A few busy days passed since the first Imperial Court. Today was the day of my vacation with Keqing, and while I was waiting for her to get ready, I decided to assist Rias with her training of the control over the power of destruction.
-"Ugh."
~"Calm down. Your power is heavily affected by emotions."
-"I know, but it's not easy."
~"You should spend more time meditating."
-"Sigh. I know, but I can't waste time right now."
~"Rushing will only make you commit more mistakes. What's going on? Maybe I can somewhat help you."
-"I want to break the engagement my family set for me."
~"I see. While I would suggest you speak with your family directly, I can see that you already found your way to achieve that."
-"Yes, I challenged my fiance to Rating Game. If I win, I will be able to end my troubles."
~"From your worry during the training, I can see that you are at a disadvantage."
-"Yes, my Peerage is much weaker compared to Riser's. We plan to undergo intense training, but I can't stop worrying."
~"Hmm... If your team is trustworthy, you can bring them here to train, but they will have to make a vow of secrecy, mind you."
-"Truly?!"
~"I don't mind helping you in my free time."
-"Thank you, Yue! Truly!"
~"Calm down. Call them here tomorrow at the same time as today, and I will give you some pointers."
-"I will."
After watching how the excited red-haired Devil ran away, I teleported next to the entrance to Keqing's room in the Palace. I knocked and waited for a response.
A minute or so later, she opened the door, and seeing it was me, her face reddened slightly.
-"Yue? Did I make you wait?"
~"Don't mind that. I was wondering if everything is ok, as you rarely are late."
-"I'm good. Just..."-After a slight hesitation, she stopped hiding behind the door and entered the hallway.-"What do you think?"
Keqing, with a lowered head, waited for my response. She was wearing an entirely new outfit, a beautiful black dress with blue accents.
~"Breathtaking."
-"Realy?"
~"Even Idrila can't compare."
Keqing brightened after hearing my opinion, raising her head and looking at my face. After a short delay, she took my arm and spoke again.
-"I will be in your care, Yue."
~"Of course."
I teleported Kequin to my avatar outside, which was already waiting near the entrance to Tsunade's village. When the two of us entered, Tsunade was already waiting for us.
-"You are here."
~"Sorry for making you wait."
-"Late? The exam is tomorrow, so you are long before the time."
~"True. I hope you don't mind if we look around the village?"
-"Feel free to go on your date. I will leave you a room in my home."
~"Thank you."
Tsunade gave us some more tips and interesting spots to visit and returned to what she had been doing before. When she left, Keqing and I started wandering the streets hand in hand.
-"This is quite a strange place. Hidden, yet well-known, village, where ninjas are considered a glorious profession, not assassins without honor."
~"Indeed, it might appear strange, but from what I'm aware, those are remains from the time of war. If you think of it as a gradual easing of hostilities, some of the customs make sense."
-"I can see that. The peace of the people around still makes it strange when you consider this to be a military stronghold, though."
~"If not for ninjas on every roof looking for enemies, I would also find it hard to see this as anything else than a normal village."
-"Won't there be a problem with your Shadows?"
~"Don't worry, they won't be able to detect Wardens hiding in shadows."
We noticed a shop that Tsunade recommended, so we decided to enter it.
-"Hi! How can I help you?"
-"We would like two Dangos, please."
-"Sure!"
Keqing received the snacks while I paid for us.
~"Here you are."
-"Thank you for your patronage!"
-"Where did you get money from?"-Keqing asked while passing me one of the Dangos.
~"I once had a chance to gamble with Tsunage."
-"Gamble? You are a master of Divination, isn't that cheating?"
~"Well, I used it once during our game, but..."
-"But?"
~"I couldn't see a future in which Tsunace could win."
-"What?"
~"She is bad at gambling."
-"I think you put it mildly."
~"I was able to win enough for us to spend rather freely, so feel free to speak up if you see something that interests you."
-"I will, but I doubt anything here will catch my eye."
~"Right, they might not sell figurines for your collection here."
-"You!"
Chuckling while avoiding the thunder cat's pinch, I continued to lead us through the streets. Thanks to my concealing our presence, we weren't bothered by anyone during our date, but any outing without some accident wouldn't be complete.
~"Hmm?"~Suddenly, a young girl ran from behind the corner and collided with me, resulting in her falling to the ground.~"Are you all right?"
-"Ugh. I'm so sorry!"
~"Don't mind it. Can you stand up?"~I extended my hand to her.
-"Yes. Sorry."
-"You don't have to apologize. You are?"
-"Ah! I'm Hinata Hyūga."
~"Hello, little Hinata. I'm Yue, and she is Keqing. Now that I look at you, you seem to be injured. Are you truly all right?"
