Hello, there, Jrramya here!

Uh, sorry for the months of delays, had exams, and other personal problems.

But here's chapter 9!

DING, DONG, DING, DONG, DING, DONG.

"And that's the bell! Homework is page 167 question 1-10! Have a good day!"

The teacher got up and left.

I drop my head on the desk with a big thump.

Uggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I could almost feel my soul leaving my body.

It's finally lunchtime and I already couldn't take it anymore. My brain was overheating from all the chemistry, history, and maths being stuffed into it all at once.

And on top of all that, I could feel glares from all over the classroom.

I want to go home.

Aqua was happily chatting with her classmates. She fitted in quite well for some reason.

I legit thought we were screwed, but luckily, thanks to my quick thinking, I managed to resolve the situation. The quick explanation I came up with, and I quote, was:

"Due to a very personal situation, she has to stay with me."

I also answer any questions asked.

Aqua not knowing her surname, parents, or any family relatives? She's adopted.

A weird way of speaking? A foreigner.

Aqua telling everyone she's a Goddess and that she has magical powers? Parental abandonment caused her Schizophrenia.

This quelled most people's questions on Aqua, and she got quite a lot of sympathy as I painted her life to be very tragic.

The door to our class opened, and in came two boys.

My only two friends in the school, Yamada and Aoi, had arrived in my class.

"Welcome back, Satou! How are you doing? Eating well?"

Aoi was your typical uptight nice kid. Everyone liked him. He was of average height, with slightly tanned skin, dark brown hair, and chestnut brown eyes. He was quite popular, and his looks earned him a spot on the "Mighty Handsome Ten".(The girls came up with the name).

"Jesus, Satou, you leave for months on end, ghosting everyone and come back with a girl living in your house? Should I congratulate you?"

Yamada was the personification of the word delinquent. Dyed blond hair, light brown eyes, very tall with a very buff body. He was constantly getting into fights with other schools, and thanks to his fooling around with girls, earned him the nickname "The biggest Playboy of Asia." According to his own figures, he's dating over one hundred girls, and he once dated ten at the same time. Even now he's got two relationships going on, both from different schools.

We were all childhood friends, which is why we hang out with each other even though our personalities and labels are completely different.

I sigh at them.

"I didn't want to come back, you know. And the girl, Aqua, is causing me big headaches already. Please don't congratulate me."

Yamada shook his head.

"That's where you're going wrong. You need to train your women to be obedient to you. Otherwise, if she's causing you headaches, you need to get rid of her. Trust me, I know from experience. Remember that redhead bitch from that other school-"

"Yamada, don't call her that! That's mean!"

Aoi cut into the conversation.

"You need to start treating women better, Yamada. It's why they all leave you so quickly."

Oh yeah. Yamada's relationships never last. Even calling it "relationships" is stretching it. It's more of a hook up. The longest relationship he ever had was three weeks. The average is usually four days.

Yamada tried to interrupt but was struck down by Aoi.

"You also need to just commit to one woman. Stop messing around and take relationships seriously!"

"That's no fun Aoi. I want to be free as the wind in dating girls, as all girls have a different feel... You wouldn't understand Aoi, you haven't even had sex yet."

Aoi's face went red from the word.

"Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa don't say that aloud!"

Despite Aoi's innocence, and even though half the girls in the school like him, he still hasn't gotten a girlfriend.

As the two bicker on, I smile to myself.

At least my two friends were the same. They've stuck with me all these years, not caring what others say about me.

Unlike my other childhood friend, who abandoned me.

I relax and join the conversation.

DING, DONG, DING, DONG, DING, DONG

Finally, the last class of the day was over.

I peak over my shoulder. Aqua was still chatting with the girls.

Good. Time to enact my plan.

I quickly stuffed my stuff into my bag, and was about to run off when Aqua appeared in front of me.

"Hey, Kazuma! Where are you going?"

Tch. She spotted me. I was hoping I would leave her behind.

"Home, where else?"

"Wait, we have to go monster hunting! There's a demon/monster in this vicinity!"

I wanted to cry.

"Aqua, couldn't this wait-"

"No time to waste! Let's go! I've even figured out who it is!"

Grabbing my wrist, she started pulling me out of the classroom and down the corridor we went.

"Oi-wait-let go-stop!"

We had to dodge students coming out of their classrooms, who gave us weird looks.

I spot Yamata, and I signal for help. But all he does is give me a thumbs up and leave.

That guy. He must have misunderstood.

At last, we stopped outside the teacher's car park.

As I catch my breath, Aqua begins looking around.

"Wait-hah-Aqua-hah-I…"

I breathe in and out.

"Aqua, I don't have my weapon with me, so I can't fight."

She turned around and looked at me with a sense of superiority.

"Heh heh heh, I knew you forgot."

She clapped her hands, and as if on cue, a portal opened beside me, and lo and behold, my sword Murasame dropped out.

"Am I not just the best goddess? Praise me, praise me!"

I smack her over the head with the hilt of my sword.

"Ow! Why did you do that-"

"Shut up and just lead us to the monster!"

I just want to get this over with.

Whimpering, Aqua smashed her hairpin and the red smoke came out, surrounding the car park.

I attempted to unsheath my blade.

Huh?

I couldn't pull it out.

Suddenly, a scream could be heard.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Out of nowhere, a battered purple car fell from the sky, smashing into the floor. Crawling out of the wreck...was a woman.

Eyes of chestnut brown.

