Chapter 69: I feel like I should retort, but I don’t look convincing at all I

Part 1

MC's POV

Fresh air, is how I could describe my first impression of Hokkaido. It is not as pure as compared to Kaa-san's pocket dimension, but the air was cleaner than in the cities I have been to.

Watching the view from the van window, I observed the scenery keenly. It was strange to say this, but I am more familiar with lands abroad than with my own country. I traveled around China, Russia, and Germany long distances, but I hardly traveled outside Tokyo or Kyoto in Japan.

"N-Nora, c-close the window." Natsume muttered.

Sighing, I did just as she asked me.

"This is why I told you to bring warm clothing." I said.

Currently, we were riding a van specially made to transport people. I did not want to make them wary so I asked some acquaintances in the law force to forge some documents and provide a false background. It might sound like they should not be doing it, but they were quite honest with me and told me to tell them in advance as much as possible when I am trying to pull something like that. They offered their full support as thanks for dealing with the gangs, but there was the fact I was responsible for the miraculous recovery of their chief as well. For them, I became a close ally and they would rather bend the rules themselves so they can at least know what is happening under their noses.

It is not like I promised to always request them in advance, but I did tell them that I will not rely on hypnosis or brainwashing unless it is a delicate topic. Since the agreements with other supernaturals are not always in their favor, they gladly took my offer. The van was one they got from an agency that specializes in vacation trips and the driver had his ID forged, our Nakama, and was currently guilty of screwing me the other day, Samejima-san had to act as our chauffeur. I obviously would not allow anyone without driving skills to drive the van but I had thankfully covered this base last year when I had them learn to operate different types of vehicles. Despite their complaints, I had them learn to drive from a bike to a tank, and from a remote control plane to an actual fighter jet. The military-level vehicles were hard to get permission to use, but using my flirting skills saved the day. It was not like they became super pilots, but if in the off chance situation that the plane they are flying gets hijacked and the pilot gets killed, they would be capable of landing the plane.

I said I would make them my minions, and I am going to raise them to be the best minions around.

"I-It m-makes no s-sense, you are wearing something even lighter than us." Natsume complained.

It was a light t-shirt with regular pants. I went for the mob look in order to not stand out, but I doubt it will help me at all

Driving the van was Samejima-san, and the seating arrangements were Natsume and me in one row, Nanadaru-san, and Lavinia-san in another one, and lastly, the love birds further in the back.

I will not retort about the fierce competition that ensued to choose our sitting arrangements, and how chaotic it got when I sat on the copilot seat.

"Huh? What are you talking about? It is not really cold, look at Lavinia-san, she looks perfectly fine." I commented.

"Her Sacred Gear is Absolute Demise!!! If something like this affected her, how could she use her abilities!?" Natsume retorted.

Rubbing her hands, she tried to warm up.

Lavinia-san and Shigune-san were too busy looking at the landscape to listen to our conversation so it was only Natsume and me talking.

"I warned you that it would be cold." I smiled wryly.

It was not an exaggeration to say that I provided them with enough money to get their own gear. Sometimes I indeed prove them with bags containing everything they will need, but they must learn to do that for themselves. Ikuse-san and Toujou-san were family-oriented types so they immediately began to discuss the place where to get the best prices, while Lavinia-san was dragged by Nanadaru-san to buy whatever they might needed. The magical girl perhaps considered using magic to solve her issues so she did not try to prepare anything. The company actually provided Samejima-san with his gear so there was nothing I could say about that. That left us with this sometimes forgetful girl who despite bringing a sweater, it was made of thin fabric.

Watching her struggle, I thought of helping her, but I could not do it without getting something out of it. What would I get as payment? Of course, I would tease her. It is a universal rule.

Pulling out a blanket using magic, I used it to envelop us together. Talking her hands with mine, I used my body heat to warm up her hands.

Natsume.exe stopped working as expected, but after being the subject of my constant teasing, she developed a reboot system that will always try to make her come back to reality faster.

"W-What are you doing?" Natsume narrowed her eyes at me.

"I am deeply hurt, why are you showing such distrust over my goodwill? I only thought that you looked cold and it is a gentleman's job to assist a lady in times of need." I spoke in mock sadness. "I dare to say that my consideration is second to none in the vehicle."

Using an exaggerated tone, I interlocked my hands with her. Her composed look was having trouble keeping up and I would not be able to deny if I was told that her embarrassment heated her up more than the blanket or my hands.

Laughing slightly, I released her hands and gently flicked her nose.

"Are you feeling better?" I decided to stop teasing her since I noticed something.

Still red as an apple, Natsume glared at me while thinking of a proper retort, but she settled down by simply stomping her feet on the van's floor and turning away.

Maybe I went too far? I usually get along with her rather well so I like to joke often. It is not like the others have a bad relationship with me, but this child always watches over everyone in the group so as someone who tries to watch over all of them, I can relate to her.

"...thanks." Natsume mumbled.

Facing the other side, she did not seem keen on showing her face for now, but she still showed me her gratitude, and just when I thought she would stay like before for the rest of the trip, she turned my way with a serious look.

"...sorry if this guess of mine is wrong, but I was wondering if there is something in your mind?" Natsume suddenly asked.

Smiling, I tilted my head quizzically.

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

Despite the lack of attention we were receiving, she got closer to me and whispered in a low tone of voice.

"Is there something bothering you? You surely like to tease others, but you hardly stop so soon." Natsume muttered.

"Oh my, does that mean you want to be teased further?" I smirked.

"No! Idiot! I am being serious here." Natsume scolded me.

Even though she is not the smartest cookie, for the most part, she catches on to certain details quite sharply.

"...you are not wrong." I shrugged my shoulders. "However, it will not affect the mission so there is no need to worry."

"Jeez, it is not the mission that worries me." Natsume sighed.

Pointing at me, she pushed her index finger onto my cheek.

"So?" Natsume inquired.

"Tsk." I clicked my tongue and immediately turned my head.

Biting her finger gently, I caused her to hastily try to pull it back but I did not allow it.

"Hya!?" Natsume cried out.

Inwardly sighing, I released her.

Watching her get teary-eyed, I decided to entertain her for a bit.

"That hurt." Natsume complained.

"Be thankful that you are pretty, not many get away with that gesture. I have to tell you that I put some heavy laxatives on Azazel-san's drink the other time he pulled that." I snorted.

"...urgh." Natsume, still feeling pain (or so she appears to), unconsciously put her finger in her mouth.

Saving that as teasing material for later, I considered what to say.

"...hey." I called out. "What... do you want to do when you get older?"

I guess I want to do this as well and I will tackle the topic from this angle.

"Older? I want to finish my studies in college, I guess?" Natsume replied in an uncertain tone.

"That is a short-time goal in a way." I muttered. "I am talking about after that. You don't plan to work for me the rest of your life, do you?"

Still with her finger in her mouth, she looked confused.

"The reasons why you guys ended up under me are quite unique and I am partly to blame for not having tackled this earlier, but... don't you want to do something else? Like, I don't know, starting your own business as a tailor, or perhaps you want to start a jewelry store?"

Rather uncertain myself, I spoke whatever came to my mind.

