The mercenary group, Moon Blossom, booked the military police's exterior training ground for a day to practice their magic.
"My attack spell, Mines, can only make a maximum of seven petals at once. I'm still unclear on whether this is because of my weakness, or simply the limit of the spell. I've been working on creating the eighth petal, but it hasn't been going well," Asura said, sounding like she was having the time of her life.
Reko and Salume were sitting in front of Asura, who was standing. Though the two were concentrating in order to feel the flow of MP, they were still paying attention to what Asura was saying.
"I'm able to cast two spells at once, but for some reason, I can't simultaneously cast two instances of Mines. If I could do that, I'd be able to create fourteen bombs. However, in this case, it's either due to my lack of talent, or because I'm still too weak. This is because Jeanne could cast the same attack spell thrice at the same time."
Since Reko and Salume had undergone close-quarters combat training the entire morning, they were covered in little wounds and looked absolutely filthy.
"For starters, no one's ever fully mastered magic, so the upper limits of it are still unclear. At this point, we consider the pinnacle to be obtaining a Fixed Element. Honestly though, I wouldn't be surprised if there's something more powerful than that. Speaking as a romantic, I'd love for there to be one."
The three of them had already eaten their lunch and taken a break. Now it was time for their afternoon training. The other members of Moon Blossom had spent their morning working on their teamwork, and all of them with the exception of Lumia had moved on to practicing their individual magic. The only way to improve your magic was to use it frequently, gain more experience with it, and increase your MP. Then, one day, you'd awaken to your Fixed Element.
"In regards to magic's properties, I sometimes wonder if there really are only four elements. Maybe 'system' is a better word than 'properties.' My personal training has been to come up with a new system, and it's still pretty rough. But I've noticed some improvements, so I feel like I can establish something pretty soon."
Asura was always trying to test the possibilities of magic.
"What's wrong, Iris? This can't be all you've got!"
Meanwhile, Lumia was training Iris on her swordsmanship. More precisely, Iris had been swinging her sword by herself all morning and Lumia suggested training together with, "It'd be better with a partner, right?"
No matter how Lumia treated Iris in the past, she was the most fired up when it came to teaching her. Asura suspected that the idea of a fifteen-year-old hero reminded Lumia of Jeanne. The two of them were facing off against each other with wooden practice swords, but it was a freestyle spar without any particular rules.
"Um, Boss, may I ask a question?"
"Go ahead, Salume."
"Is MP different from fighting spirit?"
"They originate from the same thing."
"Um, Iina said that fighting spirit has bad compatibility with magic. But after seeing Miss Iris, I thought it looks like a pretty effective ability..."
Salume turned her gaze to Iris and Lumia. Since Iris activated her fighting spirit in response to how badly her match with Lumia was going, Salume must've thought of the question then.
"You idiot. What do you think you're doing, spamming fighting spirit on the regular? Only use it in emergencies." As she said that, Lumia released her own fighting spirit.
She'd had no choice but to do so in response to Iris's. Or rather, it was because she didn't want to lose to Iris yet. That was Asura's read on the situation, anyway.
"You're strong, but inexperienced," Lumia continued. "Even without his fighting spirit, Matias was stronger than me. But that's how it should be. It wouldn't do if a hero needed to unleash their fighting spirit against a mere civilian, right?"
In the past, Lumia was a warrior-mage, so it was quite the outlier for her to use fighting spirit. Iris looked surprised that she could wield it.
"Salume, when you train with fighting spirit, you use your full strength. There's nothing to improve, so you cannot grow any stronger. Do you understand?"
"Sort of. But it looks useful in a normal battle."
"Are you asking why we don't use fighting spirit?"
"Yes. I was curious about it."
"Then, let me explain."
Lumia slammed her sword against Iris's abdomen. If this had been a real battle, then Iris would've been killed. The shock at seeing Lumia's fighting spirit had left Iris open. Her lack of experience really was a major problem for her. The very idea that her opponent might be able to wield fighting spirit was something that had never even occurred to her.
