Beta read by n1ch, Shigiya, Solitary heart and 8kagi
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-Kuoh Academy-
I'm glad to still be alive after the cluster fuck which was this morning.
After finding out that Akeno had already seen through my act, I've felt constant dread for what she plans next. I was wary of the atmosphere around the table during breakfast, fearing that another fight might soon break out and cause me to be homeless.
But surprisingly none of that happened, Rias acted like her usual self and so did Akeno. Maybe I had successfully duped Rias but Akeno saw through me, if the constant hungry looks she was giving me had anything to say about it.
I could deal with her later on, but with Rias, that was just asking for trouble. I ain't no love guru or casanova, and there are some scenarios when even logic won't cut it falls in the realm of fantasy.
Which was ironic, since I live in a fantasy world.
Our walk to school was the same as always, getting death stares from the minimal male population and other kinds of dangerous looks that sent shivers down my spine from the female populace. At this point, I was using both Rias and Akeno as my personal shields against these degenerates, who knows what kind of sinful thoughts they might have about me.
'It is quite peaceful today, isn't it, partner?' Vritra decided to join me for a conversation, knocking me out of my thoughts on using my escape routes if the females decided to attack.
He was right. For now, I managed everything in the Service Clubroom all by myself, it was one of the rare moments where I could have some alone time. As much as I appreciated everyone's presence, it could get a bit suffocating at times, especially for someone like me.
Today everyone was busy with their clients. Apparently, a VIP was asking for some aid from Rias and her peerage. It must have been something important since both her and Sona along with their peerage members were gone.
If they needed assistance, I was just a call away.
"Nice of you to join me, Vritra. I've been getting kinda bored here." I did not bother talking to him telepathically. There was no one present in my vicinity, so it was safe enough.
'Boredom is a luxury, do not squander or abhor it. It helps to ease up on stress and enjoy finer things in life.
'Spending every waking moment in a high-stress environment is never beneficial for a sound mind. It can gradually break even the strongest beings,' advised Vritra with his ever-helpful wisdom.
"Yeah, I guess so. Doing nothing can be beneficial in some situations." But I can use this opportunity to learn more from him.
"Say, since we finally have some alone time to talk things out, tell me more about yourself," I asked, "We can get to know more of each other."
'Really?' he asked both surprised and hopeful.
Oi, why did you sound like a naive schoolgirl that was asked out by her crush?
"Why do you sound so surprised? It's just small talk." I wondered curiously.
'Well... you have got to understand partner, most of my previous hosts saw me as nothing more than a tool of power and destruction. Outside of battle or ability related questions nearly nobody ever grew any kind of interest about my personal stories.' I detected a hint of sadness in his voice.
"Really? That's kinda sad, to tell you the truth. Having people ignore your existence and treat you basically like an AI assistant."
Like seriously, the gear had a thousand years old grandpa dragon that retained all of his knowledge. Surely there's gotta be some major advantages one might think of from this.
'Aye, I've grown used to it. I remember my first time being used by my many sacred gears. I was no different from a raging beast that was drowned in my own hatred and desired nothing more than revenge.
'It was a bit silly of me to have tried to break out of artifacts capable of sealing the Heavenly Emperors themselves in, with a fractured soul. Bah! Flaunting my powers and status as an Evil Dragon King and trying to scare my previous host into eternal servitude.'
'Haaaaa, just thinking about myself from back then is enough to drown me in embarrassment and shame.'
"Hahahaha!" I couldn't help but laugh out loud from Vritra's little story. Wasn't that basically a dragon's version of his Chuuni phase?
I guess we had more similar traits than I previously thought.
'Hmph! Laugh it up all you want, I have long since grown desensitized by these mockeries and humiliation.'
One detail did catch my attention, "You've called yourself an Evil Dragon before, but what does it mean?" Like he seemed perfectly normal and wise to me, there were no hidden schemes of taking over the world or something like that... at least I hoped so.
'Ah, another taint in my history as a Dragon King. Well, to put it in simple words; a feral dragon.'
"Feral?" I repeated.
"Yes, it is basically when a dragon loses all sense of control and causes absolute mayhem to everything; becoming destruction incarnate. If you have time you can gather some research about Crom Cruach, who I and many others believe to be the strongest Evil Dragon, to learn more. Or me for that matter, I do not care.'
