NEET Receives a Dating Sim Game

by Little Merger

A 30-year-old NEET is reincarnated into the body of an otaku that choked to death on instant noodles. As he comes to grips with his new life, he realizes that this world is subtly different from Earth. The denizens of this world are far better looking, and this new world also possesses futuristic technology as well as mysterious Yin Yang masters! After reincarnating, he realized th

6. 161

NEET Receives a Dating Sim Game Leveling System #Chapter 161 - Utter Confusion - Read NEET Receives a Dating Sim Game Leveling System Chapter 161 - Utter Confusion Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 161: Utter Confusion

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

"Shuho-san… have you ever, just like this, offered a drink that you've already sipped from to another boy?" Seiji asked in a clear voice, looking at her intently.

Hitaka blinked in surprise. She then tilted her head slightly and considered the question. She averted her gaze after a few seconds, then focused on Seiji again after another few seconds.

"No."

It was easy to tell that she tried to recall any other such instances before answering.

So, Seiji's guess had been on the mark.

Seiji could only smile wryly.

"Then, do you know the hidden meaning of such an action?"

Hitaka blinked again, and there was a look of utter confusion on her face.

"Alright, you don't need to answer—I already know that you don't know." Seiji felt a sudden urge to cover his face.

How should he explain it?

He thought about it for a few seconds.

"Shuho-san, a girl offering a drink she's sipped from… or food she's already eaten to another boy is considered an incredibly intimate action by others."

Hitaka was expressionless.

"This type of action will typically only appear between boys and girls that have already confirmed their feelings for each other… or in other words, couples.

"Apart from that, there are a few exceptions, such as childhood friends that are really close to each other, or brothers and sisters, but even the exceptions are also between boys and girls that are really close with each other.

"That's why, Hitaka-san, it's not suitable for you to offer me a drink like this. We're not a couple, nor are we super close to each other. For you to offer me a drink… it's as if you're giving me an easily misconstrued signal that you have hidden feelings for me or that you secretly want to take our relationship to another level… something like that.

"I know that Shuho-san isn't this type of girl, which is why I asked to make sure if you knew the hidden meaning to this action or not, and why I'm explaining it to you… Do you understand?"

Seiji looked at her face and noticed a strange phenomenon.

Hitaka's face was slowly beginning to redden. It was almost as if an invisible red brush was drawing on her face! After a few short moments, her face had turned completely red!

The red-haired, red-eyed girl's face was also red as well now.

Yep, this scene had a complementary type of beauty to it.

Seiji watched Hitaka quietly.

The redder her face got, the more distant the look in her eyes became. The hand that was holding the sports drink also began to tremble slightly.

Was she about to start smoking from her head? If this was a manga, Seiji was certain that white smoke would be coming out of her head right now.

She was embarrassed to such a degree… how pure.

Even if she was wearing attire that made her seem incredibly hot.

By the way, did she know just how attractive she looked in those clothes? It seemed quite probable… that she also didn't know.

This type of contrast was quite cute!

Even her current expression was really cute.

When compared to her usual icy, distant expression, her beet-red face was bursting with cuteness!!

Seiji admired the scene quietly.

Even though this was an inappropriate time to take out his cell phone, he still had his system's CG-saving ability.

System: 'Leave it to me!'

Seiji imagined the (fake) system fairy giving him a huge thumbs-up.

Nice job, partner!

"H… Haruta-kun…" Hitaka started hesitantly, lowering her crimson face, "I… I'm so sorry!"

After saying that, she turned around and took two steps.

Boom! Pound!* Two heavy-sounding blows rang out in quick succession.

The red-haired girl's figure disappeared.

That's right—disappeared!

Seiji stared at the feet-shaped holes left in the floorboard in a daze.

What was with her footwork technique? Did she have the ability to burrow into the floor? Or was it teleportation!?

The way she escaped seemed so cool and out-of-this-world.

Was it really alright for her to be using such a power in this residence's main hall?

It seemed that it would be at least somewhat of a problem, since the floor now had two huge holes in it. Who was going to fix this?

"Meow~" Rana moved her body and rubbed her face against his thigh.

Ah, he accidentally touched them.

Because the cat girl had turned her head slightly, Seiji had touched her large cat ears, which gave him a wondrously smooth and soft feeling.

Ear patting~ Ear patting~~

Yep… He was satisfied! His gentlemanly heart had obtained everything it desired.

And so, he joyously passed some time together with Rana like this.

Lunchtime.

Seiji took a tray of food to Shika's room in order to eat together with her.

Although he probably could take Shika to the dining hall to eat with everyone if he wanted to, as he didn't think Natsuya and the others would refuse, it was probably better for everyone if he didn't burden them with more underlying pressure.

While eating lunch together with Shika, Seiji informed her that his cultivation process was going well and that he was going to do his best to reach a power level necessary to become Natsuya's temporary Spirit-branded Retainer.

"Brother Seiji… is amazing. But to become a temporary retainer and do battle… such a thing…"

Shika was delighted at Seiji's rapid improvement but concerned about the fact that he himself was planning on doing battle.

"President Yoruhana is confident that we have a great advantage and that the situation will be fairly safe." Seiji smiled reassuringly. "She doesn't expect much out of me; she's merely allowing me to be a spectator and gain knowledge about the life of a Yin Yang Master.

"I feel like it's a great chance… I was going to join their ranks sooner or later regardless, but opportunities like this are hard to come by.

"That's why I must go. And even if the situation turns dangerous, I'll simply run away at the first chance I get."

Shika continued to stare at his face.

'Will she detect my true motive?' Seiji felt nervous about this possibility.

While everything he had just said was the truth, there was actually one more reason, and this was the most important reason: he really wanted to give that Okubo Yoshiaki bastard a vicious beating!

He felt that Shika definitely wouldn't accept this reason for joining the battle.

She wouldn't want her adopted brother to be placed in such a dangerous situation for the purpose of taking revenge for her. If she knew his true reason for joining, it was almost certain she'd try and stop him.

That was why Seiji didn't tell her.

Even if Shika didn't feel like it was a big deal if harm befell her, Seiji didn't want to simply let it go. If he really didn't have any chance to personally deal with Okubo, then he would forget about it, but since he had a chance, he definitely wanted to give things a try.

"You're lying," Shika stated calmly.

Seiji's heart skipped a beat. Had she seen through him?

"Brother, you're lying. If the situation turned bad, you'd never run away. You'd definitely help President Yoruhana and the others… fight until the very end."

"Er…" Oh, so she was referring to this. Seiji scratched his face .

"Of course I wouldn't; I'm aware of my limits. If it's a situation that's difficult for even President Yoruhana and the others to deal with, then I'd be nothing more than a burden on them, so I'd escape immediately."

Shika's expression showed that she obviously didn't believe him.

Seiji was instilled with a sudden sense of curiosity. 'Just what is Shika-chan's impression of me like?'

"I promise that I won't go overboard! So you don't need to worry too much about me," he said reassuringly. "Besides," he consoled gently, "it's unlikely that the situation will be dangerous in the first place, so you don't need to worry about it."

"Mmm…" Shika was forced to accept this.

But she still felt rather anxious inside, and she wanted to do something for her adopted brother's sake…

She silently thought about what she could do.

After lunch.

Seiji returned the lunch tray and sought out Mai.

For the second time, he was guided to the hidden underground basement where the Spirit Image was located.

"This time I won't be accompanying you, so you need to be careful. If there's any significant danger during your Visualization, or if there are any other strange-seeming situations, make yourself wake up immediately," Mai warned him with a serious expression.

"I will." Seiji nodded.

He then sat on the sofa, stared at the hanging watercolor painting, opened his system, and chose [Visualization].

In just a few seconds, he entered the world of the painting again.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 162: Secret Technique Manual

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

When Seiji finally returned to the real world after his [Visualization, it was already evening.

He checked the time, and it was 9:00 P.M. It had taken him nine hours again.

He had missed dinner, and his stomach was growling.

Seiji opened up his system and inspected his stats. [Spiritual Power] had increased by 6 points, which was 1 more point than last time!

'Was it due to my newfound experience?' Seiji rubbed his chin in contemplation.

Taking into account his bonus stats, his [Spiritual Power] was now above 20 points, but nothing new had appeared.

Seiji closed his system after he finished inspecting his stats, stretched, and left the room.

When he arrived at the dining hall, he saw a luxurious lunchbox resting on the table with a note tucked underneath it.

Seiji picked up the daintily written note and read it.

For you, Haruta-san. Please enjoy and remember to be grateful for this meal. After you're done eating, if it's still not past 10:00 P.M., please visit Milady's study. She has something she'd like to discuss with you.

Seiji chuckled. "Thank you, Senpai."

He then sat down, opened the lunchbox, and began eating.

The lunchbox had a built-in heat-conserving function, so all the food inside was still hot and tasty.

Seiji ate in silence.

Suddenly, a petite figure slithered inside and stared at him with her heterochromia eyes.

It was Rana.

Seiji exchanged glances with her.

"Would you… like to eat some as well?"

The cat girl nodded.

Seiji picked up a fried egg.

The cat girl shook her head.

Seiji put down the fried egg and offered her a juicy meat rib.

The cat girl shook her head again.

Seiji wondered what she wanted. Suddenly, he was struck by a bolt of inspiration as his gaze was drawn to the corner of the lunchbox's third layer.

He picked up a small dried fish.

The cat girl's cat ears began to tremble.

'So, she likes to eat these… well, she is a cat girl after all.'

He held out the salty dried fish to her.

Rana opened her mouth and chomped down on the dried fish, chewing it with a joyous expression.

So cute!

Seiji felt a strange sense of enjoyment from tossing food to the cat girl.

He was about to ask if she would like another when she turned around and left abruptly.

Seiji suddenly felt slightly lonely and let out a deep sigh.

'She really is as free-spirited as a cat,' he remarked inwardly. A short while later, the delicious food was finished.

After dinner.

Mai appeared just as Seiji was about to use the sink to wash out the lunchbox.

"I'll wash that for you," she said. "Go and talk to Milady—it's already getting late."

"Okay, sorry for troubling you." Seiji handed the lunchbox over to the maid. "What did the President want to discuss?"

"I don't know. I think it's probably about what you need to watch out for during cultivation."

"Ah." Seiji nodded and left.

At Natsuya's third-floor study.

Seiji opened the door and walked into the room after knocking and receiving permission to enter.

"You've arrived, Haruta-kun." Natsuya fixed her gaze on him. "How long did you Visualize for this time?"

"Nine hours… plus about five or six minutes."

"You didn't stop at any time in between? You didn't wake up at all?"

"That's right."

Natsuya stared at Seiji's face for a few minutes before letting out a wistful sigh.

"You're too amazing, Haruta-kun."

Both her praise and a slight sense of disappointment at her inability to compare with Seiji was contained in this sentence of hers.

Seiji scratched his face awkwardly, unsure how to respond to Natsuya.

Natsuya took a deep breath to calm herself.

"How do you currently feel? Do you feel particularly tired, dizzy, or anything like that?"

"I think everything's fine—I'm just a little tired, that's all," Seiji said honestly.

"Mmm… It seems that you have a naturally high affinity for 'Visualization,' which is also evidence of either your high Mana level or incredible imagination." Natsuya blinked. "But I still recommend that you stop for tonight; it's better if you sleep like normal. No matter how high your affinity, good rest is still necessary."

Seiji nodded.

Since she was more knowledgeable than him regarding these matters, he decided to listen to her advice.

"Also, you mentioned spells before… I thought it over, and I might as well teach you the basics."

Spells! Seiji's ears pricked up.

"As long as you became a temporary Spirit-branded Retainer, the spirits will aid you, enabling you to cast some spells naturally, which was why I didn't intend to teach you anything originally.

"But you brought it up by yourself, so I pondered on the issue, and I decided that there's no harm in teaching you… Although I doubt that you'll learn how to cast a spell in such a short time, it's always better to begin learning as early as possible."

Natsuya paused for a moment. "The spell I plan on teaching you is the most basic spell that almost every magic or Spiritual Ability user starts with—the 'Body-strengthening Technique.'"

[Body-strengthening Technique]! Seiji's eyes lit up upon hearing this.

He had been wondering how he was going to ask to learn this particular spell, but now he was going to learn it without any trouble.

"As the name suggests, it's a spell which strengthens your body's attributes. This means that spellcasters almost always have strength far surpassing that of ordinary humans.

"It's one of the most basic and common spells, yet at the same time it's also profound and mystical. It's not very difficult to grasp it, but to truly master it to a high degree of proficiency is an incredibly difficult task."

Seiji nodded in understanding.

To him, this situation bore resemblance to a fighting or action game. Everyone had the same controls, and everyone knew how to play games, but even if two people chose the same character, experts would defeat newbies instantly.

"Here's some information for you to look over. You could even call it a secret technique manual. Go ahead and take it, but take care not to let others see it," Natsuya said, handing Seiji a yellow-sleeved booklet.

Seiji took the booklet and flipped through it. Various life-like pictures filled many of the pages, with explanations written below them.

"It sure doesn't seem like much of a secret technique manual. Shouldn't a so-called 'secret technique manual' be… more archaic, with classical words and a mysterious historical aura?"

"I also have that type of edition—would you prefer it?" Natsuya's eyes flickered with amusement.

"Oh, not really—I only spoke out of curiosity."

If there was a modern edition, who would want to look at the archaic edition!?

"Even if it doesn't seem like a secret technique manual to you, its contents are unmistakably top secret, so please, don't let anyone know about it," the president informed him in a serious tone.

"I'll be careful with it," Seiji promised solemnly.

"Look it over tonight and tomorrow morning. I'll begin teaching you after breakfast."

A secret class taught to him by the scion herself? That sounded great!

Seiji smiled happily. "Understood! Thank you, President Yoruhana!"

After that, he left Natsuya's study.

Before going to his room to study the manual, he headed to Shika's room to wish her a good night.

He knocked on the door and entered after receiving permission.

"Shika-chan, are you about to rest?"

"Not yet…"

"What are you up to?" Seiji glanced at her desk and saw a notebook with something written inside.

A hint of red crept into Shika's cheeks.

"I was thinking about… the stories I want to write together with Brother."

"Oh, nice! Have you thought of any good ideas?" Seiji was quite interested in this topic.

"Some… I don't think any are very good…" Shika seemed shy as she looked at the notebook on the desk.

"You've written them down? Can I look at them?" Seiji was filled with anticipation.

What would this literature-loving girl use for her ideas? The more he thought about it, the more interested he became.

"Mmm…" Shika's answer was rather ambiguous.

Seiji felt the urge to say 'I'm so curious!' because of the way she was acting.

"It's okay if I look at it, right?" he asked, walking over to her desk.

Shika didn't attempt to stop him.

He picked up her notebook and began reading. Seiji was shocked to his core after he read the first page.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 163: Brother x Sister

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

The first things to enter Seiji's line of sight were Shika's planned titles for her books.

There was Haru-Kagu Story , Disqualified from Being Siblings , I am the Younger Sister , Story of a Brother , and so on…

Seiji was rendered speechless by these titles!

He detected an overpowering aura of bro-con just from the titles!

Haru-Kagu Story was just a combination of their last names, Haruta and Kagura!

Disqualified from Being Siblings was basically the same as Osamu Dazai's No Longer Human , which could literally be translated as "Disqualified from Being Human!" Or was this going to be this world's version of Disqualified from _? Perhaps it was plagiarized… no, an imitation.

Was I am the Younger Sister supposed to be an imitation of I am a Cat , or something similar?

Story of a Brother was such a direct title that it was difficult to comment on it.

As for the brother x sister shipping atmosphere contained within these names… it was so obvious that Seiji felt rather helpless.

Okay, if he forced himself to be spirited and concentrated, Haru-Kagu Story , I am the Younger Sister , and Story of a Brother , still had normal-sounding names. However, Disqualified from Being Siblings … this name… What the hell was with the word "disqualified!?"

'It sounds so ominous! Maybe I haven't read enough books to know the exact 100% definition of the word disqualified, but it doesn't seem right to use that word here! Just what exactly are the planned contents of this book!?'

Seiji's right cheek began to twitch uncontrollably.

Upon looking over the notes in more detail, there were also character settings and story outlines included in each note.

Haru-Kagu Story : A love story between a young master from a great and powerful family and a lonely, blind female musician.

Disqualified from Being Siblings : A forbidden star-crossed lovers story between an older brother and younger sister that are related by blood, ending in tragedy.

I am the Younger Sister : A teenage romance story, written from an adopted younger sister's angle about how cool and strong her adopted older brother is.

Story of a Brother : A comedy-romance story written from an adopted brother's viewpoint; it is a joyous and comical slice-of-life story.

Seiji truly wanted to cover his face right now.

'Shika-chan, there's something wrong with your way of thinking! Out of your four stories, three of them are love stories between siblings! Just how much do you like this topic!?'

'Perhaps Shika-chan in her heart… no, stop! Don't think about reality; stories are stories! But stories aren't that easy to write, especially ones like Disqualified from Being Siblings ; that's a forbidden dangerous taboo subject to write about!'

'It's already bad for normal stories to mention such topics, so it'd be even worse for light novels. It's almost 100% that she'll get rejected right away!!'

Perhaps some dating sims for niche audiences would be able to accept such a scenario, as there were precedents in Seiji's previous world as well, such as Yosuga no Sora … No, no, stop thinking about it!

'Stop considering this story and erase it from your mind.'

As for the other three, they were still worthy of consideration.

Seiji looked over the finer details.

Haru-Kagu Story … The young master and the blind lonely girl were actually cousins without knowing it… Er, this was rather difficult to judge, plus this topic was a little…

It would probably be better to remove this one from consideration as well.

As for I am a Younger Sister and Story of a Brother … Actually, the only difference was in who the main character was. The settings and story outlines were almost identical.

Seiji felt that the content of these two stories were much better and discovered many interesting story subplots within them.

After he finished reading, he turned to look at Shika again and saw that she was currently fidgeting anxiously while waiting for him to finish.

Seeing how she was acting, Seiji was unable to use any of his typical forceful comments. All he could do was smile at her.

"Your stories… are still a little rough around the edges, but they're unpolished diamonds," he said honestly.

Shika relaxed visibly after hearing his praise and revealed a faint smile.

"You can choose from one of I am a Younger Sister or Story of a Brother to focus on and use all your interesting ideas in it. For example, the mystical and mysterious elements in I am a Younger Sister combined with the romance and comedy in Story of a Brother …" Seiji continued explaining.

Fantasy mystical romantic comedy elements caused Seiji to recall the famous anime, Bakemonogatari , by Nisio Isin, from his previous life.

Although Seiji felt that Isin was a rather difficult author in some ways, Seiji still admitted that Isin's style was rather unique. Plus, Bakemonogatari's anime director Akiyuki Shinbo just happened to match Isin's wavelength, which help to sculpt this anime into another unique product that became vastly popular.

While Shika's ideas in her notebook were still rather unpolished, Seiji saw numerous possibilities within them.

He would have her consider them over again with him taking charge of what made the final cut. If it was good enough, perhaps they'd be able to create a Monogatari series together in this world!

"Let me share my ideas. Let's temporarily say that the 'adopted sister' is the main character from I am a Younger Sister , and let's begin with a 'mysterious' angle and create a rather unique adopted older brother…"

He continued on and on with his description.

Shika listened to him attentively.

The more she listened, the brighter the light in her eyes grew.

Seiji's words helped her own creative ideas flow and gave her a clear direction to go in when she had writer's block.

"…After such a huge battle, the adopted brother's mystery and strength are both at their highest levels."

"After this, unleash Chekhov's guns by revealing how the 'adopted sister' character, the narrator, is actually the truly mysterious person of this novel, even more so than her 'adopted brother!' This will instill the readers with shock and confusion."

"Then you should end the first volume of the book on this note, to leave enough of a mystery to attract readers into reading the second volume."

"That's my main idea: to use a fantastical background together with romantic comedy in order to create a mystical story. So… what do you think?"

Seiji looked at Shika.

Shika blinked as she smiled lightly. "Brother Seiji… is so amazing!"

Seiji scratched his face awkwardly upon hearing this type of praise again.

"It's not really all that special; I was just giving you one possibility. Whether or not you take the story in this direction is up to you. And whatever you do, the specific details, character settings, background, and so on are all up to you to imagine."

"Yep!" Shika nodded her head energetically.

She was already envisioning many scenarios that she wanted to write down immediately.

This was the urge to create her own work… and she felt that it was a wonderful one.

Seiji could almost see the passion radiating from Shika's face.

'Nice, this is what a teenaged girl is supposed to be like.'

"It's getting late, so I'm going to return to my room… If you decide to continue writing, make sure not to stay up too late."

"Yep… Good night, Brother Seiji."

"Good night, Shika-chan."

After Seiji left her room, Shika instantly sat down again at her desk and crouched over the table, writing at a furious pace.

This was something that she was going to create together with her brother! Just thinking about it filled her with an endless amount of passion and motivation.

…

The next morning.

Seiji followed Natsuya to the hidden basement after eating breakfast.

Natsuya opened up the third wooden door, which led to a different room. In the room was a passage to a narrow space.

Was this an elevator?

Seiji followed Natsuya inside and watched her press a button with a down arrow on it. The door then closed automatically, and he felt his center of gravity shifting slightly.

As he had surmised, it was indeed an elevator .

Moments later, the elevator stopped and the door opened.

Seiji's surroundings were pitch-black.

Natsuya stepped out first, and overhead, a light instantly turned on.

Seiji followed after her. As they walked down the area, the lights overhead continued to light up, and the entire space was now blindingly bright.

"This," Natsuya said, "is the practice field."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 164: Body-Strengthening Technique

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

The practice field was rather wide.

Seiji was unable to see every part of it clearly due to various facilities on it, but even the visible part was in no way smaller than a basketball court. There were at least 20 meters between the ceiling and the floor.

There was such a huge space underground, so how was it created? When was it built?

Seiji had several questions in his mind.

But none of them were really important or necessary to ask.

"You looked over the information I gave you last night, right?"

"I did."

"Can you understand it?" Natsuya blinked curiously.

"Mostly…" Seiji thought back to what he'd learned last night.

The pornography book… cough, the [Body-strengthening Technique] manual was easy to understand. In fact, for an otaku like Seiji, who possessed a wealth of knowledge regarding various mystical 2-D elements that were far more complex, detailed, and mysterious, this was akin to a beginner's textbook.

Well, this was indeed a manual for beginners after all.

"In order to use the Body-strengthening Technique, you must first perceive the Mana within your body, before progressing to feel the Mana outside your body."

"After that, you must start the flow of your internal Mana and force it to interact with the external Mana through specialized breathing techniques, in order to combine your internal and external Mana into a flow that will become a spiritual cycle both within and outside of your body."

"Finally, a spell which stimulates this cycle in order to strengthen your body's physical capabilities must be cast."

Seiji explained his own understanding of what he had read.

"That's fairly accurate." Natsuya nodded. "Did you attempt to feel the Mana, then?"

Seiji scratched his face awkwardly. "I did, but I didn't really feel much."

Last night, he tried several times to follow the instructions detailed in the manual to no avail.

"This is normal, since your Spiritual Power and Mana are still rather low." Natsuya turned to the right. "You need assistance, so come with me."

She started walking forwards.

Seiji followed after her.

A large Yin-Yang diagram with a diameter of approximately two meters was inscribed on the right corner of the practice field. Intertwining lines and runes—which Seiji assumed was some kind of spell—ran throughout the diagram, and there were also six silver mirrors surrounding the diagram. All the mirrors were pointed towards the diagram's center.

"This is a Mana gathering formation. As its name implies, it can gather high concentrations of Mana." Natsuya looked at Seiji. "Go inside the diagram, and try feeling the Mana. It should be easier to perceive it inside there."

Seiji walked to the center of the Yin-Yang diagram.

"I'm guessing I should stand right here?"

"That's right. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready." Seiji took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The president then muttered something, and he felt an invisible force gathering around him.

'Take steady breaths; relax my breathing; spread out my mental awareness; deepen my consciousness…'

Seiji followed the instructions on the manual one more time and made a wholehearted attempt to perceive the Mana.

Everything was dark.

But after a while, he caught a faint glimpse of light.

Within his own body.

He tried to 'see' things more clearly and attempted to control the flow.

However, it didn't work.

Seiji remained patient and continued attempting to 'see' and 'control the flow.'

…

The invisible energy dissipated.

Seiji opened his eyes.

"One hour has passed already, Haruta-kun," Natsuya said when he saw him stir.

"Eh?"

'Was it that quick?' he thought. 'What happened to time?'

"How are you feeling?"

"Things didn't go too well…" Seiji explained what he had felt.

"It's actually pretty good already…" Natsuya praised. "With your current Mana level, being able to do this much with the Mana gathering formation's assistance isn't shabby at all."

"Oh…"

"Following this, you should continue your attempts to perceive the Mana and try your best to control its flow… No need to rush; it's not important, even if you haven't learned it by the time of the duel. I told you before: as long as you have the spirits' assistance, you'll naturally be able to use some spells."

Seiji blinked in curiosity. "President, can you teach me in more detail?" he asked sincerely. "I followed the manual's instructions, but I keep feeling like there's something I'm missing."

Currently before his eyes was his system menu that only he could see.

[Read and fully comprehend a beginner-level body-strengthening technique manual or its equivalent—100% completed.]

[Accept training from someone who understands the [Beginner-level Body-strengthening Spell] or above and completely comprehend their tutelage—current progress 15.7%.]

He already finished his first task last night.

As for his second task… he believed that it would progress further if the president told him more information!

"I suppose I could, but I don't know what more to tell you… I think that the manual's quite detailed already, and you understood it clearly." Natsuya tilted her head in confusion.

"Then what did you do during your first time, President?"

"As for me…"

With Seiji asking many questions, Natsuya slowly began telling him about the finer details.

The progress level in his system rapidly increased.

After a while, Seiji felt that it was difficult to continue this topic for any longer, so he ended his questions appropriately.

"Are you going to continue practicing here, or are you going to back and Visualize again?"

"I'll go and Visualize for now; that seems to be really important."

"Alright. I'll keep the practice field unlocked, so you can come here at any time you wish to. It's really easy to activate the Mana gathering formation: all you have to do is say the incantation…"

Ding!* Seiji learned the incantation to activate the Mana gathering formation.

It was actually quite simple.

The two of them then walked together to the elevator.

Right when they reached it, the elevator door suddenly opened.

Hitaka, clad in her retainer combat clothes, strode out of the elevator.

"Milady… Haruta-kun…"

The red-haired girl greeted Natsuya as usual, but when she noticed Seiji, her expression froze over and her cheeks flushed red.

"Good… good morning!"

She averted her gaze awkwardly, and her "good morning" sounded rather stiff.

Without even waiting for their reply, Hitaka immediately walked away at a brisk pace.

Natsuya and Seiji were speechless at the situation.

"Haruta-kun…" Natsuya glared at the boy beside her and narrowed her eyes.

"President…" When Seiji turned to face her, he caught sight of an ominous light in her eyes.

"Please explain the situation! What's going on?" Natsuya's manner took a sudden imposing turn.

Her current expression bore some resemblance to a large, angry lioness.

Seiji smiled wryly. "I can explain; please allow me to do so," he said honestly.

The duo walked into the elevator together.

After the elevator reached its destination, the pair walked out and stopped a few paces from the elevator door.

Natsuya had a helpless expression on her face after she listened to Seiji's explanation.

"My apologies, Haruta-kun." She ended up sighing. "I should have… reminded her."

"President…"

"Hitaka, she—for lack of any better words—is not too good at getting along with others… No, she's not even at the level of not good—she's just rather clumsy. She's already clumsy with girls, and it's even worse with boys… This is a huge problem for any ordinary person, but she's no ordinary person."

"She's my Spirit-branded Retainer as well as my good friend. She's willing to serve me for her whole life, and I also intend on being together with her for my entire life."

"That's why even though I think it's not too good for her to lack communication skills, I never thought of it as a serious problem as long as I was taking care of her."

"Of course, I've thought about helping her to change as well, but I'm…" Natsuya sighed. "If I tell her to change herself, she'll most likely interpret it as an order that she absolutely must carry out, and she'll try too hard. That's definitely something I don't wish to see."

Seiji remained silent.

In addition to being Natsuya's subordinate, Hitaka was Natsuya's friend… This type of true devotion resulted in a slightly complicated situation whereby Hitaka lacked basic communication skills.

At this time, the optimal solution would be…

"Haruta-kun… I think that perhaps this is an opportunity." Natsuya unfolded her arms and faced the boy as an indescribable light flashed through her eyes.

Seiji looked at Natsuya, his lips twitching violently.

'Alright, we're probably thinking the same thing, Prez.'

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 165: Teach Her a Little!

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

"Could you please teach Hitaka a little about communicating with boys?"

In regards to her request, Natsuya chose the direct approach.

"I also think that it's a good idea for a boy she trusts to talk to her about this," Seiji answered. "It's not that I want to refuse, though; it's just that… isn't there anyone else better suited for the task?"

"There isn't." Natsuya averted her gaze awkwardly.

No matter how much she considered it, apart from Seiji Haruta, who currently stood before her, there was truly no other boy that could teach Hitaka about communication!

The rest of the boys Natsuya and Hitaka were familiar with either had personality issues, trouble with communicating themselves, or other various problems. If she left it to them, there was no way she could rest assured.

Haruta-kun… wasn't a bad person at all, but there was a different problem with him. He was… too, um… if he wasn't careful, Hitaka might…

'No, no, that's impossible.'

Hitaka had never been interested in that topic, so she probably wouldn't become like that.

'But what if she does?' a tiny voice whispered from the depths of the scion's heart.

She couldn't help but imagine the scene of Hitaka and Seiji being intimate with each other…

A strange, complex feeling rose up within her chest when she imagined this.

What was this feeling?

Natsuya was uncertain and confused.

