Class Boredom
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Regardless of my initial misgivings towards this unknown 'Hirayama-kun' (just thinking that makes me sick to my stomach and get tinges of red in my vision), the point my sister brought up is something quite serious. She may be being bullied or suffering some troubles outside of school, but as a member of the Student Council, this does come under my responsibilities.
Now, the simplest way to solve this would be to call her alone to the Student Council Chambers and talk to her about her problems, figure out the cause and come up with a solution. Case is closed within the day and everyone goes home happy.
Except, human beings aren't so simple a race, and are loathe to express problems like this to a stranger for seemingly no reason at all. No, it would be better to first try to figure out the issue on my own, understand the situation and then come up with a solution.
But this will obviously be quite difficult for me as a male to do all of this without descending into become a stalker and becoming a pariah among the student body. Which is why I have to call for backup.
"So, what was the favour you wished for me to fulfil, Shiroi-kun?" There were a few of us in the classroom waiting for the homeroom teacher to come in and take attendance, but none dared to approach me and Kaguya and butt in on our conversation.
"Nothing much, Shinomiya-san. I just need you to look into something for me." Now she seemed intrigued, but didn't show it beyond the slightest flicker.
"Oh? What would this be?" She crossed one leg over the other under her desk. "And why do you believe that I would be willing to do this?"
Goddamnit, Kaguya. Why do you have to keep up this holier-than-thou ice princess persona? I mean, I know why but, like, why? Sigh, I can't be bothered to continue this. Might as well be blunt about it.
"I have reason to believe that someone in our class may possibly be being bullied." Oh, that's got you stopped in your tracks. I leaned over and lowered my voice so that only Kaguya could hear my voice. "Don't look, but I have reason to believe that Hirayama-san may be having quite a few troubles outside of class."
"And you figured this out, how?" I can understand where she's coming from. If Meguri-chan hadn't brought it up, I would never have suspected a single thing. To everyone else, she seems to be completely normal, if not a bit of a loner.
"Her brother asked my sister for help, who asked me for help." There was a glint in her eyes as she registered that information. She probably hadn't known I had a sister. Oh, well. I'm not Miyuki, so there's no reason for Kaguya to drag her into the 'war of love' nonsense. "Apparently, she's always coming home sad and depressed."
"And because she's female, you don't to be accused of stalking for trying to figure out what is wrong while trying to solve all of this."
"Which is why I've come to you." Ignoring her naivety and stupidity regarding her feelings for Miyuki, she is ridiculously intelligent in all other areas. If not for her retardedness with Miyuki, I could almost imagine Hayasaka in the background repeatedly bowing and chanting 'Sasuga Kaguya-sama'.
"I see. Yes, it would be much easier for me to gather intelligence on the situation." She then began tapping on her desk with her index finger, a contemplative look on her face. "Very well, I'll see what I can do on my end."
"That's all I ask." Our homeroom teacher chose that moment to walk in exactly as the 8 o'clock bell rung to signify the start of homeroom.
-------PWNAO-------
One of the main things I hated about my isekai reincarnation was school. As someone who had finished school and was on their way to finish university, starting school all over again was the most boring thing ever. And I couldn't not go to school. Full-time education was compulsory until 15, and people tend to look down on those who don't complete all 12 years until graduating high school.
I didn't care about any of that, though. As the White Dragon Emperor, I could easily make money on the supernatural side of things and could disappear from the mundane world. But I went to school anyway because I was sure, without a doubt, that mum would worry.
She's been through enough and doesn't need me adding anything on top of that.
Luckily (or unluckily, depends on who you ask) for me, I had enough to do in those classes to pass the time. For classes like Japanese and social studies where my reincarnator status doesn't help, I focus as much as I can to absorb all the info I was faced with. For instance, it was interesting to learn WW2 history from the Japanese perspective and how it was the fear of a focused human wave of soviet soldiers that got the Japanese to surrender and not to 2 nuclear bombs (I could almost hear Uncle Sam at the back of my head whispering "I'll fucking do it again").
For maths, science and English, I couldn't be bothered to listen to what the teacher had to say. I had already gone through all of this before and it was all the same, which is why I always like the sciences. There can only be very specific correct answers. The Universe does not care about your feelings, point of view or interpretations. It just is. And you will respect it.
Instead, I spent my time doing what I could to decipher, break down, understand and modify the books I'd received from that one wandering rogue priest. Luckily for me, it hadn't just been spells, but had also included some very brief and basic supernatural history and geography ('Ya never know when you might offend some powerful sadistic psychopath and spend the next 12 years as a slave in a sex dungeon'). The history and geography were memorised as quickly as possible, allowing me to know which countries were under the domain of which gods (Africa south of the Maghreb was basically no man's land as far as gods were concerned).
On the other hand, the magic was nowhere near as easy to learn, and a million times more fun.
