Within the private room of a Japanese-styled high-class restaurant located, three men sat upon the tatami mat covered floor.
Upon the wooden table before them rested several small trays with a small appetizer dish and a small porcelain white sake cup and bottle.
The first man with a large build and neatly trimmed beard, dressed in a casual collared polo shirt, picked up his cup of sake and took a sip. Sitting by his side was another large, muscular man in a casual shirt and jacket with a sharper trimmed beard and a white streak along the side of his head; the man who Yuuji fought in while in disguise.
On the opposite side of the table, a slender, beautiful man with long black hair and golden eyes sat, dressed in a complete suit. He sat with a gentle, relaxed smile despite being in front of two enormous presenters in the room.
"Without beating around the bush, Mr. Zhou… It seems that the boy has failed."
"I'd like to think that I understand your concerns, Lord Chen. But since we've revealed nothing about our true identity to him, I don't believe there's any risk of information leaks."
"Ho? I'm impressed that you managed to groom him to become a collaborator."
"People that age are still pure, passionate, and easily swayed by jealousy, after all. In order to show their worth or satisfy their pettiness, they'd rather speak out than listen well. Thanks to that, I have learned quite a lot."
"If you say so, Mr. Zhou, then we should be fine. But, I'm trusting you to take care that there aren't any unexpected twists… Such as that matter from a few days ago."
At his words, Mr. Zhou glanced towards Lu Gao Hu for an instant, and saw a deeply buried anger and frustration building up in his expression, and returned his gaze towards Lord Chen.
"I am well aware of what I must do. In the next few days, I shall appraise the situation myself."
--------------------------------X--------------------------------
After a long day, Yuuji finally returned home with Aika as she hugged his arm tightly and laid her head on his shoulder.
The sun had already set by the time they finished hanging out with Honoka, Shizuku, Mizuki, Miyuki, Tatsuya, and Mikihiko after school. And they're now walking home slowly, taking their time while conversing and enjoying the night breeze that had began to blow over.
As soon as they arrived at the mansion, they entered and saw two pairs of shoes in the entryway.
One was Aika, and the bigger one, they presumed, was most likely Leo's.
"Oh~! It seems like they've already started training! Let's check them out~!"
"Mm. You go ahead. I'll put our bags in our room first."
"Uhn~! Thanks, Yuuji~"
Aika gave Yuuji her bag and quickly made her way down towards the underground gym, while he headed towards his room to put down their bags.
Upon entering the master bedroom, he noticed Erika's bag on the couch and her school uniform neatly folded right beside it. She must've changed into her training outfit, which consisted of a white Keikogi and a red hakama.
Just like Aika, his bedroom had turned into all of their bedrooms. Although they left some clothes in their room, which were the two previous guest rooms on the opposite wing of the mansion, most of their daily clothing and necessities were all placed in his room. After all, they now rarely sleep in their own room and chose to sleep along with Yuuji. Even their makeup stuff, which wasn't that much considering Aika's no use for it and Erika's tendency to not use much of it, were all placed in his bathroom.
After placing their bags, Yuuji exited his room and quickly followed Aika to the underground gym.
Reaching the underground level of his mansion, he could see Aika's figure in the massive gym and training ground half of the floor through the transparent glass, already chatting with Erika.
A few distance away from them, he could see Leo, dressed in a similar training outfit that Erika brought along with her from her home for him, sprawled on the ground and breathing hard.
His lips curled into a smile as he approached the metallic door into the gym. Yuuji lowered himself to position his eyes right in front of the iris scanner, and once it recognized the pattern of his iris, he placed his thumb onto the fingerprint scanner.
The door slid open, earning Aika and Erika's attention as he approached them.
"Hey, welcome back."
Yuuji grabbed around Erika's shoulder, pulled her towards himself, and pressed his lips on her head.
"Mm, I'm back. How's it going?"
"Well, as you can see, he's exhausted. We're taking a bit of a break right now."
"I see…"
It was actually quite surprising for Yuuji to see Leo this tired. As a magician, and especially in Leo's case, Leo has immense physical strength and stamina, much more than a normal human like Yuuji before he got his [Divine Physique].
Even in the anime, there wasn't a time where he was this exhausted.
"Then, I'll check up on him for a bit, okay?"
"Mm. I'll be here with Aika."
