"Come on! You know I need talented people for my projects," she insisted, but she received only a cold shoulder from Jin.
Even though Jin appreciates his wife, the idea of losing Nayuta is completely out of the question for him.
'Gravity manipulation, soul outline detection, and the possibility of awakening her own innate technique… maybe even an additional one!' he thought inwardly while rejecting Kenjaku's offers.
They simply don't measure up to the potential Nayuta represents in his mind.
Kenjaku stared at him for a short moment before releasing both of his hands and clicking her tongue in annoyance after accepting Jin's categorical refusal.
"Fine… I'll leave her in your hands for now. After all, a husband's possessions are also his wife's~," she said, emphasizing the word "wife" even more.
The message was clear.
Kenjaku no longer wanted only Yuji to trigger the future storm she had been preparing for centuries.
She also wanted Nayuta.
'In any case, the only solution is strength to subdue this madwoman,' he thought, recalling a piece of advice from his friend Damien.
"Jin, never put your dick in the crazy one," he had said while showing a photo of his stalker in a Megumin cosplay.
Words full of wisdom that he had disregarded because he judged that having a yandere was better than remaining a hardened bachelor.
"We'll see when the time comes," he vaguely replied to the greedy woman before his eyes.
Kenjaku nodded without applying more pressure to obtain Nayuta before taking a bit of distance from Jin.
"So—" she began while turning toward the dense forest around them.
A breeze blew through her short black hair as she tucked a rebellious strand behind her ear.
"You wanted to train, right?" she said while observing Jin.
The latter simply nodded.
"Hm… honestly, I don't think you need urgent training," she declared after casting a brief analytical glance in his direction.
Kenjaku's response slightly surprised Jin, as he hadn't expected her to back down.
"Are you going to change your mind? We had an agreement—" Jin didn't finish his sentence.
A small flick struck the tip of his nose.
Kenjaku displayed a mischievous smile while her slightly moist lips parted to reply in a teasing tone.
"Indeed, but I made no vow nor specified the time or place of the training," she said while shrugging after sticking her little tongue out at him.
She seemed satisfied watching the dejected look on Jin's face after her words.
"Don't make that face, hehe~," she continued while pacing around the clearing.
"It's not my fault if you didn't think to make a vow to guarantee the reliability of an agreement with another sorcerer."
Kenjaku stopped her steps toward a tree at the other end of the clearing and turned back toward Jin.
"But well—" she said, adopting a serious expression before continuing: "I'm still going to keep my word, since you probably trusted me too much because of 'this body.'"
Immediately after her words, an intimidating aura was released from Kenjaku's body.
The air immediately became heavy.
Unconsciously—Jin took a step back.
"I'm going to take a closer look at your level of mastery over your innate technique. After that, we'll plan your training program."
Barely had she finished when the distance between them shrank.
'She's fast!' he thought while immediately pulling a flash bomb from his pocket to use it in order to buy time and paralyze his opponent for a brief moment.
An effective tactic against speed-type opponents like him.
The idea had never failed. This object carried no cursed energy. Thus, Kenjaku hadn't detected it, nor had the cursed spirits that fell victim to it.
"Impressive, but—"
After interrupting her own words, Kaori's face ended up right in front of Jin's.
Her eyes were closed.
"An experienced sorcerer doesn't need to use their eyes in fights at this level," she said before striking the palm of her hand against Jin's stomach.
Crack.
'My ribs!!' he screamed inwardly.
However, he didn't let himself be carried away by the pain. Immediately after being propelled by Kenjaku's blow, Jin summoned the inventory containing Kazuma's belongings.
However, he was overwhelmed by a sensation of heaviness midway through his actions.
Gravity manipulation.
"Leave him alone!!" Nayuta roared after preventing Jin from colliding with a tree.
Gravity manipulation? You seem to be stuck with a longer usage delay than mine, but also—" The words didn't fully leave her mouth because she stopped a blade coming toward her.
Chunchunmaru.
"This blade is decent, but you should consider using your innate technique offensively," she said while casting a disdainful glance at Jin's faithful companion.
The blade soon cracked after Kenjaku used her gravity manipulation to regain control of the clearing.
"N-no… cough…" Nayuta began spitting blood from her mouth and eyes after attempting to fight for gravitational authority in the area.
"Indeed, you can't maintain gravitational control any longer than I can, nor do you yet master Reverse Cursed Technique, much less the use of positive energy to reverse the power of an innate technique," Kenjaku muttered while observing Nayuta on her knees.
Bam.
"Another trick? Tricks are the weapons of the weak, my darling," she said while observing Jin crushed to the ground, a revolver in his hand.
Unfortunately, the bullet didn't reach Kenjaku due to the sudden increase in gravity.
"If you really want training, then show me the true nature of your innate technique so I can get an idea of your strength," she explained while approaching without an ounce of fear.
Kenjaku didn't believe Jin could reach her or land a decisive blow.
That was her mistake.
"What?!" she muttered as a fist rushed toward her face at absurd speed.
For the first time since their marriage, Jin had raised his hand against his wife's body.
And in a Naruto Uzumaki style.
"I don't have an innate technique!!" he roared while clutching Megumin's amulet in the palm of his fist.
The power to break the curse of the goddess Aqua immediately applied to Jin's body as he sent Kenjaku flying upward with an uppercut.
The curse was broken, but Kenjaku's test was far from over.
Jin had unconsciously lowered his guard during his counterattack, and the experienced sorcerer didn't miss the opportunity, purely out of reflex honed over centuries of life-and-death battles.
A spear created from Kenjaku's blood pierced Jin's side after the success of his attack.
The power of Noritoshi Kamo manifested.
(Image)
***
Author's note: Don't forget, you can earn another bonus at 140! Come on, let's reclaim our place in the rankings!