Basic elemental spells use the frickin mass-energy equivalence formula to turn magical energy into water! It's no wonder there aren't that many powerful magicians. The knowledge required for the most basic of water spells requires the equivalent of a high school diploma for physics. And that's just to get your foot in the door.
And to think this stuff was invented by a guy living in Medieval England a thousand years ago. I suddenly have a lot more respect for Merlin. That guy was so many years ahead of his time it should be impossible.
But it also explained why so few devils and supernatural races became magicians. They simply could not be bothered to learn all of the mathematics and science required to do what the could by squinting at the air real hard and waving their hands. I almost considered becoming a devil just for the imagination-powered magic (I just wanna do a bijudama, okay?) but figured that eternal servitude/slavery didn't sit well with me. I didn't know if that really was how peerages worked, but I wasn't willing to take the chance. But if Hades could make new devils, perhaps it would be possible to make myself become one without the strings and chains attached. Hmm…
So anyway, I spent at least 2 hours a day scribbling away in gods know how many notebooks messing with the scant few magic spells I had been given. The magics that were more grounded in the mundane were far easier to grasp and manipulate. The elemental magic spells were converting magical energy, mana, into the physical form you wanted (water, wind, fire, ice, lightning etc), so as long as you knew and understood the underlying physics you were good to go. Illusion magic was bending the light in the surroundings to produce the image you wanted and, like with elemental magic, wasn't too difficult to modify if you knew what you were doing.
Then you get that purification ritual.
I could not make heads or tails of the damn thing. I didn't understand what it was, or what I was doing. All I knew was that I was using my energy to remove all energy that was not my own from within the ritual boundaries in the name of whatever pantheon the ritual was made in honour of because unless you could brute-force the whole thing, you got help from a higher power by invoking their name. They'd take notice and send a trickle of power if they felt like it and the ritual would be complete with far less mana expenditure on your end. If brute-forcing it was beating up a home invader with your bare hands and throwing them out from your bedroom window, then calling upon their power was having a machine gun turret in your hands and turning their body into swiss cheese.
The only issue is that by calling on the god directly, you'd be taking power directly from them and would gain their attention. This also meant that the god would hear and see every request for mana. So they devised a system where instead of calling on the god directly, you called on the pantheon and lesser gods or the god's servants would power the ritual. While significantly weaker, it was far more likely to be answered by the servants. We get our extra power, the gods get their peace, everyone but the divine servants win.
And I can't understand a single thing I'm looking at. Note to self: get in contact with the Five Principal Clans or some other religious institution at some point.
"Must you really scribble away in your notebook during lessons?"
Looking up, I see that Kaguya is glaring at me from her seat. Right, she isn't aware of how amazing the stuff I'm 'scribbling away' in my notebook is.
"Oh, nothing much. Just a few non-essentials." This really would be easier if she knew about the supernatural.
"Then why can't you ever focus in class? It's almost baffling how you are able to retain a spot in the top 5 when you're like this in class. If you actually tried you might be even higher"
Ah, yes. Test rankings. I never truly appreciated how hard Japanese students work themselves until I looked around me on results day and saw people crying tears of joy because they made it into the top 50. Then I took a proper look and noticed how even with my reincarnator knowledge and my previous degree in civil engineering that I wasn't even at the top spot like I had been throughout elementary and middle school. No, a whole four people did better than me. Miyuki, Kaguya, Maki and this Abe Kazune guy were all more intelligent than me.
Which is actually quite frightening. Not to mention I was depressed for the entirety of that week. I mean, what was the point of learning everything I did in my last life if 15 and 16-year-olds already knew more?
But then I remembered all the drama surrounding the top 3 spots and realised that it was probably best I stay away from them.
"Oh, dear Kaguya. I have far too many things to do to bother with exams. I thought I had already told you that?" She knew I had to work to put food on the table. I had Hayasaka stalking me for some time and I knew she was eavesdropping once when Val trying to get me to rest for a while (she really is an angel). But partly because I mostly work from home and partly because I never told her, she doesn't know what I do, only that I work.
"That doesn't mean-" She never did get to finish what she was saying as the teacher asked her to answer the question on the board and I returned my attention to my notebook.
Soon. Soon I will understand all of this and nature will be at my beck and call.
[You wish. Not even Mephisto Pheles who has been studying human magic for 500 years has been able to take control of nature. I do like the ambition you have burning within you, but don't pursue too many avenues of strength. You have yet to master Juggernaut Drive and from what you have told me, there are many more forms beyond it.]
'I know that, but I can't help it. If everything I know is true, then we may not have a lot of time before shit hits the fan. If Great Red can be killed, then who am I to rest easy knowing I'll be in the crosshairs of every supernatural being there is?'
[If you walk too many paths, you will never get far in any of them. It is best to walk a single path to completion before beginning another. I didn't say anything when you first learnt the spells because I understood the need you had for them, but you are letting your wonder towards magic cloud your judgement.]