"If I may be blunt, fighting spirit is the shittiest thing in the world," Asura said. "First off, it eats up your MP, so it can't last for very long. Yet all it does is let you use your original full strength. Of course, since you're using your MP, you can extend the duration the more you use it. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the user. However, it's much better to self-adjust on the regular so that you can be as close to your best condition as possible on your own."
Iris rolled on the ground, curled up against the pain in her stomach. Her low threshold for pain was also a major problem. Asura wondered if she should have her undergo torture resistance training.
"Secondly," she continued, "when you're using fighting spirit, you can't use magic. If you're going to use something like fighting spirit in battle, you might as well learn magic instead. A soldier-mage who can't cast spells isn't even funny as a joke."
Lumia stared down at Iris and shook her head disappointedly. Iris was truly strong, but there were still plenty of hurdles for her to overcome.
"Thirdly, fighting spirit enhances your presence too much. You definitely can't use it on a covert operation, and in a normal battle, it makes your moves easy to read. If you're so agile that it doesn't matter if your opponent can predict you, then that's another matter entirely. Fighting spirit is only effective if it's used by a hero who's strong without it."
"So if people like the vice captain or Marx use it, then..."
"Like I said, it eats up your MP. What'll they do after the effect wears off? They wouldn't be able to use magic anymore. Unless they turn off their fighting spirit halfway through battle, their MP will be drained. What'll they do if the enemy was able to defend themself against their maximum strength? Or if the enemy waited out the effect? All they can do then is lose."
"I...see. I think I understand. But on the other hand, it means that if you have an infinite source of MP, you can simply switch between the two, right?"
"If you have an infinite source of MP, yes," Asura laughed. "But none of us have that. So it's better not to even bother with fighting spirit. It's far more useful to have a wide number of tools. But if you really want to learn it, I can personally tutor you in it after you become a soldier-mage."
"Boss, you can use it too?"
"Lumia taught me, but I immediately figured out it was useless as shit and haven't activated it since. I don't plan on wielding it in the future either. If I ever became a Great Hero, I'd teach magic, not fighting spirit, to all the novice heroes."
"Boss, I think I can feel my MP," Reko said calmly.
"Oh? That's faster than I expected. You must have a great focus," Asura said with a smile. Reko had been continuing with his training even while listening to Asura's explanation on fighting spirit.
"Grr!" Salume didn't want to lose to him, so she quickly shifted gears to concentrate on her MP.
***
"Hey, Asura!!!"
That night, Iris shoved open the door to Asura's room, her eyes burning with anger. Asura looked up from the spellbook she'd been reading.
"Reko touched my boobs!!!"
"I see." Asura returned her gaze to the spellbook.
Spellbooks were a valuable resource. Not a lot of people researched magic, so only about one book was published every decade by a collaboration of grand mages. Asura was actually working on her own book in secret, but she hadn't told anyone that yet. She was currently reading the newest one.
"What do you mean, 'I see'?! He touched my boobs!!! Why don't you tell him off?!"
"It's no big deal. It's not like you're losing anything from it."
"How can you say something like that?! Aren't you a girl too, Asura?! You wouldn't want someone touching your boobs, would you?!"
"Reko touches me far more than he touches you. He's hugged me and sniffed me before too, but I've never been that mad at him for it. I just tell him not to touch me." Asura looked up at Iris. She'd already folded up her robes, and was dressed in nothing more than a shirt and underwear. "Oh, but, I've headbutted him on accident once. He was groping my breasts with everything he had, then asked, 'Boss, your boobs are missing, so can I go search for them?'"
"You got mad at him for saying you're flat-chested?! You should've been angry at him for touching you in the first place! Reko really likes you, so if you tell him off, he'll listen to you!"
"It's not as if I'm flat-chested. They're just a little small because I have a low body fat percentage. Since I've had the pleasure of being born in a female body, I, too, would enjoy touching my own breasts. But since I'm a mercenary, I have to train my body. And when I do, my body fat percentage goes down. It's painful for me too, you know?"
"What in the world are you talking about?! I'm not talking about your boobs! I'm telling you to scold Reko!"
"Reko's mind has been broken, so he won't easily repent his behavior. He's eleven years old, so it's not unusual for him to be curious about the female body."
"Uh, that doesn't mean it's okay for him to touch one!"