"...well, it is not like I had never thought about it." Natsume smiled wryly. "However, after learning the other side this world has, I don't think I can live completely detached from it anymore. Besides, you would be lonely with us, wouldn't you?"

Bullseye, I guess.

"Not at all, I would be able to have baths free of worry from someone intruding." I stared at her.

"T-That was not my fault, I didn't know you were taking a bath!" Natsume rebuked.

"It happened twice that day though..." I mumbled.

"Urgh." Natsume was unable to retort.

"Not to mention, the times you pulled a yobai on me." I raised my fingers one by one until my palm was wide open. "Quite a lot of times did I find you crawling into my bed."

Blushing, Natsume found it hard to look at me.

"...I got the wrong room." Natsume whispered.

"Well, never mind that." I sighed. "If you want to live a normal life and have a normal job, I can do that. It is between my abilities to provide you with the proper environment."

"Nora does not get it." Natsume sighed as well. "It is not what I want... No, none of us want."

"...Natsume, I have already made the proper negotiations (cohercion) with the Five Clans. They will no longer chase after you." I explained. "I threatened to castrate those sons of a b*tches and make them swallow their private parts if they tried to go back on their words so I am pretty sure none of them will pull any hidden agenda. I can give you-"

"Are you really trying to pull this crap on me?" Natsume narrowed her eyes at me, finger still in her mouth.

Her eyes contained some anger or perhaps simply frustration.

"Look, I am just saying, if you want to go back to your old life, not only you, but your whole family will fit right in." I muttered.

"...you." Natsume gritted her teeth. "How can you say that?"

"...you don't want to waste your whole life fighting, do you? To wake up one day and notice you could not do anything of the things you always wanted to do." I muttered.

"Argh, you are unbelievable." Natsume facepalmed. "Have you ever asked our opinion regarding that?"

"I am just doing it." I mumbled.

"Oh, yeah... right." Natsume coughed. "Look, I am comfortable with the kind of life I have now."

"Are you? I ask you to do things that can't be spoken in broad daylight." I uttered.

Turning bright red at once, Natsume changed from seriously annoyed to maiden form.

"...we did nothing of that sort." Natsume pointed out.

"Of course we did. While your mother was rather supportive of your night activities, your father always shot me death glares. I think it is wonderful how you have an understanding mother and a father who deeply worries about you. That said, since last year, your father has softened his attitude toward me, he even called me once you were not there to chat. We drank a little bit and he cried his heart out about his little girl has grown up already." I said. "From that time, he always tells me to take care of our safety during our activities. He still looks bitter about our outings, but I think a father will always be like that when his daughter's safety is involved."

With her lips twitching, Natsume had trouble formulating an answer.

It was after a moment of silence that she reacted.

"...how come I never heard of that?" Natsume asked.

"Well, underage drinking is no good. I can't get drunk from something so light tasting thus it was like drinking juice for me. However, it was still something akin to a crime and your father pushed me to do it, and while your mother was aware of it, she never tried to interfere, but I didn't want to get him into trouble with anyone else." I sighed.

I felt slightly emotional about it, I did not get many chances to drink with my father in my past life, and I deeply resent my parents' situation that never allowed it. However, the memories I have about it will always remain precious.

"...Nora, just give me one second to get this straight." Natsume's had an awkward smile plastered on her face. "...my stupid dad did all that behind my back?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Are you listening to me? I just said that. Wait..."

My mind caught onto a serious problem.

"...are you jealous? Sorry, I didn't know you wanted to have a drink with your father that badly." I sighed.

How careless of me, they don't want strangers to intrude in their circle.

"Nora. Shut up for a bit." Natsume smiled brightly (?).

Her face so red that I would almost consider that she was having a stroke, the girl pulled out her personal phone, not the work one, and began typing a very long message. I caught some bits of the message from the corner of my eyes and I immediately paled.

Praying in my heart, I wished that man some good luck.

Looking slightly refreshed, Natsume turned to me.

"...how come you are so sharp for some stuff but completely obvious to others?" Natsume smiled wryly.

"What do you mean?" I asked despite my instincts telling me not to.

"...sure, they met you when you were shorter, but my parents judged you to be not a minor, but someone even older than me. Your actions and composure when dealing with our problems have led them to believe so. You are responsible and respectful, without an ounce of arrogance despite always being in a superior position." Natsume leaned forward toward me. "You have unnecessarily high amounts of money with several entries of money, you also always focus on new ways to earn more but live a modest life. You have helped our family to establish itself in a new place. To protect my dad's pride, you did not gift us anything. You rather took care of renovating our property so it could be sold at an even higher price, thus giving my father enough capital to pay you for the house. Not only that, but you offered my father an idea to start his own business and he is now striving thanks to it, and my mom got an easy job that she can deal with from our house thanks to a special contract she has from a delivery company you secretly owe. She can now sell stuff using the internet and take care of it while having the time to take care of her house or simply going out to chat with her neighbors."

Narrowing her eyes, a certain emotion could be seen reflected in them.

"For them, you are just perfect without anything to nitpick about. Of course, the high number of women around you is hard to accept. However, thanks to someone's careless remark, I won't say who." Natsume pointed at me. "The remark is quite... Well, parents worry when a guy mentions endless stamina when he brings their sweaty daughter home."

Laughing slightly, the girl pushed her finger on my chest.

"...you have no idea how I was looked at for months." Natsume said. "Nonetheless, you have been accepted by those idiotic parents of mine."

Vibrating, Natsume seemed to have gotten a reply to the message she sent.

"I just sent two messages and got two replies. I will ignore Dad's reply for now." Natsume smiled.

There was something about her expression since a little while ago that I could not explain.

"Hahaha..." Natsume laughed. "Yeah, I guess I predicted this."

Showing me her phone screen, I unwillingly read the message written on it.

'WHAAAAAT!? YOU ACTUALLY HAVE NOT DONE THAT!? NATSUME! TIME IS RIPE, GET TO IT. MOM WILL AID YOU. DO NOT BOTHER COMING HOME AGAIN UNTIL THE MATTER IS SETTLED.'

"Hehe, look at what you caused." Natsume happily said. "You super mega hyper idiot cat. My parents, for the last 2 years had a certain idea about what kind of relationship we had. Tell me, what do you think it was...?"

.

..

...

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

SO IT WAS THAT!

"It seems I cannot go home now." Natsume muttered. "What are you going to do about it huh?"

"No, you have an apartment with the rest of the guys in that building I got you guys." I retorted.

"I left the keys at home so I would not lose them." Natsume smiled.

"...we can get you new ones." I looked away.

"Do not dodge the subject." Natsume said. "I hope you have enough room at your place."

No no no, Raikou-san will kill me.

"I will solve your mother's misunderstanding." I muttered. "Being with me is not-"

"What if I did not want it to be solved?" Natsume asked.

Huh?

"Don't be silly, I am..." I mumbled.

"Not human? A pervert? Have multiple fetishes?" Natsume raised an eyebrow. "Do you really need me to be more straightforward?"

Using both hands, she turned my head until our faces were facing each other closely.

"You interest me." Natsume straightforwardly said. "Yeah, call the police or whatever, I have an interest in a guy much younger like me. However, do not make fun of my feelings. I know how different humans and youkais are but do not assume I carelessly said those words. I know what I am getting into. I also know that you have someone else as your love interest."