"Okay, since President thinks that I can be of service, I'll try my best," Seiji replied after considering the matter.

Hitaka's problem wasn't something major, but nor was it minor.

She wasn't an ordinary person. As the Spirit-branded Retainer and friend of a scion like Natsuya, perhaps Hitaka would be able to live without any problems, even if she never learned how to communicate with others for her entire life. However, she… would probably miss out on a lot of fun.

Seiji believed that if she became more flexible, she would be able to enjoy life a lot more.

So, he decided to help out.

But he couldn't guarantee the results. After all, in his own opinion, his own communication skills weren't outstanding either.

"President, how do you think I should teach her? Er… I should state first that I can't promise any results; I can only try my best."

"Thank you for agreeing, Haruta-kun." Natsuya stopped daydreaming and gave him her gratitude. "As for how to teach her… Just treat her as a friend and chat with her while telling her about the relevant knowledge; that's all you need to do. I'll let her know and have her listen to you."

"Oh… that's fine."

'It sounds pretty easy.'

Natsuya took Seiji to the Spirit Image room and left him there.

Seiji started his daily [Visualization].

…

After he'd finished the [Visualization].

Seiji checked the time only to find that another nine hours had passed. It was almost dinnertime now.

Like his last experience, the contents of this [Visualization] consisted of fighting demons.

All three times that he went into his spirit world, he had been fighting demons together with his Spirit-branded Retainers, with the first occasion being the grandest.

The second and third times were on a smaller scale. He kept acting as "Seiji Kamijou" and took only some of his retainers to deal with evil demons and spirits.

This seemed like it would be the basic format of his [Visualization].

It was still a little embarrassing to think about it, but Seiji had gotten used to it; in fact, he even enjoyed it.

But it did seem like a problem if it took nine hours every time.

But it was exactly because his [Visualization] took so long that his [Spiritual Power] was able to increase so quickly.

Even if this seemed like a problem to him, it didn't appear necessary to do anything about it immediately, so he decided to deal with it later.

This time as well, Seiji's [Spiritual Power] increased by 6 points.

Seiji closed his system and left the Spirit Image room.

Right after he returned to the main hallway and poured himself a cup of tea, he saw Hitaka.

This time, Hitaka wasn't wearing her midriff-baring shirt and hot pants. Instead, she wore a light red exercise jacket and long pants.

However, they were still form-fitting.

That's right—one more time: form-fitting!

The tight exercise clothes accentuated her excellent youthful figure. Those beautiful and eye-catching curves were irresistibly attractive! And the flawless white skin displayed above her collarbone and on her forearms would cause people to start fantasizing as well.

Seiji was rendered speechless by this.

Natsuya had probably reminded her already, which was why the red-haired beauty wasn't wearing such "hot girl" clothing this time, but these clothes… Honestly speaking, they were rather sexy as well.

For some certain gentlemen with specific preferences, these tight-fitting clothes might even be more appealing to them than the "hot girl" clothes.

Of course, it wasn't that she had worn anything bad.

She wasn't wrong to wear what she did yesterday either. After all, everyone was free to wear what they liked. Seiji felt that the problem was more about the fact that she didn't know about what her clothes signified to certain guys.

What about now?

If she knew how charismatic she appeared in her form-fitting exercise clothes, there was no problem with wearing them. But did she truly know?

Hitaka also noticed Seiji.

Her face flushed slightly red once again, but this time she didn't avert her gaze as it seemed like she forced herself to meet Seiji's eyes.

"H-hello."

"Hi."

There was a crushing period of silence.

Seiji decided to use a typical teacher line. "Shuho-san, can I chat with you for a moment?"

"Mmm… Sure."

"Thank you. Please have a seat first."

When he saw how obediently she sat down on the couch, Seiji believed for a moment that he really was a teacher who was about to lecture a student.

This wasn't the scene that he wanted.

He had imagined this being more casual—an everyday, normal occurrence.

How could he change the atmosphere?

He didn't know what to do for such a girl…

Although he felt the urge to imitate Great Teacher Onizuka, this girl seemed like she would take him way too seriously, and that would be awkward.

Seiji felt rather helpless about the situation.

He felt a pang of sympathy for Natsuya, who previously had to deal with this situation.

Well, even if it was a little stiff, he had to continue the conversation.

He went with the direct approach. "Shuho-san… what's your opinion about boys?"

"Boys…" Hitaka muttered to herself, a blank expression in her eyes.

It seemed that she rather ignorant regarding this matter.

"What about girls, then?" Seiji asked, changing the topic.

"Girls…" Hitaka's blank look cleared up slightly, but she was still unable to come up with an answer.

So, she was completely ignorant in this area after all.

To be honest, these two questions didn't even require answers.

Any normal people that heard these questions would typically respond with something like "Boys are boys, and girls are girls. What's with this question about your opinion? Just what are you trying to ask?"

Of course, there would also be those who'd say, "Boys are all idiots," "Girls are all so haughty," or make a similar complaint.

But for the most part, they weren't questions that required answers.

It was just like asking the answer to 1 1; normal people wouldn't even consider it as it wasn't necessary.

Seiji didn't want Hitaka's answer; he merely wanted to see her reaction.

After watching her reaction, he was certain that this girl before her was…

Teaching her to understand some things that she didn't know about before was his current task.

"President Yoruhana told me to teach you a little about how to communicate with boys," Seiji said in a gentle voice. "Has she talked to you about this already?"

Hitaka returned to her senses.

"Milady told me that she asked you to do this… and she requested that I listen seriously to you," she answered in a light voice.

"That's fine then. I can't promise that I can do a good job, but I'll try my best." Seiji smiled brightly. "Shuho-san, if there's anything that you don't understand about boys, feel free to ask me."

"…Thank you," Hitaka said, before mulling over his question. "Well… I do have one question I'd like to ask."

"What is it?"

"I've heard that there's a type of boy known as a 'trap.' Just… what exactly is this?"

Seiji was rendered speechless by this unexpected question!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 166: Brother Monogatari

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Just why did she suddenly ask such a high-complexity question!?

A stream of forceful comments ran through Seiji's mind after he processed what he had heard.

What was a 'trap?' He could answer it in many different ways, but it was easy for it to be misconstrued as "a pervert who enjoyed wearing female clothes." This was a misunderstanding that Seiji didn't want at all.

It definitely wasn't because he had a junior that was a trap or anything! It was because as an otaku, he didn't want anyone to have a cultural misunderstanding about a 2-D element!

So, how should he explain it?

Before that…

"Shuho-san, why did you think of this question? How did you learn about this word 'trap' which refers to boys?"

"It caught my attention on television."

Okay, now he knew the source. It was most likely from some sort of variety program.

Seiji rubbed his chin as he formulated a response.

"A 'trap' is a boy who's very cute on the outside, to the point where he looks like a girl… that's the simplest explanation. And in the 2-D world… light novels, mangas, animes, and so on, this word has a deeper meaning. It's not necessary for you to know all the deeper meanings; it's fine if you just know the basic definition."

Yep, that was a good explanation.

It was simple yet left some parts unexplained.

Hitaka blinked in curiosity.

"A boy that's cute enough to resemble a girl… then should I treat a 'trap' as a boy or as a girl?"

Excellent question!

It was such a good question that Seiji didn't know how to answer!

Seiji's cheek began twitching slightly.

Treat a trap as a boy? That didn't seem quite right. As a girl? That didn't seem correct either! As a transgender? That was even farther off the mark!!

Transgender and traps were two different things entirely! They shouldn't have any relation to each other!!

Just how was he supposed to teach a female classmate about traps when she lacked knowledge about boys and girls in the first place!? He really wanted to go on the internet and ask for help regarding this question!!

Seiji never anticipated such a difficult question.

It was impossible for the current Hitaka to truly understand the charisma of a trap, so he had to choose one of the three above answers.

"You should treat traps as boys!" Seiji answered decisively as an indescibable light flashed through his eyes.

Yep, traps were still boys in the end. Biologically speaking, it wasn't possible for them to get pregnant or have children!

"Oh…" Hitaka nodded in apparent understanding.

So he managed to somehow get past the first question, phew.

Seiji felt as if he could now empathize with what a new teacher would feel on the first day of class.

Teaching her didn't seem quite as relaxing as he had hoped for.

"Shuho-san, if you don't have any other questions to ask, let me teach you about the clothes you wear first…"

The special one-on-one class for the red-haired girl began on this note.

…

Dinnertime.

Seiji brought a tray of food to Shika's room.

She was already waiting for him.

After he placed the tray on the table, the two of them sat down and began eating.

Seiji started the conversation. "Shika-chan, did you write anything today?"

Shika nodded with a faint smile on her face.

Seiji's eyes shone brightly. "Show me in a bit… no, just tell me about it right now!"

Shika's face turned slightly red upon hearing this.

The literature-loving girl wasn't all that adept at verbal communication.

"Just briefly explain the plot, the characters, and so on." Seiji was eager to hear what she'd wrote.

Shika blinked as she prepared herself. "What I thought of was…" She slowly began to describe her story.

Seiji continued eating as he listened. Naturally, the rate at which he ate at slowed down.

Shika had made use of his idea and was using the "younger adopted sister" as the narrator to talk about the "older adopted brother" as the main character.

Compared to his ideas which had been rather general, Shika added many details to the characters, such as specific physical appearances, personalities, commonly used battle equipment, weapons, favorite lines to say, actions, and so on…

Seiji was able to clearly envision the lively figure of this "older adopted brother" from these details and felt the urge to start writing immediately.

The story seemed nice as well.

The main plot point of the story were the "Wishing Candy."

A mysterious candy known as "Wishing Candy" appeared in the school that the main characters attended. As long as a person made a wish while eating the candy, that wish was likely to come true.

The wishes made about love were significantly more likely to come true.

As a girl, the "younger sister" character had hopes and dreams about this candy, but her "older brother" suspected the veracity of this candy, causing the "younger sister" to become slightly angry at him.

In order to prove things to her "older brother," the "younger sister" attempted to obtain a "Wishing Candy," but soon enough, she ran into a dead end. Not only that, she was also harassed by some hoodlums; however, they were all defeated by her "older brother" when he arrived just in the nick of time.

This was the first time her "older brother" had ever showed off his moves. From the viewpoint of the "younger sister" character, the "older brother" who was the real main character showed off his charismatic coolness and strength for the first time.

The two of them made up with each other regarding their silly verbal fight and began investigating together. They began to discover that the "Wishing Candy" was rather strange, abnormal even.

During this time, the two adopted siblings' backgrounds were slowly revealed as well and the readers were familiarized with their daily life, but there were a few details left unrevealed by Shika on purpose.

The "siblings" investigated the mysterious candy, but they themselves had many questions surrounding their heritage. And so, mysteries everywhere set the framework for the unique and fantastical atmosphere of the story.

Their interactions with each other were comical and interesting. The "older brother's" interactions with other female characters also seemed like a romantic comedy.

And then, at the climax of the story, the two of them finally discovered the truth behind the "Wishing Candy," while encountering a dangerous situation at the same time.

The main villain was one of the female characters in the story.

The clues that she was the villain had been sprinkled and hidden in tiny details throughout the story, and at the climax, the "older brother" analyzed all the evidence and unveiled her true identity.

This was followed by an exciting battle between the "older brother" and the unmasked villainess!

The "younger sister" remained on the sidelines for the entire time, acting as a camerawoman… whoops, narrator for this heart-pounding and stimulating battle.

Finally, the "older brother" defeated the demon in human form at the cost of losing half of his body.

However, the "younger sister" didn't hurry to give him medical treatment as she merely waited in silence.

Moments later, her "older brother" who had been so seriously injured suddenly regenerated under the moonlight, and he finally stood up again with not a scratch on his body.

It turned out that he had an incredibly powerful demon spirit within him that wouldn't allow him to die even if he wanted to.

On their way home, the "younger sister" kept joking with him about his immortal body, while he responded that it was all thanks to her—the terrifying demon spirit that was attached to his body was actually being suppressed by her.

The story ended there.

Clap clap clap!*

Seiji began applauding.

Shika's fictional story was definitely an appealing one, and she even left a mystery for the readers at the end.

This was a perfect application of his suggestions!

This was exactly the type of story that he had imagined. Shika had really managed to create such a story.

Her story wasn't overly complex. It was easy to understand yet contained deeper mysteries within it. The most important part was the aura of mystery pervading the entire story.

Not only was the main plot and the characters' backgrounds mysterious, even the interactions that seemed like simple comical or romantic elements were subtly strange once the reader looked back on them. It was like each character had their own dark secrets.

Shika was wonderfully successful at creating this air of mystery.

Seiji even felt like this was similar to the "Monogatari" anime series in his previous life, but he enjoyed Shika's ideas even more, because he felt like this "older brother" main character was trashier than… whoops, so much more interesting than Araragi!

"Shika-chan, I think your ideas are excellent, and I want to write it for you right away!" Seiji smiled widely at Shika. "So, let's go with this story. This product… our first cooperative work shall be this one!"

"Yep…"

Shika was also smiling happily.

Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were slightly flushed red. Her smiling face seemed to be oozing happiness.

"So, are we going with 'I am a Younger Sister' for the title?" Seiji asked.

Shika shook her head. "Not that one; I've come up with a new one…"

She slowly stated the name she wanted for her novel—

"Brother Monogatari."

Chapter 167: Upcoming School Festival

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

"Brother Monogatari."

This novel had the potential to become extremely popular.

No, it definitely would become a huge hit; they had to make it into one!

Seiji was stoked with the fire of passion.

'I must begin writing it soon!'

He hoped that he could finish it as early as possible and get it published.

For the rest of the night, he discussed the finer details of the story together with Shika-chan, both trying their best to perfect and smooth out their story.

…

The next day.

Seiji didn't seem like he was intending to come to school today, either.

Mika Uehara felt worried about him.

Kagura-san had already recovered her memories, so what was he doing?

He wasn't working or attending school… was he really that busy?

Even if he didn't want to work or attend school… was he too busy to even visit them?

Fine then—she admitted that she was feeling somewhat lonely!

Even if it had only been two days since she last saw him…

"Your expression is like that of an abandoned kitten," a flirtatious voice commented from beside her. Needless to say, it belonged to Chiaki Wakaba.

"It's been a mere two days since the last time you saw him, but you're acting like a girl that's been ignored by her boyfriend for three weeks straight. Is such a melancholic, pitiful expression really necessary?"

"Who… who's acting all melancholy and pitiful!" Mika's face flushed completely red. "I-I'm just a little worried—I definitely didn't have any strange expression like that!"

'And why did Chiaki say three weeks? This amount of time sounds rather strange…'

Yep, a familiar haughtiness, a familiar tsundere. Chiaki smiled warmly at Mika's reaction.

"If you miss him, why don't you just give him a call? Maybe he's too busy to contact us, but he never said we couldn't contact him."

Mika couldn't find any words to say in response.

She felt like something was a little odd about Chiaki's statement this time as well.

"No need… I was just slightly worried."

'Would I be a bother if I contacted him over such a small matter?'

At any rate, when he returned, he would probably explain everything.

Even though she was a bit lonely and worried, Mika was still an understanding girl… mostly.

Understanding Mika's feelings, Chiaki changed the topic.

"The school festival will be held in two days, so no matter what he's busy with, I hope that he'll finish before then."

"Yep…"

Everyone at school was excited about the upcoming school festival.

Apart from a select few programs where the members procrastinated too much or were taking too long to complete their task, the majority of classes and clubs had already finished preparing.

Genhana High School's festival had always been rather popular. There were always many guests each year, lending it a bustling atmosphere.

And as for the high schoolers themselves, apart from their efforts in preparing the festival programs, the three-day school festival was also a perfect opportunity for some special personal activities.

Such as confessing, telling a boy or girl that you liked them, and asking to go out with each other…

Confessing during the school festival was an unwritten custom at Genhana High School!

It was no longer possible to ascertain just when and how this custom began, but nonetheless, this custom existed together with a legend.

The basic gist of the legend was this: during the school festival, a girl wearing sakura-pink clothes would appear in some certain corners where nobody frequented.

Anyone that asked the boy or girl they liked to these corners in order to confess would be 100% successful if this legendary girl saw them or if they saw her! And the couple would always stay together and be blessed forevermore.

Some people believe that the legend came after the custom, while others believed that the custom arose from this legend. It was basically a matter of chicken or the egg, with nobody knowing which truly came first.

Truthfully, it wasn't all that important.

The students knew that this was a time to burn… whoops, confess, and that was enough for them.

What else would happen other than confessions?

Cough cough, those would be special activities for couples—activities which trod upon the forbidden. It would be best not to mention those.

Mika didn't intend to confess during the school festival.

But, she felt it was highly likely for other girls to confess to Seiji during this time.

She faintly hoped that the school festival wouldn't ever arrive when she thought of this. However, she felt a twinge of guilt at her own selfish desire.

'I'm such an idiot,' thought the pigtailed beauty, collapsing onto her desk.

'She's such an idiot,' thought the tomboy, giving a sympathetic glance to her good friend.

Not too far from them in the same classroom, there was one other girl worrying about the same thing.

'Should I… ask Seigo Harano to become friends with me during the school festival?'

Kaho Miyamoto was currently battling with her own emotions.

After three weeks of constant exercising and dieting, her weight had decreased significantly, and even her face had become thinner to the point where she could now be called cute.

Her friends had been surprised at her actions and intentions. At first, they tried to convince her against it, but seeing how resolute she was caused them to change their minds and support her encouragingly.

"The school festival should be a good chance for you to request to be friends with Harano-san… To be honest, I'm still a little worried, but this is something that you've chosen to do, so take your best shot at it."

Her best friend Momoko Matsuoka had just told her this.

Kaho really wanted to do it, but she also felt like waiting a little longer.

She felt that she still hadn't done enough yet.

But Momoko was right—the school festival was an excellent opportunity.

If she let this chance pass by, then what timing would she choose? After the school festival, she needed to worry about the semester exams.

Kaho didn't want to make Seigo wait too long for her.

At any rate, she couldn't decide what to do and was quite bothered.

'Oh yeah, Harano-san's been taking time off from school ever since last week, and he still hasn't come to classes. Has something happened?'

His good friends Chiaki Wakaba and Mika Uehara didn't have any clear explanation.

She was a bit worried… hopefully it wasn't something too difficult or bothersome to deal with.

Kaho cared about Seigo Harano.

His sunny smile flashed through her mind again.

It had already been three weeks since that scene.

It didn't seem like all that long had passed to Kaho, but it also somehow felt like time passed by in a flash.

The school festival would be in two days, and after that, there would be the semester exams and the winter vacation…

Kaho suddenly realized that there wasn't much time remaining in this semester!

She actually still wanted to procrastinate?

'No, that won't work…'

She couldn't procrastinate anymore, nor did she want to procrastinate anymore.

She didn't want him to wait any longer… no, that was wrong! She herself was the one… who didn't want to remain afraid anymore!

Kaho's eyes began sparkling.

Momoko was right—she needed to bring out her confidence!

She needed to bravely step forward without waiting any longer!

She made her decision.

'I'll definitely tell him during the school festival!'

A look of resolution slowly settled over Kaho's expression.

This was a teenaged girl's determination.

At the exact same moment.

Everywhere in Genhana High School, in every class and every grade, boys and girls were making similar decisions.

They either told their friends about their decision or hid their resolution in their hearts, but the aura they exuded was identical.

That was the scent of youth… cough, that may have been a bit of a lame joke.

At any rate, Genhana High School was currently filled with an enthusiastic, lively atmosphere.

As for a person who wasn't a Genhana High School student.

The female mangaka, who had just completed a manuscript, turned around to look at her calendar. She was sipping on some tea as it was her break.

Her grayish-brown hair was tied in a casual ponytail. She was wearing thick black-rimmed glasses, and while her face was a little pale from fatigue, it didn't detract from her moving beauty.

"It's almost time… for the date," Mayuzumi Amami muttered to herself, staring at the date circled with a red pen on the calendar.

Just imagining that tall, handsome, almost shining, boy caused her lips to arc imperceptibly upwards and her cheeks to flush with a tinge of red.

'I look forward to seeing you again, Haruta-kun.'

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 168: My Honor

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Nighttime.

Seiji was currently inside his room.

Both requirements in his system for the [Beginner-level Body-strengthening Spell] had reached 100%!

To fulfill the training requirement, he'd even asked Shika-chan and Hitaka to teach him in addition to Natsuya, learning from their tips and experience.

This, in addition to his own hard efforts in learning and practicing, finally filled his progress bar in the system.

And now, the only thing left for him to do was pay 44 points.

Seiji confirmed that he was ready to pay on the system.

The option for [Beginner-level Body-strengthening Spell] instantly lit up. An indescribable sensation overcame Seiji's mind; it felt as if some sort of obstacle had disappeared and some type of comprehension had been injected into him.

Apart from that, there was no other feeling of discomfort.

Compared to using skill tree activation or ability learning cards such as [Bullet Time, this was much easier on him, and it only left him feeling slightly strange. Seiji had mentally prepared himself for a several-hour period of unconsciousness.

Was it due to the other requirements?

'Forget it—there's no need to think too much into it.'

He'd finally learned the [Body-strengthening Technique!]

But just as the system indicated, it was still at only beginner level.

If he wanted, he could try it out right here, but his room didn't seem like a good location for such an experiment.

Seiji searched through his system for more details regarding his new ability.

After choosing [Beginner-level Body-strengthening Spell] in his system, he saw three new options underneath it: [Fierce Fire, [Swift Wind, and [Immovable Mountain].

According to his system, [Fierce Fire] was the attack-buff version of the Body-strengthening Technique. Entering this mode would greatly increase the power of his fists and legs, but it would also drain his Mana at a rapid rate.

[Swift Wind] buffed his speed greatly, while [Immovable Mountain] would provide a large boost to his defense. All three spells would drain his Mana while they were in effect.

And the requirements to learn them were:

[Reach the required experience level with attack/speed/defense while under the effects of the [Beginning-level Body-strengthening Spell. Current progress level: 0%/0%/0%.]

[Points required to activate each ability: 22/22/22.]

22 for each? This number… System, you're definitely doing this on purpose!

Seiji's lips began to twitch as he read the instructions.

Apart from the three new categories under [Beginning-level Body-strengthening Spell, there were also new options in his [Spells].

[Beginner-level Astral Vision] and [Beginner-level Telekinesis].

Once again, the names alone made them seem like foundational techniques he absolutely had to learn.

When he read the explanations, Seiji found that these spells were exactly what he thought they were.

[Astral Vision] allowed the caster to see spirits and other magical phenomena that were invisible to ordinary humans. Basically, it was an upgrade to his vision.

[Telekinesis] was the ability to move objects with his mind. This was the same ability that the president must have used to control her kodachi in midair.

If the [Body-strengthening Spell] was the foundational aspect of a human using their own Spiritual Power, Seiji believed that [Telekinesis] was the foundational aspect of a human using their own Mana to influence external objects.

At any rate, there would be no harm in purchasing and learning all of these.

The requirements for learning them were similar to the [Body-strengthening Spell]. He needed to read technique manuals, ask for instructions, and pay some points.

[Astral Vision] required 66 points, while [Telekinesis] required 69 points.

Seiji didn't even feel like commenting anymore. Whatever made his system happy.

He left his room after closing his system.

He found Mai and learned from her that Natsuya was currently in her study. He proceeded to Natsuya's study to talk to her.

"You learned the Body-strengthening Spell already!?"

The student council president was shocked to her core upon hearing him say that just after he knocked and entered.

How long had it been? Just barely over a day?

Seiji scratched his face awkwardly at Natsuya's obvious shock.

It was probably better to explain with actions, not words.

He quietly began casting the spell.

Activate the Spiritual Energy both within and outside the body, then use the spell to stimulate the energy.

Natsuya instantly felt a change in Seiji's presence and hurriedly activated her Astral Vision to inspect him. She was stunned to see a fiery yet gentle silver misty aura of Spiritual Energy surrounding him.

Fiery yet gentle?

That's right! It looked fiery due to the brightness of the mist surrounding him and gentle due to placid nature of the mist; there were no unsteady waves whatsoever.

Natsuya widened her eyes upon seeing this.

'It's absolutely… perfect!' she praised inwardly.

For him to be able to control such a dense amount of Spiritual Energy without evidence of a single unsteady wave… This was the optimal state of the Body-strengthening Spell!

Most casters either had a high density with large fluctuations—that was the type with high power and low control. Others had calm waves but a low density—that was the type with high control, easy maintenance but insufficient strength.

Power versus control—balancing these two aspects was the first difficult question that all Spiritual Ability users who'd learned the Body-strengthening Spell must answer, just like a pitcher in baseball.

Even if a caster was specialized in one or the other, they still had to pay attention to their weaker type. In the end, it was a question of how much they balanced the two.

This was an inevitable obstacle that every Spiritual Ability user needed to surmount. Each caster could only come up with their own answer on how to balance them.

Natsuya felt that she was currently looking at a genius's response.

In just barely over a day—or, more accurately, less than that, since he'd spent nine hours Visualizing instead of spending all his time learning—he'd succeeded in completely mastering this spell!

Natsuya felt that only the word "genius" was sufficient to describe this feat.

While inwardly praising him, Natsuya also felt as if she couldn't match up to him.

She'd studied the Body-strengthening Spell for many years already, yet she couldn't compare to his quality. Her self-esteem was injured by this stark contrast.

Of course, she didn't practice all those years for nothing. She could still easily overpower Seiji using her much higher Spiritual Power and Mana, but with how fast he was growing, it was obvious that he would rapidly surpass her.

Just thinking about it invoked a series of complex, painful emotions.

It was as if a free-to-play gamer had spent so many hours grinding in order to raise her level, only to suddenly witness the brilliant spectacle of a pay-to-win gamer leveling up so quickly… that kind of feeling.

They weren't even on the same level.

Natsuya could only inwardly sigh and admit defeat.

This type of talent wasn't even explainable by his Haruta bloodline! Seiji Haruta… just what type of divine person was he?

And thinking about how he was once well-known as an utterly depraved otaku, she surmised that he was concealing a huge secret.

What type of secret was it? Just imagining it sent chills down the Yoruhana family scion's spine.

Although she knew from the very start that he was a diamond in the rough and would cause waves in the Spiritual Ability user society, his current level had far surpassed her imagination.

It was as if she had thought there was a sleeping lion hiding behind a curtain, but when she uncovered the curtain's corner, she saw a dragon's claw instead!

It was utterly inconceivable.

'Then… should I give up here? Should I distance myself from… or even break off anything to do with Haruta-kun?'

No… Natsuya couldn't even imagine doing such an action.

He had already helped her so many times and treated her as a friend while believing in and supporting her.

That's why she wanted to repay his sincerity with sincerity.

No matter who he was… no matter what he was.

"Excellent job, Haruta-kun."

Natsuya finally revealed a smile.

"I'm… incredibly shocked. I never thought you would learn so quickly and so well; it's truly amazing."

"Really? I just learned it and still don't quite understand…" Seiji blinked, pretending to be confused. "But since President is praising me like this, I wonder… if I should be a little proud of myself?"

He intentionally flashed a bright smile and acted smug.

Natsuya chuckled.

Even though she didn't know what the future would hold, she was certain in this moment that breaking off everything to do with a male friend like him would be something she would regret for the rest of her life.

"I give you permission to do so before me, so be as proud as you like, Haruta-kun!"

"My honor, President Yoruhana."

The two of them exchanged glances and smiled.

'You're currently the one saying 'my honor' right now, but it's quite probable that someday in the future, I'll be the one saying that.

'It's my honor to have gotten to know you, Seiji Haruta.'

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 169: Amazing!

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Night lent the school a unique atmosphere.

During the day, it belonged to the youthful students, but a strange, isolated feeling surrounded it at night. Perhaps it was because people would involuntarily compare the school's atmosphere at night to the day, or maybe invisible beings actually dwelled inside the building.

Invisible spirits… Seiji was unsure if they really existed in his previous world, but he was certain that they existed in Genhana High School.

It was just that he was still unable to see them.

Currently, he was standing on a completely empty track at Genhana High School, with Natsuya beside him.

"Let's begin with running, Haruta-kun," said Natsuya.

Seiji nodded.

While under the effects of the [Body-strengthening Spell, he stepped forward and began running.

He felt his body turning lighter. With each bound, he covered twice the normal distance. His speed increased rapidly; after a few moments, he ran at thrice, then four times his normal speed…

'So quick!'

Seiji was inwardly astonished.

Although he didn't know his exact speed, he was certain that he'd already surpassed the world record—for ordinary humans, that was!

It was like he had transformed into the wind.

Seiji coughed. 'This sounds rather embarrassing…'

But he truly felt like the embodiment of wind itself! His body was as light as a feather, and he was as swift as the wind. This floating feeling was like…

Seiji slipped and lost his balance. 'Damn it!'

He flew forwards wildly. The momentum of the impact forced him to roll on the ground after he fell, and he covered a great distance before finally coming to a halt.

"Haruta-kun!" Natsuya shouted, "are you okay?"

"I… I'm fine!" Seiji stood back up and brushed the dirt off himself.

Due to the [Body-strengthening Spell] protecting him, he wasn't injured.

If he fell over at that speed in his normal condition, he was one hundred percent certain that he'd be hospitalized.

"Control your pacing and strength," Natsuya shouted. "You need to become familiar with it slowly!"

Seiji nodded. "Got it!"

He then began running again.

This time, he no longer tried to take the biggest steps possible; instead, he attempted to find a pace that was right for him.

For Natsuya, who was watching all this, the tall boy's running became increasingly faster and steadier. It could even be described as a beautiful scene.

There was no helping it as he was just too handsome.

Just watching a handsome boy run like this was a type of enjoyment for some girls, so it was only natural that they would think it a beautiful scene.

Natsuya watched and appreciated this scene in silence.

After running round the track several dozen times, Seiji finally slowed down and came to a complete stop in front of Natsuya.

