Hey there folks! Guess who's still alive!?
This guy!
I've been away for quite a while, if you're reading this then you know that. Between my school, gym, social life and other day-to-day activities, it's not uncommon for me to go for a while without updating. This time, however, the time interval was bigger than usual by a wide margin.
The reason for that is rather than being subjected simply to those things I spoke about in the previous paragraph, or other things that have occurred to me before such as equipment malfunction or the ever common writer's block, I had to actually deal with something else altogether, an injury.
I burnt my left hand with scalding water.
It was not life threatening, nor was it TOO serious, fortunately, but the time I took to recover from the burns and to be able to properly use my hand, when put together with my day-to-day life issues just slowed me down further.
I've already recovered fully, thankfully enough, and I'm writing now. I intended to release this update last week, as I said in a post on my Pat reon, but that too got somewhat delayed. I've finally managed to sit down in front of a screen and keyboard for writing purposes, however, and this is the result of it.
Before the chapter starts, however, I will do what I've been doing for a while now, and that is to thank the people that have been supporting me.
I would like to thank darkistorrik, Jarod, Joshua Garrett and Tyric Gaia for support given to me in the form of monetary contributions. I would also like to thank any and every person that takes the time out of their lives to read my stories, and for any engagement between said people and either me or my story that goes beyond mere flames.
That appreciation goes both to those who declare their enjoyment of the story and myself as its author, and to those who give criticism in the belief that it may help me improve in my writing.
If you feel willing and capable of supporting me monetarily as well, you are able to do so by making a donation via Pat reon ( Pat reon -dot- com -slash- francogamerxz ).
With all of that explained, onwards to the story!
-In the last chapter-
"HAH!"
Once again, Issei found himself in the abandoned construction site, punching steel girders.
The small spat he had with Motoyasu had been unsatisfactory, so he decided to release some tension by beating the crap out of construction equipment.
Exhaling after the latest steel-denting blow of his, Issei's eyes narrowed as he felt more than heard a small breeze flowing through the construction site.
*BOOM!*
Issei watched the smoke cloud from the area he vacated in a bout of high-speed movement slowly dissipating. He spotted a set of furrows dug into the ground, before his eyes moved towards the shadows of unfinished building.
"So, you're the one who's been stalking me this whole week huh?"
-Now-
"Heh, you actually were able to notice me... Kehkehkehkeh~"
Issei's head turned towards the shadows from which the annoying, click like laugh sounded, his eyes half-lidded almost lazily as he responded.
"I'm neither blind, deaf, nor spatially unaware."
"Hoh~," Issei's stalker sounded out amusedly "That's a rarity for humans nowadays. Most of them are so used to their safe, cushy, comfortable lives that they lost the edge that rough living gave them. Back in the day, when you humans started poking at one-another with metal toothpicks – you called them katana, I believe – even civilians were several times more focused and aware of their surroundings.
"The slightest hint of danger had them running to find safety, as was smart.
"You, however, while possessing the awareness, seem to lack the survival instinct."
The owner of the voice moved after that, taking slow, relaxed steps out of the shadow that previously concealed it, revealing itself to Issei.
The image that met the Hyoudou youth was that of a young adult, likely in their low twenties, wearing nothing less than a dark blue, kimono. The man was about the same height as Issei, though he was of a slighter build, having narrower shoulders and an overall less toned build.
He also had black fuzz in place of skin, six blood-red eyes spread around his face, no nose, and a very large, very sharp-looking pair of pincers in place of a mouth. Said pincers gleamed with a light green tint, and the upper part of them moved as the... Man... spoke.
"I mean, most humans would notice something dangerous constantly stalking them in the shadows and they'd try to run and hide," the man stalked, for the way he moved could not be described as 'just walking', all of his six eyes on Issei as he spoke mockingly "Not you, though. You just let things go on as they did. Saying nothing. Doing nothing. Seeking no help. So I have to ask, why?"
The brunet, his gaze still half-lidded and his posture slack in a manner belying his focus, shrugged, the answer slipping between his lips almost involuntarily.
"I didn't feel threatened."
The spider person stopped for all of an instant before he resumed his stalking, his voice derisive as he spoke.
"You didn't feel threatened, hmm? Immense idiocy, or just a lack of survival instinct?... Though, it is often considered that the second one marks the difference between the idiots, and everybody else... Kehkehkehkehkeh~"
"I simply felt you were not an actual threat."
"Kehkehkehkeh~" the spider person seemed to be absolutely full of mirth as he spoke "So not only are you an idiot with a lack of a survival instinct, but you're also an arrogant idiot with a lack of a surv-"
He was interrupted by a sudden and extremely painful case of 'Foot to the face' syndrome, which had him flying uncontrollably for a couple of seconds. He seemed to recover midair, his previous journey to becoming a stain on a wall interrupted when he caught a wall with the palm of his hand, sticking to it, before swinging his body so that his feet landed on the wall as well giving him stability, while placing his free hand atop his head, fighting back the disorientation from the hit of the person he was currently glaring at.
Said person shrugged, before speaking up.
"Told you. You weren't a threat."
