soul looked at her concerned, the Mod-Soul slowly inching away from her.
The Hollow eventually lurched enough to break the kunai out of its body as it charged at Kazuma again.
Once more, Kazuma disappeared in a burst of wind.
The Hollow looked around to find Kazuma before looking up. "What the-!?"
Kazuma fell from above as he pulled his sword close to his side with both hands, before thrusting it forward. "Sonic Thrust!" His speed suddenly increased to blinding levels as a cone of energy formed around him and his blade.
The Hollow dodge to the side but Kazuma's attack still hit it at the midway point, severing the rear half of its body.
He landed on the ground, corrected his stance, and then pulled his sword back as he swept it forward, shouting, "Demon Fang!" A wave of blue energy shot from his sword and up at the Hollow, slicing off its head, causing the headless body to tumble to the side of the roof.
Seeing the Hollow's body begin to fall, the Mod-Soul thought about what was below and rushed over to its body, jumped over the edge, and then spun midair with a kick at the Hollow's body, sending it skyward before it vanished. The Mod-Soul smirked happily before blinking in concern. "Uh…"
He then began to fall to the ground below, however, before he could fall very far, Kazuma grabbed him, and by extension his own body, by the ankle, causing the Mod-Soul to slam against the side of the building. "You moron! Why'd you have to go and do something like that? There was no point, there's nobody around, and the damn thing woulda disappeared on its own, since Hollows dissolve when their masks are destroyed."
The Mod-Soul blinked in curiosity and then grumbled.
Kazuma then heard three voices nearby and looked down, his eyes widening as he saw the three children from before on the ground below, attempting to once again convince their teacher of the existence of the blood-soaked teenager.
The teacher, who had at that point become quite exhausted from the children's ramblings, growled at them once again and ordered them to stay behind after school and cleanup tomorrow as well, eliciting a pained moan from the three.
A few minutes later, Kazuma, the Mod-Soul, Erza, and Akeno sat in the backyard of the school overlooking a small ant mound.
Kazuma then turned to the Mod-Soul and asked, "Did you hate those children?"
The Mod-Soul looked at Kazuma curiously and then back down at the ants with a thoughtful expression. He then shrugged. "Doesn't really matter. If I hadn't saved them they would've died, and that would've basically been killing them. And I don't kill people. Right after I was…'born' the very next thing I remember was hearing that I was to be destroyed. Just like that, the day after I was born the day I was to die had already been decided. While I was inside that pill, thing, I could only watch as one by one, my friends and comrades slowly vanished and disappeared as each of them were killed and destroyed. I was afraid everyday as they vanished, until one day I was lucky enough to get mixed up in the warehouse with other Artificial Souls, but I still lived afraid that I'd be found out and scrapped. I spent every day asking why my life, my life, was decided and determined by others, and why I wasn't even given the chance to decide it on my own. After all, living and dying are choices to be made by the individual, right?"
Kazuma glanced down at the Mod-Soul as it looked up at him and sighed. The image of a young blonde woman appeared in his mind as he thought about the question. He then nodded. "Yeah, a person's life shouldn't be dictated and decided by others, they should be allowed to live as they choose."
Erza and Akeno looked at him surprised at his response, as did the Mod-Soul.
The Mod-Soul then looked down at the ground and chuckled. "Yeah…either way, that's why I resolved not to kill anyone, nor to watch anyone die."
A new voice then added, "Well…that makes all this equipment we brought useless."
The group of four turned to see Urahara and the others standing behind them.
Kazuma noticed their weapons and tensed, the Mod-Soul did as well, knowing what Urahara was there for.
Erza raised an eyebrow curiously while Akeno narrowed her eye worriedly.
Urahara walked up to the group swinging his cane as he announced, "The name's Kisuke Urahara, and I only came here for one reason." In one swift motion he jabbed his cane right through the front of Kazuma's body's head and out came the Gikongan with the Mod-Soul inside. The small pill rolled harmlessly on the ground before coming to a stop. Kisuke bent down and picked up the pill before returning to his group. "Collection is complete."
Jinta growled angrily as he watched Kisuke's effortless task. "Aww man, and here I thought I was gonna see a little action."
Kazuma turned fully to the group with an annoyed look, though he did happen to take notice of Ururu and her massive, bandage-wrapped object. He looked at it curiously, eliciting a small shrinking back from the girl, before just smirking and then turning his attention to Kisuke.