"Running… I think that's how it is now. What do you think?"

"Excellent." Natsuya nodded. "For normal movement and running, that's enough, but as for more special types of movement…"

As she spoke, she cast the Body-strengthening Spell on herself and stepped forward.

Whoosh!*

The president's figure vanished right in front of Seiji's eyes.

With another whoosh , her figure appeared 20 meters away. She stood there steadily.

Seiji blinked in surprise. 'Is this… the technique that Hitaka used in the hallway?'

"This is known as 'jumping steps,' and long ago it was known as 'tunneling into the ground.' It's actually just a type of jumping movement in conjunction with the Body-strengthening Spell."

So it really had been a type of 'tunneling into the ground.' He had gotten it right.

"To use this technique, you must first focus your energy on the foot that you'll jump with. After you jump, focus all your energy on your other foot in order to stop where you want," Natsuya explained.

Seiji nodded in understanding and began attempting the technique.

He stepped out with his right foot, focused his energy, and jumped.

Whoosh!* Everything passed by him in a blur!

He focused his energy on his left foot and stopped.

He stepped onto the ground in an effort to stop, but he slipped and lost his balance again. Just like last time, he rolled a great distance on the ground before coming to a halt.

'Okay, I'll try again.'

Boom!* Another trip and fall.

He tried for the third time.

Boom!* He continued falling over.

He tried for a fourth time, then a fifth time…

Seiji felt like he was turning into a roller coaster… whoops, a tumbling expert.

Even though it didn't really hurt, and he wasn't injured, he felt embarrassed about appearing so unsightly in front of a beauty like Natsuya.

"It's always like this at first. When I first began practicing 'jumping steps,' I also fell over countless times, so you don't need to mind these temporary failures." Natsuya seemed to perceive exactly what he was thinking and smiled lightly.

She was truly a gentle lady.

Seiji continued practicing in silence.

When he reached the point where he was almost ready to perform tricks while tumbling, he finally figured out part of the method and barely managed to stop and steady himself without falling over.

He reflexively recalled his childhood experience in his previous world when he'd learned how to ride a bike for the first time without falling over.

The key to it was to keep working hard!

After figuring out the crucial part, the rest became easier.

Seiji gradually practiced to the point where he wouldn't fall over most of the time.

But there was still an obvious gap between him and the president's well-practiced movements.

"Let's temporarily stop practicing 'jumping steps'," Natsuya said. "We'll try 'high-jumping' now."

High-jumping referred to concentrating the energy in both feet and jumping as high as possible.

Seiji tried it out.

During his practice of 'jumping steps,' he'd grasped the basics of controlling his energy. Now he tried focusing his energy on both feet and… jumped up with full force!

WHOOSH!!*

Seiji felt as if he were flying, just like a bird.

Although this description also seemed rather embarrassing, it was what he truly felt in this moment.

He recalled a distant memory of watching Dragonball: the scene where Son Goku and Krillin took off the heavy turtle shells used for training and jumped with all their might for the first time.

At that moment, Son Goku and Krillin had jumped off the ground and flown to an incredible height.

Seiji still remembered that scene clearly even up till today. He had imagined back then what it would have been like to be one of those characters and even remembered the words they had said in that scene.

"We…"

"Jumped up by ourselves…"

"Amazing!"

And right now, right here.

This was no longer just an imaginary scene or a fictional character's feelings.

'I… jumped up by myself. I flew up here!'

"Wow!!" Seiji yelled delightedly in midair, a brilliant grin on his face.

He enjoyed this moment as much as he could. It was as if he were a child that hadn't grown up yet.

When he reached the highest point of his jump, he took a deep breath.

He then began falling back down to the ground.

He continued to focus energy on both his feet, keeping himself balanced.

Pound!!* He landed back where he had originally jumped from, sending dust flying everywhere.

He slowly straightened his body and smiled at Natsuya who wasn't too far from him.

"Amazing!"

Being able to personally experience something so moving from an anime scene with his own strength was just too awesome.

Natsuya was stunned for a moment.

The handsome boy's straightforwardness and slightly childish-seeming bright smile had suddenly made its way into her heart.

Once again, her heartbeat quickened.

She didn't even hear what he said next. It took a while for her to suddenly return to her senses and smile again.

Their practice continued.

Natsuya accompanied Seiji and taught him patiently.

She watched him run, watched him jump, watched him fail disgracefully, and watched his excited, joyous, even childish, expressions.

There was an indescribable feeling in her heart.

A powerful force was slowly accumulating there.

The scion didn't know—or perhaps it should be said that she intentionally ignored it.

But no matter what, a flower that grew in a hidden location would eventually bloom…

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 170: Spirit's Arrival!

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Today was the final day of the scheduled duel.

This meant that Okubo Yoshiaki was certain to attack tonight, otherwise he would be considered to have forfeited by default.

After several days of working hard at [Visualization, Seiji's [Spiritual Power] had already reached 39 points! His Spiritual Power was now equivalent to a Spirit-branded Retainer's.

Natsuya signed a contract with him so that he could become her temporary Spirit-branded Retainer.

Since he was just supposed to be a bystander, the president wasn't going to share a large portion of her Spiritual Power with him, nor was she going to summon a powerful spirit for him, or use any taxing Mana support spells on him, but… a Spirit-branded Retainer was still a Spirit-branded Retainer!

Even the lowest level of Spirit-branded Retainers was already considered formidable among Spiritual Ability users.

According to Natsuya's explanation, the term "Spiritual Ability user" referred to the special group of people that had Spiritual Power and were capable of using their Mana. There was also a simple, widely used measure of power, which ranged from levels one through to nine.

Level one was considered a dirt-poor idle fish, while level nine was a wealthy scion… yep, there was no problem with understanding it like that.

Even the lowest-level Spirit-branded Retainers were at least considered level two, which meant that they could crush most dirt-poor… whoops, ordinary Spiritual Ability users. The slightly stronger Spirit-branded Retainers could even reach level three.

Although the power level system for Spiritual Ability users only took Spiritual Power and Mana level into consideration and had nothing to do with actual combat ability, having more money… er, having more Spiritual Power would doubtlessly result in a higher combat capability, which was why most Spiritual Ability users' combat strength were equivalent to their power levels.

Even so, it wasn't considered abnormal for a level-one Spiritual Ability user to defeat someone at level two, as there were always exceptions. If an idle fish was desperate enough, it could take out an ordinary player.

That's why you shouldn't look down on idle fish!

Cough, Seiji had accidentally gotten too excited.

At any rate, Seiji was looking forward to becoming a temporary Spirit-branded Retainer and wanted to experience what it was like to become even stronger.

His summoning… contracting time was scheduled after lunch. This way, he would have some time before evening to get used to what it was like to become a Spirit-branded Retainer.

At lunch, Seiji ate together with Shika as usual.

He didn't mention the topic of the upcoming duel at all and instead focused on chatting about "Brother Monogatari" with Shika. He hoped that this way, she wouldn't be too worried about him.

Shika noticed his intention and cooperated by not mentioning the upcoming duel either.

But there was one thing that she had to do.

Seiji was preparing to leave after they finished eating lunch.

He paused when Shika called out to him. "Brother Seiji… this is for you," she said.

Using both hands, Shika handed him a red protective talisman with gold letters embroidered on it. Seiji looked down and saw that it said "Keep Thy Owner Safe."

"This… where did it come from?"

Seiji accepted it with quite some surprise.

"I made it… I asked Houjou-san for the materials to make it."

Shika looked searchingly Seiji. "This is all I can do for you."

'Please return safely to me.'

Seiji could feel her deep feelings as he clutched the protective talisman close to his chest

"Thank you, Shika-chan." He patted her softly on the head with his free hand and smiled. "With this present of yours, I'll definitely be alright," he said resolutely.

Seiji opened up his system after taking the food tray out of Shika's room and checked his [Gifts] option.

Shika-chan's protective talisman had given him 18 points! He had also received a reward: [Soul Protection Card—'Prayer of Safety']!

[This card is infused with the deep feelings contained within Shika's prayers for your safe return. Using it will instantly cure any damage to your soul and make you immune to soul damage for the next three minutes.]

A full recovery and temporary immunity for his soul… Seiji sighed deeply as he inwardly appreciated Shika-chan's feelings.

He didn't fear the upcoming battle, but he wasn't blindly self-confident either.

He had already confirmed every [Item] available to him for the upcoming battle, including the three he'd received from Hoshi Amami…

Even though he suffered some mental damage from confirming it, having a clear knowledge of the tools at his disposal was necessary. Only then could he say that he was preparing for the upcoming danger thoroughly.

During the training last night for his [Body-strengthening Spell, Natsuya also discussed the specifics of the duel with him.

Natsuya had already made counterplans for every tactic that she believed Okubo Yoshiaki might use. There was only one area where she was unable to make a specific counterplan for due to lacking information: the mysterious medicine that Okubo had used to drain Spiritual Energy from ordinary people.

Even now, Natsuya still didn't know the function or use of the mysterious medicine.

If draining Spiritual Energy was its only function, then it wasn't a big deal. But what if it had multiple purposes?

What was it, where did it come from, and how did Okubo obtain it? Why did he use it instead of some other easier methods to obtain Spiritual Energy from ordinary humans? Did it have other functions, and if so, what were they?

Natsuya held many doubts regarding this medicine, but it was impossible for her to obtain any information on it, nor was she able to uncover anything about it at the negotiation table. All she succeeded in doing was to limit Okubo from using it to drain any more Spiritual Energy. Apart from this, she could do no more.

"I have a premonition that if something unexpected happens during this duel, it'll likely be because of that medicine…"

Those were Natsuya's exact words.

Seiji trusted in the president's judgment.

Even though Natsuya had fallen for Okubo's "Trojan Horse" plot in the past, the president was actually quite a talented person.

It was just a single mistake on Natsuya's part. Even the best student wouldn't be able to get full marks on every test. The occasional error, even a serious error, wouldn't wipe away the fact that she was a talented individual.

Just looking at history should be enough for anyone to understand. Every outstanding historical figure had made mistakes in the past. Some had even made major mistakes, but everyone still recognized their abilities.

Natsuya was an incredible girl. This was something that Seiji determined upon his first impression, and he still believed this firmly.

Since she said that something unexpected might happen, Seiji would prepare for the unexpected.

The worst situation was him being powerless to aid Natsuya in her time of need. In that case, all Seiji could do was learn the enemy's plan and load back to an earlier time.

…

Seiji returned to the room where they had dispelled the amnesia-causing spell on Shika before.

Natsuya, who was wearing her shrine maiden outfit, was waiting there for him.

Hitaka was also present.

Over the past two days, Seiji and Hitaka had several conversations. Seiji taught her various things, and their relationship had improved slightly.

At the very least, Hitaka was no longer treating him as coldly as before.

Although she was only barely warmer than before, a change was still a change, and Seiji was happy about it. The fact that Hitaka's favorability rating towards him had also increased in Seiji's system was the best evidence for this.

"Stand in the center," Natsuya instructed.

Seiji obeyed and stood in the middle of the Yin-Yang diagram on the floor.

"Are you ready?"

"I am."

"Then close your eyes, relax your body, and calm your emotions…" Natsuya said in a gentle voice.

Seiji did as she instructed.

"Now, please answer me. What is your name?"

"Seiji Haruta."

"Are you willing to accept, with the Spirits of Heaven, the Souls of the Earth, the Azure Dragon of the East, the White Tiger of the West, the Vermillion Bird of the South, the Black Turtle of the North, and the Yellow Dragon of the Center as your witnesses, and sign a contract with me?"

"I am."

"Then, with my blood as the contract, and my seal as the catalyst, I shall summon a spirit from the heavens and earth upon your body, to become your strength and fight for my cause…"

She proceeded to chant a long incantation that Seiji couldn't understand.

As Natsuya muttered her incantation, he gradually heard countless whispers around him.

It sounded like various people talking to each other in low voices mixed in with the cries of animals or insects… it seemed as if he could distinguish them individually if he concentrated, but he was unable to do so.

Seiji did his best to listen, and gradually, he was able to hear one voice clearer than the others among all the chattering.

"Where is that demon? I can't find it… damn it!"

"I'm so tired. I'm so hungry. I really want to rest…"

"But if I don't hurry up and find that demon and stop it, more girls will be…"

"Ahh… this is… such light and warmth…"

"It seems rather familiar, but I can't quite recall… who are you?"

'I am Seiji Haruta.'

Seiji answered the voice honestly.

"Seiji? So similar to that person… who was that again…?"

"I can't remember… Ahh, forget about it! Seiji… Seiji-sama, please allow me to borrow you as a temporary vessel to dwell in. In return, I shall dedicate my swords for your usage, how about it?"

'Sure.'

Seiji could sense that this was a pure and strong existence, which was why he agreed unhesitatingly.

"Spirit, descend! I summon thee as a Spirit-branded Retainer!! I decree it so!!!"

Natsuya's shouting echoed around him.

Seiji suddenly felt a strong force entering his head and filling his entire body.

"You have my gratitude, Seiji-sama," the presence said. "My name… I've forgotten it, but I remember that I used to be called Light-chan, so you can call me that as well. Wherever your desire for battle leads you will be where I shall point my sword!"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 171: Heroic Spirit

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Seiji slowly opened his eyes.

He felt a new presence residing within his body—one that he could borrow strength from whenever he wished.

It was akin to having an additional AI cheat assisting him.

He had now "combined with a spirit."

'If I equip additional spirits, their effects will stack, and… no, no, that's from a game in my previous life—let's not get things mixed up!'

"Haruta-kun," Natsuya asked, "how are you feeling?"

"Pretty good." Seiji smiled at her. "I feel like I'm stronger… and although it's technically not my own strength, I have a faint feeling that I can use this power as I like."

"This… is far from being at the level of faint." Natsuya sighed, keeping her gaze focused on the handsome boy.

"Eh?" Seiji blinked in surprise. "Is something wrong?"

"You haven't noticed how special the spirit you received is?"

"Special…" Seiji thought about it. "I heard his voice… but spirits should all be able to talk, right? He said his name was…"

Wait a moment.

He noticed something strange.

"My spirit… isn't a demonic spirit?"

"Of course I'm no demon," a disgruntled voice said within Seiji's head. "Seiji-sama, please don't mix me up with those lowly spirits."

"Oh, sorry," Seiji apologized reflexively. "What I meant was…"

Weren't spirits all demons of some sort?

He looked at the president, seeking an explanation with his eyes.

Natsuya wore a serious expression on her face.

"Your spirit is a heroic spirit, Haruta-kun," she said.

Seiji was lost for words.

Heroic spirit?

Hey, hey, what exactly was going on this time!?

He revealed a strange expression.

Natsuya interpreted his expression as confusion, so she gave an explanation.

"Heroic spirits refer to heroes from either history or legends that have been worshipped by people over many years. Due to this, they've formed as powerful spirits.

"Compared to a demonic spirit, not only are the powers of a heroic spirit of a more positive type, they combine better with humans, and are at a much higher level than demonic spirits, which is why they are regarded as the most powerful spirit.

"But it's extremely difficult to summon a heroic spirit. There are high requirements for both the Spiritual Ability user acting as the vessel and the Yin-Yang Master in charge of the summoning. Plus, you typically have to consume a precious item related to the heroic spirit in question. Even if you make the perfect preparations, there's no guarantee of success.

"That's why heroic spirits have always been viewed as the rarest and most difficult type of spirit to obtain, but you…"

The president stopped her explanation.

Her meaning was quite obvious.

'This is the wrong genre again!' Seiji energetically commented in his mind.

Heroic spirits were just like receiving an SSR in a Japanese cell phone game! What the hell was this!?

Hey, wasn't this getting a little too cliché!!?

Seiji coughed to interrupt his rapid stream of thoughts. 'I should calm down.'

Thinking about it more closely, weren't many demonic spirits humans to begin with?

If a demon could be explained as the materialization of a human's negative emotions, then a heroic spirit could be explained as the materialization of a human's positive emotions.

'That's right—that's how I should interpret it!'

Well, he only considered it strange due to the memories he had of a previous life. If he set those aside and understood it simply as him having gotten lucky by receiving an SSR… no, receiving a miracle, that was good enough!

Seiji forced himself to calm down.

"So, President, you mean to say that I accidentally received an incredible spirit, right? Then what am I right now? What level of Spirit-branded Retainer am I?"

Natsuya blinked, and her eyes transformed into a Sharingan-like state.

Seiji thought to himself that he should ask her the name of this ability and try learning it from her.

Every Naruto reader had the dream of learning Sharingan!

"You can now be considered as… a medium-level, low-ranking Spirit-branded Retainer." Natsuya made her judgement after observing his condition.

"The same as Shuho-san?" Seiji glanced at the red-haired girl, Hitaka, who was watching them quietly.

He recalled that Hitaka and Rana were both medium-level, low-ranking Spirit-branded Retainers.

"Yes, this is already an incredible achievement. Your Spiritual Abilities are still considered rather lacking, and I haven't I given you a large portion of my Spiritual Power as support. You were actually able to reach Hitaka and Rana's level instantly, which is plenty of evidence for how strong your summoned spirit truly is.

"But I can also tell that your heroic spirit… doesn't seem complete, or perhaps he's currently in a weakened state."

"This Yin-Yang Master-sama is correct," said the voice in Seiji's mind. "I have indeed been weakened. I feel like I'm missing many parts of myself, and I can't even remember my name."

"He said that you're correct about his weakened condition, and that he can't even remember his real name. He only remembers that he used to be called Light-chan, and he also said I could call him that."

"Light-chan… a heroic spirit with the word for 'Light' in his name? Or perhaps this is his nickname?" Natsuya considered the information carefully.

"He also remembers that he was searching for a certain demon… one that particularly enjoyed harming girls," Seiji continued.

"A demon that particularly enjoyed harming girls… and this heroic spirit has 'Light' in his name… Could he be!?" Natsuya's eyes suddenly widened in shock.

Could this heroic spirit be that spirit?

Were there any other possibilities?

Yes, one of that person's subordinates also had the word for 'Light' in his name.

But if this spirit was that subordinate, it was an unbelievably high-level spirit! And if this spirit was who she thought he was, then this spirit was…

Natsuya already had the feeling of randomly winning the lottery without knowing what was going on. Now, she felt as if she had won the lottery and the mother of all grand prizes!

'Heavens, how did something like this happen!?'

She was simply performing a temporary Spirit-branded Retainer contract ceremony and using the simplest, lowest-cost spell to summon any random spirit, so a normal demonic spirit should have appeared.

But a heroic spirit appeared instead!

And even among heroic spirits, this one was at the very top!!

This wasn't even at the level of a happy surprise—it was complete shock! It was as if she had went to a restaurant and asked for a waiter, but instead a world-class idol handed her a menu. That was how shocked she was!!

Natsuya was too stunned to know what was going on anymore.

She was even a little frightened because she couldn't comprehend the situation.

"President, what's the matter?" the boy asked in a confused voice.

Natsuya instantly returned to her senses.

'That's right—Haruta-kun… Seiji Haruta!'

No matter how much she thought about it, the problem couldn't possibly have been with her, so he was the only explanation.

The miracle-creating boy… who had created miracles more than once.

Because he was the vessel, she was able to summon this heroic spirit… that had to be the explanation!

Natsuya instinctively made that conclusion.

Even though it was still rather mysterious to her and she didn't understand it, she was certain that the heroic spirit had bonded with him due to his uniqueness.

Even if this heroic spirit wasn't in a complete state, it was still…

By the way, this heroic spirit and his ancestor—the strongest one—were from the same generation, and legend had it that they'd worked together before…

Various thoughts flashed through the president's mind.

"Haruta-kun…" She finally opened her mouth again. "I have a guess as to the identity of your heroic spirit."

"Oh? Who is it?" Seiji asked curiously.

"Although I can't be one hundred percent certain, I'm at least eighty or ninety percent sure of his identity. If he's really who I think he is, then this is no longer at the level of simply shocking."

To Natsuya, this matter was as shocking as thunder striking on a clear day.

"It's even worth the effort for me to make a new battle plan with this spirit's identity as the foundation," Natsuya said in a serious tone, focusing on Seiji's face. "This new battle strategy will have you as my main fighting force! Another way to say it is that you shall become my ace."

"What?" Seiji was the one shocked this time.

'Ace!? Hey, hey, wasn't I was supposed to be a bystander!?'

"I know that this is really asking a lot of you, but your strength… your heroic spirit's strength is so strong that it's worth me doing all this! Of course, you have the right to decide. If you're willing to accept, I'll prepare this new battle plan. If not, it's okay to forget I ever brought it up."

'What do you think?' Natsuya's inquired with her eyes.

Just as Seiji was deliberating over his response, "Light-chan" spoke up again in his mind.

"Go ahead and agree to her request, Seiji-sama."

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 172: Preparations

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

"This Yin Yang Master-sama trusts in you and would like to assign the most important task to you. That's a good thing. I believe in her sincerity, and if you accept her request and live up to her expectations, she'll definitely repay the favor."

'That still requires me to live up to her expectations,' Seiji thought to himself. 'A newbie training right before the battle is about to become the ace of the duel? This is ridiculous! It's just like making a video game noob the ace in a PK clan!'

"Although I'm not familiar with the situation, since this Yin Yang Master-sama has already requested it of you, it means she believes that you can do it. That why you shouldn't lack so much self-confidence and believe in yourself! I shall also support you with all my might."

'Eh, you can hear me even in my mind? And you can understand my thoughts?'

"As long as you think it, I can mostly understand the meaning you're trying to express."

'I see… by the way, I think you misunderstood. She believes in you, not me.'

"I am your strength! Believing in me and believing in yourself are identical!"

Seiji was left speechless upon hearing this.

"Haruta-kun… as expected, am I asking too much?" Seeing Seiji's silence, Natsuya could only smile wryly. "I suppose so. Even if you have excellent spirit, making you into an ace immediately… I shouldn't be so unreasonable. My apologies, I was too impulsive—you can forget…"

Seiji interrupted her with a sigh. "President, you said you would prepare it as a new battle plan, right? This means that it's not one hundred percent certain that this new plan will be used, right?"

"…Indeed." Natsuya nodded. "It's just in case."

"What's the probability that it'll actually get used?"

"Very low, and I hope that I won't have to use it… but seeing your new strength, I want to make appropriate preparations."

"To be fully prepared for every situation, is that it?"

"Exactly." Natsuya looked into Seiji's eyes. "Even if it's a low probability, there's still a chance, which is why I'd like to ask your opinion."

Seiji fell silent once more for several moments.

"Okay, I accept," he said, sighing deeply. "I don't feel like it'll end up happening, nor can I promise to perform well if I truly do end up being sent into battle, but I guess you can never be cautious enough."

"Thank you, Haruta-kun," Natsuya said, smiling brightly.

"Oh, oh, this Yin Yang Master-sama's smile is so beautiful! It's definitely worth fighting for such a moving beauty!"

Light-chan shouted some hot-blooded passionate words in Seiji's mind.

This guy was just someone who liked to suck up to beautiful women, wasn't he?

"Chasing after beautiful young women is something every man dreams of!"

Ok, fine, Seiji had now confirmed that this guy was that type of bastard.

"Seiji-sama, aren't you my comrade? You also appreciate this Yin Yang Master's beauty. Her breasts are…"

Seiji couldn't bear it any longer and shouted at his newly bonded spirit. 'Stop!' he yelled in his mind. 'Don't peek at my innermost thoughts! Don't you understand that people need privacy!!?'

At any rate, thanks to this seemingly strong yet also unreliable heroic spirit's incitement, Seiji agreed to the president's request.

Afterwards, Natsuya told him her thoughts regarding his heroic spirit's true identity and advised him to practice together with Hitaka in order to get accustomed to the power and battle methods of a Spirit-branded Retainer.

In the final hours of their preparation time, Natsuya also wanted to use the 'mitigation' method to ward off Shika's [Reaper's Curse] to limit as many uncertain outside factors as possible.

Seiji already had the power transference ability to cancel it out, so it was all actually an unnecessary process. Although he wanted to refuse at first, he decided to go along with it so that Natsuya and Hitaka could rest at ease.

And so, he had a very 'special' experience…

Time passed just like this.

…

Nighttime, at Genhana High School.

Seiji and Natsuya stood together on top of a fence surrounding the roof of a school building and were looking below them… it almost felt as if he were trying to act cool on purpose.

Of course, they weren't actually attempting to act cool by standing at the highest location; the real reason was so that they could observe their territory as clearly as possible. But it had to be said that standing on top of the fence and feeling the cool night breeze made Seiji feel as if he were truly a combat expert.

Well, compared to ordinary humans, he was already in the realm of the 'mystical.' Just the fact that he could stand on top of the wire mesh fence so steadily would be shocking to any ordinary human.

His attire was rather unusual as well.

He was mostly clad in gray; he wore a gray windbreaker, a tight-fitting gray T-shirt, and gray pants. Silver rune-inscribed pieces of armor were attached to his chest, shoulders, knees, and elbows. His outfit made him appear mysterious. He almost seemed like a cosplayer, but the exquisiteness and quality of his armor were many tiers above an ordinary costume.

Although it'd be rather embarrassing if he walked around on the street like this, it would definitely attract many eyes as well.

And the president beside him had far surpassed the level of attracting attention—she was likely to cause a traffic accident to happen if she appeared on the street!

Seiji was under the impression that Natsuya would wear the typical "hunting clothes" of a Yin Yang Master, much like what he'd previously seen in the Spirit Image: a tall black hat and a white wide-sleeved robe.

But what Natsuya's attire left him reeling for several moments.

She was wearing form-fitting clothes!

Yes, that's right—form-fitting clothes! They were extremely tight clothes, just like Overbutt… whoops, clothes that certain female characters in Overwatch would wear—a short cape and a miniskirt with a slit in its side.

Natsuya's body was truly excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Important things should be repeated three times.

In terms of figure, she was by far the best woman that Seiji had ever laid eyes on!

She was incredibly alluring even when she wore the Genhana High School's female uniform. It was only that her serious expression and stern aura made it difficult for people to think impure thoughts about her, which was why people tended to ignore her sexiness… er, her special charisma when interacting with her.

But ignoring didn't equal forgetting.

It was impossible to forget.

Occasionally, Seiji would also realize that he was faced with an incredibly attractive lady. However, he had excellent self-control, so he usually wouldn't think any strange thoughts.

But such an attractive beauty with an incredible figure appearing before him in form-fitting clothes was a huge blow to his sense of reason and self-control!

It was just like ocean water overwhelming a dam.

That was no joke! There was far too much destructive ability in Natsuya's attire, to the point where Seiji instantly averted his gaze after regaining his senses and didn't even dare to look at the details of her clothing, even though he was rather curious.

Natsuya's form-fitting clothes had various runes and spells etched into them as well. They almost seemed like decorative patterns when viewed from afar.

As for her short cape and miniskirt… it was actually fortunate that she was slightly covered by those, otherwise her sexiness would break the scale! However, these articles of clothing were strangely beautiful as they flowed with the wind. The sight of the short cape and miniskirt flapping added to her allure in a different way.

Seiji believed wholeheartedly that if she went to a crowded place in her current attire, she would definitely cause a traffic accident!

'You're simply too much of a distraction, Natsuya.'

Natsuya didn't know what Seiji was currently thinking, as she was focusing almost entirely on the impending duel.

Although she was confident of her chances, she was still somewhat nervous. An appropriate amount of nervousness, however, would assist her in utilizing her true abilities.

As for the boy beside her… Haruta-kun didn't seem nervous at all.

'Perhaps,' she thought, 'it's because he's still an inexperienced beginner. Or is he simply confident in his own abilities?'

It seemed like she didn't need to worry too much about him.

The inconceivable part was that even though Haruta-kun was a complete beginner, as well as a temporary Spirit-branded Retainer, just him standing by her side made her feel more reassured.

She felt like… no matter what happened, as long as he was by her side, she wouldn't need to worry about anything.

'Why do I feel like this?'

Natsuya didn't understand.

This wasn't the time for her to be thinking idle thoughts.

Suddenly, she detected something approaching their position!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 173: First Blood!

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

"They're here! Haruta-kun, activate your Astral Vision!"

Seiji instantly activated [Astral Vision] upon Natsuya's reminder.

He actually hadn't mastered this spell yet. He was casting it with his bonded spirit's assistance.

Seiji's eyes instantly turned blue, and everything within his field of vision was also tinted blue. The world around him became much sharper; it was as if he were wearing high-tech night goggles.

[Astral Vision]… This type of vision rendered the school in a completely different light.

Spell formations of various sizes were engraved on each of the school buildings, and some were revolving slowly. All the spell formations were radiating differently colored light.

The largest spell formation was on the school grounds. It was so large that it exceeded the boundaries of the school grounds, and even with his enhanced vision, it was impossible to see it entirely.

Apart from the formations, there were many other defensive measures: interlinked chains which hovered above the ground; strange, totem-like objects; and flying lanterns, dolls, talismans, and sheets of paper. There were also a variety of other mysterious objects that were either flying in midair or following fixed paths. The chaotic scene made Seiji feel dizzy.

But what stood out the most of all were the various demons and spirits either guarding specific locations or roaming around.

There was a huge, large hammer-wielding one-eyed monster with green skin and a bald head.

There was a pitch-black demon that looked like a growth of aquatic weeds, and its many tiny eyes were opening and closing rapidly.

There were a team of skeletal warriors clad in tattered armor and wielding rusty weapons—Seiji assumed these were grudge-bearing ancient spirits from some battlefield.

There was a smooth, completely white abnormal-appearing demon. It was lanky, and in the place of legs and arms, it had four sharp blades. It lacked any facial features, and its head was also blank, save for a black talisman attached to the top of its skull.

…

Witnessing all these sights was a truly eye-opening experience for Seiji.

Many of these entities' appearances were inside of his expectations and were rather normal, while others seemed incredibly out of place.

