Chapter 9 (Patreon)

“Easy, Tsubaki,” Sona said quietly, and her Queen restrained herself once more. For the second time, she’d nearly rushed in to help, only for her Lady to stop her. And Sona had been right to do so. Neither the girls nor Taro had suffered any serious injuries.

“How is that even possible?” It was all Genshiro-kun could say, and his dejected expression made Tsubaki a little worried about him.

Genshiro hadn’t put up much of a fight in his first sparring match, so the girls had encouraged and reassured him, telling him he’d done fairly well for his first time. But the contrast between his performance and what Chiba was doing now made Genshiro-kun’s dejection and disappointment easy to understand.

Their Lady, meanwhile, watched calmly but intently. The student council president’s keen gaze seemed to weigh and assess every aspect of the fight, every participant.

Tsubaki knew Sitri Sona was a genius. Knew it and was proud of her. Admired her and loved her. Respected her abilities and her keen mind. The Queen had no doubt that once this training session was over, her Lady would have words of encouragement or praise for everyone involved, along with a few gentle rebukes. Even for that… Taro.

Now there’s a demon in the human sense of the word, she thought, trying once again to calm herself. A smile of strange delight had just flickered across the boy’s face as a katana blade whistled past barely a millimeter from his throat. It was a shame her Lady hadn’t let her join the sparring match—this Chiba was far too strong. Astonishingly strong. Impossibly strong, perhaps. A newborn demon who’d been mortal only a week ago simply couldn’t fight that well.

And it wasn’t even about skill. No matter how good a fighter a mortal had been, adapting to his new capabilities so quickly was impossible! Demons fought at entirely different speeds, with an entirely different level of strength. Many techniques from human martial arts became utterly useless. But this… this… Taro! He seemed to know exactly what to do and how to do it, without the slightest discomfort.

It was one thing to catch a Fallen off guard or exploit Tsubasa’s mistake, but to fight four demons who’d been training for quite some time? You’d have to be a genius! Who even was he? How could he be so strong?

And cocky, too, Tsubaki thought, her cheek twitching in irritation as Taro once again turned Meguri Tomoe’s katana aside with his palm and winked playfully at the swordswoman. He was clearly showing off.

He parried every sword strike with his bare hands, sharply slapping the flat of the katana to knock it a few centimeters off course—just as far as he needed. Chiba moved like a snake, twisting at impossible angles and darting in short, swift bursts, dodging blows and gently guiding his opponents’ attacks aside. But never striking back. He was making his way toward his second target; the first was already lying unconscious on the ground.

Both Tsubasa and Tomoe were doing everything they could to keep Taro from reaching the second Bishop, but he kept advancing toward Momo, unhurried yet unstoppable, as though to taunt them. With casual sweeps of his bo staff, he batted aside her ice projectiles.

To be honest, the vice president had been certain at first that the four of them could handle Taro. She’d volunteered because she’d wanted to personally… take him down a peg. The boy was far too sure of himself. Not a bad person, though. Far from it. He was always polite to everyone, sweet and considerate toward the girls, and careful with his language. Since Tsubaki had asked, he’d even stopped calling everyone outside the student council trash. Quite so often, anyway…

But everything else… His cold detachment outside the student council rooms, his utter indifference to his classmates, that constant, irritated “It doesn’t matter” whenever something didn’t directly concern House Sitri or his family. And, of course, his unshakable, infuriating confidence in his own abilities.

Though perhaps that last part isn’t just empty bravado after all, she admitted to herself with a hint of annoyance as Taro executed another swift, graceful pirouette, evading three attacks at once and advancing several more meters toward the white-haired Momo, who was visibly nervous. She was his second target, after all.

“Ladies,” I said, looking at the student council members with all the anticipation of a cat eyeing a bowl of cream. After a brief, hushed discussion, Sona-san’s servants were moving to their agreed positions. Bishops on the flanks, Knight and Rook in the center. “My first target will be Reya-chan, followed by Momo-san. Then I’ll attack Tomoe, and finally Tsubasa-san. I won’t attack any of you out of turn. Just defense—blocks, dodges, parries.”

“Oh.” Reya shot me a nervous glance, but I merely smiled reassuringly and winked.