Felt like he was grumbling at the last part.
'Evil Dragons are merciless on the battlefield. Cruel and brutal to everyone and everything around them, even if they were destroying themselves in the process. Being calm is an impossibility when the only thought in our mind is to rampage, to just kill anything in our way. It's like being in [Juggernaut Drive] but for dragons and it can last years, decades, centuries or even for eternity if we are not stopped by then.'
That sent a chill up my spine.
'I was one such dragon, the only one among the Dragon Kings to ever become an Evil Dragon.'
Wow, so evil dragons are basically out of control dragons, like rabid dogs. But Vritra didn't seem to be like what he was describing. He was calm, polite and just a general gentle soul. I can't seem to see him as an Evil Dragon.
'You are thinking of how I do not match the characteristics of what I've just described.'
The old dragon is more perceptive than I thought.
'If you have done enough research on me then you should know that I identify as another being as well.' he questioned me. I scratched my chin, trying to recall some information.
"Right, if I remember correctly, in Hindu and Buddhist mythology you're also considered as an Asura. Though I don't know exactly what it means if I'm being honest." I remember this detail about Vritra, he had many titles and origins but the most common ones described him as a Serpent Dragon Asura.
'Aye, you did your research properly, partner. So you should be able to understand why I am considered evil to many of the gods. The slaughter and war waged upon my kind and my allies, the Asuras, by Indra was the final nail in the coffin that made me lose it completely.
'Do not misunderstand, I was a deranged and dangerous being before the war due to my nature as an Asura, but Indra forced me beyond the point of no return.
'It is only by spending centuries in solitude sealed into various sacred gears with nothing but fragments of my soul, that allowed me to calm down. Of course, not all dragons could recover like me; many retain that madness and can be extremely volatile.
'In fact, my nature as an Evil Dragon is another reason why I hesitate to turn one of your limbs into that of a dragon. I am afraid of what you might become, without even going into [Juggernaut Drive]'
"..."
I was silent at his explanation. The idea of changing my parts into a dragon had its benefits and drawbacks.
"Is there a way for me to reverse the process or just try to bypass some of the issues of losing my sanity?"
'To be honest, partner. There might be something, this world is a big place filled with countless miracles and powers, for all we know, we might come across the solution to our problems at some point.'
He did not know of any methods to heal or save his host from turning themselves into a dragon later on. Everyone before me always used this method in a life or death fight and died in the end. So he never had the opportunity to search for a solution.
So this option remains as a last resort. While I desired power, I will not run headfirst into it without some form of guaranteed insurance or safety measure for myself and others. "Vritra, is there a way for me to accelerate my training without any possibilities of going berserk?"
'Haha, of course, there are many! Who do you take me for? I have trained countless Black Dragon Kings and you will not be the last. You should also know that I am a bit of a scholar that had very few equals that could surpass my intellect. And it also helps you are one of the most attuned hosts I ever got in my life,' Vritra said joyfully.
Wow… Someone is prideful. As expected from a dragon, but his other boasts threw me in a loop. Me being his most compatible host?
"Where did you get that fact from? After witnessing the absolute beating I suffered these last few days, do you still consider me the best? Are you alright in the soul, Vritra?"
There was absolutely no way I was any good.
'You underestimate yourself way too much, partner. Look at your use of [Restrict]. This should be proof enough, and I was not talking about powers but also your personality. Every aspect of yours is both compatible with my powers and my personal characteristics.
'Just believe me when I say that in a few months or a year or two… I can make you supreme!' He said the last part with a booming tone, full of bravado.
Heh, how chuuni of him.
Now isn't that an overblown promise, but I feel rather energized by Vritra's enthusiasm, can't have it be ruined from my opposing opinions.
"Speaking of training," I drawled only to be halted by a sound from the door.
Knock Knock
The door of my clubroom slowly opened up, with a girl peeking half of her face through.
"Ano... Is the Service Club open for requests?" Asked a cute meek-looking girl with a black hair ponytail and also had chubby cheeks.
Must resist pinching them!
"It's finally time for the Service Club to be open for business," I whispered to myself, ready for anything to come my way.
