Chapter 12 (Patreon)

“Yuka, wait!” An older boy in another school’s uniform caught a girl from our academy by the hand.

“Get away from me, Takeshi! I can’t stand the sight of you!!!” The first-year student pulled her hand free from his loose grip and strode toward the gates.

I sighed quietly. It was my turn to stand guard at the school entrance again. Those shifts were usually uneventful: a neutral smile, polite nods to passing students, and a few words of greeting for the chattier ones. But today came with a bonus event: a tragedy worthy of Romeo and Juliet.

“You’ve got it all wrong! Just let me explain!”

The boy called Takeshi tried to catch up with the angry girl, but she’d already made it through the gates, and I stepped in his way.

“Get out of my way,” he hissed at me. I met his furious gaze and let a little killing intent slip out. Only a trace. I wasn’t trying to frighten him, just make him hesitate.

“Sorry, pal,” I said, meeting Romeo’s eyes with sympathy and understanding, but no pity—offering a little male solidarity. “You can’t come onto Kuoh Academy grounds. Come back after classes.”

He glared at me, displeased and frustrated, but showed no desire to start a fight—and no fear, either. I looked a little dangerous to him now, and that faint, oppressive pressure had taken the edge off his anger.

“Right.” He half-closed his eyes, exhaled, and dipped his head. “Sorry. I’ll be going, then…”

He glanced past me at the girl walking away. She hadn’t looked back, but she’d slowed when she heard a conflict brewing. Now Juliet had resumed cruising speed, her back radiating indignation. Ah, love… the springtime of youth and all that shit…

“Yellow roses,” I said quietly after a moment’s hesitation. The boy had already turned to leave.

“What?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder in surprise.

“Nakamura Yuka-san likes yellow roses. I heard her telling her friends.” It wasn’t my business, of course, but for some reason I wanted to meddle.

He’d clearly wanted to explain himself, and his sincerity was obvious. Although he’d grabbed Yuka by the hand, he hadn’t done it roughly—he’d been careful, almost tender, I’d say. So Yuka, small and delicate and already in a foul mood, had little trouble pulling free. Besides, she herself had slowed down when it looked like things might turn into a scene.

For a few moments, Takeshi-kun tried to process that. I could almost see loading icons replacing his pupils, and had to hold back a smile.

“Right.” His gaze cleared, and a spark of gratitude flickered in it. “Thanks, man!”

I just gave a little wave, wondering why I’d suddenly felt like playing Cupid. Usually, I wouldn’t pay this sort of thing any attention. But, whatever. I felt like it, so I did it.

“Good morning, Taro-kun. Turns out you’re a romantic.” Tomoe-san’s teasing voice came from a few meters away, where she and Reya-chan had been watching. It brought a faint smile to my face.

“Good morning, girls,” I said politely to my fellow clan members. The shy Reya mumbled a greeting I couldn’t make out. “I’m not a romantic at all. Just good old-fashioned male solidarity.”

“Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm.” Her broad grin seemed to say, “Oh, don’t give me that,” and I just rolled my eyes. “All right, we won’t keep you. See you after class.”

“Have a good day.” I smiled at the still-bashful Reya, who mumbled another wish for a good day in reply, and turned my attention back to the students coming through the gates.

“You see, Taro-san, I figured I’d get a girlfriend as soon as I enrolled.” I listened to Hyoudou’s complaints with an impassive face. For some inexplicable reason, he’d decided to pour his heart out to me. May Leviathan-sama punish him—there’d been no hint this confession was coming.

The servant of House Gremory had come over to my desk as usual to say hello before class, then suddenly let out a heavy sigh and started unloading on me. Maybe it was because his two buddies hadn’t been spending much time with him lately, preferring to show their true, rather nasty and envious colors instead? In their eyes, Ise had committed the unforgivable: he’d joined a club with girls in it and actually got along with them.

Those two restroom heroes were spending their free time badmouthing their “best friend” behind his back. Classic cultivator hypocrisy, I have to say. I’d seen it hundreds of times: fellow sect members trash-talking a “friend” who was further along in his cultivation. It usually ended with the loudmouthed pieces of trash getting the shit beaten out of them by their former friend, but I had a feeling our Issei-kun would go too easy on them. And right now, he was showing a pretty unpleasant side of himself, too.