'I hate when you're right sometimes.'
[Of course, I know that. I've been your partner for all these years so how can I not know about your lust for magic. It's almost sad. Remember that one time with the whipped cream and-]
'I think that's enough, man. No need to bring up bad memories.' This guy really has too much dirt on me. I wonder if there is a spell to wipe his memory.
[You do realise I can read your thoughts, right?]
'Crap. I guess that idea will never pan out. Say, what would it take you to forget that little thing?'
[You'd never be able to convince me to part with this knowledge.]
I can almost see his smug grin on that huge body of his. Bastard.
A/N: Chapter 4 should be out in the next couple of days, assuming I dont completely burn out or get overwhelmed with uni stuff. With regards to Ryu's relationship with Val, I neither confirm nor deny anything. And yes, I am planning interludes for characters that aren't Ryu, but those are still just ideas at the moment.
Chapter 4: Controlling Anger
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'Chaos in National Diet over controversial bill that would see an increase in the powers of the Emperor'
It was news articles like these that really drove home how different the more mundane side of this world was to my previous one. In my old world, the Japanese Emperor was nothing more than a ceremonial figurehead after the constitution was amended following WWII. Here, when that constitution was being amended, it seemed to be far more similar to that of the United Kingdom whereby legislative, executive and judicial powers are exercised in the name of His Imperial Majesty. He is both Head of State and Commander-in-Chief, but most, if not all, political and military action is carried out by the Prime Minister, currently Abe Shinzo (maybe Kazune is related to him somehow, but I can't figure out how).
But that's only because the US was far more Anti-Communist in this timeline following far greater levels of domestic tension in the 20s and 30s during the First Red Scare with riots, bombings, raids and an attempted plot against the then-president Woodrow Wilson and because Stalin had mobilised far quicker on the Asian front and was reportedly aiming to conquer the Japanese isles outright.
So to prevent Stalin having greater access to warm water ports and a much better base into the Pacific, the US allowed the Japanese Emperor to hold greater power than he would in the other timeline in order to be able to bring an end to the Pacific theatre of the war, but he is still publicly relegated to a ceremonial role. It was also this very peculiar and exact scenario that lead to Japan maintaining control over almost half of the Kuril Islands after the Treaty of San Francisco, actually making the territory of Japan bigger. Of course, this was all after Little Boy and Fat Man presented themselves to the world and firebombed two cities into oblivion.
Pretty sure there were at least some (read: a lot of) supernatural shenanigans in there somewhere. I just know it.
And speaking of the United Kingdom, it was very different from how I remember it to be. I have all these memories of an old Queen Elizabeth reigning well into the 21st century. Instead, Elizabeth was successfully assassinated by a Marcus Sarjeant back in 1981 in his attempt to emulate the attempts on the lives of Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II while she was riding her horse through London. Now, her son King Charles III (and wasn't that a thought) rules as king and the UK seemed to be far more conservative than how I remembered it to be. But how Charles being king led to more conservatism is beyond me. Hmm, this may warrant more research. I also wonder what his relationship with the wielder of Alphecca Tyrant, given that one of her parents is a British Royal.
This all served to remind me that, although I may be on modern Earth in the same time period, it's not the same Earth. Small changes, here and there, that lead to far greater differences. A butterfly fluttering its wings causing a tsunami on the other side of the world, a kingdom lost for want of a nail.
Then again, I'm in an anime world of blood-pumping shounen battles, gods, devils, physics-defying boobies and everything else that somehow made its way into mythology. A few differences in the mundane world was just to be expected.
Now that I mention mythology, didn't both Zeus and Poseidon rape their sister? The same sister? And both times in animal forms? I had previously just internalised it as the Greeks creating wacky gods to reflect their society and made the gods sinful beyond all doubt to humanise them, but they're all real, at least they are here. I don't get why everyone gets pissed at Issei for his far more innocent horniness (relatively speaking, that is) when this embodiment of depravity has been raping people of all ages, sexes, races and backgrounds for as long as he has existed.
"I hope tou-san is okay." Ah, I guess Chika must be reading the same article on her phone as I am. She must be thinking about her dad. Man, it's still weird thinking about how many people in this school are the kids of some bigshot or other. I could throw a stone in the assembly hall and piss off half the country's government and elite in some way, shape or form.
Madness.
"It is quite disheartening to see the nation's government acting in such an uncouth manner." Kaguya, ever the frigid ice princess, must, of course, disparage them from atop her high tower. "For the leaders of the nation to devolve into such chaos does not send out an image of control and unity to the world."