-"Yes... I'm already healing."
~"Well, stand still for a second."~Extending my hand, I patted her head while healing her internal injuries.~"Treat this as an apology for knocking you over."
-"This?"
~"We will be on our way. I don't know why you were running, but I hope everything will resolve itself. Good luck, little Hinata."
We left the still-stunned girl and continued on our way as people who were chasing her were closing in on her.
-"To think someone as young as her would take part in something so dangerous."
~"Not everyone has the opportunity to grow up in peace. To be honest, I'm impressed that she continued to persist despite the injuries she had. While not life-threatening, the pain she went through must have been traumatic for such a young girl."
-"Right. I wonder if she is going to take part in the exam."
~"Who knows."
As the sun was starting to set, we decided to return to Tsunade's house for the evening. Aside from us, Shinobu, Lena, and Kirari were already there.
~"Good evening."
-"Oh? You are back, Yue."
~"Yes, we strolled a little but decided to leave some spots to see another time. Have you already had a meal?"
-"No, but now that you mention it, I start to feel hungry."
~"How about eating together? I'll cook something quickly for all of us."
-"Sure, Shizune, can you show him the kitchen."
-"Lady Tsunade, it's rude to make a guest cook!"
-"Haha, Yue won't mind it. More so, no one here can match his cooking."
-"This..."
~"Thank you for standing up for me, but I just like cooking."
After entering the kitchen, I utilized my power of time to speed up cooking, and moments later, I came out with all the dishes prepared. Walking past confused Shizune, I entered the living room, where the girls had already moved to the dining table.
-"If I were to pick one thing I envy you the most, your time control would probably be it."
~"It indeed is one of the most versatile abilities, but you will have to spend years training before you can even attempt to learn it, Kirari."
-"Well, one day, I would certainly like to try it."
-"I envy your Divination more. Think how easy it would be to win gambles with it!"
-"If you know that you will win, what's left from the fun of gambling?"
-"I think that rating power by usefulness in gambling is somewhat..."
-"You will get used to that, Keqing."
-"I see. It must have been hard for you, Shinobu."
~"How about we start eating? Miss Shizune, please sit with us."
-"Yes, thank you."
-"Man, I missed your food so much."
-"Lady Tsunade, behave yourself!"
After a rowdy meal, everyone sat together on the porch, drinking the sake that Tsunade brought. Deciding that the only thing lacking was the music, I took out my zither and played a few songs.
-"Sigh. I wish such peaceful evenings could last forever."
~"Don't raise any strange flags, Lena."
-"Flags?"
-"Ignore him. He spends too much time reading strange novels."
-"You like reading fantasy, Yue?"
~"Is this so strange, Shinobu?"
-"No, it just doesn't fit my image of you."
~"Actually, I really like reading fantasy and other novels. Being able to understand how someone else sees the world, his thoughts and ideas mixed with imagination is... Well, it's just a fun method to pass the time, in the end."
-"Right, fun is all that matters."
~"I wouldn't take it so far, but if you can live while having fun, why settle for boredom?'
-"You guys think too much during the time to relax. Dink more and chill!"
-"Lady Tsunade..."
-"Common, don't be so stiff, Shizune!"
~"There is some wisdom in that. To the beautiful night. Cheers."
-"Cheers!"
Early the next morning, I prepared breakfast for everyone while all the girls, aside from Tsunade, were suffering from hangovers.
-"Ugh. How come you are fine, Tsunade? You drank more than we all combined."
-"You see, Lena, I'm a medical-nin. Using Chakra to remove aftermaths of alcohol is easy for me."
~"Here you are. I made the food to help you with the headache."
-"Thank you, Yue. You are a godsend."
After finishing our meal, the girls went to freshen themself up while I waited for them by the entrance. As I waited, I noticed a presence sneaking into Tsunade's house, trying to enter a restroom.
Notifying Tsunade about the intruder, I counted to three and heard a loud bang, followed by a body flying through the entrance.
-"Have you learned nothing, Jiraiya?!"
-"Tsunade, it was just a joke."
-"If so, then my punch is the definition of slapstick comedy! Keep your perversion from my friends, or I will make sure you can't move for the whole duration they are here."
-"Yes, Mam!"
~"Ehem. You ready?"
-"Almost. Thanks for the tip, Yue."
~"Sure."~I turned to the man trying to pick himself up after Tsunades punch.~"Need help?"
-"Haha, I have lived through worse. You are?"
~"Yue, Tsunade's guest."
-"Hou? Are you some kind of medical-nin?"
~"I'm versed in healing, but I'm no ninja."
-"I'm Jiraiya, nice to meet you."
~"So you want to get more info on Tsunades new friends?"
-"What?"
~"No need to hide it. You were watching us yesterday."
-"..."
~"No need to worry. We are not your enemies, nor do we wish any harm to Konoha."
-"Sigh, I was seen through? Well, I will believe you for now."
~"Is there a reason for your heightened security? The amount of ninjas around is too much for it to be a normal occurrence."
-"Sorry, I can't tell you much, but we indeed are on guard."
~"I see. We won't be in your way then."
-"Thanks. If shit hits the fan, can you keep them safe?"
~"I'll make sure no harm happens to those near me."
-"I appreciate that, man."
A few moments later, the girls joined us, and we went toward the area where the exam was to take place.
At the same time, Rias brought her Peerage to the Simulated Realm. While they were looking around, Rias approached me.
-"Sorry for being a little late."
~"We haven't set any time for the meeting, so you can't be late. Ready for the training?"
-"Of course."
~"So this is your team? Fallen angel, Nekomata, two humans, and one dragon hybrid. All reincarnated into devils."
-"Rias this is?"
-"Ah, yes! This is Yue. Yue, this is Akeno Himejima. Nex are Koneko Toujou, Asia Argento, Yuuto Kiba, and Issei Hyoudou."
-"Nice to meet you."
~"Pleasure is mine. I'll call you all by your names. I hope you won't mind it. Now, Rias, you want to focus on combat training, am I correct?"
-"Yes, we don't have much time, so we have to gain strength as fast as possible."
~"Sure. First, let me gauge your strength a little. Rita, would you mind?"
-"Master Yue, do you want me to bully them?"-Rita appeared by my side, startling Team Rias.
~"No, I want to see their strength and weaknesses."
-"I see. I'll make sure there are no visible marks."
-"This... Please go easy on us, Miss Rita."
-"I can't do that. As Miad, I must always exceed Master's expectations."-Rita manifested her scythe and started approaching the devils.
What followed can only be considered a one-sided beating. No matter what they tried, the blade of a scythe was the only outcome waiting for them.
Rita decided that they had enough after each suffered at least ten deaths, courtesy of the rules of the Simulated Realm. While I indeed got a great grasp on their current abilities, I felt sorry for sending Rita on them.
-"Done, Master Yue."
~"Thank you..."
-"Please call me whenever I'm needed."
Only after she disappeared from here did the devis start to move again.
-"Scary..."
-"I must agree with you on that, Issei."
-"What do you think about our strength, Yue?"
~"Honestly, you are weak, and I don't speak that as a comparison to me or Rita."
-"Ugh."
~"You can't effectively cooperate. Your strategy is nonexistent. I won't even mention the occasional friendly fire here and there."
They all looked embarrassed, lowering their heads.
~"Aside from personal training, you need to learn how to work in a team, your roles in the fight, and lastly, how to take care of your teammates. I'll organize someone to train you as a team later. As for now, let's focus on each of you individually."
Standing up, I approached them while speaking.
~"Rias, you already know what you have to work on."
-"Right, control."
~"Exactly. Akeno, I can see that you despise powers coming from your nature as a fallen angel, but don't regret being powerless because you rejected who you are later. You have a great talent for controlling thunder, and I can see that you trained as Miko once."
Akeno looked at me surprised but did not say anything.
~"For now, try to learn those techniques to enhance your control over that element. In the future, I suggest you try to expand into more elements, but try to pick up a weapon for close combat as well."
Passing her memory stones with the instructions for techniques, I moved to the next person.
~"Koneko, your situation is not that dissimilar to Akeno. Rejection of one's nature will make you stand still in life. You can take it as me speaking from experience. Most importantly, your fighting style is a mess. Those are some basic instructions for Chakra training, as your Senjutsu is not that dissimilar, and this is a recording of martial art that might fit you well."
The short Nekomata nodded while looking at the memory stones in her hand.
~"Asia, you were once a believer, right?"
-"Yes! Is something wrong with that?"
~"Don't be nervous. You should try learning how to use Divine Power despite your identity as a devil."
-"This is impossible."
~"Why?"
-"Because devis are evil beings."
~"Are you evil?"
-"No..?"
~"See? Holy Power is just an aspect of Divine Power. You should try finding a way to use it despite your current situation."
-"I'll try..."
Leaving still doubtful Asia, I stepped before Yuuto.
~"You have great talent in a sword. Sadly, you had never been trained to help this talent manifest. I will help you with it, so be ready to lose a few arms and heads."
Finally stopping before the last person, I could feel the Soul of the dragon trashing around. As this dragon was the source of his power, his training required a special approach.