“You’re getting a little too full of yourself,” Tomoe grumbled, frowning slightly. “You should listen to our Lady! Although…” The trace of annoyance on the mischievous girl’s face vanished in an instant, replaced by a broad smile and a playful gleam in her eyes. “Actually, that’ll just make it easier for us to thrash you, Taro! Let’s add a prize to make things interesting! If we win, you give each of us a packet of your tea! Well? What do you say?”

A morning cup of my tea had, incidentally, become something of a tradition over the past week. Genshiro, the girls, and I would gather for tea before classes, and I was actually rather pleased about it. You see, apart from our secretary-kun, everyone there was… well, very cute. Something for every taste, as they say. Different personalities, different looks, but all of them pleasant company and easy on the eyes.

Tsubaki started each morning looking stern, but every sip brought a faint smile to her lips, her eyes narrowing slightly in pleasure. She often gave me looks I couldn’t quite decipher, tried to tease me or rein me in when I got carried away, but there was no real malice in it. I figured it came from her overdeveloped sense of responsibility and her concern for the members of our little clan.

As I’d said more than once, she was beautiful and serious. She reminded me of a strict but endearingly caring kindergarten teacher. An inexperienced one, though. Tsubaki was clearly following our Lady’s example, but taking it a little too far. Where Sona-san needed only a reproachful look from those deep violet eyes and a slight, disapproving shake of her head to make you squirm with shame, Shinra-san could launch into a ten-minute lecture on, say, “the unacceptability of such behavior.”

We hadn’t known each other long, so Shinra-san hadn’t quite accepted that I knew how to adjust my behavior to the situation. She hadn’t yet put the pieces together: I was more open, cheerful, and candid with them, polite and friendly with the teachers, and cold and indifferent toward the other students.

Hypocrisy and calculation were part of me too, yes. A long life… many long lives force you to reconsider things like honesty and openness in your dealings with the world at large. Being friendly to everyone you meet, going out of your way to make each of them feel good—that’s wasteful and stupid. Ordinary, impersonal courtesy is quite enough to keep the trash happy.

Only people who matter to me deserve that extra attention—whether because I like them or because they can affect how comfortably I live. So I’m hardly going to mouth off to Serafall Leviathan or other powerful demons, or shamelessly brag in front of Sona-sama’s parents. It all depends on the circumstances, of course, but I have no intention of getting myself—or House Sitri—into trouble through sheer stupidity.

Well, I figured we just needed a little more time to get used to one another, and our Queen would stop giving me sidelong looks, waiting for me to pull something. I’d been known as a quiet, unsociable guy before all this, after all—not some out-of-control psycho.

“So if you win, you get tea, and if I win, I get to keep it? That sounds outrageously unfair! Worse, it’s daylight robbery! You truly are a demon, Tomoe! Senpai”—I pretended to wipe away a tear—“I’ll follow your example in everything!”

“You bet!” She stuck her nose in the air, grinning broadly.

“Let’s give you some real motivation: if you beat me, every member of the student council gets a packet of tea. Which means that if you lose, Sitri-sama…”

“Sona!” There was a hint of steel in my Lady’s voice this time, and her violet eyes were stern, perhaps even a little hurt. I decided it was time to stop teasing her.

“Yes, forgive me.” I gave the boss a brief, apologetic nod, then turned back to Tomoe. “If you don’t beat me, you’ll be depriving Sona-san of a packet of tea. And for a good servant, there’s nothing worse than letting our Lady down…”

“Ummm…” Tomoe’s eyes sparkled with mischief, and she cracked her knuckles for effect. “You’ve just dug your own grave. For Sona-san and tea—no mercy!”

“I’m all fired up!” Tsubasa chimed in, going through a few warm-up movements as Momo laughed softly. Even shy little Reya wore a sweet, bashful smile.

“Perhaps you could get started?” The Queen subtly reminded us that we’d spent a good five minutes chatting instead of getting on with our merciless battle. I was particularly pleased by Sitri-sama’s warm gaze and gentle smile as she watched us, apparently enjoying our banter.

“All right.” I dropped the smile and twirled the bo in one hand. “Get ready, ladies. Here I come.”