"But, in their defence, the Emperor being able to introduce bills himself to the National Diet would see him being able to somewhat influence and direct the laws that the National Diet passes. Others might see this as a slow return to a more Imperial Japan like of the Showa Period." And that would be true to a certain extent. East Asia is still very scarred by the atrocities Japan committed under the rulership of Emperor Hirohito, and it would be obvious for the countries affected to view this in a negative light. But I couldn't refuse this entirely, as I knew that an Emperor with more control in the mundane world may be more effective in handling the events of the supernatural. But that was a big maybe.
"While I understand your point, that does not mean they all start fighting in the hall. That is what debate is for: a civilised discussion and clash of ideas with words, not fists. You can't get any legislation or laws passed by punching everyone." Kaguya began pouring tea for Miyuki as she said this, clearly delighting in his small smile at the taste.
Pretty sure you could get laws passed in the underworld by punching everyone hard enough, but that isn't something she needs to know.
"Now, now. Settle down, both of you." Miyuki seemed to be getting annoyed at our arguing, and a flash of panic sparked in Kaguya's eyes. I had no way of knowing what she was thinking, but I could be sure it was beyond complicated, hopelessly convoluted and completely useless.
"If that is what you wish, President." Ah, Kaguya conceded immediately. Is she planning something? I wonder what.
"Eh, sure. Prez." You know what, I don't really care. Let the two have their battles.
"Back to work, all of you. We need to be done before Golden Week and I'd rather not have extra paperwork to do on Friday just because we were too slow now."
"Of course, President."
"Geez, man. I got it. No need to nag."
"Okie dokie! Say, can we get a higher budget for-"
"No, Secretary Fujiwara. You will not get an increased budget just because you ask."
"I'll trade you a Pepsi Max for it!"
"That's not how this works, Secretary Fujiwara. That's not how any of this works."
Ishigami chose that exact moment to quietly slither into the student council chambers. He saw that Miyuki was busy trying to get Chika to stop badgering for a higher budget, so he just stalked over to me instead and placed a USB on the table by my paperwork.
"Ryu-senpai, here is the financial report for the month of April and the forecasts for May." As is usual for him at this point, he spoke in that dull, lifeless monotone. His trademark headphones had already found their place on his neck these past few weeks, so he had already become his canon self. His hair covered the left side of his face and his visible eye looked like that of a dead fish: lifeless and soulless.
"Mm, great work, Ishigami-kun."
"Well, if that will be all, I'm going home now." And just as quietly as he had slithered in, he slithered right back out the front door. I'm not even sure if Fujiwara noticed his entrance and subsequent exit at all. Clearly, Miyuki did, as he gave me an inquisitive look and raised an eyebrow. I merely shrugged my shoulders in response. I had no idea what was going on, truly.
But seeing him reduced to this state really was a shame. I know that if I let things happen, he'll turn out kind of alright, but I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror if I didn't do anything for him. Only problem is that he always seems to either disappear or head home whenever I had the time to look for him. Now, I wasn't going to actually use superhuman powers to track him down; if he was actively avoiding people, forcing myself onto him (no perverted meaning of course), that might backfire and he might turtle up even more.
I'd much rather be faced with the fucking devil than try to figure out how to fix this. Actually, scratch that. Sirzechs is a walking apocalypse. Best not to get too close to him for the time being, or at all if possible.
Dear God, why are people so difficult?
Looking back on my paperwork, I notice a complaint from the head of the Aikido club that Ryuju Momo wants to take their dojo and is willing to settle the dispute in a physical martial arts confrontation. He says that he refuses to accept her actions and has come to me to help settle the dispute.
Why on Earth did I ever think it would be a good idea to join the Student Council in the first place!? Curse you Miyuki! How did you convince me this would be a good idea!
-------PWNAO-------
[Calm yourself, boy! Do not lose yourself to the hatred!]
'AAAAARRRRRRGHH!!'
It was late into the evening and I had retreated into my room for the day. Mum was watching tv downstairs with Megumi and Val was in her room studying (at least, that's what I thought she was doing).
Meanwhile, I'm meditating on my bed trying to handle the hatred of just over a dozen superhumans.
See, the biggest 2 problems with Juggernaut Drive was that you burn through your life force and succumb to the hatred and anger of all the past wielders of Divine Dividing. The latter wouldn't be as big of an issue if it were not for the fact that, due to being wielders of Divine Dividing in the first place, the previous wielders were all people capable of a lot of anger and hatred.
Just to give an idea about the kind of anger and hate I'm dealing with, one of the previous wielders was Genghis fucking Khan, a man who killed so many people that the land they lived on returned to forests and scrubbed hundreds of millions of tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere, cooling the entire planet.
Albion and I both knew that it would be impossible to handle it all at once, so we figured out a way for Albion to filter out a lessened amount of all the hatred in the souls of the previous wielders, and he would then increase the amount of hate and anger steadily over time as I adapted and got used to all the voices in my head screaming for death, murder, maim and torture. Out of the 18 previous wielders, I'm only capable of handling the anger of 14 of them. I still need to solve the energy requirements for the form like Vali would have in canon by using demonic energy.