'Are you with me, Vritra?' I asked my new companion and soon to be mentor.
'Always,' cheered the fired up dragon, still pumped from earlier. 'Which should be expected since I am stuck inside you, so I really don't have much of a choice in the end.'
"..."
He just had to add that last part.
Way to kill the mood…
{Break}
"So you're saying that some creepy dude is taking pictures of you whenever you come to school?" I asked the girl beside me as we walked out of the school building and were heading to one of the gym buildings. "And when you try to look for him, he's already long gone?"
Morimoto Shizuka was her name, quiet and shy with no outstanding features. She's a second-year, making her my senpai. While she looked plain, she still had something that made her stand out from the rest… Those jiggly mass of flesh that looked ready to rip her top.
…Seriously, what the hell are they feeding these girls? Are none of them feeling any back pain? Because this girl doesn't look like she is struggling from the extra weight!
"Y-yes, Senpai! I even heard some weird creepy laugh from down the street too. Please help me!" Oi, why are you calling me senpai? I should be the one calling you that, since you're one year above me… apparently.
Maybe it's because of my growth spurt? I do seem to be pretty tall compared to my last life.
"Did you see his face?" My question was met with a head shake of no.
So we got ourselves an elusive pervert who likes to take pictures of passing girls. Now, how do I catch this guy?
'Any ideas, Vritra?'
'Probably from one of the nearby schools.'
Ah, that is true. According to Morimoto-san, the cameraman appears when classes are done, he should study in a nearby school for him to get here so quickly. But how can I catch him in the act?
"Morimoto-san…"
"Ye-yes sen-senpai?" She really isn't used to talking to others or maybe she is scared of me? I do have the uncanny ability of making people nervous around me. I blame my eyes for that, always getting me into trouble "H-how ca-can I he-help you?"
"This creep, does he only take pictures of you or others as well?" If she was the only one then it would make my job much easier.
She put on a thinking face, "It on-only happens when I'm wit-with the other girls from the ken-kendo club."
Ara? So she's a kendo practitioner, kinda hard to imagine with her squirrel-like face, she didn't look like she could harm a fly.
So this guy targets large groups of girls after their kendo practice. Hmmm, I feel like I'm missing a crucial detail here.
'To know your enemy, you must put yourself in their shoes,' said Vritra, giving me one of his quotes of wisdom.
Hmm if I was a perverted creep who wanted to take pictures of girls why would I target the kendo girls and not anyone else?
Think Hachiman, think.
Channel the spirit of Zaimokuza within you.
I felt the wind pick up speed while my surroundings became eerily quiet and somewhat Zen. I closed my eyes in contemplation, channeling my inner detective Conan as well.
Kendo...
...practice...
...builds up a sweat...
...sweat sticks clothes to the girl!
The image became clear to me, almost like a thousand angels came from the sky playing their trumpets and granting me enlightenment-
"A-Ano, senpai?"
Just like the screeching sound of a record player I was cut out of my daydreaming, snapping back to reality.
"O-oh, sorry about that Morimoto-san. Just got lost in my thoughts." I apologized, hoping that I wasn't making any weird faces. "But I think I may have found the reason why this cameraman keeps targeting you and the kendo girls."
"Really!?" her face brightened up in joy, almost blinding my eyes from her bright smile and nearly giving life to my rotten little heart.
Though this means that I'm going to need from the Kendo Club, which I really don't want to.
'Are you scared of asking for their aid, hatchling?'
'Not really…' I have long since come to terms that not everything can be done alone. A helping hand is always a boon no matter which situation one finds themselves in. 'I… don't know. As my first request, I want to show that I can handle stuff on my own; that I don't need other people's help to get things done.'
'Are you trying to be a loner?'
Trying? Was I actually TRYING to become a loner than naturally being one? Yes, in a way, I was and it pained me to admit it.
'Do not fret the changes in life. No one remains the same, we all change little by little. Life is not a constant but rather an ever-changing road, filled with unexpected twists and turns. Take that step forward and leave behind any fear you have of changing into another person, sometimes this can be for the better.'
I chuckled, the old wise dragon slapping me with philosophy. What's next? A god teaching me about the beauty of breasts?
Though he was right, I shouldn't be afraid to ask for help.