There were a few that he really wanted to comment on—especially that smooth, white demon. Seiji felt that without that talisman on top of its head, it would belong in a horror movie rather than a mystical school!

There were far too many different types of demons and spirits for him to ask Natsuya about, which was why he didn't ask anything. There would be plenty of time to chat after the duel.

At any rate, under [Astral Vision, the school was far different from how ordinary people saw it. Only after he personally witnessed this sight did Seiji finally realize what the president had meant by calling the school her "castle."

This was indeed Natsuya's castle with her as its Yin-Yang Master; this was indeed her well-defended territory.

However, the castle was currently under siege.

A huge number of demons approached both from the ground and the air!

The majority of them were red-skinned demons sporting horns and wings—they were the same type that Seiji saw when he was dispelling the amnesia spell on Shika.

This time, there weren't a ridiculous amount of demons like in the soul layer, but there had to be at least several thousand pouring towards the school like an unstoppable tidal wave.

When they got close enough, various spell formations suddenly lit up and shot orange lasers at the demons, vaporizing most of them into thick, smoky mist.

The remaining few demons continued to press onwards.

Yet more spell formations lit up, filling the courtyard with beams of multi-colored lights that shot into the ranks of the remaining enemy demons.

Thanks to yet another baptism by lasers, only a few dozen demons remained.

After they finally entered the school grounds itself, the barrier covering the school destroyed many of their number, leaving only a pitiful dozen or so that were instantly mopped up by the patrolling skeleton team's swords and arrows.

Seiji rubbed his chin in contemplation. 'This feels like a tower defense game.'

In actuality, that was probably what this was. The enemy's goal was to destroy the critical defense locations here, while Natsuya needed to protect the school, which was basically the exact goal of a tower defense game.

Not only that, if Seiji thought of the Yin-Yang Masters as summoners and treated the Spirit-branded Retainers as champions… this was basically freaking League of Legends!

Come, let's shout "Demacia" together!

Seiji coughed. 'I shouldn't get too excited.'

Seiji, a temporary Spirit-branded Retainer and a beginner to Yin-Yang Master warfare, felt that he could only be the equivalent of Garen if he were compared to a League of Legends champion.

The starter champion, who was one of the cheapest ones to buy, had abilities which only needed a cooldown and no mana. He was easy to learn and had a balanced attack and defense but had a few obvious weaknesses.

'Hey, that means I should… Whoops, I went off on too much of a tangent.'

Seiji hurriedly made himself come back to his senses.

He saw that a new wave of demons had already arrived en masse. They rushed at Natsuya's defense formation frenziedly.

How long would the enemy's attack and their defense last? Just as he wanted to ask, he heard a thud from the side.

"It's Rana."

Natsuya gave only that simple statement before she instantly jumped off the fence and ran towards the right.

Seiji followed her.

Since both of them were using the Body-strengthening Spell to cover ground quickly, it wasn't long before they saw what was going on.

Rana was currently battling with a man wearing strange black clothing.

The current Rana's appearance was a far cry from how Seiji was used to seeing her. Her body was shrouded in a dark red mist which turned her invisible. Her eyes were especially bright in the mist, and they shone green and blue, leaving two bright color trails every time she moved.

With both hands and feet on the ground, she moved about as if she were a real cat. She was agile, flexible, and unpredictable; sometimes she appeared to flow like the wind, while at other times she was as fast and deadly as lightning.

The man was clad in what seemed to be a special force uniform. Every piece of his clothing was pitch-black, and his head was covered with a black hood. It was standard ninja attire, disregarding the two assault rifles—or two mystical firearms which resembled assault rifles—that were currently unleashing a hail of bullets at Rana!

But it was useless.

Rana avoided the majority of the bullets. The few which made contact with her were deflected by her mist, leaving her unscathed.

Rana was darting into the man's blind spots before launching a lightning-fast offense.

The man was barely managing to hold on, and he tossed one gun down onto the ground, attempting to change his ineffective weapon for a better one…

Pound!!*

Just as the gun left his hand, Rana charged at him at an unbelievable speed and headbutted him, sending him soaring into the air!

The man had obviously been injured by this. He panicked as he lost his balance and was unable to pull out a new weapon…

Pound! Boom!! Smack!!!*

There were three successive midair thuds.

The first two blows were too quick for Seiji to see clearly.

However, he managed to capture the last move. In the last blow, Rana stomped both her feet onto the black-clad man's head, sending him hurtling into the dirt like a meteor!

After a tremendous crash, the black-clad man was buried into the ground with only his lower half sticking out.

First blood! What a classical death… whoops, he wasn't dead yet.

In Seiji's [Astral Vision, the black-clad man still showed up as a color, which meant that this man's soul was still present, and he hadn't died yet.

"He's Okubo's temporary Spirit-branded Retainer," Natsuya said after carefully examining the man. "His combat clothes are of the scouting type, which means that this retainer's role consists of only scouting… He probably sneaked in during the demons' attack while the spell formations were preoccupied in order to find out the specific locations of our critical defense points."

"Did he succeed? Er… what I mean is, is it possible that he already discovered the locations and sent out the information?"

"It's not possible in such a short time."

"Oh… what should we do next, then?" Seiji glanced at the enemy retainer still buried headfirst into the ground, before looking back at Natsuya with an inquiring gaze.

"Pull him out and I'll seal his powers and leave him here."

"Is that really alright?"

"It's fine; he won't die."

Natsuya turned around to look at Rana, and Rana waved her paw… whoops, her hand, then turned around and ran off, blending into the shadows.

After Seiji and Natsuya took care of the black-clad man, they returned to the rooftop.

They were just in time to witness the defeat of the second demon wave.

"Are there going to be more?"

"I doubt it. We've already defeated his scouting retainer, so there's no more meaning to such an attack anymore unless he wants to waste his Spiritual Power and Mana."

"Then what will be…"

Before Seiji could finish his question, he saw a car turn around the street corner and head straight for the school.

It was a funeral home car, the one also known as a hearse!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 174: Clash!

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Sakura Island's hearses had a very unique appearance, making it impossible to mistake one.

It was completely black car, with a… what was that thing on its back called?

It was something that resembled a small temple and was most likely used to place the coffin in. This one looked strikingly similar to a real temple due to its exquisite craftsmanship. Seiji could see complex runes and spell formations inscribed upon it, and many yellow talismans were stuck on the top of it as well.

The talismans floated in the wind as the car drove on, making the scene seem like…

Seiji was stunned at the sight.

This was too much stimulation for his vision!!

While he was still in a daze, the hearse sped to the school and entered the spell formations' area of effect.

The formations lit up, shooting orange lasers at the car.

The entire body of the hearse lit up, and a red spell formation appeared in midair and blocked the orange laser, refracting the light in all directions!

The defensive attack had been blocked!

Seiji returned to his senses.

Even if this hearse appeared rather… this wasn't the time to comment, as the enemy was already here!

Okubo Yoshiaki was most likely seated in that car.

The spell formation's second retaliatory wave arrived, engulfing the hearse with countless beams light from all directions!

Various large and small multi-colored spell formations appeared above the hearse and blocked every single beam of light that attacked it without affecting the car's speed in the slightest.

'Hey, this doesn't seem like the right style!'

In the end, Seiji was unable to stop himself from mentally commenting on the situation.

A car breaking through a barrage of lasers should have been either a hot-blooded or really cool scene. However, this hearse, with its abnormal appearance, made it feel strangely ridiculous for some reason! This kind of thing was simply wrong!

Seiji's expression was completely blank as he watched the hearse.

After the hearse made something as cool as breaking past a laser barrier look so uncool, it crashed past the magical barrier protecting the school without slowing, before slamming into two white demons, breaking them into pieces. It then proceeded to crush a group of black-blob monsters and knock over a one-eyed cyclops.

It seemed that the school's defenses wouldn't be able to block it.

Just as Seiji was about to turn around and ask Natsuya what to do in this situation, a tremendous explosion almost ruptured his eardrums.

Boom!!*

The seemingly unstoppable hearse was now enveloped in orange-red flames from the huge explosion.

Seiji was shocked to his core at this sudden development.

"It was a landmine," Natsuya explained calmly. "I already anticipated this situation, which was why I placed special landmines that can only be activated by a car's weight. I modified them using anti-tank landmines."

Landmines!?

Seiji was incredibly shocked at this.

Natsuya actually placed such things at school!? Was that really fine!?

"I placed them after all the students left already, and I'll clear them away again after the duel," Natsuya said after noticing Seiji's stunned expression.

'Oh, that seems fine then.'

But placing landmines in the school grounds, not to mention anti-tank landmines; this… seemed more outrageous than even the manga Kotaro Makaritoru!

The fierce flames raged wildly, illuminating Seiji's and Natsuya's faces from where they were standing on the roof of the school building.

'It won't end so easily like this, will it?'

Just as that thought crossed Seiji's mind, he glimpsed a few hazy silhouettes walking out from the fire.

There was a boy wearing a yellow-green wide-sleeved robe together with a tall yellow hat; a girl wearing white form-fitting clothes and heavy silver gauntlets; and a tall boy wearing light green armor with a black coffin held in just one of his hands.

The trio emerged from the fire and remained motionless.

The tall armored boy tossed the coffin onto the ground, and the impact scattered a cloud of dust into the air with a loud thump .

The boy in the tall yellow hat tilted his head upwards and looked in Seiji's and Natsuya's direction.

When they exchanged glances, Seiji confirmed that this was Okubo Yoshiaki.

Okubo was a handsome boy, but his face was slightly too sharp and gaunt. His skin clung tightly to his skull, and the look in his eyes was rather grim and dark.

All the demons and spirits, together with the flying papers, lanterns, dolls, and so on, gathered a few paces away from the trio.

Okubo lifted his hand, revealing seven or eight talismans, which he proceeded to toss into the air.

The talismans transformed into numerous large diamond-shaped crystals that began spinning and shooting out fast red bullets of light in all directions. The hail of red bullets cleared away almost everything instantly!

The tall armored boy crouched and suddenly jumped up, unsheathing his sword. His target was Natsuya!

Seiji could feel real killing intent heading towards him.

Just as he was about to respond, the president stopped him from doing so.

Someone jumped out from behind them and moved to block the armored boy in midair.

It was Hitaka.

The red-haired girl also unsheathed her sword and exchanged a flurry of blows with the armored boy in midair.

After the initial clash, Hitaka discovered an opportunity and kicked the armored boy into a school building as she twisted around in midair and ran through the air to follow him.

Seiji could hear Hitaka and the armored boy continue their battle within the building.

The remaining four people merely stared at each other.

Suddenly, the white-clad girl took two steps to the right and punched the empty air.

Pound!*

Rana, who had been attempting to approach the enemy while invisible, was hit by this, but she tumbled onto the ground lithely, rolling with the impact.

The white-clad girl's speed was unbelievably fast as she pursued Rana, and each of the punches she threw out was as vicious as a bulky man's!

Rana nimbly dodged and weaved the punches, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

That was the beginning of the second battle.

There were three people remaining… and one coffin.

As he looked at that coffin, Seiji faintly recalled something.

Okubo reached out with his right hand, and the coffin started to begin floating in midair.

With one forceful wave of his hand, the black coffin flew towards Seiji and Natsuya like a shot cannonball!

"Dodge it!" Natsuya shouted.

Both of them dodged to the left and avoided the coffin. However, just as the coffin was about to fly into the air after missing its target, Okubo made a seal with one hand and cast a spell.

"Zombie corpse, unseal!"

Boom!!*

The coffin exploded.

The force was akin to a loaded explosive.

Protective barriers materialized in front of both Seiji and Natsuya.

Of course, Seiji's protective barrier was mainly due to the assistance of his bonded spirit.

Thanks to the barriers protecting them, neither of them were harmed.

However, a dark green figure dashed out of the coffin and lunged at Natsuya.

Natsuya was about to retaliate, but Seiji's reactions were faster than hers.

His fist shot out, dealing a vicious blow to the dark green figure's head!

If this figure had been an ordinary person, the punch would have sent him flying already.

But this dark green person took the punch in stride; he even grabbed on to Seiji's arm.

Smack!!*

Seiji unleashed a brutal kick with his left foot and connected with the person's crotch area.

There was nothing there at all.

But the figure still seemed to feel something as he released Seiji's arm.

"Hey, long time no see."

Seiji had confirmed this person's identity, even though the dark green figure was basically unrecognizable now due to the drastic change in his physical appearance.

Seiji twisted his body, lifted his foot, and gave the figure a taste of his whirlwind kick!

His full-force kick slammed directly into the dark green figure's chest, sending him stumbling backward. The figure only regained its balance after it was seven or eight meters away from Seiji.

"You've remained unchanged. Still lunging straight for the beautiful girls, eh?"

Seiji was talking casually to this person… or this monster that used to be a person as if he were familiar with him.

Actually, Seiji wasn't familiar with the dark green person at all; he couldn't even remember this person's name. Was it something Yamamoto?

Seiji had forgotten and was too lazy to remember.

At any rate, this bastard probably didn't even deserve a human's name anymore.

"Even though you've turned into this, you still haven't changed that part of you."

Seiji fixed his gaze on his foe.

The dark green person was completely naked, and injuries covered his body. His hair was as messy as a pile of weeds, and his facial features were completely distorted in mindless rage. His eyes bulged out from their sockets, shot with green-colored veins.

"You don't even have what's down there anymore, so what's the point in still doing such things?"

This wasn't a taunt; Seiji was merely making a meaningless statement.

That was because this monster clearly didn't understand human speech anymore.

"Rrr… Rrrrrr…"

The green monster growled deeply, and its dim, hollow eyes narrowed.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 175: Allow Me to Send Him Off

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

"Takao Yamamoto…" Natsuya muttered the green monster's name under her breath.

'Oh, that's right—it was Takao Yamamoto.' Seiji recalled the name as well.

Takao was the blonde bully who had ambushed and killed Mika long ago. He had disappeared from the hospital after Seiji crushed his ability to ever have children again. Okubo must have taken Takao, and Seiji assumed that he caused Takao's abnormal state.

"What exactly happened to him?" Seiji asked.

"He was reared as a Zombie Demon—" Natsuya started.

"Rrr… Roar!!" A strange shriek interrupted the president's words.

The green, monster-like Zombie Demon lunged at Seiji and Natsuya, its arms spread wide open. A rotting, disgusting stench emanated from its body.

Seiji, who was in front of Natsuya, was just about to defend against its attack, but he saw Natsuya drawing a seal in midair with both hands.

"Be sealed, unclean object!"

Numerous magical chains materialized and entangled the Zombie Demon's body, preventing it from moving.

Immediately after, several dozen white talismans appeared and attached themselves to its body.

"Cleanse!!" Natsuya changed her hand-seal.

Boom!*

There was a brilliant white explosion!

A terrifying roar could be heard from within the blinding light.

The next moment, a black mist erupted from the Zombie Demon's body, scattering the white light.

Seiji could faintly perceive that the Zombie Demon had broken free from the magical chains.

Its eyes were glowing greenly, and its body seemed… no, it was definitely larger than before.

And it was still expanding in size!

Hey, hey, was this supposed to be the Zombie Hulk!?

Seiji's cheek twitched as he watched the Zombie Demon expand rapidly.

"He's been cultivated into quite a powerful Zombie Demon," Natsuya stated calmly. "It seems that Okubo has spent a lot of effort on him."

"Is he still alive?" Seiji inquired curiously. "As a human, I mean."

"He's already dead, both in body and soul…"

"Then there's no need for me to worry about anything at all."

Seiji reached out his hand and drew out a longsword that appeared in a blue flash and entered a ready-for-combat pose.

"Allow me to send him off."

"Haruta-kun…"

"I don't have any sympathy for this guy," Seiji said in a heavy voice. "I… only feel slightly responsible."

Natsuya blinked her eyes upon hearing this."I wanted to say that there's no need for you to deal with him, since I can take care of it on my own."

"Eh?"

The Zombie Demon that seemed like an undead version of the Hulk took another step forward while roaring, but even more magical chains appeared in midair, wrapping around him and stopping him from advancing!

"While this Zombie Demon may indeed be powerful, I've already been prepared for such a scenario."

Together with the president's calm words, a seemingly endless amount of chains appeared, tying the enormous Zombie Demon in many layers.

At first, the Zombie Demon was able to break loose from the chains, but before long, it was unable to even struggle and could only roar helplessly.

Finally, it was swathed in chains.

It almost looked like a big yarn ball.

Seiji was speechless as he stood there in his self-styled cool combat pose.

He suddenly felt rather embarrassed.

Seiji stopped posing, ashamed of himself.

He was just a bystander to begin with, so why was he posing like that!? Plus, he said something so pretentious! Honestly…

"Haruta-kun, do you really want to fight it?"

"Er, um…" Seiji scratched his face awkwardly, unable to come up with a reply.

"You want to send him off because you feel slightly responsible… Is that how you truly feel?" Natsuya had a serious expression as she looked at him.

Seeing her expression, Seiji also put on a serious face. "Yes… it might be a little bit arrogant, but that's how I truly feel."

After a brief silence, Natsuya spoke.

"Then go ahead," she said calmly.

She looked towards the pile of chains and made yet another seal with her hands.

A huge number of white talismans furiously attached themselves to the chains to the point where nothing but white was visible.

"Cleanse!!"

A white light at least ten times stronger than the last one exploded, sending a pillar of light shooting up into the sky!

After the light gradually dissipated, the Zombie Demon returned to its original form. It was now kneeling on the ground somewhat pitifully.

"Its power has been greatly diminished. You should be able to handle the rest." Natsuya turned around to leave. "Okubo's already begun breaking my defense, so I need to go deal with him. Go ahead, and… do your best at sending him off." Right after she finished her last sentence, the president dashed off to find her enemy.

Seiji and the Zombie Demon were the only ones remaining here, and they stood facing each other.

'She is such a gentle girl.' Seiji smiled and expressed gratitude towards Natsuya within his heart.

He then raised the longsword in his hand once more.

"Stand up, Takao Yamamoto."

The Zombie Demon gradually rose to its feet, making it seem like it really could understand Seiji.

"I don't know you. Nor do you know me. But, rather than being cleansed like this, you would probably prefer for someone to send you to hell."

Takao wasn't Seiji's friend, nor was he really an enemy, and this was about as far from a fated battle between rivals as could be.

This was merely one stranger sending off another slightly familiar stranger.

The Zombie Demon roared as it lunged at Seiji.

Seiji greeted it with a flourish of his sword.

And so their clash began.

…

Ayami Himiki was fond of battles.

Well, she wasn't fond of personally battling. She enjoyed watching other people fight, and she especially loved watching fights where the participants were wagering their most precious possessions or even their lives—the so-called Yin-Yang Master duels.

The Himiki clan was well known in the mystical society for being an excellent judging clan. Although Ayami was still young, she was renowned for her fair attitude and appropriate supervision. Her records of the duels were neither too detailed nor too simple—they described the situation perfectly while protecting both sides' secrets. As a result of this, she always received glowing reviews from both sides in the duel.

That was why her "business" was excellent and she always received requests to judge duels. But she was still young and inexperienced, so it was mostly the younger generation that invited her to judge duels.

This time, it was a duel between the daughter of the Yoruhana family and the son of the Yoshiaki family.

Just like always, Ayami stayed outside the battlefield but not too far and watched the proceedings with a spell. There was only one husky dog accompanying her.

This husky was her Spirit-branded Retainer.

That's right—the dog had been raised using a special method, and possessed Spiritual Power! Ayami had signed a contract with the husky and recruited it as her Spirit-branded Retainer.

As a vessel for a spirit, it was difficult for an animal to match a human's power. But there were also advantages, such as never leaking any secrets.

That was why Ayami was always able to take her husky retainer with her while judging.

"This is a rather boring duel, isn't it, Tairou?"

Ayami was snacking on potato chips while watching the duel unfold before her.

"Woof!" Her husky, which had a strict-seeming black-and-white face, responded with a bark.

"So you agree as well… there's too much of a difference between their powers, so there's nothing to even enjoy."

Ayami continued chewing on her potato chips as she assessed the duel using her long experience as a judge of many duels.

Well, this didn't actually even need that much experience to assess. Even an ordinary human who had watched fantasy movies before could probably come to the same conclusion after watching for a while.

The red side, led by the Yoruhana family's daughter, was certain to win!

First was the red-haired girl's battle against the armored boy, who was part of the blue side and the retainer of the Yoshiaki family's son.

The armored boy had extremely high defense and was quite spirited, but it was all rather useless. It was almost impossible for his attacks to hit the red-haired girl, and instead the girl's attacks almost all managed to connect, steadily depleting the boy's Mana level.

Next was the red-side cat girl's battle against the blue-side white gauntlet girl.

The white-clad gauntlet girl's movements were swift and her attacks were fierce. Many of her attacks connected with the cat girl, seemingly giving her an advantage. However, the cat girl had actually mitigated most of the attacks' force with her highly agile footwork, and in actuality, she took very little damage.

By now, the white-clad girl's speed was already much lower than it was at first, while the cat girl was still as agile as ever; it was as if she were merely toying with her opponent. It was easy to determine the superior party.

And as for the red-side windbreaker boy's battle against the blue-side Zombie Demon…

In this battle, it was even easier to tell who would emerge victorious. The Zombie Demon's power had been greatly diminished. As long as the windbreaker boy wasn't a total idiot, he would be able to defeat the Zombie Demon by using physical attacks alone.

To Ayami, this handsome boy seemed like a newbie to battle. His combat outfit and weapon were all totally standard with zero customizations, and his movements seemed rather… er, stiff. Ayami could hardly believe it when he was actually injured by the brainless Zombie Demon's swipes! How stupid of him to make such a low-level mistake!

Why the heck did the Yoruhana family daughter recruit a temporary Spirit-branded Retainer like him? The teenage female judge's mind was filled with questions.

Was there some special purpose? Or was there some other particular reason, like love…

Ayami coughed. 'I must have watched too many television dramas.'

There was nothing interesting about this duel at all. If she had to find something watchable, the only slightly appealing part was the fact that the windbreaker boy was incredibly hot.

If only his opponent wasn't an ugly Zombie Demon… It would have been so much better if he was fighting against a handsome opponent that he was entangled in a love triangle with. That would have made for an amazing story!

Ayami turned her attention to focus on the final and most important battle after sighing in her heart.

The red-side Yoruhana family's daughter versus the blue-side Yoshiaki family's son.

"So unsightly," she muttered, crunching on the potato chips in her mouth.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 176: Shutendoji!

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

"Arrrghhh!!" Okubo was shouting fiercely.

He sounded just like a wild beast struggling inside a hunter's trap.

Dark grayish-black mist poured out from his body, and countless pale white hands as far as the eyes could see were reaching out from the mist and rushing towards the girl across from him like an unstoppable flood!

Natsuya remained expressionless at this.

Her cape had now turned into a cloak that covered her entire body, and mystical runes flashed and shone on the transformed cape. As the pale white hands drew close to her, her cape glowed with a dark yellow light, sealing every single hand without exception.

She then brought her kodachi down upon the hands, and numerous motes of dark red light flew out from her blade. With one swipe, all the hands were severed.

"Gather!"

With Natsuya's light command, a much darker glow instantly enveloped the kodachi. Before long, the kodachi transformed, lengthening by several dozen meters.

She lifted the massive blade and swung it down at Okubo!

Boom!!*

Okubo attempted to block the sword with his mist, but the enchanted dark red kodachi managed to pierce through his defense and injure his body.

Okubo instantly spat out a mouthful of blood from his injury.

"Grr…"

He was unable to even stand anymore, so he kneeled on one knee and stared at the puddle of blood that he had just spit onto the ground.

He was completely defeated.

He tried to gain time for his cultivated Zombie Demon and cast spells to weaken the school's defensive spell formation… but it ended in defeat!

He created his own territory and tried to form a barrier that would be completely unaffected by his opponent's spell formation… but it ended in defeat!

He used a large amount of Spiritual Power in an attempt to overwhelm his opponent with the first wave of attacks… but it ended in defeat!

He used low-cost Mana attacks and kept up a solid defense in order to wear Natsuya down while waiting for a chance to counterattack… but it ended in defeat!

He used a soul attack and attempted to drag Natsuya into the soul realm for battling… but it ended in defeat!

Every one of his actions had ended in failure.

Every plan, every plot of his, had been easily countered!

Not only that, he was continuously injured by Natsuya's attacks.

Okubo was now feeling despair.

He couldn't win.

Not only could he not win, he wasn't even able to seemingly bother her.

Natsuya Yoruhana had maintained a cold and distant expression from start to finish. She hadn't lost control of her emotions for even a second; it were as if she wasn't even battling, and was doing something like school homework instead, as she precisely countered his every move.

No, it wasn't countering.

She was basically dissecting him.

She was dissecting him emotionally, like how a student would dissect a frog for their biology homework.

Okubo began laughing.

He actually found it funny how he came up with this analogy, and he was also laughing at himself for how appropriate this analogy truly was.

The uncomfortable sound of his own laughter caused him to recall all the taunting laughter he had constantly heard throughout his life.

From his family, from strangers, and even from…

"You were defeated once before by Natsuya Yoruhana. You'll be defeated by her for eternity. You'll never catch up to her in terms of power for your entire life, nor will you ever understand even when you die."

Those bone-piercing taunts came from a good-for-nothing piece of garbage.

"Hahahahahaha-"

Okubo began laughing maniacally.

Pain, hatred, anger, unwillingness…

Despair from always being looked down on and condescended by everyone finally swallowed him.

He was unable to deny everything that made his life uncomfortable.

Because it was all undeniably true.

He was unable to defeat Natsuya Yoruhana…

He wasn't able to accept it, but he was forced to accept it.

That was why he utterly broke down.

Even through his maniacal laughter, Okubo noticed that the beautiful girl's eyebrows furrowed slightly as she observed him.

'So, there's finally a change in your expression. What's about to happen next will shock you even more!'

Okubo lifted his hand slightly. Three crystals appeared in a flash of a black light and floated into his hand.

Natsuya blinked in surprise at this. However, she acted swiftly and launched an attack!

'So you've noticed it… but your attack is useless.'

Okubo formed a seal with his other hand and used the entirety of his remaining Mana to create an impregnable barrier.

Natsuya's attack was successfully blocked by his barrier.

She instantly began preparing a new and stronger spell.

But, no matter how fast, any spell able to break through his barrier required at least a few seconds to cast.

That was more than enough time for Okubo.

Okubo recalled the last words of advice from the person who had sold these to him as he looked at the crystals on his hand.

"There's one more way to use this drug, which I didn't want to mention, but I might as well tell you seeing how generous you've been with your payments."

"This is a method that only Yin-Yang Masters can use, and it won't work on Spirit-branded Retainers. It involves consuming the 'main body' and summoning a spirit which will possess you. This will grant you a burst of explosive power—but the strength of the spirit depends on how much you consume."

"As you can imagine, this is a highly dangerous technique. About fifty percent of this technique's users will end up dead—yes, exactly half—it's just like flipping a coin. And even if the user manages to survive, there might be irreparable damage to the soul."

"I truly hope that you won't need to use this forbidden technique."

That person had chuckled while telling him this.

As Okubo recalled the conversation, he realized that person probably anticipated that he would need to use this from the very start.

'Well, forget it—his motives aren't important.'

Okubo placed the three crystals into his mouth and bit down with all his might.

Crack!*

The crystals were crispy and had a salty taste… in fact, they were surprisingly delicious.

Okubo swallowed the crystals and instantly felt a chill spreading throughout his body.

Across from him, Natsuya was about to begin her next attack.

Okubo now had to summon a spirit!

It was a forbidden technique for a Yin-Yang Master to summon a spirit to possess him or herself.

That was because spirits were mostly demonic spirits; they possessed negative energy, and it could even be said that they were evil.

A Yin-Yang Master's task was to suppress them so that they wouldn't overtake the host's body!

Another way of saying it was that Yin-Yang Masters were the seals on a spirit's power.

If a Yin-Yang Master summoned a spirit to descend upon his own body, there was no longer any guarantee of sealing the spirit's power, and there was no more limiter present.

The spirit's true potential would be unleashed, but at the same time it was highly possible for the Yin-Yang Master to lose control; in fact, it was high to the point where it was basically suicidal.

That was why this was taboo.

It was also known as a forbidden technique.

Okubo consumed the "main body" of the nameless medicine and cast the forbidden spell.

"Spirit, descend! I decree it so!!!"

At the exact same moment, Natsuya's strong attack spell broke through Okubo's defense and was about to hit his body.

Suddenly, a blood-red light exploded from his body, dispelling Natsuya's attack spell.

Natsuya smelled a strong scent of blood.

She felt an incomprehensible sense of terror and reflexively retreated backwards at top speed.

She soon found that this had been the correct action.

That was because an enormous blood-red wine gourd smashed into the ground where she had just been standing!

Not only did the gourd gouge out a large hole into the ground, it even destroyed part of the spell formation drawn into the school ground there.

"Ahahahaha! A beautiful virgin!"

The blood-red light dissipated.

What appeared was a tall, strong figure with fiery-red long hair and two horns growing out of the side of his head. He was an incredibly handsome man wearing blood-red-colored traditional Sakura Island clothing, with his right shoulder bare, revealing a collection of black tattoos.

"I'm in love with you! Be with me and become my woman!!"

The man grinned widely as his red eyes sparkled with a blood-red glow. Just his physical appearance alone would make him seem rather attractive.

Natsuya felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss.

Her body was instinctively afraid of this person to the point where it was difficult to control her fear.

Not only that, she was shocked to her core.

Okubo Yoshiaki actually summoned a spirit to descend upon his own body!?

That was a forbidden technique for Yin-Yang Masters! Was he suicidal!?

Not only that, he summoned this particular spirit!

It was one of the most famous demons of them all: the King of One Hundred Demons, and this spirit was considered as one of the three strongest and evilest demons of them all…

This demon particularly loved to harm virgins, and his favorite things to devour were exquisite wine and… virgin flesh.

