Beta read by Shigiya, GameCrusher55 and Darklord331
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-Fujimi Academy-
There were many instances that Rei experienced in the last couple of days that filled her with uncertainty and disbelief. The first was the discovery that she was surprisingly lightweight when it came to drinking alcohol. The second revelation was discovering that fishing could actually be a relaxing and enjoyable activity, contrary to her previous beliefs. It also led to the realization that there are people in this world who possess such exceptional skill in a certain area that no amount of effort from an average person could ever match them. These monsters of talent exist in her world.
These revelations came in rapid succession over the past month, each day unveiling some new tidbit of knowledge. Take, for instance, the day a certain Irishman casually mentioned the existence of a dual spear fighting style - a technique apparently as effective as it was intriguing. Naturally, her curiosity was piqued, but much to her chagrin, the irritating fellow conveniently omitted any offer to teach her this tantalizing combat method.
It sounded awesome despite the possibility of it being impractical.
Nevertheless, all of these still paled in comparison to what she learned today.
"So, let me get this straight," Rei said whilst massaging her temples, looking at him skeptically. "Not only did you go to the Kendo Club and get noticed by Saeko Busujima herself for some reason, but you also ended up in a duel with her?"
"Way to make it sound like me being in a duel is odd for some reason. Also, I don't know if I'd call it 'friendly'," he replied, scratching his head with a thoughtful expression. "At one point, I was pretty sure that she was aiming for my neck… Actually, yeah, she was definitely trying to hurt me. By the end, I felt like I was a big juicy hunk of meat for her to gnaw on. Ha! But hey, we both had fun. I am glad to see there are still people like her in this time and age."
Rei's brow rose in disbelief. "And you're telling me you managed to keep up with her—and were even able to push her back?"
"Oi, what's with that look?" he asked, clearly confused by her disbelief. "Are you really that surprised that I could take on someone from your school? I told you I'm good with a sword and shield — I just like the spear more. My Shishou trained me in many different aspects of combat."
Despite his confident tone, Rei's expression remained deadpan and continued to speak as if he didn't hear him. "And then, in the end, both of your weapons ended up breaking apart, leading to a draw."
"Geez, why the recap? I already spilled the beans," he muttered, rolling his eyes with a smirk. "Those bamboo sticks were doomed from the start, given how we were going at it. Now, if she'd been swinging real steel... hoo boy, that would've been something. Then again," he paused, a glint of mischief in his eye, "by the end, our fierce kendo queen was looking more like a winded kitten. Real sword or not, I reckon the outcome would've been the same."
While he continued to ramble on, Rei only stared at him, lost for words. Her gaze dropped to the club application form he had just handed her, listing his personal information and a short section labeled; Reason for Joining.
He had filled in just four words: "Because it is fun."
She sighed, both amused and exasperated. After all she'd come to learn about him, it didn't surprise her after further thinking. And yet, it was still hard to believe that the same guy in front of her had gone toe-to-toe with Saeko Busujima herself—and actually held his ground. If the weapons hadn't broken… who would have won?
"Even if you like the spear more, if your talent with the sword is good enough to beat Saeko then you are just wasting your time here." Her voice was barely a whisper, he heard it clearly.
"Really?"
"... I'm serious. That club is getting a lot more attention than this one. You can get sponsored by the same people interested in Saeko, participate in international tournaments, and make a name for yourself. The Sojutsu club in comparison cannot compare, we are not as popu—kya!"
Out of nowhere, she felt a sharp pain on her forehead as Cu flicked his finger. His action caught her and some of the few club members behind turned their attention to him with various reactions.
The brown-haired girl was bewildered while the others were speechless that someone actually managed to do that without getting immediately smacked on the head with a spear.
"Oi, what's with you suddenly becoming this caring?"
"W-What's that supposed to mean! I am always considerate of others!"
"Not like this," he answered without missing a beat followed by him messing her hair teasingly. "As far as I know, you tend to be a bit selfish and even bitchy at times. I assumed you would have been very happy or even a bit smug that I came here instead of joining the kendo club and using the opportunity to mock Saeko."
Her face was still red from anger, Rei gathered her wits not willing to be teased so easily by this cocky irish. "You think too highly of yourself." She said, jabbing her finger against his chest.
Her actions were not minded by the blue-haired boy, instead he found them quite amusing. "Ah, I guess I do. Not without reason after all, What are you going to do about that, little Miss?"
Seeing not a trace of fluster or embarrassment on his face, she pushed aside her growing embarrassment and this time grabbed his collar pulling him slightly closer. Trying to put on a stern face despite her standing shorter than him. "Then I will pull you down myself and teach you to be humble."
The grin on his face grew wider and for a moment Rei felt a chill run up her spine as rather than laugh it off or even back away as she had hoped he would do, his hands instead came closer to her face raising her chin up to face him in the eyes. "That's a nice fire you have in your eyes there. You better stay true to your words then, 'cause I like a challenge."
"..."
Rei was momentarily caught in a daze, this being the first time someone was this bold with her. Her body turned to stone and she was uncertain of what to do next, now only able to gaze at his gaze and nothing else,
For Cu on the other hand, as far as he saw it, the current gal in front of him was a long way from becoming a proper warrior let alone someone capable of going against him in combat. But that did not mean he would not believe in her, anyone if pushed hard enough to surpass their limits. And if she could just give him that brief moment of satisfaction then it would be worth it.