For form’s sake, I gave my clanmates another couple of seconds to register what I’d said. Then I channeled qi into my muscles and shot toward Reya.

Youngsters… Experienced fighters? Yeah… Not by my standards. No offense, but they were woefully short on experience. Even after I’d announced whom I was going to attack first, they hadn’t changed their formation. So Tomoe had to dash out to intercept me as I rushed toward my first target. I only mention our Knight because Tsubasa was lagging hopelessly behind.

We closed the gap at insane speed, meeting halfway to the Bishop in under a second. And Tomoe didn’t disappoint. A serious gaze without a trace of amusement, a swift strike that would have been fatal to a human—and would have taken my head off if I hadn’t been a Rook and reacted in time. Unfortunately for Tomoe, I was fast too.

Blocking her attack with my bo would waste time. I could do it, of course, but there was an easier way… “Steel Shirt.” A technique from the lower stages of cultivation, but perfect for fighting an armed opponent who had no techniques for enhancing their weapon. To conserve energy, I kept the “Shirt” active only on my left arm. A quick slap to the flat of the katana knocked it a few centimeters off course—just enough for me to lean aside and slip past her.

Another burst of speed. I ducked beneath the fireball my target had launched at me and dodged an icicle conjured by Momo. One step, another, qi into my leg muscles—and another dash.

Reya was right in front of me. I swung my bo, and her eyes went wide with fear. She squeezed them shut a moment before impact, and I grimaced. What kind of reaction to danger was that? Tsubaki cried out, but Sona-san reined her in as I lightly tapped Reya’s forehead with the butt of my bo. A pulse of neutral qi. Reya slumped to the ground, unconscious. No physical damage, but she’d be a little dizzy when she came to.

Tomoe caught up and came at me from behind, but I easily leaped clear of her overly wide swing, whipping the hem of my pao across her eyes. I landed, turned toward the remaining Bishop, and dashed forward, dodging another of Momo’s icicles. Behind me came the sound of shattering ice and a quiet curse. Friendly fire, huh.

“Sorry, Tomoe!” the white-haired girl shouted, while I sighed inwardly and met a blow from Tsubasa with a hard block. We’d finally crossed paths. Who wastes time babbling in the middle of a fight? Bad! Bad for them.

Tsubasa, incidentally, had stopped messing around and was hitting with everything she had. Not bad. A solid blow sent me skidding a couple of meters backward, where Tomoe was waiting. Excellent.

She didn’t repeat her mistake with those wide swings, instead unleashing a flurry of rapid thrusts and slashes. So far, I had the fewest complaints about Tomoe.

A focused gaze, precise, economical movements—she was trying to keep me occupied with a steady stream of attacks so the Rook could land a crushing blow. No need to rush, I figured. The girls needed to get a feel for what it was like to fight a truly experienced opponent.

I advanced toward Momo at an unhurried pace, using my bo only to bat away her icicles. That, incidentally, revealed an obvious weakness in our support fighters. Even I knew there were spells that could slow or disorient an enemy. Nets, for instance, ice on the ground, patches of mud. But our mage just kept attacking. Bad.

As for our melee fighters… As I’d said, I was pleased with Tomoe. Tsubasa knew how to fight alongside her, but got too carried away. I was using the Yellow Cobra Dancing Among Falling Leaves style, also known as “Abundance of Disappointment.” A very economical style, designed for fast, flexible fighters who moved fluidly and kept track of everything around them. Every blow from Tsubasa, every strike of Tomoe’s katana almost found its mark. Almost.

They often came within millimeters of hitting me, but I slipped away every time. Tsubasa’s face would light up with delight just before what she thought was a certain hit, only to twist in utter disappointment when her attack found empty air again. From the outside, I imagined, it must have looked like they were fighting a deranged gymnast performing wild pirouettes. Light, economical touches to turn the blade aside, glancing blocks, feints and dodges no ordinary human could pull off. I even began to smile as I settled into a state of active meditation.

Yes, they were strong opponents, and I was enjoying our fight, but unfortunately, they lacked experience. That added a touch of bitter disappointment. It was a shame Sona-sama hadn’t let her Queen join in. Tsubaki-san might have helped the girls win, or at least made me work a lot harder. As it was… I hadn’t even used Reflection of Might, because that would have taken all the fun out of it.

Still, it was time to wrap things up—a show of strength shouldn’t look like bullying. I wasn’t out to humiliate them, anyway. I leaped three meters into the air, a katana blade whistling past barely a millimeter away, then formed a platform of qi and pushed off it toward Momo. I was running on air. You know those ridiculous leaps in Chinese movies, where actors fly dozens of meters with their legs pedaling away? In my case, it looked like actual running, because I wasn’t dangling from wires: with every step, I pushed off a solid, if invisible, surface.

Oh, so Tomoe could swear after all. How unexpected. I’d punish her for that later. I dropped to the ground. Only a couple of meters to Momo, and the Knight couldn’t get there in time. I drew back my bo… Something was wrong. I caught the look in our mage’s eyes. A gleam of satisfaction, a smile of anticipation. Who warns the enemy like that? I activated Shroud of Might an instant before a magic circle flared beneath my feet. Bitter cold gripped me, and a heartbeat later I was trapped in a block of ice. Good! Except she’d given her trap away with that triumphant gleam in her eyes and childlike smile. Still, she was a clever girl—eight out of ten.

Through the ice, I heard the girls cheering. Too soon, girls, too soon. Burst of Might—and my prison shattered. I darted forward, gently slipped my right arm around the white-haired girl’s waist from behind, and lightly touched her temple with my left hand.

“Well done,” I whispered in her ear before knocking her out with a pulse of qi and carefully lowering her to the ground as Tsubasa let out a furious, frustrated cry.

“Taro!!!” Uh-oh. Tomoe was really worked up now, charging at me with her katana raised to strike. Her brows were knotted in anger, and her eyes flashed with real menace. A pity. She’d let herself get carried away after all, leaving Tsubasa behind and apparently forgetting in the heat of battle that she was next.

My bo was sticking out of a block of ice, and I decided to leave it there. It had been practically useless in this fight anyway. After all, clobbering my clanmates with a metal pole was… a bit much.

I closed with the Knight, watching the approaching Rook out of the corner of my eye. She wouldn’t make it in time. Tomoe thrust at me. I activated Steel Shirt over my entire body, trapped her blade under my left arm, and struck her forehead sharply with my right palm. A pulse of qi, and she fell.

“Ah…” I sighed in disappointment as I walked toward Tsubasa. “Looks like you’ve cost Sona-san her tea, girls.”

“Quit showing off—” My senpai never got to finish: I was already beside her. A Rook’s immense strength was all well and good. Pity about the speed. On her own, she was simply no match for me, so with one sinuous movement, I touched her forehead with the fingertips of my right hand and went still, holding her gaze.

“You’ve lost, Tsubasa-san.” I smiled without a trace of mockery, trying to make my gaze as warm as possible. “But it wasn’t a bad fight.”

“Just who are you?” she asked, letting her arms drop in disappointment.

“Chiba Taro, your kohai.” This time, I let a hint of amusement into my voice. The Rook merely snorted.

“Would you take Tomoe-san? I’ll carry Momo-san.”

“Are they all right?” Concern crept into her voice. “What kind of technique is that, anyway?”

“They’re fine. They’ll just be a little dizzy when I bring them around. Reya-chan should wake up on her own any moment now.” I carefully lifted the white-haired girl into my arms, pausing for a moment in admiration. Momo was a rare beauty, and back in the student council office, she treated all of us with such touching warmth. No wonder Genshiro-kun and I sometimes found ourselves gazing at her. I was discreet about it, but our secretary sometimes just stared in open admiration.

Then again, that goes for all of Sitri-san’s servants. And our Lady herself can be surprisingly charming, too. I glanced around at the girls.

They were all beautiful. Strict, serious Tsubaki; sweet, shy Reya; spirited, slightly brusque Tsubasa; endlessly cheerful Tomoe; Momo with her endearing thoughtfulness; and regal, beautiful Sitri Sona, always seeming just a little sad, with those fathomlessly deep violet eyes and that unfailingly warm smile.

I chuckled quietly to myself. For perhaps the first time since coming to Kuoh, I really felt like I was in a garden of beauties.