ShipTeaser

  A grim Fht? This feels simir to when the yakuza attacked the shri worse. And it feels… immi. There’s no way I keep this to myself, but… as I stood arieved the mirror that had fallen from Ren-san’s numb hands, I looked up to see Yamato-san hurrying over to us, a frown on his face.

  “Just what have you done?” he asked, looking at the surroundiory, which had rgely been drained of the indigo light energies, although due to the rather generous supply of elemental light Kiyomizu-dera possessed, faint flecks of deep blue were drifting up from the surroundings already, though it would likely take many months or loo reach the density of before. “The light has gone.”

  “For now. It’ll return, and it isn’t like you were using it properly.” at my firm tone, Ren-san and the twins made noises of shock at my ck of respect for Yamato-san. But it’s not about respect. I respect people, but I’m also not part of their fa, so I have o bow and scrape. Besides, he owes me… “If I’m not mistaken, you did say I could have the light energy here. I still think it’s insuffit for my aid, but… well, I want to be on good terms with you and your father.”

  Mine-san, who was lying on her back, her face twisted into an expression of pai out a small ugh. “He’s got you there, Yamato-sama. I, like, totally remember you saying he could have the light energy. I’m not sure how they did what they did though… I started sug it in like they were, and all its done is hurt and make me feel sick. Like, a total bummer, right?”

  “Hang o me take a look.” My Eye fred e, and I could see that her clumsy efforts had indeed caused noticeable damage around her root chakra, spreading up towards the sacral and sor plexus chakras. “Yeah, that isn’t good.” I decred. “You ’t just force this. It takes signifit effort and uanding to make it work.” That and good eyes and some luck. I couldn’t help but smile as I remembered Shaeu and her efforts to teach me the wind element, and the damage I suffered. Sure, now we have it down to a bit of a fi, having a lot of experience, Chirurgery, Ether Healing, her and my Eyes, and now even telepathy aal linking. Really, we have a set-up few likely replicate, though I don’t want to believe only we have this level of success. Others might have differehods that work. Even so, I doubt many are more effit…

  “Hey, no ughing at me. I thought I’d, like, give it a shot? Nothiured, nothing gained, right?” Mine-san protested. I k down beside her and asked her if I could touch her briefly to heal her injuries. She gave me quite the look, before nodding, piergs jingling softly. “Okay, but no funny business, right? Though I guess, in front of the girls over there, that’s like, not a good pn, right?”

  “True. They’d be distinctly unimpressed.” I let aether flow, starting to repair the damage. My stocks were diminished, as I had to keep supplying the twins to keep the link w, as well as perform noticeable healing in everyone, but my ability to gee and store aether retty damn rge nowadays, so I could spare a little more. “And all done. I’ve flushed the remaining light element and patched you up. Really, I suggest starting with earth element if you o. You have affinity already since you are a nature user, and it’s the first chakra in your body.”

  “Really? Uh… chakras, right. Sounds new age. I was kind of into that, like, a few years back. I think I still have the jewellery somewhere. Oh well, thanks again, I guess. That’s two I owe you.” She let me help her to her feet, before she brushed herself down and adjusted her hakama.

  “That is all very well, but just what have you done?” Yamato-san persisted. “It sounds like you have all grown stronger by doing whatever it was you were doing.”

  Everyone else was letting me hahis, though Shaeu was looking at Yamato-san with a rather baleful gleam in her eye, not liking the way he was talking to me. So I’ll o sort this out quickly. I turned and tossed the mirror back to Ren-san, who caught it weakly, fumbling and nearly dropping it, though a simple fall wouldn’t damage such a mystical item. “Well, yes. Increasing the elements one use is fual, at least in my training school. I expect to talk more about it at cve. Though as Mine-san here found out, going in unprepared be harmful, though at her level, it's likely there would have been little sting damage and she’d have recovered in time once she stopped doing it. Although if you blindly try to mix g elements, then bad things certainly happen…” When I tried to learn fire, already knowing wind, that was wild…

  “You seem to know a lot about how this works.” Yamato-san mused. “How is that?”

  “I had a good teacher.” At that Shaeu puffed out her chest, and Yamato-san noticed.

  “I see. A spiritual being. That makes some sense.” He then looked at Ren-san. “That mirror. It seems to be some sort of light-reted spiritual treasure, is it not?”

  “It is.” Ren-san said, earning him a scowl from Eri at his loose tongue. “It store light and darkness energies for ter use, and…”

  “I don’t think we o go into that, do we?” Eri cut him off. “If you have a loose tongue, Hinata might e cut it out.”

  Ren-san fli that. Seriously, I doubt she’d go that far, but… Hinata does really wao be more discreet, and she’s right. Certain information such as kami and elements are going to be well known anyway, but specifics like the mirror should be kept under s… “Now, we are all allies here, right?” I said in a friendly manner. “Yes, the mirror is useful, but it’s only a training aid.”

  “Really?” Yamato-san asked, frowning again. “Well, as a Chosen of Kannon and bearer of a long history of faith, perhaps you should entrust it to me, as my Territory has a great abundance of light element, as you see.”

  Oh yeah. My link with Haru-san was the only ohat remained after the twins were exhausted by their bours, so I sent her a message to not say anything about her being a didate of Kannon too. We’ll save that for wheime is right. Before Eri, Shaeu or the others could explode, I deed politely. “No, I’m afraid not. I’ve no i in trading away the mirrht now. Besides, if anyone should be ied in mirrors, it’d be Princess Mikasa, right? After all, a mirror is part of the Imperial Regalia.”

  Yamato-san looked like he was about to protest, when Mine-san spoke up. “Oh e on, Yamato-sama. It isn’t o ask to take his things, is it? I mean, like… I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have him as a friend, right?” she wi me. “Let’s not fall out over something stupid.”

  “I was just thinking I could put it to better use, as a bearer of the light…” Yamato-san said, and at that I had to chuckle.

  “Well, looks like we all bear the light now.” I let a small beam of focused light shoot from my palm into the skies. Yeah, f it into a ser like Haru-san does is the easiest way to use light element as an attack, though I daresay using it in bination with wind as a fshbang would be good too… “But well, perhaps I could part with it, if you had something I needed more to offer in exge.”

  “I see. Well, I shall speak to my father. The ability to store light would strengtheiceably. But I am not so churlish as to take it without permission.” He sighed. “I am not that bastard Saionji.”

  As the versation took a turn, Hyath rushed up to me, grabbing and embrag me, rubbing her fae. It was unusual for her to be so forward in pany, but it seemed that she was simply that excited.

  “Master! Akiooo! Hyath did it, I ged myself! I want tooo know, how am I now? Am I stronger?” Her speech quirk was w overtime, as she was extremely happy. On seeing the dispy, Mine-san doubled uffawing.

  “Like, whoa, that maid is all over you. You sure are a smooth operator, Akio-kun. I’d definitely better watch out!”

  “If you don’t mind.” I said, allowing Hyath to hug me. “We are going to discuss some fidential information, so we’d like a little privacy.”

  “I see. Well, do you io spend much longer in my Territory?” Yamato-san asked, and I shrugged.

  “A little lohat went quicker than I had expected, so we have some time before cve, right?”

  “I see. Well, Mine-san and I shall be over there. e.” He spoke to her harshly, and after she pulled a fad wi me, she followed him away.

  “All right…” I walked back to the group, Hyath still ging to me. A fre of jade flickered around us, as I created a ward of silence. “… I had a fsh of Fht. And it isn’t good.” I said. At that, Shaeu froze, aware of what had happened before.

  “Do you know-know what it may be regarding?” she asked, deadly serious.

  “No, but I feel it around us. I don’t think it’s targeting me directly, more… those around me.”

  “I see. That is troubling indeed. If you were the target, Akio, I would trust-trust that you could protect yourself. We o be very-very cautious.”

  “So, when did it start?” My sis asked, being supported by Eri, her fad clothes drenched with slowly-dissolving silver sweat after her efforts.

  “Just now, when you exploded with light energy.” I said, and she flinched.

  “It wasn’t anything I did!” she insisted.

  “I know. It’s probably a ce. But… look, everyone o be aware to watch out for danger. We’ll o step up uard on our parents, our friends and everyone else we are with here in Kyoto.” I advised. “Hyath, you’ll o step up as well. We’ll want t Grulgor in on this, too. You s with him now.”

  “Ooof course, but…” she hesitated, a tense expression on her face, and I rubbed her head, stroking her hair.

  “I know. You want to know yrowth first. Well, here we go…”

  “Nice. Your Chakra work, Silver Cord, Aether Manipution and Lunar Chakra skills have all gained a Rank, and your stats have all gone up a fair amount.” Her csses had gone up as well, especially Pledged One and Dweller In Twilight. “Lovers’ Link… uh, that went up by a couple of Ranks.” At that it wasn’t just me and Hyath that were blushing, as Shaeu and Eri remembered our foursome. “All in all, you’ve got a lot stronger. Well dohough her grasp of light is rudimentary, just like my grasp of darkness. Though now we have lear, we improve it. We have time…

  “I am happy!” she decred. “I am gd I came here with yooou!” Her hug tightened on me again, and I let her do it for a minute, before she realised where she was, and face flushed, she released me. There was ughter, Kana surprisingly bold in ribbing her, and after that, Hyath disappeared, returning to the Material.

  “All right theill have a bit of time.” I said, looking at my weary but proud crew. “So, we might as well use up the st of our strength on training. Especially with potential disaster ing for us.”

  “You really are a monster when it es to training.” Kana sighed.

  “Well, you asked for this.” I reminded her, and she nodded, a wry smile on her face.

  “Yes, I guess I did. Oh well, what do you suggest?”

  “Hey, I want to learn Chirurgery!” my troublesome sister pined, and that gave me ahough I hate doing it.

  “All right then. Since everyone who didn’t have it got light element… thanks to you, Ren-san, Haru-san, sorry you didn’t be that much, but ime you will.” I apologised to them. Haru-san merely smiled, while Ren-san nodded, still drained by my sister’s plunder of his resources. “I think that we should focus oher Maniputioher Healing, and yes, o pout, sis, for you, we’ll look at Chirurgery. Shaeu, you help?”

  “Of course I shall-shall.” Shaeu agreed, while my sis threw her weary hands up in a cheer.

  “Thanks bro. You really are the best!”

  Shaeu and I started topping up everyone’s aether with our er stocks, which even diminished were signifitly higher than anyone else could boast. As we were finishing up Grulgor appeared, and he was still carrying the massive sack of loot from before.

  “Whoa, you look hirious.” My sis snickered, and Grulgor put down the sack, ign her.

  “Hyath said to Grul to e here. Are there foes to smash?”

  “No, not yet, although…” I expined my portents of grim trouble tor, and he was now intelligent enough to uand it, even if he still spoke the same way. “… so I’d like you to be on yuard during cve and keep an eye on everyone. Got it?” I finished.

  “Grul uands. Grul will crush and break any puny enemies who try and hurt my allies. Huh…” he paused, looking at everyone. “Grul thinks you have all got strrul approves.”

  “You have a keen eye, Grulgor.” Shaeu said happily. “We have indeed. I am now a Fae of light as well-well, and it does not-not need saying that Akio mastered it as well.”

  “I had intended you to have a go learning toor, but the supply of light element around here has beey much gutted for now. We’ve kind of speed-run the mass adoption of light here.” I said, a little embarrassed.

  “It does not matter. Grul wants to master water first.” Grulgor said, surprising me. I wasn’t aware he thought about things like that. I know he’s always looking to be stronger, but… why water element?

  Seeing my fused expression, Grulgurgled with ughter, huge, sb-like teeth g. “Grul knows water is good for healing and strengthening the body. Grul thinks if he has that, Grul will be unkilble, able to fight and fight until all enemies are stomped to bloody paste!”

  “That sounds true, if you ask me, bro.” My sis chimed in, rec from her exertions now that she was going to learn what she wanted. “Stag regeion is one of the tricks those two perverted idiots told Eri and me about…”

  “Perverted idiots?” I don’t like the sound of that.

  “Jealous much? That’s kind of cute, bro. Don’t worry, nobody is making a move on Eri. She’d kill them first anyway. You remember we talked about the two otaku in css who are into games and dirty stuff? Well, I’ve been asking them for advi elements and so on. It seems to have paid off!” she said proudly, and I felt the urge to rap her on the head, but I refrained. “… and their reward is they get to talk to us. A better deal for them, if you ask me. Anyway, they were saying in the games they pyed, multiple healihods stack, so…”

  I get it. Makes sense. “In that case, Grulgor, we’ll make time for you to learher Healing as well. Let’s really maximise your strengths.” With that, I dropped the barrier of wind, and on being able to hear us again, Mine-san strolled over, a smile on her face.

  “Finished with your secret talk?” she asked, and I nodded.

  “Not so much secret, as private. So, what brings you here?” I could see Yamato-san watg us too.

  “Nothing much, just thought I’d hang out. It isn’t often I get to meet people like me. Though…” she looked at the girls and Ren-san. “… seems like this spiritual world isn’t exclusively our domain anymore. I think, like, you’ll go down a storm at cve.”

  “That’s the pn.” I agreed, only for my sis to interrupt us rudely.

  “Enough flirting with that punk girl, bro. Training. Training!”

  “Fine. In that case… Ether Healing. It’s a skill I really want everyoo have, even if getting it is kind of… well, horrible.” I admitted. Eri and my sis could uand, as they had been through it already. “It allows you to automatically heal injuries, even if it’s slow and weak at first, as well as resist poisons, disease and eveal damage at higher Ranks. You eve to heal other people, though without a might be tough to use well. It evehe ability to acclimatise to specific ailments you are exposed to eventually, further increasing your prote.”

  “So, uh, that sounds like it would make it hard to get drunk bro. After all, alcohol is a poisht?” my sis asked, and Shaeu and I shared an amused look. Although Shaeu never had any issues getting drunk, ever

  “True, although high stats tend to do that anyway. For the loime it was impossible for me to get drunk easily if at all, however…” I grinned. “… at higher Ranks you get enhanced trol, and even lower your resistao things. So now I get drunk all I want, and I sober up in an instant when the fun is over.”

  Mine-san looked ied at that. “That sounds, like, super cool. I’d kill for that. I suffer from rancid hangovers when I’m out drinking.”

  “More to the point…” I said, frowning. “… call me a worrier if you want, but for you girls it serves another purpose. Especially for you, sis.”

  “Oh?” she asked, and I eborated.

  “Well, yoing to Uy spring, right? Assuming you pass your exams. That means socialising and stuff. And well… a pretty girl like you, you o be careful.”

  “You don’t get anything for fttering me bro, but… yeah, I’m geous, I know it.”

  “You do hear horror stories.” Haru-san said. “I never saw any of it, it’s not as on as people think, but… yes, some unscrupulous people might try and drug your drink at mixers and parties. I think being able t that off would be a godsend.”

  “Ick, that’s disgusting.” My sis spat sourly. “Well, I’ve already lear, but I’ll try and raise the Rank. No way I’m letting that shit happen to me!”

  “You like, totally are a worrier!” Mine-san ughed. “But… I think it’s kind of hot. I wish a guy thought about me that way. Maybe I’ll go put the moves on Yamato-sama.”

  “At the sour look on his face, I think he heard you and isn’t impressed.” I joked. “Anyway, time is tig, and we are in a hurry. So… I’ll help my sis learn Chirurgery first. Shaeu, you put everyone else through their paces at Aether Manipution and the new light element.”

  “Wow, bro putting me first instead of his girlfriends. I’m so honoured.” My sis snarked.

  “Sure, sure. Anyway, Haru-san, sorry to ask, but you link Aiko ba. We shouldn’t he twins as well if it’s just us.” Plus they are rather exhausted.

  “That’s no problem. I think I’m getting the hang of it now.” she smiled, an impish one I had seldom seen from the shy and troubled woman. “I know you worry I didn’t gain much from this effort, but… practise makes perfect, right?”

  “Right.” I agreed, and as we linked up, Mine-san and Yamato-san watg ily, I let Haru-san share my vision with my sis, her work fring into view.

  “Uh, is it me, or for a moment there were you seeing me hen, bro?” My sis said suspiciously, and I sighed.

  “A side-effect of getting the clearest view possible. Don’t worry, I’ve already scrubbed the horrific sight from my mind.”

  “Horrific. Damn bro, way to hurt a girl. Anyway, this is how you see the world through that Eye, huh? Damn, I’m all pretty and sparkly.”

  “Yeah, that’s your chakra work. See here, that’s where your fire element resides and here’s your new light element. It’s sunlight. Great job, sis. You…” I trailed off, surprised.

  “Wait, what?” my sis asked. “Don’t leave me hanging, bro!”

  “Good news, my precious little sister sapphire.” I teased her. “I had expected you’d get the Wielder of a Mutated Element css, and you did, but… you also got one I’ve not seen before.”

  “Cool, so I have three nht? I’m finally getting some power! So, what is it?”

  “Not so fast. I’ll tell you if you learn Chirurgery!” I tinued my teasing, and as she pouted, Mine-san spoke up in wonder.

  “Uh, they are brother and sister, right? Because, like, they are flirting up a storm here.”

  “Yes. Blood-reted, one hundred pert genuine.” Eri sighed from where she was alternatiween bolts of light and darkness, trying to get a feel for them both together. “Seriously, there’s nothing going oe what it looks like, but they are renowned in our hometown as the bro/sis pair. Just leave them to it, if you draw attention to it, it only makes it worse.”

  “Eri! That’s … shog!” My sis protested, and as they bickered, I began to use my own Chirurgery, making small ges to the smaller side capilries and branch pathways for Aiko to try and fix. “Fuck, bro! That hurts! Don’t just thrust it in there, give me some warning and be gentler!”

  “See? Phrasing, Aiko! I know you are doing it on purpose since you have an audience!” Eri sighed.

  “Yeah, this is going to hurt, as I’m improperly messing with your work, making it a little worse. Ether Healing will fix the damage, but it won’t put it back the way it was before. You need Chirurgery for that… I’ll demonstrate!”

  “Holy hell, that hurt worse than burning my hand!” she yelped. “But I think I get it… or not. Damn. Do it again, bro. But be gentle!”

  I spent a good twenty minutes slig and dig away at her work, until in the end Aiko was able to replicate the feat. It would have been essentially impossible for her just from my descriptions, and fumbling about to learn could have been disastrous, so ony eyes and the link paid dividends.

  “Well dohat was really quick. Thanks to you too, Haru-san.”

  “It leasure.” She said, letting the liween us finally break. “But I couldn’t help but feel the phantom pain from Aiko-san, so it wasn’t fun.”

  “Okay, sorry about that. Now, Mine-san, we need a little privacy again, if you don’t mind.”

  “I get it. You want to talk about csses, levels and skills, right? I’m, like, totally not stupid, okay?” Mine-san wi us. “Though… damn, I’m so curious, the suspense is like, killing me. Want to grab a drink once cve is done for the day? You show off how you get drunk and tell me all about it.”

  “No way, my bro has enough women without you flirting with him too. Shoo, shoo!” she shooed away the ughing Mine-san, and as I put up my sound-dampening wind barrier again, she regarded me with sparkling eyes. “Okay bro, spill, spill! I o know what my stats are now!”

  “That’s cool as hell, bro! All my numbers are over a hundred now!” she crowed. “And my Ether Healing, Chakra of Fme and Spiritual Kyūdō have all Ranked up. But that’s not the mai… go on bro, tell me, tell me!”

  “I get it.” I ughed, seriously impressed with my sis, who despite barely getting any be from Lovers’ Link, uhe others, had put in gruelling effort to gain skills and grow stronger. I guess she is definitely my sister, we both like the grind.

  Archer Of Light – This css is gained by anyone who has access to fme and light elements, along with satisfactory spiritual and physical archery skills. Intelled Precision will increase, and yrasp of spatial coordinates and trajectories will be instinctive, and your calcutive capabilities noticeably enhanced. Geion of fme and light elements will be slightly increased, and you imbue those elements into your arrows more easily and at reduced cost, or evee arrows of those elements.

  “Bro, whatever this system is, it thinks I’m good enough an archer to have a css. I feel… damn, I feel so proud of myself!”

  “As you should.” I patted her head. “But more importantly… Aiko, what’s the square of sixty-seven?”

  “Four thousand, four hundred ay-nine.” She answered instantly, without thinking. “Uh… how did I do that?”

  “Your calcutive capabilities are enhanced. Well sis, I guess the maths portion of your entrance exams will no longer be an issue.”

  “That’s a blessing, so if I’ve got maths and English in the bag, then it should be smooth sailing, right?” she gave me a thumbs-up, and I ughed, dropping the wind barrier.

  “Looks like the news was good.” Mine-san said, ing back over. Yamato-san was tinuing to watch our training with narrowed eyes, probably trying to glean hints about hoere doing it. “So, like, good job, I guess?”

  “Thanks!” Aiko gave her a thumbs-up as well. “Well, I’m beat, so I’ll leave the wave of training to you. Kana-, you’re up!” she called, and Kana came over, followed by Marika-san, who was holding a little flickering ball of light above her palms.

  “Even a young kid like that, huh?” Mine-san observed, just as the ball winked out of existend Marika-san teared up a little.

  “It’s okay, Marika-.” Kana reassured her. “It’s hard, I know. But if you study, you’ll master it. Keomi- says you like studying, right? Hell, you are better than she is, and she’s way older.”

  “That’s true. I feel a bit sorry for her and the others that they couldn’t e today, but…” I said, shrugging. “We ’t train everyo once. And judging by how much elemental energy we plundered, it was the right call. But enough of that. Kana… do you want to learher Healing?”

  She flinched. “I… well, yes. I do. But I don’t like pain. Still…” she let out a long sigh. “… I mahrough the Chirurgery. I do it again.”

  “It’s worse, maybe.” Eri warned her. “Although…” she exged a look with Aiko.

  “Yeah, it has a side be. Your skin and hair stay pretty much perfect, even at the first Rank. No spots, greasy skin, nk hair… it’s awesome. Evetle nicks and wear and tear of daily life just polish themselves right out. You get away without make-up nearly all the time!”

  Mine-san was listening, as were everyone else, the twins giving us their full attention too. Only Ren-san looked ued, but Yamato-san strode over and started up a versation with him. Probing for information, no doubt. Well, it’s not like it be replicated. In fact…

  “The only issue is, since we aren’t kin, it’ll be hard for me to know when you’ve acquired the skill, but I should be able to mah my Eye.”

  “I assist as well-well.” Shaeu grinned. “So do not-not worry. Pain is temporary, beauty is forever, is that not-not correct?”

  “Fine.” Kana said at st. “I’ll do it. Ugh, what I have to suffer to be the best. I won’t ask you to take responsibility, but I will ask you to be gentle.”

  “She sounds just like me…” My sis snickered.

  “All right then, here we go…”

  ********

  “Finally.” Kana was cradling her arm. We had rolled the sleeve ba her hakama and inflicted nasty injuries ohough we kept then internal, so that she didn’t bleed all over her clothes ba the Material. Eventually, with help from my Eye and Haru-san showing her how I did it, as well as Shaeu and I guiding the flow within her, Kana’s body reached the poiher was automatically bei around both her bodies, affeg minor healing. “That sucked. It sucked to the maximum. It was hell. But… at least I succeeded.”

  “For now.” my sis warned her. “You get to hurt all ain when yoing for a Rank up.”

  “You sure are a sadist.” Mine-san said, having watched the se. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that was torture.”

  “It be quite-quite cruel to learn, but pared to how we learned by using the Myid Death Spores…” Shaeu barked a bitter ugh. “No, this was kind and quite-quite gentle in parison. So, who is ?”

  “Ren-san, you’re up.” I said, and as he went pale, Shaeu mocked him.

  “I shall-shall be w on your sisters. They will not-not refuse, right?”

  The two girls were holding hands, looking down, but they shook their heads after silently unig with each other. “No, we shall endure, Shaeu-sama.” “We do it. As daughters of Hikawa-Kawagoe, we o be strong.” They both answered her.

  “You see? So man up.” I ughed, grabbing Ren-san by the colr.

  “Would you be so good as to expin what you are doing?” Yamato-san asked, his versation interrupted.

  “Training. You are wele to watch, though I doubt you’ll learn that much. I dare say I’ll end up talking about it in more detail at cve.”

  He seemed frustrated, but he merely acquiesced, bag off, and soon, Ren-san was wailing like a little kid…

  ********

  “To think that you two sisters could share-share the paiween yourselves, halving the iy. That was most-most clever. And then to split it still further with Marika…”

  I atting the head of our teary-eyed Marika-san, though she smiled at me tremulously, her body still shaking. “It is fine. I wao be useful to Chairo-sama, and to you, Akio-sama.” She bit her lip softly, remembering the pain, as even split into thirds it was quite agonising. “Though… I wait a while befoing further?”

  “Of course. You were very brave. The twins too.” I turo thank them. “You didn’t o suffer the pain for Marika-san, so I’m really impressed.”

  “It was nothing, Akio-sama. Or so I would like to say…” Chiaki began.

  “… we don’t regret it, but… we would like to wait before further training as well.” Chiasa finished her sentence.

  “Yeah, there’s nency. We’ve id the foundations.” I said, only for Ren-san to speak up.

  “If only you’d have waited, my sister could have shared my pain and…”

  “No way.” I denied him. “Brothers are there to spare their sisters from pain.”

  “Says the brother that is always hurting his sister deliberately, it seems.” Mine-san giggled. “It’s like, you have no self-awareness at all!”

  “Yeah, whatever.” I brushed that aside, knowing I did it for the right reasons, even if I hated it. “Haru-san, Grulgor, we are running short on time, I’ll work on the pair of you ter, along with Hyath.”

  “Fine. I don’t… enjoy pain. It brings back bad memories.” Haru-san whispered.

  “All right. Mine-san, Yamato-san, we’ll be going soon, I just want to try one more thing, so… privacy time.” the barrier of wi up again.

  “Before that-that, Eri and I would like to see rowth.” Shaeu asked, and I nodded.

  “All right, I’ll make I quick, as time is passing.”

  “I see-see. I am certainly stronger, and I do rather enjoy being able to uand my skills as you do now, Akio, but-but…” she sighed mournfully. “I have been far-far too busy on Seelie Court politics to battle and raise my level. I have stagnated, and Eri is close-close to catg me.”

  As Eri gririumphantly, my sis pined. “Yeah, yeah. I feel so sorry for you Shaeu, here’s me, stu level nine!”

  “Well, I have-have e up with an idea, but first we o speak to…”

  As they bickered, they looked happy. Tangible growth was the sweetest of all rewards, and though I had helped them along the way, a lot of it was their own efforts. In fact, we all help each other. Haru-san, the twins, Ren-san, Shaeu, today wouldn’t have been such a success without everyone w together. As I was reading out more of Eri’s stats, I gnced outside my wind barrier to where Yamato-san and Mine-saalking. cve, huh? If we all work together, more didates helping each other, what value we add, what feats we achieve together? If only my Fht wasn’t warning me, putting a dampener on my hopeful feelings…

  With Eri’s stats looking like that after all her hard work, I definitely don’t o worry about casual criminals or stalkers. It’d take a mob of yakuza, the army or a didate to handle her… I guess her affinity fht is low though, sidering her gains. Hmm, I think I know their raining regimen…

  It was simir to what I was doing now, trying to link my wood and light elements to my lunar chakra, as doing so massively increased the recovery speed, power and maximum amount of such elements I could hold.

  “I was so proud of breaking the hundred barrier and all of yours are past two hundred! Some are nearly three hundred!” My sis pined. “Although… I have sunlight, you have pin measly old light!” she said triumphantly.

  “Hey, I have just an ordinary light element too…” I ughed. “And speaking of…” using my Split Thoughts and my experience from before, along with my high uanding of light element, it synised with my lunar chakra, upgrading the skill. Wood element… well, that’s a lost cause for now. I suppose we should get going…

  Before I could decre we were done, everyone insisted on knowing my stats. “Oh well, I tell you, but promise not to be depressed, all right?” I grinned cheekily. “If Eri’s bother you, you’ll cry when I tell you mine.” I teased Aiko.

  “Just shut up and do it. We have to get going soht?” she retorted.

  “Sure. In that case…”

  My lunar chakra was now a four element, light and darkness one, and the swirling energies were orbiting it in seeming harmony, geiiceable power. My stats were all around a thousand, barriher, and when I ied the new light element into Body Enha, I might be able to effectively double them for a short time, or ru a noticeable but lesser increase for a det length of time.

  “Wow, just …. Wow.” My sis said. “Damn bro, way to make us all look bad!”

  “Well, I am a didate, so it’s not fair to pare. sidering everything, you and Eri have done wonders. And now Kana, Marika-san, Chiaki-san, Chiasa-san, Ren-san, you’ve taken the first steps on this path too. The others… we’ll have t then up to speed as well, but for now… cve.” I exged looks with everyone as the privacy barrier dropped again. “Are we ready?”

  “We sure are!” Kana decred, hyping herself up. “My father may be the face of Shirohebizumi shrine, but I’ll do my part, as the future heir to the shrine, and your ally, Akio.”

  As the others echoed her, Yamato-san and Mine-saurned. “Sounds like you are all pumped for cve. I’m like, gd someone is.” Mine-san chortled.

  “Don’t be foolish. This is vital to you. To us all.” Yamato-san then addressed Ren-san, the twins and Kana. “As Susanoo fa, I hope you’ll give it your all, even if you are not at the maiing. I’ll make some time to e and see you, all right?”

  Ren-san nodded, excited. Kana hid her expression behind her usual flirty mask when she was trying to dissemble, and nodded as well.

  “As for you…” Yamato-san said. “My father invited you, don’t fet that.”

  True, but… oh well, it doesn’t matter. I’ll do what I o dardless of fa. “Don’t worry, I never fet a favour doo me.” A slight her. Let’s hope he gets that message. “Well, we should be going. Thanks for the light element, Yamato-san. I’ll sider it a little payment towards the cost of my help yesterday.” And with those words we returo the Material, ready for cve, though first there was the small matter of my meeting with Saionji-san…

  ShipTeaser