"Why don't you scold him? You were the one he touched, so you can go ahead and punch him. He must take responsibility for his own actions, after all."
"Fine... I got it... I'll tell him off. And I'll be really tough on him too, okay? It's not my problem if I make Reko cry."
"Do what you want. But if you're going to be violent, then make sure you hold back. It's fine if you punch him, but make sure it doesn't become abu—" In the middle of Asura's sentence, Iris left the room and slammed the door shut. "You should finish listening to someone when they're talking..."
After Asura heaved a heavy sigh, she returned to her spellbook. Time passed in silence.
"Asuraaaaaaa!!!" Iris ran into the room, tears welling up in her eyes.
"What is it now?"
"He touched me again!!!"
"Aren't you a hero...? Why don't you just dodge him? It's just Reko..."
"B-Because...because I didn't think he'd suddenly grope me while I was in the middle of lecturing hiiiiim!!!"
"All right, I got it. I got it, so stop yelling, Iris. Go get Reko. I'll give him a scolding."
"Make sure you give it to him good..." Iris said with a sniffle before she left the room again.
"Goodbye, my silent reading time..." Asura sighed. She waited for a little while, and then both Reko and Iris entered her room. "Reko, I hear you touched Iris's boobs? And twice, at that?"
"Yup."
"How were they?"
"Soft."
"I see. Did you get excited?"
"Not really. I mean, they're Iris's."
"Wait just a secoooond!!!! 'I mean, they're Iris's'?! What do you mean by that?!"
"Did you want him to get excited?"
"No, I didn't! No, I didn't, but don't you think that's too harsh?! Why was I touched, then?!"
"Because I was curious about boobs. Vice Captain is more like a mom, and Iina's Iina. Salume quit being a courtesan because she doesn't like this kind of stuff, so I figured I could make do with Iris."
"I DON'T LIKE THIS STUFF EITHER, HELLOOOOOOO?! AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'I COULD MAKE DO WITH IRIS'?! JUST WHERE AM I IN THE RANKING OF WOMEN?!"
"Good job, Reko! If you'd groped Salume, I would've gotten actually mad at you. If you'd touched Lumia, she would've punched you. Iina's Iina. Your judgment was sound."
"Eh heh heh." Reko looked happy.
"WHY ARE YOU PRAISING HIM?! I thought you were gonna scold him!"
"Oh, that's right." Asura stood up.
"Boss, your bare legs make me excited," Reko said.
"You didn't even get excited when you touched my boobs though?!"
"Hmm. How about this, then?" Asura lifted her shirt, revealing both her bare stomach and her underwear.
"Boss, your tummy makes me excited," Reko said.
"I see. My tummy, huh? By the way, Reko, Iris technically counts as a girl, so try not to grope her breasts. I'm a fan of sexual harassment too, but it is a crime. I'm going to punish you, so come here."
After Asura finished talking, Reko trotted up to her. Immediately, Asura slapped Reko across the face. It wasn't a particularly strong hit, but she didn't hold back too much either. It was the perfect amount of force for a slap. It wasn't excessively painful, nor was it so weak that he felt nothing.
"That counted as punishment for touching Iris's boobs, but... Did you get excited from that too?"
"That was the most excited I ever got!"
Asura looked down between Reko's legs. His excitement was no joke.
"Why?! Hey, what's going on?! Reko, you just got hit, didn't you?! Why'd you get so excited from that?!"
"Hmm. If you ask me, Reko's got a fetish."
"What's...a fetish?" Iris tilted her head to the side.
"It's a kind of sexual preference, and most people have an obsession with things like body parts, specific clothing, or boots. But in Reko's case, he's a little different."
"How so?"
"Reko has a me fetish."
"Huh?"
"As long as I'm involved, he's fine with anything. He'll get excited at any part of my body, or at anything I do to him. A me fetish is what he's got. He must've been genuinely curious about boobs when he groped you, Iris. It's pretty wholesome behavior for a growing boy."
"I don't think that's wholesome at all..."
"Don't be silly, Iris. Look at me. I'm a pretty little girl, aren't I? You could even say I'm on my way to becoming an unparalleled beauty. Marx and Jyrki are the ones in the wrong for not being interested in me. So that means Reko's normal, including the fact that he's attracted to breasts."