“Maybe more than one!” the dipshit went on, completely unfazed by the increasingly contemptuous looks from the girls who could hear him. “I’d start dating one, dump her, then get myself another… I was planning to build a harem! By the time I graduated, swarms of girls should’ve been fighting over me in a ‘Battle Royale.’ But around here, only that clique of handsome guys is popular, and everyone ignores me like trash…”

“Trash doesn’t get ignored, Ise-kun,” I cut in, unable to hold back, interrupting the torrent of frankly vile, unfulfilled dreams he was pouring out to me. “People avoid trash because it stinks. Just like you do right now.” Hyoudou’s expression began to shift from sadness to hurt. I twitched my cheek in irritation as I noticed the girls in our class looking on approvingly. “And don’t look at me like I’ve hurt your feelings. Answer honestly: would you be happy if a girl started dating you just to use you, then dump you?”

“Of course!” Issei lit up. This… this…

“I don’t know what you got into your head, Ise-kun, but I wasn’t talking about her wanting to use your body. I meant something a lot less pleasant: messing with your head, taking your money, giving you nothing in return. Think about Yuma. Did you enjoy that?”

“I… well…”

“Of course you didn’t,” I answered my own question. Yes, I’d just struck a cruel blow at a wound the kid had only recently shown me himself, but I didn’t want to put up with that attitude or damage my own reputation. There’s a difference between being ignored and being despised. “People don’t look at you like you’re trash because you’re ugly. They do it because you treat girls like trash. Like a can of soda: pop it open, drink it, then toss it away. No self-respecting person, regardless of gender, would approve of that. So what did you expect, shouting for everyone to hear that you planned to build a harem or change girlfriends as casually as you change clothes?”

I exhaled through my teeth and leaned back in my chair. What an idiot, completely obsessed with getting laid. If he kept thoughts like that to himself, fine, but did he have to shout them for almost the whole class to hear? Looks like he’d already decided he had no chance with any of the girls in our class, so he’d stopped filtering himself. Honestly, I wanted to send him on a long, thoroughly non-erotic trip somewhere far away. But Sona-san had told us he possessed some kind of power-boosting Sacred Gear, and Hyoudou was a servant of an allied House. That made me rein in my tongue and feign sympathy, though I made my disapproval abundantly clear.

“Biologically speaking, ‘man’ and ‘human male’ mean the same thing. But in real life, what sets a man apart is a set of qualities that make him more than just an animal with a penis.” I shook my head with exaggerated disapproval, letting reproach and condemnation show in my eyes while keeping disgust off my face. “Those qualities include loyalty, honor, and dignity. Stop treating other people like things to consume. Show them you’re more than bio-trash—that you can offer more than the full force of puberty: respect, affection, and the certainty that they can rely on you. Do that, and you’ll see how their attitude toward you starts to change.”

It felt like approval was radiating from most of the class. Yes, almost everyone—even the boys. Only the dynamic duo, Matsuda and Motohama, twisted their lips into mocking grins. They openly disliked me by now, since I didn’t even pretend to be polite to them. But Issei’s pensive expression pleased me. Was he finally thinking with the head on his shoulders?

“In any case, let’s drop the subject.” I pointedly began getting my pens and notebook ready. “Class is about to start.”

Watching him walk away, I couldn’t help wondering. He really wasn’t stupid, and on the whole he wasn’t an asshole either, so where had this all-consuming fixation on girls come from? Every conversation with him inevitably turned to tits and bits. It wasn’t just that he admired women’s charms; the guy loved spelling out the intimate details of his fantasies and never hesitated to say which girls he was fantasizing about. And that whole “get one, then dump her” thing… Just disgusting. If all you want is sex, hire a prostitute. You give her money; she gives you her body, pleasure, and herpes and syphilis.

I snorted to myself. Maybe I should take this idiot whoring? Might calm him down… Nah. That’d be too much. After the way I’d made my disapproval clear today, I doubt he’ll bring it up again. And I can put up with a simple “I wanna suck tits” well enough.