"We're going to need the kendo girl's help."
"Huh?"
{Break}
When I entered the room, I felt someone bump into me, quickly grabbing them so we wouldn't fall. Thankfully we didn't fall to the ground.
"Hachiman-kun!"
I looked at the person in my arms, and saw that it was Murayama. The young woman looked like she finished an intense practice as her face was completely red.
"Hey Murayama"
As we entered the kendo dojo in the school followed by Morimoto, another familiar girl saw me and came to greet me as well.
"You finally decided to visit us, didn't you?" Katase said, smiling at us, her gaze focused on us
'Out of necessity, not because I wanted to.' Also, why was Katase's eye twitching? Was this entire situation stressing her out?
She had a hairband on for practice, a Hakama and a loose Keikogi to help complete the ensemble.
This looked even worse on the approaching Murayama since it showed her ample cleavage! I did my best to have my eyes stare nowhere near that area as I felt them press onto my chest. Am I the only one noticing this? I've been to a kendo club in my old world before and no one showed this amount of cleavage.
"Yo Katase-san and Murayama-san just came to solve a problem your club members seem to have," I told them my reason to visit after letting Murayama out of my arms and gesturing at the hidden squirrel girl behind me.
"Kya!"
Why are scared of people you train with regularly?
"Oh, Shizuka-senpai? Wait... is this about that hidden pervert?"
Now both Murayama and Katase looked like they were ready to kill someone, even their shinai had killing intent oozing out. The feeling was shared amongst all the present kendo girls.
Morimoto looked ready to bolt as she quivered at the hostile aura coming from the clubmates. While I wondered if I had to hide a body at the end of this job. Truly a woman's fury is something one should tread carefully, or else doom will befall them.
"Don't worry Hachiman-kun, we will help you!" They all agreed without even hearing out the plan that I came up with.
"But on one condition." This time, it was Murayama who spoke up, seeming to have regained her composure, her face being serious.
I don't know why she was establishing a condition when it was clear that they were the ones who needed the help, not me.
"Okay, tell me what it is...I guess?" Wouldn't hurt to know what she wanted. And besides, I feel bad that I've been ignoring them. They are my childhood friends.
"I-I'll tell you after we finish catching the pervert. But you have to promise to hear me out later!" she demanded with a slight blush on her face once again.
Katase on the side had a grin on her face, who looked like she knew what her friend wanted to ask me.
These two are up to something, I just know it.
But it doesn't seem like it's something bad, so why not, "Sure I'll hear you out,"
{Break}
(One explanation later)
"So you want us to hang out at the entrance of the school after our workout without showering to lure in our target?" repeated Katase as we and the others made our way to the gates, "That sounds pretty suspicious, Hachi-kun?" She narrowed her eyes on me, but the smile on her face said otherwise at how she was feeling.
Now that she said it out loud, it did make me sound really suspicious. Man, it sounded better in my head.
"No! No, please don't misunderstand my actions, Katase-san. I promise this is just a one-time thing," I reassured her. I don't want the girls wielding shinais to see me as a pervert.
She hummed softly, her eyes eased up as she looked slightly... disappointed?
"Awww~ that's a bummer."
What?
"What? Also call me Katase, we've know each other long enough to drop honorifics"
I froze in place while Katase and the other girls giggled and left me and Murayama behind.
"..."
This world seriously needs some help!
"H-hey Hachiman, y-you can just call me Murayama as well."
The blushing brunette left before I could answer, leaving me even more confused.
I shook my head to concentrate on more important things. Like finding a spot where I could hide and get a better view of the surrounding area.
Using my athleticism, I climbed over a tree near the entrance for a vantage point and waited.
{Break}
(A few minutes later)
It had already been 15 minutes and nothing of note had happened yet.
The girls did as planned, hanging out and talking to each other acting all casual. People were giving them some weird looks including the teachers and some students.
At this point, our target hadn't fallen for our bait yet. I was skeptical if he even was present in the first place.
We couldn't wait for hours and the insects on the trees were beginning to bug me.
See what I did there… Yeah I'm not proud of it either.
Fortunately, I didn't have to wait for long with my terrible puns.
Flash!