[Enough! Do not let your mind wander or you will end up going berserk and losing yourself in the anger!]
'Fuck you, Albion!' I swear, the nerve on this guy. Oh, what I would do to carve him up and dice up his bones-
[FOCUS!]
"ARGH!" The shout came out unbidden, the anger overcoming my senses for that brief moment that I seemed to lose myself. Carving up Albion? The fuck?
I heard hurried footsteps outside getting louder. Hey, that sounds like Val.
And, wouldn't you know it, Val comes barrelling through the door, her hands already covered in bloody mist and shadows, her fangs extended, her eyes emotionless, pitch-black orbs on a furious visage.
"Hey hey hey! I'm okay!" I quickly get up, waving my arms to get her to calm down. 'Albion, I think we're done for now.' "See? Everything's fine."
She visibly deflated at that; relief clear on her face. I'm just glad that I had Valerie here in case I lost it. The last time I had lost it, I had been training outside and I had brutally, and very painfully, slaughtered a couple of stray animals before Val got to me. We were both immensely lucky I had chosen an hour where most people were asleep in their homes, or else I might've killed someone. We henceforth agreed that I would conduct this training at home, where her room was only 6 feet from my own.
[Hmph! Your progress is slowing. How will you attain this Empireo Juggernaut Overdrive you speak of if you can barely handle a percentage of the hate and anger? How will you fight Super Devils if you cannot handle your sacred gear?]
'Shut up! I get it, okay? No need to rub my weakness in my face.'
"I, sigh, I just don't want you to lose yourself, okay? You have to be careful about these things." The concern in her voice was clearly present for anyone who knew her to pick up on.
"Oi! Baka nii-chan! You okay!?" I could hear Megumi shouting from downstairs. Was I really that loud?
"Yeah, I'm fine! Just stubbed my toe!" I truly did, from the bottom of my heart, hate having to maintain the lie that the supernatural wasn't a thing, but I couldn't bear to let them worry and feel terrified at the thought of what I was going to be faced with. I wanted to tell them, to let them know what is going on, to allow the two people most important to me above any others in on this very important and very significant part of my life, but I didn't know how to present it in a way that wouldn't remove any sense of safety and security. How do you tell someone they're safe when a random supernatural being can teleport into your bedroom, rape you and erase your memories à la Death Eaters? How could you convince them they were safe if there were beings that could annihilate the entire metropolitan area of Tokyo with just a wave of their hands? Their world would fall apart.
"Stop being so clumsy! That's like the 4th time in a week!" I could tell she was giggling at my expense downstairs. So be it. I had the power of a Dragon Emperor to master. A little bit of teasing from my beloved sister was well within what I was willing to endure.
[You're not 'enduring it for the sake of training' if you would never do anything to her for it in the first place. You're just a softy where she is concerned.]
'So what? Is it not the duty of the elder brother to dote on their younger siblings? What is so wrong with how I treat Megumi-chan?'
[Nothing. I've just been curious for a while what plans you had regarding your mother and sister. They-]
'They will have nothing to do with the supernatural. End of story.'
[The world will not let you sit in peace and obscurity forever. Once you get dragged in, it's only a matter of time before they get dragged in. Fate wills it so.]
'Screw fate. Imma do my own thing. End of discussion, Albion. I don't wanna hear another word.
[Whatever.]
Hearing him go silent, I see Valerie standing at the door with her arms crossed. Hmm, that posture really did accentuate her breasts-. No! Impure thoughts begone! There is no time for romance!
"Will you be okay for the evening, Ryu?"
"Yeah, I'm good." I slowly walked to my bed, lied down and pulled my phone out of my pocket. "Just gonna watch some anime. I'm done for today."
"Alright. Just let me know if you need anything." And with that, she made her way out of the door and closed it behind her.
Yare yare daze. I seriously need to get a handle on all of this.
A/N: Alright, so I have no idea how well I might do this, but I wanna expand the world and make the whole story to be not just about the happenings in the Supernatural. Because up to a point in relatively recent history, there was no distinction and clearly, there has to have been some effect that one would have on the other and vice-versa. It's laughable to me that somehow, in a world of gods and mythologies, of werewolves and yokai and vampires walking the Earth, that the mundane world has nothing to do with the supernatural and that neither world can affect the other. As I said, I have no idea how well I'll be able to develop this and if I will still have the motivation to keep writing this as far as the plot in my head goes. This is my first time doing something like this and I dunno how far I can go, but let's just try and see what happens.
Chapter 5: Suspicions
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Deep breaths. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Hold.
Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Hold.
Fuck this shit.
[Focus!]
'Screw you too, buddy.'