“Right, time for class,” I thought, watching the teacher come in. No point worrying about stupid shit, especially since I still had a mountain of student council work today, then contracts to hop between, and another training session with Tsubasa after that. Toward dawn, I’d have to swing by home to tend the tea bushes and cook something healthy for my parents. Especially Mom. After their “shenanigans,” a little star of new life had begun to shine in her belly, so now she needed to eat only the very best. In the name of the Moon, naturally!

“Master.” The girl bowed with visible effort. She looked utterly spent—sweaty, disheveled, exhausted. I couldn’t help admiring her. “Thank you for the lesson.”

“You’re welcome, Tsubasa-san.” I nodded with a smile. “Your medicines are on the table behind the training ground, as always. Remember to eat a hearty meal after your shower. No sweets or soda.”

“Okay.” She nodded mechanically. My… well, I supposed she really was my student after all. She didn’t even protest at me calling her Tsubasa-san, though she’d spent the past week insisting I drop the honorific.

Persistent, I thought with satisfaction as I began the opening forms of active meditation. Once Tsubasa had left the training ground, a barrier dome began to form above it. My Lady’s parents lived in a nearby mansion, and I didn’t want to disturb them with surges of energy. Tsubasa was only at the beginning of her path, so her training here was “quiet.” But when I started training in earnest…

My breathing was as calm as the current of a broad, unhurried, mighty river. Qi flowed slowly and smoothly through my meridians, completed a full circuit, and returned to my dantian. The medicines began to take effect, warming my muscles. The kata were unhurried, precise, and graceful, settling me into a state of calm and serenity.

After completing a full cycle of the Great River’s Calm, I moved on to the Heavens Aflame. My movements grew sharper, and qi surged into my muscles more aggressively, making the medicines distributed evenly through them feel like fire burning me from within. My breathing grew fast and deep—my body needed more oxygen.

Eternal Ridges of Grandeur. I performed each kata extremely slowly, my breathing almost inaudible, qi at the highest concentration my body could hold, and the flow of life energy nearly still.

Freedom of the Winds atop the Icy Peak. My whole body felt light. Swift kata flowed into wild acrobatic pirouettes. The wind whistled past my ears as I moved at speeds ordinary people couldn’t reach. Qi raced through my meridians, straining them until I could hear a phantom ringing in my energy channels.

The first Elemental Cycle of active meditation ended. Another cycle…

The repetitions followed one after another. I had to draw every bit of benefit from the medicines I’d taken, maximizing their effect on my body and internal energy before I began working with qi outside my body.

Once I was sure the process no longer needed close supervision, I gave it only a sliver of my attention and turned my thoughts back to Sona-san’s first Rook.

Who would’ve thought I’d meet one of those people they call “prodigies” in the cultivation worlds? Someone who had awakened her Core of Life all on her own. The kind of “once-in-a-thousand-year genius.” Of course, nobody actually keeps statistics like that—especially abroad, where some poor statistician might get his abacus smashed for asking too many questions. But cultivators love grand words and numbers.

All my disapproval of Tsubasa’s performance in that practice match vanished at her very first training session. More precisely, during the examination I decided to give her while Sona-san and her Queen, who’d come to see us off, looked on.

It was funny watching Tsubaki look outraged by my behavior, Sona-sama appear a little flustered, and the Rook turn beet red, while I stood calmly to Tsubasa’s right, my palms pressed to her stomach and lower back as I examined her dantian and meridian system.

The tension peaked when I let out a relieved breath and, having pushed through the resistance of her demonic power, said, “There. I’m inside.” The Rook looked ready to spontaneously combust, while the Queen seemed about to try and whack me after all.

“If my esteemed ladies would stop thinking lewd thoughts, it’d be easier for me to work.” I twitched my cheek in mock annoyance and closed my eyes. “Tsubasa-san, demonic power is largely subject to your will—you told me so yourself. So when you think of me as the fourth member of the Perverted Trio, you prevent my qi from getting a clear reading of your energy system. And Tsubaki-san’s bloodlust is just distracting me from my work.”

“Sorry…” Yura Tsubasa squeaked, her eyes darting around our surroundings.

“Sorry, Taro-kun,” Sona-san said. The hint of genuine regret in her voice warmed my heart, and the trace of embarrassment on Tsubaki’s face amused me.

“Don’t apologize, my Lady.” I smiled gently. “You’re perfect, as always.”