"Kya! He's there!" Morimoto pulled down her skirt to hide her panties with one hand while she pointed to the area near the bushes where a black shadow was seen escaping, "He's escaping!"
"Don't worry I got him!" I jumped down my spot and sprinted full speed towards that person.
"You better stop buddy, you can't outrun me!" I warned the guy, hoping that he would give up, but just like I expected, it didn't work.
"Fuck you!"
How rude…
He ran towards the street where the light was in the middle of changing and ran to the other side before the light turned red.
But that wasn't going to stop me, for what he did not know about me was...
I know parkour!
I neared the sedan car in front of me and used my legs to slide over the car's hood, earning a shout from the driver and a loud honk. My face burned a bit from the embarrassment after performing the over the top move. I may have performed to move smoothly but doing it in public was still something I still couldn't handle.
'Why is it easier to look like a jerk instead of a cool guy?' In a twisted sort of way, I was more comfortable with people jeering and insulting me than getting their praises. The backlash I got from the incident with Minami was more bearable than this.
'You are getting distracted, partner. Be sure to not get hit by one of these vehicles.' Vritra cut me off my inner monologue.
On the other side of the street was a passing cargo truck, I used my momentum to roll under it successfully–without getting squashed–and vaulted over the metallic bar separating the road and the pathway.
Now that's a scene straight out of a Jackie Chan or Tom Cruise action movie. Past 'Chuuni' me would be proud but present me is reaching his limit on acting cool.
"Holy shit, this guy is crazy!"
I think so too buddy. As if a person can stay sane in this world.
The guy I was pursuing grew scared and frantic as he kept trying to run away from me.
But he was clearly not physically fit, quickly getting tired and beginning to breathe heavily.
Without breaking a sweat, I closed the distance between us and tackled him down. Of course I made sure to not make him hit head on the ground, this wasn't a police chase after all and didn't want to pay for his hospital bill.
"Gargh! Let me go!"
He was a young-looking middle school teen with shoulder-length messy dark brown hair, thin eyebrows and rimless square glasses.
I saw the camera that he was holding and immediately snatched it away from him.
"Hey! My precious!"
'Damn, it's not like I snatched his ring or something.'
I went through the many pictures taken and noticed nearly all of them being of Kuoh Academy girls, all taken at a low angle showing off their panties. Some of these shots looked like they were taken at an extremely close angle, so close in fact that I wondered how the girls didn't spot him. I nearly cracked the camera when I saw several pictures of my friends changing
"Give it back, you fucking normie!" He tried taking it back from my hands but I easily kept him pinned down. Still, someone else calling me a normie? That stung.
"You are a sick bastard, you know that? Taking these kinds of pictures... this isn't legal you know that too, right? I'm formatting the card." And with a few button pushes, I deleted everything on it.
"Nooooooooooooo!!!!" The boy wailed in grief. Jeez, I didn't kill your family dude, why are you so melodramatic?
Oh wow, already crying? At least save it for the girls, man. You could cry bloody murder for all I care. "Oi, your card is still in one piece buddy, it's not like I destroyed it." My voice couldn't be anymore dry, it just showed how much I cared for the guy. Though I was tempted to break his camera. "It doesn't take a genius to point out that what you're doing is wrong, criminal even… though it does take an idiot to miss the point."
I use my commonly used skills, 'Dead fish eyed glare'. A popular one among my 108 skills. It was working since he now looked rather intimidated.
So I pressed on, "Then tell me, what benefit do YOU gain from it? You don't look like a bad kid to me… if I squint, like really hard. So don't make me take measures to avoid the creation of a future sex offender. Otherwise, I might have to get more serious in dealing with you."
Verbally teasing someone was okay, making inappropriate comments on others, though rude was quite common, unfortunately. I suffered enough harsh words uttered behind my back, and gossips to know how damaging they can be.
I always wondered why such people existed in the world. I forced myself to never judge a person on first meeting them and even to never judge some of their past actions as many factors may have contributed to them doing certain things.
Now I had someone who filled such a description, I almost wanted to know why he was doing such a thing; key word being almost.
"Fucking bastard! It's guys like you who take all the girls for themselves and don't leave anything for people like me. Don't even think for a moment I haven't seen you hanging around tons of super hot girls, especially that foreign one!" Hey, you're making it sound like I have my own harem, which I don't. I'm not the MC of this world. I just happened to be around them due to a certain redhead being a stubborn girl.