The spider person hissed angrily at the nonchalant form of Issei, while said brunet young man stayed seemingly fully relaxed.
"You will regret that, human!"
Having said that, the spider person threw himself towards Issei at a speed even peak humans should be unable to perceive, with the brunet responding by hopping backwards, allowing the attacker to slam into the ground hard enough to crack it underneath him, a cloud of dust covering the area.
A blur shot out of the dust cloud and towards Issei, before a pair of hands struck out in the form of many consecutive palm strikes against the brunet, who reacted by continuously dodging his opponent.
Moving to dodge a palm strike meant for his chest, Issei felt himself taking a jarring halt as his right foot stuck to the ground. Unable to keep dodging due to his lack of balance, he reacted by slapping the incoming palm strike aside, watching as a pair of very sharp, dagger-length talons emerged from the underside of the spider guy's wrists, meant to impale him.
Issei responded by punching at the enemy, only for it to move away from him as if he had been yanked back.
'He was overbalanced due to the deflected blows, there's no way he could have jumped back...'
He proceeded to jerk his right foot free from whatever it was that kept it stuck to the ground, poking it with the tip of his finger even while allowing his other senses to keep track of the enemy.
'White, sticky and thick... Man, were the context different than a life-threatening battle then I'd be really worried.'
Issei's inner monologue cut out as he jumped out of the way of a steel girder that had been about to fall right atop his head.
He had to move again as another girder fell – vertically – where he had been standing, not squishing him flat due to him moving, before he dashed towards the source of the steel girders, the spider person.
He let loose a right straight which was dodged with barely any trouble, before going for a sweeping kick that was jumped over by the enemy, who retaliated by loosing a double kick towards Issei's face, which was blocked with a single forearm.
Issei swung his arm hard in an attempt at dislodging the enemy, only for the spider person to stick to it as if he were standing on solid ground. He moved in an instant, bending over backwards almost to the point of folding, the spider person let loose with his talons, attempting to skewer Issei's thighs, only for a knee to the face to dissuade him of those intentions, and of the intention to stay stuck to the brunet.
Stepping in hard, Issei let a hook fly that would have at least shattered the enemy's skull, only for it to be dodged completely. He adjusted his stance, allowing a consecutive series of punches flow, only for them to be dodged in almost their entirety, with a handful grazing him.
This was responded to by a low sweep had Issei falling on his side, before the spider jumped high, both his talons exposed as if they were a pair of hidden blades of some sort, both aimed at skewering his vitals, one for the lungs, the other for the spine.
The brunet rolled out of the way and retaliated with a hurried kick which the spider was forced to block rather than dodge, leaving the assassin with a pained grimace and a swollen arm.
Kicking himself up into a standing position, Issei attempted to stomp on his enemy, only for him to roll out of the way. He kept doing this repeatedly , forcing the spider to roll further and further, however, before Issei could attack the other properly, and before the spider reached the perimeter wall between the construction site and the outside world, he once more vanished as if he had been yanked away, this time into the shadows of the half-built building.
'I need to find out how he's doing that...'
Closing his eyes, Issei focused his senses in order to try to detect his enemy, only for a whistling sound to reach his ears, forcing him to jump aside as, once again, a steel girder fell vertically where he was previously standing.
This girder was followed up on by many, many others, each of them raising a bigger and bigger cloud of dust, until Issei was fully obscured by it.
'This doesn't make sense... His full-strength double-kick wasn't strong enough to break my single-armed guard, yet he's strong enough to rapidly toss a bunch of steel girders around, which he knows I'll be easily able to dodge... What's he playing at?'
By the time the dust cloud had disappeared, Issei was in what looked like a veritable forest of girders, with the falling angle of the sun causing the structure to be all but steeped in darkness.
"Kehkehkehkehkeh~"
Issei punched towards the source of the laugh, only for his fist to meet a girder with a loud bang. His senses told him the enemy had already moved.
"Stupid human... Allowing me to set up the playing field..."
Issei moved around the forest of steel on the balls of his feet, ears wide open as he tried to locate the opponent.
"Your death has already been confirmed... Kehkehkeh~"
The brunet rapidly unleashed a kick towards the source of the voice, his foot hitting only air, before his instinct had him throwing himself to the ground, a spindly, segmented shadow flying past his head and embedding itself within one of the girders, before being drawn back into the shadows.
He was then forced to roll out of the way of rapid and repeated thrusts from above, each of the piercing deeply into the ground before retreating extremely fast.
The brunet rolled back onto his feet, his hand patting his shoulder free of dirt with nothing more than absolute calm, his tone even as he spoke.
"I've said it before, and I'll say it again: You. Are. Not. A. Threat."
This got another angry hiss from the spider dude, who spoke with poorly restrained anger.
"That's it! I was going to slow, taking pity on a puny human such as yourself, but your arrogance begets punishment!"
In an instant, everything changed. A dark blur started darting around the forest of steel, bouncing off girder after girder at a dizzying speed. Issei's eyes tried keeping track of it, yet, in the dark as they were, he was unable to.