For a couple of seconds, no one spoke. My qi kept spreading through the body of the girl I was examining, revealing her condition, her energy system…

“Flatterer.” The Queen’s teasing voice made me smile wider.

“My Lady is perfect,” I insisted, sinking deeper into the meditation of perception. “So perfect that every evening the Sun hides beyond the horizon because, in its envy, it cannot bear the flawless beauty of her face. So perfect that not a single ocean in the entire Universe is deeper than her lovely violet eyes. So perfect that her smile shines brighter than a thousand Suns, and her features are the very apotheosis of perfection. So perfect that the bottomless dark of space is but a pale shadow of the blackness of her hair. So perfect that the Goddesses of Beauty in the Higher Worlds weep with envy at her grace. My Lady is so perfect that I serve her—Chiba Taro himself.”

This time the silence lasted longer, and I finished my examination. Her body was in nearly ideal condition, though it still needed purging of impurities and more intensive physical training. Her meridian system hadn’t been developed at all, yet life energy filled not only the main pathways but around thirty percent of the “minor loops” as well. And then there was her dantian: awakened and softly pulsing, rather than dimly, barely perceptibly “glowing” like an ordinary person’s. Amazing.

Crude, imperfect, pathetic… That’s what I would’ve called it if any master had shown me something like this inside one of his students. But for an untaught prodigy, it was… astonishing.

“Excellent, Tsubasa-san.” I smiled and stepped back. “Just as I expected…”

The Rook was a funny sight: red ears, flushed cheeks, and a bewildered gaze darting between me and Sona-san. For some reason, the latter was pretending to study a little stone on the training ground, utterly uninterested in anything around her.

“Taro-kun,” the Queen sighed, rubbing her closed eyes beneath her glasses. “That last bit about you being the greatest was completely unnecessary. You ruined the whole effect.”

“I disagree,” I said, thoughtfully stroking my chin. “I said it all perfectly. Anyway, back to training, Tsubasa-san. How would you feel about taking martial arts seriously? You’ve got all the makings of a great fighter.”

These days, my Lady’s other Rook and I trained together every other day. For now, Tsubasa’s training was purely physical. Her dantian might be awake, but her body still hadn’t developed enough to match her energy, which made her somewhat… clumsy in combat. A crude analogy: she was living in clothes that were too tight. She could feel she was capable of doing better, doing more, being stronger—but her body couldn’t keep up. And she still had plenty of impurities to purge.

Becoming a demon neutralizes most of the harm caused by junk food, unhealthy drinks, and the like, but not all of it. A practitioner must be pure, must strive for perfection of both body and spirit. So during the first part of our training, I mostly watched Tsubasa work through exercises that put her muscles under maximum strain and built her endurance. Meanwhile, I stayed in passive meditation, working on my Eyes of the Sage array.

Thanks to the medicines, her awakened dantian, and the diet I’d prescribed, she’d get through this stage of physical conditioning far faster than an ordinary person tempering their body. Once she’d completed the first stage of physical development, we’d move on to the basics of meditation, conscious control of qi, and the first, simplest cycles of circulating energy through her meridians. I expected a huge leap in her combat power even at that stage. She’d become far faster and stronger just from the effect proper cultivation would have on her body.

“Haaah.” I exhaled noisily. A pleasant burn in my muscles, a phantom ringing from my strained meridians. Now I could practice some external techniques and arrays.

I touched a stone set into one of the training ground’s pillars and fed it a little demonic power. The spell anchored here was already charged; all I did was activate it. Stone golems stirred to life—combat models. The grounds had originally been equipped with training golems, but after my very first test of strength, Sona-san had ordered them replaced with something tougher.

“Good training dummies.” I squinted with satisfaction at the three-meter-tall figures emerging from alcoves around the arena. Fast, strong, durable. Best of all, they repair themselves in a day. “My Lady is generous.”

“ORA!” my activated Reflection of Might chimed in eagerly. Its distorted emotions and deranged mind were thrilled by the fight to come.

“ORA, of course.” I chuckled, sensing its hunger for battle and sharing some of it.

The only thing that disappointed me was how dumb the golems were. Their behavior patterns were easy enough to learn; after that, they stopped being opponents and became targets. I’d have to find a strong opponent. Someone I could really cut loose against, without holding back like I did when sparring with my clanmates.