People called this demon… Shutendoji!!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 177: Minamoto no Raiko!

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Ayami Himiki dropped the potato chip in her hand.

"Shutendoji…" She was stunned, and her mouth was wide agape.

The bonding rate was so high… No, no, she should say that this was the first time she'd ever witnessed such a high synchronization ratio. It was especially shocking as it was with the infamous demon Shutendoji!

Ayami felt like this would turn into a huge incident!

Synchronizing with the demon spirit Shutendoji was no joking matter! Shutendoji was one of the three strongest and evilest demons!! To compare this to a natural catastrophe, Shutendoji was the equivalent of an earthquake or a typhoon!!!

Ayami returned to her senses and reflexively thought about giving an official warning to the duelist Okubo Yoshiaki.

An official warning from the judge meant that there was something that broke the rules or a situation which absolutely required the duel to be paused. The moment she gave such a warning, both sides' personnel that had been prepared beforehand would immediately stop the duel and protect both duelists.

Obviously, it was a serious matter to forcibly stop the duel.

If the judge made an official warning that was later thought of as unreasonable, the judge's career would basically be ruined, and for the more severe cases, the judge's life would basically be over.

Ayami judged that the situation had gone out of control and was about to give an official warning, but she paused right before giving the warning.

Wait a moment, Shutendoji… doesn't seem all that terrifying or imposing…

She continued observing the battle closely.

In her spell that projected the fight, Shutendoji had begun attacking the Yoruhana family's daughter, who dodged each attack and circled around the field.

This Shutendoji was quite powerful, but not overwhelmingly so.

Ayami wasn't looking down on the Yoruhana family daughter, but the fact that Shutendoji didn't overwhelm the scion immediately meant that this Shutendoji wasn't actually all that powerful, or at least not powerful to the extent that it wasn't allowed.

If it didn't break the restrictions, there was no need for an official warning.

Ayami decided on her new course of action.

It was a forbidden technique for Yin-Yang Masters to summon spirits upon themselves, but that was only for their own safety. While synchronizing with a spirit to such a degree was also quite dangerous, all of this was still technically allowed by the duel as it wasn't breaking any rules. As long as the destruction wrought wouldn't surpass the expectations by too much, there was no reason to stop this duel.

Ayami lowered her hand and grabbed a new bunch of potato chips.

"It's become more interesting now, Tairou… I thought that things would end like that, but I never anticipated this."

"Woof!" her husky responded with a bark.

"The Yoshiaki family's son is really giving it his all. Even if I'm delighted that the duel's become more interesting, to use such a suicidal method… it's difficult to comment on." Ayami crunched on her potato chips.

"Woof woof!"

"I wonder if the Yoshiaki family's son will still be alive after the duel… Anyway, right now, the Yoruhana family's daughter needs to get past this danger first."

What would the final result be? Ayami continued observing the duel curiously.

As long as the battle wasn't boring, she didn't really care what the result was.

Inside Genhana High School.

Seiji was highly worried about the deafening sound that rung out from the front of the school building.

That was where Natsuya and Okubo were currently dueling…

'What is the situation like?' he thought.

It sounded as if one side had brought out something like a crazy Gundam swinging a huge battle hammer recklessly.

He wanted to hurry up and deal with his opponent so that he could go see what was going on.

Seiji's battle with the Zombie Demon was nearing its conclusion.

His battle had started on top of the school building. As they fought, they jumped down to the ground, and they had been battling behind the school building all the way until now.

Seiji had sliced off the Zombie Demon's head at least seventeen or eighteen times already, and he was lightly injured as well, as evidenced by his slightly tattered combat clothes.

Seiji-sama, Light-chan said , this monster is no longer able to resurrect. If you take its head one more time…

"It'll be over, I know."

The Zombie Demon lunged towards Seiji for the umpteenth time.

It had zero intelligence whatsoever and was relying purely on its instinct to fight.

Seiji was only wounded as this was his first ever experience fighting a magical monster, so he made a low-level mistake.

After he grew accustomed to fighting the demon, he didn't repeat the same mistake.

Seiji sidestepped the zombie's pounce and swung with his kodachi, lopping off the Zombie Demon's right arm.

A few seconds prior to this, the Zombie Demon's arms and even head would completely regenerate after a moment or so, but this time it was different.

The zombie swiped at Seiji with its left claw.

Seiji blocked the zombie's hand with his sword, spun around like a whirlwind, and used his momentum to slice again!

The zombie's left claw went flying.

That didn't hinder it in the slightest; it pursued its offense by attempting to headbutt Seiji.

Seiji avoided the zombie's clumsy attack yet again and brought his blade down upon its head!

Seiji's attack missed.

It wasn't due to the zombie dodging. Instead, it had collapsed!

The zombie slid a great distance due to its wild charge.

Seiji merely observed the zombie.

Despite the loss of its right arm and left hand, it tried to claw its way back up again. It attempted to support itself using the stump of its left arm but lost its balance and fell over once again.

Seiji sighed and walked over.

"Farewell."

The zombie had finally managed to climb up again when Seiji's blade descended upon its neck.

The zombie's head went flying, but it disappeared and transformed a puff of black smoke before reaching the ground.

The headless corpse slowly collapsed to its knees and also transformed into a burst of black smoke, which gradually dissipated.

Seiji watched the last strand of smoke disappear before he turned around and left.

He hurriedly ran around the school building and saw what was happening.

Natsuya was currently battling a tall, red-haired man with the aid of Hitaka and Rana.

'Oh, they must have defeated their respective opponents.'

'Er, this man's appearance…' Seiji was utterly gobsmacked at the sight. 'Isn't this a fricking Shutendoji!?'

Look at that red hair and that huge wine gourd! Look at the handsome face that deserved a beating!!

Seiji coughed dryly. 'Alright, there's no need to get too excited.'

Who pulled that SSR card… whoops, this was a transformation from a synchronized spirit, right?

Who transformed into this? Was it Okubo!?

"Haruta-kun!"

While Seiji was still in a state of shock, Natsuya hurriedly dashed in his direction.

Hitaka and Rana combined their efforts and succeeded in drawing Shutendoji's attention, enabling Natsuya to break free.

"President…"

Seiji was just about to say something when Natsuya suddenly pulled his arm and dragged him away!

Because Natsuya was running at such a high speed under the Body-strengthening Spell, Seiji flew through midair for a while as he was dragged like a kite.

Seiji was rendered speechless by the situation.

Natsuya didn't slow down until after dashing quite a distance, when she finally released her kite Seiji.

"Haruta-kun, how's your condition?"

"Pretty good—I was only lightly injured."

Natsuya inspected his wound.

"Thanks for your hard work… The current situation is just as you see: Shutendoji has appeared! That's the result of Okubo summoning a spirit to his own body and transforming into it."

"I guessed as much…"

"It's a forbidden technique for Yin-Yang Masters to summon spirits into their own bodies! I never expected him to do such a thing!! Not only that… coincidentally, he summoned Shutendoji!"

Natsuya looked at Seiji with a strange, indescribable expression on her face.

Seiji tugged at his mouth.

It was indeed far too coincidental.

Was everything actually not a coincidence at all?

If things were too coincidental, it was only natural to suspect that there was some unknown force behind it all… but what could possibly cause all this? Was there a force that could control it?

If it were truly a coincidence, just how unlucky was Okubo…

'Wait, unlucky!?'

Seiji's eyes lit up as an explanation popped into his mind.

'Yes, there's one force out there that could influence all this!'

Even though the way this force acted was subtle and mysterious, it truly did exist, and it would bring "Heaven-sent Calamities" upon anyone that harmed the "Holy Maiden!"

That was Okubo's greatest mistake.

Seiji deeply felt the subtle workings of karma as he pondered everything that Okubo had done.

"This is no coincidence, President."

He looked at her, hinting his thoughts with his eyes.

Natsuya suddenly grasped what Seiji was hinting at, and her expression became one of realization, before turning into stunned amazement.

"Shika Kagura… if the 'Reaper's Curse' can even influence this matter, then it's…"

Due to the fact that it could be "mitigated," this mysterious force seemed rather subtle, and even somewhat insignificant.

But at this moment, Natsuya felt the mystical effects of karma, just as Seiji did.

"Okubo's fate was already decided when he harmed Shika-chan," Seiji said, before smiling widely."I am his 'Heaven-sent Calamity.' And now, it's time for my appearance as the final act. No, more accurately, me and you… Light-chan."

Ahh, that's right, Seiji- sama ! a spirited voice exclaimed in Seiji's mind. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but it's great that I've encountered this vicious demon again! Light-chan continued in a voice filled with battle spirit.

When I saw this demon, I remembered many things, including my name. Just as Natsuya- sama inferred, my true name is… Minamoto no Raiko!

Minamoto no Raiko, where the word Raiko contained the character for "Light." He was the legendary hero and commander, renowned as a top-class demon slayer among his fellow samurai, and the most famous legend regarding him was—

The slaying of Shutendoji!!!

Chapter 178: Battle!

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Natsuya had merely felt that Seiji's newly received heroic spirit had great potential and was worthy of her making a specific plan that took its powers into account.

Even if it didn't work out in the end, it would only be a minor waste of effort… at least that was how it should have been.

However, Shutendoji ended up appearing!

Natsuya was shocked in many different ways upon witnessing Okubo ingest a mysterious drug and utilize a forbidden technique to transform into this legendary demon spirit.

Okay, it wasn't the time for reflecting on that right now.

"As according to our back-up plan, I'm going to cast a spell to strengthen your synchronized heroic spirit's strength. Are you ready, Haruta-kun?"

"Yep, let's begin immediately, President."

…

'Kill them. Kill them! Kill them! Kill them all!!!' Okubo shouted from deep within his soul.

When he saw Natsuya escape, the only thing he desired was to use his newfound power which he risked his life for to chase after, abuse, and kill her.

But this new power wasn't under his control.

In fact, he wasn't even able to control his own body anymore.

All he could do was watch as the demon spirit dwelling within him "toyed" with Natsuya's two Spirit-branded Retainers.

Shutendoji was playing with them.

He hadn't had a physical vessel acting as his body for centuries, and there were several beautiful and cute girls before him. He felt it was a waste to eat them up immediately.

After toying with them for a bit, he'd push them to the brink of despair, before finally capturing them and enjoying himself… that was the way he liked it.

Unfortunately for him, his new host's voice was rather noisy.

Boom!*

Thanks to him being distracted by his host, an attack got through, and his eardrums were rocked as his face was caught up in a violent blast.

It was explosion-type magic.

'That stung a little…'

Shutendoji felt displeased and narrowed his eyes at the cat girl who'd hit him with the explosion-type magic.

The cat girl turned invisible.

'Bad girl… trying to hide is useless.'

Shutendoji waved his hand, causing red flames that seemed almost liquid in nature to appear and cover the entire area!

Sizzle!!*

The flames burned furiously, forcing Rana out of her invisible state.

Shutendoji waved his hand again, and this time reddish flames materialized into a huge claw which swiped down towards the cat girl!

Rana desperately attempted to evade it, but the claw was faster than she was.

Just as she was about to be seized, a figure appeared, blocking the fast-approaching claw.

It was Hitaka.

A red shield was slung over her arm, and she focused all her efforts on defending against the giant claw, with numerous red spell formations appearing around her body.

But it was no good.

With one swipe, the huge claw broke through both the shield and the defensive barrier spell and caught the red-haired girl in its grasp!

Hitaka was now screaming in agony.

Rana gave a shrill shriek as she spat out a dark red bullet of light from her mouth which crashed into the huge claw but only managed to scratch its surface.

Shutendoji waved his hand that was now clenched into a fist.

The giant claw flicked its fingers at lightning speed, shattering the dark mist surrounding Rana and knocking the cat girl's petite body away! She flew for several dozen meters before crashing into the ground with a tremendous impact.

"Rana…"

Hitaka forced herself to bear the pain from the flaming claw and twisted her head to look at her companion.

Hitaka saw the cat girl slowly crawling up from where she fell as she trembled and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Escape—!" Hitaka shouted in a strangled voice.

In just an instant, both of them had been defeated.

This was the true power of the great demon spirit Shutendoji!

He was impossible for them to deal with.

"Find Milady… tell her that I'm…"

'Sorry.'

Hitaka shut her eyes.

Being captured by a demon like this meant that even if she didn't die, she would end up being tortured or even end up being a hostage.

Hitaka was the type that absolutely wouldn't allow herself to become Natsuya's baggage.

That's why, for her final move…

"Inugami, release… Ah!!"

Hitaka was just about to commit suicide with a self-explosion spell when the huge claw squeezed her mercilessly, breaking several bones in her body.

The pain was like a torrential flood that stole away her consciousness.

"Don't be so naughty—I haven't had enough fun yet~~" Shutendoji chuckled as he dragged the limp red-haired girl behind him.

'Kill her! Eat her!!' his noisy host screamed from the deep recesses of his soul.

'Honestly, humans are so scary. Who's the real demon here?' Even Shutendoji couldn't help but inwardly think that to himself.

A beautiful girl should be paired with fine wine and be enjoyed deliciously.

'I'm a gourmet, not some barbaric low-level demon!'

But this scent was so tantalizing. There was no harm in having a little taste, right?

Shutendoji licked his lips as he stared at the girl's face.

If a person only went off appearances, for a handsome man to do such an action in front of a girl, it would seem like…

'Where should I take a bite out of? Let's go with her ears. They'll be sweet and crispy—perfect for an appetizer.'

Shutendoji slowly edged his face closer and opened his mouth.

Schwup!*

A sharp arrow pierced his head.

"Eh?" Shutendoji grunted, looking up dazedly.

When he turned to look in the direction that the arrow came from, another arrow penetrated the skin on his forehead!

Schwup schwup! Schwup schwup schwup!*

Seven arrows in total… magical arrows.

All seven landed exactly on Shutendoji's forehead!!

"Divine Wine Poison, ignite!"

The magical arrows suddenly exploded into a burst of green flames that enveloped Shutendoji's head and quickly spread across his entire body!

"Ahhh!!! It hurts!!!" Shutendoji screamed in agony. He reflexively tried to extinguish the fire on him by beating at the flames frantically. While occupied with the green flames, he suddenly detected a deadly, razor-sharp intent approaching him.

An azure sword flash sliced through the air, heading straight for his neck!!

Woosh!*

Shutendoji retreated backwards and dodged this attack.

With a flash of his body, he managed to blink several hundred meters away in just an instant. Immediately after evading the attack, dark red flames billowed from his entire body, extinguishing the azure flames.

"Who!? Who dares antagonize me, a king!!?"

Shutendoji roared in anger as he turned his head to glare at the new figure.

Then, Shutendoji's expression turned to stone at the sight of this figure.

He had short purple hair and was wearing an azure headscarf with an ordinary light green martial arts outfit. He wielded a sword with two hands, and a longbow was slung over his back.

Every now and then, the figure's eyes, set in a smooth, handsome face, flashed with azure light.

As Shutendoji looked upon this person, he felt a surge of boiling anger as well as… a sliver of fear.

"It's actually… you! The most underhanded human of all! The most vicious villain in all humanity!! Minamoto no Raiko!!!"

The great demon's frenzied roars were capable of piercing the heavens.

Seiji caught hold of the heavily injured Hitaka as Rana appeared beside him.

Seiji handed Hitaka to Rana, who made herself invisible while retreating to the rear of the compound as hastily as she could.

Hitaka was heavily injured, but it was more than likely that Natsuya would be able to save her.

Seiji decided to trust in the president. After taking care of Hitaka, he looked back towards his opponent.

Standing there was a ferocious demon who had gone berserk.

"He seems to have a deep-seated hatred for you, Light-chan."

Er… that's because the first time I killed him, it was through an underhanded method, the heroic spirit replied sheepishly. But that was just one time; every time I slew him after that was fair and square… most of the time, at least.

Seiji was rendered speechless by this.

There were so many parts he wanted to comment on, but he didn't know where to start!

'Even though I really want to ask more about the specific details, now's not the time.' He mentally sighed at his bonded spirit's former antics. 'The most important part is that you can slay him, right?'

Indeed! Half of the reason I became a heroic spirit was to slay Shutendoji!

"What about the other half?"

In order to protect beautiful girls!

Seiji chuckled. "You… you're quite honest."

Minamoto no Raiko also let out a hoarse chuckle.

Both the host and spirit laughed together.

As they were laughing, a large wine gourd hurtled towards them.

The battle had begun!!

Chapter 179: Entrust

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Once again, a potato chip dropped out of Ayami Himiki's mouth.

"A heroic spirit… Minamoto no Raiko…" She stared at her magic holographic projection in stunned amazement once again.

This handsome guy that she felt was an absolute newbie and made her wonder why the Yoruhana family daughter had even recruited him actually had a bonded spirit that was…

Transforming into one of the greatest demon spirits, Shutendoji, was already rare enough. Now there was a heroic spirit as well, and it coincidentally happened to be Minamoto no Raiko!?

What the hell!? Just what was going on!?

A legendary duel was about to be fought before her! Not a hallucination or a movie!! The real deal!!!

Just what was going on with this duel!?

Ayami was in a state of shock.

Did the red-side Yoruhana family's daughter already anticipate Shutendoji's summoning, which was why she prepared this particular heroic spirit?

No, no, that was impossible!

Summoning a heroic spirit was difficult enough already, and summoning a top-class specific heroic spirit like Minamoto no Raiko was even higher on the difficulty scale!!

It was impossible for a Yin-Yang Master like Natsuya to accomplish, no matter if Ayami looked at Natsuya's abilities and resources available or any other factors.

The heroic spirit's appearance was most likely a coincidence… but even so, this was all too coincidental!

Just how much luck was required for a beginner-level Yin-Yang Master like Natsuya Yoruhana to summon a high-level heroic spirit for a complete newbie Spirit-branded Retainer?

And how much of a coincidence was required for the summoned spirit to be Minamoto no Raiko, Shutendoji's mortal enemy and perfect counter!?

This seemed like lower odds than winning the lottery!!o

Ayami would have preferred to believe that there was something behind it all.

But what exactly was going on here? It could be understood that the Yoshiaki family son was able to summon Shutendoji due to using a special item like that mysterious crystal that he swallowed. But there was no explanation for how the Yoruhana family daughter could summon Minamoto no Raiko.

The only way a beginner-level Yin Yang Master could summon a high-ranked spirit would be to expend a massive amount of Mana combined with luck. To summon a specific spirit was even more difficult, although it wasn't impossible.

But to specifically target a high-ranked heroic spirit… To Ayami's knowledge, it was completely impossible for the Yoruhana family's daughter!

This was far too much out of her comprehension.

It was impossible! It couldn't happen!

But the indisputable truth was right in front of her.

In her magical hologram, Shutendoji was ferociously swinging around his wine gourd. He was locked in combat with Minamoto no Raiko, who was wielding his longsword. Dark red and azure flames clashed with each other furiously; it was a battle that shook the heavens.

If there wasn't a barrier currently covering the entire battlefield, all the school's neighbors would surely have heard the commotion.

Ayami felt like her brain was currently filled with a heavy sludge.

No matter what this was, her job was to merely observe this legendary duel and keep a record of it.

But she really wanted to know what was going on behind it all!

The judge furrowed her brows as she continued to observe the duel, feeling a slight sense of discomfort from being unable to figure out the situation.

…

A huge wall of thick red flames imbued with a black aura came crashing down towards Seiji!

"Using another ultimate attack like this again…"

Seiji was unable to dodge this attack, so he chose to concentrate azure light into his sword and bisected the wall of flames with a single swing.

However, at this moment, a huge wine gourd penetrated the wall of flames and came smashing down at an incredibly high speed!

Smack!!*

Seiji was dealt a vicious blow by the wine gourd.

Even though he used clever footwork to deflect most of the blow's force, he still took enough of the impact to send him flying.

The red-haired figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

Seiji instantly adjusted his position and successfully sliced through the figure, but he sensed that his blade didn't slice through anything physical.

"Damn…" His slice was too hurried.

Shutendoji's true attack came from behind, and he was dealt yet another vicious blow!

Seiji was knocked high into the sky.

Before he was able to rebalance himself, another strong attack from above hit his back brutally!

Seiji crashed into the ground like a falling meteor, the collision creating a huge crater.

The wine gourd smashed down immediately, leaving him no time to catch his breath!

Boom!!!*

A huge hole appeared in the ground together with cracks that spread out from the center like a spiderweb.

Shutendoji landed in front of his wine gourd and smiled delightedly as he observed his wine gourd.

The next instant, his smile froze over as he turned around to look in the opposite direction.

A lightly panting purple-haired boy stood there with only a tight-fitting vest covering his torso.

"A decoy substitution technique… Hmph, you're quite skilled in cowardly, life-saving techniques." Shutendoji's voice was filled with condescension.

Seiji merely responded with a faint smile.

However, he on the inside, he was anything but calm.

'This is bad, Light-chan!' he shouted in his mind. 'We can't beat him!! Why are things like this!? This demon has grown extremely strong now… he's too powerful… What should we do!? We're going to be defeated at this rate!'

Haha, this will happen on occasion as well…

'Hey hey! Stop scaring me! You're supposed to be the Shutendoji slayer!! What's with getting killed off by Shutendoji instead!?'

…Accidents happen, you know.

'Please,' Seiji screamed at the top of his lungs, 'no accidents at a time like this!!'

The huge wine gourd smashed down towards him again.

Haruta-kun…

In the midst of dodging, Seiji received a mental message.

'President! Are you alright? What about Shuho-san? How is she!?'

I'm alright… Hitaka's… seriously injured… but she'll manage to live. Natsuya sounded fatigued.

Her weakness was probably due to overexerting her Mana.

Subduing the Zombie Demon, battling fiercely against Okubo, casting a support spell to strengthen Seiji's bonded heroic spirit, and curing the heavily injured Hitaka… All these actions must have used up all her energy.

'It's good then as long as she's alive.' That was all Seiji could say.

Haruta-kun… I can see… your situation… Natsuya continued talking.

Seiji remained silent without responding.

It was difficult enough already for him to continuously dodge Shutendoji's fierce attacks. He couldn't find any opportunities to launch a counterattack.

There was too much of a difference in their strengths!

Even if his heroic spirit countered Shutendoji, he wouldn't be able to win with this power difference.

You'll end up losing… at this rate… I'll… give the remaining power of the spell formations… to you…

'No! You've already spent so much of your energy! Casting another spell… will definitely have repercussions!!'

Hastily casting a spell to increase Seiji's heroic spirit's strength used up much of Natsuya's energy.

Right after she finished the spell, she fell over and kneeled, giving Seiji a big fright. That was when he learned the risks associated with the spell.

One more such spell would definitely bring harm to the president's body.

Yes… but… Hitaka… Rana… and you… you're all fighting for me… Natsuya had breathing difficulties as she continued her mental message.

Seiji imagined the president barely managing to rise through sheer willpower.

Hitaka almost died… Rana's injuries aren't light either… you're still fighting at the risk of your life… How could I… possibly… allow only you guys to…

Her words were filled with a firm resolution.

That was the resolution to bet her life on Seiji.

'President…'

Haruta-kun… the rest… is up to you…

Natsuya's words ended there.

Right after that, Seiji saw every single spell formation at school light up with dazzling auras!

A rainbow-colored pillar of light descended upon his body.

This pillar transmitted an enormous amount of energy to him!

At this instant, Seiji visualized many things.

The school, the students, and the teachers; boys and girls; people laughing, chatting, walking, sitting, having class, and exercising…

Countless scenes, sounds, emotions, and wishes… scattered in front of him.

There was only one phrase that sounded particularly clear.

School festival.

This was the once-a-year major event that all the teachers and students were looking forward to tomorrow!

"Ahhhhhh!" Seiji began burning up in the literal sense.

His entire body blazed with thick azure flames. He was undergoing a transformation in the flames.

Seiji-sama! If this continues, you'll…

'It's fine! Isn't it just some damage to my soul!? I can handle it!'

Seiji-sama…

'Light-chan, it's time to determine the winner! We absolutely must take care of him!!'

Mmm… Natsuya-sama's entrusted a task to us, and Seiji-sama's believes in me. I… definitely won't disappoint you!!

The huge wine gourd smashed towards them yet again.

However, an azure flash cut through the air and sliced the wine gourd into two halves! The earth shook as the two halves fell to the ground.

The azure flames finally dissipated.

Seiji's new appearance was now that of a tall warrior clad in mighty, azure-colored armor. An extravagant horned helmet protected his head, and he wielded a silver-colored runic longsword.

Both his eyes and his blade were burning with azure flames that seemed as tranquil as a pond of water.

Seiji raised his sword and swung.

Boom!!*

Shutendoji's figure was enveloped with the blinding light of the azure flames!

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 180: Deciding the Winner!

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Shutendoji forcefully extinguished the azure flames on him and roared in anger.

He was greeted with a lightning-quick sword slash.

Shutendoji was unable to dodge, and his left arm was sliced off. He waved his right hand, unleashing a huge quantity of red flames.

The azure sword flash pierced through the flames and into his chest!

"Argh!!!!"

Shutendoji felt the imminent danger of death.

He clutched his enemy's sword blade with his right hand and maximized his power output.

Red flames erupted with the force of a volcanic geyser!

If someone looked on from above, they would see a beautiful red flower of flames bloom where they were battling.

Ayami Himiki watched the proceedings with an expressionless face.

She was already prepared to intervene. This type of power was already barely at the boundary of being dangerous. If it increased any further, she would be forced to stop the duel and issue a warning.

The red flames gradually dissipated to reveal an armored warrior clad entirely in azure flames.

The other combatant had now transformed into a red-haired, long-horned, long-fanged, fierce-appearing demon. He was wielding a large blood-red axe in one hand and a blood-red wine gourd in the other.

The heroic spirit Minamoto no Raiko and the great demon Shutendoji. From ancient times to modern times, they were legendary mortal enemies. They had now been rematerialized.

They were now about to have their umpteenth deathmatch!

Shutendoji tossed his wine gourd into the air.

"Demon wine—[Blood Corrosion]!"

Many women's faces appeared around the wine gourd, their faces distorted with pain. They shrieked in unison, giving voice to their bone-piercing grudges and suddenly shot out a blood-red stream of light at Seiji!

Simultaneously, Shutendoji rushed at Seiji with the imposing axe and prepared to unleash a powerful axe attack.

Seiji, or Minamoto no Raiko, responded by swinging his longsword in a wide arc and sending out a strong beam of azure light that tangled with the red light.

Secret sword technique—[Upending the Wineglass]!

With a high-speed twirl of the longsword, the azure light mixed with the red light and sent Shutendoji's attack back at its caster!

Shutendoji received the backlash from his own attack right as he was slicing down with his huge battleaxe, which tilted the angle of his attack.

Crash!!!*

The extraordinarily strong axe attack created a huge crevice in the ground.

However, that was all it accomplished.

In this opening, Seiji jumped and used a whirlwind attack infused with azure flames and slashed the demon's neck! He managed to break through the first layer of the demon's defense.

The look in Shutendoji's eyes grew even fiercer.

His muscles bulged as he swung his gigantic axe again.

The axe viciously struck the heroic spirit that was unable to regain his balance in time after the attack and sent him flying with a massive impact!

The azure-armored figure exploded into small pieces in midair. It was the Decoy Substitution technique again.

Another sword slice came from the side and sliced across Shutendoji's neck! This attack broke through his second layer of defense.

Shutendoji covered his neck with one of his large hands. He threw down the huge battle axe and attacked Seiji with his bare fist.

Seiji didn't dodge this attack. He used the armor's defense to absorb the vicious punch, and twisting his body to mitigate the remaining impact, he jumped with both feet, exerting all his power for his counterblow!

Fatal sword technique—[Poison Wine Toast]!

Every rune on the silver longsword lit up with dark azure light.

Pierce!!!*

The longsword maneuvered in between Shutendoji's fingers at the speed of light and broke through his final layer of defense as well as his tough demon skin. It pierced deep into his throat and released life-threatening energy.

Smack!* The huge impact and pain from being pierced through caused Shutendoji to fall over backwards heavily as his huge body crashed into the ground.

"Execute!" Seiji and Raiko roared in unison, sending forth all their remaining energy.

A huge geyser-like eruption occurred again, only this time the flames were azure.

The wine gourd that was floating in midair and the demon's battleaxe was burned into nothing but dust

Seiji and Raiko pressed all their strength onto the blade stuck in their enemy's neck in an attempt to slice off Shutendoji's head right then and there!

Shutendoji's expression was one of obvious panic and fear.

He wanted to resist, but his enemy's power was invading his body, and he was being physically suppressed as well. He couldn't feel anything apart from incredible pain all over his body, and it was difficult for him to move even a finger!

He was about to be executed.

Once again.

Just like before.

'I don't want to die! I don't want to die!! I don't want to die!!!"

Shutendoji's and Okubo Yoshiaki's despair overlapped with each other.

The great demon sensed his host's thoughts and learned that there was still one final trick available to them.

A soul attack!

Shutendoji used his host's soul as the final weapon.

Okubo could only use this chance to struggle.

Through Shutendoji, as well as his own eyes, Okubo gathered his remaining power and cast a spell on their enemy!!

Seiji-sama, be care—

Minamoto no Raiko's shouting sounded in Seiji's mind but was interrupted.

Then, Seiji sunk into darkness.

At first, he was confused.

But he instantly realized what was going on.

This was in the soul realm…

Just as he figured out the situation he was in, a figure clad in a yellow-green wide-sleeved robe appeared in front of him.

"Seiji Haruta…"

"Okubo Yoshiaki…"

The two of them exchanged glances.

"You made the wrong decision," Okubo stated in a grim tone of voice.

"No, you did." Seiji's tone was rather light.

"Originally, you didn't have to die."

"No, that's you!"