"Natsume..." I muttered.

"My feelings could be one-sided. I am well aware of that possibility, and how you will most likely turn me down. I know that you have done the same to many girls who have confessed to you. However, none of them have given up and I will never do it. I am going to earn a place in your heart." Natsume proclaimed. "This is not exactly a declaration of war, but I will not lag behind."

Using a tone of voice higher enough to be heard by the rest of the van, I came to the realization of how loud we have been so far, and how everyone's attention was on us.

No reply came back, but I was certain that her words were properly delivered.

"Thank you, I thought we were going to fight, but I was finally able, to be honest about myself. However, Nora, your worry, I will work hard and make it disappear." Natsume smiled dashingly.

I was stunned in place by how bold she decided to be even though she was surrounded by her friends, no, perhaps it is because they were her friends that she did not mind it.

Her dashing appearance changed into that of a blushing maiden in one second and she hesitated briefly before softly kissing me on the cheeks. The path originally tried to go for my lips, but she changed her mind midway.

"It is harder than I thought, but it is not bad at all..." Natsume giggled.

Blinking, I...

"(Hubby, I was napping until now, but what in the world happened while I was sleeping!?)" Tamamo's confused tone was an exact reflection of my state of mind.

"You are shy now? After tasting my saliva on your finger for so long..." I attacked back.

I won't take things lying down.

In response, Natsume first bashfully looked at her finger before looking at my expression which was not composed at all. Grining with a mischievous smile, she licked it again in an unnecessarily alluring way.

"It is pretty tasty..." Natsume smiled seductively.

Oh, no. My attack backfired.

Part 2

MC's POV

The mood became rather delicate so I did what every grown man would do in that situation.

Run away.

Well, we arrived at an inn provided by the company we 'hired' and we planned to stay there for the time being. Our location was supposed to be where the man was usually seen, but I was certain that this place was not our objective. It was not retired enough and it was close to a devil's territory. Making it easy to intrude and hard to keep anything secret.

Samejima-san was supposed to be an employee of the company so we had to part ways with him. Thus, our group ends up with just 6 people including me. The male and female camp would usually be divided, but given our cover, at least Ikuse-san and Toujou-san will be sleeping in one room while I would sleep in one room alone, leaving the decision of how to divide the rest of the rooms to the girls. I had rented a whole floor to avoid any flag of having no choice but to sleep with any of the girls, but I got the feeling that things will not play by the book.

Nonetheless, I was heading out to get some information. I was planning to check some rural maps since there are no maps I could get with detailed information about villages around here from Kyoto. It was the mystical side at work, but I could not be certain if they were related to the Extra Clans or not so the info must be hard to come by.

I intended to do this alone, but a certain youth tagged along.

His black hair being a common characteristic, he had a gentle air but was nonetheless the strongest one among my companions, Tobio Ikuse. Since the weather was chilly, he had properly dressed for the occasion. A black trench coat, one of his favorite wears was making him stand out compared to my rather light clothes.

"Do you want us to split up or act together?" I asked.

His answer was something I predicted.

"We should stick together." Ikuse-san muttered. "It would be weird if we went separate ways this early, and I would like to have a word with you as well."

"Sure." I nodded.

This was a small city, but a city nonetheless, so there were quite a lot of people going around. It was a tourist location so we could see not only Japanese folks but even foreigners. We were in a zone where many inns with thermal baths were located so the movement was high and many eyes were on us.

"Did you notice?" I asked.

"Familiars, but I don't think they are there for us specifically." Ikuse-san mumbled.

The use of familiar was a normal occurrence among supernatural beings and human magicians. Anyone who uses mystical arts as their base usually has a couple of them to aid them. There are spells to share your vision with them so they are great for recognizing work.

"However, they are looking for something." I said.

"Haha, if it is a troublesome situation, I am certain Shiki-san will get involved with it one way or another so we should take it slow for now." Ikuse-san laughed.

The corner of my lip was twitching but I could not deny that completely.

"Let's just get some snacks for the girls as we give a quick survey of the place." I said. "Try to get familiar with the city and its landmarks. We might not remain here for long but there is no telling if something might happen here."

"Understood." Ikuse-san nodded.

As one of the most experienced, Ikuse-san was already looking around and taking notice of any place that might be worth noticing such as back alleys where a certain crowd gathered and the like. In my case, I had my ability that allowed me to have a clear vision but they did not have that advantage thus I always stressed that they should be vigilant of any details.

"Oh, how about those?" I asked.

Pointing at a store with a fluent number of customers, I saw some Potatochip Chocolate.

"...are you trying to tame Nanadaru-san even more?" Ikuse-san retorted.

"...you know. If don't give her something sweet, she will look at me with her watery eyes." I muttered.

"...so she has already been tamed to the limits to the point that every time she sees you, she associates you with sweets." Ikuse-san chuckled.

"...yes." I admitted.

"...I was joking." Ikuse-san said.

"I was not." I lowered my head powerlessly.

Getting patted on the back was slightly comforting, but given how he was the one who put me in a troubled mood, I should perhaps be angry at him.

"Let's get a share for everyone." Ikuse-san sighed.

...

...

...

After leaving the inn's area and passing the commercial district, we arrived at the residential area. At this point, we were finally off the radar from those familiars or they had simply gone back to their master.

"So, now that we are not surrounded by some many people..." Ikuse-san mumbled.

Avoiding the passerby's eyes, I pulled some paper talismans. These ofudas only had one use and that was to make shikigamis. It was ready to use and you only needed to add a tiny bit of ki so the shikigami manifested. I could usually make ofudas that allowed you to create any kind of shikigami, but these premade ones were one type I was testing so they could be handled by people who were not that adept with ki or were just beginning their training. In other words, it is a beginner's kit. Thus, they were only capable to turn each into one particular form. These were for something that not many would suspect, cats.

Just being I was going to add some ki-

"I heard you got confessed to by Minagawa-san, or rather, we were all listening." Ikuse-san spoke.

My heart jumped a bit and the ki was more than necessary thus the summoning failed.

It seems they need to be improved further.

"...you have no delicacy." I complained.

"...Shiki-san, no matter how much respect and gratitude I have towards you, I can't accept YOU telling me that." Ikuse-san retorted.

Urgh, I can't say anything back to that since I am pretty shameless.

"Yeah, it happened." I nodded. "She went crazy, I am not a good man."

Before Ikuse-san spoke again, I successfully summoned the shikigami.

A cute black cat with green eyes was there. The fluffy tail and ears were similar to mine since I was the base for it. MK I was supposed to be Kuroka-chan but they wanted me to be the first version since they would be able to summon me easily.

Patting the cat, I made sure that it did not look suspicious to a lady who was passing by. I had summoned when the street was devoid of people but the lady had suddenly appeared.

"Hmm, is that really what you think?" Ikuse-san asked.

"I am in love with Yasaka-san." I exclaimed. "I am certain of that. Yeah, we fight sometimes, but it has never been a reason for me to like her any lesser."

The youth listened to me quietly.