Yuuji nodded, and headed to the fridge that was in between the training grounds and the gym. It was filled to the brim with liters upon liters of water in bottles and various sports drinks with a variety of flavor. Yuuji just took a large bottle of water and a regular sports drink, and approached Leo.
"Yo. Seems like Erika dragged you through the ringer, huh?"
"Yuuji…"
Leo opened his eyes to see Yuuji, the guy who had been in his mind ever since Erika revealed her relationship with him and his… true self, handing him a bottle of water and sports drink.
"Thanks…"
He grabbed both bottles, placed the mineral water bottle on the ground, and gulped down the sports drinks.
And after he finished, he turned and looked towards Yuuji once again as he sat on the ground.
He had mixed feelings about this… He thought he knew who Yuuji was. Although he wasn't as close with him as he was with Tatsuya, Leo still considered him his close friend after all the time they spent together.
But today, a lot of things that had been revealed to him made him wonder… Is the Yuuji he knew the real him?
Everyone has secrets. That much he understood. And Yuuji was free to hide his secrets.
His wealth was one thing. He had expected him to be rich given how much Aika had been bragging about his wealth. He didn't know if he inherited it or he somehow made a name for himself. For anyone else, the latter might be a little bit too far fetched given they're still first year students. But considering how immensely intelligent and talented Yuuji was, it didn't seem far-fetched for him to be this rich, at least in Leo's mind.
But… he didn't expect that secret to be about him dating both Aika and Erika at the same time. It was… the last thing he'd expect from Yuuji.
In his eyes, Yuuji had always been an upstanding and honest guy who cared deeply for his friends. He expected him to be an extremely devoted and loyal person if he ever decided to get into a relationship with someone. After all, even though he had always been surrounded by beauties and popular with girls, he had never acted frivolously towards any of them and treated them with respect and manners.
But now… Erika told him that she and Aika were both dating him at the same time. He couldn't believe Erika and Aika accepted such a relationship, but even more than that, he couldn't believe Yuuji would be dating two girls at once.
In this day and age… having more than one wife is something only the rich and influential can do in secret. It was unthinkable for a first year student to do such a thing unless he was a scum.
But… Erika knew about Yuuji dating Aika before she entered into a relationship with him.
And after listening to Aika's story… he felt truly conflicted.
On one hand, it was the fact that he was two-timing, even if they both accepted it. But on the other hand, he treated them extremely well and the two didn't have any complaints about their current relationship. In fact, Erika seemed happy about the arrangement since she could be with Yuuji as well as Aika, who she had become extremely close with.
Seeing his complicated expression, Yuuji smiled apologetically and lowered his head slightly.
"Sorry for not mentioning any of this, Leo. I promise I don't intend to hide our relationships from you or the others. It's just… we didn't have the opportunity to do so."
"Ah, no… It's fine. I was just… shocked."
"Mm…"
Yuuji nodded and sat down beside him.
"It's a lot to take, huh…?"
"Of course it is… But… Well, as long as you're all happy, then I'm not in the position to say anything. I'll be supporting all of you as a friend. Just… Treat them well."
Leo turned his head and looked at Yuuji.
"I've seen guys who tried to make it work with two girls, and he ended up not only hurting the girls, but also himself. From what Aika told me, you seemed to have things under control, but don't forget the reason why you entered a relationship with them in the first place."
A look of surprise emerged on Yuuji's face. He didn't expect to receive such a deep relationship advice from Leo…"
"I won't. I will treasure them forever. Thank you for understanding, Leo."
He raised his fist towards him, and Leo bumped it with his own.
"So? How's it going?"
"It's… going slowly. I'm not very used to strengthening an object without having it crease. Normally, it doesn't matter if it creases or not as long as it's hard."
"Mm, it's a bit different from how you usually use it. But I'm sure you can figure it out. And once you do, you'll be a force to reckon with. You have amazing potential as a combatant, Leo. Having a skill that could give you an edge in a life or death battle could be the difference between life and death. If you're determined to go down this path, then you should be ready."
"I know. Thanks. I've made my own resolve. I've also heard from Aika… Things are going to get messy soon, huh?"
Yuuji let out a sigh and nodded.
"Unfortunately. They've begun using students from our own school as spies. And the thing Mizuki said before about the feeling of being watched… that must be some sort of spell placed on the entire school grounds to observe us."