'I'll just use Nocturnal to... No! This is what I've been training for! I need to learn how to fight without revealing all my tricks! If I keep relying completely on overpowering the enemy, then I'll lose my fighting edge, and if I ever meet someone with more raw power than myself, I won't know what to do! I need to learn how to best fight and use my mind, be it at full strength, at base, or anywhere in-between!'
The blur seemed to abruptly change directions, flying towards Issei, taloned arms stretched out for a stab.
Rather than being caught onn the back foot and trying to either defend or retreat, Issei reacted by stepping into the oncoming attack, causing his opponent's eyes to widen in surprise, both of the talons previously aimed at killing he missing by a hair's breadth, before letting a fist fly towards the opponent's chest.
'Got hi-!'
A smirk spread through the previously shocked face of the spider-person, before he suddenly flew away from the fist that had been about to defeat him, settling high amongst the vertical girders, an errant beam of the fading light hitting him, causing Issei's eyes to widen at the revealed image of his enemy.
Added to the already previously arachnid-inclined appearance of the attacker were four spindly limbs, segmented into three parts by round joints, and tipped with sharp, dagger-length, hook-like spines, two of the limbs resting along the shoulder blades, and the lower two being placed each on either side of the lower back region, all four of them supporting the smirking foe.
"Kehkehkehkehkeh~" the clicking laugh filled the area, the sound bouncing off from the various obstacles in a particularly eerie manner, before the mouth-pincers started moving "I see that you have understood! Each of these limbs are much faster, stronger and more resilient than the rest of my body, each of them easily capable of moving fast enough to deflect bullets, hitting strong enough to break stone, and tipped with claws sharp enough to punch through steel! Now that they're out, there's no way you will survive! You are already dea-"
"RENEGADE INTERRUPT!"
The spider person's monologue was, once again, interrupted by a boot to the face, this time at a much greater speed than what had been shown before, causing him to slam into another of the steel girders before his spider legs stopped him properly.
"It was pretty nice of you to give me an estimation of how strong you are at full capacity. Now I know how much I need to put out to beat you."
Having said that, Issei blurred, appearing within range of the spider guy and slamming a hard punch to his chest, causing him to fly backwards. This time though, rather than slamming into a girder full-strength, the spider guy shot two of his limbs into another one of the steel construction implements and swung himself around the girder in a circular manner in order to bleed off speed and momentum, landing on the girder feet-first, leaving his body parallel to the ground.
He was forced to jump away an instant later as Issei appeared in front of him mid-punch, his fist hitting the girder and, rather than simply making a loud noise and wobbling a bit, caused the whole thing to get dug out of its furrow, falling over onto the next girder and causing it to start toppling over as well.
The spider person swung himself rapidly around the various girders in an attempt at staying away from Issei, whose blows caused more and more of the girders surrounding them to topple like dominoes.
"Got you!"
Issei's hand managed to grab onto the back of the spider's kimono, his fist poised to take off it's head, when the two lower limbs turned towards the brunet and fired off a twin stream of webs hard enough to push him back into the middle of the rain of falling steel, before his upper ones shot a stream of web onto a parallel pair of girders, pulling them taught and slingshot himself out of the crashing death.
The entirety of the girders fell in, a cloud of dust filling the construction site as the spider person took the time to calm their shaking hands and soothe their nerves.
"Kikh... That... That wasn't a normal human! He was much too strong! But... I've triumphed. It's the natural order of things... Even if it was closer than I'd like," The spider guy let out a sigh as he allowed himself to flop back-first onto the ground, before breathing out "When The Boss hears about this, he's going to up my training again..."
" 'The Boss', you say?"
The spider's head snapped towards the downed girders, his heart thumping heavily as his six eyes strained heavily in an attempt at discerning the slightest bit of movement. After several seconds of staring, the spider person finally allowed the tension to drain out of his body at the confirmed lack of movement.
'This fight really screwed me up more than I expected...'
"And I can even hear the capitals in those words. How interesting."
One of the sharp limbs shot behind him hard enough to release a mild shock-wave, the hooked tip positioned in a way to punch through the target...
Only for Issei to effortlessly stop it just inches away from his face, the shock-wave of the sudden halting of the attack causing his hair to blow back, and his clothes to rustle.
Giving the downed enemy an unconcerned look, Issei spoke.
"I'm tired of calling you 'spider individual' in my head, so you are going to tell me your name, and then you will tell me about this boss of yours, and the reason behind your attack. Understand?"
Glaring at Issei with three pairs of blood red eyes, the spider would have looked much more menacing had it not been shaking life a leaf in the wind.
"I-I'm telling you nothing, you hear me?! Nothing!"
The brunet chuckled lightly, releasing the straining limb which speedily retreated towards its owner, joining the other three in their defensive positions around their owner, the four of them pointed towards Issei.
"Oh, you will tell me what I want to know. Of that I have no doubt. Now, the only thing that's left to be known is whether you're going to talk willingly, or if I'll have to get... Serious."
Pulling himself back together, the spider guy used his limbs to shakily get himself back to his feet, allowing the lower to to support his weight while his upper ones were pointed towards Issei.
"Stop fucking with me! You're just human! You're not supposed to be able to match me! You are meant to be below me in all aspects!" He looked back at all the fallen girders, his pincers trembling - in anger? Frustration? Fear? - as he raised a finger towards Issei "You even got buried in all of that! You were supposed to be dead! How did you even survive that?"
Issei looked towards the girders, his tone casual as he responded.
"Oh, that? I dug my way out of the stack. Now stop changing the subject, and tell me what I want to know... Or else."
"Or else," the spider spoke with contempt, and a face seemingly as close to a sneer as possible when one had pincers in place of a mouth and no eyebrows "Wha-!"
He was interrupted by a tight grip around his throat, causing him to choke, while his eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and terror.
"Or else I will hurt you."
The four limbs shot towards Issei at point blank, each of them slamming into the brunet...
And stopping cold on his skin, none of them as much as scratching them, causing the terror that gripped the spider's heart to intensify further.
"W-what... Are... You?" He wheezed haltingly through the choking grip.
Issei slightly loosened the tight hold he kept around his power, causing a strong wind to whip up around the two of them. A mirage formed itself behind him in the form of a massive pair of green, slit-pupiled eyes, with a massive maw of wickedly sharp dagger-like teeth , while the wind became stronger, rushing around the two of them noisily enough to sound like an increasingly louder growl, until it eventually became loud enough to be classed as a roar.
The brunet met the horrified spider's gaze with a sense of both cool confidence and unparalleled amusement, before speaking.
"Stronger than you."
The spider person reared back as if he had been slapped, while Issei kept on speaking.
"You're not bad at all. A mid-tier fighter, as far as direct combat goes, with a diverse set of skills and the brains to use them well, choosing to engage at a time period that is most advantageous to you and to change the field as soon as you felt it to be unfavorable to you.
" Using your web sparingly for purposes of immobilizing me at specific times that would allow you to get a critical hit in, with an exception for what you believed to be a killing blow, making full usage of the terrain around you to facilitate your fighting style, and keeping your extra limbs hidden, using yourself as a feint in order to strike from the blind spot using your spider limbs...
"Plus, I'm sure that there's some hidden skill, ability or technique that you have in your sleeve that you would have usually pulled out to finish the fight had I given you the time to... With all those things together, you should be capable of matching, and maybe even overwhelming a high-tier opponent in a one-on-one fight.
"Too bad I was your enemy this time around. The gulf between the two of us was just too big for someone with your 'holier than thou' attitude to cross."
Issei smirked at his captive audience at that, his sense of theatrics and desire to gloat coming from his voluntary loosening of his more draconic self's leash.
"Now, name?"
The spider shook his head with terror in his eyes, prompting Issei to toss him onto the ground, his face going fully blank as he pointed a finger towards his attacker, his dead tone backed by a barely noticeable tendril of Killing Intent.
"Name."
*BZZT!*
"AIEEEEEEEEEE!"
A flash of light was followed by a shriek of agony as Issei blasted his enemy with a small tendril of electricity. When he stopped his lightning, the target was lightly charred and steaming, but still alive enough for him to see the terror in his eyes.
"I find the act of torture very unpleasant, and doing it makes me feel very dirty. Using this level of violence on someone incapable of fighting back against you... That should be reserved for monsters wearing the faces of people, not some random goon such as yourself.
"Unfortunately for you, you happen to have information that could direct me towards a threat on my life, and, consequently, a threat on the lives of my precious people."
Issei's brows furrowed at that, a shadow falling over his face and allowing the terrified and in agonizing pain spider guy to see only a void of black, with two brightly burning green orbs for eyes, as the brunet spoke.
"And if you threaten the lives of my precious people... Be prepared to get hurt. Now... Name?"
"RISAN! RISAN TSUKA!"
"Who do you work for?"
"I... I can't..."
Clenching his eyes shut, Issei took a deep breath to calm himself and wiped away any traces of pity or pain from his face, before responding in an utterly toneless, nigh on robotic tone of voice.
"I see..."
Were someone to walk by the abandoned construction site that night, they would be witness to repeated flashes of light, a burning smell, and shrieks of agony.
The Taiyoko-sen (Sunbeam).
A high-class inn founded by the Japanese Cultural Preservation Committee, a semi-independent division of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and of the Japanese government in general, Taiyoko-sen catered to those who wished to experience the old ways of Japanese culture without having to abdicate fully of the conveniences of the modern world.
Their staff was comprised mostly of people born and raised to learn and preserve the memory of the old ways, while still knowing how to navigate and live in the current age, who, alongside their older and more experienced supervisors, were tasked with giving the customers the best experience they possibly expected from their resort.
Being a very high-class facility, this inn boasted astronomically high prices, with even a day's stay costing much more than the median Japanese household made in 6 months of time. Despite that, however, the facilities were full more often than not, with many of the rich and famous constantly flowing into the place.
To even get a vacancy, most have to navigate a wait list of over 5 months in length, with most people having to wait out an average of a year or two for a single weekend's stay.
Despite the sheer level of exclusivity of the inn itself, very little could match the level of importance of a small group of people being hosted at the moment.
The three of them sat in a roughly triangular fashion around a table covered in the best of traditional Japanese cuisine, ranging from the simplest Onigiri (Rice ball), to the most exquisite and well-prepared Kaiseki, all of them worked on by world-class chefs.
The first of them was a very beautiful woman. With her short, slim build, clothed in a white, silk kimono with golden trim and accents in the form of flames; silk-smooth, raven black hair going down to her shoulders in a hime cut, brown-colored almond-shaped eyes, a small, dainty nose, and a pair of slightly plump lips colored in a ruby red that contrasted her porcelain-colored pale skin greatly and her eyebrows cut in a thick but short rounded shape, the woman could be said to be the epitome of the traditional Japanese princess...
Except for her full, soft-looking, back-achingly large breasts which, if one were to measure them, would be classified as E-cups.
The next person was a youthful-looking man clad in a black kimono with silver accents in the form of threads. His eyes were slightly slanted and closed most of the way, making it impossible to discern their color lest one were uncomfortably close to him, his nose was straight and pointed, his thin lips held in a constant half-frown, all of this on a slightly long face, with a pointed chin. His height was the average for a Japanese man in their early twenties, his build was slim, with narrow shoulders, and his long, brown hair was done up in a topknot. All of these traits together gave him the stereotypical Bishounen (Pretty boy) look.
If one were to judge him by those traits alone, they would come to regret it, however, for hidden behind his lowered eyelids was a light of intense shrewdness, the type that belonged to the best and most ruthless lawyers, businessmen or politicians.
The last person was a large man, much taller than average by standing at a good 6'1", with broad shoulders and a noticeably muscled build, even under his sea-foam green kimono, with aquamarine-colored accents in the form of crashing waves. His blue eyes were big and round, his nose slightly crooked and thick, and he sported a thick beard and mustache combo, covering his mouth and his broad, square-shaped jaw, both in the same russet color as his short, windswept-looking hair. His skin was sunburnt in the same way as a fisherman's, yet put together with the rest of his look, it gave him an attractive, if austere, appearance.
Said image of austerity was instantly dashed when one took the time to really look him in the eye and took in the spark of innate amusement and mischief within them.
These people are Kurai Hikari, the shrewd businessman in charge of the Japanese Cultural Preservation Committee(JPCP), Hageshi Katagi, a 'businessman', which was just the polite way that people tried to describe a famed Yakuza boss as, and Eiko Hinode, the heiress of a very old, very rich and very eccentric Japanese billionaire that made his wealth by buying and selling historical artifacts.
Their real identities are, however, in order: Tsukuyomi, the Shinto god of the moon, Susano'o, Shinto god of storms, and Amaterasu, Shinto goddess of the sun; the three primary gods of the Shinto pantheon.
And the three of them were currently in the middle of a very intense stare down.
The air in the room was tense as the three looked at each other in the eye challengingly, no sounds filling the room other than their breathing and their heartbeats. Were any regular person within the room, they would have come undone from the sheer amount of nerves caused by the intensity of the three deities.
His finger twitching, Susano'o spoke, his voice booming like thunder, and the crashing of waves.
"...Anybody got threes?"
Tsukuyomi clicked his tongue as he handed Susano'o the three of clubs, while Amaterasu pouted as she handed him both the three of hearts and spades.
Susano'o smirked widely as he pulled the plate of mochi towards himself, swatting away Amaterasu's grasping hand and ignoring her puffed up cheeks.
"I can't believe it," Tsukuyomi grumbled "How is it that you can beat me at a card game? I'm the sibling that does politics and bluffs!"
"Heh, I'm just that good," Susano'o said, before stuffing a whole block of Kakumochi into his mouth "Dll w'ff it." (Deal with it)
Amaterasu gave him a puppy eyed look, which he ignored, while Tsukuyomi rolled his eyes, inured to his brother's disregard of social mores, and snatched a rice ball from the table.
The sounds of many pairs of feet traveling outside their door managed to arouse a twinge of their interest, but when this progressed to shouting coming from the reception, the three felt compelled to investigate.
When they reached the reception, they were witness to two of the security guards, both clad in white kimono and brandishing a pair of re-purposed cattle prods, shaped like katana, at a heavily bandaged individual that was barely capable of keeping himself up.
Said individual was wearing a dirty, beat up kimono, its edges frayed and tattered, and his feet bare. His eyes moved around the room wildly before they settled on Tsukuyomi, when they gained a focused glint as he stumbled towards the god.
The two guards were about to move to stop the man, only for Tsukuyomi to raise his hand and speak up.
"Leave him be."
"But Kurai-sama-" started a rotund, glasses-clad receptionist, only for Tsukuyomi to interrupt him.
"He's one of mine. Prepare a bath and a fresh set of clothes for him."
A large group of silver-dressed individuals with their faces covered with cloth masks streamed into the entrance lobby, picking up the man and carrying him away, while others followed while carrying first aid kits.
Freshly washed, bandaged and dressed, the man was escorted into the private room of three of the richest and most famous people in japan, and placed in view of the three of them.
Clearing his throat, Susano'o spoke up.