It was Saturday afternoon and Golden Week was due to begin next Monday, giving me one whole week away from school for training. With other anime characters, this would be more than enough time to reach a whole new level of power. Unfortunately, the world (as far as I was concerned) didn't work that way. At least, not yet.
[Oi. You can lament your not being the hentai protagonist later. You have this window before your so-called canon begins to train as much as you can. I will not have you be weaker than an open degenerate!]
'Hey!'
Clearly, this wasn't going anywhere and forcing results out of meditation doesn't sound right. Back to the books, it is.
Recently, progress had stalled on some of the more offensive magics I had. I had mastered everything I had already but have hit a wall in terms of advancement. There was just one piece I was missing to go further; I just know it!
Illusions, however, never gave me these problems. Every time I figured something out, I get leads for two more. In a world of might makes right, the ability to change what someone is perceiving is seriously underestimated. I still wasn't at Kuroka's level of producing illusionary clones, let alone creating illusionary worlds to trap people in like Marsilio or Aži Dahāka, but I am quite proficient if I do say so myself.
I could show you something that wasn't there, hide my presence, show you visions of hell, distort your eyesight and more. Illusion magic like the visual illusions I studied, while mathematical like all other human magics, were far more intuitive and intention-based than the others I studied. Most of the maths were just for getting your magic into the optical nerve or the brain and basically hijacking the signals sent to the brain. Everything after that was less mathematical and more intention-based.
On the one hand, this only affected vision. I would need other spells to alter someone's hearing, or taste or balance, so it was inherently flawed and nowhere near as powerful as it could be if I learned how to fully hijack all the senses. On the other hand, I was messing around with someone's brain, and that did scare me.
I went to my bookcase and picked up a textbook on the anatomy of the eye and a notebook titled 'Eye stuff: Vol 2'. My working theory was that the more I understood about the eye and how it functioned, the better I'd be able to come up with and execute visual illusions. Turns out, it also worked the other way; the deeper I delved into visual illusions, the more I came to understand the eye through practice.
Of course, I only practised these on strays and criminals. After all, there were risks with testing out magic spells. Wouldn't want to make someone I cared about blind or insane, would I? (This has happened way more times than I'm comfortable with. With the undesirables, of course. Not anyone I cared about.)
It was a couple of hours into my reading when Megumi barged into my room.
"Onii-chan! Could you please give me a ride to Moeha's house?" Honestly, this girl. What if I was wanking? Wherever did basic privacy go? Could you please just- "I'll bake you some chocolate chip cookies after dinner! "
Mmm, homemade chocolate chip cookies…
"Why can't Kaa-san drive you there?" I'm really not in the mood.
"She's enjoying her new book and I don't want to disturb her is why! She looks so happy and I'd feel like a nuisance if I bothered her."
"And what about disturbing me? Was that never a problem for you?"
"Of course not. You're my loving brother!" She even had the gall to give me a dazzling smile. "You'd never say no to me. You love me too much for that."
You know, maybe just this once I could put my foot down…oh who am I kidding.
[Sis-con]
'Disembodied lizard voice'
"Anyway, could you take me there? Kei, Moeha and I want to study together."
Hmm. Moeha? As in Fujiwara Moeha? And Shirogane Kei? I guess I'd be okay with that…
"How long are you planning to stay there for?" I took a quick look at my watch. "It's around 1:15 right now."
"Eh, maybe until around 7 or 8-ish? Dunno, to be honest. I'll call you to pick me up when we're done and then maybe you could come to pick me up as well?"
So not only would I have to drop her off, but also pick her up and bring her home? This sounds like such a pain.
"Sigh. Alright then. Get your stuff and I'll meet you down by the car."
"Not the motorbike? Is that even legal?"
Well, no, but I've been driving mum's car long enough to not care anymore.
"It's fine. Just get your stuff before I change my mind."
"Yippee!"
'I guess magic can wait. Sorry Albion, but there's nothing I can do.'
[How is it that you're bribed so easily?]
'What do you want me to say? Sorry for doting on my little sister? Never gonna happen!'
I put the books back on their spots on the shelf, throw on some longer trousers and head downstairs.
"Ryuu!" Mum called me from her seat on the couch. Now that I take a look at her, she does seem rather comfy with her book, blanket and tea. "Are you taking your sister out?"
"Yeah," I reply. "Says she's gonna go study at a friend's house."
"And when will she be back?" And suddenly the air around her changed. There was very well-hidden worry in her eyes that you couldn't spot unless you knew her.
"Around 7 or 8 pm. I'll pick her up later when she's done. They're trustworthy people."
"You know them personally?"
"Yes. Don't worry, kaa-san. She'll be in good hands."
"Well, if you think so, then I don't mind." She placed her finger on her lips, clearly trying to remember something. "Oh, and if you're taking the car, could you get some groceries? I was meaning to tomorrow, but if you're already on your way out…"
"It's fine, kaa-san. Text me the shopping list?"