"Hah… What a bunch of creeps."
"Heh, seriously. I'm guessing they'll make a move during the Thesis Competition."
Yuuji turned and looked at Leo once again.
"I'd like to say no hurries, but it'd be great to have you ready and join us by then. Having you and Erika there would be a life saver."
"I'll do my best. No promise though."
"Heh, don't worry. I'll tell Aika to crank up the intensity of your training."
"Wha-?!"
Yuuji stood up from his seat and began walking away, waving his hand at him.
"Don't worry! There's plenty of water and sports drinks in the gym fridge! I won't charge you for any so go and have your fill! Aika and I will be cooking a lot more food for our dinner tonight, so don't worry! Go get destroyed!"
"T-That's not the problem! Oi wait, Yuuji!"
Yuuji simply chuckled and continued heading towards Aika and Erika.
When he reached them, Erika turned towards him and saw Leo looking at him with scared eyes.
"Hm? What's going on?"
"It's nothing. Oh, and don't hold back on training him. I'll be cooking extra for dinner tonight either way."
"Heh, leave it to me."
Erika narrowed her eyes and looked at Leo with a smirk, causing sweat to drip down his forehead.
"Aika, will you help me cook dinner?"
"Uhn~! Leave it to me~"
"Thank you. Then, I'll leave you guys to it. You're free to use any of the facilities here. You know where the drinks are. And if you need anything else, just call us from the intercom."
"Mm. I know. Thanks."
Yuuji pulled Erika into a hug once again and kissed her head.
"Then, we'll be off. Good luck, Leo!"
"Don't die, Leo~!"
"..."
--------------------------------X--------------------------------
October 22, 2095.
First High School Outdoors Practice Field.
Yuuji walked through a clearing in between treelines that stretched far into the distance. A calm expression adorned his heavenly countenance, but his eyes were sharp, belying his still exterior.
At least… That's how it looked for Mayumi, Mari, and Juumonji Katsuto, who were watching from a screen in the monitoring room for this Thesis Competition Security volunteering members' training session, as well as the trainees that were currently lying in wait for an ambush.
Inside, Yuuji wondered just how he ended up in this position…
Just this morning, he was getting ready to have a slow day accompanying Hirakawa Koharu and the other members of the Thesis Competition team, just like usual. But suddenly, the chairman of the Extracurricular Activities Federation, Juumonji Katsuto, took him and made him go against the members of the security detail for the thesis competition to train them.
There was no way for him to decline… He even tried giving Mayumi the puppy eyes, which almost worked. But in the end… he failed. Mayumi was excited to watch him fight against the others too, knowing he will sweep the floor along with everyone, so he had no other choice but to do it.
But really… At least they're the ones who'll be protecting and not the one ambushing, because they're really bad at this…
Even without using elemental sight, Yuuji could see some of their body parts and heads poking out of the treelines and bushes, and sense their presence. They didn't even try to disguise their presence or even just erase it.
But Yuuji kept walking silently, pretending to not notice it. It'd be much easier to catch them off guard if they think he still doesn't know where and when they'll ambush him.
Then, in the next moment, six second-year students dressed in a black training shirt and long pants jumped out of the tree line. They all raised their left hand, where they equipped their bracelet-type CAD, towards him and used their right hand toa activate their spells.
"GOT YOU!!!"
The ground around Yuuji suddenly shattered and the debris began forming into six large boulders that immediately shot towards Yuuji. But in the same instance, Yuuji tapped his slick, platinum, cuff bangle-shaped CAD, and six powerful lightning struck the boulders with a thunderous roar, shattering it into pieces.
"What…?!"
"That's impossible…"
"Such a powerful spell… with that speed…"
The spell he had used was a derivative from Aika's Raikou. Instead of one, enormous, lightning strike that seemed to have been cast down by heaven itself, he created a spell that would divide up the power into several less powerful, but still destructive, strikes of lightning to deal with multiple targets.
Yuuji swept his gaze across the second year students, and silently sighed and shook his head at their behavior.
Even if what he did was surprising, they shouldn't be gawking at him in the middle of battle.
Is this what Chairman Juumonji wanted to teach them…?
