So I've accepted the offer I got from Kawakami Miwa. What came next?
She told me that my body would experience some changes. She wasn't kidding. I was enveloped in a strong, red aura for about three minutes. Three long, painful minutes. What did Kawakami Miwa do?
She watched.
She didn't help with the pain. Her excuse was that it was necessary for me to feel the pain in order to fully change. And that I did. Remember when I said my hair was naturally blue? It's white now. When Miwa told me about this, I thought it was cliche that the hair of a new "ghost" turns white. When I got the chance to check a mirror, I changed my mind about my hair. Oh, also my eyes turned a bright red. Miwa told me "Looking Sexy". She was joking. Maybe my new outfit that materialized from thin air made my natural charm and charisma easier for her to see.
But, this was not the last time I would hear this from her.
She informed me that next was the trial for my demon weapon. This is where things get interesting. If you like weapons. The first thing that Miwa had me test out was a sword. An English Knight's sword to be precise. Dreambinder, was its name. It was easy to handle and cut with extreme precision and power, though it was my first time with a sword. Miwa asked "Have you any experience with swords? You're handling that blade like an expert."
I gave her an honest answer.
"Dreambinder has only ever reacted to two people, one of them being you. This might be your weapon."
I told her that I was surprised that someone with zero experience could use a blade that well.
"You must be a good fit for the job then."
Miwa praised me. That was the first time that anyone had praised me in years. It felt somewhat warm. But it wasn't the compliment that was giving the warm feeling. It was coming from Miwa's sword.
"Hey, Miwa, what's your sword's name?"
She called it Takemikazuchi. Fitting that the katana was named after the Japanese sword deity.
"I asked because I feel an energy coming from it."
She said "That should be impossible. I've forged a strong bond with this-"
My actions unintentionally cut her off. I started to think about that sword. Then, I noticed my left hand suddenly had a grip on something. I felt a cold, fabric-y sensation on my palm.
Hey, Takemikazuchi.
"How?" Miwa asked, "How can you use two? How can you use Dreambinder and Takemikazuchi, especially when Takemikazuchi is already mine?"
I pointed out that she still had hers.
"I don't understand how this is possible. No two people have ever had a bond with the same weapon, and nobody has ever, EVER had a bond with two! The universal law is that a person can only be bound to one demon weapon, and everyone who's ever used one accepts this as fact! So what the hell?"
I said sorry, but I couldn't explain what was happening. But, this got me curious.
I asked Miwa to show me some other weapons. So, I tried them all out.
Sapience, the shuriken volley.
Visage, the dimension splitting scythe.
Moonshadow, the sniper rifle with a bottomless magazine.
And many more that would be a hassle to list. Anyway, I was able to use all of them flawlessly. Miwa was jaw-to-the-floor in shock. The look on her face was worth dying for.
"I'm not going to question how this is even possible. Let's just move on to the spirit magic."
I just did what Miwa said.
I did good with the magic testing, too. It wasn't like each person was only supposed to have one unique spell they're bound to. Instead, she told me that spirit magic was split up into a few categories: Destructive Magic, Restorative magic, Alteration magic, and Possession magic. So she had me try them all out. Would you like to guess what happened?
Bingo.
She told me to focus on my energy, and release it in a fashion where I am under complete control. What I actually did was unknowingly, effortlessly use the most powerful skill of each magic type. Miwa was, once again, in total shock. So was I.
"I would try to pinch myself and wake up from this dream, but dead people don't dream." Is what Miwa said, or something corny like that.
So, let's make a list of the things I can and can't do.
Can:
Use any demon weapon I know the name of just by thinking about it
Use the master techniques of all types of magic
Look super handsome in the new outfit that was somehow magically dressed in
Seduce Miwa with my overflowing charisma(I saved that one for later)
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Can't:
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So, anyway, I found out I could use a fifth type of magic that Miwa didnt tell me about. She called it divine magic. I used it quite well too. Only a few people that have existed could use divine magic. The rest of them were deities.
Apparently, it's a magic so rare, she didn't bother to tell me about it.
But it was cool. It turns out that Miwa knew all the divine magic spells, but could only use one, low power skill. However, I used a divine skill that she had never seen, nor was it in any records or archives. Which meant one thing:
I got the naming rights to the skill(considering as far as we knew no one else could use it).
I named it Lamentation, because the damage was so bad, it utterly annihilated three quarters of the remote island we were on, and the massive boat that Miwa sailed in on to show off to the new arrival(me), and it pissed her off. I knew she was just showing off because she was the only one aboard the Noah's Ark size vessel.
She forgave me though, because I created a new one for her. Using magic, obviously.
After that was settled, Miwa said I could pick a new name for myself befitting of my new position. I told her Sasaki Yuji was just fine.
"Alright Yuji, you won't be assigned your first target from us until a few weeks from now to take some R&R or do what you want until then. You can even go after that young lady who sent you here if you want. Just don't cause any trouble for innocent people, and don't do something like using invisibility to sneak into the girls' changing room. We may be wandering soul killers from the underworld, but we're not heartless monsters." Miwa's speech was like that. Honestly, I can't believe she would think I would do something like that.
As I previously stated, I am a man of class.
"I'm ready to send you back to the living world if you are. But there are some things you should note. You'll return at the moment which is five minutes after your death, wherever your corpse is. Time here works differently than in the living world. Anyway, let me check where your corpse is for you... Have fun, hehe."
Miwa didn't tell me where my body was.
"It seems that Noriko girl really did a number on your body, I'll somehow have your remains collected and a death certificate issued."
Just what the hell did Noriko do after she killed me? Especially, where did she put me?
"Well, I'm ready to go back." I told Miwa.
"But, how will you communicate with me from down here? Do you have some sort of super futuristic demon tech for me?" I asked her.
"Your cellphone. Rather, your smartphone."
Even in death, my phone was still in my pocket. Maybe all those adults who say that youths these days are all glued to their phones were right.
"Your phone has received some upgrades that are a few centuries ahead of the living world's technology. You'll also get a piece that goes around your ear. It works as a 'user interface' that can give you the time, weather, trivial stuff like that. It can also track certain locations or things, and it can provide useful information on targets, when you have one. Best of all, it will enable you to see people and things that are part of the virtual world that have somewhat merged with the real world. Normal people can't see them because they are virtual, but they do exist and they do play a part in the world's existence as well as world governments and economies. You'll be able to interact and communicate with them. You also might need to cooperate with them on future assignments. It sounds complicated, but you'll get used to it. Also to simplify your original question, if a matter is really important, I'll pay you a visit instead of calling your phone. Anyway, go play with your new toys."
Miwa must like hearing her own voice.
But, she finished her speech so, up I went.
On May 5 at 7:40 AM, I returned to the land of the living. There was an awfully putrid smell awaiting me though. It was my corpse. Miwa wasn't joking when she said that I would return at the location of my remains. I was practically on top of my corpse. I did look at my body, and holy shit, I couldn't even tell that was me. Noriko really did do a number on me.
The corpse wasn't the main smell, I had only died five minutes ago. It was the dumpster Noriko threw me in.
It didn't concern me though. I hopped out of the dumpster, quite eagerly in fact. I had business to take care of.
First, I wanted to blend in. The white hair and red eyes were cool and all, but I just wanted to relax until my job officially starts.
I concentrated really hard, on blue hair and a school uniform.
Voila, I was back to my pre death self.
Now, it was time to go meet up with Noriko.
I was determined to attend the opening ceremony for my second high school year.
Not even death was going to stop me.