Chapter 155: You Seek Power? I Can Give You All You Want.
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I could have elongated the battle. I wanted to bring out the real White Tiger that was lending its powers to that brat and have a chat with it about why its host was so weak. In the end, I couldn't be bothered.
"Sorry, precious time was wasted because of me," I looked at Mai and said. She was walking with a thoughtful expression, and my voice made her blink, pulling her out of her daze.
"Ah, no," she looked at me and said, "I have a hunch that they were here for me, as much as they were for you." That made me pause and look at her. "Well, they weren't here to take me with them, but I think they came here now of all times because it's me who you're on a date with, and not some other girl."
"Hmm?"
Mai and I slowed down our walk under a tree, as a gentle wind blew against our hair and she faced me with a meaningful expression.
"The Shinra Clan is part of the Five Principal Clans. They're the hidden ruling class of Japan, each owning one of the Five Sacred Beasts. The Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, the Vermillion Bird, and the Black Tortoise. I'm sure you're familiar with those names. As well as the Golden Dragon, who came from the West long ago and never left the East afterward." Mai explained, taking a short pause before continuing.
"We, the Daiyōkai, ruled Japan for eons until these five decided to pillar themselves here." She said, making me wonder. It would have made more sense for them to do this in China, who knows why they did this here instead? "The Nine-Tailed Fox, the Lord Queen of all Yokai, didn't tolerate them and fought against them many times. Ultimately, to not destroy Japan by their fighting, they decided to take a step back and share the land."
"But you guys have bad blood between each other to this day, I'm assuming," I said and she slowly nodded. I hummed and thought over something for a moment. "I see. I have a better understanding of why those guys came to take me now."
They hadn't come to hurt me, I could tell, except for that bald guy who just wanted to fight me just for the sake of it. And what a disappointing fight that was. That's why he was the only one I gave a beating to and left the others be.
'It's the Shinra Clan again, huh.' It's been three months since I properly heard of their name from Tsubasa's mother.
Even before that, I had heard of them when visiting the black market in Japan to buy some magical items here and there. The Five Principal Clans, I have heard their names before, though I lacked any other information.
I was sure of one thing now, however. The cooking show that Ruby attended, and Ai was a guest at right now, may have more than just normal people. Since it's under the Nakiri Clan, there may be some supernatural stuff going on there too. I need to warn Ai of any potentially dangerous situation there.
'The Clan serving the White Tiger, eh…' I wonder if they have any way to help me check on Nyxondra, to see if she's really somewhere within Tsubasa.
"Let's take a seat," I said and walked to a bench nearby, locking hands with her and dragging her there. "I'm interested in this. What more do you know?"
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Tsubaki Shinra, Sona's Queen, is also from that clan. However, she fled the place due to being bullied by her family because of her Sacred Gear.
It turns out Mai knew about that too. I saw Frill Shiranui with Tsubaki before, that's when that little fight incident happened, and Frill is good friends with Mai. Perhaps these three's relationship was deeper than I knew.
According to what Mai told me, Tsubaki was born in the Shinra Clan which has an ancient and honorable origin. They're a clan who've been worshiping the Shinto Gods and receiving Divine Blessings for hundreds of years. They purify evil spirits and are an overall holy clan, and naturally, they don't tolerate any evil. Which was a bad thing for Tsubaki, who had a 'trait' that called out abnormal beings through mirrors. Due to that, she was isolated from the other clan members. She lived as an outcast.
Eventually, she left the clan and became a Devil under Sona. She also realized that the mirrors were not a curse, but a Sacred Gear – Mirror Alice.
Tsubasa and Tsubaki, they were both from the same clan. But since the former had no connection to the clan, she probably didn't even know about its existence since her mother dropped her in an orphanage from where she was picked by Uncle Ichigo. So I have to reach out to Tsubaki about this. Even if she has abandoned her clan, I'm sure she can send a message on my behalf.
"Thank you for enlightening me, but this is enough rest," I stood up when I thought I'd heard enough. Mai was quite knowledgeable, who would have thought? A couple of months ago she knew nothing, she must have done her research with her mother.
I'm curious to meet that woman now. Maybe she's not that bad, even if she had the record of forcing her daughter to do a bikini photoshoot as a child.
"Alright," Mai stood up, a little excitement in her voice. "So we continue our training now? Where to? We can return to that place again, I think those guys have left the area by now."
"No, it's alright. There are many other places nearby," I said and looked around. I let my Jade Perception bloom like a flower and felt my senses around Tokyo. There were a lot of supernatural places hidden in plain sight here.
When I found one, I began to float an inch above the ground, turning to her. I reached out a hand, "Would you take the sky with me now?"
"...Okay," this time she didn't reject it. She accepted my hand, as I pulled her into my embrace and shot through the clouds.
****
[Third Person Point of View]
"Haah-!"
Mai's silhouette shimmered and then snapped into place a few meters from her initial position. She had just traversed through space, moving through a blue swirling world of energy and coming out in another spot.
The air around her buzzed with the soft crackle of energy displacement, an audible confirmation of her newfound skill. Mai finally pulled off the technique, and it took her just a day.
"Woohoo," Aqua's applause broke the concentration, his face lighting up with an infectious grin. "Well done!" his voice echoed in the quiet of the secluded area.