Ururu could only blink in confusion.
Kazuma then acquired Kisuke's attention. "Hey, Hat'n'clogs, what're you gonna do with that guy?"
Kisuke looked at Kazuma confused. "Guy? This is just a Mod-Soul, and I'm going to do what's expected of me, I'm going to destroy it."
Kazuma grit his teeth in response. "So that's it then? You're just going to destroy him?"
"Look pal, I don't know why you keep referring to this thing as 'he' but it's just a tool, and it's a tool we don't-!"
Kisuke is interrupted by Kazuma who suddenly rushed forward and snatched the Gikongan from his grasp. Kazuma then stood up straight, holding the pill in his hand. "Sorry, but that's not going to work. And another thing, you can see me. Just what are you?"
Kisuke was about to answer when Erza cut him off, "He's a greedy merchant."
Kisuke twitched an eyebrow in annoyance. He then stepped forward to take the pill from Kazuma, but Erza stuck out an arm. "What now?" he asked shortly.
"You're going to take that back, right?" she wondered.
"Naturally."
"But I bought it. Does your store do refunds?"
"Well…I…uh…crap," Kisuke growled before reaching to repay her.
Kazuma shook his head as he bounced the pill in his hand. "There's no need. We're satisfied with the product. So if that's it…"
Erza nodded in agreement. "Furthermore, you're acting outside the laws of the Soul Society, there's no reason or obligation for you to go this far in retrieving the Gikongan."
Urahara narrowed his eyes in response. "If any trouble comes of this…"
Erza smirked in response, though it was Kazuma who answered him, "Don't worry Hat'n'Clogs, we're pretty used to trouble at this point."
Kisuke sighed and walked off as Kazuma returned his soul to his body. He stood up and howled in pain. "That…rat bastard…! He only did that stuff…because he knew…it wasn't his body…!" Kazuma snarled at the Gikongan and shouted, "You little shit! How dare you mess up my body like that!"
Akeno then tapped on Kazuma's shoulder and remarked playfully, "You look really silly Kazu."
Kazuma looked at her appalled at himself before dropping his head and slumping his shoulders. "…Shit…"
Akeno merely giggled to herself before waving to Erza and Kazuma. "Well, if you don't mind, I should be getting back to Prez so I can tell her everything that happened, plus I'm sure she's worried." As she took off she blew a kiss to Kazuma. "This day was fun though, Ka-zu."
Kazuma couldn't help his perverted giggle as Akeno ran around the corner.
Though said snickers were silenced as Erza slapped his side, causing the brunette to double over in agony.
Eventually Kazuma and Erza arrived back at the apartment, though the conversation they were holding was interrupted when they walked through the door and Kazuma fell over with a bloody nose.
Erza looked ahead and paled.
Waiting at the door for Kazuma was Kuroka in only a black apron with dark purple edges. "Welcome home, Kazu-nya, nya."
Erza gaped as she observed the curvy catgirl standing in the doorway with only an apron to cover her important areas. Erza immediately knocked the catgirl on the head angrily, causing her to kneel down in pain, giving Kazuma, who was on the ground, quite the view as he passed out again. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Erza shouted in annoyance.
Kuroka moaned as she stood up weakly and answered, "I wanted to give Kazu-nya a good welcome home gift after busily fighting monsters, nya."
Erza twitched an eyebrow in response. "You didn't have to do something so unsightly!"
Kazuma stood up, with blood drizzling from his nose, and added, "I don't mind."
Erza knocked him on the head next and retorted, "No one asked you!"
Kuroka put a hand over her mouth and giggled in amusement. "My, my, you almost sound jealous, nya."
Erza stared at her puzzled for a moment before turning red in obstinateness. "I-I am not! I simply don't believe there is a reason for anything so lewd!"
Kuroka giggled in amusement again before Kazuma stood back up and popped his neck. Kuroka then walked over and stood against Kazuma. "So, are you feeling okay, Kazu-nya, nya?"
Before he could answer Erza pulled her away and threw into the next set of rooms.
Kazuma just raised an eyebrow at the redhead's odd actions.
She folded her arms in a huff. "What?" she asked roughly.