'She is getting flustered, how adorable.' Despite having these thoughts, he did not miss her change in expression, the growing red tint on her face, the increased heartbeat, and the slightly heavier breathing. For now, he was certain that the girl did not harbor any romantic feelings for him in her heart, But that did not mean she was not physically attracted, not like he wasn't on the same boat. 'Would you look at that, she is no different to a kitten right now. Maybe I went a bit too far with the teasing, but it's really hard to resist.'
Laughing at himself, he shook his head on the inside and regained his composure. Getting a good idea of a way to tease her further.
"Want me to kiss you in front of everyone? I promise to make it worth your while"
"—!?"
His whispered words acted no different from a sledgehammer hitting her back to reality, the effects intense enough to give her a whiplash and she ended up taking a few steps back. Noticing the few members of the club looking at them with shock and blushes on their faces at what they are seeing. "A-Ah this was… we weren't…"
Words failed to form as she tried to explain the misunderstanding that they just witnessed.
"Oh my, Rei! I thought Japanese girls were supposed to be shy and introverted when it came to flirting, yet to do it in front of so many people, I even felt my heart skip a beat~!" Of course, He could not let such an opportunity to slip by and took full advantage of it to further tease the poor girl who was glaring bloody murder at him
"S-Stop making it worse! I-It was just a misunderstanding! "
"Hahahaha!"
Rather than clear up the misunderstanding, he laughed.
"Seth Collins!" Fully incensed by his obvious teasing, Ray grabbed her wooden spear and lunged at the young man without hesitation.
He grinned, a playful glint in his eye, and sidestepped smoothly, hands casually tucked into his pockets. With fluid grace, he dipped under her first strike, letting the spear slice harmlessly through the air above him. His movements were effortless like he was dancing around her, and each sidestep seemed to taunt her all the more. She felt her frustration rise, but she pressed on, refusing to let up.
Those moves were visibly more polished compared to her past self. With more power behind each one of her strikes. "Keep this up and you will become as good as the Busujima girl!"
"Shut the hell up!"
"Fighting against someone who is not even wielding a weapon? How unsportsmanlike."
"Like you care!" a few trust attacks were thrown at him which he managed to pass with the back of his hand.
"Now that's more like you."
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"Well, this was pretty anticlimactic."
A few minutes passed since she started to attack him relentlessly. Borrowing a wooden spear for one of the members who was kind enough to pass it on, he continued the fight as if it were their regular spars they had frequently. With proper gear this time for Rei, there were some minor improvements in her overall tile but nothing to write home about.
Eventually, exhaustion started to creep in within the brown-haired woman given she was mostly focusing on the offensive with him instead of blocking most of the attacks or just easily dodging someone that were moving through molasses
Rei halted, her arms falling to her sides as the spear drooped towards the ground. Cu's gaze wandered over her, taking in the way her chest heaved with each heavy breath, her thin clothing soaked with sweat and clinging to every curve of her body. The outline of her stiff nipples was clearly visible through the damp fabric. Shaking his head to clear the distracting thoughts, he teasingly rapped her on the head with the wooden shaft of his weapon, an impish grin spreading across his face.The other members continued their daily practices and no longer focused on him, deeming the fight uninteresting after the initial heat
"Are you still alive?" He said amusedly, poking her head a couple of times with the wooden spear till she slapped the thing away. "Still hanging with the living. Glad to see that."
"Give… hah… Give me a second, I just need to breathe and I'll…cough start kicking your ass." Even her words were ragged, barely audible even within the quiet room.
"Blame yourself for that. Swinging your weapon around without any forethought is just asking for trouble." He took a seat on the floor beside her, took the application form, and started to write. "It is a bit strange I found no teacher around here. Don't tell me you all are practicing without any guidance?"
"... He's probably hanging around with Shido licking his ass." A heavy amount of venom laced her sentence whenever it came to matters related to that man.
"One, that's gross. Also, so what? He won't be teaching you because of a single teacher having a rich pop?"
Due to his prior meeting with the teacher, Cu conducted some simple research on that guy and learned a couple of things about his family and overall status. Hard to believe someone like him chose to become a teacher of all things, it made him suspicious that perhaps it was not out of the goodness of his heart to teach the next generation of kids.
Rei shook her head, eyes closed still in the middle of regaining her bearings. "I don't know. He can't act too biased nor can he abandon his duties as coach, the school still has a reputation to uphold."
He couldn't help but watch her chest sway side to side, the sweat soaking the fabric to the extent that left little to the imagination, popShaking his head in unison, he continued;
"I see, then you shouldn't worry too much about them. If he is trying to make you quit or distance himself from the club, then I am always here to give some pointers. The other kids don't have any problems with this Shido guy… hopefully."
"You sound different."
"Hm?" That caught him a bit by surprise, not sure what she meant by that he kept his silence.
"Just a few minutes ago you were acting like a smug bastard embarrassing me in front of everyone but now that we are alone here you get all serious and caring."
He let out a small chuckle at the dig from his earlier comment, at least she was feeling a little better, "I was just poking fun at you for a bit. The others were a bit uneasy around you."
"You noticed?"
"A bit, yes."
Rei's reputation was not bad from what he understood, she was not openly treated negatively and many people still admired the girl for her looks and capability as a talented practitioner. But there were rumors floating about, hushed whispers that eventually reached his ears. Contempt at her repeating a grade once more and mocking words calling Rei a slut amongst other things.