While they're talented in magic, they still have much to learn in terms of combat, which is much more important in real life situations. Critical thinking, fast decision making, and clarity of mind; they're all far more important than being able to cast powerful spells quickly.
For second year students to gawk at him after he showed a moderately powerful spell made him really worried for the reliability of the thesis competition security team.
I need to teach them a lesson so they won't repeat it during real life and death situation…
"Senpai, you shouldn't gawk at a person during battle. Or else, you won't be able to react in time with their retaliation."
His words snapped them out of their daze, but it was too late. The next moment, they felt a tremendous pressure coming down from above, forcing them to their knees. No matter how hard they try to resist, it was as if they had a massive block of concrete weighing them from above. And before long, all six of the second year students could only groan as they lay down flat on their stomach on the ground.
"And when you're ambushing someone, please don't yell and raise your voice. It would only serve to alert your enemies and give them time to react."
Their groans continued for a bit before silence fell upon the forest once more, and Yuuji released them from his spell.
If they weren't so distracted, they could've cast some spells towards him to maybe break his concentration on his spell.
What an amateur mistake… Being distracted in a battlefield was equivalent to giving yourself on a silver platter for the enemies.
He shook his head and continued walking through the clearing, "searching" for the others while actually letting him be a prime target to ambush.
Meanwhile, watching the scene unfold through a monitor in the base camp, Mayumi, Mari, and Juumonji Kazuto watched with an impressed expression on their faces.
Mayumi seemed to be proud and watched her new lover walk with confidence on his heavenly countenance. Kazuto also seemed proud, while Mari couldn't help but voice her impression of his performance and words.
"I see now why you insist on having him take over the training, Juumonji-kun."
"Mm. I didn't solely choose him based on his skill, but his combat prowess. I want him to impart some of his combat experience to the others."
Mayumi nodded.
"That is a good idea. And it seems like Yuuji-kun understands your intention well, Juumonji-kun."
"Yes."
"I can't believe he's a first year…"
Mari let out a sigh as she crossed her arms under her ample bosom. She often forgot that Yuuji was just a first year high school student. His magic skills, his combat experience, his intelligence; everything about him made her feel as if she was looking at an elite commander of an army. But since he was only a first year student, that could only mean one thing. A genius.
While many had called her talented and skilled, only now did she truly see the difference between the talented and a genius…
Back on the training grounds, Yuuji could sense the presence of a few people waiting to ambush him. This time, they're more scattered, but organized.
With his elemental sight, he could "see" three people with kendo swords waiting along the treelines near him, two to the right and one to the left, and two people with their hands on their CAD a few distance away from the first three, ready to cast their spells.
Yuuji continued to walk, feigning ignorance once again. And when he reached the middle of their formation, the three people with kendo swords sprung up immediately and attacked him all at once.
At the same time, the two casters also cast a binding spell that caused the grass under him to wrap around his feet.
Nice ambush.
Yuuji gave them all an approving nod inwardly.
All five of them were silent in their ambush. They timed their attack perfectly with each other and struck in concert with each other. The vanguards, who needed to get close to him, had also enhanced their speed with magic.
But Yuuji didn't have the hobby of being beaten up, so with pure strength alone, he ripped apart the blades of grass rooting him to the ground, and dodged all three strikes from the sword.
"Tch! Don't let him rest! Continue to attack him!"
The three vanguards worked together and continued striking him with their swords as Yuuji dodged and deflected their strikes with his arms.
With coordinated attacks from three magically enhanced swordsman and ranged support from two casters, Yuuji had quite a bit of trouble dealing with them solely using his Krav Maga Proficiency and Divine Physique. Defeating them would be quick and easy if he went all out, but this was training. He wanted to let them put their strategies and skills into practice. Moreover, he didn't want to destroy their bodies or hurt them too badly.
So, he took his time. Slowly countering their attacks with his own punches while using Gram Demolition once in a while to destroy some spells from the casters.
One by one, the three vanguards have begun to reach their limits. No matter how fast or how hard they strike, they'll only ever meet air or have their strike deflected as if they were nothing. And then, they'll receive a hit to their torso, arms, and legs that slowly numbed their entire body.
The two casters were also beginning to feel drained. Not only were they casting spells all this time, they've also been trying their hardest not to implicate their allies with their spells. The mental concentration it took for them to do that for the entire five minutes they've been doing it had drained them immensely.
