Star Gazing with the Saintess of Steel
After encountering the strange yet exciting martial artist named Kaito, Touta has been feeling pretty excited to learn something new like how to perform the Flash Steps in ways he didn't think of before and decided to take the training to the seriously if he wants to be of big help for the UQ Holders.
"Hey Touta, what in the world are you doing?" A boy named Ruki asked looking at Touta strangely.
"This may look weird to you, but this is actually strength training for my legs. So, I'm going to do most things with only using my feet." Touta explained while cooking the rice meal with his feet just like he said.
"And don't worry, I made sure to clean them before I started cooking." Touta said.
Some have questioned about Touta's training method thinking the food might taste strange because he is cooking with his feet, but as soon as everyone took a ate on the pea-fried rice meal, they find the food to still taste good despite him using his feet for the cooking.
"Wow, this taste really good!" Ruki amazed as the others agreed.
"I have questions with your naming and questionable hygiene, but I cannot deny this is very delicious." Karin admitted.
"Glad to hear it, I got to make sure I cook with the right stuff to please the hungry people." Touta grinned.
"Don't think that means you pleases, fool." Karin glared though only made Touta look back at her with a smile.
"I can see you're trying to get something out of your training." Kuroumaru said.
"Yep, and it's going to blow all of your minds!" Touta smirked.
"I highly doubt that." Karin said, yet for some strange reason she couldn't help but he curious of what the result of his training will be.
(The Next Day)
Touta met up with Kaito at the same open area where they met yesterday, they begun the training for Touta to master Flash Step such as running around the area blitzing while on barefoot to help get a better understanding on the technique.
"Master Kaito, the dust cloud is mostly gone." Touta pointed out.
"I guess, but your grip is still weak." Kaito said and did his fast running much better than Touta as the vampire boy gets amazes of it.
"The key is how you grab that thing the moment you land. You have to keep stepping softly but focus on the vectors at every instant." Kaito explained while holding up his left feet up to Touta's face.
"Every instant? That sounds hard." Touta commented.
"Maybe, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it with enough training. That's why you need to be able to use your feet just as you were using your hands." Kaito advised.
"Uh, that kind sounds like monkey having two hands for their feet." Touta compared then got whack on the head by Kaito.
"No, that's all wrong! Sure, monkeys can use their feet like hands, but this is totally different, and I refuse to hear my lessons being compare to a pack of monkeys!" Kaito angered.
"Sounds like you got problem with monkeys." Touta noticed.
"Shut up!" Kaito snapped.
For the next three days, Touta has continue his training under Kaito to master the Flash Step and doing his feet training at the slums like doing some knot and feeding himself some noodles, some of the kids found him weird at first but they start to grow fond of the guy as they see how intense and awesome, he is doing some daily labor with only his feet.
The Touta is seen brushing his teeth with his feet and saw the kid with the yellow bucket on his head doing the exact same thing.
"I want to get strong using my feet too, Touta!" Ruki said.
"Not bad there, kid. Your name is Ruki, right?" Touta asked.
"Yep, that's me." Ruki nodded.
"Cool, then let's give this our all!" Touta excited as Ruki yells in excitement.
Kuroumaru watches Touta get excited for training and using his feet as he has become very curious about this training Touta is going through and wanted to ask him but decided to hold off later maybe tonight at dinner as he has to do his own work.
Now Touta is seen training with Kaito again in the afternoon doing some sprint racing as Kaito keeps getting ahead of Touta by one two or three feet ahead of him.
"Not quite kid." Kaito said.
"Damn, exactly what kind of training did you go through when you started using Flash Step?" Touta asked.
"More Hellish than what we're doing right now. I went through six months using NOTHING but my feet." Kaito mentioned.
"Now, that's nuts!" Touta shocked.
"It was nothing! Well, except for everyone judging me." Kaito mentioned which earn a deadpan expression as he can understand why people would judge him.
"Does that include the monkeys?" Touta asked.
"I told you to never mention about the monkeys!" Kaito shouted in rage.
Later, back the church as Touta is cooking dinner tonight as always, he is talking with Kuroumaru about his training and the guy who is mentoring him.
"Wow! So, you're receiving your Flash Step training from this cool martial artist guy for the past three days?" Kuroumaru asked.
"That's right, he was strange at first, but he started to become all cool-looking when he showed me what I've been lacking in and I can totally see myself really improving. And he's making it a lot of fun to learn too." Touta explained while cooking the next meal for tonight's dinner with his feet again.
"But I could've taught you. I know Flash Step and I could have made it fun for you too." Kuroumaru offered.
"Thanks, but it's already too late since I'm training with Master Kaito now and besides, you train better with your swordsmanship because I think that's the coolest part of you that I like!" Touta smiled.
"Oh, well, huh… If you say so, then I'm going to work hard on my swordsmanship." Kuroumaru determined with his cheeks blushing a bit.
"Cool, looking forward to seeing your strength." Touta said while still cooking.
Kuromaru leaves the kitchen feeling happy and fluster from the compliment words Touta said to him though he almost bump into Karin when he exits the door.
"Oh, sorry, Ma'am." Kuromaru apologized and walks away.
"Hmm, he seems to be in a happy mood." Karin noticed, wondering what could Kuromaru be thinking about right now.
"Hey everyone, dinner is ready!" Touta called out.
(Later)
Karin is seen sitting on the rooftop of the church looking onward at the slums of New Tokyo and the capital city up ahead, seeing the bright lights shining the darkness of the night, wondering how the people are living out their time right now.
"Hey Karin, not going to bed?" Touta asked walking up behind her.
"I don't need to sleep; I can be awake for days and weeks if I want to." Karin said.
"Wow, that's so cool. I've only been able to stay up for two days when I was playing this awesome new video game Yukihime, it's about a bunch of hot ninja girls showing off their awesome techniques while being cute and sexy at the same time! It was a bunch of fun too." Touta remembered the game, and how Yukihime struggled to get him away from the game.
"I would have just kicked you out and leave to the next town." Karin said simply.
"Yeah, I bet you would." Touta chuckled.
"You know, meeting you for the first time back then reminds me of how Yukihime would talk about you." Touta said.
"She talks about me, like what?" Karin asked curiously.
"Well, she would tell me about how serious you can be at times like when it comes to following the rules and dedicated to your job in helping UQ Holder, and how close you would be close to her as much as possible." Touta explained some of the stuff Yukihime told him back at the village.
"She said that your very strong in strength and spirit, that you wouldn't let anyone, or anything get you down so hard, not even some monsters as you strike them down with your mighty hammer of Justice! The justice part is from me." Touta mentioned, imaging Karin like an awesome heroine.
"Whatever dirty thoughts you're thinking of, get those out of your head right now." Karin demanded.
"Whoa, whoa, hey! I wasn't being pervert thoughts, I swear!" Touta promised.
"She also told me about your past, of how you became immortal and met Yukihime." Touta said.
"So, you know of my past." Karin said looking away.
"Yep, and to be honest it sounds really sad of what you've been going through. People accusing you of being a witch, trying to kill you countless times, not to mention struggling to find a home. I've only been an immortal for over a week, so I don't know what's that like being called a monster." Touta said looking up at the sky.
"I know it's not my place to say sorry for your pain, but I just can't help but feel like that." Touta exclaimed.
"Maybe because I don't need an apology from you because I've managed to get through all the centuries just fine." Karin stated.
"Yeah, which is why I think your immortally is the coolest one of all and I'm jealous." Touta smiled surprising Karin a bit.
"Jealous of my immortally curse?" Karin puzzled.
"Well, because that immortally became from the love of your mom who wanted to save you from being killed." Touta nodded.
"How do you know about that?" Karin asked shock.
"Yukihime told me." Touta answered.
"Oh right, you said she told you much about me." Karin remembered.
"Yep. I'm jealous not just because of how you got your immortally, but because you had a mom to love and remember her throughout the centuries before we met… Something I wish I could have." Touta said looking sad while still starring at the stars.
"You may have already heard this from Yukihime, that I lost my parents in a car accident two years ago along with my memories of my past. All I know from her is that I'm the grandson of Negi Springfield, the savior of the world, pretty cool if you asked me though I wish I could have gotten the chance to meet him in person." Touta explained about himself in the past.
"Negi Springfield was known as one of the most powerful mages in the world with only Mistress Yukihime and another to be his equal, I had a hard time to believing you are related to the man who once won her heart." Karin said.
"Uh, guess being into cute vampire girls runs in the family." Touta chuckled.
"But in all serious, I never got to know my parents and I can't remember them either. Sometimes I wonder if life is making me a big and pathetic joke. I hate it." Touta clenched his hands on the edge of the roof, making cracks on it.
"While I still do not see you as a respectable being that deserves to be with Yukihime, I do not believe your life is a joke. After all, you did have your friends back in your home village and Yukihime was with you the whole time." Karin pointed out.
"Yeah, you're right. I don't know what my life would be like if I didn't have them by my side and now, I got to meet all of you making my life even more exciting!" Touta smiled, leaning closer to Karin.
"Hey, don't even think about doing whatever it is you're doing." Karin moved herself away from Touta a little.
"Sheesh, there's no need to be negative around me. I was just thinking maybe you can join the lovers circle with me and Yukihime." Touta shrugged.
"Wait, what?" Karin asked.
"Yeah, I actually talked to Yukihime before accepting my first mission and she agreed about forming a harem together starting with you as the second girlfriend consider you always love to be around Yukihime." Touta explained.
"In a harem… With Lady Yukihime." Karin's face blushed harder upon the idea, imaging herself and Yukihime naked together. Then she shook her head upon realizing that Touta will still be in the picture.
"No thank you, I do not want a little devil boy in my love life." Karin refused.
"Oh, come on, Yukihime says it's okay to have an open relationship. Plus, I always thought you were awesome and cute when we first met." Touta stated.
"Such flattery will get you nowhere with me." Karin said.
"Look, it's not like you ever found yourself a boyfriend to be with consider your immortal and all, but I'm going to force this on you if you don't want to. I just want you to at least give me a chance to see I'm more than what you think I am, to earn your trust." Touta said kind and confident.
"(To earn my trust.)" Karin thought.
Over the past 2000 years, Karin had only thought of just being with Yukihime who rescued her from being alone and tormented by the people who thinks of her as a monster because of her immortally curse, she became strong through the vampire woman's guidance and helped form the UQ Holder group. She never thought about finding a man to love because she never considers that much and there aren't any men to love at all, she does have some respect to some men she met those in and out of UQ Holder but never into love. And when Touta came into the picture, she first thought of him as being a nuisance that is a waste of Lady Yukihime's time, but lately her heart has been feeling weird whenever the boy is near her almost like she's in love with him.
"(Wait, love? With him? Is that why I've been feeling so strangely drawn to him?)" Karin thought asked herself.
"Hey Karin, are you okay?" Touta asked seeing that Karin hasn't said a word in a while.
"Y-Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just thinking about this "harem" offer of your." Karin said trying to keep her composure with her cheeks blushing a bit.
"Really, for real?" Touta asked exciting.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm only thinking about it to get much closer to Lady Yukihime than I have been for the past centuries and it has nothing to do with you." Karin stated though not entirely being honest with herself.
"That's okay, I'm just asking to give me a chance to earn your trust and your heart." Touta said.
"Still saying such nonsense." Karin exclaimed.
"But you do have high respect and being very close to Lady Yukihime, I'm willing to give you a chance as well. Mess that up and I'll throw you into the sun." Karin threatened.
"You got it! Oh man, Yukihime is going to be thrill when she hears this!" Touta excited.
"(Goodness, this boy certainly doesn't know when to control himself in moments like this.)" Karin commented and formed a small smile on her face.
"Hey Karin, there's one more thing I want to tell you." Touta said.
"And what's that?" Karin asked.
The answer Touta gave her is the form of a kiss on the lips much to her shock, her face turns redder than before and her eyes spiraling of confusion.
"(Got ya.)" Touta thought confident.
Then suddenly Touta got struck by a big lightning bolt shocking him with incredible pain and he fell on his back being burned like an extra crispy meat.
"What the Devil just happened?" Touta confused groaning in pain.
Karin held her hand over her lips where Touta kissed her on and immediately left the scene leaving Touta on the rooftop for the rest of the night as he couldn't move his body from the sudden thunderbolt strike.
KO a new chapter is done and hope you all enjoy it!
Touta is doing well with his training with Kaito to master the Flash Step technique as the danger is getting closer to the slums, and it looks like he had already made his move on Karin to join his harm though it looks like a little Divine intervention ruined the moment. But that won't stop our Devil-Vampire boy from kicking ass on the bad guys and showing off his Devil side too.
KO comment, favorite, and follow through of how this story will go!