And Akeno, Murayama, and Katase are childhood friends, so not much I can do about that. Man, why are the women in my life stubborn..
"Why are you stopping me for something so trivial as this, when you already have your own harem! What gives you the right!? You are nothing more than the number one enemy of all mankind!"
It's called being a normal guy, don't know if he had ever heard such a term.
Also, again, I don't have a harem.
"And what I'm doing is not a crime, but art! I forever immortalized the beauty of women and their wonderful gifts, for all men to see!"
"..." I was speechless.
Did this guy seriously mean every word he said? A strange yet painful thought passed through my mind, 'People like this, actually exist.'
If I was a petier person, the kid would have suffered from a punch or two to the face and much worse. This kid is either brain damaged or a lost cause.
"And also know that with my skill in the future I will..."
And there he goes again on another rant. This time, I chose to ignore him and continued to inspect his camera for any signs of a backup memory card or something. I saw a fine print on the bottom 'property of Motohama'.
So this guy was called Motohama, good to know. Might have to report him one day if he does something illegal again.
"Hachiman-kun!" I heard the distant calls of the kendo girls catching up to us, clearly out of breath.
I knew what they would do to this guy and as much I thought he deserved what was to come, I also worried about the girls. Beating up a middle school kid in public with weapons, wooden or not, was not a good image for them or the school.
There were already some people around watching us weirdly.
The street was sparsely crowded and we happened to be a bit isolated but not empty.
"Listen Motohama, I will give you one chance to run away cause if you don't you'll be in a world of pain." Pointing at the girls with their wooden shinais seemed to get my point across to him. 'Vritra'
I called upon my ever so faithful partner to secretly release some of his draconic energy. For supernatural beings this would pose no harm to them. Normal humans on the other hand would experience the scariest feeling in their life, like have their souls grasped by a hell demon.
"And if I find you around taking pictures of the girls around my school again, or I won't be nice next time."
"Waaaaa!" I got off of him and the boy scurried away, crying and screaming like a madman, completely forgetting about his camera… and his student ID which I pickpocketed.
After the girls caught up to me, I quickly explained to them the situation and showed them the camera and his ID. I told them that if they had beaten him up in public then that would've been in a lot of trouble. Instead I advised the girls to file a complaint to the police or something. Basically I just let them decide what they wanted to do with the items I gave them.
My job was done here.
Though they weren't happy with the part where they didn't get to beat up the boy, they were overall satisfied.
"Thank you for everything!"
"Thank you senpai!"
"You're the best!"
"You were so cool during the chase!"
They all showered me with compliments and cheers, some even hugged me as thanks. It was chaotic but I managed to calm them down and convinced them to return and get changed. I was sweating from interacting with them instead of all that parkour I did before. Oh god, they saw me do all those cool moves! I just know they're going to spread it around the school! I'm never going to hear the end of this!
Though I did not forget about a request to hear someone out. Even if I wanted to go back home, as my social interaction battery was depleted, I had to keep up my promise.
"So Murayama-san, you wanted to tell me something?"
The shy girl was pushed forward by her friend to reveal whatever she had to say, "Um, I was wondering... if...you could... jointhekendoclub!" She spoke very fast near the end but I understood what she had to say.
"Kendo?" Why would I join the club? I didn't have any reason to and I would be associated with the Occult Research Club soon. "I'm not sure about that-'"
'I would advise joining, partner.' said Vritra.
'Huh, why?' I asked not denying the possibility.
'Learning sword styles of any kind is beneficial for your future, if you ever are in possession of a weapon, you will not swing it around like a fool and will actually have some ideas on how to defend yourself.'
'And you can use this opportunity to train your stamina as well. We will have our own separate training but you should also have something else outside of it. Expand your knowledge and become more versatile.'
He did give a good point, I did promise myself to get better and why not start from here?
"Sure I don't mind learning some kendo." I finally said, make the two smile with joy at me joining their club. 'It's not really that big of a deal…'
Besides, I wouldn't mind hanging out with the two again.
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu are already available on my Patreon. With 3 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter.