Narrator's POV
Mahito knew that reproducing the "soul wavelength" and "soul resonance" was possible, but he didn't know what effects it would have on him.
After all, he's currently a spirit, not a human.
In theory, he should better understand his soul after performing a "soul resonance."
Unfortunately, he can't rule out... the unexpected.
"Got it?" At Mahito's question, the little demon nodded.
To perform a "soul resonance," both souls need to be compatible. This problem shouldn't exist, given the very nature of their souls.
'The other important element will be understanding and using the "soul wavelength" during our "soul resonance,"' thought Mahito as he grabbed his scythe.
He detected his scythe's soul in a few seconds.
Its "soul wavelength" was calm and docile. Mahito then tried to send his own "soul wavelength" to establish resonance.
*BAM!*
Mahito was immediately thrown in the opposite direction of his scythe.
"My emotions were too aggressive, and yours are too zen. *Grrr*." He had just experienced rejection.
This phenomenon happens when a meister and their weapon aren't compatible. Yet, Mahito had made sure to make his scythe compatible with him during its creation.
The only other possible explanation for this situation was their divergence in mindsets.
"I get it, but damn, that hurts..." The little demon emerged from a bush, with a bump on his head and some scratches.
After self-healing, Mahito grabbed him again to try once more.
In the end, he spent over 30 minutes failing before finally getting a better grasp of his weapon's "soul wavelength."
'He must be feeling my emotions too, right?' Strangely, this idea didn't really bother him.
Their two souls are now connected thanks to their "soul wavelength."
"Soul Resonance!!" They both instinctively shouted in perfect sync.
An energy both different and oddly similar to aura and spiritual energy formed, then naturally flowed toward the scythe's blade.
The result was a scythe glowing with blue light... before suddenly exploding.
"Sorry, I didn't know I had to watch the final result and not just keep it there," Mahito apologized.
Despite his apologies, he was satisfied. That wasn't all.
He had perceived a huge sphere surrounding him during the execution of the scythe meister technique, called Witch Hunter.
'It's as big as Kid's at the start of the story,' he thought, slightly disappointed, 'but it's better than Maka's.'
Mahito could perceive surrounding souls; it seemed his soul sensitivity had indeed increased.
"I really hope my existence won't just be about taking damage," grumbled the little demon as he got up.
Despite his complaints, the creature, named Diablo, remained cooperative.
....
"Looking at your face, you had an enriching night," teased Mahito in his child form, with a slight smile.
Currently, he had swallowed Diablo to keep him safe.
"Haha, very funny!!" replied Kouki with a grimace. Her hair messier than usual and her clothes torn in places reinforced the idea that, despite her new understanding of telekinesis, she had faced difficulties.
"I'm almost forgetting something: I want you to run away soon."
At first, Mahito's words weren't well understood by Kouki, but once she grasped their meaning, she looked shocked.
"How's running away gonna make me stronger?!" she protested, shaking child Mahito, who remained perfectly calm.
"Listen, staying here is slowing down your growth. Plus, they treat you like crap."
This idea didn't come from nowhere. Mahito had to take Rin and Kouki with him sooner or later.
So, he had planned to possess someone using Okarun's ball and officially adopt both teenagers.
'I really want to explore this reality. There's so much to see... It would be too lame to stay stuck here.'
Money didn't worry Mahito; he could steal or earn it easily. What concerned him was Kouki's mental state, weakened by her family's toxicity.
"OK, I'm ready to abandon everything and run away with you, Mahito-sama!!" declared Kouki determinedly, though her face turned red.
Of course, Mahito noticed the teenager's expression, but he preferred to ignore this... misinterpretation of his words.
"Excellent, I can't wait to leave this place." Little Mahito jumped onto the bed before hugging Kouki like a pillow.
'Damn, I understand Meliodas and his brother now,' thought Mahito with a touch of irony.
Mahito decided internally that he would adopt his shota form more often in the future.
....
POV: Mahito
After leaving Kouki in her classroom, I decided to walk around a bit.
After all, I'm in a manga, and Japanese schools are always interesting to observe. Not to mention that... I'm in Dandadan!!
I could potentially stumble upon something interesting outside of my knowledge.
"What's a kid doing in the hallway?"
I immediately turned toward the sudden voice.
"What? Y... you can see me??"
Before me stood the school nurse.
(Image)
I remembered she had often treated Okarun in the story, but I hadn't expected her to have a talent for perceiving supernatural things.
"Am I not supposed to see you?" she asked, clearly confused, before carefully scanning the surroundings. Her expression suddenly changed, as if she had just realized something.
"You're a spirit!!"
Although the idea of gaining a special talent is tempting, I prefer to stay cautious.
There are literally people capable of stealing powers in this universe, so anyone who can see spirits isn't necessarily friendly.
Rin and Kouki are different: I know them from the manga. But her? No.
I've only read the work up to chapter 172 after all...
"Mommy?"
How to detect if a person is potentially dangerous? Put a child in their arms and observe their reaction.
"Oh! Sweetie!"
She immediately grabbed me for a hug. Normally, I'd be out of breath, but I can simply modify my body to avoid that.
Besides, now that I think about it, do I really need to breathe? I just do it out of habit... But technically, I'm a spirit, right? Damn, I'm stupid.
"Sorry, but I'm not your mother," she finally said, releasing me.
She hasn't shown any malicious intent, and honestly, I doubt someone who loves children could be evil... not in a shonen manga universe, anyway.
"Sorry, my memories resurfaced when I saw you... You really look like her."
OK, now I'm switching to info-gathering mode.
I need to know if other people like her exist in this damn high school, or if it's an isolated case.
"Happy to hear I look like your mommy, but what are you doing in the hallway?"
She seems to be asking this out of pure curiosity, judging by her facial expression.
"I'm just walking around." No way I'm mentioning Kouki.
"I see, but if you have nowhere to go, you can come find big sis at the infirmary." After patting my head tenderly, she left.
Not very nice to abandon a child alone, though in her defense, she offered to let me follow her or find her at the infirmary if I had nowhere to go.
I ended up continuing my walk without any other major discoveries until break time.
"I'm sick of high school," grumbled Kouki while walking beside me.
"Why are you complaining? People are looking at you today, right?" Under my pressure, Kouki finally decided to fix her hair.
(Image)
I must say the transformation was surprising. Maybe it's because of the training or the cursed technique that gave her restorative sleep, and when I heal her, I make sure to properly clean her body.
I'm still unable to do like in Chinese novels where they expel all accumulated toxins, but I can remove things like dead skin or residue attached to the skin.
"Yeah but, I don't like these hypocrites, if the teacher wasn't there then..." she mumbled the last part.
*bam* Despite my small shota form size, I gave Kouki a little hit on the head.
"You can't just stay with me Kouki, it wouldn't be healthy since I'm a spirit and you're a very much living human," I stopped walking before looking at her.
"You need to make friends, evolve, and most importantly, have fun!!" Seems like I've gotten a bit attached to this idiot.
In the end, we were able to find Rin a few minutes later.
During the whole way, Kouki seemed to be thinking about something.