Kazuma shrugged and then held the Gikongan up. "So, how could I talk to this thing directly since I doubt it can talk?"
Erza folded her arms in thought and then answered, "You could put it into a dead body."
Kazuma twitched an eyebrow. "Number one I'm not sure where to find that, and number two, that's a little creepy." He then scratched his head in thought before seeing a small stuffed animal on the counter. "Well…I had originally planned on giving that to Akeno on our next date…I can just get her another."
Erza raised an eyebrow as he held up the doll. "So…what are you going to do?"
"If it'll animate a dead body, it'll animate an inanimate object, right?"
Erza raised both eyebrows and answered weakly, "Well…such a thing has never been attempted so I wouldn't know. Although, the Gigai technically is an inanimate object as well, so it is not unreasonable."
Kazuma nodded and shoved the tiny green pill into the mouth of the small stuffed lion then set it down on the ground. After a moment he noticed that nothing happened and picked up the lion again. Deciding it had failed he began bouncing the lion up and down by the tail. "Well…guess I will need to find a cadaver."
Suddenly the lion began to move and jumped out of his hand. "Hey, dumbass, that hurts!" The lion then stood up and pointed ahead with its tiny arms and demanded, "Alright, Kazuma! Time for…a…re…match…eh…?" The lion, which had evidently been possessed by the Mod-Soul, then realized it was in fact a lion and noticed Kazuma was much, much larger and taller.
Kazuma knelt down and grabbed the Mod-Soul by the head, making its lion body squeak, "Say your prayers, plushie."
The Mod-Soul then countered, "Don't worry, Kazuma. Even in this state I'll fight you!"
As this occurred, Erza watched the Mod-Soul's toy body move and speak with an increasingly reddening complexion.
Kazuma twitched an eyebrow in response. He then raised an eyebrow. "You know, I was thinking of just calling you Mod-Soul, but that's a little too complicated. How about Kon? From the phrase Kaizon Konpaku?"
The Mod-Soul weakly freed itself from Kazuma's grasp and landed on the ground. "No way, Kon sounds lame. How about the name Mod? Mod is cool."
Kazuma nodded in agreement. "Yes, Mod is cool. But you don't deserve that name, so Kon it is."
"Hey! What happened to all that 'Individuals should choose for themselves' crap!?"
Kazuma nodded again. "But you're a stuffed animal."
"Only because you made me this way!"
Kazuma just shrugged in response.
Erza then frowned at the small creature in annoyance and smashed her foot onto it. "You are rather noisy you know. I hope you won't be like this all the time." Erza then raised an eyebrow as the small lion seemed to have no complaint about being trampled on.
Kazuma could only face-palm.
Erza then realized that the way she had stepped on the creature gave it a perfect view up her skirt. In embarrassment and annoyance she kicked the stuffed animal, causing it to ricochet and bounce around the room like a bullet.
Kazuma and Erza stood for several perplexed seconds before it finally came down with a weak squeak.
"Ooowww…" it mumbled.
Kazuma looked at Erza and grinned, the redhead only dropping her head in shame. Kazuma then turned to the stuffed animal and asked, "So, how's the name Kon?"
The stuffed animal reached up weakly and answered, "Yeah…sure…that's fine…just…don't let me die…"
"Okay then, you are now Kon."
"Kon" then passed out.
Erza nodded to herself and walked to the door.
Kazuma noticed this perplexed and asked, "Where are you going?"
There's still a little time left in the school day, so I need to erase everyone's memories while they're all still gathered in one spot.
Kazuma nodded in agreement and walked to his room.
"What about you?" Erza asked.
Holding his door halfway open, twitching an eyebrow when Kon rushed in past him, Kazuma answered, "Gotta get ready for work. After that fiasco there's no way in hell I'm goin' back."
Erza nodded in understanding as she left.
As Kazuma walked out the door of his apartment, in his waiter outfit for the café, Kuroka watched him leave curiously and snickered in amusement as she was engulfed in a puff of smoke.
Kazuma made his way to work as per usual but couldn't shake a strange feeling.
Though when he finally arrived her wiped the feelings away and entered the restaurant to begin work.
Hibiki and Hikari were, as normal, running around frantically in attempts to keep up with the demands for the customers when they noticed Kazuma walk in.
Waving to them casually he remarked, "Yo."
"Thank god you're here…" both of them sighed out.