"I can't say I don't have mixed feelings when she turns down my confessions, however, I know that our relationship would be complicated. Her standing is special, while I am a simple cat, she is the leader of a faction. While youkais are not as numerous as humans, they still quite amount." I said. "She has her standing to consider and given the relationship she had with Kaa-san, she would not lay her hands on me no matter what."

"Even though you want her to." Ikuse-san added.

"I know, right?" I agreed. "It is frustrating that my advances never get me where I want."

"Is that why you like her? Just for her body? Do not misunderstand me, but the way you phrased it..." Ikuse-san sweated coldly.

Lowering the laxatives pills I planned to make him swallow for his unsavory comments, I snorted.

"You guys assume I have no sexual desire, but you are wrong. I get horny like anyone else. Right now, as a teen, my hormones are constantly playing tricks on me and I have to circulate my ki and empty my mind to avoid embarrassing situations." I muttered. "Yeah, she is beautiful, and I will not deny that my body lust for her. That would be lying. Nonetheless, my feelings are not so simple. I honestly hope to court her properly. Not only her body but her heart. I want her to look at me, I want her to smile at me, I want to wake up and look at her face so I can have a happy day."

Noticing something from the corner of my vision, I saw the idiot storing his phone back.

"...what did you just do? Depending on your answer, I will have you become a monk." I said.

"Just a picture, not every day you get to see a lovestruck Shiki-kun." Ikuse-san chuckled. "Of course, I have made copies and sent them to other servers so catching me and destroying my phone will not work."

"You have grown guts." I narrowed my eyes.

"I had to, you trained me to be able to stand up to you, didn't you?" Ikuse-san said.

"Urgh, it was in certain cases, and I am pretty sure this one was not among the situations I told you about." I groaned.

Feeling depressed, I understood a little how Vali feels when these idiots use his dark past to tease him.

"Isn't it fine? I will just give it to the girls." Ikuse-san muttered.

"...I feel like 'the girls' is not simply limited to your team members." I inquired.

Smiling in response, Ikuse-san literally did not give away anything else.

"(Hubby, you need to use one of just special moves. Cat Extortion!)" Tamamo uselessly commented.

I must add, I have no such skill.

"...if a guy gets that image, I swear to whatever God will not strike me with lighting for failing to accomplish this, that I will make you swallow Kaa-san's pills for the rest of your life." I warned.

Paling immediately, he raised his hands in surrender.

"I swear. Just for the girls." Ikuse-san added frantically.

Snorting, I had to comment on how he was still green.

"(Hubby, the pictures were still sent away...)" Tamamo said.

Damn it.

"By the way, back to the previous topic. What about Kuroka-san and Shirone-san? If you do not have a harem, that means you don't plan to have a relationship with them, do you?" Ikuse-san continued. "I don't think I have to mention your other crush, Musashi, do I? You have feelings for them, but you plan to ignore them?"

"(Of course, he did not mention Tamamo-chan because that is an undeniable truth, one that is so obvious that does not need to be mentioned every time.)" Tamamo added.

"You are poking where it hurts." I looked away. "And I am not in love with Musashi...... Well, I do like her, but..."

"You know, have you ever considered this from this perspective?" Ikuse-san raised one finger. "You want Yasaka-san to be your lover, your only lover. However, you have confessed to her on an almost daily basis. You honestly have my respect in being able to accept being turned down almost daily. Ahem, you get hurt every time it happens, right? Then, I do not think you are obvlious to a certain fact."

Inwardly sighing, I had an idea what he was going to say.

"You are inflicting the same pain on the girls who are honestly placing their hearts and offering them to you." Ikuse-san said. "I honestly have no idea what kind of life will be one where you have a harem-"

"Do you think I have never thought about it? I do, I think very hard. However, I also believe that it would be better if they find someone else. Someone who will not love a great number of girls, but rather offer them their whole love to them." I exclaimed.

Ignoring my words, Ikuse-san continued in a gentle tone.

"It is true that I have no idea what having a harem will mean, but..." Ikuse-san mumbled. "If you run away from their feelings, you are no better than a scum. Accepting or not accepting, I am not telling you to go and find yourself an army of women. I just think that you should be more open and honestly accept their feelings, I know that you will feel overwhelmed, but are you telling me that you cannot love back those girls? You are heartless enough to completely ignore their feelings? The fact that you rack your brain over a solution for them proves that there is something more there, something other than simple friendship. They care for you and you care for them. Think about it, even if you say that they should find another person... would that really be a solution? They want you, not some substitute. Besides, be honest with something... would you accept it if some guy tried to take them away from you? Judging from the scary look you are giving me, the answer is clear. I will take my leave, I have to play the part so I will look for date spots to take Sae later."

Nonchalantly waving at me, Ikuse-san left.

"(Hubby, it might be against my best interest, but if it is troublesome, you can just ignore-)" Tamamo's tone was full of worry.

No, I will not.

He is right... and I need to consider this. This concerns you as well so you actually want me to ponder this issue, don't you?

"(Hubby, Tamamo's love for you is as vast as the sea and wide as the sky, but even I know that you find this topic uncomfortable.)" Tamamo gently said. "(I will never push you or pressure you.)"

Big words for the fox who tried to accidentally push me down in the bathroom the other day with ideals of a shotgun marriage.

"(Hubby! Tamamo seriously slipped!)" Tamaño spoke full of indignation.

Oh yeah? As you slipped, your towel was sent towards my face to blind me momentarily and when I avoided your first attempt, you 'slipped' three times more. Sure, I believe you.

"(Oh, hubby! I am glad that you do. Now, let us close this topic...)" Tamamo went quiet.

Oi.

"(Zzzz.)" Tamamo's snoring (?) was the only thing I heard.

I shall not fluff her tails today.

Sighing, I was about to look for a park or something to ponder, but I noticed a familiar, different from the ones before, observing me from distance. I can't help but notice being observed when their focus is on me so I noticed it despite the distance.

Ordering my shikigami to scatter with a wave of my hand, I walked toward the familiar.

Despite noticing my attention on it, the familiar, a Shima-enaga, a small bird usually known as the long-tailed tit, although this one is exclusive of Hokkaido. The person using this familiar is someone with extensive knowledge in several areas and while it annoys me to praise her since she can be considered an enemy, that woman is very capable. Using regional fauna knowledge to blend using her familiar is not something many bother to do.

After getting somewhat closer to it, the bird flapped its wings and took some distance before landing again. The process repeated itself a couple of times, and I continued to stray from the path where people usually wandered.

As a young man being led into the woods by a mysterious (not really) entity, it is obvious what I will find there.

Soon, I was outside the city.

"(Hubby, you have entered an isolation barrier.)" Tamamo mumbled.

It was well hidden, but the air inside and outside was different so I noticed. However, I entered it while knowing that.

"Greetings, Miss Witch of West." I said.

After my figure vanished from the outside world and I entered the barrier, the presence behind the familiar showed herself.

A tall woman with green eyes and long light brown tied in a side ponytail by a hair tie with a blue rose. Her outfit is largely many shades of purple. Her dress is made up of a piece of white fabric around the top, midnight blue for the majority of her dress's fabric with black and gold embroidery, open slits around the skirt, lavender sleeves with gold accents around the ends, a collar in the same shade of blue as her dress, and a purple necklace. She wears short black gloves with pale purple lining and purple gems on the back of her hands. She wears a belt with a beige rose, black shorts with pointed edges, and gray transparent stockings. She wears black high heels with blue gems around the ankles. She wears a traditional witch with the same color scheme and it goes without saying that she has an Onee-san's aura along with a very attractive body.

"Ara? Here I thought you would be happy to see me, Onee-san is sad~"

The person standing in front of me is one of the witches with ties to the Emerald City, the base of the mages of Oz. Along with Glenda and Augusta, she had the same level of authority as a Witch of the West.

"Besides, I told you to call me Lisa." The witch of the west, Lisa, muttered.

"If this had been the magical girl, you would've been greeted by icicles so I would be grateful if I were you." I said.

"That is scary." Lisa spoke in a relaxed tone. "I would have a hard time if that happened, I am but a simple librarian... oh, how careless of me. Ex-Librarian..."

"You would need to be an idiot to believe in that lie." I snorted. "Last time, I fell for your sincere tone and the location aiding you, but I am certain that you are not a simple librarian now. Acting weak and defenseless will not garner my pity."

"How cold. " Lisa chuckled. "Even though I am so interested in you, Nora treats me so badly."

An arc of lighting cursed through her hand as she said that.

"Sorry, but I am a sadist at heart. If you want a masochist, you should look for the man from before, Barakiel." I said. "You can get along with him just fine."

"Oh dear, what should I do?" Lisa had a troubled smile on her face. "When I went to visit him, his wife told me that you would fit what I want more than her husband."

That woman!!!!!!!!

"(Oh, hubby. She used you as a shield to make this woman aim at you instead of her husband. She is very cunning.)" Tamamo praised. "(That said, to sacrifice her daughter's happiness like that... No, could it be that she is confident in her daughter's charms? She has been growing up quite curvy so it could be that..."

No, I doubt she thought of Akeno-chan at that time. She must've used me as a scapegoat since I was her first option of who to use as an excuse. She tried to play a prank on me the other time, making it seem like I stole her daughter's underwear because my lust was getting out of control. One thing led to another and the 2nd Lingerie Contest happened, I am uncertain how it came to exist and why all the maids in their place participated.

"(Wut!? The second? When did that happen that Tamamocchi never heard of it!?)" Tamamo asked.

You were taken by Amaterasu-sama to check on your physical body.

"(I knew I should've turned down that offer!!!)" Tamamo cried (?).

"Are you ok? You are spacing out..." Lisa frowned.

"Never mind that. Just the voices in my head whispering to me to destroy the world." I lied.

"Oh, if you are showing signs of an illness, I can help you with Therapy Shock~" Lisa chuckled.

You are reading story Highschool DxD: A new opportunity at novel35.com

Shuddering, I noticed a certain degree of seriousness in her eyes.

"I was pondering what to do now that I found myself before such an attractive woman." I hastily said.

The hand she had raised and was giving out arcs of lighting was lowered and she smiled.

"Ara? Is that so?" Lisa happily spoke.

Sighing in relief, I wondered why do I have to be the target of this woman. Well, the answer is obvious and I will have Grayfia-san teach a lesson to her Kouhai, scolding her for a day might be a bit too lenient... So I should add to her suffering by telling Akeno-chan what her mother did.

"Even if it is a lie, a woman can have her mood improved by such a thing." Lisa knowingly smiled.

Tsk, so she won't drop the subject so easily? This tactic works with Kuroka-chan so I unconsciously used it.

"Enough of that. Have you come to cause more trouble?" I inquired.

"If we are talking about trouble, that would be you. The last time issue was because you had such a powerful group of Sacred Gear users and other beings to break havoc on our home turf." Lisa said. "Augusta's castle was destroyed completely and Emerald City took measures by disappearing somewhere else while taking as many magicians as possible. The castle of North also took similar measures. As for the rest of what happened, I don't think I need to go into details, do I?"

"You make it sound like I am a walking disaster..." I bitterly spoke.

"(You are not aware of it!?)" Tamamo's surprised tone irked me slightly.

"You are not aware of it?" Lisa looked genuinely baffled.

Did you two practice the timing in secret?

"It is not like I caused that much destruction..." I said.

"...who was the one who almost burned my collection of books even after I had offered to guide him around when he was lost?" Lisa muttered in a calm tone but there was sheer anger hidden below that.

"...I apologized for that by giving you some books as a repayment." I retorted.

"...who gives a woman erotic books as a gift?" Lisa asked.

Snorting, I slowly raised my arm and ended up pointing myself with my thumb.

"Me." I smiled.

"...you have guts, I will give you that." Lisa sighed.

"Did you dislike them?" I inquired.

"...I want the next book." Lisa extended her hand.

"You will have to line up in a library, they are published work and can be gotten across the country." I uttered.

"...did you write them?" Lisa narrowed her eyes.

I am the multitask cat, I can write a few different genres already. Originals and works from my past life, I am Nora, the multitask cat.

"No." I lied.

"So you did write them." Lisa smiled.

A strange gleam in her eyes told me that her interest in me grew.

"I think I said I did not." I repeated myself.

"Yeah, sure~" Lisa ignored me.

"(Hubby, I suggest that you start attacking or you might end up with another woman after your body if you keep making her interested in you.)" Tamamo warned.

I guess violence is the true way.

"Have you come here for it as well?" Lisa suddenly said.

Breaking the stance to fight I had, I tilted my head.

"...I told you that the erotic book can be found across the country." I mumbled.

The arcs of lighting surrounding the woman were proof that she did not like my comment.

"Are you acting silly on purpose?" Lisa asked.

"I was born that way." I innocently replied.

"(He is a little strange in the head.") Tamamo just earned a flick on her forehead.

Narrowing her eyes, Lisa's magic power made the lighting appear menacing and when I thought of attacking with a hidden weapon, she sighed and the lighting arcs disappeared.

"...if I get angry every time you start acting like that, I got the feeling that I will get a terrible headache every time." Lisa shrugged her shoulders.

"(This lady has mastered the way to interact with you so easily! She is smart, beautiful, and bouncy in the right places. Hubby! Flee!)" Tamamo nonsensically said.

Ignoring that, noticed that Lisa seemed to ponder briefly as she stared at me.

"How about a truce?" Lisa asked.

"How about no?" I chuckled.

Smiling slightly, Lisa walked in my direction in an unusual sensual way. No, perhaps she was normally like that since her clothing was that tempting given her figure.

"It won't be a bad deal." Lisa extended a hand toward me.

"Yeah, no." I stepped back.

Her smile cracked a little, but she still smiled alluringly at me.

"I am sure you will find my offer very tempting." Lisa offered.

"I can feel you have second intentions so no." I turned her down.

"Have you heard of the... Book of Rituals?" Lisa asked.

I froze slightly when she said that.

"...what do you know about it?" I inquired.

"Fufu, how about changing locations first? Those annoying people seemed to have sniffed this barrier." Lisa giggled.

Inwardly sighing, I wondered if I should have not listened to Tamamo earlier and started fighting.

----------------------------------------------

3rd Person POV

For the Nth time, Sae tried to speak up but failed. It was only after Lavinia and Shigune left the room that she found the opportunity to do so.

"...Natsume-san." Sae called out.

"Hmm? What is it?" Natsume replied.

While Sae had been waiting for the right words to say plus the correct timing, Natsume was checking her battle gears. Not only her uniform made from special material but her weapons.

"...uh, why... did you claim that while everyone was hearing?" Sae asked.

"...oh." Natsume's movements stopped for a second. "Well, I can't deny that I let the blood rush to my head and spoke a little too much."

With a faint smile, Natsume continued inspecting her gear.

"However, I do not regret anything." Natsume said firmly.

"Lavinia-san and Shigune-san..." Sae bit her lips. "Aren't you worried?"

"It is not like I have never given it some thought, you know?" Natsume smiled wryly. "I am not trying to be cruel, but... their relationship with him is not the same as mine."

Tilting her head, Sae could not tell what Natsume meant.

"For instance." Natsume pointed at her weapons. "I learned marksmanship from him, we all did. However, I decided to specialize in long-range fighting. Thus the time we spent together sometimes can be said to be more under the excuse of practicing shooting. Nonetheless, the same could be said with Lavinia-san and Shigune-san. They have areas that can be said to be their excuses to spend time with him."

"I don't understand..." Sae furrowed her eyebrows. "Aren't you all the same then?"

"Yes and no. For example, you could also do that, but you do not do it. Why?" Natsume asked.

"I practice with Tobio... Ah!" Sae exclaimed.

"The same could be said from Ikuse-kun and Samejima-kun. They decide to give him some space and train on their own." Natsume muttered. "That said, it is not like we planned that schedule."

Blinking, Sae was confused once again.

"Let me finish." Natsume sighed. "Lavinia-san... she has an issue."

Pondering slightly, Natsume tried to formulate an answer.

"She has been treating him like a little brother since she met him." Natsume explained. "However, her relationship with him is not the same as it is with Vali-kun."

"Vali-kun was actually a very lonely child before meeting her." Sae said.

"Yes. That is correct, so you can tell that while he is awkward expressing it, Vali-kun looks up at Lavinia-san like a little brother does. Since he never had any siblings before, he accepts her actions in trying to spoil him." Natsume chuckled. "Well, he will deny it if you ask him though."

Smiling as well, Sae recalled how shy he can get when they tease him.

"However, Nora is different." Natsume said. "It is a bit cruel, but he does not see her as a sisterly figure."

Frowning, Sae could not accept that.

"But they get along well..." Sae exclaimed.

"Yes, they do." Natsume nodded. "However, he does not see her as someone he can rely on."

"That can't be, he trusts her..." Sae refuted.

"It is... the truth. He trusts her abilities, he trusts her judgment, however, he can't really rely on her." Natsume shook her head. "No, I will not try to pin that on her only. He does not rely on any of us."

"Natsume-san..." Sae mumbled.

Looking slightly pained, Natsume tried to cheer up her worried friend with a smile.

"He is not wrong. I mean, we are kind of unreliable now, aren't we?" Natsume chuckled. "He handles most of the details regarding our jobs and he also makes sure we always get the necessary equipment before any mission. He watches over us like an overprotective mother so it is hard to deny what I said."

Noticing that her smile did not ease the worry in her friend, Natsume awkwardly laughed.

"I have noticed it from some time ago." Nastume pursued her lips. "The people he can put his full trust in are few in number."

Sighing, Natsume fell slightly jealous for a moment.

"It is regardless of their abilities too." Natsume said. "Musashi-san... for Nora, she is more than his crush. From the way I have seen him staring at her, she is something akin to his light. The best example would be how the kittens Nora always talks about look at him. Absolute trust, no, absolute faith."

Recalling for a moment, Sae pictured that time years ago when that small girl stood up to the transformed Nora. They had been scared, but that child absolutely believed in him.

"I can't rebuke him for anything, you know? That is a bond unique to them. He trusts her and she unconditionally shows her support to him." Natsume explained.

"Wait, you are trying to change the topic." Sae said. "We were talking about Lavinia-san and Shigune-san.

"Tsk, you found me out." Nastume clicked her tongue. "It is as I told you, for Nora, she is more like a friend than a sister. His friends are precious to him, but he does not look at her like that, although it might have to do with the fact that she insists on taking baths with him so perhaps he looks at her like a woman...?"

"Why are you tilting your head in wonder?" Sae was not sure if she should laugh or cry at that. "You are supposed to be the one making the explanations."

"No, well. I was thinking that if that was the case... Lavinia-san might have quite the advantage already..." Natsume mumbled. "Ahem, let me explain why Shigune-san has issues as well."

Rolling her eyes, Sae began to see that Natsume was giving an unreliable explanation.

"It is about food." Natsume simply said with a shrug of shoulders.

Without any deep explanation, Sae nodded in understanding.

"W-Wait!? Shouldn't you rebuke her at that point?"

The owner of that voice came bursting inside the room quite suddenly.

"Hoho? So you were eavesdropping after all..." Nastume grinned.

Directing her eyes towards the girl with different eye colors, Natsume snorted. Shigune, who had suddenly found herself being stared at by Natsume's playful eyes and Sae's surprised eyes, froze in place.

"O-Oh..." Shigune noticed her blunder.

"I had a feeling that it would like this, I didn't know for certain that you would discretely listen to our conversation though." Natsume said. "If you wanted to join, I would have no issue, you know? I said it in the van. I was not declaring war on you, I was just expressing what I felt."

Tactfully staying in silence, Sae watched their exchange.

Looking guilty for her previous actions, Shigune squirmed in place shyly for a second before slowly sitting close to the other young women.

"S-Sorry..." Shigune muttered.

Not being really angry, Natsume just shrugged her shoulders.

"That said, I can't just change what I said." Natsume exclaimed. "You are a glutton and you are always craving his dishes. Even though you technically get sad whenever he has to leave, you can't deny that is because he is not going to make your food."

"It is not like that..." Shigune pouted.

"Hmmm, is that so? I have some candy here that Nora made so if you want to-" Natsume began searching her pockets and before she could pull out anything, Shigune was looking at her with watery eyes.

"And that is why I said all that." Natsume sighed.

"A-Ah... N-No, I just..." Shigune mumbled.

Seeing the girl trying to justify herself, Natsume smiled wryly.

"I am not trying to push you to decide that you like him. You get along with him, and you spend time with him. Whether it is training or not is not an issue." Natsume muttered.

"I haven't said I like him..." Shigune said.

"Oh, I see. Let's test something." Natsume nodded.

Inwardly apologizing in advance, Natsume glanced at Sae and hoped that she understands her reasons to do this.

"Do you like Samejima-kun?" Natsume asked.

"No." Shigune instantly answered.

"...I feel a bit sorry for him." Natsume, the culprit of such a situation, said. "How about Ikuse-kun?"

At the mention of that name, someone got alarmed.

"Wait!?" Sae called out.

"No." Shigune shook her head.

Sighing in relief, Sae glared at Natsume begrudgingly.

"Haha, is that so?" Natsume looked away awkwardly.

"...are you going to ask about him now?" Shigune asked slowly.

"Ah? No, if I do that, it will be like I am guiding you to give a particular answer. You are also prone to get shy and act on impulse. If I asked that, you will surely reply that you do. Regardless of your real feelings." Natsume smiled wryly. "I don't want you to think you have to like him romantically because you feel a great deal of goodwill towards him."

"You did not have to mention Tobio, did you?" Sae asked sullenly.

"Oh, no. I had to do it. I wanted to tease Sae-san who was acting all relaxed like this was not her problem." Natsume grinned mischievously.

"...I think you and him will make a good couple." Sae mumbled.

Inwardly she added that they got that troublesome habit of wanting to tease others, although Natsume found herself being the target of the cat's teasing.

"Hehe." Natsume giggled.

"By the way, where is Lavinia-san?" Sae decided to change the topic before Natsume tried to tease her again.

"She was going to raise a ward around this inn, although she was worried about the surveillance of a shikigami roaming around the district." Shigune explained.

Nodding at that, the group suddenly felt a sharp drop in temperature. They immediately reacted and took stances to face any possible attack, but nothing happened. Nonetheless, the temperature was still lower than it should.

"Lavinia-san!" Natsume shouted and picked up her gun before running out of the room hastily.

The others did the same soon after. They ran past several people staying in the inn after going down a few floors, but they were in hurry and did not bother to hide their equipment.

By the time they arrived at the area they believed to be the origin of the coldness, the temperature had begun returning to normal.

The first thing they saw beside the terrified guests hurled into one corner or the strangely enthusiastic guests madly taking pictures, was Lavinia, whom they were looking for, sitting in seiza and with both hands holding her forehead with teary eyes. Her pouty and pitiful expression was directed at a youth who stared back at her with an exasperated look.

"Jeez, don't you know that you must erect a barrier every time you are about to use your abilities to avoid causing trouble for regular people?" Nora scolded. "You are the most knowledgeable of the group so I expected you to be able to do this more than then."

"B-But..." Lavinia tried to muster a comeback.

"Don't give me excuses." Nora said.

Hanging her head down, Lavinia did not say anything else.

"Fufu, I told you not to do it."

Recognizing that voice, Natsume immediately aimed her gun at the speaker. She could recall that the voice belonged to the Witch of the West, an enemy of Lavinia for being involved with the Magicians of Oz, and while their involvement with her did not turn into a death battle, they did face each other on their way to Emerald City. She was capable of using powerful Lighting Magic and was a tough foe for the Natsume and the rest from back then. Nonetheless, the aforementioned tough foe was-

"Ouch!"

Clutching her head in pain while also sitting in seiza.

"....huh?" Natsume couldn't help but make that sound.

Shigune also looked equally baffled while Sae went over to check up on Lavinia.

"Don't provoke her! I told you to behave when you began tagging along with me." Nora sighed. "Argh, I knew that when you began following me after I got you a room in that inn, you would not act I'm a concealed manner."

"...you hit me." Lisa mumbled.

"Don't cry, I just flicked your forehead a little." Nora scowled. "It is not supposed to be painful."

"...you are a sadist." Lisa's eyes had a strange glint when she observed Nora.

Finding it hard to retort to that conversation, Natsume decided to ignore what they were saying-

"Natsume, perfect timing." Nora noticed the group. "Remember how you guys always said that you would lend me a hand? Haha, you arrived at the right time. Help me clean up this mess."

Smiling unnecessarily brightly, Nora asked. Natsume chided her inner self for skipping a beat from gestures and wondered if this was like it felt when women were deceived by bad men. He had apparently brought the buxom witch and now he was asking her to fix the mess the other woman caused. Nonetheless-

"Sure." Natsume muttered.

Pulling out a device with a similar shape to a pencil perhaps a bit bigger, Natsume slowly made her way toward the civilians. They did not take it well and some of the ladies and men shrieked. However, Natsume ignored that and stored her weapon before pulling out a pair of thick sunglasses and wearing them. Idle thoughts in her mind, she briefly recalled that her current skills of swapping and storing objects in her storage were the result of Nora teaching her for quite some time until she finally grasped the technique.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you would do me a favor and look here..." Natsume raised the device, and after a flash-

-----------------------------------

3rd Person POV

Running, as their life depended on it, they ran. However, soon the woman tripped and twisted her ankle. Her companion soon noticed and despite the urgency of the situation, he came back for her. It was obvious, they were lovers, they were engaged. For people who would soon share the rest of their lives, helping each other in times of need was obvious. Even if their lives were in danger, or they faced a destiny worse than death.

Leaning on the man, the woman did her best to hurry. The man also assisted her the best he could despite his exhausted body.

"Just a little more... just a little more..."

Gritting his teeth, the man expressed his hope by moving even faster.

They were almost about to leave the forest. They were finally going to get away from-

"W-What?"

After finally passing the forest, and thinking they had arrived at a nearby city, they suddenly found themselves closing in towards a small rundown shack that had seen better days, it was only big enough for one person to live. A muddy smell invaded their noses and every step they took became hard enough to make them stop. The ground was not completely hard and some parts had a strange liquid making strange puddles. There was a faint rusty smell that made them want to puke, but their mind was distracted enough to not let it bother them.

"I-I was sure... W-We walked so much... The city..."

In an incredulous tone, the man frantically looked left and right in homes that what he was seeing was an optical illusion.

"D-Did we take a wrong turn...?"

"Even if we did, there is no way we would end up here again!!!"

The woman timidly spoke but the man could not accept it.

"Well now, you guys need to calm down."

Another voice suddenly intruded.

A tall figure close to 180 cm or more, had spoken. White garments covered his body, and a white hakama and haori, similar to ceremonial clothing covered his body. His mouth was covered with a white cloth long enough to stretch far enough to cover his head like a good and two bumps could be observed on top of his head. A pair of crimson eyes could be seen staring back at them with interest.

Despite the concern in the voice, the pair of lovers could frightfully back away a few steps until their feet got caught in one of the puddles and it caused them to get stuck and fall.

"Are you ok? You look pale..."

The figure slowly crept towards the duo and they broke down in tears.

"P-please, let us go..."

"We won't tell anyone about what we saw..."

Stopping, the figure seemed to consider those words.

Noticing how there was a ray of hope, they frantically spoke.

"W-We will do anything...!"

"Do you want money? My dad works at a famous company, we can pay you-"

Walking a couple more steps, the figure ignored their words and they could only shut up when it happened. A strange aura was being emitted by the figure and it made it hard for them to speak.

Under the face mask, the figure had a twisted smile as he licked his lips, however, his eyes remained the same as before, showing concern for the couple.

The figure seemed to be full of worry as his hand extended towards the duo, but it soon changed course until it fell on the woman's chin.

"R-Release her!"

The frightened expression on the woman's face made the man snap out of his stupor and move his hand to push the figure's hand away, but no matter how much he tried, he could not make it budge.

"...you said that you will do anything I ask...?"

Briefly, the concern was gone and eyes full of obsession and desire could be seen, but the glint that contained those emotions soon vanished. However, the couple noticed and felt a chill run down their spines. The same desire had been directed at the woman a couple of times after they arrived at the village and they tried to stay away from the person who was the owner of that stare but he kept looking for opportunities to talk to them.

"I want you."

"No! Leave her alone!"

The man shouted and he was able to separate them, before dragging his body backward along with the woman.