Noticing their condition, Yuuji decided to end this and give them their evaluation.
"You've all done amazingly, senpais. Your ambush was incredible, your coordination was amazing, and your perseverance deserves praise. If I may give you advice, it would be to hone your individual skills with the swords. Although you are all skilled, your swords now are still meant for sports, not combat. Try to get some advice from Kirihara-senpai. From my observations, he seemed to have some combat experience that might be useful for you."
He said in between dodging their strikes. Then, with a flash of movement, he punched all three of them in the guts, ripping their consciousness away, and let them fall to the ground.
Yuuji then took one of the kendo swords and turned towards the location of the casters.
Filled with panic after seeing their vanguards demolished in an instant, the two casters immediately tried to launch a massive spell towards Yuuji.
If they were to think clearly, they would know that their decision was a poor one, given Yuuji could simply use Gram Demolition to cancel their spells. The better decision would be to retreat, consolidate, and create a new plan to ambush him.
But this time, he didn't use Gram demolition. He didn't even try to evade their spells and simply stood there. But then, a layer of sparkle began covering the kendo sword he had just picked him.
And when they launched their spells towards him, Yuuji swung his sword at the lightning and fire, causing them to suddenly disappear and scatter into thin air.
"Good spells, but you should've retreated for now and ambush me after consolidating, Senpais."
He raised his left hand in front, and two second year students popped out of the tree canopy as if lifted up by an invisible force.
"I will let you down after the training ends, so please enjoy the sun and air for the moment."
He said as he looked up at them.
In the base camp, all three looked at the screen in pure shock.
All of them had the same question in their mind… How did Yuuji erase the spells launched at him with a swing of a sword?
"...Seems like he still has even more tricks up his sleeves than we expected."
Mayumi and Kazuto nodded. They've never heard of anyone erasing magic by just swinging a sword. If someone was capable of that, then they would've heard about it through their family's information network.
Mayumi pouted as she watched her cheeky new lover from the screen, wondering what other secrets he might be hiding…
Back in the training grounds, Yuuji looked down to the kendo sword and let out a relieved sigh as the sparkles began to fade.
It was a success… Not only did he manage to recreate the contact-type Gram Demolition that he had heard about in the light novel, he also managed to modify it to his will. Now, not only could he use it as an "armor", he could use it to cover anything he touches with formless Psions that would demolish any magic it came in contact with.
Perhaps, in the future, he could create a sword-shaped CAD for Erika that could use this type of Gram Demolition, allowing her to erase spells with a swing of her sword.
As he wondered at the potential of his new spell, the ground beneath him suddenly shook. In the next moment, the ground suddenly shattered and collapsed right below him, sending a massive cloud of dust and dirt into the air.
In the base camp, the three observers also looked at the screen in shock. And when the dust settled, they saw Yuuji staring into the direction of the forest with a smile.
"Nice one, Mikihiko. I'd love to play more, but unfortunately, we've almost run out of time. So let's end it here."
He said as he stood, no, floated above the collapsed ground. Then, in a blink of an eye, he burst into speed and flew towards Mikihiko's direction.
"Kuh! This is bad! He's faster than I expected!
Mikihiko, who had just unleashed his attack through the ley lines of the earth and collapse the ground beneath Yuuji, immediately felt danger coming towards him.
He knew Yuuji would find his position the moment he attacked, but he didn't expect him to be coming this fast! He expected him to take more time traversing on foot through the dense jungle, but he didn't expect him to use his flying spell to chase after him in this training session!
"I need to hide myself quickly!"
He pressed his back onto a large tree, pulled out a talisman, and closed his eyes, casting a camouflage spell to hide his presence. Then, he pulled out another talisman to create a fog that would confuse Yuuji's senses.
But as he was concentrating, he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulders.
"Nice try, MIkihiko. But too bad. You should've concealed yourself physically better, or someone who has experience with this kind of magic will still be able to find you easily."
Mikihiko's eyes widened in shock when he looked at Yuuji casually standing there with his hand on his shoulder.
"Now, up you go along with the rest."
"W-Wai- UWAAAAH!!!"
And with Mikihiko up in the sky, all members of the security team for the Thesis Competition had been decimated by Yuuji alone, marking the end of the training session.