"You shall die in the most painful method possible by my hands!" Okubo roared as he lifted his hand. "And then I'm going to find that b*tch! And kill all those girls!! Torture them all to death!!!"

"You won't have any chance to do so." Seiji remained calm.

"Die!" Okubo reached out with his hand, and a pair of huge, white bone claws materialized from the darkness and swiped at Seiji.

The claws were blocked.

A hexagonal overlapping barrier appeared in front of Seiji, blocking the huge claws.

"That pathetic defense is the best your imagination can come up with? Break through it!!"

Several large red bullets of light appeared and collided the hexagonal barrier!

Boom boom boom…*

There was zero damage inflicted upon the barrier.

Okubo's expression froze over at this.

Seiji chuckled at this. "Hey, have you heard of 'Absolute Territory?'"

Okubo had a mystified expression now.

"The impenetrability of souls! A protective energy shield; a holy area no one can intrude upon! From Evangelion, an anime series that overlapped two different centuries!"

"In the original story, it was known as the A.T. field, an incredibly middle school-level immature setting where this energy shield could even stand up against nuclear explosions."

"You're calling this defense 'pathetic?' Just try and break through!" Seiji extended his palms. "However, I'm not so foolish as to allow you to attack however you like. I may not be at your level in casting spells, but my imagination is at least one hundred times stronger than yours!"

Right after he finished speaking, weapons of all shapes and assortments materialized behind him. Some weapons were extravagant, some looked plain and ordinary, some seemed obviously sharp, while others were filled with killing intent… The numbers continuously increased to the point where it was difficult to count!

Okubo was astonished at this.

What… the hell was this!?

"First, allow me to show you the 'Gate of Babylon.'"

Seiji made what he believed to be the most golden expression he possibly could as he pointed with his finger.

The countless sharp and mystical weapons were sent flying towards Okubo like a torrential downpour!

The white bone claw was instantly crushed into tiny pieces.

Okubo hurriedly imagined the strongest barrier he could to defend himself with.

But those weapons flying at him were far more powerful than he anticipated! His barrier only lasted a few seconds before it was on the verge of collapsing!

Okubo began panicking as he desperately tried to imagine a way to defend himself.

That's when he noticed his opponent drawing out a platinum gold sword from midair with a golden hilt and a blueish blade.

A holy sword… just seeing its appearance naturally gave Okubo that impression!

This sword's high-class divine aura was simply that strong!

Okubo was shocked to his core at the fact that his opponent still had the imaginative power to create such a fearsome weapon right after launching a brutal all-out attack.

No, this was impossible! How could a human's imagination be so encompassing to such a degree…?

But the indisputable truth was in front of him.

Seiji lifted up his Excalibur sword from the Fate/Stay Night series as the sword flashed with a blinding golden glow.

"This is my second attack." Seiji revealed a light smile. "I still have so many more attacks I'd like to try out, so please don't be defeated too easily."

Seiji lifted his sword high into the air after he sincerely made that statement.

He took a deep breath, then sliced with all his strength!

"Excalibur!!!"

Seiji's shout echoed throughout the entire soul realm.

A golden flash shot from the sword and headed straight for Okubo, illuminating his ashen-pale face…

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 181: After the Battle

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

"Seiji-sama!" He heard someone calling for him.

Seiji returned to his senses.

What he saw was… a tall hat?

The longsword in his hands had sliced this hat in half.

What was going on?

Shutendoji escaped , Light-chan explained.

"Oh…" Seiji blinked in confusion as he looked back.

He saw Okubo Yoshiaki collapsed on the ground, his robe in tatters. Okubo's hair had turned white, his expression was hollow, and he was bleeding from all his orifices.

When you defeated Shutendoji's host's soul, I cut off his head, and was about to kill him off for real… but he escaped. The heroic spirit's voice was filled with depression. I deeply apologize! I actually made such a crucial mistake at the very end!!

So spirits had the ability to ditch their host and escape on their own?

Please punish me, Seiji-sama!

"Forget it… It's fine as long as we won, Light-chan." Seiji smiled lightly.

How many ultimate attacks did he end up using against Okubo in the soul realm?

He stopped counting around the time that he used Moon Fang Heaven Piercer. Maybe there were about twenty or thirty moves that he copied from animes?

The final move he used was Kamehameha from Dragonball Z in order to defeat Okubo once and for all.

Seiji felt utterly content at thrashing Okubo in the soul realm.

Suddenly, his vision began turning blood-red and an indescribable pain began welled up within his body, causing his consciousness to turn hazy.

Seiji-sama! Light-chan shouted; your soul has been damaged! You need to receive treatment as soon as possible!!

Damage to his soul?

'So… it feels… like this.'

Seiji's surroundings began to blur, and his body started shaking as if he were drunk. However, this was far more unpleasant than being drunk.

Seiji-sama!! His bonded heroic spirit's voice was filled with anxiety and worry.

"Don't be so noisy… Light-chan…"

Seiji managed to somehow withstand his discomfort as he opened up his system's [items] menu, chose the [Soul Protection Card—'Prayer of Safety'] that he had received from Shika before, and used the item!

He instantly felt a warm feeling flow through his body, and he could even envision Shika Kagura standing by her window with her eyes closed and hands clasped in prayer. Right after that, Seiji felt his mind clearing and the pain disappearing from his body.

Eh? This… what is this power? Light-chan seemed to be stunned at this occurrence.

Seiji had now fully regained his awareness; it almost felt like the discomfort from earlier was nothing more than a hallucination. However, the remaining warmth in his body told him that he had indeed received some type of protection.

Seiji's mouth arced upwards ever so slightly upon thinking of his adopted younger sister.

After he confirmed his own status, he discovered that his own clothes were also damaged rather heavily. His body was also somewhat fatigued and slightly injured, but it was nothing serious.

As for Okubo who was lying prostrate on the ground… he was probably dead. Even if this bastard managed to survive by some stroke of luck, he was probably no different from a dead person or a vegetable.

Seiji was too lazy right now to check on Okubo's condition or deal a final blow.

The duel was over.

Natsuya Yoruhana was the victor!

'I wonder how the president is currently doing… Who's going to determine the winner, anyway?'

Just as Seiji was standing outside the school and thinking about this, Ayami Himiki rose to her feet and sent out a message in the prescribed manner.

"Duel over! The victor is… Natsuya Yoruhana!"

The next moment.

Many shadowy figures emerged from the area surrounding Genhana High School and flew towards the school grounds.

…

Several hours later, in a high-class hospital near the school.

Seiji was alone in a luxurious single-person hospital room, resting on his bed while looking out the window.

He was taken here for a full physical checkup and treatment and was given one of the most luxurious rooms.

Even though it was a hospital room, it didn't seem like one at all. It was more like a high-class hotel's room.

This place had a bathroom and shower and was furnished extravagantly with costly items all over the place. There was a huge LCD screen television, a high-spec computer, and even video game systems as well as the newest and most popular mangas!

And during his checkup and treatment, the doctors and nurses' attitudes were all extremely polite and warm… to be honest, it was even a little overboard.

Seiji had never met such kindly and affable doctors before, nor had he ever met such gentle yet sexy nurses that gave off the impression that they would give him "special services" if he even hinted at it.

After he received his hospital room, a female nurse had stayed in the room with him and kept smiling even after she closed the door for him, gazing at him with a slightly flirtatious look in her eyes.

Seiji found it difficult to withstand, so he could only politely inform her that he didn't need anyone to take care of him and that he wanted to be by himself for a while.

The beautiful nurse seemed disappointed at this, but she left after saying, "If there's anything at all, please press the call button and I'll come here immediately."

Seiji heaved a sigh of relief. He felt that he was no longer ordinary due to the special treatment he was receiving.

Now that the duel was over, he finally had the spare time to ponder various things about Yin-Yang Masters, Spirit-branded Retainers, duels… and so on.

After his thoughts came much-needed peace and quiet.

Seiji wanted to have a chat with Light-chan… but that guy told Seiji how tired he was after the battle and that he needed to rest for a while. There was no peep out of him after that.

Did spirits also need to rest?

Well, this time he had indeed worked hard. Seiji felt that most of the credit for defeating Shutendoji deserved to go to his bonded heroic spirit; Seiji, as the host, merely provided a vessel for Light-chan to dwell in.

'Let's take a look at the system.'

Seiji inspected his system's new rewards.

[You have slain your first undead creature with a sword-type weapon. You have received 11 points as a reward. Spiritual Power—martial arts option activated with the new addition of a martial arts technique—Demon-Slaying: First Form!]

[You have defeated your first enemy in a soul battle. You have received 23 points as a reward. New spell received—Beginner-level Soul Attack!]

[You have defeated your first highly synchronized transformed monster. You have received 33 points as a reward. New spell received—Dragon Counterattack.]

'So I've completed three achievements… Fine, I'll continue reading them more detail.'

Seiji looked at his new option [Spiritual Power—Martial Arts] and discovered that only the [Demon-Slaying: First Form] ability was within it.

In order to learn [Demon-Slaying: First Form, he first needed to acquire more knowledge about undead creatures. He also needed to receive tutelage from a person with knowledge about the undead in order to learn how to hit, injure, destroy, and seal the undead effectively.

He also required 4 points to exchange for it.

That's right—4 points, not 14 or 24, a mere 4 points.

'This is too cheap!' Seiji felt like there was some sort of plot behind it, or that this skill was a rather weak one.

The system's explanation for this skill was [A slicing skill that will suppress the undead. Can only be used with a sword-type weapon. The first technique in the Demon-Slaying technique series.]

It was only the first technique, meaning that there was a second, third, and even fourth? What a ripoff! And as the opening attack in a technique series, it surely wouldn't have a high attack power.

'Yep, this is definitely a plot.' Seiji felt as if he had seen through everything. 'Let's just leave it for now; it isn't necessary to learn such a skill immediately.'

Next, he took a look at the [Beginner-level Soul Attack.]

The prerequisite conditions were roughly the same as [Demon-Slaying: First Form]. He needed to read the relevant information, learn about the intricacies of the soul from a teacher, and gain experience in attacking and defending in the soul realm, as well as paying 32 points.

[Through direct contact, close-distance roaring, or staring into a living creature's eyes, you can activate this ability to cause a stunning, dizzying, or headache effect.]

A stun ability! That was Seiji's first reaction.

After thinking it over, he felt that this classic ability was actually quite useful.

Obviously, it was good for combat. As for daily life, it seemed useful for dealing with someone in a situation where getting physical would be inconvenient.

Just imagine: he could deal with a hoodlum simply by staring at him! How cool was that?

Or, against a crowd of hoodlums, just one roar would knock all of them over… This was basically just like Haoshoku Haki!

'Yep, this seems pretty good. I'll learn it when I have time.' Seiji smiled in appreciation.

The final new skill was [Dragon Counterattack].

Seiji's eyes became hollow as he read the skill's effects.

"This… this is…"

A quote from a well-known game in his past life sounded in his mind—

Taste the dragon's blade!

Chapter 182: Joyful

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

"Taste the dragon's blade!" was what Genji from Overwatch would always shout when he used his ultimate ability.

This [Dragon Counterattack] skill made Seiji recall that game skill.

[This skill can absorb strong Mana attacks and transform the energy into dragon form to deal a counterattack.] That was the explanation from Seiji's system.

During the battle where Seiji transformed and fought against Shutendoji, Seiji had used Light-chan's power to use a similar techniquethe secret sword technique "Upending the Wineglass."

That technique had absorbed the enemy's wine gourd's blood-red light and reflected it back at Shutendoji… the only difference was that the energy didn't transform into a dragon's form.

[Dragon Counterattack] seemed like a stronger and more pretentious and magical version of [Upending the Wineglass].

'Giving such a reward, system, you're really…'

But the part that Seiji wanted to comment on the most was the prerequisite conditions for learning it.

[Learn three mana-based attack spells or martial arts techniques - 0%.]

[Learn three mana-based defensive spells or martial arts techniques - 0%.]

[??? (Will be revealed after completing the first two prerequisite conditions.)]

Just the first two prerequisites alone required him to learn a total of six spells and/or martial arts techniques!

And the third condition wouldn't even be revealed until he finished the first two requirements!

It was truly an ultimate skill.

Seiji admitted to himself that [Dragon Counterattack] would probably appear rather flashy, and it was both practical and pretentious at the same time. However, even the revealed prerequisites were so difficult to fulfill that he could only look at it in longing.

This wasn't something that a newbie could learn.

'I'll have to wait until later to exchange for it.'

In the end, apart from the huge reward of 67 points, the [Beginner-level Soul Attack] was the most useful gain.

Seiji closed his system.

He wasn't sleepy right now… he got out of bed since he didn't want to rest anymore.

Just as he was wondering what he should do to alleviate his boredom, the doorbell to his hospital room rang.

"Haruta-kun, it's me."

"President!?"

Seiji was astonished by the unexpected visitor as he invited her in.

Natsuya smiled lightly as she entered, despite the fact that she was in a hospital gown and obviously fatigued. "I'm glad to see that you're alright, Haruta-kun," she greeted sincerely.

"I'm the same way as well, it's great that you're alright." Seiji also smiled in return. "I was so worried… I didn't know how you, Shuho-san, and Kirin-san were doing. I could only ask the hospital staff members to let me know as quickly as possible."

Seiji looked searchingly at the president's expression. Since she was still able to smile, both the other girls were probably fine.

"I know… I heard right after I woke up that you wanted to see me as quickly as possible…"

Natsuya began to blush slightly when faced with Seiji's stare, so she averted her gaze.

Seiji was rendered speechless at this.

He felt a subtle feeling that something was abnormal.

'Is it just a mistaken impression? Did a doctor or nurse misconstrue the meaning of my message when they told Natsuya? Forget it, it doesn't matter.'

"Yep, I was really worried since you collapsed after the duel… How are you feeling now? You seem rather fatigued. If you aren't supposed to get out of bed, then don't get out of bed. Just tell me, and I'll go visit you," Seiji said gently.

"Yeah…" Natsuya's face became redder than before.

She felt a warm and itchy feeling as she listened to his gentle words that showed his care for her.

This was a foreign feeling for her.

Still, it felt nice.

A period of silence fell between them.

'Why isn't she saying anything?' Seiji was slightly confused.

"Er… How are Shuho-san and Kirin-san?" He began the conversation again.

"Hitaka was heavily injured, but she was fortunate enough to receive treatment in time. After special treatment, she's no longer in any danger. It will take a long while for her to fully heal, but she'll be able to recover fully without any negative aftereffects," Natsuya answered in a light voice.

"That's good, then." Seiji finally felt the greatest load on his mind being taken from him.

The red-haired girl had suffered greatly due to Shutendoji. Seiji had almost wanted to load upon witnessing that scene, but he resolved to continue.

Even if he could get a better situation after loading, it would wipe away everyone's hard efforts so far.

Hitaka's fierce battling and her injuries… those weren't to be ignored lightly.

At any rate, Hitaka Shuho had survived and would eventually make a full recovery. That was enough.

"Rana's injuries are much lighter in comparison. She's already fine right now after some basic treatment. They're both resting in their hospital rooms… would you like to go visit them?"

"Can I?" Seiji blinked his eyes in surprise.

"You can, but I just went to visit them myself. I think it might be better to let them rest quietly for now," Natsuya answered softly.

"Then I'll go visit them later."

"Yeah…"

Another period of silence fell between them.

"It's the school festival today, Haruta-kun." The president looked out the window as she spoke up again.

"Yeah, the school festival…" Seiji also looked out the window.

Both of them envisioned the school as if they could see through the dark night.

"Will the school return to its original state before the students arrive next morning?"

"It should."

"It can still return to its original state so quickly after being destroyed to such an extent. Amazing." Seiji rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"Yeah…" Natsuya secretly snuck a look at Seiji. "Haruta-kun, what… do you think?"

"Hmm?"

"About this duel… the Yin-Yang Master duel."

The atmosphere suddenly became heavier.

Seiji fell silent for several moments.

"Battles, serious injuries, and even deaths… cruel fights like these will occur every day," Natsuya stated calmly. "After personally witnessing and experiencing such things… what's your current opinion? Do you still want to know more about the mystical realm?"

This was a direct question about his innermost feelings.

"Duels… honestly, they aren't exactly joyous things. That's because it's basically a fight in the end, and there's always going to be fighting, no matter what the method is."

"Apart from the fighting, the scenes I witnessed…" An indescribable light flashed in Seiji's eyes as he spoke his next words: "I feel that the mystical realm is amazing."

Natsuya's eyes widened slightly in surprise. She didn't expect to hear such an answer.

"It feels amazing to become stronger like this! Casting spells and battling to my utmost capability is so fun! Not to mention it's also nice to fight together with my comrades…" Seiji said sincerely from the bottom of his heart.

Injuries, and even death, could be received in battle. This was indeed unpleasant, even scary.

But the process of battling in and of itself was a joyful one!

Just look at all the entertainment available in the world. Products about or containing battles were by far in the majority.

Humanity sought battle and sought to gain strength!

This passion was inherent in humanity's genes.

"I want to become stronger, as well as witness and experience even more powerful battles," Seiji explained honestly. "That's my subjective wish. As for important objective reasons, it's because of Shika Kagura… my family… and so on.

"That's why I'll continue down this path."

'I definitely won't retreat. I'll resolutely walk the path I've chosen.'

Natsuya detected such a will emanating from his eyes.

At this moment, it seemed like his entire person was shining brilliantly.

Natsuya's heartbeat quickened once again.

There was something fluttering in her chest.

Her lips felt dry.

She felt a little dazed as she stared at his face.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 183: Welcome Back

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

"President?"

Seiji saw the dazed and blushing Natsuya and became worried about her.

"What's the matter? You're really red—do you have a fever?"

If her body was weak, then she should be resting in bed.

He walked closer to her and put his hand on her forehead to test her temperature.

"Yep, you're really heating up, you should…"

Whoosh.*

The girl with long, sleek black hair and large breasts suddenly hugged him!

It was gentle, warm, fragrant, and two large lumps of softness were pressing against his chest!!

Seiji fell into a state of shock.

What was with this situation?

Did the president… faint!?

He hurriedly took hold of Natsuya.

Wow, this feeling, this softness. This is…

'Stop! Now isn't the time to be distracted by idle thoughts!!'

"President? Are you feeling alright?"

There was no response.

Seiji felt that the situation wasn't good, so he immediately bent over, placed his hands at the appropriate locations, and exerted his strength… for a princess carry!

"Haruta… kun…" Natsuya protested feebly.

Natsuya's face was flushed red, and her eyes were watery. Her current expression was one of "discomfort."

It seemed that she was still conscious.

"Where's your hospital room? I'll take you back there for a rest… no, I should call for a doctor first… Er, let me take you back to your room first. After that I'll call someone for you!" Seiji was lost on what to do.

There was no helping it; the president's current appearance was too much of a distraction for Seiji.

Her typical coolness and strictness had completely disappeared and had been replaced by innocence and weakness!

This contrast combined her beautiful figure as she lay meekly in his arms… He felt like he was almost about to have a reaction from his lower half!!

"Where's your hospital room, President!?"

The president looked at his face and didn't reply. Instead, she broke out into giggles.

Why the heck was she giggling!?

'Did I do something strange?' Seiji was utterly confused.

That's when he finally realized.

'Oh, so she was laughing because of… how foolish I am!'

"It's not necessary to take you back to your room. This place will be fine." He took several big strides towards the hospital bed.

"Eh?" Natsuya was surprised at hearing this.

A somewhat confused Natsuya was placed onto the bed by Seiji.

At this moment, various scenes flashed into her mind, and she panicked as her face reddened even more than before.

But reality differed from her imagination.

After Seiji placed Natsuya on the bed and covered her with a blanket, he pressed a button.

The female nurse arrived rather quickly.

"This lady's not feeling too well. Call for a doctor to see her quickly."

The nurse nodded and left the room.

Seiji turned around and smiled at Natsuya.

'This is the right method, isn't it?' He expressed with his smile.

But in Natsuya's eyes, she felt something completely different.

Being hugged by him, lying in the hospital bed that still had his faint scent, and seeing his warm and gentle smile… the president felt rather embarrassed.

She tugged on her blanket and covered half of her face to hide her embarrassment, but this caused her to smell his scent even stronger than earlier.

'Ahh… so embarrassing.'

She couldn't help but sneak another peek at Seiji, only to see that he was still gently looking in her direction.

She would never be able to calm down if he kept watching her like this!

The fluttery feeling in her chest wouldn't stop, her face heated up, and her body temperature rose rapidly…

She was completely unable to deny or ignore it anymore.

'I… for Haruta-kun…'

Suddenly someone opened the door and entered with hurried footsteps.

It was a female doctor.

'…Forget it.'

Natsuya decided to temporarily stop this line of thought as she was interrupted.

…

Seiji left the hospital.

His injuries were light to begin with, and he didn't need to stay in the hospital, nor did he want to stay in the hospital.

After his conversation with the president, he left the hospital.

The sky outside happened to be light currently.

With the sunlight of a fresh dawn greeting him, he walked out the hospital door and saw a black luxury car come to a halt in front of him.

Seiji entered the car, which took him back to Natsuya's residence at Genhana High School.

Mai greeted him there.

"I'm delighted to see that you're well, Junior," the maid said in a gentle tone.

"Thanks for worrying about me, Senpai."

"I only know that Milady was victorious… How are they all doing?"

Seiji took a look at Mai's tightly clenched hands.

"They're all going to be fine," he said gently. "The president, Shuho-san, and Kirin-san are all fine and in no danger."

Mai heaved an obvious sigh of relief upon hearing this.

An indescribable light flashed through her eyes. "That's great…"

"Shuho-san… and Kirin-san were both injured, and the president is rather fatigued, but they'll get better and recover completely. That's why you don't need to worry so much, Senpai," Seiji reassured the maid while smiling.

"Okay…" Mai also smiled in response. "Thank you, Junior… I'm so grateful to you for assisting Milady…"

She revealed an incredibly soft and moving beautiful smile.

"No need to be so formal, Senpai."

Seiji continued to smile as he walked inside after saying that sentence.

The moment he opened the door, someone flew straight towards him.

Shika Kagura embraced him tightly.

"Brother… I'm so glad…"

The girl's voice was choked up with tears as she greeted him. Her body was also trembling.

Seiji hugged her tightly to himself as well.

"I'm back, Shika-chan."

'Thanks to your protection, I was able to safely return.'

"Welcome back…"

Shika finally began smiling while still crying.

She had always been so worried and concerned about him. Now that he was so close to her, she thought that perhaps a calamity would…

But it didn't happen.

He returned safely!

He returned in perfect condition and wasn't harmed by her ability.

Just like he promised.

'Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful…' Shika kept repeating that word in her mind as she felt a heavy burden being taken off her along with endless amounts of relief and delight.

The two of them simply embraced each other without a word for a long while.

Finally, they let go of each other.

"Everything is over," Seiji said in a soft voice, gently wiping away Shika-chan's tears. "The president said that you're free to go wherever you like."

Shika fell silent upon hearing this.

While she did have a residence to live in, that wasn't where she wanted to go. Compared to that lonely place, this house… the few days she spent here had been much more joyous.

Because of the person before her.

She didn't want to leave this place… no, she didn't want to leave him.

Seiji noticed her silence and blinked as he contemplated.

"Shika-chan, you have a place to live in, right?"

Shika nodded.

"Can you still live there? Er, what I mean is, does that place have anything to do with Okubo?

"Oh, right, about Okubo, what exactly was your contract with him? I heard from the president that for temporary contracts, even if you don't do anything, they'll automatically expire and don't require the original contractor to cancel the contract. Is yours like that?" Seiji asked to confirm Natsuya's information.

Shika nodded again.

"That's great, then. As for your residence…"

Shika gave him an explanation.

She had rented two apartments. One was a single-bedroom apartment near Genhana Middle School, which was used as a temporary residence. The other one, her permanent residence, was a larger apartment at a farther location.

Seiji mulled things over.

"Do you have any attachments to your permanent residence?"

Shika shook her head.

"Then move closer! Move to that temporary apartment… no, since it was the place you lived in while working for Okubo, you don't have to live there anymore. Why don't you just come and live with me!"

Shika widened her eyes in surprise at this unexpected offer.

Live together!?

"Er, not live together… You can live in the same apartment as me! There are still many empty rooms there, and the landlord's really nice. Although the apartment's not exactly high-class, all the basic amenities are present," Seiji explained. "The rent's quite cheap as well; you'll definitely be able to afford it. The rooms are a little small… if you have too many things, you can rent a larger one, as I suspect some of those are empty! If it's too difficult financially for you to rent a large apartment, then… rent one together with me!"

'Eh, isn't this still living together in the end?' Seiji only discovered the truth of what he spoke after he already said it out loud.

"Teehee."

Shika began chuckling.

"Brother Seiji…" She did her best to stop herself, but couldn't help but let her tears drip down again. "I want to move in… I don't have many things… but… I want to rent a big apartment… and live together… with Brother…"

Like a family.

She wanted to live in the same place as him like they were real relatives!

"Is this… really okay?"

Was it alright for her to be so selfish? Could she really have such good fortune?

"Shika-chan…" Seiji was both moved and relieved at hearing her answer. "Yep, of course!"

'I'll just do it.'

Even though various problems could crop up later down the road, this wish… This pure-hearted wish of hers had to be satisfied at all costs!

Seiji hugged Shika once again.

Shika felt a warmth in both her body and heart while tears still trickled down her cheeks.

This was the moment that a new family was born.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 184: Good Morning

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Seiji had a good discussion with Shika after she finally calmed down.

There were some personal belongings Shika needed to retrieve from her temporary apartment, and she also needed to cancel her rental contract there. After that, she would also gather some of her belongings from her permanent apartment before moving in.

Seiji wanted to help her move, but she refused politely.

"My belongings… there's actually very few that I need to keep. Just myself will be enough for moving."

This sentence gave Seiji a subtle heartache.

But since she had already spoken, it was difficult for him to insist.

Shika needed to say farewell to her past life. If he was by her side at that time… it wasn't impossible, but it seemed that she wanted to do so by herself.

She needed to say farewell to isolation and walk towards the future. This was her ceremony.

"Alright. I'll bring you to your apartment and talk to the landlord about renting a large apartment," Seiji told her. "I'll be waiting for you."

Shika revealed a beautiful, sweet smile from the bottom of her heart.

"Okay!"

After making their decision, they notified Mai and made preparations to leave Natsuya's residence.

When Shika was captured and brought here, all she had were her Spirit-branded Retainer combat clothes.

Now that she was leaving, she also wanted to take her sketchbook as well as the notebook containing her story ideas.

Seiji merely packed up his clothes and other limited luggage.

They found the maid Mai after finishing their preparations.

"Houjou-san, thank you so much for taking care of me." Shika bowed politely in thanks. "I'm going to leave now, and I'd like to take these two booklets with me… is that okay? And as for the clothes I'm borrowing… I'll wash them properly and return them later."

"No need to be so polite, Kagura-san." Mai smiled gently. "Of course you may take the booklets with you. There's no need to return those clothes; just treat them as a gift."

"Thank you…"

"No need. Do allow me to be a gossip and inquire, though: what are your plans after this?" Mai asked as she looked towards the younger girl.

Seiji inwardly thought to himself that this situation had made an alarming turn.

"I… intend to live together with Brother Seiji," Shika answered in a soft voice, her face flushed as she looked at the boy beside her.

Mai was rendered speechless at this answer.

Suddenly, Seiji sensed a terrifying aura emanating from the maid!

He'd anticipated that things would develop in this fashion and could only smile wryly.

"Junior…" While Mai's smile didn't change, her entire aura had transformed completely. The terrifying Mai slowly turned to look in Seiji's direction. "Could you please give me an explanation of what this is about?"

Just what would happen to him if he refused?

Well, Seiji wasn't so suicidal as to refuse the "Smiling Executioner."

That's why he informed her about the situation as truthfully as possible.

Mai's terrifying aura gradually disappeared.

"Living together from now on will probably cause you various problems… If there's anything I can help with at all, please contact me."

She took out her cell phone as she spoke.

"No, that's too much trouble for Senpai…" Seiji wanted to refuse politely.

"Tell me the address. If I have free time, I'll go visit in the future." The former student council president was now pressuring Seiji with an authoritative aura. "That's fine, right, Junior?"

Seiji sighed. "Of course…"

Mai nodded in satisfaction as she exchanged phone numbers with him and wrote down the Uehara apartment's address.

"Kagura-san, after you move in, please live healthily and well, and remember to take care to protect yourself, and watch this idiot's… whoops, this junior's actions and behaviors. You definitely need to correct any delinquent behavior and strictly forbid him from taking all sorts of random girls home." Mai turned to Shika and lectured her in a serious tone of voice.

This time Seiji was the one who was rendered speechless.

'Correct what delinquent behavior? And what does she mean by "all sorts of random girls!?"'

"I know… I'll do my very best," a nodding Shika answered solemnly.

'Shika-chan even promised!? Just what did she understand? What exactly is going on!?' Seiji's right cheek began to twitch. 'My adopted younger sister and the mysterious maid are having an inexplicable conversation.'

"Write my cell phone number in your notebook. Store it in your cell phone later, and contact me if there's anything at all."

"Okay…"

It was a happy thing that someone cared about Shika-chan, but why did things feel slightly complex?

Seiji decided to stop thinking too much into it as Shika carefully wrote down Mai Houjou's cell phone number.

'Yep, it's fine as long as Shika-chan is happy.'

"Houjou-san, I'm also very grateful that you've taken such good care of me. I've given you so much trouble during this time."

"Indeed, you've given me a lot of trouble, Haruta-san." The maid smiled. "But I was quite happy~" Her smile turned incredibly brilliant. "Please take good care of yourselves, you two. As a maid, I welcome both of you back here at any time."

Seiji and Shika exchanged glances, before they both flashed smiles in Mai's direction.

"Thank you, and see you later!"

The two of them began walking towards Shika's temporary apartment after they left the president's residence.

After Shika retrieved her belongings from her apartment, the two of them went to a nearby restaurant for breakfast before going to the bus station.

At the bus station.

"Brother… you only need to take me here."

"You really don't need me to accompany you?"

Shika smiled as she shook her head. "It's the school festival today. Brother Seiji… you probably have a date."

"Er…" Seiji scratched his face awkwardly.

That was true, and he also needed to help with his class's program.

After taking a break for so many days, and skipping out on all the preparation work, he'd feel really bad if he didn't at least help out a little.

"Go ahead and have your date, Brother… I'll go organize my things and see you later this evening."

"Okay… I'll let the landlord know."

A period of silence fell between them.

"I'm… going." Shika slowly turned around.

Seiji watched her go.

After Shika took a few steps, she gradually slowed and then stopped as she turned around again.

She saw the handsome boy still standing there and smiling at her.

This wasn't a hallucination.

Nor was it a dream.

It wasn't her delusion.

He was really standing there!

Seiji was smiling as gently as he could at Shika.

'She's probably feeling anxious, but she's facing her fears, and she can definitely overcome them. All I have to do is believe in her and wait.'

Just as she once believed in and waited for him.

The two of them exchanged a long look.

Shika finally turned around again and started walking off.

Her figure no longer seemed as anxious as earlier.

That was because he was waiting for her.

…

Mika heard someone walking down the stairs as she walked out of her home.

It was Kaede Juumonji.

Mika sighed in disappointment.

The blonde-haired beauty smiled faintly at the twin pigtailed girl's obvious disappointment.

During these days that Seigo Harano had been absent, they had been going to school together.

Although they didn't talk too much, they weren't as distant from each other as before.

"It's regrettable how he still hasn't returned even though today's the school festival."

"Yeah…"

"I've heard that there's a tradition to confess to the person you like during Genhana High School's festival… Uehara-san, do you intend to confess to Harano-kun?"

"I… of course not."

'What does it have to do with you!' Mika thought to herself as she averted her gaze.

"So you don't intend on confessing… I don't know what you think, but I feel that there will be many girls confessing to Harano-kun during the school festival, and perhaps there will be a girl that he likes among them…"

Kaede's comment further inflamed Mika's anxiety.

"Thinking about it like this, the fact that Harano-kun's hasn't been coming back… whoops, has been absent lately is actually a good thing… but it's a bit narrow-minded of me," Kaede said, smiling smugly. "I still hope that Harano-kun can come back, go to school as he should, and enjoy the school festival… Don't you agree, Uehara-san?"

"Hmph…" Mika snorted and made no reply.

Just how did she feel anyway? She didn't know either.

But the only thing she did know was that she wanted to see him again.

'Seiji…'

She suddenly heard footsteps approaching.

It took two seconds for Mika to finally react and look towards the sound's source, and what she saw was…

"Hey, good morning!"

A tall and handsome boy walking towards her while flashing a smile that was as brilliant as the sun.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 185: Living Together

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

"Sei… Seigo…"

"I'm back, Mika."

"…Welcome back."

Mika felt a warm feeling in her heart when she saw the boy in front of her, but she could only greet him simply.

"Good morning to you as well, Juumonji-sensei."

"Good morning. Welcome back, Harano-kun." Kaede's eyes flashed with an indescribable light as she smiled.

"You guys must be on your way to school." Seiji blinked as he said his next sentence: "Go ahead without me; there's no need to wait. After I change into my school uniform, I have something to discuss with Miss Landlord."

"Discuss… What are you going to talk about with my mom?" Mika was curious.

"Well… you'll find out."

Seiji averted his gaze unnaturally as he began leaving.

"See you at school."

He waved towards them with his back turned as he walked upstairs towards his apartment.

Mika and Kaede were rendered speechless.

They felt rather disappointed inside.

They were hoping to see him for so long, but when they finally saw him again, that was the attitude he had… Hmph!

The double-pigtailed girl began pouting slightly.

Although this type of behavior… was actually normal for him. But… at the very least, the idiot should talk a little more and act as if he had missed her!

Since he said not to wait, there was no need to wait.

Mika began walking off while bearing a small grudge in her chest.

But she stopped before taking a few steps and looked back.

She saw Kaede standing there quietly without moving.

"Juumonji-sensei…"

"Uehara-san, go ahead and leave first." Kaede smiled faintly. "I suddenly feel like the scenery here is quite beautiful, and I want to appreciate it for a little longer."

'Scenery… what the hell!?'

Mika inwardly thought to herself that this was obviously just an excuse.

Just how was a simple apartment and a normal street considered "beautiful?" That was impossible!

It was quite obvious what Kaede intended.

After Mika figured this out, she was no longer able to leave. She could only just stand there and wait in silence as well.

Seiji returned to his small apartment, put down his luggage, and changed into his school clothes, before leaving his apartment.

To his surprise, he saw that Mika and Kaede were still there.

"Why haven't you guys left yet?"

"I'm admiring the scenery." Kaede placed her hand over her mouth as she chuckled. "As for Uehara-san, I don't know."

"I… I'm just admiring the scenery as well!" countered a haughty voice.

Seiji was rendered speechless by this.

Okay, he would have to hurry up and finish the upcoming discussion with the landlord. While he was happy that both of them were so willing to wait for him, he also felt rather helpless about it.

Seiji knocked on the Uehara family's door.

The landlord Nozomi Uehara answered and opened the door.

"Haru… Harano-kun, you're back."

"Yep, I just returned… Miss Landlord, I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

"What is it?" Nozomi tilted her head slightly in puzzlement.

She noticed that the blonde-haired beautiful tenant and her daughter were both waiting for the boy before her.

"It's…"

Seiji wanted to tell her in a whisper at first, but he paused before smiling wryly.

'Forget it—there's no meaning in hiding it, so I might as well say it straight out.'

"I'd like to move… to one of the larger apartments!" he said in a loud voice.

"Eh?" Mika gave an exclamation of astonishment.

Kaede merely widened her eyes slightly.

"Oh my…" Nozomi blinked in surprise.

"You have some empty larger apartments, right, Miss Landlord?"

"Yes. But Harano-kun, why…"

"Because I'm going to cohabit together with someone… no no, I meant live together!"

"Cohabit!?" three astonished voices exclaimed in unison.

"Live together! Not cohabitation! I just said it wrong!!"

For want of a nail, the kingdom was lost. Seiji almost wanted to cry at his slip of the tongue.

Why did his mouth make such a mistake at such a critical moment? He deserved a beating!

Seiji really wanted to slap himself in the mouth right now.

The twin-pigtailed beautiful girl, the blonde-haired beauty, and the beautiful mature landlady were all looking at a handsome boy together in unison with looks of shock. This scene was basically…

100% a misunderstanding! If there were any bystanders here, it was certain that they would misunderstand, and those with overactive imaginations could even dream of something spicy!

An awkward silence permeated the air.

"Miss Landlord… that's just how it is." Seiji forcefully continued the conversation. "Please help prepare an empty large apartment for me, and I'd like to move in there tonight… We can discuss the rent later."

"Er… Alright." Nozomi finally returned to her senses.

"Thank you… Then I'll go to school now." Seiji turned around.

He detected that Kaede and Mika were now cloaked in terrifyingly dark auras.

That was why he didn't want them to hear in the first place!

Seiji could only smile wryly to himself in his heart.

"Seigo…" Mika was glaring daggers at him.

"Harano-kun…" Kaede's smile seemed rather unsettling.

If they had the ability to, Seiji was certain that they would be summoning monsters upon him right now.

"I'll give you guys a clear explanation. Please listen to it on our way to school." He averted his gaze.

The morning sun was so warm.

…

Mika didn't know what her current emotions were anymore by the time they almost reached school.

Seiji was going to cohabit with… no, live together with Kagura-san.

As for why they were going to do so, it was because Seiji learned that Kagura-san lived all by herself, and he was quite worried about her. That was why he adopted Kagura-san as his younger sister and decided to live together.

They really did become brother and sister!

Back then, she felt that they seemed to be like real siblings, but for things to actually become like this… Fine, it wasn't all that difficult to accept.

The difficult to accept part was that the stunning and cute Kagura-san was about to live together with Seiji! Live together!! Live together!!!

If they were real siblings, this wouldn't be a problem, but they were adopted siblings!

In the end, they were still a boy and a girl… that still had the possibility of developing into a romantic relationship!!

Kagura-san was currently a second-year middle school student, and Seiji was a first-year high schooler… This age gap wasn't an obstacle at all!

Even if Seiji had strong self-control and wouldn't do anything to a young second-year middle schooler, two years down the road… no, maybe even in just one year, the situation would be different!

Going from the second year to the third year in middle school was an important time for a girl's growth. In just one year, girls could change drastically.

Kagura-san was so beautiful—too beautiful! She was already such an incredible beauty now, so in one year, or even half a year if she grew quickly, she would soon become an incredibly alluring adolescent girl in the prime of her youth.

At that time, just what would Seiji do while they lived together…

Mika didn't dare to imagine any further.

At first, she heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Seiji's explanation and learning who he was going to live together with. However, pondering over the situation closely made her realize that she couldn't relax at all, and it was actually difficult to accept.

She was currently filled with a variety of complex feelings.

What Seiji was doing… wasn't wrong, nor could she say anything about it, but…

'Ahh, that's enough already!' A blonde beauty had just moved in next door, and now he even found himself an adopted sister to live together with him!

Just what would this end up developing into? Would the next girl be some fiancee that he had promised himself to!?

Mika kept up a stream of forceful complaints in her mind.

What she didn't know was that in a certain hospital, a scion with long, black sleek hair sneezed.

"Meow?" The cat girl Rana tilted her head as she looked towards her master.

"I'm alright, it was just a sudden chill." Natsuya smiled as she continued peeling the apple in her hand.

The cat girl blinked cutely as she approached her master and cuddled Natsuya. Rana buried her face in Natsuya's ample breasts while embracing Natsuya tightly.

"Oh my… thanks for warming me up, Rana." Natsuya perceived Rana's intention and smiled.

She finished peeling the apple.

She split half for Rana and bit into her own half.

Sweet and sour… it somehow caused her to think of a particular boy.

"Haruta-kun… I wonder what he's doing right now?" the scion muttered to herself curiously.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 186: I'd Like Some Peace and Quiet

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Seiji's cheek twitched violently.

Why did this all seem so abnormal to him?

He recalled when he first arrived at school…

The first thing he saw were all the students busy with the school festival preparations. It was a lively and bustling atmosphere.

There were no traces anywhere to be found of the fierce battle from last night. All the holes left in the ground and everything else had completely vanished.

The ground had returned to its original state, with not a single blemish to be found. At the very least, the students didn't notice anything wrong.

Those…"Cleaners" were too amazing! Just how did they do it!? In such a short time…

Seiji was rather astonished.

This ability to wipe all traces seemed almost on par with turning back time.

If it wasn't for the fact that he personally experienced it, he never would have imagined what had happened here last night. Seeing how everything was normal at school, with all the students ignorant of what had happened, he almost felt as if last night had been nothing more than a dream.

Of course his expression didn't betray his thoughts.

Seiji arrived at his shoe locker and opened it.

A huge pile of envelopes tumbled out from his locker.

Seiji was rendered speechless by this situation.

Although he somewhat expected it, seeing this "explosion of love letters" that he had only seen before in anime and manga still gave him an impact!

"They've been accumulating for so many days, so it's only natural there'd be this many." Mika's eyes were cold and distant.

"Oh my, Harano-kun is so popular." Kaede smiled faintly. "I can almost feel the passion emanating from those love letters~"

Seiji couldn't find any words to answer them with.

It wouldn't be easy to take all those letters with him… He should have brought his backpack. There weren't any classes during the school festival, which was why he hadn't brought his backpack. That was a mistake.

He was still lacking in experience. Just what was he supposed to do?

'Let's just not take them and leave them in the locker until later.' In the end, that was the idea Seiji came up with.

Having decided to leave the letters, he changed his shoes, stuffed all the letters back into the locker, and closed it again.

Kaede left after saying, "If you get tired from playing around at the school festival, you're welcome to rest in the infirmary at any time."

Seiji and Mika walked together to class and discovered a wild Chiaki standing outside the room. She was chuckling while holding her hand over her mouth.

Seiji and Mika were mystified at this.

"Ah… Seigo!" Chiaki saw the two of them and waved. "You've finally come to school again! It's been so long!"

"It's been so long… the hell, it's only been a few days. What are you chuckling about?" Seiji asked.

"I just feel like it's so interesting… Hehe…" Chiaki continued laughing as she pointed inside the classroom.

Just what could be inside?

Seiji and Mika walked to the classroom door and peered inside.

The preparations were already complete.

Most of the tables and chairs had been moved to the back of the classroom and stacked up to make space. The remaining tables had been put together with "Honey Candy Girl" tablecloths on top, making them seem like lunch tables. They were also outfitted with stylish borrowed chairs to make the seem like a real café.

Anime posters were plastered on the walls, and anime accessories were also everywhere to be seen. Character figurines were placed in appropriate locations, and some character balloons and ribbons were hanging from the ceiling to help give this place the atmosphere of a cosplay café.

The blackboard and the area at the front of the classroom was cut off from the other areas with plastic and was turned into a temporary kitchen where they would prepare the food.

While this wasn't a perfect café by any means, Seiji felt that it was good enough already. There didn't seem to be any obvious problems that he could find.

The students acting as the servers were all wearing cosplay uniforms. All these uniforms and everything else related to the anime "Honey Candy Girl" had either been borrowed from the Divine Taste confectionery shop or through its connection to Peach-sensei.

The student servers and cooks as well as some students from other classes were all attentively listening to a beautiful blue-haired girl wearing a cardigan and a lace miniskirt.

'Wait a moment!'

A blue-haired "girl?"

Seiji's sealed memories of a dark history resurfaced as he looked at that figure!

"He was asked by the confectionery store's owner to oversee our cultural festival café's progress, and to tell us everything we needed to know… But the way I see it, his main goal was to meet you again." Chiaki couldn't stop laughing as she explained the 'girl's' presence. "The reason why he's dressed like that is because his own class is doing a 'crossdressing' coffee shop—all the boys are dressed like girls, and the girls are dressed like boys. The moment he arrived at class this morning, he was pressed into changing his clothes and applying some makeup, so he could only come over here looking like this."

"Everyone in our class… none of our classmates know about his real gender! And as for all the boys' reactions… Haha, it's so funny!"

The tomboy was unable to talk anymore as she broke out into yet another fit of laughter and had to cover her mouth.

Seiji and Mika couldn't find any words to say.

"Seigo…"

"Don't look at me; don't talk to me."

'I'd like some peace and quiet.'

Seiji's cheeks kept twitching non-stop.

Why did he see this sight again?

Why did he see this 'girl' that he never wanted to see again?

'Did I jinx myself today? Did I come to the wrong school!?'

Yep, everything here was fake. Just a hallucination.

The real school and classroom were somewhere else. Yep, that was how it was.

'I should turn around and leave now to seek the truth of the world.'

But right before he was able to take any steps, the beautiful 'girl' seemed to detect something as she turned around and looked in his direction.

When 'her' light blue eyes spied his figure, her eyes widened slightly as her red lips pursed open and smiled dazzlingly.

"Harano-senpai!" Hoshi Amami (in female clothing) called out in delight.

The students that were originally listening to him speak all turned their heads in unison and saw Seiji and his friends.

"Harano-san's here!"

"You finally healed, did you… Magic-devouring Dragon?"

"He's still so handsome! No, wait… he's more handsome than before?"

"That cute young female junior knew him after all."

"She didn't actually come here for him, did she… Damn it…"

Seiji suddenly felt numerous gazes fall upon him, each one containing a different emotion.

The most passionate gaze among them was…

Hoshi daintily walked in front of him and smiled while looking into Seiji's face. "It's great to see you again," he chirped happily.

There was no problem with this perfectly ordinary sentence.

But the feelings contained within those words and how he said it was certain to make everyone misunderstand!

"As expected! This junior has feelings for Harano-san…!"

"When did Harano-san attract such a beautiful female student?"

"So he liked them young…"

"Hooking up with such a cute middle school girl. Damn, I'm so jealous… whoops, I meant disgusted!"

The spectating students were gossiping among themselves.

Mika was stunned by the crossdressing boy's alluring beauty and fell into a daze.

Seiji heard the clear sounds of Chiaki doing her best to suppress her laughter and failing.

He really wanted to escape from everything right now… his current expression was one of having given up on the world.

"Senpai, what's the matter? You don't look so good." Hoshi noticed that his senpai's expression seemed somehwat abnormal and was concerned.

"Oh… it's nothing," Seiji responded vacantly, his eyes hollow. "I heard that your aunt, the store owner, made you come here… Thanks for your hard work, Junior."

"It's nothing—I'm delighted to have a reason to come meet Senpai," Hoshi said while smiling widely.

This caused another ruckus among the students.

'Please stop saying such subtle words that are easily misunderstood! Please be a little bit more self-aware!'

Seiji felt incredibly drained of energy.

"As long as you're happy… you should finish your main work here first."

"Yep, Senpai, chat with you later!"

Hoshi daintily walked back towards the other students again.

Seiji was unable to take the stares of all the other students that didn't know the truth of the matter. His eyes became hollow and distant as he entered a meditative state.

'Fine, I admit it—I'm just escaping from reality.'

This was the beginning of Seiji's school festival.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 187: "Princess"

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Hoshi finished speaking to the other students.

Seiji was also finally able to face reality.

"Senpai…"

"Let's go outside the classroom to speak."

The stares from the other students were still a bit painful to bear.

"Senpai… you seem rather fatigued; have you been having a difficult time recently?" Hoshi seemed concerned for Seiji as they walked into the hallway.

'Yes, I'm having a difficult time. All my fatigue is because of you, damn it!'

"It's okay… some stuff happened, but it's already taken care of." Seiji sighed.

"Was it about Kagura-san?" Hoshi blinked in seeming realization.

Seiji nodded.

"I knew it! I figured that Senpai must have been working behind the scenes for Kagura-san's sake!" Hoshi clenched his fist as his eyes began sparkling. "And now, Senpai's dealt with every problem and saved Kagura-san! Right?"

"Saved… I suppose." Seiji awkwardly averted his gaze. "But I didn't take care of every problem. I could only deal with some of them."

"Senpai, you're being humble again."

"Not at all; I'm just telling you the truth… Eh? I feel like I've said something like this before." Seiji fixed his gaze on his junior. "Don't overestimate me. There are things I can't accomplish either, so please remember that."

Hoshi didn't reply and merely looked at him with a bright smile and stars in his eyes.

There was nothing vicious whatsoever about Hoshi's expression.

'Why can I still feel a chill, then?' Seiji's eyebrows shot up.

He wanted to say something else, but before he could speak, Hoshi began talking again.

"How's Kagura-san doing now? She hasn't been coming to school ever since that day, so I was a little worried, but when Senpai stopped coming to school as well, I guessed that she must have been together with you…"

"Yeah. She and I… got involved in some things that are hard to talk about." Seiji scratched his face. "Now… she's become my adopted sister… we're going to live together."

Hoshi was rendered speechless.

"Wha?" Two seconds later, he finally realized what he had heard and made a sound of astonishment.

Ever since that phone call that day, Hoshi had been imagining how the situation would be resolved.

But this result was far beyond his imagination!

"Adopted… sister? Live together!?" The handsome boy (in female clothing) was utterly stunned.

Seiji nodded in embarrassment.

"Even though I wanted to wait for you guys to finish talking, I'm no longer able to just stand by after hearing this," a voice said from beside them.

It was Chiaki.

Chiaki and Mika had been waiting on the side, but she couldn't help interrupting at this point in the conversation.

"Kagura-san became your adopted sister and is even going to begin living together with you? Heh heh, Seigo, do you still remember what I told you last time?"

The tomboy flashed a dark smile.

'Even Chiaki is acting like this… this is too much!' Seiji felt helpless about the situation.

He didn't want to deal with this right now.

'I'll use the decoy substitution technique!'

"I already told everything to Mika, so just listen to her explanation. I'm going to go help out in the classroom now!"

After giving them a decoy, he instantly fled.

"Senpai!"

"Seigo!"

Seiji merely responded to the shouting behind him by waving his hand.

…

Under the direction of the class representative Koji Hoshihara, Seiji put on a cosplay uniform. The role assigned to him in the café was a waiter.

This cosplay uniform was a butler-style humanoid fantasy creature. Seiji didn't know where his class had borrowed it from, but the uniform's quality was quite high. Thanks to his excellent figure and appearance, it looked really cool on him. It was almost as if he were a handsome guy who had jumped out of a female-oriented fantasy manga.

There was also a hood attached to the cosplay uniform as well, but all the girls present strongly insisted that he couldn't wear it after they saw his appearance in this outfit.

That turned out to be a wise decision.

As the poster boy for their classroom to attract customers with, he was surrounded before long!

All the visiting students and guests took pictures of him nonstop with their cell phones and continually requested him to take various poses or capture selfies together with them.

Of course, most of them felt obligated to visit the class's confectionery store after having taken pictures, which was why Year 1 Class 5's confectionery store was filled to the brim with a huge line of customers waiting outside!

All the waiters were overwhelmed by the work.

That's when Seiji shouted loudly: "Get out of the way; let the professional do this!"

…Okay, that was made up.

He did temporarily halt taking pictures together with the guests, as he used his skills from the real confectionery store to quickly deal with the chaotic situation.

Afterwards, he became the shift leader and gave instructions to his fellow students on what to watch out for, as well as assigning specific tasks to everyone so that the store could operate more efficiently.

"Harano-san is so amazing! He must be an excellent employee in the real confectionery store as well with those abilities of his." Koji sighed in amazement. "Seeing your outstanding work, I can completely understand why your boss was so willing to give us all this help in setting up for the school festival… because she really values you!"

Seiji smiled in response. "That's an exaggeration, Class Rep."

Rika Amami helped him due to a certain trade he made with her.

Well, it was due to his good performance in the store being recognized by the owner that he could make the trade in the first place, so it wasn't exactly wrong to say that his work performance was what made her willing to help him.

As for the trade… he needed to contact with Peach-sensei soon.

'After I finish the hectic work here, take a rest, have some lunch, and finish reading the love letters, I'll give her a call." Seiji planned out his day.

Time passed by busily.

It was finally time for a change of shifts.

Seiji changed out of his cosplay uniform and finished up his work in the classroom before letting the class representative and the other students know that he was leaving.

Where were Chiaki and Mika right now? Chiaki was probably helping out at the drama club, but as for Mika… he had no clue.

Seiji took out his cell phone as he walked and was about to call them when someone interrupted him.

"Harano-san…"

Two unfamiliar girls were looking at him nervously.

'They seem to be first-year high schoolers like me.' That was Seiji's first impression of them.

"Do you two have some business with me?"

"We… have a friend… she has something she'd like to say to Harano-san," the girl with short dark brown hair replied.

Seiji blinked in realization. 'Oh… that's what it is.'

He wasn't one hundred percent certain if it was what he thought it was, but it seemed likely.

"Is it something really important?"

'I might as well confirm it.'

"Yep… She's waiting somewhere else…" said the other girl, whose hair was dark red and curly.

"Okay, let's go together then." Seiji put away his cell phone as he smiled gently.

Both girls appeared slightly surprised, and their cheeks began to flush red.

"Please come with us…"

They led the way.

"Harano-san is so handsome!"

"Yep, handsome and gentle, so perfect."

"That's why our princess likes him…"

The two girls whispered to each other secretly and believed that the boy behind them couldn't overhear.

But thanks to his improved physical abilities, Seiji could actually make out their conversation.

'Princess?'

That was probably just a nickname, not the real deal.

This nickname, while rather cliche, was still regal. He looked forward to seeing what type of person she was.

But thinking about his own current nickname, Seiji felt the urge to cover his face.

As for all the well-known nicknames in Genhana High School, he felt that they were mostly rather exaggerated and immature, while the remaining ones were either cliche or classical.

Embarrassment aside, and considering them seriously, these well-known nicknames usually described the person's characteristics, or an obvious trait or famous incident attributed to them.

The nickname "princess" was most likely the same and represented something one of her traits or a well-known matter she was involved in.

These two girls leading the way seemed to be first-year high school students.

The "princess" would most likely also be a high school freshman.

For a first-year high school girl that was able to be called "princess" by other girls… Seiji's first guess would have been Natsuya Yoruhana, but the president was still currently in the hospital, and she didn't she seem like the type to act that way.

Then that meant that this was a girl who was special enough to still be called "princess" even with the existence of the brilliant and eye-catching student council president Natsuya around.

What type of person would she be?

Seiji was truly curious.

The two girls leading the way took him out of the school building, through the crowds, and all the way to a somewhat concealed place behind the school building.

A dark purple-haired girl was standing there, gazing at the tops of the trees.

She turned around when she heard footsteps approaching.

Seiji's expression froze over when he saw her face.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 188: Purple

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Seiji had begun receiving love letters every day ever since the second week after transferring into Genhana High School.

Most girls had only sent him only one love letter, but there were a few that had sent him multiple ones.

And among the few that sent him multiple letters, there was only one girl who had sent him a love letter every single day.

According to Chiaki's definition, this girl's love letters were the first type. All the envelopes were light purple, and the letters were written on pure white paper. None of the letters were particularly long, but it was obvious each one contained the girl's emotions. The handwriting was also beautiful.

There was only one word written for the signature—"Purple."

At first, Seiji had wondered what type of girl "Purple" might be, but he didn't pay it a great deal of thought.

Due to everything that had happened in the previous few days, he even forgot about it.

Until this moment.

When he was taken here to this corner and met this purple-haired beauty for the first time, he instinctively realized that… this girl must be "Purple."

A slight breeze was blowing, causing the leaves to rustle.

The girl's dark purple hair was swaying gently in the wind.

She simply stood there with both hands clasped in front of her as she smiled lightly.

Her beautiful eyes were almost the exact same light purple as the envelopes she used. They looked deep and watery and the pupils flashed and reflected flickering shadows. This, combined with her thin crescent eyelashes and pink lips arced upwards in a faint smile, caused Seiji to think of a line from an unknown poem from somewhere: "Playing with lowered eyelashes and a faint smile amongst the shadows."

She was beautiful, regal, and the epitome of a classic beauty.

Just her physical appearance alone was worthy of the nickname "Princess."

While Seiji was unfamiliar with her personality, he believed that her level of beauty was definitely equal to Natsuya's.

"Hello, pleased to meet you, Harano-san." The purple-haired beauty bowed slightly towards him. "My name is Yukari Asamiya, from Year 1, Class 3."

Yukari?

This was a popular name in Japan in his previous world, and he faintly recalled that the female lead of some classical anime seemed to have this name as well. This name… that was probably one of the reasons for her signature of "Purple."

"Hello." Seiji looked directly at her. "Asamiya-san… are you 'Purple?'"

"Indeed." Yukari stood up straight and smiled at him. "I'm 'Purple,' as you surmised."

"It's easy to guess after meeting you." Seiji also smiled. "Your eyes, your hair, and your name… all these hints are too obvious." 1

Yukari's smile grew wider.

"I really love purple… if people's lives had colors, then mine would surely be purple."

"That sounds quite poetic."

"Really? I said it rather casually… Harano-san, do you like poems?"

Seiji thought of Shika Kagura upon hearing this. 2 "I don't understand poems too much, but I admire their beauty."

Yukari blinked upon hearing this. "I'm not familiar with poems either, but I don't know why… my classmates all seem to think that I love reading poems and so on."

"Is it that you actually don't like them?"

A momentary silence fell between them.

Then, both of them broke out into laughter.

Seiji chuckled. "Sorry, but I can understand why your classmates would think that way. The way you seem… is just like a classy lady who would enjoy reading poems or classical works and the like."

"It's not good to judge people by appearances, Harano-san. I'm not that type at all." Yukari also chuckled. "I don't enjoy poems, nor do I read classics, and I'm definitely not a classy lady or anything."

"Eh… but you definitely have that aura about you."

"I don't feel so… maybe it's thanks to my upbringing that my actions appear that way. I had a strict family education." Yukari toyed with her hair.

Seiji felt that this tiny action was rather charismatic.

"Princess…" he understood already why people referred to her as such, but she herself was… a bit different from what he had imagined.

Well, that was normal.

It would be abnormal if the well-known nicknames in this school were completely accurate!

"Harano-san…"

Yukari looked directly into Seiji's eyes.

"This is your first time meeting me. As for me… I've already been watching you for quite some time."

Yukari's cheeks began to flush slightly red.

The atmosphere just earlier had been normal, but now it suddenly seemed a bit romantic.

Seiji felt himself tensing up slightly.

He was nervous.

"I've always been watching you in silence, and writing letters to you. These are my single-sided feelings… I apologize for making you deal with my selfishness. Now… I've finally worked up the courage to meet you in person to get to know you."

The purple-haired girl took a deep breath.

Her white face was now completely red, and her watery eyes were filled with attractive colors.

It was coming.

Seiji knew what was coming and mentally prepared himself.

But he was still nervous… of course he was! He had never had such an experience!!

The only experience he had with being confessed to was by Hoshi… No, no, that definitely didn't count! Forget it! Hurry up and forget about that!!

This was his true first time in either life of his that he was being confessed to!

"Perhaps this is selfish of me to say as well, but I… still want to say that… I-I like you!"

A metaphorical fastball.

A mega-powerful fastball struck Seiji in the chest like a cannon shot!

He had wanted to catch it.

But as a catcher, he severely lacked both experience and ability! It was only natural that he missed.

"I like you…"

He had heard it personally from a girl… these words imbued with many passionate feelings of youth.

This was when Seiji discovered for the first time just how powerful these words could be!

"I'd like to be together with you, chat with you, date with you, and… do various things together with you…"

Yukari was still looking directly at Seiji.

Even though Seiji could tell that she was quite shy about all this, she remained firm and maintained her regal bearing and resolution as she honestly and directly told him her feelings.

Seiji really wanted to avert his gaze in order to hide his own emotions, but he was moved by her resolution, so he could only look directly at her as well.

It was just like a duel.

No, this was a duel! This girl had worked up her maximum amount of courage to completely attack the boy she liked directly, heart and soul!

"I… imagined many things by myself. I want to turn those dreams of mine into reality. I… would like to become someone important to you…"

The girl's body began trembling.

It was as if something within her had reached its limit.

She took another deep breath.

Seiji almost felt like he wanted to run away at this moment!

It was easy for even him to tell just how deep her feelings accumulated over all this time must have been.

The final blow was coming.

"Please… please go out with me!! Please be my boyfriend!!!"

Her eyes shone incredibly brightly as tears trickled down her face.

Her face was so red that he could almost see the blood beneath her skin.

But even so, her eyes didn't waver one bit from him.

She kept looking directly into the handsome boy's eyes.

She completely revealed her true feelings for him to see.

She fully expressed those passionate fiery feelings of hers.

This moment etched itself deeply into Seiji's mind, and even heart!

There would always be some moments of any person's life that would be unforgettable even after several years or even dozens of years.

This scene was one of them.

That was how deep, how… beautiful to the point where it was impossible to forget.

Another breeze blew past them.

The tree leaves were rustling again, but Seiji couldn't hear them.

He had received an impact far stronger than he was expecting, and his heart and soul were moved.

He slowly opened his mouth as he looked at the girl before him, his heart wavering.

"I…"

Chapter 189: Discipline Committee Member

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

'Not good! Not good, not good, not good!' Mika shouted mentally. 'This is terrible!'

She was currently hiding behind some bushes, secretly watching the purple-haired girl confess to Seiji.

Why were things like this?

Let's turn back time a little.

After Seiji tossed her out as his decoy, she was forced to explain Shika's situation to Chiaki and Hoshi.

"I see—it does sound like something Senpai would do." Hoshi nodded in understanding after he learned what had happened.

"Hmm… adopted siblings… that's actually fine and all, but it's still hard to not pay attention to the fact that they're going to be living together." Chiaki rubbed her chin as she looked towards the classroom. "Even though I already knew that he's an idiot, to do things to such an extent, honestly…"

The tomboy felt rather helpless about the situation but also understood.

Later, Hoshi said goodbye to the duo and returned to his own class.

Mika and Chiaki watched Seiji work for a little longer and took some pictures of Seiji in his cosplay outfit before they decided to leave as well.

They explored the school festival together and visited various classrooms' shops.

They even stumbled on several confession scenes by accident but politely refrained from getting in the way.

"Would you like to take a guess on how many times Seiji will be confessed to during this school festival?" Chiaki asked Mika jokingly.

Mika was in no mood to joke about a serious topic.

Chiaki didn't continue this topic of conversation after she noticed that Mika didn't answer.

After that, Chiaki needed to go to drama club to help out, so she split up from Mika.

The girl with twin pigtails wandered around by herself for a while, before returning to her classroom and decided it was time.

On her way back, she ran into the tennis club captain… no, the former tennis club captain, Hideya Aizawa.

Well, since Mika had quit the tennis club already, she wasn't sure what was happening in it anymore. She only knew that he resigned from his club president position.

Meeting him again made her feel that this ex-club president hadn't changed at all, as he still seemed rather unreliable and not the likable type.

Out of politeness, she greeted him, but he stuck on to her.

Hideya and the other boys with him surrounded Mika, trying to persuade her to go with them and refusing to let her leave.

Just as Mika was beginning to get angry as well as a little afraid, someone surprising appeared.

"Former tennis club president Hideya Aizawa, and three boys not from our school."

"What exactly do you guys intend to do by surrounding the first-year student Mika Uehara?"

Two clear voices rang out.

Two identical beautiful figures, and a unique speaking style where they finished each other's sentences… Rion and Kotomi Amami!

The high school second-year "twin witches…" or ex-witches.

"Er…" Hideya who was also a second-year student cowered slightly at seeing these two, but he instantly recalled something as he stood up straight again and he smiled rather insultingly. "Heh heh, it's the Amami twins… we weren't doing anything; we just wanted to invite her for a little lunch."

"Surrounding someone for an 'invitation' is the most unsightly way to invite someone."

"Mika Uehara, do you wish to accept such an 'invitation?'"

Rion and Kotomi spoke with calm expressions.

Mika shook her head.

"Hey, hey, what's all this? We were sincerely inviting her!" A brown-haired boy wearing earrings standing to the right of Hideya spoke up.

"That's right, calling us 'unsightly,' how rude! Who the hell do you think you are!!?" Another blonde-haired boy spoke up as well.

"They're rather beautiful, and twins as well… Hey, Hideya, who are these two?"

"Heh heh, they're…"

"We're members of the Morals and Discipline Committee."

"We're currently responsible for maintaining and protecting order during the school festival."

Hideya was interrupted as Rion and Kotomi pointed to the emblems on their sleeves.

"The first-year student Mika Uehara has clearly stated that she doesn't wish to accept your 'invitation.'"

"So, if you continue refusing to allow her to leave, that means that you're daring to disturb the public order, and we shall have to issue you a stern warning."

There was a brief period of silence.

Then, apart from Hideya, the three boys that weren't from Genhana began guffawing!

"Morals and Discipline Committee… Acting so serious… Hahahaha—it's so funny!"

"Maintaining order… stern warning… Ahahaha! This is the first time I've heard something so foolish in real life! Hehehaha—this is bad; I'm going to die of laughter!!"

"There must be something wrong with these girls' brains! Hahaha, even though they're so beautiful, they're a pair of idiots!!"

The three boys laughed fearlessly and were looking at the twins with nothing but condescension.

Hideya was affected by their behavior, and he knew that they were no longer the same "witches" as before, so he began chuckling as well.

Mika felt a twinge of pity for the twins at this and looked at them with concern.

She saw that Rion and Kotomi who had remained calm earlier were now narrowing their eyes.

The atmosphere instantly changed.

It was as if an invisible sword had been drawn. The atmosphere now seemed rather dangerous.

Hideya's expression froze solid.

The three boys from other schools were still laughing, but they noticed as well that something in the air changed, causing their laughter to diminish somewhat.

"In the name of Genhana High School's Morals and Discipline Commitee, this is a formal warning."

"Hideya Aizawa and the three outsiders, please stop these actions and allow Mika Uehara to leave."

"Your time limit is ten seconds."

"The countdown begins now."

"Ten…"

"Nine…"

"Hahahahaha—" The three boys began to laugh even louder than earlier.

"This is so hilarious! What's with these two girls!?"

"And now it's a real 'formal warning!' With a countdown!! There's definitely something wrong with their heads!!!"

"Hahaha! This is so funny, Hideya! Why does your school have…"

"Shut up!!!"

A fierce shout came out of Hideya's mouth.

The twins' icy expression and icy tone as they began the countdown made Hideya frightened for himself.

They were indeed not the "witches" that they had been before.

But they hadn't lost all of their power.

After Rion and Kotomi were defeated, they lost all of their previous power and were in dire straits. But they joined the Morals and Discipline Committee and now had a new group to support them.

With their brains and schemes, plus reason on their side, if they seriously wanted to deal with him…

Just imagining it sent chills down Hideya's spine.

This was no joke! If the former "witches" that now had the support of the Morals and Discipline Committee started paying attention to him… No! He definitely couldn't allow that to happen!

"We're leaving!" he shouted to his friends.

"Eh… Hideya, what's…"

"I said shut up! We're leaving!!" Hideya yelled again at his three friends before glancing once more at the twins and turning around to leave.

"What's the matter? Hideya—"

The three boys looked at each other in confusion, but in the end, they obeyed and chased after him.

Mika stood where she was and watched the boys leave.

She had been extricated from her sticky situation.

She looked at the twins once more.

"Thank… thank you." She sincerely expressed her gratitude.

"No need for thanks."

"This is our responsibility."

Rion and Kotomi retracted their previous threatening attitudes and responded to Mika calmly.

They then turned around and left as well.

Mika watched the twins leave, her heart filled with a mixture of subtle emotions.

'I should tell Seiji about this…' she thought as she walked back to the classroom.

Just as she arrived, she noticed Seiji leaving the classroom.

Mika was about to call out to him, but she paused when she saw two unfamiliar girls talking to him.

'It's… a confession!'

Mika instantly knew what was about to occur.

What should she do?

She was unable to think it through. All she did was reflexively follow Seiji secretly.

And so, she witnessed an incredibly beautiful purple-haired girl confessing wholeheartedly to the handsome boy.

This confession… was far too moving!

Even she received an impact from it while secretly observing.

Seiji, who was facing the confession directly, must have received an even bigger impact.

Mika definitely saw that he was wavering!

That was why she was shouting inwardly in her mind.

'Not good! This is terrible! What should I do!?'

She didn't have any ideas whatsoever on what to do, but she had to do something, otherwise…

"I…" Seiji opened his mouth and was about to respond.

Mika began moving her body and was about to stand up.

At this moment.

"Achoo!"

Someone suddenly sneezed.

Chapter 190: Answer

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Seiji, who was just about to respond, was interrupted by the sudden sneeze.

His mind went blank at this unexpected surprise for a moment, but that helped him regain his calmness.

'What was I just about to say?'

He noticed that he had almost impulsively agreed to be her boyfriend and was astonished at himself.

'I was actually moved to such a degree!?'

Well, it was the first time that he had ever received a confession. And she… really did such a good job by confessing wholeheartedly.

'Should I simply say yes to her?' No, that was no good! There would be various problems with this.

"I… am really happy to hear this," Seiji said slowly, turning his gaze to Yukari; "this is my first time ever receiving a confession, and honestly, I'm quite moved."

"But… I still can't. I don't know anything about you yet, and you haven't actually spent any time with me."

"Just agreeing to go out like this… it's not impossible, but I feel that various problems could crop up."

Yukari quietly listened to him.

Seiji paused for a moment as he considered what to say next.

"Thank you for liking me," he said haltingly; "but I'm sorry…"

He sincerely thanked her and apologized.

"I can't agree to go out with you just like this. If you'd like, we can begin as friends."

That's how it was.

'This is my answer.'

Seiji looked directly at Yukari.

"Harano-san…" Tears dripped out of the corner of Yukari's eyes as she looked at him.

However, her expression wasn't a sad one.

"Your reply… was just as I expected." The purple-haired girl wiped her eyes. "I feel that you're a serious and steady person, who probably wouldn't be able to accept an unfamiliar girl's sudden confession.

"But I still did what I did. That's because I truly do like you."

She looked directly into his eyes as she spoke her honest feelings and smiled once more.

Seiji felt that his heart was wavering again as he looked at this beautiful girl.

He suddenly wanted to ask "Why do you like me so much?"

But he was unable to do so.

That was because he instinctively realized that if he asked this question, he might receive an even bigger impact from the answer.

And he was unable to take anything more… if he wavered any further, he wasn't confident that he could still refuse her.

Seiji inwardly sighed. 'Yukari Asamiya… as expected of a "princess."'

A period of silence fell between them.

"Can I at least confirm if you have anyone you like right now?" Yukari asked him calmly.

"Er… romantically, no." Seiji scratched his face.

"That means I have a chance then." An indescribable light flashed in Yukari's eyes. "Let's start as friends then. Harano-san, please give me your cell phone number!"

"Er… Okay."

Seiji told her his cell phone number.

Yukari took out her cell phone and called him.

Seiji's cell phone began ringing.

Yukari looked deeply at Seiji as he took out his cell phone. She then turned around and left, but pressed her cell phone against her ear.

Seiji accepted the call and perked up his ears to listen to what she had to say.

"Harano-san…" He heard her soft voice clearly through the cell phone. "I will capture you."

The firm resolution in her voice made it easy for Seiji to imagine the expression she must have had while saying it.

The phone call ended there.

"Honestly," Seiji muttered as he slowly put away his cell phone, "she's such an amazing girl."

He stood rooted to the ground as he watched the purple-haired girl slowly disappear into the distance.

After he stood there long enough for his emotions to finally settle, he also turned around to leave.

"Seiji…"

He saw Mika standing there before him with an apologetic expression on her face.

"Mika… did you see all that just now?"

She nodded in response.

"I'm sorry… It wasn't on purpose… I just reflexively…"

Mika was very apologetic.

Secretly spying on him; this type of action was…

Seiji blinked. "It's fine—if you saw it, you saw it."

This was still technically a public place after all. There was no helping it if other people saw it.

Mika apologizing to him even felt somewhat odd. With her haughty personality, shouldn't she currently be having a temper tantrum?

Seiji figured out the truth after he mulled it over.

"You must have followed me secretly, right? So, you were spying on me?"

Mika nodded with tears in her eyes.

'Ah, so that's how it is.'

"That's a bit wrong to do then, but… still, this is a public location." Seiji rubbed his chin. "By the way, was that sneeze a few moments ago from you?"

That was quite an important sneeze.

If it wasn't for that sneeze interrupting his thoughts, perhaps…

Mika shook her head.

"It wasn't me…" She revealed a complex expression. "It… was Miyamoto-san."

…

Kaho Miyamoto really wanted to go and hide in a hole somewhere right now.

Earlier this morning, she had been working together in the classroom confectionery store. It should have been a good chance for her to say something to him.

However, Harano-san was too outstanding as an attraction and brought so many customers. She, as one of the cooks, was too busy, which left her no spare time whatsoever to approach him and strike up a conversation.

That continued all the way until it was time to change shifts.

After Harano-san finished his work, changed his clothes, and left, Kaho did the same thing and hurriedly followed after him. It was then that she saw Harano being called out by two unfamiliar girls.

She instantly figured out what was about to happen.

And so, coincidentally, Kaho secretly began following him. On the way, she discovered to her astonishment that Harano-san's good friend Mika Uehara was also secretly following him!

At first, she was stunned, but then she felt reassured. That was because she wasn't the only one doing this—there was another stalker… whoops, accomplice!

And so, they followed, hid, and secretly watched…

Kaho was moved by the amazing confession she witnessed.

At that critical moment, a leaf suddenly fell right in front of her face and landed on her nose, causing it to itch…

"Achoo!" She was unable to suppress herself and sneezed loudly.

She instantly covered her mouth and noticed someone looking at her. When she reflexively looked to see who it was, she exchanged glances with Uehara-san, who was also staring at her in astonishment with her mouth wide agape.

An enormous sense of embarrassment began welling up within her…

Kaho discovered that she had already escaped from the scene when she returned to her senses.

Everything was fine now… Not!

'I was discovered! Uehara-san saw me!!'

Even though Uehara-san was also secretly spying, at the very least she was Harano-san's good friend. Even though it was also somewhat wrong, she could at least use the excuse of being concerned for a good friend, but as for Kaho…

'So humiliating! So embarrassing! I really want to go hide somewhere!!'

Kaho almost had an impulse to simply roll around on the ground.

'I secretly spied on his confession scene and even interrupted them at a critical moment by sneezing! I'm the worst…

'Uehara-san… will she tell Harano-san? If she tells him, then I… how exactly can I face Harano-san?'

Kaho envisioned a pathetic scene in her mind.

In her mind she imagined a handsome boy sighing. "I never imagined that Miyamoto-san was a person to do such a thing." There was an expression of disappointment on the tall and handsome boy's face. "I even wanted to be friends with Miyamoto-san. I must have been mistaken. Just forget about me saying that before."

'No!!!' Kaho inwardly shouted in her soul.

"I just impulsively made a mistake in the heat of the moment! It wasn't on purpose! I was just a little curious, and that's why—"

Her voice died down mid-sentence.

That was because someone familiar had appeared before her.

"Kaho," asked a concerned voice, "what were you saying? You made a mistake?"

"Er, it's nothing, Karen. Why are you here?" Kaho felt awkward that her sister had caught her raving like this.

"Of course I'm here to find you." The brown-haired girl with a huge chest smiled at her younger sister. "Didn't I tell you before that I would come and have fun at your school festival!?"

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 191: I Have Defeated The Enemy!

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Kaho Miyamoto's older sister, Karen Miyamoto, was wearing a light-colored sweater and a floral long skirt which were rather plain, but all the boys passing by would still take a second look at her.

That was because this beautiful girl had a pair of breasts that were impossible to ignore!

Karen's breasts, to put it frankly, were huge.

But Kaho was in no way envious of this aspect of her older. Her chest wasn't small either, and now that she had successfully slimmed down, she discovered that her chest size was in fact quite significant.

'Does Harano-san like large breasts?' She suddenly had that thought, but forced herself to stop thinking about it.

Why was she thinking about such a thing!? Now wasn't the time for idle thoughts!

"You're here to have fun at our school festival, so why didn't you bring some of your friends with you?"

"They're all in classes."

"What about you?"

"I asked for a leave of absence so that I could accompany my cute little sister," Karen answered with a huge smile.

Kaho averted her gaze. "That's not necessary."

Karen sighed. "Don't say that; your older sister wants to be together with you~"

"Don't stick to me, stop clinging onto me, and don't squeeze me with your breasts!"

Honestly, why did she have to do things to such a degree? While Kaho put on a helpless expression, truthfully speaking, she was a little moved inside.

"I just arrived at your school and was about to call your cell phone when I happened to see you… By the way, Kaho, what were you doing just now?"

"Er… I said it was nothing, really."

"Tell your sister: if there's anything that's troubling you, I can help!"

Karen really wanted to have a better relationship with her younger sister Kaho.

Until two weeks ago, the relationship between them had been like ice.

Ever since the last time she proactively tried to break the ice between them, they began speaking more to each other, and their relationship was gradually warming.

Karen was delighted at this development but felt that she still needed to work harder.

Now that she discovered something was troubling her sister, there was no way she could just leave it be!

"Tell me, Kaho—your sister really can help you."

"You're annoying—it has nothing to do with you…"

"You're my younger sister, so it has everything to do with me!"

Kaho felt even more helpless upon hearing this.

"Just don't worry about me… You're here for the school festival, right? I'll accompany you to see the sights. Stop asking me about what happened just now."

While Karen was unhappy to see her younger sister shutting her out again, she could only temporarily give up.

And so, the pair of sisters began touring the school.

Kaho didn't know how to face Harano-san for the time being, so she could only use the excuse of having to accompany her sister to avoid him for now.

…

Seiji was rather surprised to find out that the other person spying on him had been Kaho Miyamoto.

'I wonder why she was spying… I should ask her when I see her again.'

At any rate, it was only a small matter to him.

'Her sneeze even helped snap me back to my senses, so perhaps I should thank her?' Seiji thought to himself.

While spying wasn't exactly moral behavior, he didn't intend to make a big deal out of it.

"Your actions weren't quite all that good, but it's not really a big deal. Let's just forget about it, Mika."

He smiled at Mika to indicate that he forgave her.

The double pigtailed girl blushed slightly.

And so, the incident concluded.

"Would you like to tour the school festival together before lunch?"

"Yeah…"

Even if it was only for a short while, Mika felt happy to be able to tour the school festival together with Seiji.

While walking together, she told him about what she just experienced.

"Rion and Kotomi Amami helped you out…" Seiji's eyes widened in surprise.

Those twin girls actually became members of the Morals and Discipline Committee!

That was rather astonishing, but if he considered it closely, it was a wise decision for them to make.

If they became connected to the Morals and Discipline Committee, even if their situation didn't improve significantly, it wouldn't get any worse for them thanks to their innate talent.

On one hand, they would receive a certain amount of protection. On the other hand, they would also have the chance to change everyone's impressions of them… at any rate, it was a good move.

Seiji was curious about how they managed to join that committee.

It was the Morals and Discipline Committee! That committee would most definitely have a terrible opinion of the "twin witches." Just how did they convince the committee to let them join?

That was the true mystery.

Even though there was a bit of a mystery, it was still a good thing. Rion and Kotomi had changed themselves and were working hard in a positive direction.

'I should thank them the next time I see them to express my gratitude as Mika's friend,' Seiji mused.

After that, he and Mika randomly went to various classrooms' programs for the school festival and enjoyed themselves.

During lunch.

"I am the Fire Nation warrior, Wakamei Touhou! Who dares challenge me to battle!?"

Chiaki jumped out and made a ferocious-looking pose.

"Heh…" Seiji put down his lunchbox which contained fried noodles.

"I am the Sand Nation's commander, Murong the Unmatched! I shall use these twin blades to take your head!!"

With a chopstick in each hand, he also posed ferociously.

The tomboy and handsome boy faced off against each other, before both giving a loud shout and rushing at each other in a "fight" with exaggerated movements and words.

Mika was rendered speechless by this spectacle.

Mika's eyes turned empty and hollow as she watched the two idiots getting more and more engrossed in their playacting to the extent where even some bystanders gathered around to watch them.

"I have defeated the enemy general!"

Seiji displayed a victory pose that he mimicked from Dynasty Warriors as he copied one of its lines.

"Urk… I actually lost! Damn it!"

Chiaki pretended to collapse onto the ground and wallow in regret.

'Just how did you two determine who won and lost!?' Mika was forcefully commenting on this situation in her mind.

The bystanders even began applauding this amazing (ridiculous) spectacle.

"Thanks for everyone's appreciation! Thanks so much!"

"If you go to the auditorium at 2:00 p.m., you can see an even more exciting performance! Please support us!!"

Seiji and Chiaki had the gall to thank the audience for their support, and the latter even attempted to advertise her club.

Mika didn't even know what to say anymore.

She felt the urge to pretend to be unfamiliar with the two idiots.

"Oh my, I was just having a joke at first, but I never expected you to go along with it and do such a good job, Seiji! You're quite talented—why don't you just join drama club?"

"Forget it—it's fine once in a while like this, but if I act like that every day I'd die of embarrassment."

'I can't tell that you're embarrassed at all! It seemed like you were having so much fun!' Mika glared at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Not at all—you'll get used to it and open up a new world of possibilities!" Chiaki flashed a brilliant smile as she gave him a huge thumbs-up.

"I'd prefer to stay in this current world, thank you very much." Seiji retrieved his fried noodle lunchbox and went back to eating.

"Your fried noodles… they gave you such an ample amount." Chiaki noticed that he had so many fried noodles that they were almost bursting out of the lunchbox.

"Watari-san and Kobayashi-san were generous enough to give them to me," Seiji explained. "They're currently helping out with the cooking club's fried noodle stand, and they gave me extra when they saw it was me."

He had been astonished to see the two delinquents Kahei Watari and Takashi Kobayashi selling fried noodles.

When he asked them what they were doing, he learned that this was the cooking club's noodle stand, but they weren't members of the club. They were helping out because they were being paid to do so.

Seiji could tell that while Watari and Kobayashi weren't particularly passionate about this job, they weren't slacking off either.

Who had them do such a task? And why was it that they didn't resist?

Seiji was rather curious.

But he didn't inquire too deeply, as it wasn't the time or place to chat back then.

"Watari-san and Kobayashi-san… how unexpected." Chiaki blinked in surprise. "Seiji, when did you get to know them?"

"Well, some stuff happened."

Seiji smiled as he ate another mouthful of fried noodles.

Report chapter Comments

Chapter 192: Is the School Festival a Martial Arts Competition?

Translator: imperfectluck Editor: vb24

Everyone had their own story.

This was quite ordinary logic. Seiji was feeling the truth of this maxim after he learned that the twin sisters had joined the Morals and Discipline Committee and that the delinquent duo had some type of relationship with the cooking club.

While he was busy with his own affairs, people that he knew were also leading their own lives.

Seiji briefly explained how he met Kahei Watari and Takashi Kobayashi to Chiaki and Mika.

He didn't mention the part about the Juumonji mafia group and only told them about how he saved the two delinquents.

"So you save more than just beautiful girls or beautiful boys." Chiaki came to such a conclusion when he finished.

Seiji was rendered speechless.

Just what was up with that remark of hers!?

"You make it sound like I'm only willing to help beautiful people…"

"I thought that you were such a person, but now I know you aren't. Congratulations, how wonderful! Congratulations, how wonderful~"

"What's with your congratulations!?"

While retorting forcefully, Seiji used his chopsticks to speedily steal a rib from Chiaki's lunch and placed it in his mouth.

"This is to make up for the harm you've caused to my delicate heart."

"Will that be sufficient payment?"

"It's not enough! I still want your fried egg and your takoyaki!"

"Okay okay~ you can have them~~" Chiaki smiled rather gently.

Mika blinked upon witnessing this scene.

"Seiji was confessed to," she began abruptly, "by a beautiful girl named Yukari Asamiya. It was a truly amazing confession."

Chiaki's expression froze over.

"Yukari Asamiya…" She regained her composure and thought about this person. "I've heard about her, the 'Princess' of Year 1, Class 3."

"You know her?"

"'Princess?'"

Seiji and Mika both entered their curious modes.

"I've only heard some stories about her. This girl… if it wasn't for Natsuya Yoruhana's existence, in our freshman year, Yukari Asamiya would definitely be the number one most popular girl in our grade."

"Oh…"

"Eh…"

Seiji and Mika both revealed expressions full of surprise and amazement.

"Neither of you two pay much attention to rumors, so it's only natural that you didn't know. Allow me to fill you in."

Chiaki pretended to put on some teacher's glasses and lifted up her chopsticks, waving them around like a whip.

"For all the girls and boys in our freshman year, there's a publicly acknowledged popularity ranking for the top ten."

"For the girls, the number one rank solidly belongs to Natsuya Yoruhana. The student council president and scion's points are so far in front that it could be said her popularity exceeds that of the next nine girls combined."

"Number two is the student council vice president Hitaka Shuho, our president's so-called 'servant.' Some people believe that she shouldn't really be number two, as she's only there because of her association with number one. But it's an indisputable fact that Shuho-san is ranked number two, regardless of the reason behind her popularity."

"Number three is Yukari Asamiya. To sum up her as the 'Princess…'" Chiaki pointed at Seiji with her pretend whip and said, "She's a weaker version of Seigo Harano!"

"Hah?" Seiji and Mika made twin exclamations of astonishment.

"A weaker version of…"

"Me?"

Chiaki nodded as she twirled her pretend whip.

"Her classmates in Year 1 Class 3 give her the review of beautiful, regal, honest, and direct. As for her stories, I've heard many regarding how she helped other people or generously solved their problems for them. In summation, she's an outstanding yet humble person who helps others of her own volition and can be direct yet not overly blunt at the same time."

"This… she really does sound rather like Seiji." Mika looked at the boy beside her.

"Yep, although her stories aren't as ridiculous as the ones about Seiji, her overall style is quite similar, which is why I said that." Chiaki nodded as she pointed with her whip once more. "And stories aside, just looking at people's evaluations of them, apart from the fact that she and Seiji are different genders, everything else is almost exactly the same."

Seiji couldn't find any words to say at this.

"As for the boys' popularity rankings, Seigo Harano is approximately in fourth place right now, but I expect that he'll be able to jump to number one soon, since he defeated the 'twin witches.'" Chiaki chuckled. "This incident has far more influence than you two can imagine, as it can be said to have overturned the entire relationship web among all the second-year high schoolers!"

"In such a short time, its effects have already become noticeable, and it will continue growing."

"Another way to say it, Seiji, is that your name is going to eventually spread through the entire second year! You only had some fame as the 'destroyer of clubs' before, but now you're becoming rather famous as the 'magic-devouring dragon!'"

"I expect that stories about the 'magic-devouring dragon' will spread out through the entire second year, before gradually becoming known to the entire high school; perhaps it will even spread to the middle school section."

"So, rejoice, Seigo Harano-sama! Your legend shall be known by all, and you shall take the venerated position of the number one most popular boy!"

Chiaki opened up her arms and acted as if she were performing in a play.

"It seems like I'm supposed to be happy about it… but I somehow can't bring myself to do so." Seiji smiled wryly.

"Magic-devouring dragon…" Mika muttered to herself, glancing at Seiji's side profile.

Although it sounded rather embarrassing if she accepted it… it actually seemed rather cool!

The double pigtailed girl's face began to flush red.

"That's about all I know, and it's mostly based on hearsay, so take it with a grain of salt." Chiaki stopped acting like she was a lecturer. "By the way, how was the result? Seiji, did you accept the 'Princess's' confession?"

"How could I? I only met her for the first time just earlier." Seiji sighed. "While I'm happy to be confessed to, accepting… and entering a relationship with a girl I just met for the first time isn't something I can do."

"What a pity—she's the third most popular girl in our grade."

"That sounds rather strange… since I didn't know about such a popularity ranking. But even if I knew, it's still the same, isn't it?"

"Tsk, such a narrow-minded man."

"Does this have anything to do with narrow-mindedness!?"

Chiaki kept giggling in response to Seiji's retorts.

"Your first confession is from a girl who's ranked number three in our grade; it shows how incredible of a person you are. I really look forward to who else you might end up facing in the future."

"Now that sounds even stranger… stop making it sound like it's a martial arts competition!"

"From a certain perspective, the school festival is a martial arts competition. There's plenty of competitors (boys and girls) participating in duels (confessions)."

Seiji couldn't respond to this.

"Participant Seigo Harano has started off by defeating someone as strong as number three and is about to march towards the top of the school!"

"Stop saying it like this is the beginning of a hot-blooded action manga!"

This was too much for him to handle.

…

After lunch, Seiji read through the love letters.

He mainly wanted to see if there was anyone who requested to meet him during the school festival… and there was.

Seiji wrote down all the times and places, and discovered that there would be no accidents… er, overlaps, which was good.

He just needed to go to all those places at the appropriate times.

He already survived the number three's attack… er, a more appropriate way to put it was that after experiencing a confession like Yukari Asamiya's, he was now more resistant to confessions and felt that he could deal with them.

After that, it was time to call Peach-sensei!

Seiji dialed the number he had previously saved on his cell phone.

The call connected.

"H-Haruta-kun…" a weak female voice stammered from the other end of the call.

Report chapter Comments