"...I forgot how cruel kids can be at your age. My friends in Howth were much more relaxed in comparison, we did not treat each other differently based on grades, status, or rumors. "
He saw a smile form on her face. "Sounds like a wonderful place, maybe I should go there instead for my studies."
"Heh, don't bother, city girl, you will get bored quickly and I doubt you will like living inside a fridge all year round." His hometown was a beautiful place with plenty of good folks, but that was about it.
In response, Rei huffed. "At least I won't have to deal with people like Shido and his lackeys."
"Wow, you really hate that guy don't you?"
"No shit," Rei scoffed as she rose to her feet, brushing herself off with an irritated huff. The abrupt movement caused her disheveled clothes to ride up slightly, giving Cu an eyeful of her athletic physique. Her form-fitting blue sports bra, damp with perspiration, left little to the imagination as it molded to her curves. The sheer fabric, nearly transparent from exertion, did nothing to conceal the prominence of her pert nipples straining against the confines of the bra.
'Did not expect her to have such taste. Man, girls are really bold in this day and age.'
Not exactly as big as Fumiko but still much more gifted than the average adult woman. Perhaps another reason why those two boys were so attracted to her.
"Anyways, it was fun talking to you, Rei. Gotta head out, so I will leave this here for now." He passed her his form and soon walked out of the clubroom, leaving the girl alone to read his application once more and found that he added something else for his reason for joining.
"Because it is fun to be beside my favorite disciple so she doesn't become a stick in the mud."
Her eyes twitched at the school cartoonish drawing of his face at the bottom giving her a thumbs up and she ended up sighing. Had it been someone else, she would have been pissed for them to not fill in the application seriously and wasting her time.
But with him, well she supposed this was on brand with the kind of person he was.
"Disciple, really? Guess I kind of agreed to become his disciple."
Yet something about his choice of words rubbed her the wrong way, though she couldn't quite put her finger on why. As she mulled it over, memories of his earlier teasing surfaced. The faint scent of his sweat still lingered in the air, a reminder of their intense sparring session. Rei wrinkled her nose, unsure if she found it unpleasant or oddly comforting in its familiarity.
This coupled with their closeness made her mind wander in another direction. How could he be so bold and confident without a bit of shame!?
Was he actually unfazed by her looks!?
Rei was not one to be overly attentive or a narcissus when it came to her appearance or even too bothered about her makeup. But she still believed it was good enough to accentuate her natural beauty to the point she believed to not be that far behind amongst the top beauties in school if she was to be bold about it.
With all these messy thoughts in her mind, she groaned and put the now folded paper within her cleavage, not having any pockets on her to put it in.
She was not sure the kind of woman he liked, maybe if she wore more revealing clothing during their spa—pa!
"Get a hold of yourself, Rei!"
Using both hands to slap these dangerous thoughts always, she managed to regain her composure.
"We're friends, friends! And you just met him almost a month ago! As if I would be interested in an infuriating guy who likes to make fun of people like this constantly, hmph! He would be lucky if I so much as consider dating the meathead…"
Slowly, she gained back her spunk. Leaving to wash off the sweat in the shower room and getting dressed down, she posed in front of the mirror fully naked, and grabbed her breasts with both hands, enough that it was more than a handful. An hourglass figure and wide hips — she had it all.
"It should be big enough."
Right, her appearance was definitely not lacking, he was probably just trying his best to not show his true feelings.
…
While Rei continued to reaffirm her suspicions, Cu walked down the hallway whilst yawning.
It was a long day and hunger already started to settle in. He wanted to go back to his apartment and open up a few beers with a full meal in front of him — an excellent way to end the day in his opinion. "I should stop by the convenience store again, supplies have been running low lately. Oh."
He stopped, looking at the person walking from the opposite side of the hallway. Immediately recognizing that sleazy expression, that smile which should only ever belong to a snake.
"Are you Seth Collins?" Shido spoke first, putting on a friendly appearance. "I am Professor Shido of class 3-A. I believe we met before."
"We did?" He replied with a disinterested tone, his pinky finger picking his ear whilst he looked outside. "Sorry can't remember ya, the name sounds familiar but your face does not ring a bell. It's pretty forgettable."
The bespectacled man's smile stretched slightly but he kept his composure. "...At the parking lot, when I was having a conversation with Kyouko."
"Oh, now I remember!" He slapped his hands together with an over-the-top reaction. "You're the man who was throwing a temper tantrum because someone touched your car! No wonder I don't remember your face, I thought that you were some kind of pretty boy who was throwing a hissy fit."
"..."
Shido took a deep breath and Cu smiled.
"Yes… well, that was an unfortunate first impression you had of me. It was a long day and I was not in the best of moods."
"Sure it was. Though it didn't stop ya from trying to force someone to come with ya to a party despite telling you no the first time." He could see Shido's expression shift ever so slightly, but these words were obviously not enough to break his composure, but it wasn't like he was trying to push him over the edge in the first place.
"Kyok—"
"Professor Hayashi you mean? I don't remember her being that close to you." Honestly, he was not that bothered by the way people called each other here but was just doing it to see his reaction.
"You are quite the character aren't you…" Shido chuckled, pushing up his glasses with the sunlight reflecting off of them. "A new foreign student. We do not get those often, especially one that was accepted so easily by the director. I suppose Professor Hayashi had a hand in it, as a guardian no less."