"Okay, I'm sure that we've been silent so far in an attempt at being cryptic and all, but this just isn't cutting it. I'd like to know why our relaxing and discrete stay was ruined by a man that looks like he just came from a war."
The burly redhead followed that strong statement up by... Lazily leaning back into his seat, and... Shoving a few more blocks of Mochi into his mouth until his cheeks were stuffed like a squirrel's...
Amaterasu giggled behind the sleeve of her kimono, while Tsukuyomi counted back from 10 in an attempt at suppressing an unbecoming sigh. Succeeding in suppressing his exasperation, he addressed the man kneeling across him.
"Give me your report. But before that..." Tsukuyomi proceeded to point a finger at the bandaged individual, causing a silver-colored light to pass through him, revitalizing him completely "Take off those ridiculous bandages."
The man grabbed the bandages covering his face and pulled on them, causing them to unravel and revealed a particularly fuzzy, six-eyed face with pincers for a mouth.
The instant the man's identity was revealed Amaterasu turned a wary look towards him, while Susano'o frowned at him, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Ignoring these reactions out of habit, Risan focused his gaze on his master's face before speaking.
"I confronted Hyoudou Issei as you ordered me to, my lord, but things went... Not as I expected them to..."
"YOU WHAT!?"
Susano'o's bellow resounded throughout the entirety of the Inn, causing more than just a few window panels to rattle, and a certain kitchen worker who had been paid off to add a laxative to Hageshi Katagi's tea before an important 'business meeting' with the 'CEO' of another 'company' a few years earlier to wet himself, curl into a fetal position and rock back and forth while babbling about 'lobsters' and 'nipple clamps'.
"Calm yourself, brother," Tsukuyomi spoke, "Save your overblown, exaggerated reactions to the end of the report. Until then, let us hear my servant's words."
Susano'o leaned back into his cushion, his arms crossed over his chest and his right index finger beating a rhythm on his left bicep, while Amaterasu gave the spider individual a noticeably forced smile in an attempt at putting him at ease.
Ignoring both those things with an ease stemmed from habit, the spider spoke.
"I had been watching him for about a week's time, and even in that period I could see that he was... Beyond the human norm. He was capable of bench-pressing steel girders, of cracking them with his bare fists, of stomping down hard enough to crack concrete.
"I eventually attributed those things to a Sacred Gear of some sort, and, after seeing the extent of his physical capability, I engaged him in the belief that I should be able to easily counter a physically-inclined fighter like him, who was unable to notice me watching him for a whole seven days."
Steeping his fingers together, Tsukuyomi spoke.
"By the condition that you came in on, I gather that things did not go as you expected."
The spider shook his head, before explaining.
"They did not, my lord. I attacked him from the shadows, something likely to disable him, perhaps even temporarily cripple him, yet he easily avoided it, and revealed the fact that he had been aware of my presence the entire time.
"The two of us engaged one-another, and the battle seemed to be even at first. My skills and experience allowed me to keep up with his raw strength, and my tactics were supposed to give me an advantage, however... They did not ultimately do so.
"Every time it seemed as if I were about to get ahead, he managed to flip the script and target me with a dangerous attack.
"Eventually I had to dip even deeper into my bag of tricks. Battlefield manipulation, stealth, web usage... None of these allowed me to win.
"At a certain point, a large amount of steel girders fell on top of him. What did he do in response?
"He appeared behind me, completely unharmed, revealed to me that he never struggled for the entirety of that battle, and that he was doing little more than humor me... And then he proceeded to... Extract information from me."
The three gods were fully focused on the Spider, and none of them missed the way that the spider's eyes went dead as he spoke, distancing his emotions from his report in order to keep himself calm.
"He used some sort of lightning magic on me, and he spent a whole night interrogating me."
His expressionless facade broke at that, his tone tinged with self-recrimination as he spoke.
"I...I Failed you, my lord..." The man's gaze, focused on Tsukuyomi, conveyed little more than despair by now, "I talked. My identity, your own, my orders... He let me go after that so that I could send you a message:
"Stay away from me, my town, and my precious people. Or Else.
"He... He was strong, my lord. Much stronger than any unknown human had the right to be. Most people of that level of strength are either aligned with a faction or another, or are at least known to the world.
"He implied that he was in Ultimate-class.
"Nothing else to report, my lord."
Tsukuyomi leaned his head back, thoughts and ideas rapidly blurring behind his almost fully closed eyelids, before he spoke.
"Very good. Now leave us and take a break."
The spider responded by smacking his right fist against his heart, before making his way out of the room. As soon as the doors slammed shut behind him, Susano'o exploded.
"YOU SENT HIM AFTER THE KID!?"
His tone frosty, Tsukuyomi responded.
"And what is wrong with Risan?"
"HE'S AN ASSASSIN! WHAT KIND OF IDEA ARE YOU-" Susano'o closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath before resuming in a calmer tone, "We intended to establish friendly contact with the young man, to see if he could be convinced to join our faction, or to at least work with it, and you sent an assassin after him! What were you thinking!?"
"I was thinking that we needed to know who the person we wish to hire is, and whether or not they're really worth the effort. By having Risan after him, I expected to get the information that allowed us to discern whether or not we should pursue his services, or if they were even worth it.
"Now we know that he is strong enough for the type of work we have in mind for him-"
"AND that his perception of the Shinto pantheon is soured," Susano'o cut in "You have, in a single move, put any sort of ambivalence that he had towards us to rest, and put his opinion of us purely on the 'negative' side of the spectrum!
"I'd rather have an ally that I have to help build up, than no ally at all!"
Waving his hand carelessly, Tsukuyomi responded.
"Do not worry much. There are other ways for us to get him to work for us. We could offer him wealth, influence, power... He's a human, they always go for those types of things."
Susano'o's scowl became a softer frown, while Amaterasu gave Tsukuyomi a sympathetic look as she spoke up for the first time in the entire conversation.
"You know that is not always the case, brother. Not all humans are like-"
"The point-" the moon god cut in, "Is that we can always find a way to secure his services for us. For now we just focus on our primary issues."
Amaterasu sighed forlornly at that, saddened at the fact that her brother simply refused to open up and overcome his past, while Susano'o clicked his tongue in a mixture of irritation and sympathy.
"Fine," the storm god said begrudgingly, "But next time I'll be talking to the boy directly."
"No," Susano'o said as he metaphorically slashed through his brother's words, and literally slashed his hand through the air, "You unilaterally hijacked our first contact and fucked it up tremendously. This boy seems to be more my type of person, so me approaching him would be preferable. Even if that happened to be wrong, I can't fuck up any more than your pet assassin did."
Having said that, Susano'o got up to his feet and left the room, heading towards the Inn's internationally recognized, 5 star-rated Onsen (hot spring) in order to get his last dose of relaxation before he had to go back to work.
Back in the room, Amaterasu placed a soft hand on Tsukuyomi's shoulder, before speaking.
"Don't worry, Tsu-chan. Su-chan... He'll calm down soon, and we'll put all of this nasty business behind our backs."
Sighing out loud, Tsukuyomi place his hand atop his sister's, luxuriating in the generally clean, calm aura that hung around her, before his analytical mind reasserted itself, leading him to stand up, patting the dust off his kimono, before addressing the sun goddess.
"I have some business to take care of. See you later, sister."
Having said that, Tsukuyomi exited the room, leaving Amaterasu behind, all on her own.
The sun goddess fidgeted in place for a while, as if fighting some sort of internal battle, before her eyes finally lit up as she reached a conclusion.
She narrowed her eyes, allowing them to shiftily dart through the entire room in a search for observers of any type.
Satisfied of the absence of spies, and with a decisive look in her eyes, Amaterasu raised her right hand up high into the air, her wrist rolling with the intent of limbering it up... Before allowing it to dart towards the plate of sweets Susano'o had won during their match, snagging a skewer of dango and shoving all of them into her mouth, the sweets causing her to let out a moan of delight.
"Sho' Gud!"
Were anyone there to watch the scene, they would be undecided on whether to be exasperated at the silliness or struck dumb by the sheer cuteness.
"Issei, would you mind coming to the back for a talk real quick?"
The brunet shook his head, indicating that he didn't mind, before walking into the backroom, the cloth he had been using to wipe down a table hung over his shoulder. Seeing his boss walking into the room, the brunet spoke.
"I'm not in trouble, am I, boss?"
Andre gave Issei a long look before sighing, sitting down and pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He lit the cancer stick, ignoring his grimace, and took a big puff of it, savoring the smoke before blowing it out of the open window. Only then did he speak up.
"Not at all. You've never really given me any reasons to give you a hard time, which is part of why I called you back here today.
"You seem to be off your game today. Distracted, always looking beyond the distance, that sort of thing. What I've been meaning to ask, is...
"Are you okay, kid?"
Issei opened his mouth, a quick ' I'm fine' about to emerge from his mouth, before he thought better of it. His gaze fell on Andre with a level of intensity that the man did not really expect his worker to ever direct towards him, before he spoke.
"Why did you leave the supernatural world, boss?"
The bald, black man froze for an instant, his eyes falling onto Issei for a full second before he took another puff of his cigarette, blowing the smoke slowly out of the window, a small grumble of 'I knew this conversation would require a smoke', before he focused on him, and addressing him.
"How do you figure I used to be part of the supernatural, kid?"
"Really?" Issei spoke while giving Andre a deadpan look, "I've seen you pull washcloths out of thin air every single day for a few months already. We don't have that many washcloths here. Plus, you still have a small amount of magic leaking from you, and I don't mean the insignificant trickle that civilians for the most part tend to passively release.
"Your magic feels... Well-used. It currently feels like a large beast that decided to lie down on the sun and take a nap. You don't get that type of feel from passively making yourself heal from paper cuts a few minutes earlier.
"Plus, with how strong Daichi is, if you were a regular human then you'd be unable to use your hand for a few days whenever he gives you his overexcited handshakes."
The man sighed out loud, before a small, self-deprecating smile showed up on his face as he spoke.