Kazuma raised an eyebrow as he walked up to them. "Tired?"
Hibiki nodded and answered weakly, "Exhausted, I still don't get how you can cook like that."
Kazuma smirked as he patted Hibiki's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll take the weight off you for now."
Hibiki smiled with a nod.
As Kazuma disappeared into the kitchen Hibiki then narrowed her eyes. Before sighing when she was summoned by another customer.
Kazuma made his way into the kitchen and received his first orders swiftly. Pulling several down he sighed. "Geez, barely got time to warm up." He then created more Thought Projections for cooking.
Outside the restaurant, Kuroka, in cat form, sat on the side walk looking in at the goings on and saw Kazuma as he worked. She found it very strange considering the persona he attempted to show at most times. Her curiosity peaked most due to his interactions with the female customers, acting almost completely opposite to how he was at most times. 'Wonder why he acts that way at school, nya.'
Kuroka remained outside the restaurant for the next few hours as Kazuma worked, enjoying occasional moments of being scratched on the head by passing teenagers or getting adored by children walking with their parents. Though she was less pleased with how grabby said children were.
Back inside the restaurant, Hibiki looked around and noticed that the number of customers had decreased substantially. Turning to her sister she tapped her on the shoulder.
Hikari finished wiping off a table she was leaning over and turned to her sister puzzled. "What's up Sis? Got me a new rag?"
Hibiki shook her head, looking at Hikari seriously.
A bead of sweat made its way down her face puzzled. "Erm…why're you acting so…serious…?"
Hibiki folded her arms in a huff. "Because, Kazuma's been working here for about eight months and I still have no idea how he does it."
Hikari tilted her head in befuddlement. "Does what?" she asked crassly.
"How he manages to cook up all that food at once to near perfection while also delivering about a third of it to the tables personally. You don't think he's a-?"
Hikari slapped a hand over her sister's mouth abruptly. "You moron, we're not supposed to talk about that. Besides, if he was one of us we would've been able to tell, right?"
Hibiki folded her arms in annoyance and nodded in puzzled acceptance.
"Although…" Hikari remarked as she rubbed her chin. "…I have also wondered about it. For the moment there aren't any unserved customers who haven't had their orders taken and it doesn't look like anyone else is going to be coming in."
Hibiki smirked darkly at her twin. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
Hikari nodded in agreement.
Inside the kitchen, Kazuma worked with his Thought Projections, one standing casually over by the door occasionally looking out to see if anyone's coming. It then looked out the door and saw Hikari and Hibiki slowly creeping up. The Thought Projection gave a deadpan expression and sighed in disbelief, snapping its fingers.
Kazuma nodded in understanding without taking his eyes off the food.
Hibiki and Hikari "stealthily" crept up to the door and flanked it, nodding to each other as they leaned over and peeked their heads inside. The twitched simultaneous, matching eyebrows at what they saw.
Kazuma alone stood in the kitchen working on one dish before instantly jumping to another to check on it, then jumping to the next and the next after that.
Hibiki and Hikari watched for several seconds before a familiar voice shouted at them.
"What are you two doing?!"
"Sorry ma'am!" the two shrieked in response as they turned to their taskmaster of a boss.
"Get back out to the dining hall!" she ordered.
"Yes, ma'am!" the two shouted in response before running off.
Ayame sighed in annoyance and then walked into the kitchen to see the many Thought Projections standing around cooking and handling other tasks. "They didn't see did they?"
Kazuma shook his head in response.
Ayame snickered happily. "Good. Wouldn't want the restaurant's secret getting out. You certainly make it easy with these copy things. And I only have to pay you about half again as much as a normal cook."
"Good to hear," Kazuma answered swiftly as he focused on the food.
Ayame smiled timidly and asked weakly, "You, uh…want me to leave, don't you?"
"That would be appreciated."
It was after a few hours more that Kazuma finally made his way out of the building alongside Hibiki and Hikari, both of whom were extremely exhausted.
"Holy crap, I can't believe we're finally done," Hibiki moaned.
"I didn't think it was that bad," Kazuma remarked happily.
"You must be inhuman," Hikari commented irritably. "I still don't get how you do that?"
Kazuma answered proudly, "'Cuz I'm just that good."