As Mai gathered her breath, she looked at her initial spot and her current spot. There was a gap of many dozen meters. She let her eyes wander over their chosen training ground. It was a forgotten garden nestled deep within the urban sprawl of Tokyo, shielded by ancient willows whose leaves rustled with the murmurs of ages past.
This oasis-like place stood in stark contrast to the perpetual motion of the city that buzzed just beyond its hidden boundaries. Indeed, as Aqua had said, Tokyo had a lot of good places to train in.
Coupled with the great view and her success, she should naturally be happy. Yet, she only felt a kernel of dissatisfaction. The echoes of the earlier fight between Aqua and Byakko haunted her. She was safe then, she was in zero danger, but what if she wasn't? What if Aqua wasn't there to keep her safe? No, what if Aqua was an enemy?
Aqua, and even Byakko who was defeated so easily, was at a level of prowess she couldn't hope to comprehend. 'Just how far behind am I?' The question gnawed at her insides, bitter and sharp.
So Mai could only sigh, feeling little satisfaction over her success, as she looked down at her fists with a complicated look.
Aqua didn't miss the darkness in her mood. He moved closer, reaching out, gently lifting her chin with his fingers and prompting her to look into his eyes. "You're doing incredibly well," he assured her, his voice a soft yet firm caress in the quiet of the garden. "Why the low mood?"
When he first met her, he wouldn't have thought she'd be this interested in this side of the world, and magical self-improvement. Truthfully, she was better off than many of his other girls. She was someone who knew stuff that he didn't, in such a little time too, and also someone who's been learning about stuff on her own without his help.
There was zero reason for her to feel lacking.
He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer with a tender possessiveness. "This is not even the tip of the iceberg. This is your first day with me. Remember, you're going to be immensely powerful, much more than this. I like my women strong, and you're my woman, after all," he added, his tone playful yet underscored with a promise.
Mai frowned slightly, feeling the urge to protest—to deny that she was his woman since their time together was soon coming to an end—but the words faltered on her lips. She went silent. Something about the way he looked at her, so confident and intense, made her doubts seem trivial, her objections unvoiced.
The same feeling she felt toward him back when he saved her life, her existence, once again rose within her. She gulped.
"I promised you to awaken your racial powers," Aqua whispered, his breath warm against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "But I can teach you Qi techniques as well, and also ways to increase your reserves. You said your mother is on the 7th rank, no? I can make you surpass her in no time. You just need to let me in, to allow me the chance to invest my time into you… to be with you."
His gaze captured hers again, deep and unwavering. Mai swallowed hard, her eyes flitting away momentarily under the weight of his stare before meeting his gaze once more. 'What is he doing…?' she wondered, 'Trying to seduce me with the promise of power? That's such a bad place to start a relationship, though.' She thought that, but she knew she liked him beyond his promise to power, so that shouldn't be an issue.
This time, when she failed to look away from his eyes, her dark blue meeting his aqua-blue ones, he leaned closer. Mai's heart pounded in her chest; she knew what was coming, and yet she couldn't bring herself to look away from his piercing eyes. His gaze held her captive, and she felt a strange mix of excitement and nervousness wash over her.
When their lips met, it was like a spark had ignited between them. Aqua's kiss was gentle at first but quickly deepened as he pulled her closer to him. Mai let out a soft gasp as she felt his hands roam her back, pulling her flush against his body.
For a moment, she hesitated, unsure of what to do. But as Aqua's tongue traced the seam of her lips, she found herself opening up to him, allowing him to deepen the kiss even further.
It's not as if she hated him, or found him unattractive. She just didn't like how he was always surrounded by women. Then again, didn't she have a special highlighting title amid those women? She was his girlfriend, one of the three among the dozen women around him. Wasn't that pretty good?
When compared to any other option of men around her, Aqua stood out like a gem. So she decided to taste how it felt to give in to him, at least once, before choosing if he wasn't suitable for her.
With a flick of his wrist, Aqua [Blinked] them to the side, pressing Mai's back against an old wall. The sudden movement startled her, but she quickly recovered, wrapping her arms around his neck as he continued to kiss her passionately.
Mai could feel the rough texture of the brick wall against her back, but she barely noticed it as Aqua's hands explored her body. He traced the curve of her waist, his fingers brushing against the hem of her shirt, sending shivers down her spine.
As they continued to kiss, Mai found herself losing track of time. All that mattered was the feeling of Aqua's lips on hers, the way his hands made her feel, and the intense connection that seemed to be building between them.
It was only when they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, that Mai realized what had just happened. She looked up at Aqua, her dark blue eyes meeting his aqua blue ones, and felt a mix of emotions swirling inside her.
"Good girl," Aqua murmured, his voice low and husky. His words sent a thrill through Mai, and she knew at that moment that she was completely under his spell.
Mai's heart fluttered with a cocktail of apprehension and excitement. She understood now that this was only the beginning.
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Author Note: ALMOST there 😔 Top 12 rn, need to rise 2 more. Vote guys. Also, would you guys go and leave some detailed reviews? We're already at 155th Chapter, but the review page doesn't have much to read. Just share your thoughts in detail, much appreciated 🙏
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