"Thanks, dear." She snuggled up in her blanket even more and extended her arms for a hug.
"No problem," I bend down and hug her, feeling my mind be at ease in her warmth.
"Love you, kaa-san," I gave her a quick peck on the cheek as I broke away from her embrace.
"Love you too. Be safe."
"I will."
-------PWNAO-------
Before us stood quite a large, detached house. Looked to be about 3 floors with both a front and back yard, if the paths around the building were any indication. At the front stood an imposing black door with a golden number 7 in fancy font by the peephole.
"Is this the place?" I turn to look at Megumi, who's too busy listening to music on her phone. Hah, that'll take too long. So, I pull her earbuds out.
"Hey! What was that for!?" She immediately faces me, annoyance written all over her face, before looking at our surroundings. "Wait, we're here? Why didn't you say something!?"
"I did. You just couldn't hear me over the music."
"Oh," Her voice quietened, and she scratched her cheek. "My bad. Hehe…"
"Alright, go on. I'll wait here until you're inside."
"Ok, bye!" She quickly jumps out of the car and skips over to the front door, where she presses the bell and waits for a response. A mini version of Chika, which could only be Moeha opened the door. She looked at me and whispered something weird at Megumi because she suddenly started blushing and pushed Moeha inside, after which she hurriedly waved to me and ran inside.
What?
I don't think I'll ever understand the female brain.
[Me neither, pal. Me neither.]
'Hey, is it just me or does this house feel like there is something more to it?'
[Hmm, you are correct in that this house isn't completely mundane. I can feel traces of magic on that door and the walls.]
'Well, fuck. I really need to get those dragon senses of yours.'
[As I've said before, while you have gained control of the Scale Mail, I feel you would be better off waiting to make such changes after mastering your Juggernaut Drive. Until you gain greater control of both your own emotions and Divine Dividing, I refuse to let you take that step.]
'Yes, yes, I know. But would it really be so bad? I can't sense when supernaturals are nearby, I can't feel the magic around me, I can't track people like you can, I-'
[Do you intend to be forever controlled by your base urges and draconic emotions? Because that is what will happen. We've been over this, Ryu.]
'Fair enough. Fujiwara, eh? I guess this warrants some investigation.'
Time for those groceries. And from the ingredients, it looks like mum's cooking lasagne today! I love lasagne!
-------PWNAO-------
Megumi POV
"Mo-chan, what the hell!?"
"What? It's true! Your brother looks very fine." She giggled to herself a bit, which only pissed me off even more. "Honestly, Gumi-chan. You should've said something before."
"B-but…" Why? Why does the thought of Mo-chan seeing nii-chan like that make me so annoyed?
"Aha. I understand." She placed her hand on my shoulder and looked me dead in the eye. "You want him for yourself!"
"WawawawaWhat is wrong with you, idiot!" Why would she say that! Stupid Moeha. He's my brother!
"Ah, Mi-chan. You're so cute when you're flustered. I just wanna tie you up and keep you in my basement!"
Moeha, this is why everyone is scared of you. Please control yourself. Or, if you can't, please lock yourself in your room. Or an insane asylum. Definitely the insane asylum.
"What are you guys doing?" Ah, is that Kei? Yes, that is indeed Kei sticking her head out of what looks like the living room. "Oh, Megumi, you're finally here. You doing okay?"
"Mo-chan is just being a raging pervert. No need to worry about me."
"I see. Nothing we can do about that, I guess." She just sighs and shakes her head. "Are we studying here or in Moeha's room?"
"We're less likely to be distracted by Pez if we go upstairs," I say.
"You're right. That might be a problem."
"Hey! I'm right here! Shouldn't I have a say if we go to my room?" Moeha looks a bit annoyed at being left out of the conversation.
"Have you reigned in your hormones yet?" Kei. Just. Heh. Heheheh.
"Pfft!"
"ARGH! Oh God, what have I done to deserve friends like these?"
"Be horny is what you did."
"…I cannot dispute that."
I let out a little giggle, no matter how hard I had tried to suppress it, and before long, we were all laughing together. Now that I think about it, how on Earth are we going to get any studying done between the three of us?
We really didn't think this one through.
-------PWNAO-------
Ishigami POV
Unpause
Having the sweat slide through jolting into the heat-haze
Geez, why am I here, again? The sun is so bright, the streets so crowded and the vehicles so loud.
A voice resonates by dusting off this shoulder at the same time
Oh, that's right. I'm out here to buy manga from the store nearby. But did I need to come out so early in the day? Society shouldn't be so functional at 2 o'clock, dammit!
With the window open, I asked something to the sky
Dammit, this is why you don't let chapters build up and then go for the released volumes. You just expend time and energy going to the shop, the heat makes you sweat and stink so now your clothes need cleaning and you need a shower, you have to navigate Tokyo's busy streets, you pay more money per chapter AND you have to go over previous chapters to remember what happened.