"And? I am not seeing where this conversation is going, so make it quick because I need to go back home soon."
Shido ignored his taunt and continued to speak, "Professor Hayashi has been a member of the school's staff for years. With excellent academic achievement and a spotless record, she is what many would consider a perfect teacher."
"Heh, I agree with you completely. She is an amazing woman and a bit of a stickler for the rules." Perhaps the first thing they agreed upon, though this was their first conversation.
"Which is why you should be more careful, Seth." Shido's smirk grew. "A person like hers whose entire life is based around her achievements cannot afford to have a stain on her records. Being your sponsor means that your achievement reflects on her."
"What are you trying to say?" Cu no longer felt interested in the conversation and asked directly, his tone of voice holding a hint of impatience missed by the man before him.
"I believe you understand me perfectly. Hanging around a delinquent like Rei Miyamoto who not only repeated a grade but regularly gets into disputes with other staff members is already worrisome enough. But you see, as your teacher I also have to put aside my bias and grade you accordingly, if you continue down this path then it is very possible for this to reflect on your grades and overall sponsorship."
"..."
"If you fail and end up being sent back to your hometown, then Kyouko will have to bear responsibility. This could affect her career negatively and even ruin plenty of opportunities she worked hard for in the past. Down the road… who knows… under the right circumstances she might lose everything—!"
For a brief moment, Shido closed his eyes as he explained the environment the boy was involved in the first place. To show him who was the one in control and place a leash around the boy to keep him in check.
Yet the moment he opened them back up after not even a second passed, he found himself staring back at crimson eyes with a hand gripping down his shoulder.
"You need to stop talking, Professor," Cu spoke dryly, his tone laced with irritation. A cold sensation spread through his body, prickling his skin like a bed of thorns—uncomfortable, chilling, and almost nauseating. His fingers twitched slightly at his sides.
"For a moment there, it felt like you were tryin' to threaten me and Miss Kyoko." His gaze sharpened, voice lowering to a dangerous edge. "Is that what I'm gettin' from ya?"
The grip on his shoulder tightened, enough to make him groan in pain from the sensation of his bones almost getting popped out of its socket. Shido, enraged by this behavior, was about to remind him of his father's identity and call for help but found himself unable to mutter those words when the dreadful sensation grew more intense.
"Urgh!" His legs gave out, and a retching sound came out of his mouth with the nausea growing worse. The air smelled like blood and he started to shake everywhere."
"Is everything alright, Shido? You look kinda sick there."
Cu said, watching the guy in front of him on all fours, breathing haggardly with sweat pouring down his forehead. "Hah… hah… hah…"
The more he looked at him, the more this man reminded him of a certain purple-haired bastard from the last war.
All bluster and no spine when the chips are down.
Getting down to his level, he touched Shido's forehead. "Don't think about using Kyouko or anyone else against me, you sniveling brat. This is the first and last time I'm letting you off the hook, only for Kyouko's sake, but try this again and you will regret it."
Giving the man one last hard pat on the shoulder, which almost had the man buckling again, he walked past him. Heading to the entrance, leaving Shido to stew in his thoughts. As much as he wanted to beat some senses into that man, the aftermath would hurt others more than himself.
Not that he was particularly worried about his retaliation, Cu swore to keep a close eye on the bastard in case he tried something else. He already knew that those types never learn to stop poking the bear. But he didn't need to point the tip of a spear against that man's neck to get him to comply.
Maybe he could try to scare the father first, the son was just leeching off him after all. Without the former, Shido had nothing.
"Ah!"
"Eh?"
Lost in thought, Cu barely registered the sudden shadow looming over him. He glanced up, only for his eyes to nearly pop out of their sockets. Instead of a face, he found himself staring at an impossibly massive pair of tits straining against a white button-up shirt. They made even Kyouko's generous assets look very modest by comparison.
Before he could react, the soft mounds collided with his face. His brain short-circuited at the unexpected contact, leaving him dumbfounded and unable to dodge. As the weight pressed against him, Cu could only stand there in stunned silence, trying to process what the hell was happening.
.
Bam!
His head slammed against the wall hard enough to cause small cracks on the surface. What followed was no different from a concussion harsh enough to blur his vision and even feel the warm sensation of blood on his scalp.
The pain was greater than anything he felt since his rebirth in this world, this being the first time someone made him bleed.
'I did not sense any hostile intent… or any person for that matter. Damn it, I became too comfortable and let my guard down!'
Strands of blonde hair appeared at the edge of his vision with the voice of a flustered woman clearly panicking as his body fell to the ground with a thud.
"No! Nononono! I-I am sorry! B-Blood!? Are you dead!? No! Don't die! I will lose my job!" Whoever this was, out of nowhere started to slap his face repeatedly and begged him to wake up.
That hurt!
"He's dead!"
Dead? Who the hell was dead here!?
Slap!
Slap!
"S-Stop sl—oof!"
Slap!
"Wake up! Please don't be dead!"
Could she not hear him groaning!?
Slap!
"Why isn't he waking up? He is really dead!"
Because she kept slapping his brain around his skull! What kind of person packed so much strength in a slap!?
"W-What should I do? Should I call the police? No! I will definitely lose my job! Maybe Rika can help me hide the body…" he heard her sniff. "Waaah! I KILLED A STUDENT!"