"I'm normal for loving Boss."
"You're definitely not normal!" Iris screeched. "Speaking of which, Asura, you're okay with this? Doesn't this mean that he's always horny for you if Reko has...um...er...an Asura fetish?!"
"I don't think anything of it at all. Oh, but, Reko, unfortunately for you, I'm interested in women."
"And speaking of which, why do you even like girls, Asura?! Jyrki's so pretty whereas Marx is so masculine and cool!"
"Because I'm an old man on the inside."
"What in the world are you talking about?!"
"Yeah, it's too much of a pain to explain, so let's cut this conversation here for now." Asura sat down in her chair again.
"Why?! Reko isn't repenting at all! He's definitely going to touch me again!"
"Yeah. If I feel like touching breasts again, I'll go to you," Reko said immediately and without a hint of remorse on his face.
"See?!" Iris exclaimed.
"What do you want me to do?" Asura sighed. "I already slapped him. Do you want me to spank him while I'm at it?"
"Yes, please! There's no point to any of this unless he learns his lesson!"
"I'd be so excited if you did that, Boss."
"Wait, don't spank him!"
"No matter what I do, Reko will enjoy it, so no punishment will work. Figure this out yourself." Asura huffed out a small laugh. "Wow, I'm truly impressed by you, Reko. A me fetish. Ha ha! I never thought I'd meet someone so interesting."
"It's not interesting at all! It's super not interesting at all!"
"Iris, you're so noisy." Reko shook his head and sighed.
"Jeez, what in the world should I do?!"
"If he's about to touch you, then dodge him, Miss Hero," Asura said. "And punch him while you're at it. I'm sure he wouldn't get excited if you're the one hurting him, so feel free to do so. But don't go too far, got it? Do it within the confines of punishment. Don't let it become abuse."
"I'd never do that."
"I figured. I said it just in case. All of us have been through our fair share of troubles."
Asura had never punched a member of Moon Blossom for no good reason. The only times she'd done so was during training or doling out punishment for insubordination. Even if it looked to an outsider like she was beating the living daylights out of someone, she'd been careful that she didn't leave permanent physical or mental damage.
"Yeah..." Iris said.
"So, we're a little sensitive about that. Of course, that only applies to those we've deemed members of our group."
Asura could still remember how furious the members of Moon Blossom became when they saw Uno sexually abusing Salume. Back then, Salume hadn't been an official member of the group. But Asura'd been trying to recruit her, and they'd all been on board with her. In their hearts, Salume had already been a mercenary of Moon Blossom.
"Well, even if Salume wasn't one of us, I'm sure we would've gotten seriously mad on her behalf."
"I told you, I'd never do something like that..."
"Let's get back on topic, Iris. You're a hero, and you're truly strong enough to deserve that title...even if you're a little dumb. So, even if you don't intend to abuse someone, it can look like that to someone else. If you punched Reko with your full strength, what do you think would happen?"
"I think...he'd get hurt..."
"That's right. I dealt Reko the appropriate amount of pain for his punishment. And though it ended up making him horny, that's the end of it. Of course, if he plans on repeating his offenses, then we'll increase how much it hurts. It won't count if I'm the one doing it since that'll just make him happy. So you do it. Do you understand what you need to do? You have to have a conscious grasp of your own strength, and calmly mete out a fitting punishment."
"Okay..."
The moment that Iris said that, Reko grabbed Iris's breasts. While Asura and Iris were conversing, he'd sidled up to Iris's side. Though Asura had been aware of it, she didn't think that Reko would grope Iris again at this very moment.
"What'll you do, Iris?" Reko goaded before he ran out of the room.
"Hmm... All right, you can go ahead and give him a good wallop... If one of the other Moon Blossom members tries to say something, just tell them that I gave you permission."
"G-Get back here, you damn braaaat!!!" Iris screamed as she raced out in pursuit of Reko.
"Reko's completely turned Iris into his toy. Oh well. As long as they're all having fun."
Asura lowered her gaze to the spellbook. Finally, she could enjoy her reading in peace.