The sound of rushing water startled Sakurajima Mai awake after a restless night. When she stepped out of her room, she was met with the sight of Rei Ao, fresh out of the shower, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. His well-defined muscles glistened with water droplets.
"Ah, good morning, Mai," Rei Ao yawned, stretching lazily as he greeted her.
"!!"
Mai had never seen such a sight before and immediately averted her gaze in embarrassment.
"Y-you just got back?" she asked awkwardly.
Rei Ao, now lounging comfortably on the sofa, stretched again before replying, "I had no choice. It took some effort to completely exhaust Saeko."
"Huh?" Mai's mind went blank for a moment.
"D-don't talk about such filthy things with me!" she shouted, flustered. Everyone in the chat group had seen the details of Saeko's trade. Even Frieren had expressed curiosity, wondering if it was truly possible for someone to become that exhausted. However, no one in the group, aside from Saeko and Ayame, had any experience to answer that question. And frankly, no one wanted to dwell on the topic.
Doing a quick calculation, Mai realized that nearly ten hours had passed.
Wait, why am I even thinking about something this dirty?! she thought, feeling even more upset. Shooting a glare at Rei Ao, she stormed back into her room and slammed the door shut.
"Heh." Rei Ao glanced after her with an amused smile. "You'll get used to it eventually, Mai. After all, it's only a matter of time before you're mine too."
He then pondered for a moment, wondering how Saeko was holding up.
...
As for Saeko, the trio of Rei Miyamoto, Saya Takagi, and Shizuka Marikawa had no idea how she was doing either, but they were certainly not in great shape themselves. Rei nervously peeked through the slightly open door that Shizuka had left ajar. Rei Ao and Ayame were nowhere to be seen, leaving behind only the oddly scented, disheveled room, and the unconscious Saeko lying on the bed, breathing steadily.
"Is Saeko-senpai... okay?" Rei asked awkwardly, her cheeks flushed red.
Shizuka stepped out of the room, her own face tinged with color. "Saeko's fine," she said. "I checked her over—she's just completely exhausted and, well... severely dehydrated."
Even as a medical professional, Shizuka couldn't quite believe what she had seen. She understood the basic biology behind it but couldn't fathom how anyone could be left in such a state after, well, that. And how could Rei Ao last for so many hours without resting?
"That guy went way too far, didn't he? Doesn't he know how to show any gentleness?" Saya complained, fuming.
"Actually, I think Saeko-senpai requested the trade herself," Rei quietly reminded her.
"Uh..." Saya flushed red with embarrassment, realizing that was true. "Still, it's way too perverted!"
Rei hesitated but didn't voice her thoughts aloud. A part of her was starting to envy Saeko's newfound strength and power.
...
When Rei Ao arrived at school the next day, he was in an excellent mood. Not only had he spent quality time experimenting with Saeko and Ayame, but his strength had also increased significantly.
[Level]: 30
[Description]: You possess the power to turn a city into a wasteland where no one survives.
Rei Ao had reached a significant milestone in his growth, though further experience gains from killing zombies had slowed down drastically. Still, he wasn't disappointed. With his power now at level 30, he was confident he could freeze an entire city if he wanted to. However, when he looked at his abilities, they seemed a bit disorganized.
「Freeze」「Self」「True Sight」「Transformation」「Blessing」「Sword Aura」「Cognitive Disappearance」「Basic Archery」「Busujima Swordsmanship」
Some of these abilities were useful, others not so much.
[Ding! The chat group has detected your concern and unlocked a new function—'Ability Fusion'!]
「Ability Fusion」: Allows the fusion of abilities with similar properties to create a new, more powerful ability.
"Chat group, you're really the best!" Rei Ao was delighted and immediately checked out the new feature.
[Ding! Upon activating this feature, all abilities with similar properties will automatically fuse. Would you like to activate it?]
"Yes," Rei Ao answered without hesitation. It was clearly a harmless feature, so why not use it?
*Ding! 'Sword Aura' and 'Busujima Swordsmanship' have been fused into a new ability: 'Sword Qi Mastery'!*
「Sword Qi Mastery」: Mastery of swordsmanship, allowing the user to release powerful sword energy.
Rei Ao smiled as he examined the new ability. It was no longer limited to the techniques of the Busujima family; he now had mastery over all sword-related techniques and could release sword energy at will. If he weren't in the classroom, he'd be tempted to test it out right away.
Others in the chat group had also noticed the new feature, particularly Frieren, whose abilities were mostly focused on magic.
Frieren: "This new feature is impressive."
[Name]: Frieren
[Level]: 30
[Abilities]: "Elf Bloodline," "Elf Magic"
[Items]: "Staff"
Frieren's previously long list of magical spells had been condensed into just one—'Elf Magic.'
~~~
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