Long, straight brown hair covering one of her eyes, and a single ahoge on top.

Snow White skin, wearing a dark purple dress.

And HUGE boobs. I mean some SERIOUS honkers. A REAL set of badonkers.

Wait, it's my new teacher, Ms. Elizabeth Rizu! What was she doing here?

"Ow…"

Rubbing her head, she sat up and saw us. Relief flooded her face, and she smiled at us.

"Oh! You are… Satou-san and Aqua-san from my class? Could you tell me what's going on?"

I was about to answer when Aqua stepped forward.

"Demon King's General, Ice Witch?"

Her smile died and her face somehow went even more white.

"I-I-I-I don't know what you are talking about-"

"There's no need to pretend, I can sense that you are a lich. You also match the description written down, and your attempted escape of the mist dropped you from the sky, didn't it?"

What the hell?

The cowering woman in front of us was a lich? And the Demon King's General?

"I see…"

The woman stopped cowering, and stood in front of us.

"You may be my students, and you may be just doing the right thing, but I will protect my new life here. It took so much time and energy to get here. If you attack me, I will retaliate."

Aqua was unfazed.

"Kazuma, kill her. I will support you this time."

Her hands started to glow.

The woman smiled sadly.

"Seems I have no choice then…"

Her hands also began to glow.

I sigh.

I really did not want to slay her. She doesn't look like a monster, and seemed very innocent. But to get rid of Aqua from my life, I will do anything.

I unsheath my blade.

Or I tried to do it.

What?

The blade wouldn't budge!

I tried again.

And to no avail.

Oh no oh no oh no-

Why can't I unsheath Murasame?! This is stupid, was the blade broken or something-

Suddenly, everything around me disappeared, and I was in a white void.

!?

Was I just teleported?!

How many times is this now?!

Somehow, there was solid ground for me to walk, even though it seemed there was nothing.

Where was I?

Suddenly, a mystical voice appeared behind me.

"You are in Murasame's spiritual world."

I spun around, and there was my blade, stuck into the white ground.

And standing on it was a person. More specifically, a girl.

Black hair that reaches down to her knees.

Cherry red eyes.

She wore a dark sleeveless tank top with a white collar and red tie, and a black pleated skirt.

On her hands were red gauntlets and black gloves.

She jumped off her blade and began to talk.

"I am the Guardian of Murasame. I won't keep you long. I just need to say my piece."

What the heck?! Aqua never told me about this!

"As you know, Murasame is a godly sword that only the very worthy can wield.

And as the Guardian of Murasame, I get to choose who the worthy are. And you are not worthy of being Murasame's master! When you first held me, I thought you had great potential. But your skirmish with the goblins told me otherwise. No technique, no planning, nothing. Just mindless swinging. Disgraceful! I have now blocked you from ever wielding Murasame again."

Wait what?! WAIT WHAT I'M BEING OVERWHELMED! GUARDIANS OF BLADES? WORTHINESS!? IS THIS ANOTHER PLOT DUMP OR SOMETHING?!

I try to reason with her.

"Hang on a minute-"

The girl cut in.

"If you want to be able to wield Murasame again, prove to me you are worthy."

"Wait a second-"

And suddenly I was back in the carpark. Just like that.

My head was spinning. What in the world is going on!?

This goddamn guardian person chose the WORST TIME to tell me that I'm not worthy! Couldn't she have done it earlier or something? Or book a time with me like a normal person?!

"Hey Kazuma! What are you doing? Come on, you don't expect me to do all the work, do you?"

Aqua was calling me.

My hands sweat.

I can no longer access Murasame, my only method of fighting.

And in front of me was a crazy powerful Lich that even made Aqua fight seriously.

What do I do what do I do what do I do what do I do-

Suddenly, a lightbulb lit in my head.

It was so dumb, it just might work.

I put the most peaceful smile on my face, and invoke the hidden buddha within me.

"Aqua, my heart has changed in the last few minutes, and I am now a pacifist. how about we negotiate with her?"

Silence.

Instantly the Lich brightened up.

"Really? You won't fight? That's wonderful! Thank goodness! I didn't really want to fight you either!"

Aqua, however, was not amused.

"...Huh? Kazuma, did you get brain damage? Spare a monster? You are aware of what our jobs are, right?"

I shake my head and finger.

"Silly, silly Aqua. You are only looking at the short term benefits. Sure, slaying her now would mean that we can tick her off the list. However, how about we recruit her to help us? Plus, she's our teacher, we can't just kill her!"

Aqua still wasn't convinced.

Dammit. I had to use my ace.

"Aqua, if you don't agree with me, I will not let you play any of my consoles."

She didn't know any of my passwords, so she could only play when I unlocked them.

At this, Aqua's eyes widened in shock.

"Wait, wait, Kazuma, let us not be so hasty, shall we? She's a monster, we have to kill her-"

"No games for you."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Aqua dived and clung to my leg crying.

"Please don't ban me from your consoles! I've only been on Earth for like a week and already my whole life revolves around them! I will literally die without them! Please…."

I feel nothing.

"Spare Wiz, yes or no?"

"Sure sure sure, spare her, heck spare every monster for I care! Just don't ban me please…"

Too easy.

And that's Chapter 9! I know it's a bit all over the place and packed full of character introductions, but this will be the only chapter like this. Pacing issues should be solved starting from the next chapter.

And it abruptly ends as I felt it was now going on for too long. All and all, not my best chapter.

Again, apologizes for the delays!