He managed to stand up and flee only to find himself surrounded. Figures similarly dressed as the one from before appeared one after another from the forest until they had the place surrounded, leaving no chance to escape.

"So...? What do you say? I think you will find my proposal more enjoyable once you try it."

None of the people surrounding the perimeter moved, they stayed in place and the man soon despaired with the figure chuckled, and began dragging his lover towards the cabin.

Once again, the man tried to stop the figure's actions but it was in vain, his strength was not enough.

"N-No..."

Weeping, the woman tried to resist by sinking her hands in the ground, but the figure did not seem troubled by it and continued to drag her by the hair. She tried to flail her arms and feet, it was like her efforts were nothing better than a child's tantrum.

By the time the figure arrived at the door of the cabin, the couple could finally see that it consisted of a bed and a small kitchen all neatly arranged. The bed looked tidy, but there were signs of it having been broken despite looking rather new. A raunchy smell permeated the room and it bore into their nose sharply.

"Nooooo!!! Nooo! Help me!!!"

The woman once again faced her fate and flailed hopelessly. The guy picked a rock lying nearby and smacked it into the head of the figure but it did nothing but break down causing pain only to the man. This time, the figure did not stay idle and sent back a kick that broke one of the man's knees.

"Argh!!!"

His groan of pain was heard loudly but only the woman showed concern.

"Watch carefully and be filled with resentment and hatred. Towards me... and towards her."

Ominously muttering those words, the man entered with the woman. Sounds of clothing being ripped off could be heard and pained cries instantly gave the listeners the idea of what was happening.

"NOOOO!!!"

Trying to stand up, the man was stopped by the other figures who held him down.

...

...

...

Pained cries soon turned into pleasure moans, but when the man's eyes had lost all their light, one last sharp scream of pain woke up the man. He could only silently scream at the gory spectacle.

A few seconds later, the first figure came out, his clothes in disarray while missing his hood. The face was visible and dripping from his mouth was a red liquid.

"Why!? It was not enough to do all that!? Why did you kill her!? You...!!! You even ate her, what is wrong with you, monster!!!"

Licking his lips, the figure simply smiled.

"Shouldn't you be thankful? All those words about loving you but she ended up moaning from pleasure pretty fast, and by the end, she began asking for it herself a little bit. I just did you a great favor by killing her..."

"AAAAAAHHHHHH."

Screaming in a mixture of pain and anger, the man tried to move again but his body was held in place.

"You are crazy, all of you! Someone will make you pay, that is for certain. The gods will..."

"They will not. There are no gods in this village..."

The anger of the man was reaching its peak every time the figure spoke.

"Do you resent me? Haha, you are doing well then. Hate me, resent me. Resent the woman you loved for shaking her hips like a common s**t, haha, resent the people of this land."

Extending his hand, the figure grabbed the man's head and made the man stare straightly into his eyes.

"Everyone, yes, hate everyone, everything. Curse them, curse everything. However, do not forget to hate what made your life miserable... Onis. Youkais, not only Onis, there are many of them. Because they exist, you suffered like this."

If the man could kill the figure with his glare he would've done so. However, the strange glow coming from the figure's eyes made it hard to look away or ignore his words.

"Hate..."

Mumbling in a low tone, the man's head was released and it hung low with a lost expression.

"Throw him 'down there'. Check his body in case he has food on him, and do not forget to stir up their hunger before coming back. After this you all can go back to the town, we wouldn't want to make anyone suspicious, and our dear miko must not suspect anything or she might refuse to lend us hand."

The figure muttered before going back towards the cabin, although his steps were stopped when a figure wearing a black cloak with a hood appeared from between the trees.

Shaking slightly from fear, all those accompanying the figure scattered at once.

"Your nasty hobby never changes."

A flat tone could be heard from the hooded figure as it pointed out what just happened. There was no indication if it was because of the sexual act that occurred or the killing that took place.

"It is my way to speed up the process."

"Speed up? I believe it would be better if there are more people thrown there. You are only reducing our resources, there is a limit to how many people we can bring here before they sent someone after us."

Looking at the moon in the sky, the hooded figure shook his head.

"Not only that, we suffered tremendous damage thanks to those protecting Japan from the shadows so our grasp of this land is weak at the moment. We sealed this land's god, but if we have to relocate, we have to repeat the process so it will take time."

"I am not trying to sabotage your efforts. You told me how to create 'that' you need to gather starving humans and the resentment while they die will be what causes the formation of it. I am just trying to hasten the process by making sacrifices filled with even bigger resentment. The miasma created from their hatred towards those of inhuman nature after the hypnosis spell will be a little trick to make sure that they do not target us."

The hooded figure snorted at that.

"Isn't it just a clever way to say that you will keep targeting women that you fancy? Nonetheless, I am simply here to provide technical support. Your patrons get to decide if you can do things or not."

Smiling at that, the figure adopted a kind smile.

"I am glad that you think so. They did not mind my methods as long as I show results. Besides, it is not bad to get something in exchange after being used by them."

"Aren't you smart? Being aware that you are being used is good, but be careful, some of those guys will not see you in a favorable light if they know that."

The hooded figure swung his left arm and the other party caught up the object at once.

"You look creepy with that fake smile while covered in blood. After you finish 'procreating and eating' go and clean yourself, not forgetting to use that to hide yourself. Your horns are out and your eyes look like those of a madman. Even though you can fake a normal face and expressions, remember that the nature of an Oni will never be hidden."

"Oh, I am thankful for your concern. I will do so after I finish my job. That said, your concern sounds fake given that you have been the one supplying us with that sake."

Snorting again, the hooded turned around.

"The others do a better job of restraining themselves."

"But none of them have been able to reach my level."

Chuckling, the figure lowered his head to check on the fancy-looking syringe adapted to a gun. A pull of the trigger will immediately push the reddish liquid to the user.

"You drink too much. I had to provide lesser quality goods to other places because of you."

"It is because you do not have enough people, as long as you properly train more to aid you... making more of this special sake will be easier."

Clicking his tongue, the hooded figure turned his head back.

"That is none of your business."

Using his characteristic flat tone, the hooded figure thought for a moment that he should show the other party how to show respect.

"Scary~ Scary~ I was just offering a piece of advice born from my worry of seeing you struggle."

In fake worry, the figure just raised his hand in defeat.

"By the way, I would cut it out with your experiment, doc. You need to reduce the number of kidnappings because I heard that the church has been getting interested in protecting them."

"Mind your own business. The creation of Youkais is a field long forgotten so I need a lot of samples to test my theories. There are bound to be sacrifices along the way so there can be progress made. I provide you with stronger doses of sake every time you get me one of those so you have been cooperating with me so far. Don't go chickening out."

Shrugging his shoulders innocently, the figure glared at 'doc' with his characteristic crimson eyes.

"It is just that lately, I got the feeling that if I continue doing that, I will face quite the prickle. Something extremely bad will happen."

"Tsk, coward. Whatever, I am going to step out more but I will still bring those to my lab."

Not saying anything else, a magic circle appeared and the hooded figure teleported away.

"Now then~ How much fun can I have with this body without breaking it~? Too bad I killed her, her reactions were better than the others..."

Happily muttering such a thing, the figure entered the cabin and-

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