"Whatever…" Hibiki groaned as she stretched her back. "Well, guess we'll see you tomorrow then?"
Kazuma nodded in acknowledgement as the two turned to leave. As Kazuma himself made to leave he noticed a peculiar cat sitting across the road. Recognizing it he sighed and walked over, picking the cat-form Kuroka up. "Is there a reason you followed me?"
His feline friend merely mewed in reply.
Kazuma sighed and then smirked. He then placed Kuroka atop his head, the cat-formed Nekomata meowing in amusement as she rested on his mop as he walked back towards home.
As he made his way home he felt a paw tap his forehead. Looking up slightly he asked, "What is it?"
Kuroka, in quiet voice, asked, "So why do you pretend most of the time, nya?"
"Pretend?" Kazuma asked with a raised eyebrow. After a few seconds he realized what she meant and shrugged. "Simple, acting like that takes a lot of effort. It's easier to just mope around being known as one of the three most idiotic perverts in the school. Naturally I do have friends that aren't superperverts like those two and…wait…how did you know I act differently at school?"
Kuroka giggled in amusement. "You don't think I spent all my time before you discovered me lounging around do you, nya?"
Kazuma raised an eyebrow and then chuckled weakly. "Eheheh…got me there."
Kuroka purred happily as she laid her head down on top of Kazuma's own.
Soon enough they arrived back at the apartment and Kazuma looked around. "Well…I don't see Erza anywhere."
Kuroka jumped down and transformed back to her human form, thankfully fully clothed, and nodded in agreement. She then giggled in amusement and wrapped herself around Kazuma's arm playfully, making sure to wedge his arm between her generous bosom. "You know, if she's not here, you and I could play, nya."
Kazuma smiled back at her and answered, "As much as I'd like to further inspect you I really don't need the headache that would come if Erza found out."
Kuroka frowned and backed away. "Ooohhh…even when she's not here she gets in the way, nya."
Kazuma merely chuckled and then went to his room to put on more comfortable clothes.
When he came back out he noticed Kuroka merely sitting at the table playing with a small bell. "Uhm…what are you doing?"
Kuroka looked up at Kazuma and responded, "Just playing with a bell, nya."
Kazuma sat down with a flat expression. "Maybe I wasn't specific enough. Why are you playing with a bell?"
Kuroka held the small shiny object and answered with a slight sad tone, "My little sister gave it to me, nya."
Kazuma raised an eyebrow as he thought for a moment. "You have a sister?"
Kuroka nodded in affirmation. "Yes, nya."
Kazuma folded his arms in thought. "I didn't know that…come to think of it…I really don't know anything about you. Though I imagine that's by design."
"Does that bother you, nya?"
Kazuma shrugged and put his arms behind his head. "Not really. I'm admittedly curious but whether you tell me or not is up to you."
Kuroka put her head on her hands for a moment and then chuckled to herself. "Well…since you showed me yours I'll show you mine, nya."
Kazuma blinked curiously. "We're uh…talking about our histories…right…?"
"Depends, nya."
Kazuma sighed and shook his head. "For my own safety I'm going to assume it is. But tell me what you mean."
Kuroka nodded and responded, "Since you asked, I'll tell you a little about myself, nya. After all, it's only fair when you shared so much about you, nya. I am actually a half-devil."
Kazuma raised an eyebrow. "What's the other half?"
"Nekomata, as I'm sure you guessed, nya. I was reincarnated with the Evil Pieces, nya."
Kazuma blinked in curiosity and then asked, "Evil Pieces…? I don't know that term…"
"It's essentially a more refined version of what the original Satans used to reincarnate people into devils, and it will work on any race, even angels, nya. Even though only I was reincarnated we both served the same, not too kind master, nya. Eventually he did something I couldn't let go, nya."
Kazuma narrowed his eyes in disgust as he asked, "Did he…?"
Kuroka raised an eyebrow and then shook her head with a small smile. "No, he didn't do anything quite that bad, nya. Though what he did was bad, so I killed him, nya."
Kazuma blinked again and then sighed. "You know, those two sentences are a little incongruous but for my own sanity I'll just drop it. So what'd the bastard do if you don't mind?"
Kuroka frowned sadly and answered, "He planned on using my sister to breed an army of Nekoshous…"
Well, that does it for the chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it so make sure to leave a review on what you thought.