What will be our fare this summertime, Hey, MR. FUTURE?
Damn the stupid mangaka and his cliff-hangers! He has to know how we are taking it, right? He can't be ignorant to how he is edging his fanbase in this arc.
OH, COME ON. COME. COME ON.
Even it's a little CHANCE
OH, COME ON. COME. COME ON.
Let's connect
OOOH
Why even are there English words in a Japanese song? It's not like we don't have words for mister, future, come and on. I mean, it sounds great, but why?
Finally, the light turned green and I can cross the street now. Wait a minute, is that my ringtone? Who the hell would be calling me? Ah, my mother. Of course. Who else would bother to call me?
"Yuu, where are you?" she asked. I could feel the tension in her voice.
"Out buying manga. Why?"
"Your father is angry and says you have to come home."
Ah, fuck. I leave the house for 5 minutes and already the arsehole is on my case. How such a guy married the sweetheart that is my mother is beyond me. Too bad he's worn her down to a shell of her former self.
"I'll try to come home as soon as possible, kaa-san. I'm just being held up by traffic lights."
"Ok, and please do be careful around your father. You know how he is these days." And she just hangs up, Imagination playing once again in my headphones.
Sigh, why do I have to put up with all this BS. Everyone at school hates me, my own brother acts as if I don't exist, my dad pours his frustration out on everyone and mom can barely do anything because dad always gets in the way.
At least I've got anime and manga. And games. Kami, I don't know what I'd do without them.
Although, I don't exactly know what I'm doing even now. What's the point in just sitting in my room all day every day? Shouldn't I do something better than this?
Isn't that what you tried last time? Remember how that turned out, Yuu?
Right, of course, standing out just leads to suffering. But staying alone where I am also sucks.
Man, the world sucks.
Aree? I'm already at the bookstore? How the heck—ah, forget it.
Walking in, I'm immersed in the familiar smell of paper and wood, the quiet atmosphere of a library and the sight of rows upon rows of literary and comic heaven, at least for those of us who don't care too much for actual literature that is.
Quickly making my way to the manga area, it becomes very easy to find what I'm looking for. And, lo and behold, the latest 3 volumes of Naruto all neatly spread before me. Ah, how I've missed this manga. Curse my weak heart for not having the strength to deal with the cliffhangers! Lazy Dragon-sensei, I'm sorry for turning away from your shonen gospel! I swear, I'm not an apostate! I lacked the will and courage for a time, but I have returned!
"Um, excuse me," said someone behind me. The voice was very clearly feminine. Smooth and calming. This person is someone that is either always listened to or ignored over the voices of others.
Turning around, it is very clear she is the former. The pale white skin of a European, long and vibrant red hair, bright blue eyes, a skimpy school uniform that sported a skirt much too high by regular norms and the biggest goddamn breasts I have ever laid eyes on. Do bras even come in that cup size? How does she walk around with watermelons on her chest? She must be the popular type, with all the girls swooning and all the boys wrapped around her finger. Shitty normies.
But those titties…
No! Stupid Yuu. Don't make the rumours true!
Then I look behind her and see that her friend also has boobs of unexplainable proportions, except she looked distinctly Japanese and had this soft smile that screamed ara ara. She seems very dangerous and interactions must be limited as much as possible.
Hold on, when did I leave reality and enter anime-land! Did Lazy Dragon-sensei hear my prayers and make my life into a shitty harem anime? Is this, perhaps, my time to shine?
Of course not. You are letting your fanaticism get ahead of you, man. Pull yourself together!
"Ano, I-I'm very sorry. I'll be leaving now!" Like an idiot, you just leave, Yuu. You didn't even wait long enough to see how they'd respond! Argh, now they probably think you're some weirdo!
Man, I want to die.
It's almost a miracle how I make it to the counter at all. The woman at the counter is giving me a weird look. What? Is there something on my face? Why would you be so amazed to see me? Unless she isn't looking at me but behind me.
Turning around, I see the same red-haired girl from before, but for some reason, she's just staring in my direction, eyes squinted, with hints of wanting in her eyes. I'm sorry, miss, but I refuse to be wrapped around a shitty normie, even if she indulges in manga, thank you very much.
But something about her has me on edge and I don't know what. The best course to take here would be to leave, then.
Why is her friend giggling, anyway? Stupid normies, they make no sense at all.
A/N: I'm alive, I guess? Umm, more than half a year was a lot more time than I was expecting, but corona, work and Uni fucked me pretty hard and fast here and I lost the motivation to keep going. But the idea kept bugging me, so I thought 'Why not, eh?' The high from the England victories did help to get me going, so I churned this chapter out in one miraculous sitting. Will this be the start of something more or a dead fish flopping one last time? I dunno. I'll see where I can go from here.
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LeoneHunting for my can of beans but angrily
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