Oi oi oi! He was not even dead and this person was already planning to bury him!
Slap!
Why this little…
"I'm not dead, you crazy blonde!"
"Kya!" Finally recovering from the sensation of his brain rattling inside his skull further by those unnecessary slaps and with the rising anger from not only getting slapped repeatedly but being declared dead, Cu forcefully opened his eyes and shot up.
Only to end up getting buried once more in two soft, yet deadly, mounds that would suffocate him if he stayed like this.
She smelled nice at least.
"Oh my~! You are alive!" Ecstatic that she had not committed murder, whoever this person was in her blusterous mood just hugged his face and pushed him further into his bosom. "Why did you pretend to be dead? I was so worried that I would lose my job just now~! We should get that injury checked as well!"
If she kept suffocating him like this then he was really going to die!
And while not the worst way to go, he would prefer to live a long life this time around.
"Calm down will you!"
"A-Ah~! D-Don't touch them like that~!"
Ignoring her moans as he tried to break free, Cu gathered more strength and successfully managed to escape death's soft clutches.
"Who the hell are you?"
Now he finally got a good look at his assaulter, who turned out to be a stunning blonde-haired, rather tall-looking buxom woman with ridiculous curves and a physique most pronounced by her humongous breasts. He would have admired the sight at any other point in time except for now, it best to keep his distance.
Watery hazel eyes looked back at him with slight happiness.
"Ah! Yes, my name is Marikawa Shizuka!" She quickly bowed her head, each action making her chest jiggle right before his eyes. Not even whatever she was wearing within was able to keep them in place.
She was indeed taller than most students, the tip of her head reaching his nose, slightly taller than Saeko who he previously thought was the tallest.
"I am the school nurse, just arrived today. It's nice to meet you!" She spoke with a chipper mood, doing a full one-eighty on her previous reaction where she kept panicking.
"A school nurse who could not see that I suffered a possible concussion and kept slapping me? Not even sure if I was alive? Listen, lady, I like to joke around with people but this is not really the time, so tell me who you really are."
The migraine he felt at that moment was painful enough to ruin his mood. His physique was not that of a Servant anymore, but he still recovered faster than a regular human due to his nature.
But he still felt pain like any other person!
'It will take a day to recover. Might need to buy some ice for the migraine.' No way he'd let her see this - she had enough on her plate without worrying about his dumb ass getting injured. The woman deserved a break from all the stress he seemed to bring into her life. He'd just have to play it cool until it healed.
In any case, he first had to deal with this stranger who was impersonating a school nurse. Her looks were top-notch, he had to be blind to not see that, but he still had to make sure she was not anyone dangerous.
"Uuu! I swear I'm a nurse! I did not hurt you intentionally! My heels just broke when I was walking down the stairs and I fell on you… I'm sorry!" Once again she bowed deeply, making her chest move wildly without much restraint.
'Seriously, what is up with the women here?'
Nevertheless, she seemed genuinely sorry and that made his frustration die down considerably. Her high heels were truly broken as she mentioned and it was better for him to get injured than for her to end up with something worse were he not present. "Hah, fine, fine. Stop bowing already. It's just a small cut on my head. It'll get better in a day or two."
"Wait!" Taken aback by his words, Shizuka shot him with a shout loud enough to make his ears ring and rushed to stop him from leaving by holding his hand. "I-I was the one responsible for your injuries. But I am also the school nurse and it is my duty to treat all injured students! Please come with me to the infirmary, I will patch things up in a jiffy! Your injury might also be worse than it feels, the adrenaline is making you momentarily resist the pain but it will get worse after you calm down!"
He waved her worries away with a nonchalant smile. "It takes more than just a little fall to make me suffer any kind of serious injury. Even if I jump out of the window right now, I won't break any bones."
"Don't jump out of the window!" horrified by what he said, Shizuka now wrapped her hands around him in a vice grip looking at him sternly.
"Urgh!"
For someone who looked so innocent and dainty, she sure did hide quite a bit of strength on her, at least to rival his current father's hugs.
"I was just kidding! Why would I even jump out of the window?"
"Ah, really? That is a relief~!" And once more in an instant her behavior did a complete switch and she reverted back to her bubbly self. However, she still did not let go of his wrist and started to pull him along the stairs. "Let's go before you faint and potentially die from blood loss!"
"What is with you trying to kill me off!?"
{Break}
(Next day)
The day went by and Cu was in the bathroom looking in the mirror at the bandages neatly wrapped around his head. Despite an entire day passing by, they remained perfectly fine and his migraine ended earlier than expected.
"Well would you look at that. She really was a nurse after all."
Granted, Cu's apprehension grew as Shizuka dragged him into the infirmary, fumbling with the first aid kit and nearly dropping it several times. His eyes widened in alarm when she brandished a pair of scissors, bringing them perilously close to his face with shaky hands.
Yet as soon as the treatment started, it was as if she had turned into someone completely different. Her face fully focused as she disinfected the wound on his head and carefully put the bandages on without putting them on too tightly. Going so far as to give him some medicine for his headaches and a trip to the hospital if he felt worse afterward.
A strange yet beautiful woman, the entire time she was applying the bandages her chest kept rubbing against his face. At one point he even started to wonder if she was openly flirting with him, because if that were the case then he wouldn't mind.
But if she was genuinely clueless about her actions then he could do nothing but sigh and deal with it.
"She is quite capable, next time Rei gets injured or pulls a muscle then I can bring her over there." Taking off the bandages around his head, the wound had already fully healed up.
Not even a trace of it remained.
"Best I avoid her for a few days or keep wrapping my head to avoid suspicions about how I healed so quickly." Then again, he doubted anything would come out of Shizuka finding out about his fast healing.
She was nice to talk with, a chipper lassie to say the least. Childlike at times and mature during other moments, but overall pleasant to have a conversation with.
Right as he was in the middle of getting ready, his doorbell rang.
"Just on time, I see." Looking at the clock, he already knew who it was as prior to this day, they made an arrangement. Going over he opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Kyoko wearing a red coat with her hair finally done. "You look beautiful."
"..." She made a face as if she wasn't sure how to respond, and just opted to clear her throat and accept his compliment with a small nod. "G-Good morning, Seth, I am happy to see that you are already dressed up for the occasion. I was half expecting you to still be asleep."
Calling him dressed up was a bit of an exaggeration in his opinion, for he wore nothing special but just simple black pants and a white shirt. Nothing too fancy but good enough to hang out outside, Though it did accentuate his toned physique. "I can't look too shabby for our date can I?"
"Please never say that again when around a teacher. I am just going to show you around the town Like we agreed before. I'm sorry it took this long, it was only recently that I managed to clear up most of my schedule." She was genuinely apologetic, even though he already visited a large part of the town thanks to Rei and Igou — there were still places he had not visited yet.
Flash!
"Ah!" While his back was facing her when he went back inside to grab his shoes, Cu heard the sound of the camera taking a picture of him and proceeded to look at a stunned Kyoko with a sly smile. "Come on. You could've asked to pose before taking the picture. I wouldn't have minded if you asked to do it shirtless if you asked."
"I was just taking a picture to send to your mother! She has been asking about you a lot recently!" The woman quickly explained that came up shaking her head and seeing her usually composed self breakdown so easily and resemble that of a teenage girl was cute.
"Is that so?" He just tilted his head with his arms crossed, putting on a suspicious expression and finding some pleasure in seeing her trying to explain herself even further.
Feeling that he had messed with her enough, he decided to throw her a bone.
"All right, I believe you." Showing a casual shrug he walked past her and went for the car with the woman quickly following with an uncertain expression. "I was being honest when I mentioned that I'm willing to take any kind of picture you want, whether it's for yourself or my mother I do not mind either way."
"It is definitely for your mother! I as a teacher will never do such a horrendous action against my student. It is completely unprofessional!"
"Relax, Kyoko. It's just a photo. Outside these walls, you're more than my teacher - you're my guardian. We've got a unique bond. I mean, how many other students and teachers swap recipes and share meals? Our situation is different, and that's okay."
She tried to say something in return but found herself with little to argue. "I guess you are right to a certain extent. But still! We should still keep a formal relationship between us so as to not cause unnecessary misunderstandings." She insisted though her tone was much softer than before.
"I can't even give you a good morning hug? I used to do it a lot with my folks back home."
"... I suppose on special occasions. But that's it! And hands above the waist mister!" Fully expecting her to turn down his offer, he did not expect her to actually agree with his words even if it were on special occasions. It made him happy to see the previously strict and closed-off woman start to warm up to him.
"Then our first outing can be considered as a special occasion can it?"
"Um… I suppose it does—wait, forget what I said!"
"No take backs!"
"Ah!"
Not giving her an opportunity to backtrack, he gave the woman a one-handed hug, making sure it was brief. It was quite a sight to see her be so thrown off her elements that she did not know what to do next.
"See? It wasn't that bad."
Her expression confused him a bit.
"Your reaction makes it look like you never hugged or had any close contact with anyone in your life. Didn't you have similar intimate contacts with friends or even a boyfriend?"
"—!"
As he said that she immediately averted his gaze and looked away in shame. It took a few seconds for him to find me and realize why she went so quiet.
"Wait, don't tell me you never had a boyfri—Mmn!" Flustered by what he was about to say, She quickly covered his mouth and looked around hastily.
"I would prefer we avoid talking about such useless topics in the middle of a parking lot! Get inside, we need to avoid early traffic." He never saw any kind of traffic in this town but did not comment on that and agreed without much of a fuss.
Both entered the car before she started driving towards an area of Fujimi he had not gone to before.
The car ride was mostly silent and he could see his prior words had hit the nail about the reason for her lack of experience. 'A bit unbelievable, she is very good-looking and is an impressive woman, for her to not have been in a relationship for three decades is… strange.'
Given he himself had multiple relationships and even a son at one point then died before he even reached his thirties.
Then again, it was not his place to judge. Different times, different people, and different circumstances.
After another few minutes of silence, Kyoko was the first one to break the silence with a rather interesting question. "Seth, did you… have any issues with Professor Kōichi Shido?"
Oh, did that man already start to make his move?
"Hm, nothing comes to mind I am afraid. I barely even spoke to him this entire time and the last time we had a conversation it was just him greeting and welcoming me to Fujimi Academy." That guy was a snake, he heard plenty of bad things about him thanks to Rei, and their meeting Just cemented that impression. "Did he approach you about me?"
She nodded, "Yesterday he came by my table and asked me many things about you. Of course, I did not divulge to him any private information and only shared the basic stuff about your studies and your country of origin."
Was he planning on making a move against him? Probably. People like him did not like rogue elements in their own playground, most likely the man was trying to find something to use against him or force him into a form of submission. Internally he scoffed at his attempt, too much of a coward to use a direct approach, and instead opted for such methods.
It made his impression of this guy even lower.
"Don't worry about me, Kyoko. There is no bad blood between us and I will handle everything without causing any trouble for you. That much I promise."
"Good, Professor Shido is a renowned individual and a gifted teacher. It would only invite trouble for you if there was some kind of argument between you two so make sure to do well in his classes."
"As you wish. I'll do my best," he said smoothly, his words measured and polite. Inwardly, though, he was already forming a different plan on how he'd handle this man. But he kept his true thoughts hidden behind a charming, disarming smile that suggested nothing but calm compliance.
"By the way," he added, glancing around as they moved further away from the familiar sights of town, "where exactly are we going?"
The path had taken them far from the edge of the town, and now they were surrounded by dense vegetation. Towering trees stretched overhead, their branches intertwining to form a canopy that filtered the sunlight into scattered patches across the forest floor. The air was filled with the earthy scent of moss and damp leaves, and the sounds of rustling leaves and distant calls of unseen birds chirping echoed around them.
"A place That was once highly popular amongst locals and would get plenty of visitors from outside. Filled with history all related to Fujimi from centuries ago, somewhere I used to visit with my parents often; a shrine."
"Eh?"
.
.
.
(Ten minutes later)
"Woah, this place is ancient."
Having a ride at their destination, Cu got out of the car and turned to see what was basically an abandoned site where one could see the remains of an old shrine. The Torii gate itself found at the top of the staircase was covered in foliage, moss, and plenty of cracks.
The trees had grown dense enough to block out a large part of the Sun's light to illuminate the area and Even the stairs were crumbling apart in some areas.
"I thought this was a popular place a decade ago, but from the looks of it, no one came here for much longer than that." He noted that not even the ground below them was visible with the amount of dried-up leaves covering it.
Kyoko showed a melancholic expression, "It was very different in the past and… I wasn't aware the condition had deteriorated this badly." She said while touching the wooden board where there were remnants of posted notes whose content had long since faded away.
Crumbling apart by simply touching it.
"The previous mayor promised that he would allocate funds acquired through local donations into hiring proper personnel to keep this place clean and renovated from time to time whenever needed. The current mayor is still accepting donations for this shrine."
"Turns out that was a lie and we can make an accurate guess where that money is going. Still weird how no one has noticed this so far, surely someone would have appointed it out at some point."
"... I'm not sure myself."
Guess even this place had its fair share of crooked leaders. It was a shame as well, the place looked rather beautiful and still retained some of the charm it possessed decades ago. Walking further inside they found the main building that was completely dilapidated at this point.
Though the kanji characters inscribed into the wooden plague were still somewhat readable.
"A shrine dedicated to Somin Shorai?" It was an unfamiliar name. He was not particularly familiar with the entirety of the Shinto religion and its deities aside from the major ones.
"You are not familiar with the name, that is to be expected. He is not as well known as other deities." Kyoko mentioned. Praying silently which he did so as well for her sake, the irony of someone like him praying to a foreign deity given his identity was not lost on him.
Kyoko gestured to the shrine before them, especially the small carved wooden figure, her voice gentle yet reverent. "This shrine honors Somin Shōrai," she began, her eyes studying the intricate carvings on the wood. "In ancient folklore, he was a poor man who, despite having very little, welcomed a traveler who came to his door one night, seeking shelter and food. Little did he know, this traveler was actually a god in disguise, testing the hearts of those he visited."
She paused, letting the weight of the story sink in. "While others turned the traveler away, Somin Shōrai shared what little he had. In return, the god rewarded him and his family with a talisman, a protection against the deadly diseases that would soon sweep through the land, claiming the lives of those who had refused to show kindness."
Cu looked at Kyoko, his expression thoughtful. "I see. It's an interesting story, I must say. Shame that the people responsible for keeping it clean are more interested in filling their pockets. Maybe we should convince the Shido guy since his father is quite influential."
"Fufufu~! Don't bother, I doubt anything will change even if you tried."
"I have my ways, I can scare him shitless and force him to do so."
"You rascal!" She gently slapped his shoulders, taking his words as a joke even though he was being serious about it. "Hah, it's unfortunate, I wanted to have a picnic nearby like I used to have in the past with my parents and friends. Every Time after a ping pong competition we would celebrate here, there used to be a large clearing filled with various booths selling all kinds of snacks."
"Maybe somewhere else, let's look around a bit. There should be a good spot somewhere, so let's look around a bit."
"Ah, Seth! Wait, we shouldn't wander mindlessly in such a place!" Taken aback by his actions, she tried to stop him but the man was already walking past the line and into the shrine grounds. Went to the other side and curiously slid open the door much to her dismay.
Then she saw his figure suddenly halt in place.
Something seemed off about his reaction.
"Seth? Is there some the mat—Oh my god!" A gasp escaped her lips when she saw within the room he opened leading to the interior of the shrine. A strong stench of booze assaulted her nose along with the sight of dozens of empty bottles of alcohol, ashtrays filled with cigarette buds, and another horrid stench she could not identify.
It was a complete mess.
Bad enough to make her nauseous.
"Seems like we were not the only ones planning on coming here to relax. Some bottles are old while others were opened recently given the bottling dates." Cu commented with a frown on his face, eyes darting around the place and ending up on a small wooden idol in the corner covered in insulting words and faces drawn with markers and a slight crack at the top.
"Who could have done this!? This is a sacred place!" Kyouko flew into a rage at the sight, shoulders trembling with Cu next to her patting the woman's back for comfort.
"It could be anyone really, kids who found a nice place to hang out away from noisy people, street gangs taking this spot for themselves, random people passing by who don't bother to clean up after themselves. The possibilities are endless. Hm?" His attention turned to the outside, looking at the back of the shrine with squinted eyes.
"These bastards! They stained an important part of Fujimi's history just to drink a few bottles and smoke!? I will contact the police!"
Just as she was about to retrieve the phone, Cu gently pushed the device back into her pocket. "You can do that later, for now, go back to the car and take a breather. I will clean this place up a bit and see if I can find something to identify who has been here."
Kyouko gave him an incredulous look, "Leave that to the police, you should not be meddling or even going anywhere near this trash heap!"
Seeing her get this worked up, he used a different approach and gently took her into his embrace.
"S-Seth!?"
"I know you must be feeling pretty pissed at seeing a precious spot being ruined like this. But calling the police won't help at all since they will just follow what the Mayor has to say or just ignore the matter altogether after a while. They might even get rid of the evidence to avoid public outrage. So, just leave this to me, I'll take a look around and see if I can't find anything useful before the police take it. 'kay?"
He could feel her heartbeat going wild, her breathing quickening and subtle sounds of frustration and embarrassment leaving her lips as she remained in his hold. The stimulus would have easily made any man feel the urge to go further but he did not have such thoughts at the moment — the entire time his eyes kept focusing on one spot in the distance.
"F-Fine, you can let go of me now. I'll return to the car… B-But don't spend too much time here or I will come back!" She escaped like a rabbit, rushing down the stairs and before he knew it, he was the only one there.
He walked inside and closed the door behind him. Going past the bottles without sparing another glance at them before heading to the second sliding door inside leading to another room.
The stench that Kyouko complained about was the strongest here. A stench that he recognized as it remained present during the aftermarket of many important great battles in his past life — the stench of flesh rotting.
"..."
Slowly, he opened the door and was met with a dark room where hardly anything could be seen. The only source of light is a small hole in the roof making a thin beam of sunlight peek through.
In the corner, he gazed at a shadow of what resembled…. a person facing the wall. Standing still without moving an inch as if he were a statue.
"..."
Cu's eyes grew cold and he stepped inside, the wood underneath creaking from his weight.
Creak!
"Raaaaaaaaaa!!!"
The person turned around and lunged at him like a maddened beast.
Only for the former Servant of Spear's limbs to react much faster and extend his hand at the figure's neck and catch it effortlessly as it tried to attack him mid-air.
"Gngh!"
The creature in Cu's grasp was barely recognizable as human. Its skin had decayed to a sickly pale hue, oozing a viscous green fluid from every pore. With a feral snarl, it snapped its jaws, revealing a mouth of rotted, blackened teeth - many missing entirely. But it was the eyes that would've chilled any normal person to their core. Milky white orbs stared back at him, devoid of any spark of humanity or life. This thing, whatever it once was, had long since left the realm of the living.
"... A corpse?" Cu spoke after a second of thinking, watching as the boy tried to scratch his skin apart with half-decomposed fingers with each failed attempt ripping away more of its flesh.
Smearing blood everywhere.
"Nope. An undead definitely, but something different. Not even close to a ghoul, strange."
There was no trace of magical energy within this creature, back then he only heard the harsh breathing this thing made when Kyouko shouted loudly.
"Definitely one of the kids who was hanging out here." It was strange, there was no sign of struggle or blood anywhere outside, it did not seem as if he was attacked and changed into… this.
"Knnarrghl!"
The undead tried again and again to get a bite of his flesh, starting to chew on its own lips and ripping them apart. Worms and maggots present inside its mouth were already feasting on the creature, a disgusting sight indeed for anyone of a weaker stomach.
He didn't say anything to the already dead boy, not that it would even understand him. Instead, his fingers traced a single rune on the undead's chest that shined with a brilliant orange light.
Woosh!
A torrent of flames erupted, instantly engulfing the undead as its body was dropped to the ground. The fire consumed every part of its flesh and bones alone, the wooden floor and even the paper doors remaining completely intact.
A moment later, the entire creature was nowhere to be seen, not even ashes remained behind.
Walking outside, he did a quick tour of the place and found nothing to suggest this boy was attacked or bitten by something. Either it wandered here from somewhere else or changed into an undead zombie by itself?
"Can't make any conclusion without any proof."
This worried him, if there was one then there had to be another somewhere. The shrine was a good distance away from Fujimi and he spotted nothing out of the ordinary along the way.
Going back to the front of the shrine, Cu made sure to spot Kyouko's car down below with the woman on her phone, he then paid closer attention to everything and noticed the wooden carved idol Kyouko prayed to have a crack in the middle that was not there before.
"..."
Taking the idol in hand and paying it close attention, it was nothing more than a regular piece of wood carved by hand. Old enough that a bit of force could easily break it in half.
It was not even cursed as far as he could tell, but something in his gut told him that it might have played a role in that creature.
"Just what is going on here…"
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.