"Guess that whole 'old age' business is messing with my habits... Such a rookie way to get caught... She would've laughed me to oblivion if she learnt of this, before training me to hell and back in order to get me back into shape...
"Well, I believe you asked a question, so that's enough nostalgia for the day.
"The reasons behind me leaving that world... You could boil it all down to 'Family'.
"That world took people that I was close to away from me, on a permanent basis, if you catch my drift. Then, with having to take care of Daichi and everything... I felt that I could just leave all of that behind and make myself a new life in the 'real' world.
"That way, I didn't have to deal with enemies trying to target my family, and Daichi didn't have to live with the constant possibility of losing his uncle and caretaker."
Smiling softly, Issei spoke up.
"You really love Dai, don't you, old man?"
"Yeah," Andre said with full seriousness, "There is very little I wouldn't do for my nephew. He's one of mine, and anyone that tries to change that, well..." Andre's left eye gained a red glint as he spoke the next words, "They're gonna have a bad time."
"Daichi..." Issei spoke haltingly, "He's not... Normal, is he?"
Andre turned a sharp gaze on Issei, which the youth responded to with a pair of raised eyebrows, prompting him to let out an explosive sigh.
"You cheeky brats of this generation have no respect..." The bald, black man took a last puff from his cigarette, putting it out – on an ashtray that had appeared on the table when the conversation had first started – and then just barely managed to ignore the urge to face palm at another slip of this type, ignoring Issei's amused-looking 'knowing look', before turning completely serious as he spoke, "Daichi is... Special. He is very special in a way that he has absolutely no idea of."
"What do you mean exactly, old man?"
"What I mean is that he's not fully human. He's a half-blood, a term that denotes the child of two beings of different races, though the term half-breed is often used if the mixture is feral in nature, like that of two supernatural animals.
"I won't tell you Daichi's exact parentage, that would be breaking a promise that I made to someone very dear to me, and to completely violate Daichi's privacy. Heck, not even he himself is aware of his heritage, and that is for the best.
"Knowing... It would put him in grave danger. Suffice it to say that there's more to Daichi than advertised on the tin, so to say."
"Part of his heritage is what gives him his great strength, right?" Issei asked.
"Yeah," the man spoke, "It gives him his strength, his toughness, and a whole other host of things. Daichi hasn't gotten seriously sick or injured even once ever since he was 5, and whenever he does get a minor injury, like a small bruise or papercut, it heals much faster than a regular persons' does."
The man paused for an instant, before focusing on Issei with a level of intensity that would have others unnerved, as he spoke.
"This knowledge about Daichi's heritage... What do you think of it?"
The brunet scoffed at that question, shaking his head before he answered.
"What a roundabout way of asking me whether I'm cool or not with Dai being a half-blood."
"If you're willing to be this candid, then I will do so as well," Andre said seriously, "What is your opinion on those who are not descended from two humans?"
"This information changes absolutely diddly squat. Dai's a great kid, and I've come to see him as a younger brother. A younger brother strong enough to bend steel, but still.
"Dai's family... As are you, old man. If you or Daichi are ever in trouble, then give me a call and I'll be there as soon as possible."
Andre walked towards Issei, placing his hand on the brunet's shoulder, before favoring with a smile as he spoke.
"Issei... You're a great kid, and I'm glad you've got mine and Daichi's backs."
Seeing that the serious matters were taken care of – for now – Issei cheekily smirked at Andre, before responding.
"Does that mean I get a raise?"
Andre snorted at that, before a devious smile appeared on his face. Reaching into his pocket, the man pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil, which he used to scribble down something, while he talked.
"As a matter of fact, I've been thinking of doing this for quite a while now, but I always ended up forgetting. You've been inducted into the 'permanent roster', and that comes with an... Improvement on your part of the Employer-employee relationship."
Having said that, Andre slid the folded chit of paper towards Issei. The brunet unfolded the paper, taking one look at its written contents...
Before freezing.
He sat there frozen for over 30 Seconds before his brain finally managed to return from its journey To Mars, causing him to have to lick his suddenly dry lips before he spoke in a faint tone.
"T-this... Is this like, the wi-fi password, or something, boss?"
Andre, smug bastard he was, responded by smirking at Issei, before walking back into the bar proper.
The brunet followed him, still in a numbers-induced daze, haphazardly allowing the door to close behind him.
Neither of them noticed the surprisingly stealthy form of Daichi standing behind the back-alley entrance to the bar, having returned from taking out the trash just in time to listen to the entire conversation.
It was good to know that Andre and Issei were so fond of him, it caused him to feel something warm pooling in his gut and chest, but the other things... The ones about how supposedly strong he is, and how he's likely not fully human...
Those are things that he will have to think through later.
For now, though, he has a job to do.
'The trash won't take itself out, will it?'
With those thoughts in mind, Daichi hefted the two knocked out Yakuza onto a single shoulder before walking off, headed towards the police evidence deposit box, as was habit with the more 'difficult' customers.
-Chapter, End!-
Okay, I had posted another version of this chapter yesterday, but a just a few hours after that my Beta finally managed to get back to me with the evaluated and corrected version of the chapter.
This happens to be said version, replacing my previous update.